First

There are so many first to record and so little time!

 On Friday, April 5th we headed West for Lane's first trip to the farm. We had friends Christy and Matthew Johns join us, but failed to capture a group photo. We also stopped at Lane's Southern Orchards on the way home. Lane's Orchards is the perfect mid-way point between Savannah and the farm, and I have a feeling we'll be stopping there a lot more as this little lady grows up. They have a wonderful playground, you can pick your own strawberries, watch the whole peach sorting and packaging process, eat amazing peach and strawberry ice cream, and it has the same name as my daughter...so...it's awesome!  

This picture cracks me up!

I took Lane to the beach for the first time on April 16th. Tybee could not have been more beautiful and I captured some fun pictures of Lane's first experience in the sand and ocean water. 

Sandy Toes! (Thanks Pinterest)

We also made the sad/happy visit to Auburn for Lane's first and last rolling of the original Toomer's Corner trees, and her first Auburn football game.

Tailgating (That is a pink AU outfit)

I think Luke has most of the great rolling pictures on his phone, but this is en route to rolling

Eating the shaker seemed more fun to you than the game!

War Eagle!

Lane and I started water aerobics together on April 23rd and she loves it. I think we officially have a water baby. No pictures of water aerobics yet, but I'll work on that.

On Tuesday, April 30th Lane and I travelled to Litchfield Beach to play with friends Kathryn, Tyler, and Charlotte for a fun couple of days. Lane and Charlotte are best buds! They are exactly two weeks and 11mins. apart. Lane is two weeks and 11mins. older than Charlotte. They even hung out before they were born :)

Here we are with friends Sarah and Kathryn (Kathryn is in the middle)

Photos stollen from Kathryn (Charlotte and Kathryn are in the middle)

Lane is on the left! 

Luke just couldn't wait to get Lane out in the boat, so she has been cruising around Savannah's water ways. I can't remember the first boat ride day exactly, but let's just say April 2013. Here are some funny pictures of Lane cruising around. The boat puts her right to sleep.

Uncle Ben and Lane 

Weekend at Bernie's ring a bell!

Lane started sitting up by herself for short periods of time about two weeks ago, but as of this week she can really sit. Just yesterday she sat for over five minutes. So here are her official three month pictures and one I captured of her sitting up.

 In three days I'll take her four month pictures and do a blog post after we visit the doctor to get her latest stats. Lately she puts everything in her mouth (almost like attacking anything near the mouth). Lane drools like crazy, gives wonderful smiles to everyone that walks up, doesn't cry unless she's tired or hungry, loves baths and the water. She just started to figure out the Johnny Jump Up and her exersaucer.
Last night she slept well, but it seems like every other night she is waking up again. I'm starting to think she is waking up because she is hungry, so when I go to the doctor I plan to ask about starting rice cereal in her final feeding of the day. I've been re-swaddling her to see if that helps, but I'll keep you guys posted on how the rice cereal goes. I think if we start the cereal we will try the unswaddled girl again.
I'm strictly pumping these days and plan to do so until she is at least six months old. Just as a reference for me: we changed Lane to a medium flow nipple a week before her 3 month birthday.
She is a wonderful baby! Luke and I are beyond blessed and just trying to appreciate every second since they seem to be flying by.

Recs

So I wrote my delivery must have list, and now I feel like I must share my list of AMAZING items that make my life SO MUCH BETTER! I am not getting a dime to endorse any of these products...I just want to remember what I need to pull out when baby number two comes along and maybe help a new momma out.

