Keeping Up With The KarDADshians

Holy crap. 

Parenting is getting the best of me. I can't even seem to find my way out of bed on my days off. This parenting thing is serious...

...serious-ly demanding. 

Relaxation is non-existent. I hear it only gets better when they start to walk. Which will be in t-minus ten months? Ugh. 

You know what the worst part is?

My wife does 90% of the baby-related chores here. It's true. She feeds her, changes diapers, bathes her, dresses her, and all that other stuff. I don't do much, really. (And no, this is not her writing this, either.)

I just feel so exhausted. What little help I am able to give, is wearing me out quick. It's hard work to take care of a baby. God Bless all those single parents out there who do it every day, by themselves. I don't know how you manage. 

I speak to a lot of other Dad's, through Twitter and other blogs, and they seem to spend a lot of time with their kids. Taking vacations with them, going to parks, helping out Mom at home, etc. When I come home, I'm already ready for bed. I never used to be this tired, but our lives are non-stop. When the baby is sleeping, it's time to get everything else done that couldn't be done while she was awake. That leaves basically zero time for fun. 

We did manage to make it out to a friend's Halloween party last weekend. Brynlee was the star of the show as always. Until she spit up all over one of our friends who was holding her.

But it was good to get out for a while. We haven't seen many of our friends lately, and that seems normal once you start having kids and adult responsibilities. So, the few chances that are available, it's wise to take them up. Who knows when the next times will be. 

Some advice - Real life parenting is not like what you see on television. We are not the Kardashians. I'm sure there is a lot you don't see on tv. Like the crying, late night feedings, projectile poop and vomit. We can't pay someone to watch our kid for the day while we fly to Miami for lunch.

You have to be available every second of every day for the kids. They need you, and at the strangest and most random times. As babies, 3am is a perfectly acceptable example of when to tell Mom/Dad it's time for a snack. Mom/Dad might have to get up in a couple hours to go to work, but baby doesn't care. 

My wife says I complain too much. I don't know what she is talking about. 

image via Celebuzz.com

Day 32 - Changes To PregoForMen Blog

11:14pm

As you might already know, I have blogged every day since the 10th week of pregnancy. But I think that is going to change. I want to focus more on writing quality posts, rather than quantity. They will still include updates on Brynlee, and the family. But I will probably use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, more often, for updates like that. 

I have decided to slow down, not only because this blog takes up A LOT of time, but also because I don't want to write posts just because I feel that I have to. That isn't quality. And I'm not ok with that. 

So make sure you follow on Facebook to keep up with new blog posts. I always link to them via all of my social media accounts (which you can find at the top of this blog). 

Day 31 - Wait? What's That? It's Looking Like Another Cold Dinner Night...

10:10pm

I want you to think hard about your favorite meal. What is it? Picture it in front of you right now.

It looks delicious, right? Smells good, your mouth is watering, anticipating eating a wonderful dinner.

Sit down, grab your eating utensils, and reach for that first bite.

Wait? What's that?

Your newborn's diaper has leaked? Your baby's legs are dripping grainy, yellowish poop?

I guess that fresh, hot dinner is going to have to wait. You have bigger problems to solve.

Strip the baby's clothes off. Carefully, so that you don't make more of a mess than you are already dealing with.

Try to rinse the majority of the baby mustard(as I like to call it) off in the sink, before a real bath is ready.

Twenty minutes later, baby is all clean. But we still have to get her dressed.

Put on a fresh diaper, get her in some clean pajamas. About 45 minutes have passed since the first sentence.

Now she's hungry. She cries and cries until she is fed.

Prepare a bottle, feed her for ten minutes, until she is content. Can't feed without burping.

Pat her back for five minutes, or so, until a burp or two is released. Let's set her down.

Get her comfortable in her sleeper. Pacifier in. Blanket tucked around her little body. She's finally asleep.

Might as well eat dinner on a plate made of ice. It's cold, and ruined. It cannot be repaired. It's the norm these days.

Take a few bites, it's just OK. At least it's food. And edible.



Wait? What's that?

She's pooping again....

Dinner is going to have to wait. Again.


Welcome to my world.

Day 30 - Why Does A Baby Spit Up And Ways To Prevent It

10:33pm



Freshly squeezed milk, straight from the boob.


