I'm Free!

Random Updates

I know all three of my readers haven't been able to sleep because they spend their nights wondering what we're up to in the Fukumoto household. I decided to end their senseless torture and tie up some loose ends.

1. Capsule Wardrobe

I'm going to be honest here...I started out with the best of intentions, but I've reverted back to old habits, and on most days, I reach for my yoga pants or norts. Maybe when Rory isn't constantly getting into things she shouldn't be, and I'm not crawling after her in the sandbox, it may make more sense to wear nicer clothes, but for now, loose, comfortable clothing just makes sense. I am making more of an effort on weekends, and the idea of a capsule wardrobe has helped me in other ways. I've cleaned out my closet, identified my "uniform", and I find it easier to resist impulse purchases. It also prevented me from overpacking for San Francisco. I used all but one of the clothing items I brought because I thought in terms of outfits rather than individual pieces. I still plan on creating a fall capsule wardrobe because I like the idea of condensing my clothing and focusing on versatile pieces that make sense for the upcoming season and my lifestyle. My friend, Karla, has done an awesome job with her CW. She posts her outfits on Instagram daily...and she has two boys under the age of five, so I really have no excuse. Perhaps I need to post my outfits on my blog...a little accountability goes a long way. Or so I've been told.

2. The Basement

Our basement is finally finished...after 7 long weeks. The original estimate for completion was three weeks, but when do contractors ever finish on time? Marcos and I decided to paint the room ourselves in order to save some money, and if we had to do it again, I'm pretty sure we would have happily shelled out the dough. It was a long, tedious process made even longer by the fact that we have a 10 month old. This means that we could only paint during nap times and when she was in bed for the night. It seemed like it would never end. But, of course, it did end, and now we are enjoying the extra space. It's one big room, but we designated one half as a TV/movie watching area and the other half as Rory's play space. We also plan to put visitors down here where it's quiet and cool and there isn't a baby in the next room who makes up before it's light outside.

3. Feeding/Breastfeeding

Several people have commented on what a good eater Rory is. She pretty much eats whatever we put in front of her. (And whatever she finds on the floor.) I'm sure that will change and there will come a day when she refuses to eat anything except chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. But for now, she is into hummus, mushroom risotto, vegetarian Shepard's pie, you name it. She pretty much feeds herself at this point, but I do spoon feed her yogurt and oatmeal.

Ahhh....breastfeeding. My struggle with BF was one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place, but Rory and I have come a long way. I have to admit, I never really grew to love it...but I did grow not to hate it. (If that's not a ringing endorsement for breastfeeding, I don't know what is.) Rory is now feeding twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. I plan to go down to just the nighttime feeding in a few weeks, and hopefully she will be completely weaned by one year. I've tried giving her some whole milk to replace her midday feedings, but she's not a fan. So, I use it in her oatmeal instead. I worry about her getting enough vitamins and nutrients, and I know a lot of people would say that twice a day isn't enough for a 10.5 month old, but it's working for us. And if there's anything I've learned from this whole BF process, it's that you can't listen to other people. You have to do what's right for you and your baby.



4. Cloth Diapers

We ended up getting a new washer a few months ago because our old one wasn't agitating...which is important. I love our new front load washer, and it's been great for CD, but lately her diapers have been reeking of ammonia. (Once they've been sitting in her pail for a few hours.) I spoke to several friends and called our local CD store to ask for some advice, and I came to the following conclusions.

1. The ammonia smell may be the result of too much detergent (build up)
2. ...Or it may be the result of too little detergent
3. My HE washer may not be using enough water to wash the dipes
4. I may need to do more rinses
5. I may need to strip my diapers
6. I may need to change my wash routine
7. I may need to wash my diapers more often

