Hailee Mae Sleepin

We went for a walk and when we came home I striped Hailee down and set her on the couch so I could do a couple of things.  I checked on her after just a couple minutes because she was being so quiet and all that fresh air pooped her out, she passed out right on top of her cloth diaper.  They look like they were a great pillow though.  I love her so much!!!!!!

There's always a little truth behind every "just kidding"

A little knowledge behind every "I don't know"

A little emotion behind every "I don't care"

And a little pain behind every "It's ok"

To My Dear Great Aunt Rose

Dear Aunt Rose,

Today I am saddened to hear of your passing and wish that I could be there to celebrate your life.  You were an amazing women and I want you to know you were an inspiration to us all, even if we were not the best at showing it.  I know that you touched a lot of lives in Ketchikan with your work at the hospital, and volunteer work at the church and the soup kitchen.  I think you were an amazing women alone in just raising your sisters five children like they were your own after she passed.  I could only imagine how hard it would be to raise five children that weren't even yours all by yourself.  I have so many memories of playing at your house as a child and only now realize as an adult how truly patient you were.  I remember making you watch me play with toys and if I caught your eyes closed I would wake you and make you watch me play.  You always said you were just resting your eyes and not sleeping.  I cant even count how many times you walked up Bryant street hill for me so I could play in the park, and I know that was hard for you but you did it anyway.  In also remember playing the piano, and I know I wasn't good, probably just banging all the keys and you never got mad or irritated.  We used to go to the landing and get a stack of pancakes for breakfast on the days that I stayed the night with you.  I have wonderful memories of you from my childhood and I know that you had a long and wonderful life.  You will truly be miss by many and I hope you are in a happier place with the rest of your family that has passed before you.  I love you Aunt Rose and I hope to see you again.  I really wish you could have met your great great niece, I think you would have liked her.

Love Always,
Monica

 

Aunt Rose on her 90th Birthday

 

Aunt Rose and I when I was little

 

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure"

 

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal"

Day 9

Something your proud of in the last few days

Well two days ago I finally started to work out again since being pregnant and having my little girl.  It took awhile for me to figure out where to fit a workout in and then to actually have the energy to do it.  Hailee is on a roll and has sleep for five hours straight in her crib about five times this week, and boy does five hours of sleep without her in bed with me make a huge difference on my energy level.  I have started to work out in the mornings after taking the dogs for a walk because Hailee always takes a good nap after a bit of fresh air.  I am hoping to stick with this schedule and be back to my goal weight in a few months.  I want to lose 30 pounds and hope to have it off before spring hits.  Then I can get my baby into swim lessons and not feel uncomfortable in the pool with her. 

Day 8

Short term goals for this month

My short term goals for the month of November are to keep my grades A's in the 3 psychology classes that I am taking currently, keep my sanity while my husband is away training so I have no help with our baby, and to maybe loose a couple more pounds of baby weight.

Happy Halloween

Today we did a little photo shot with Cookie Monster and Elmo.....

Day 7

A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you

 

This little girl has had the biggest impact on my life so far, she means the world to me and I don't know what I would ever do without her.

Day 6

Favorite Superhero and Why

I am not really big into the whole superhero thing but if I had to choose a favorite I would probably choose Super Man.  Back in the day we use to watch Smallville all the time which is based off the Super Man story.  I guess I like Super Man because for one, he can fly, and who wouldn't want that, and he is also really fast and really strong.

My Little Cookie Monster

Here is Hailee in her Halloween costume.  She is Cookie Monster for her first Halloween, it was hard to find costumes small enough for her so there wasn't much to choose from but I think it turned out really cute, and her friend Michael is Elmo, we are going to take some pictures of them together closer to Halloween.  I took this picture early because I entered it into a contest.  Hope she wins....

Day 5

A picture of somewhere you have been

This is one of my favorite beaches.  It is in Lincoln City, Oregon, someday I hope to live not far from here.

Day 4

A habit you wish you didn't have

One habit I wish I did not have right now, although it is a delicious one, is carmel frappes.  I try to limit myself to one per week, but they are so good and about the only thing I really crave.  Funny thing is I didn't even drink coffee before I had my baby.