1. The Miracle Blanket: We've used since birth and LOVE it! I seriously would sell these in the hospital for a living if asked. We did try a couple of other swaddle options just to see, and ended up going back to the miracle blanket as soon as possible. I have seen those new woombies and may try that with kiddo number two, but have no experience with it...so the miracle blanket ranks number 1 in my book. Downside: pricey
2. The Nap Nanny: Yep...this has been recalled and I still stand behind it. I think it's sad when stupid parents ruin good things for others. We used this right after birth, then stopped, and then tried it again where she slept through the night for the first time ever. So...she still sleeps in this! I also love just having to pack this for road trips rather than the bulky pack n play.  Downside: recalled and pricey
3. Medela Pump In Style Advance: I am now exclusively pumping, so this is a life line. I can't imagine life with a sorry pump. Just make the investment ladies! I also love the carry bag because it really does make travel easy. I'm a stay at home mom and still say this is the pump for you. Downside: pricey 
4. Baby Jogger City Mini GT: I LOVE LOVE LOVE my stroller! I haven't met a person who owns one that doesn't love it. It's lighter than a Bob, folds up in one swoop, opens in one swoop, and is tall! When stroller test driving I noticed a lot of the strollers were very low. This stroller is tall and has an adjustable handle bar that makes it even taller if needed. I wanted to push my baby without any bending over and have the same for my tall husband Luke. I bought the adapter piece for this, so my car seat drops right in and out easily. It comes in a bunch of great colors and I will own the double one day.  Downside: not a lot of storage and pricey!
5. Chicco Keyfit 30 Car Seat: Great safety ratings, super easy install for base, and easy drop click in for everyday use. I have already removed the infant insert and moved the straps up to the middle level. Lane doesn't love her car seat like some babies, but she doesn't hate it either. She does well it in for a couple of hours and then wants to stretch out...I really can't blame her though. 
6. Playtex Drop In Bottles: Yes I am not being eco friendly with this option, but not worrying with washing bottles is AWESOME! I just pump into the liner, freeze or fridge it, and then feed. All the same liner, so no pouring worries. I bought the breast milk storage kit from Playtex to allow the freezing. I have plenty of nipples too, so no worries about washing all the time. I moved Lane to a medium flow nipple the week before her three month birthday and she seems to be so much happier. Downside: you have to buy liners (like buy a major stock pile...you will use them all)
7. Activity Mat: I am not sure it matters what brand, but Lane LOVES her Fisher Price rain forest play mat. I think it's great hand eye coordination training too. I lay her down, turn on the music, and she instantly starts swinging and kicking away. It's really easy to travel with so I've taken it everywhere we've gone out of town. It's just something familiar for her to play with that she loves. 
8. Mamaroo Swing: Don't pay for the plush one...the only difference is a softer seat, we always have a blanket over it anyway. I guess if you didn't want to put down a blanket...then buy the plush one. This swing is a great space saver and Lane seems to love it. We really don't have anything to compare it to, but we love it.  
9. Mommy's Bliss Apple Gripe Water: Lane gets hiccups A LOT! This water stops them almost instantly. I know they say hiccups don't hurt them...but how do they even know that. Lane always look uncomfortable when she has them, so I just give her a quick drop of this and she is instantly happier. It says you can use it for gas, and colic too, but we have only used it for hiccups and it's awesome. It really does stop them on the spot. We have actual gas drops for gas and they seem to work well too. *Buy this brand for a couple more bucks--you don't have to refrigerate after opening like the other brands. So...you can carry it around in your purse without any worry of finding a fridge. I seriously have one bottle on every floor of my house. 
10. Pampers Swaddlers: I have friends that did the diaper test and all came back with the same conclusion. Pampers Swaddlers are the best diapers. I LOVE the wet indicator! Lane started with these in the hospital in size 1 and we are still rocking the same size ones today. Not sure how many more days we have in size 1 (tear...not many), but we have loved these diapers.
11. Huggies Natural Care Wipes: I haven't tried any other wipes. I have heard they are all pretty much the same. I just buy these in bulk at Sams and they work great. 
12. Soothie Pacifers: In the hospital and for the first couple of weeks we only used Soothies and they were wonderful. Downside: they are harder to keep in!
13. Nuk Pacifers: After I stopped nursing and started just pumping I switched to these pacifiers. They are a lot easier for Lane to keep in and once you've driven down the road with a screaming baby whose pacifier fell out... you never want that to happen again. (Thankfully that phase is over since she can self soothe with her hands), but I still use these. Downside: they leave a suck ring/mark on the face for 10 min. after you remove it. 
14. IPhone Eat Sleep App: I downloaded this when I needed to keep track of her feedings, dirty, and wet diapers. I don't use this all the time, but every now and then I like to track her ounces to see where she is. 

