Bread Recipe

Here is the the recipe to the latest bread I have been making.  It is very simple to follow and almost fool proof.  This makes two loaves, but you can cut the recipe in half and only make one loaf.

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup white sugar (If you want sweet bread add 2/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Just Another Day

Fiona didn't do so well last night, but it wasn't to bad.  She woke up at 12:20, 3:45, and 6:15 am.  I am hoping she gets back on her 4-5 hours straight tonight. I might need to be more strict with keeping her on her feeding and sleeping times. 

I try to wake up every 3 hours to pump during the night, so I don't get great sleep to begin with.  After feeding Fiona and getting her back to sleep this morning, the dogs started barking and woke her back up.  Sayla escaped once again, so I rounded her up and put her back on the deck.  Searched and I believe I discovered how she got out, so blocked the point of escape.  She is quite the escape artist for being blind.

I also prepared and started dinner in the crockpot.  We are having corned beef with cabbage and potatoes.  I am hoping to make some homemade bread to accompany it before Michael gets home.  It just depends if Miss Priss lets me make it.  =)  Needless to say, I had a busy night and am tired.  I thought I knew what having a baby at home would entail.  I hadn't realized how time consuming it is, and it is truly a full time job.  I believe however, once Fi gets on a schedule, it will be easier to plan my day and accomplish more.  For now, I am happy with whatever I get done.

I am so thankful to have such an understanding and amazing husband through all of this.  He has been by my side through the recovery and more helpful than I could ever ask for.  I can't imagine him not being in my life now, and appreciate everything he does for us.  =)  Love you!

The puppies are so adorable right now.  I love to take Fiona out between naps and watch them romp around the yard.  We had a scare earlier because one puppy was missing, but she came back and all are accounted for.  They will need homes soon and I wonder how Momma Dog will cope with the separation.  It made me think about adoption and the mothers who give their little ones to other families.  That has to be extremely emotional and hard to go through.  I could not imagine having Fi and her not being in our lives right now.   

I am almost done painting the letters to hang on Fiona's wall above her crib, and looking forward to finishing and seeing how they look.  I am hoping add another coat or two of paint today.  I am finding it quite enjoyable to have hobbies to work on during the day when I have time, and look forward to my next.  It will be so much fun when Fiona can help and we can work on things together.  It makes me smile to think about her and what she will be like.  Sometimes I wish we could fast forward just to see, but that would take the mystery and fun out of watching her grow up. 

Speaking of staying busy, I may have done too much again yesterday.  My incision opened and was bleeding a little in a different spot.  It's just a small spot and I am sure it is fine.  Just another reminder to slow it down.  =) 

Well this post has been quite the rambling.  I'm off to fold laundry and make bread.  I will post the recipe later because it is worth trying and super easy to make. 

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Fiona and Babywise

Started reading "On Becoming Babywise" by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam and putting their theories to action with Fiona.  The book starts off alittle slow with the background of their theories, and I disagree with a few of their mindsets.  Overall, however, I feel they have a great concept and am looking forward to seeing if it works for Fiona.

The main theory of this book is to give babies a consistent pattern throughout the day.  You feed, have wake time,and then nap time.   It is important to not switch wake time and nap time.  We were feeding, napping, and then waking when she wanted to.  Fiona has no consistency to her days and therefore she controls her days and nights.  Babywise believes in having a schedule for baby so the day is controlled by the parent.   It does involve letting Fiona cry a little, and ignoring it (within reason) til she settles down.  Some people misinterpret this as letting baby cry for extended periods of time regardless of reason.  The authors of the book state that parents need to use parental assessment and decide whether to intervene or let baby cry.  It does not state to let baby cry for hours and there are several times you do not let baby cry and need to tend to them.  The main point is parental assessment, and using a parent directed feeding schedule. 

I am still reading the book and skeptical if the theories will work as they say.  Babywise claims that following the guidelines and theories will have your 7-9 week old sleeping a continuous 7-8 hours straight and 3 month old sleeping 9-11 hours.  I don't expect these results this soon, but would definitely welcome them.  =)  I would like to get Fiona to the point of only waking up once during the night for a feeding. 

Yesterday and today we have fed her every 2 1/2 - 3 hours and made sure to follow the order of feeding, wake time, and then nap time.  Last night she fed at 12:30 am and then didn't want more food til 6 am.  I assume this early on it is a coincidence, but I am curious how tonight will go. =)

The hardest part of this schedule so far is her wake time.  I include feeding and diapering, and try to keep her entertained after this before putting her down for a nap.  Today this was difficult due to her being extra cranky and crying her whole wake time.  I assume it is easier to entertain  older babies during this time who respond more to playing. 