Day 3

A picture of you as a child

Day 2

The Meaning Behind My Blog Title

I always have trouble thinking of a name for something such as a user name, email, password, and just about everything else, but when it came to naming my blog I didn't have too much of a problem.  As you know my blog is called LentLife, I guess it is pretty self explanatory because our last name is Lent and it is all about our life.  I wanted to create this blog for family that is on the other side of the country and for my husband when he deploys to Afghanistan in the spring, that way everyone can stay caught up without me having to email each person individually,  and I get to get all the rambling out of my head :)

Monica

Day 1

This is the most recent picture of me, and that is my little girl Hailee at two months old

15 Facts About Me
1. I was born and raised on a small island in Southeast Alaska called Ketchikan.

2. My favorite place in the world is to be on a beach somewhere listening to the sound of the waves crashing ashore.  It is very calming for me.

3. My hair has not been its natural hair color since I was in fourth grade (mom is a hairdresser).

4. I have 7 tattoos and will be getting many more, I love them.

5. I love taking pictures and one day I will buy myself a really nice camera.

6. I have a daughter and I love her more than life itself, I never knew you could love something or someone so much until I had her.

7. I have drove across the country 5 times and have seen some amazing places such as Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Yellowstone, The Red Wood Forest, Golden Gate Bridge, and drove the down the whole west coast.

8. I love wine and have visited a few amazing wineries in Oregon, California, and Arizona.  I plan to visit many more.

9. I love animals and I think I have always had some type of animal, I have had dogs, cats, birds, fish, rats, sugar gliders, mice, frogs, and a turtle.

10. One of my favorite thing to do is go shrimping and crabbing with my family, I love pulling the pots to see what our catch was.

11. I was a vegan for a year, then a vegetarian for 6 months before I got pregnant, and now I eat meat.

12.  I am married to my best friend and we have been together for 8.5 years now, I am glad I get to share my life with him.

13. I went to school and became a massage therapist, then decided it was not enough for me so now i am getting my degree in psychology to become a youth counselor.

14. Some of my hobbies include; crocheting, scrapbooking, growing vegetables, photography, and making different crafts.

15. I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin.  Someday I hope to be an auntie too.

My New Challenge

The break down:
day 1 – recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you as a child
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you’ve been
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you’re proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- write a bucket list of things you want to do before you die
day 12- write a poem to someone you love
day 13- your 5 favorite books and why
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- a picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- write about a sweet memory from your past
day 20- write a letter to someone
day 21-a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave a lot
day 24- post your favorite quote or verse of scripture and why
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for
day 27- my day job verses my passion
day 28- cruise a thesaurus and pick out 10 words you like the sound of
day 29 – favorite tv shows and why you like them
day 30 – movies you can watch again and again.

"Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of somebody else."

The Tiny Parts

People have always said to cherish every moment with your babies because they grow up fast, well I have cherished just about every moment, but did not realize how fast babies actually grow.  Little Hailee in now a little over 2 months and I can not believe how fast it has gone, kinda makes me sad, but I am also excited to watch her grow.  I wanted to document the tiny parts of her that I don't want to forget.

 
 



Cloth DIaper Adventure Part 1

So I received my first set of cloth diapers about a week ago from my Grandma.  She bought me 11 diapers to get started.  I have to say when I got them in the mail I couldn't wait to open them.  They come wrapped in their each individual package.  When looking online there are so many different choices for cloth diapers.  After months of reading reviews and comparing prices I decided to go with the Kawii Baby Diaper at http://www.theluvyourbaby.com/  The prices are very reasonable and if you order straight from them it is cheaper and they offer free shipping if you spend a certain amount.  They also have very cute designs, most other brands are solid colors.  The set I received from my Grandma were the one size snazzy minky, and I love them, they are so incredibly soft.  I also decided to go with the snaps instead of the Velcro because I feel that Velcro would wear out faster.

Once you get your diapers you have to wash them a few times before using them, this is to get out any residue that may be left on the diaper from the manufacture that can cause it to not absorb as well.  I only have access to a washer at the laundry mat so my routine may be a little different. 

