My 404 days to complete a list of 44 goals is over halfway over! Time for a quick update!
1. Cloth diaper Logan all the way through potty training. (I realize that he will probably not be using the potty at 16 months, so this will be an ongoing goal.) Going strong!
2. Master the art of layered cakes. I plan on making another practice cake next week! Gotta perfect it by Logan's party!
3. Make good homemade frosting. (preferably an ideal type for layered cakes!) Any suggestions of recipes?
4. Breastfeed for (at least) a year. Going strong!
5. Pray for Matt and Logan every day.
6. Read the entire Bible. (John, Joshua, Almost done with Acts... seriously need to step it up, working on the Proverbs through April also, (one a day!))
7. Get involved in a Sunday school class.
8. Stay off of Facebook for a whole week. 5 times. - (2x) I feel like I can go ahead and cross this one off, even though I didn't technically complete it. The purpose was to be less addicted to facebook, and I definitely am.
9. Do not color my hair. So far so good. I chopped off all of the highlights, which means I am no longer two-toned, so I feel pretty confident that I will make it.
10. Finish the afghan I started in Aug of 2011. Finished it, gifted it, and made another! SO proud of this one! I am told my niece sleeps with it. :)
11. Give all handmade Christmas gifts. Another one I am crazy proud of. I made gifts for every single person and felt like they were good gifts. Hopefully the recipients agree!
12. Send out Christmas cards. Check!
13. Go to bed with the kitchen completely clean every night for a month. Seriously, why is this so hard?
14. Buy only second hand clothing. Recently made a few purchases at a local consignment shop. Going strong on this one!
15. Make a wet bag for the diaper bag.
16. Post on the blog 100 times.
17. Learn more about nutrition and healthy eating. Currently practicing a very loose form of "clean eating." I need to get more serious about it though. I love candy!
18. Make freezer meals, 5 times. (2x)
19. Move out of our apartment. - signed a new lease. :(
20. After we move, unpack everything within the first month. - not moving ^^^
21. Take Logan's monthly pictures every month until he is one. Technically yes, but really I HATE that three months were taken with my phone and are honestly crappy pictures. Not that I am the greatest photographer or have the greatest camera, but they are better than phone pictures.
22. Clean out my dresser.
23. Go through the closet and get rid of clothes I will never wear again. Just did this AGAIN!
24. Organize my craft box.
25. Sew more & blog about it. I have done a few projects, but have NOT done the blogging part.
26. Slow down and enjoy every day with my son, & don't let stress get the best of me. Always a great reminder. Time flies by so quickly.
27. Do lots of sensory activities with Logan & blog about them.
28. Learn more about gardening.
29. Plant something, even if it is just in a pot. I have plans to REpot a plant. Does that count? That plant is now dead. Go me.
30. Write down Logan's birth story.
32. Keep up with Logan's baby book. Erm... got it out a few days ago. Need to update!
33. Embroider something.
34. Use my gym membership.
35. Make at least two wreaths for our front door.
36. Use more homemade cleaning products.
37. Use mostly homemade baby food.
38. Learn more about quinoa & make something with it. We made two things, they were so-so. If it were cheaper I wouldn't probably use it more.
39. Finish this list.
40. Call family members more.
41. Decrease the negativity that I let come out of my mouth.
42. Go to a farmer's market.
43. Read more fiction. (Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate)
44. Make a homemade version of something. (apple butter, granola, fruit roll ups, etc.) Bought stuff to make granola. Hopefully that will happen soon!
I am definitely crossing things off the list, but there are many more to go. This is just a check in, and to help remind myself of some of these goals!
Today I thawed out and disposed of my tiny "freezer stash." Every bit of it was pumped when Logan was in Children's hospital at one week old.
I never once had to rely on my stash, and for that I am very, very thankful. I know many women have issues with low milk supply and I feel lucky to have not had that problem.
After feeling so thankful for that I decided to share
Our Breastfeeding Journey
One of my 44 in 404 goals is to breastfeed for at least a year. At almost 10 months, I do not see it being an issue at all. It is such a natural part of our daily lives. Logan still nurses 6-9 in a day (depending on how many times he get up in the night!).
Our breastfeeding journey has been fun, with our fair share of challenges, but nothing I would consider major.
Logan latched soon after birth and nursed for 10 solid minutes. The next five days were full of challenging feedings, working on getting a good latch established. I was so grateful for my mom's help in those early days.
Then on day five he really seemed to be backsliding. Then he just wasn't eating at all, even when we dribbled the milk into his mouth. Of course, that is what put us in Children's where he was diagnosed with PDA.
Because of his PDA, Logan would get very tired during feedings, and sometimes his little feet would turn blue. Nursing is like a workout for tiny little babies! I started pumping and bottle feeding, and kept meticulous notes on when and how much he ate.
For four and a half weeks I wrote down every bit Logan ate down to the quarter ounce. It started in the hospital when the nurses wanted to know how much he was consuming, and it became a habit I couldn't seem to break.