I have not completed the book yet, but so far understand how a schedule will add security to the babies day.  I am curious if it is possible for babies to be on a schedule and sleep for hours at night.  I have heard both sides of arguments and agree with parts of each one.  =)
Another benefit to having Fiona on a more structured schedule is to reduce her colic.  Supposedly having infants on a schedule with feeding has proven to reduce the colic in many cases.  If this is the case, it will make this all worthwhile. 

On  another note, bought a deep freezer this weekend.  I am excited to go to Sam's and stock up on food without worrying about where to store it all 
=)


Off to bed!!

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Sleep

While in the hospital, my biggest complaint was nurses constantly interrupting us sleeping.  Little did I know, it was preparation for what was about to come.

The advice I received the most while pregnant was to get as much sleep as I could before she was born.  I didn't take this as seriously as I should have.  I didn't realize how little sleep you receive with a newborn, especially one who has some colic and reflux. 

 Fiona is almost 6 weeks and finally getting better with her sleep schedule.  She will go anywhere from 2-4 hours on average at a time at night.  I really enjoy the nights that she sleeps 4 hours straight and can't wait for more!

I have been researching tips and tricks for getting newborns to sleep longer. Most of the tips people recommend lead me to wonder if they even have children.  Some are either not natural or too extreme.   I do not expect Fiona to sleep completely through the night yet,  just a little longer than 2-3 hours at a time. 

We tried supplementing night feeds with a formula that is designed to digest slower and fill the belly longer.  On the nights we gave her formula, she woke up more frequently than the breast milk nights.  She is also having bowel movements less frequently, but we are not sure if this is due to the formula.  I have read that some newborns poop less frequently once they hit 1 month.  Therefore, I can not assume it is the formula that has delayed her bowel movements. 

Several friends and family recommended buying a swing to soothe her during the night.  We put her down for the night in her crib, and after her 3-4am feeding we put her in the swing.  This does console her and help her sleep for a few more hours.  On her next feeding she becomes inconsolable again and likes to be placed in her bouncer.  We apparently have a baby who likes variety. =) She has developed her own routine.  I am hoping this routine is ok for now, but in the next month or so I want her to sleep solely in her crib.

Some parents swear by the crying out method, but at this age I feel it is cruel and unfair to the baby.  Letting her cry for an extended amount of time doesn't seem reasonable to me.  I just want her to be able to sleep consistently 4-5 hours at a time, not a whole night of 8 hours, though it would be nice. :)  

A friend of Michaels has recommened the book "On Becoming  Babywise", by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam.  I have researched this book and there is a lot of controversy on its content.  Some parents feel the methods are not natural as the book claims.  I definitely plan on purchasing it and basing my own opinion on whether it is right for us.  Michael's friend has tried it and her little one was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks.  This doesn't seem emtreme to me as many friends have stated their little ones slept through the night at 8 weeks.  I am looking forward to reading it and seeing what we think.  =) 

Fiona has some trouble sleeping during the day due to the colic and reflux.  It breaks my heart when she cries because it looks like she is in so much pain.  I just wish there was something we could do for her other than love and console her.  She has days like yesterday where she cries most of the day, days like today where she naps most of the day, and an even mixture of both.  She is staying awake and alert more as the weeks go on.  I want to giver her more happy days where she is content and playful and not in pain.  It is so hard to watch her in agony and not be able to help other than rocking and holding her.

I am sure as time goes on, Fiona will outgrow the colic and the reflux will hopefully reside.  Until then, we will continue to hold and console the best we can.   =)



 

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New Beginnings

My pregnancy was one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences I have ever been through.  I only wish I had started this blog from the moment I found out I was pregnant.  I overall enjoyed being pregnant, unlike most women.  I felt connected to this wonderful being inside me, and that helped me through the rough times.  I couldn't wait for our due date to come so we could meet Fiona for the first time.  Little did I know, we would get that chance sooner than anticipated.

We had a scheduled induction on July 8th, which required us to arrive and begin the evening before.  We arrived to the hospital and checked in to our room to begin the process.  Through that night and most of the next day, we attempted to have her naturally.  I was manually dilated and given Pitocin but the labor wasn't progressing on its own.  We finally agreed to have a cesarean and Fiona Dae McNeil was born at 6:30 pm. 

The next few days at the hospital were a blur with nurses coming in around the clock to check vitals.  It holds true that you do not get rest at the hospital.  If it wasn't nurses waking us up, it was the nursery to check on Fiona.  We opted to have her stay in the room with us instead of the nursery.  We waited so long to hold her that we wanted her in the room.  I am glad we chose this because it gave us experience caring for her first hand while we had the nurse staff to assist if needed.

We are so thankful for the friends and family that came to visit during our stay at the hospital.  The distraction was greatly appreciated.  Michael and I both would have gone crazy otherwise.  =) 

I am excited to share more as we grow as a family and experience many firsts and new beginnings.  =)