Using both the Miracle Blanket and Nap Nanny! It doesn't come with pillow, but I did love that for her in the beginning

Pump

Bottles

Mat doubles as dock tent

Diapers

Wipes

Soothie

Nuk

I Phone App

So this is my list for 0-3 months! I'm sure I've forgotten something and please feel free to add your favorite products in the comments section. I LOVE reading blogs about what works for different people. Plus...I plan on having another kid at some point, so I need to know other great finds!

Please Remember

So many things I could blog about since it's been so long. Right now I have so many memories that I need to put down in order to make sure I don't screw up Lane's baby book. I'm making a Shutterfly year book each year of her life, but I need to be good about putting stuff on this blog to help me remember everything.
So...here are some stats (2 month (old now) and photos:

89th percentile-Height

71st percentile-Weight

45 percentile-Head Circumference
 (you've held your head up well since birth...you can be held on my hip these days)

Luke went out of town for work, so Gran came down to help out!
Holding your own bottle (only because it's almost empty though) 

Growing so much every day!

All decked out in green for your first Savannah Saint Patrick's Day!

I think this was the first of many dock days we'll have! 

Three peas on a pod! Lane taking a nap with her grandparents!
 Lane and I took our first road trip together March 18th thru 24th.
First we travelled to Augusta and then Atlanta to host a shower for my friend Lisa--(I'll post a blog and pictures of that later) 

You still sleep swaddled in your nap nanny--in your nursery, but since you hit the big 3 month mark on Friday...I'm going to try the un-swaddle sleeping experience to see how that pans out. Fingers crossed for sure! Right at two months you started "sleeping through the night" 9:30 to 4 was our pretty regular pattern until this past week when you started hitting 9:30 to 5:30 and 6. Needless to say Mommy is very excited and hopes this pattern sticks around after we take away your swaddle. 

Glad to be back with Daddy, your best bud after our week away traveling 

You look a little frighten here, but your first Easter!!
I plan on using this same bonnet again for next years Easter too!
Hope to show family Easter photos soon

Kicking it on the dock with Daddy!  

Sleeping with Uncle Clint

One of my favorite pictures!! So much attitude already 

My Experience

I've had a couple people tell me to write down my experience/advice on what items I would bring with me to the hospital if I went in again and what items I have been using/not using since Lane's arrival.
First off I wanted to say that I read so many blogs I found on Pinterest from other people to help me make my list, and couldn't believe the negative comments some people would write. This blog is based on my experiences, and what I found to be great! Some people may think these items were awful for them, but please just keep things positive (because the Good Lord knows giving birth is enough work anyway)!
If you are a male...some of this may be a little TMI, so please feel free to stop reading NOW!

Hospital Packing List: (I'm only going to cover the items that I ended up having someone bring me, or I was super glad that I packed that some people might not think of...So I'm not going to tell you how many clothes to pack and baby outfits.)

