My husband is a pastor, in between churches at the moment.  We have great hopes that he will be back in full time ministry very soon, and I will be a stay at home wife and mother again.  You may notice the site going through some changes in the mean time, as I search for a new site design and a better direction for the site.  The “zombie” period as I’ve decided to call it.  Looks like there might be some movement, but there’s not much going on under the surface.  Before long we’ll be back sharing experiences, lessons, and tips with each other, not to mention all the adorable, funny, and sometimes gross stories that are sure to be shared where children are involved.  So put that shovel down, and don’t nail our coffin shut just yet.  MFD will rise again!

In the mean time, keep checking back for future posts, and continue to enjoy the webcam now located in the Side Bar!

To view the Aidan Cam larger:

Right click on the image in the side bar and select “view image.”  Then continue to refresh your page for a new image every few seconds.  Enjoy!

Located in the sidebar now —>

The cam takes a picture about every 15 seconds, so hit refresh every now and then.  At the moment of this post he is sleeping in his swing, so not much entertainment value, but sure is darn cute!  Enjoy!

updated on March 5th, 2009 by William to reflect the webcam is now in the sidebar.

Check this out when put up against the leading disposable diapers that have plastic in them.

You have a reusable outer “Little g pants”, an inner liner that is machine or hand washable, and then the flushable diaper refills.  It seems really easy to use.   A little more work than the common disposable diapers, but much better for the environment, so worth it in my opinion.  Check out these videos on using and disposing the G Diapers.

These Diapers are slightly more expensive than the name band disposable diapers, but again you’re saving the environment and your trash can liners.  Not to mention you could save a buck on fertilizer if your a gardener.  It’s about $27 for a starter kit, which includes two little g pants, and ten flushable refills.  The refills, run $15 for a single package, and $52 for a case.  The number of refills are comparable to the number of diapers in a package of disposable diapers.  The little g pants are supper cute, and come in a variety of colors.  They run around $17 for solid colors, and $19 for designs. You can find them in specialty stores, or order them through their website.

Being a tree hugging mom, I’m already sold on these diapers!  For more info be sure to check out their site!

Age

What we consider a fever for a grown adult is much different for a child.  It is much harder for an adult’s body temperature to fluctuate than it is for a child’s.  So for infants and young children, a higher temperature is not out of the ordinary.  At what temperature should you start to worry then?

• 0-8 weeks: Fever is greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• 8 weeks – 6 months: Fever is greater than 101 degrees
• 6 months – 2 years: Fever is greater than 103 degrees

Taking Baby’s Temperature

There are four ways to take a child’s temperature. Check to see what kind of thermometer you have.  Always use a thermometer designed for one part of the body in the correct spot.

• Rectum: This is the most accurate and recommended method for infants.  Put a little vaseline on the end and put just the very tip of the thermometer into the rectum.  Wait until it beeps.
• Mouth: Suggested for older children.  Accurate readings by placing the thermometer under the tongue until it beeps.
• Ear: Quick and easy for any age, though not recommended for very small infants.  Used by putting a specially designed thermometer in the ear for a couple of seconds.  Not as accurate as other methods, since incorrect positioning, ear wax, and movement can cause an inaccurate reading.
• Armpit: This is the least accurate, but an easy and quick method if you are dealing with a squirming infant.  Using an oral thermometer, hold the tip in the armpit and press child’s arm gently but firmly against their body.  Wait until it beeps.

Temperature Readings

How you take a temperature can affect the temperature reading.  It might be a few degrees off with one method versus another.  Here is a basic idea of the difference that can occur when using different methods.

• Rectum: 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
• Mouth: 99.5 degrees
• Ear: depending on the setting, 99.5 degrees to 100.5 degrees
• Arm pit: 99.0 degrees

Really the best advice when it comes to fever is to go with your instinct.  If you are in doubt, don’t hesitate to call your peditrician.  You’ll have peace of mind if it turns out to be nothing, and you’ll help your child get better if it’s serious.

Infants Mylicon Gas Relief Drops. I seriously thought I was going to run out of this in that first week.  It is safe from birth and so very helpful.  I could always tell the difference between feedings with Mylicon, and without.  You can give it to baby on a schedule, like every four hours, or just with every feeding.  You also have the option to give it to your child oraly, or mixed in with their formula, so great for both breast fed and bottle fed babies.

Desitin Diaper Rash Cream. I’ve noticed I needed this more with breast feeding than with formula, since babies are more sensitive to what mom eats, but still very good stuff.  I had to go buy this after the first week because regular lotion and powder were not cutting it.  When his bum started getting a little raw, this made it much better in one diaper change, and made the rash go away completely in one day.