Notice how there's a whole lot of maybes? This whole CD thing is all trial and error. One of my friends suggested using Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer, so I've been using two tablespoons in the prewash cycle, and that seems to be helping. I didn't realize that I should only be using half a scoop of the recommended amount of detergent, so I'm almost positive the ammonia is a result of build up rather than too little detergent. I really wanted to avoid using bleach to strip my diapers, but the smell isn't 100% gone, so I may have to bite the bullet. I don't mind doing a few extra rinses, but one of the main reasons I use CD is to save water/money, and if I'm rinsing my cloth diapers five times every other day, that seems to defeat the purpose. After doing some research and going back to the drawing board, my new wash routine is as follows:

Quick wash with two tablespoons of Funk Rock (warm)
Normal wash with half a scoop of Country Save detergent and an extra rinse (hot)

If the smell gets any worse, I will try to add more rinses or strip with bleach. I've also gotten better about washing every other day, and I think that's been helping. Three days is too long to go without washing. The nice woman from the store who tried helping me over the phone also suggested that I put a towel in with my diapers to trick the washer into using more water.




5. Sleep

Rory has been sleeping through the night since 6.5 months, and I couldn't be more relieved. Sleep deprivation was by far the hardest part about being a new parent. From about 4 to 6 months she was only waking up once a night, which wasn't bad, but sometimes it would take me hours to fall back asleep. Rory's naps are also much better. She naps twice a day, for a total of about 3 hours. Her naps range anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, but as long as she wakes up happy, I don't stress about it. Looking back on how obsessed concerned I was about her sleep habits, I realize how much time and energy I wasted worrying about her short naps and her midnight feedings. Sleeping through the night and condensed daytime sleep are developmental milestones. You can't rush it...it happens when they're ready. I have several friends with babies who are Rory's age, and their sleep habits are across the board. Some have been sleeping through the night since a few months, and some are still waking up for a feeding. Some take three naps, and some are already down to one. One think I know for sure is that I won't worry so much with baby number 2...mostly because I have no choice but to be more easy-going with two children, but also because I know now that all phases, good or bad, come to an end.

Why I Broke My Number One Sleep Training Rule

Well readers, lock me up in mommy jail and throw away the key. Yesterday, I broke the number one, most important sleep training rule: I nursed Rory back to sleep during her afternoon nap. Gasp! But before you start pelting me with Legos and ban me for life from the good mom club, let me explain myself.

The past week has been crazy in the Fukumoto house, to say the least. Marcos' parents, his sister, AND his sister's fiance are visiting from Brazil, Dallas, and California, respectively. I know all you other Type A's out there feel my pain. I've had anxiety about this visit for months now. Every time I brought up one of my "concerns" to Marcos, I swear I saw his hand twitch.

Make sure they wash their hands before they hold her. 

They have to be quiet when she takes a nap.

They should rent a car so they're not sitting around all day. 

Tell your mom she can't pick her up if she cries in the middle of the night. 

You're going to make sure you're home to help me with bedtime, right?

Make sure they know that they can't all take a shower at the same time, or we'll run out of hot water.

Needless to say, it's been a long 5 days...and I still have 5 more to go. Every where I turn there are people! People asking me where something is or how something works. I've grown accustomed to spending my whole day alone with Rory and Marli, so it's been quite an adjustment for sure.

Rory, on the other hand, is in heaven. She has not one, but five playmates at her beck and call all day long. Every morning I sneak out of the house to get coffee and leave her with her aunt and grandparents. When I return half an hour later, she looks at me with a puzzled expression as if to say, "Oh you. I didn't realize you had left."

Unfortunately, all of this excitement has wrecked havoc on her nap schedule. She's not used to all the extra noise in the house, and she's such a light sleeper that a loud sneeze woke her up from her morning nap yesterday. I kid you not. A sneeze. So, I was relieved when everyone left to go shopping during her afternoon nap. I figured she was so tired that she would sleep for at least 2 hours. So, when she began stirring an hour into her nap, I was determined to let her put herself back to sleep without any interference from me. I anxiously watched on the video monitor as she tried again and again to transition into the next sleep cycle. Eventually, her whines turned into a full blown cry, and I knew that I had two choices:

1. Allow her to keep crying until she reached our time limit, or

2. Sneak into her room and "help" her go back to sleep.

To be honest, my decision was a selfish one. I hate hearing her cry and I knew that if we were all going to survive the sushi dinner we had planned, she needed a good nap. So, I sneaked into her room, quietly lifted her out of her crib and proceeded to nurse her. She fell asleep within minutes, but rather than put her back in her crib, I decided to just watch her sleep...something I haven't done in months.