I knew I wanted to switch back to the breast eventually, but I had become accustomed to knowing exactly how much he was eating and was nervous about him being physically ready. I visited with a lactation consultant, she was so sweet and helpful, but I can't give her the credit. My mom and sister visited for a weekend and gave me the real push I needed to stop writing and to start trying.
It was a sticky, wet, milky mess at first. Lots of skin on skin and letting him just "play" around with it. They convinced me to start on the Sunday morning that they left, and the only times I pumped after that were just a few middle of the night feedings when Logan was just to sleepy to put forth the effort. I was so amazed at how fast and how easily he was able to transition from bottle to breast.
Since then we have had only very minor bumps in the road. A few times I think my monthly cycle changed the taste, because he would be very fussy at the breast for a few days then everything would settle back in to normal.
Only in the last few days has he started to bite me. Yeouch! He has only done it a few times, but when he does he looks up at me for a reaction! I think he knows he isn't supposed to, so he is testing his limits. I give him a firm "no," and take away his "num num." He is smart, so he shouldn't take long to catch on.
We both feel like pros now, and I look forward to the months ahead. I know I will be sad when he weans.
It's been over two months since I made my 44 in 404 goal list! Time to do a quick update on my progress, and refresh myself on what else is on the list! Several of my goals are ongoing over the entire 404 days. I'm not going to address most of those.
2. Master the art of layered cakes. - Still working on this one. I made a pretty pathetic layered cake for my birthday.
3. Make good homemade frosting. (preferably an ideal type for layered cakes!) - and an even worse frosting! It was clearly not meant for layering anything!
6. Read the entire Bible. - I zoomed right through John. Then just stopped. Starting back TODAY on Joshua!
8. Stay off of Facebook for a whole week. 5 times. - 2x
10. Finish the afghan I started in Aug of 2011. - I am working so hard on this! I believe, I believe!
11. Give all handmade Christmas gifts. - a few gifts are made, and we just bought supplies for a few more!
17. Learn more about nutrition and healthy eating. - I bought a book on baby nutrition, that is one step forward for this one.
18. Make freezer meals, 5 times. -2x
22. Clean out my dresser. - Check!
23. Go through the closet and get rid of clothes I will never wear again. - Check!
37. Use mostly homemade baby food. - so far I have made pears and sweet potato.
43. Read more fiction. - I read a book! Yep, A, as in one. Haha. But I am meeting the author this Friday! Cool, right?!
Looks like I have a lot more work to do! Glad I went over my list to remind myself!
I recently came across a blog post about something called "101 in 1001." Basically, you have 1001 days to accomplish 101 goals. I really liked the idea, and immediately started a list of my own.
However, I began to realize that 101 is a big number! And 1001 days is a long time! (roughly 2.75 years.)
Since I make the rules here, I decided to change my version to 44 in 404. My 404 days begin today and will end on my birthday next year! Sept 16, 2013.
Without further ado, my 44:
1. Cloth diaper Logan all the way through potty training. (I realize that he will probably not be using the potty at 16 months, so this will be an ongoing goal.)
2. Master the art of layered cakes.
3. Make good homemade frosting. (preferably an ideal type for layered cakes!)
4. Breastfeed for (at least) a year.
5. Pray for Matt and Logan every day.
6. Read the entire Bible. (John, Joshua, )
7. Get involved in a Sunday school class.
8. Stay off of Facebook for a whole week. 5 times. - (2x)
9. Do not color my hair.
10. Finish the afghan I started in Aug of 2011.
11. Give all handmade Christmas gifts.
12. Send out Christmas cards.
13. Go to bed with the kitchen completely clean every night for a month.
14. Buy only second hand clothing.
15. Make a wet bag for the diaper bag.
16. Post on the blog 100 times.
17. Learn more about nutrition and healthy eating.
18. Make freezer meals, 5 times. (2x)
19. Move out of our apartment. - signed a new lease. :(
20. After we move, unpack everything within the first month. - not moving ^^^
21. Take Logan's monthly pictures every month until he is one.
22. Clean out my dresser.
23. Go through the closet and get rid of clothes I will never wear again.
24. Organize my craft box.
25. Sew more & blog about it.
26. Slow down and enjoy every day with my son, & don't let stress get the best of me.
27. Do lots of sensory activities with Logan & blog about them.
28. Learn more about gardening.
29. Plant something, even if it is just in a pot.
30. Write down Logan's birth story.
32. Keep up with Logan's baby book.
33. Embroider something.
34. Use my gym membership.
35. Make at least two wreaths for our front door.
36. Use more homemade cleaning products.
37. Use mostly homemade baby food.
38. Learn more about quinoa & make something with it.
39. Finish this list.
40. Call family members more.
41. Decrease the negativity that I let come out of my mouth.
42. Go to a farmer's market.
43. Read more fiction. (Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate)
44. Make a homemade version of something. (apple butter, granola, fruit roll ups, etc.)
So there you have it.
I already have something marked off the list. What a great start!
Doesn't marking something off of a list just make you feel accomplished?
The plan is to keep this list updated as I go through the next year and change.
