Thinking about knitting

I know it's the holidays because I have resurrected my all consuming burning desire to knit. Unfortunately, what with baby-and-presents-and-cards-and-cookies-and-messy-house, all I have mustered the energy to do is look at free knitting patterns and think about what I would like to make. Well, that's not exactly true. I did make my handy dandy patent pending braided cable gauntlets and a hat for Maya that fits her funny. It probably won't be worn much if I don't fix it. (I say that like I can't just put her in whatever funny looking thing I want.)
I am currently obsessed with the idea that I will knit cute and oh-so-hip toys like these for my baby girl to protect her from all of the made in China phthalate and lead paint popsicles out there, while at the same time developing her sophisticated little aesthetic. However, I still need to buy and make lots of presents for people who are actually aware that it is Christmas. Basically, if even one little Woodin actually gets knit, it will be Christmas miracle.

Do you know your a mom when you can breastfeed, check a temperature (98.1) and type at the same time?
I guess if you are breastfeeding, you'd better be a mom.

Well, gotta go, I think the cat's peeing in the hall again.

Collic Schmollic

I haven't posted in a while and lots of you are still under the impression that Maya has collic. I am happy to report that this is not the case. It turns out that she was sensitive to wheat and dairy in my diet and now that I have cut those out she is a very happy baby. She has even started to laugh! Here's a smiley picture as proof :)

Congratulations Sabrina and Solomon!

Aidan Dominic Castañeda was born yesterday in San Francisco around 2:18 (sorry guys I can't remember the exact time), and 7 lbs 3 oz. Maya has a new second cousin once removed. Hmmm, we'll have to think of an easier way to say that. What a cutie! He has the same thick head of hair Maya has, but he's much more awake and alert than my little peanut was when she was born. She was still supposed to be a fetus for 2 weeks, after all.

Gee, these two don't look related at all :)

We are so excited for Sabrina and Solomon and we can't wait for a Christmas full of babies!

Cloth Diapers: 6 week progress report

Well, we've been using cloth diapers for about 5 and a half weeks now, so I guess it's time to report our findings: We love them! Even Robert loves using cloth diapers with a diaper service. They are really easy because all we do is throw them in the hamper, no washing. We have had a few leaks and blow outs, but I think they would have happened anyway. Maya tends to have very forceful, large poops :) and every so often they blast out of her diaper. I put her in a disposable once to see if it would be better and she had another blow out, so I figure it's not the diaper's fault. Breast milk poop doesn't smell, either. One day we had to use formula and her poop was soooo gross after that! Sorry about all the poop talk, but you can't talk about diapers without talking about poop.

Happier Baby

Well, a few things seem to be working to keep the crying down. Maya is a much more relaxed little baby. She does get upset sometimes, but who doesn't?

1) We are carrying her in a baby carrier as much as possible. This keeps her more upright and keeps the milk where it belongs. We have two pouch slings and an Ergo carrier. I like the pouch slings for convenience and the Ergo because it keeps her sitting almost all the way up (it looks kind of dorky though). My bosses daughter made me a sling which is so cute! I will post pictures soon.
2) We are using Mylicon drops which appear to be helping. The doctor said these drops work about half the time. They are supposed to help her get the gas out, and she is burping more. Poor thing, when she gets older, she'll be mad that I wrote this kind of stuff online.
3) We are using a First Years Soothie pacifier. This is the kind of pacifier they had at the hospital and the only one she would take.

5) The advice from the Happiest Baby on the Block really helps. She loves white noise, particularly the hair dryer. I may write a love song to my hair dryer. She also likes jiggling. Swaddling helps some times.
4) I cut dairy out of my diet. I'm not sure if this made a difference. I'm going to try to switch to cutting out wheat next and see if that makes a difference.

The C word!

Those of you who have had the joy of meeting our gorgeous baby girl have probably all noticed her calm, peaceful disposition. Unfortunately, the serene quiet of our little nest has been disrupted, and collic (the big C word) has begun to rear it's ugly head. Maya has reflux, this means a valve in her stomach is immature and can't keep food down. Basically, she spits up an inordinate amount and always gets upset when she spits up. The stomach acid burns her esophagus and feels like heartburn. She is clearly in pain during these crying bouts, it's not like any of her other cries. The doctor was incredibly unhelpful! He basically said he won't do anything unless she's loosing weight. She's not, by the way, she's up to 6 pounds 12 ounces. So, looks like it's time for mom to the rescue. I'm trying lots of ideas, and so far today is going well. She usually starts crying in the late afternoon, so wish me luck!
I am going to do all I can to keep my sweet baby girl happy and healthy.

Our first day alone

Tuesday was the first day Maya and I have spent alone. My mom got on the train monday night :(, and Robert started work at 4. I took her to work with me for our first car trip alone and she cried the whole time! AHHH! That is the longest my baby girl has cried in her whole life and I couldn't pick her up! When we got to work and I picked her up, she burped and then she was fine. I took this video of her to preserve how infinitely sweet and angelic she is.

Monday, Maya and Robert and I went for a walk in the park and she was wide awake and staring at the trees the whole time. It was really amazing. She stayed awake quietly looking around for 3 hours! We started to think, "uh oh now what will we do?" It's gonna be fun showing her the world!