Pre-Wash- I washed the full load of cloth diapers and their liners in the washer twice on cold with 1/4 the amount of detergent I would normally use.  Then I set the washer on cold wash and did not add any detergent.  You could probably just do a cold rinse but I don't have that option.  Also instead of drying them I hung them to dry on my shower rod, they actually dry quite quick.  This will allow your diapers to last longer.

When washing your diapers you want to be careful on what you wash them with, you do not want to use any bleach, fabric softener, borax, stain removers, liquid concentrates or anything that contains brighteners or fragrance.  These can damage your diapers and cause them to leak.  The colder the water you use the softer your diapers will be, and the longer they will last. 

I ordered some detergent specially for cloth diapers called Rocken Green, it has perfect reviews and also has different formulas depending on where you live.  Here in Texas we have very hard water so I got the Hard Rock one.  I will up date with a washing schedule as soon as I receive it.  I am also waiting on another set of cloth diapers that my dad ordered me, yay.  They recommend having at least 24 and you don't want to go longer than 3 days with out washing them.



Cloth Diaper Info

I did a lot of research before Hailee was born because I have always thought about using cloth diapers because there are so many benefits. 

-You will save your family at least $2,500 per child

 

-An estimated 10,000 diapers go into the landfill every day, by using cloth I will be cutting my part out, each family uses an average of 7,450 diapers per child (natural family)

 

-Babies have far less diaper rash, and usually only minor ones if they do get one

 

-Your baby wont be exposed to sodium polycralate, which are the crystals in disposable diapers that can cause skin reactions (Caldwell, Ginny)

 

-Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. (Diaper association)

 

-Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. (Diaper association)

 

-Using cloth gives your baby a less chance of developing asthma.  The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 cloth and 6 disposable, finding that the disposible diapers had high enough amounts to give asthma to mice. (Environmental Health)

 

-In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.  (Diaper association)

 

- Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feed stocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR. (Diaper association)

 

-Using cloth diapers will help facilitate quicker potty training. During potty training time children who have been in cloth will recognize sooner when they are wet vs a baby in disposable diapers.  They are often potty trained up to a year earlier.

 

-Disposable diaper are the third largest single consumer item in landfills.  (Diaper association)

 

 

References

 

1.Natural family online

2.The Archives of Environmental Health, Acute Respiratory Effects of Diaper Emissions, Archives of Environmental Health, 54, October 1999

3.Caldwell, Ginny. "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Eco-Baby Catalogue

4.Diaper association

 

 

For me, the chemicals alone that will not be absorbing into my baby's skin is enough for me to put in a little extra effort by switching to cloth diapers.  The added bonuses are, you will save a couple thousand dollars and reduce your carbon foot print.  They are also much cuter in pictures, a disposable diaper is never attractive.

 

 



Inspiration

"Always remember; be kind, be fair, be honest, be true, and all of these things will come back to you." -Unknown

Homemade baby wipes

I like to make my own baby wipes for a few reasons; they are cheaper, I know what is in them, they are great for babies with sensitive skin, like my baby, and I can make them as I need with just a few items in just a few minutes.  As long as you have some Bounty paper towel rolls on hand, you will be able to make them as needed because the other items will last a very long time.

You will need

Lavender essential oil

Tea Tree essential oil

A carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil

Bounty paper towels

and

a container big enough for half a roll of paper towels

 

 

Cut the paper towels in half, you will use half now, and the other half next time.  Use a sharp serrated knife or electric knife, they are a lot harder to cut than you would think.

 

 

In a large measuring cup or bowl put,

1 cup warm water

3 drops lavender essential oil

3 drops Tea Tree essential oil

1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil, or another carrier oil

 

Pour mix over the half roll of paper towl in the container you have chosen

Allow to soak 10 minutes, then flip container upside down and let sit 10 more minutes

After it has soaked all the way through pull out the cardboard center

and wal-la, you have homemade baby wipes!

 

 

I store the other half of the paper towel roll in a zip lock bag to keep it clean and dust free, and it is ready to go for next time.

