month two

Just reread month one.
Still bad.

Except now her hair is fuzzy and she smiles during those rare moments when she's in a good mood. She also now grabs things occasionally, can hold her head up by herself for a good while, she likes to watch me dance, and she giggles sometimes. Mostly she giggles at her own reflection. She has also outgrown some of the newborn clothes and is already wearing some 3 month old things!

At least at this point she only cries when she has a reason to cry. They aren't all very good reasons to cry, ("hold me while bouncing or walking or I will scream! No you can't sit down!") but at least they can always be remedied and it's not just hours on end of screaming just because. So there's that I guess.

Bad, but not as bad. I guess I will keep her lol

The cold weather that everyone was so anxious for is ruining my life. We normally go on walks in the mornings around the nearby park. There is a senior rec center there so there's a little health trail thing with different exercise equipment to use. I will do a brisk lap or two with her, use the equipment do some wall push ups or some squats or basic yoga, you know things you can do while baby wearing. This is usually enough to give a little endorphin boost and keep me pretty cheery. Now it's just too cold. I would be OK in a hoodie and moving to get body heat but what about Dixie? The wind cuts right through those footie jammies. (Of course by the time I publish this the Floridian winter will probably be over)

I do yoga at home when I can but honestly when I'm here the mess makes me not really want to do anything. If I'm inspired enough to work out I'd rather just use that feeling to launch a good cleaning campaign.

There's something nobody touched on during my pregnancy.

Yes everyone says, "just let the house get messy while you take care of baby it's not a big deal"
that's fine advice for most but what about us small percentage of diagnosed OCD moms? I literally can not rest if my house is disgusting. I am embarrassed just looking at it. I think I would feel a lot better to be stuck in the house all day if it was clean. I clean a little bit everyday to keep it from looking like a total disaster but still, it's never at optimum clean anymore and that really irks me. I used to be known by my friends for having the cleanest apartments anyone our age would have. My favorite compliment was from a friend who said "you have the cleanest bathroom I have ever seen!" I think I smiled for that entire year off that.
Now when I'm in the bathroom there's hairs all over! People hair, cat hair! Everything needs a fine layer of chemical mist followed by a 2 hour scrubbing. Not to mention after the move and the baby Josh was laid off so I never got my bathroom organizer. There's nowhere to put deodorant, hairbrushes and dental supplies except right on the bathroom counter which looks terrible.


But luckily for me as long as I baby wear her I can pretty much do any sort of cleaning, except the really good chemical spraying kind.

Baby wearing has really been a godsend. I have the fussy bundle of hell kind of infant who screams at the top of her lungs if you are not holding her. Lugging around 11lbs all day can really put a damper on your spirits, not to mention keep your hands tied for the next ohhh....4 months. For reasons stated above I can't go handless for the next 4 months thus....baby wearing! Looks like baby is 2016's must-have accessory! I won't be caught dead without her on!

We have 3 carriers here. Two Infantino front carriers, one which I haven't used yet and one Moby Wrap. Let me share the pros and cons of each.

I'll start with the Moby Wrap.

Pros:

• First off, she loves it. When she was a teeny tiny newborn often times it was the only thing that helped her chill out. She sleeps really really well in it, I mean REALLY WELL and will sleep there for hours on end.
• It's toasty! With these cooler winter days it's helps to have a carrier that is essentially a giant blanket. Keeps both me and baby warm.
• Something about the tightness of the wrap and the give of the fabric makes it perfectly ergonomic for babies to snuggle into. She gets in that good fetal, frog-squat position and you don't have to worry about her posture or breathing.
• Last, it doesn't hurt my back with prolonged use.

Cons:

• It takes a minute to put on and it's kind of a pain in the ass. When baby is screaming like she's being eaten alive by ants, time is of the essence. It's not really a lot of fun to listen to that mess while making sailor knots around your body with a long piece of fabric. Then when you think you got it and you put the baby in, turns out it's sagging or twisted and now you have to take it off and do it all over again. Not to mention baby's cries have gone up 5 decibels due to being messed with yet again. That really sucks!
• There is no real head support. If you manage to put baby in at the perfect angle and baby is asleep with their head turned inward you can tuck their head into the side and now you're hands free. If baby is taking a minute to calm down, or if baby is wide awake and looking all around you lose 1 hand to keeping that big old potato head up. This kind of defeats the purpose of a carrier.
• It's toasty! Yes this was a pro, but I live in Florida so most days of the year it's actually a con!

Infantino Breathe

Pros:

• Super easy to put on and adjust. You got it on in seconds flat and baby is well on her merry way to shutting the hell up. :)
• Breezy! Only one small section of your stomach gets sweaty! A lot less than the Moby Wrap on a hot day.
• Anyone can do it. Moby Wrap takes practice. This is the thing to hand over to uncles and husbands when on the go.

Cons:

• Not comfy for baby! Baby just kind of dangles there and the super upright position makes Dixie gargle saliva in her sleep. She can sleep in it and she's ok but the noise is disconcerting. She tends to wake and stir more in this carrier than the Moby Wrap.
• Not comfy for mom! Prolonged use and my back is killing me. Like right now she is snoring away in it and I am deep breathing as a coping mechanism.

 Personally I prefer using the Moby Wrap if we're just chilling but when I want to exercise or get things done I go with Infantino. But lately I have been using the Infantino because I left the Moby Wrap in the car and I forget to take it out every single morning before Josh goes to work. ;-;

So there ya go. My second product review. If you recall I did one earlier on the Snoogle body pillow. That thing is so awesome!

So I guess to sum up month two I'd have to say I'm still not exactly having a super great time, but she gets better everyday. Everyday she shows more of her personality, she cries a little less, smiles and giggles a little more. She hangs out by herself without freaking out a little bit longer and we have more fun together.

I can't wait to see how next month will go!