Fill up an Anti-Colic Tommee Tippee bottle, with around 5 ounces. Her normal feeding amount.

Sit up, give her the bottle, and wait.

She drinks it quickly at first, but slows down towards the end. A few squirms in between.

A little milk spills down her chin, as she enjoys every second.

Milk is gone. Her eyes closed, and calm. She's at peace now, satisfied.

She needs to be burped. Sit her straight up, and pat her back until she does.

BURRRRRPPPPPP. Stronger than a grown man.

Wait? What's that? SPIT UP! It never fails.

She spits up about 90% of the time. Why is this? I did a little research to find out.



Why does a baby spit up? And how can you prevent it?

Babies naturally spit up because of air that is trapped in their stomach. While they eat, some air will be forced down with their milk. The air can't stay there so eventually it has to come out. Usually, most of it will be with a burp, but if there is food on top of the air, it tends to come out as well. This is pretty normal, more than half of babies spit up regularly.

It seems like the Anti-Colic bottles help a little, but she still will spit up.

Some ways to prevent spit up include sitting the baby upright while you feed. This allows the food to flow in a straighter, less obstructed path, avoiding trapping any air. Also if you are overfeeding, this could cause the excess food to come up. Brynlee is always hungry. She eats, spits some up, and then is hungry again. It gets frustrating, but what can you do? Try feeding them a little less, and see if they are satisfied after a burp. This could help.

Also make sure that the hole in the nipple of the bottle is the correct size. If it is too small, the baby could be getting frustrated, and sucking too hard, causing air to be mixed in. But if the hole is too large, too much milk could be forced into the baby's mouth, which isn't good either.


Most babies stop spitting up around 6 to 7 months old. This is when the muscles fully develop in the stomach, that allow the food to stay controlled. Although, some may go past their first birthday.


Have you found any routines, or practices, that have helped your baby prevent spitting up? I would love to know, and will include the tips in a future blog post! Email, or comment me!

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Day 29 - Growing So Fast!

9:08pm



Brynlee had another doctor's appointment today. She has these little white bumps on her upper gums, and at first we thought they were teeth. Then we thought "thrush". But apparently they are pretty normal, and harmless, and if they aren't causing her any discomfort, then to not worry about it. So we aren't.



She is now 23.5 inches long, which is above average. Maybe she will be tall? At this rate (nearly five inches in just four weeks), I wouldn't doubt it.

She weighs 10.2 lbs. Which means in one month she has gained almost two pounds.

Yep, tomorrow will be one month old. We have those stickers that we used during the pregnancy. They gave us for the baby as well. So we will have to bust out the trusty camera (aka iPhone) and get some photos taken.

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Day 28 - Krokodil Hits Close To Home In Chicago

11:02pm



Brynlee went to her first pumpkin patch today. My wife and her sister took her to a local place while I had to work. So, thanks to my job, I missed out. But I think we are going to go to a different one, as a family, on Tuesday. Not like she even understands where she is, or what Halloween is, but it's more of an excuse for us to go. I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in a very long time. I'm sure it will bring back lots of childhood memories. I remember going as a child, and I loved it.


Something else that really shocked me tonight, was about the new "Krokodil" drug that is hitting America. It's been popular in Russia for quite some time, and is made from codeine. It provides a similar effect as herion, but 3x stronger, and 1/10th the price. The scarier part about it is that because amateur "chemists" make it on the street, it is impure, and often still contains gasoline, and hydrochloric acid, which is used in the making. These compounds, when injected, cause the flesh to die, and rot. So these users are noticing there skin basically rotting from the inside out. Also it appears green and scaly, hence the name "Krokodil", which is Russian for crocodile.

Why do I care? I don't really. But it has only been a few weeks since the first reported cases of this drug in America, with two of them being local in the Chicago area. It was on the news tonight, and the two girls are sisters, and I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH THEM. How scary huh? I pray for their families, since, according to the news, they are all addicts. Heroin addicts, which is already bad enough. Apparently, dealers have passed this Krokodil off as heroin, and that's how they "accidentally" used it.


Moral of the story -

Don't use ANY drugs. What is this world coming to when people are doing drugs that literally take off pieces of their bodies?

Also, drug use is not a disease. Addiction is not a disease. It is a CHOICE. And a very stupid one at that.