 

 

 

Two month pictures on Hailee

Well Hailee is two months old now, and boy did that go fast.  I hope that time slows down a little.  Hailee is becoming more and more alert everyday, she is really changing fast.  At her 2 month checkup with the doctor she weighed exactly 10 pounds, and is in the 88th percentile, which is awesome since she was born a month early. 

Things Hailee likes

 Looking at bright lights or windows

Daddy singing to her
Playing with her tongue

Bath time

Her musical giraffe from Aunt Kathy

Her mobile in her crib, but as soon as it stop she cries

Diaper changes

Sleeping on her belly (found this out by floor time, she just goes to sleep)

The puppies licking her feet

Holding onto your finger

Pulling daddy's chest hair

and

Hanging out with mom and dad

 

 Things Hailee does not like

Loud noises

When the puppies lick her face too many times

Sleeping on her back or by herself

Having a dirty diaper, she will yell at you

Her swing, unless she is sleepy

Being by herself

or

Being cold, she loves to snuggle

 

 

 

Taking her two month pictures were much more challenging than the first time.  She moves a lot more and yells at you when she is not happy.  I do like the pictures better because she has her eyes open and shows a little of her character, but our photo shoot only lasted about 10 minutes, I have learned to be fast, and then she was done.  I think I got some good shots though.

 

 



Breastfeeding

I knew I always wanted to breast feed my babies even before I tried getting pregnant for a few reasons; (1) It is way cheaper than formula, you save an average $720 dollars (2) It creates a special bond between mama a baby (3) It helps shrink your uterus and slows the bleeding from delivery (4) Your menstrual cycle will take longer to come back, and who wouldn't want that, and (5) It is incredibly healthy for both mama and baby.  I found a awesome timeline of a breastfed baby at http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html?fb_action_ids=4720369129739&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366  and want to share some of the highlighted points.

- The very first feed helps to stabilize baby's blood sugars and protect baby's gut.

- The first few days you will produce colostrum, which is thick and sticky and your baby will only need about 3-4 teaspoons daily.  This is high in protein, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals, as well as antibodies that protect your baby from bacterial and viral illnesses.

- A hormone oxytocin is release into the mothers body when she nurses which causes the uterus to shrink and regain its tone after birth protecting the mother from excessive bleeding as she recovers.

- By day 4 of breastfeeding you have giving your baby their first and easiest "immunisation" (antibody rich colostrum) and helped to get their digestive system running smoothly.

-By exclusively breastfeeding for at least 1 month you have given your baby significant protection against food allergy's at 3 years of age, and also against respiratory allergy at 17 years of age.

-By breastfeeding for 6 weeks means that your child now has less risk of chest infections up to 7 years old.

- Newborns who are not breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies.

- Breastfeeding enhances your baby's antibody response, strengthening the effectiveness of the vaccine.  Nursing during the vaccination process also offers your baby a unique level of pain relief.

- By breastfeeding exclusively for 2 months, your child now has a lower risk of food allergy at 3 years of age.

- During the three to six month period your body hits a fat-burning period and helps to use up the fat stores you laid down in pregnancy.  Breastfeeding also burns an extra 500 calories a day.

- By breastfeeding for 3 months you have given your baby a 27 percent reduction in the risk of asthma if you have no family history and a 40 percent reduction if you do have a family history.

- At three months you have also given your baby between a 19 and 27 percent reduction in incidence of childhood Type 1 Diabetes.

- By breastfeeding for 4 months you have given your baby a strong protection against ear infections and respiratory tract diseases for a whole year, and you have reduced your baby's risk of cot death.

- Also by breastfeeding for 4 months you have given your child a lower risk of developing eczema and asthma.

- After the first 6 months, breastfed babies tend to be leaner than formula-fed baby's.

- By breastfeeding for 6 months you have given your baby significant protection against eczema during their first 3 years, and a 19 percent decrease in the risk of childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia and a 15 percent decrease in the risk of acute myelogenous leukemia.

- Baby's breastfed for 7-9 months have a higher intelligence than those breastfed for less than seven months.