After spending less time with her these past few days, I felt disconnected. So, I decided to take the opportunity to enjoy my baby and appreciate all of the little things that I've been too busy to notice lately. I noticed that her feet were hanging off of her nursing pillow. Wasn't it just yesterday that the same pillow seemed to swallow her up? I noticed that her hair was getting lighter and starting to wave slightly. (Finally some proof that she shares my DNA.) I noticed that her eyelashes cast long shadows on her cheeks while she was sleeping. I noticed that she still has a small dimple in her right cheek. I noticed that her hand was wrapped tightly around my finger while she slept. I noticed that tears were running down my cheeks as I sat there and listened to the melting snow outside the window and watched my baby sleep.

I'll be the first one to tell you that nursing your baby to sleep will surely backfire on you when it's time to wean or you are trying to get your baby to sleep through the night. But, I have no regrets about breaking this rule yesterday. Sometimes you just have to rock your baby to sleep. And not because they need it, but because you do.

Pardon the drool...we're teething. 

My Favorite Things About Breastfeeding

Wow! What a difference a few months can make! Eight weeks ago, I never would have thought that I would use the words "favorite" and "breastfeeding" in the same sentence. It was a long road, but Rory and I have made it through the worst, and dare I say it...I actually enjoy breastfeeding now. Here's a list of what I consider to be the best things about breastfeeding:

1. The Extra Calories
Are you really surprised that this is first on the list? I'm talking 500 extra calories a day. I could do an hour of cardio and still not burn that many calories. Instead, I get to sit on my butt all day and  not feel guilty about indulging in ice cream or french fries. In fact, if I don't eat enough, my supply is affected. There are days when I actually have to push myself to eat more. There will never be another time in my life when I can say, "My baby's health depends on this second brownie."

2. It Keeps Me in Check
Even though breastfeeding requires additional calories, the majority of those calories should be from healthy sources, and I like that breastfeeding reminds me to eat healthy as often as possible. Rory's primary food source is my breastmilk, which means she's getting 100% of her nutrition from me, and I want to make sure that I am providing her with every vitamin and mineral she needs for her development. Also, the one drink limit saves me from suffering from miserable hangovers.

3. Time Out
Lately my days seem to be filled with chaos. Between cleaning the house, doing laundry, playing with Rory, and sleep training, it's always a relief to get the the half hour break to breastfeed every three hours. Sometimes it's the only chance I get to check my email and play Candy Crush write important blog posts like this one.

4. The Bond
When I was struggling with breastfeeding, my mom friends encouraged me not to give up, and many of them described the amazing bond it creates between mother and child as the main motivation to keep at it. During the first few weeks, I thought there was something wrong with me because I didn't feel that bond while breastfeeding. Mostly because I was in the worst pain of my life. But as the pain subsided and we got over the learning curve, I suddenly understood what they were talking about. When Rory looks into my eyes and smiles at me during one of our nursing sessions, the love I feel for her is like nothing else I've experienced before. And then she pulls my hair and the spell is broken.

5. The Health Factor
It's a great feeling knowing that I'm giving Rory everything she needs for her development and providing her with important immunity against common illnesses, including allergies and ear infections. Breastfed babies also have higher IQ's and a lower risk of SIDS.

6. It's the Ultimate Problem Solver
If Rory is tired, upset, or hurting, odds are all I have to do is stick a boob in her mouth and she will automatically be pacified. I read somewhere that breastmilk contains a natural painkiller, which is why many moms choose to nurse immediately after vaccines.

7. It Will End
Just because I enjoy breastfeeding, doesn't mean I'm not glad that it will end one day. Nursing can be exhausting, and some days I can't wait to have my body back. All good things must come to an end, but I sure am going to miss those extra calories.