Raising Cj

We follow up from our last episode and talk about how CJ has been post Tubes procedure. Bethany and Alex accidentally get into a flue shot debate. Baby CJ has developed her first real attachment to a stuffed toy. As always in recent times, we give a crawling update. Cadence said her first word! Listen now to find out which word. Baby Gadget of the Week: A box of scarves!

We start to have doubts that Cadence will ever learn how to crawl forward. We're worried she's inherited out worst traits; uncoordinated (Bethany) and lazy (Alex). We talk about why our baby will be needing tubes in her ears. We recap spending Christmas with Alex's family and New Year's with Bethany's college roommates. We realize Cadence doesn't have enough men in her life. Baby Gadget: Baby Einstein™ Music of the Seas Drum Set™ https://www.target.com/p/baby-einstein-153-music-of-the-seas-drum-set-153/-/A-51591693#lnk=sametab

Baby CJ continues to only crawl in reverse. She really advances with eating solid foods. She's finally healthy and enjoys her first full week at day care in a long time. She's developed a new skill...clapping! Some friends of ours are expecting and we ponder over all the advice or tips we could offer. We're already thinking we need a mini van. Baby Gadget: Soft Scilicone Bib by Kiddo Feedo https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M3XK7R6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1

Baby Cadence has had a cold, well two separate colds back to back, for five months. That, plus Hand Foot and Mouth has made for a really interesting time. By interesting we mean very difficult. We make a big life decision as Alex takes on a new career. Cadence has the most AMAZING costume for Halloween hand made by Bethany. CJ wears said costume to our friend Alexa's art show. Please visit http://alexacarson.com/ or https://www.etsy.com/shop/WildPaintings to check out her amazing work. CJ is now in the fourth and final stage of her baby bath. Baby Gadget of the week: Infant Safety Seat - Portable Easy Seat by Cozy Cover https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IHIENS2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Baby CJ has been battling some illnesses for quite a while now. It's taking a toll on the family. We try yet another road trip tactic in an effort to make it not miserable. CJ gains independence on the floor. She also makes some leaps with eating. Bethany visits a local Montessori school to see what it's all about. We provide an updated cloth diaper review as we've had more experience with the different types. We contemplate what life is like for CJ at child care all day. Baby Gadget of the Week: Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano https://smile.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Laugh-Learn-Piano-Multi/dp/B01MCUJR59/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1511755649&sr=8-6&keywords=fisher+price+kick+and+play+piano

Our baby can sit up all by herself. She's also started the "backwards scoot crawl." CJ starts doing something we're calling a "war pat." We contemplate if CJ really likes us, or would just let anyone raise her. This is because we start her at a new child care center and the transition was surprisingly smooth. CJ picks up her worst cold yet. The congestion causes her to wake up every two hours. It's like we have a newborn again, zoiks! We (Alex & Bethany) go on our first date since CJ joined the family and get a babysitter for the first time. We also go out to dinner as a family and are blessed with a very special surprise from some amazing people. Baby Gadget of the Week: The Munchkin Food Masher https://smile.amazon.com/Go-Mash-Food-Smashing-Set/dp/B0009F3NJ6/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1510633668&sr=8-1&keywords=munchkin+go+mash&dpID=319itCWXW-L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

We get holiday cheery and talk about baby Cadence's very first Christmas! We're so excited to give her gifts that we spoil the surprise and tell you everything we're getting her. We discuss holiday traditions new and old. We also get quite side tracked and talk about fire safety for a while, but hey, you can never be too careful. Thank you to all our listeners! Alex, Bethany, and CJ sincerely hope you have a happy and joyous holiday season. Happy Holidays!

Our baby loves her new jumper! It's the greatest thing since babies. We talk about CJ's interaction with our pets. Bethany provides a little feedback for the CDC and their breast pump washing recommendations. We had a skunk attack, listen now to hear the gripping tale. Baby Gadget of the Week: Summer Infant Pop N' Jump https://smile.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Portable-Activity-Center/dp/B01FHSTUIW/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1505510499&sr=8-1&keywords=summer+infant+pop+n+jump

Baby CJ is very close to sitting up on her own. She learns a new interesting sound she can make. Dad had to go away for three nights on a business trip. How did Mom fair alone? Well enough to form an all-ladies promenade...whatever that is, but bad enough to have a pizza debacle??? We discuss activities to do in the high chair. CJ starts giving her version of kisses, it's both adorable and gross :) Kid's Movie Review: The Lego Movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/ Baby Gadget of the Week: Suction cup toys for the high chair https://smile.amazon.com/Sassy-80051-Fascination-Station/dp/B002J4U8P2/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1505444110&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=ferris+wheel+suction+cup+toy