Aquaphor Ointment. This is a multi use ointment.  I use it mainly for Aidan’s dry skin and craddle cap, but I’ve also used it on his baby acne to make it less red, and to help prevent chaffing when forced to use diapers that are less than ideal.  It doesn’t dry out as quickly as lotion and seems to be less irritating to his skin.  Also works great on my dried out hands too!  It does a fairly adequate job protecting from diaper rash too, so might work well for a baby less prone to rash.

Nursing Pads. Even if you are not breast feeding, it’s a good idea to buy a box or two of disposable or reusable nursing pads.  Though most people don’t mention this when you have a baby, you will leak once your milk comes in.  More so if you are breast feeding.  It can stain your white clothing, and it smells after a while too.  Nursing pads were essential for me after waking up soaked in the middle of the night!

Lanolin Cream. Very important if you are breast feeding.  Especially in that first week you can be very sore.  This stuff is great for soothing dry sore nipples.  It also works great for chaffing and as a skin protectant, though not advertised as such.  One tube is all you need of this.  A little goes a very long way.

Diapers. It doesn’t matter what brand you choose, but trust me when I say it is extremely helpful to stock up on diapers “Before” baby gets here.  Most babies are in a size 1 at or shortly after birth, unless born under 7 lbs.  Your doctor or midwife can give you a good idea of what your baby will weigh.  Buy big boxes, buy different sizes.  To give you an idea, we recieved about 15 packages of diapers as gifts, and I also bought one large box of diapers all in a size 1.  We’re down to our last package this week.  He’s still not into the next size up, so we’ll have to go buy a couple more packages.  It was so very helpful to not have to worry about buying diapers for his first month.  If you don’t buy any of the other products, make sure you stock up on diapers before baby gets here.  Don’t worry about not using them all.  If by chance you don’t use them, you can usually return unopened packages!

• It is not necessary to pack up the entire house to go to the store. You should have seen my first diaper bag!  Could hold an entire package of diapers plus changes of clothes for both mom and baby, three or four bottles, two packages of wipes, not to mention all the little bottles of lotion and powder, and baby toys.  Should I continue?  It was big enough for an overnight bag for a three night stay.  Come to think of it I think my husband and I used it for just that before the baby got here!  We have since narrowed down our “necessities” and switched to a more reasonably sized diaper bag.
• Always have an extra diaper or two handy when doing diaper duty. Little boys make messes.  It’s handy to have a “shield” between you and baby while cleaning his bum.  Not to mention the many times my son decided he wasn’t done pooping when I took off the diaper.  It’s a good idea to have an extra you can slide underneath.
• Always pack a change of clothes for baby. The number of extra outfits you pack is up to you.  I remember the first time we took Aidan out of the house, I packed three changes of clothes and he went through them all.  Either spitting up, or bad diaper episodes, and sometimes both at the same time.  At the end of the day we faced the prospect of going home in his diaper.  Since then, I pack three onsies, a sleep and play outfit, and an extra pair of pants every time we go out.
• Don’t buy too many Newborn sized items. Unless you are a 100% sure your baby is going to be less than 7 lbs, and shorter than the usual 19 inches, than they will grow out of newborn size clothing and diapers  in a matter of weeks.  Fortunately I knew this information ahead of time, and I only bought 5 outfits in this size.  These still ended up being too many combined with gifts I received in this size.  He never even used the newborn diapers I bought.  He was too big for them the moment he was born.
• Bubbles are bad. This is a very odd statement for my friends who know how easily I am amused.  Usually bubbles are a quick source of entertainment.  But when it comes to feeding Aidan, we quickly learned that bubbles in a bottle of formula meant a mess at one end or the other.  After mixing up a bottle to supplement, if there are bubbles I leave it sit on the counter for five minutes to let the bubbles dissipate.

Stay tuned for a list of must have items every new mom should know about before baby arrives!

I’m starting to resign myself, but not just yet.  I invested, through the help of gifts from family and friends, in a Medela Swing  Breast Pump.  This should be easier to use than the manual pump, meaning I can pump more often during the day.  Not the first choice for my situation, as there are other pumps designed more specifically for Low Supply.  But this is all I had money for, and is still much better than the manual pump.  I’ve been doing reading on breast feeding problems, and supply is directly related to demand.  If your milk is emptied five times a day, then you’ll produce enough to feed five times a day.  Like wise if you’re milk ducts are adequately emptied ten times a day, the result should be that your supply will increase to that amount as well.

We just started using the pump.  I’m attempting to use it every two hours for ten minutes on each side.  So far I haven’t noticed an increase, but it’s too early to tell yet.  I’d greatly appreciate prayer and encouragement in this.  It just doesn’t make sense that I don’t have enough milk.  If I was living in the time before formula was available I suppose my son would be dead by now.  Which is why it makes no sense to me and is completely frustrating and discouraging.

Breast Pumps can not be returned, so here’s hoping that something happens soon!