Is it possible to fallen head over heals in love with a plastic jug? Well I certainly have. The plastic jug I speak of is the Dr. Brown’s Formula Mixing Pitcher
. Being a formula feeding mother definitely has its pros and cons. One of the cons is making bottles and making sure the formula is consistently mixed (no lumps is key). This nifty product helps simplify this process greatly. The Dr. Brown’s formula pitcher is just a 40 oz. jug with a spinning pull system that mixes the formula evenly. It allows you to make up to 32 ounces of formula at one time. What I do is use 24 ounces of water to 1 cup of formula and that makes enough formula for about 24 hours worth of bottles. This product has been a lifesaver at night for Ryan and I, because we just pre-pour the bottle for the night before we go to bed, and then when X wakes up for his 4 am feeding we just go to the fridge and grab a bottle. I also love that it makes the formula not as bubbly which means X is less gassy. This gadget is definitely worth its less than $20 price tag!

One thing that has made living in Arizona difficult on some days for Ryan and I is that neither of our families lives here. Both our parents and our siblings live in Washington, which of course is our home. Since being pregnant with and now having X the distance has been even harder. I am often sad that everyone doesn’t get to see him and see how much he is growing and changing everyday. To ease some of this long distance hardship we have fallen in love with Skype. Skype, if you are not familiar with it, is a free program for your computer that allows you to video chat (you’ll need a webcam) with other people who also have Skype. We’ve been chatting with Ryan’s parents each Sunday since Christmas and we love being able to give them the weekly update and see our nieces and nephews because someone is always over at Nana and Papa’s house! My parents just got Skype this month and my mom and I will often just chat together and I’ll hold X on my lap so he can get some Grandma time in. While its not the same as seeing them in person it helps hold us and them over during the long months where we can’t go home to see everyone. I know Skype has been around a while but I just wanted to thank this nifty little program for allowing us to stay close to our families, even when there is great distance between us.

Looking for music that is suitable for children and tolerated by adults can often be a tough search. One of my favorite children’s music series is Putumayo Kids: World Music Adventure.

I found these kids CDs last year when I was looking for fun music for my classroom that would be nice to play when my students were doing independent work or quiet reading. I really wanted something that was not a sing-a-long, which is often what children’s music is. In my classroom I have the World Playground CD. This past year I played it many, many times and my students never tired of all the fun upbeat sounds, they often asked which language or country each song was from because we had discussed that the music came from countries around the world. I loved that I could use the music not only as a calming quiet keeper, but also as a teaching launch point to discuss cultures from around the world.

X is also beginning to enjoy listening to music and Nana and Papa actually sent him a CD from this collection as well, he has Asian Dreamland. This World Music Adventure CD is a bit calmer than World Playground, with lullabies from various Asian countries. Ryan and I have played it for X a few times already and he quietly listens as we get him ready for bed. As he gets a bit older and we start establishing an everyday bedtime routine I’d like to incorporate music into this time, and I know Asian Dreamland will become a favorite, because of its gentle sounds and the variety the soundtrack offers.

So, if you are looking for some different children’s music the Putumayo Kids: World Music Adventure
collection offers some great choices!

One of the unforeseen challenges about being a new mom, has been feeding my child. I started all bright-eyed and bushy tailed thinking I would exclusively breast-feed X only to find that route riddled with problems, including but not exclusive to his lack of ability to suck and swallow properly, my low milk supply, his latch, and what seems like both of our overall dislikes for the activity. Enter: the bottle. X has taken a bottle ever since being in the NICU but finding one that really works for both him and I so far has proven to be elusive.

The first bottle X tried at home was the Playtex Drop-In system. Ryan and I had registered for these bottles with the thought that we weren’t going to use them too much so the Drop-In idea would be convenient when needed. Well, here’s the problem… when you are feeding your child 8 times a day that adds up to a lot on drop-in liners, and I still had to wash all the bottle pieces! Needless to say I grew tired of this.

On to bottle number 2: the Playtex Vent-Aire. Besides the inconvenience and wastefulness of the liners both X and I were satisfied with our choice of Playtex so I decided to try the Vent-Aires. Unfortunately the nipple shape of the Vent-Aire is completely different than the nipple of the Drop-In and X’s lips kept folding under when he sucked, which just wouldn’t do. So that meant both Playtex choices were out.

Our next bottle was the Avent. I thought this one looked promising. The nipple shape was the same as the Playtex Drop-In, and there was no extra pieces, plus it claimed to release the air so the baby didn’t suck it in. What Avent doesn’t tell you is that in their quest to release the said air, the bottle is the leakiest thing ever! Every time the bottle was turn rightside up milk would dribble out the sides, not okay. So Avent was out.

This brings us to today, the bottle quest. X and I headed to Babies-R-Us to find our perfect bottle. We came home with two choices the Born Free bottles and the Medela bottles. We decided to start with the Born Free. So far X has had three feedings from these bottles and both of us have been happy! The flow is great for him not too fast which is important, it doesn’t leak, the nipple shape is perfect, and no waste (drop-ins). So we feel satisfied so far. I am keeping the packaging and the receipt as well as the Medela bottles on hand in case the Born Frees end up in disaster all of a sudden. As for the all the others, well they will be finding a good home at a women and baby center near my house, so in the end everyone wins: X and I can proceed into bottle bliss, and hopefully we can help a few other moms and babies do the same.

~Cheers!

Playtex Drop-Ins: 3/5 – I just can’t get over the fact that the waste is ridiculous on those bottles.
Playtex Vent-Aire: 3/5 – Although we didn’t try these more than a few times, the nipple size just didn’t fit X’s mouth.
Avent: 1/5 – Pretty much because they made X screech. Also, they leaked everywhere.
BornFree: 4.5/5 – Works great! My only issue is with the two additional bottle pieces to wash.

As it has been a while since my last post, I decided that it would be a good idea to basically start over and begin from scratch. Therefore, welcome to the new www.MakingHappyHistory.com.

In the future, look for new posts on parenting, babies 101 (from my perspective), shopping, and children’s books! Although I’m just starting out, feel free to make suggestions on books you think I should review! I’m always looking for new and great books to share with my classroom, and my new baby boy!

Until then, Cheers!