We finally pulled off just "putting the baby to bed." We've successfully done it 6 nights now! We compare Huggies and Pampers in the ultimate diaper showdown. Cadence figures out she can "fake cough" and has a lot of fun doing it. Bethany talks about the sometimes unfair pressure put on moms to produce milk. Is there a culture of shame for having to supplement with formula? Baby Gadget of the Week: The Think Dirty App https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/

Bonus Sub-Title- Sleeping Through the Night! Our baby starts sleeping through the night. However the four month shots might ruin the whole thing. We go on a weekend excursion to the twin cities that include a walking tour, a Twins game, and the zoo. Attempt number two in the swimming pool goes much better. We consider starting solid foods Baby gadget of the week is baby carriers, many baby carriers, so many baby carriers. Infantino Gather Practical Wrap & Buckle Carrier https://www.target.com/p/infantino-gather-practical-wrap-buckle-carrier/-/A-51481428#lnk=sametab Runtime is 46:13

Baby's first cold, Alex's first father's day, CJ's first time in the pool. It certainly was a week of firsts. We get some great parenting advice from Alex's godmother. CJ has become a sundial! Will she complete a full rotation before the episode ends? We talk toots and poops. Baby Gadget of the Week: Fisher Price 4 in 1 Bath Tub https://www.target.com/p/fisher-price-4-in-1-sling-n-seat-tub/-/A-14932550#lnk=sametab Runtime is 26:23

In this episode we talk about the experience of leaving your child at daycare for the first time. We try to get serious about tummy time. CJ and Dad have an accident while Mom's out running errands. We finally finally (we mean it this time) wrap up the soap opera saga that is Bethany's paid parental leave. Baby Gadget of the Week: Munchkin Wipe Warmer https://www.target.com/p/warm-glow-baby-wipe-warmer-white-green-munchkin/-/A-10209875#lnk=sametab Kid’s Movie Review: “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2771200/ Runtime is 35:45

Cadence is both baptized and immunized. Vaccination shots are hard on the whole family (but very necessary). Bethany prepares to go back to work. We both prepare for our baby to start daycare. The PPL (Paid Parental Leave) saga continues. Baby Gadget of the week: Shiloh Mobile Spinner https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ET21WO2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Runtime is 32:36

There's a lot of activity going on in the household. That's life with a baby. CJ attends her first protest at 7 weeks old. Two new segments are introduced including a review of the movie "Sing" and some highlighted baby gadgets. Baby Gadgets of the week: EquiptBaby Portable Collapsible Bassinet for Babies & Families On The Move https://smile.amazon.com/EquiptBaby-Portable-Collapsible-Bassinet-Families/dp/B00PYYML2M/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1503411233&sr=8-1&keywords=Equipt+Baby BabyComfy Nasal Aspirator (Nose Sucker) https://smile.amazon.com/BabyComfy-Aspirator-Snotsucker-Hygienically-Removes/dp/B002SZH45E/ref=sr_1_10_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1503418288&sr=1-10&keywords=nose%2Bfrida&th=1 Kid's Movie Review: "Sing" (2016) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3470600/ Runtime is 25:50

We talk milk: breast feeding, bottle feeding, we learn about paced bottle feeding. I guess some parents get lucky and are able to just put their baby in the bassinet and walk away. CJ does not allow this, but we discuss different sleeping methods. We have a big update regarding our child care fiasco. We are trying cloth diapers and discuss all the different kinds that are out there. Our family goes on our first road trip together, there's a lot of stuff to pack into the car. All that and much more. Sorry for the technical difficulties with this episode. I now realize that what happened is the wrong sound device was selected for recording. So instead of recording our nice sound board I was recording using the built-in microphone on my laptop. Which is why I didn't hear the bad audio in my headphones that are hooked up to the sound board. My apologies, I hope you can tough it through the bad audio for this one episode. Episode length is 45:15.

CJ is home! Our house has a baby in it. We thought we had everything we would need, but Alex gets sent to Target almost every day.  We discuss following the "rule book" vs trying what might work for you. All babies are different and CJ is no exception.  We discover a strategy to let Bethany get four to six hours of uninterrupted sleep. We explore probiotics, gas drops, vitamin D, and gripe water.  What's gripe water and why am I giving it to my baby? We get a bombshell of bad news (don't worry it's not health related).  Find out what it is by listening now. Please subscribe and rate us! Episode length 39:06.

CJ is here! We take you through our experience giving birth to our first baby. Child labor can go so many ways. Long or short, painful or easy, fight through the pain or epidural, natural birth or complications and a c-section? Listen now to find out how our experience played out. Episode length is 35:42.

Bethany fights the good fight for a lactation room at work. Extended family try to "plan" their visits for an un-planable event. Will Alex have to share his birthday with CJ? This is the last episode before CJ joins the family!

In this episode of Raising CJ, we take you through our pregnancy trimester by trimester. Is being pregnant a walk in the park or super difficult for Bethany? Listen now to find out.