- Breastfed babies are commonly more alert and more active than babies who received formula.

- By breastfeeding for 1 year you will have given you child many health benefits that will has their whole life.  They will have a stronger immune system and will be much less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. 

- Children breastfed for at least 1 year are more likely to display better social adjustment when they begin school.  They also have a lower risk of becoming overweight later in life and have lower risk factors for heart disease as an adult.

- Breastfed toddlers between 16 and 30 months old have been found to have fewer types and shorter duration of illness and to require less medical care than their non-breastfed peers.

As long as you breastfed you will provide your child with essential proteins, nutrients, antibodies and other protective substances.  Human biology is geared to a weaning age of between 2 1/2 to 7 years, because it takes that long for a child's immune system to fully mature.

My breastfeeding experience started off a bit ruff, even though I took 3 different breastfeeding classes.  When Hailee was born at 36 week she was not strong enough to latch and move much, I tried for two days before the doctor had me start expressing to feed her with a syringe because she had lost 12 percent of her body weight already.  I was sad but determined not to give up.  The doctors would not release us from the hospital with her eating out of a syringe so we gave her a bottle if breast milk because we were ready to go home after being their for six days and sleeping on a fold out chair in pediatrics.  After she had the bottle she wanted nothing to do with even trying to breastfeed, I was heartbroken but not ready to give up.  Once we got home I kept trying and after a couple days I could get her to nurse if I was laying on my side in our bed.  At about 2 weeks old she was exclusively breastfeeding and we no longer needed the bottle.  I feel that the first month is really hard, and you will be exhausted, especially at night, but if you make it through the first month you should be good to go.  It is way easier than having to scrub out bottles and warm them up.

One month pictures of Hailee

Instead of paying for professional pictures every month I have decided to take my own pictures and edit them on my computer.  I googled free photo editors and a bunch came up.  The one I used for these pictures was fotoflexer.com, I thought they turned out pretty good for my first time.  It was quit challenging taking pictures of her, we took like 20 to every 1 I liked well enough to edit.  Good thing for digital cameras.

Little Hailee



We have a new addition to our family, little Hailee was born on August 1st at 1:47am. She was 6.5lbs and 18.5 inches long and even though she decided to come out a month early, she is healthier than ever.

Her very first picture, she is less than 5 minutes old

 

Hailee sleeping on her mama

 

She has the blackest hair, and lots of it, I think it will lighten though

 

First picture we got with her eyes open

 

The day we were supposed to go home she got Jaundice and had to go under the lights for about 15 hours.  This was the first time I cryed since she was born, it was heartbreaking because she would cry and we couldn't hold her, except 20 minutes every 3 hours.

Six days old and we are finally ready to go home

 

 

The day I had little miss Hailee was a bit of a surprise, well I knew that something had changed the night before because I did not sleep much and had to get up 11 times to pee from 10pm to when my husband left for work at 5am.  Normally I only got up about 5 times at this point.  I had an appointment for my weekly checkup that afternoon anyway so I figured I would just talk to them then.  This was my 36 week checkup and everything looked great so they weren't going to check me for dilation.  I insisted that something felt different and I have been peeing a lot extra, and they finally agreed to check me.  When the doctor checked me he was shocked because I was already dilated to 6cm, he sent me straight up to labor and delivery.  I called my husband and told him to get his but to the hospital because we were having a baby today.  I didn't feel any contractions until about 3:30pm, at 10pm I was still only dilated to 7cm and the contractions weren't to bad.  They decided to break my water and then the contractions really came.  Just when you think they are strong, they get even stronger.  I had it in my mind I was going to have a completely natural birth before I even got pregnant.  I did really good until I hit 9cm, then I literally thought I was dieing.  Lucky for me I went from 9 to 10 in about 5 minutes and my body started pushing by itself.  I pushed for about 2 hours because she was face up, which makes it harder, before she stayed crowned.  Then it took about 3 pushes and she was here.   We spent 6 days in the hospital because Hailee got Jaundice and lost 12% of her birth weigh, she went down to 5.9lbs.  Then we were free to go.