• Pillows from home: I made sure we brought our bright pillow covers so we would remember them when leaving, and to make sure they wouldn't get mixed up with hospital ones. Make sure to grab a pillow for the husband too! He needs it more than you really with those awful dad beds! 
• Towels from home: We did not pack these and had to have Luke go get them. The hospital provides towels, but they were awful and the size of a hand towel. 
• Shampoo, Conditioner, and Soap: I didn't pack these and thought the hospital would provide them. Turns out they didn't and Luke had to go get some. Don't pack any scented body wash(I got an infection down there about 1 week after being home and they said it might be because I was using scented body wash that was disturbing my eco system. Ha!)
• Nipple Shield: Make that two nipple shields!! This was an true LIFE SAVER for me. I have flat nipples (so miss Lane was having trouble latching on) and these along with my next item listed made breastfeeding possible. I have heard some women wear them just to help decrease the pain on breastfeeding (Yes I know they say if you are doing it right then it shouldn't be painful, but they lied!! IT HURTS!)
• Manuel Breast Pump: I used this along with the nipple shield to get a little big of colostrum in the shield before I put Lane on. It just helped get the party started :)
• Lanolin: Rub this on the nipples to help keep them from cracking. I don't use this anymore, but did a lot in the first week and think it might be the reason I haven't had any cracked nipples or other major issues. When I first started pumping I put this in the horn part of the pump where it gets narrow and hits your nipple to help with that too. I don't use it anymore, but think it helped at the beginning.
• Soothie Gel Pads: I wish I would have brought these to the hospital. I only used them once home and LOVED them! I have them in my fridge to this day for times when the nipples just need some soothing! 
• Boppy: So most of you know to bring your Boppy pillow, but I used this for more than just breastfeeding time. Luke ended up sleeping at home the last night we were in the hospital, so it was just Miss Lane and I in the room. The staff didn't really bother us that night, so it was just the two of us chilling. My hospital was really great about letting you really do all of the childcare and only stepping in if you asked for help, or to show you something (like how to give sponge bath). That way when you leave the hospital you feel as prepared as you can. So back to the Boppy...when it was just me I did NOT have the energy or desire to get out of bed every time Lane needed me. I had to get an episiotomy and sitting was NOT FUN, so getting up and down meant more times of having to sit down. I just put her propped up in the Boppy on my bed and that way when I needed to I could get her easily. I used it for feeding obviously, and one last use that I didn't even think about until someone else told me, was a butt pillow. The whole inflatable donut is great if your butt is super tiny and smaller than the donut. My butt is larger than the donut they provided, so it really made things worse by pulling apart (TMI I know), so the Boppy apparently makes a good butt pillow for people with larger butts (this is really more for home than hospital, but I wanted to throw out the use while we were talking about it). I didn't actually ever use it this way since I didn't hear about it until it was too late. :(
• Colace: Believe it or not they did not give this to me without me asking for it. So...ask for this ASAP!!! I read to do this and am SO GLAD I DID! Poop is scary after delivering a baby, and especially if you had an episiotomy. 
• Extra Bag: I had read to bring an extra empty bag just to load all of the hospital goodies in and they were right. I stocked up on pads, receiving blankets, hats, shirts for her, recovery items for me, diapers, you name it I took it! I actually asked the nurse before we left for extra things like the ice packs that I really liked and knew I wouldn't be able to find easily once at home. 

So here are a few other notes and items that I would say you want to have in your home when you get there! 

• Colace: Yep! They will prescribe this after you get home, but it's a good idea to already have it. I had it already stocked up! 
• Spray Bottle: The hospital will give you a spray bottle to use down there after you go to the restroom since you can't wipe yet. If you have a two story home then I suggest you ask for another one or go buy one to have there when you get home. Climbing stairs to go use the bathroom or lugging around your spray bottle with you everywhere isn't that fun! I know you still have to build your subway sandwich (that's what I call the pad of massive things you put on your hooha, but you can at least go to the restroom when you have to and then build your subway sandwich. Ha!) Oh isn't recovery AWESOME! 
• Tucks:  If you aren't going to make recovery pads for your freezer (that's basically pads that have witch hazel and aloe on them and you freeze them) then you should have tucks to throw on your pads. This is why I call it a subway sandwich (sorry to ruin that restaurant for some). When you are in the hospital you have to literally build a sub sandwich for your hooha every time you pee. You have mesh panties, then gigantic ice pack, then tucks on top of that, and don't forget your hemorrhoid cream on one of the tucks. When you get home you just build a smaller sandwich since the ice packs are gone (I LOVED the ice packs and actually asked for some to bring home)
• Ultra Thin Pads: That's right I said Ultra Thin pads! The hospital gave me a gazillion jumbo super thick ones along with some sweet extra pairs of mesh panties, but I only really needed those jumbo ones for a couple of days and then I just needed something less bulky. This might just be my experience though and others need something more heavy duty :) 

I'm sure I'll think of other things later, but this blog is long enough, so I hope it helps you ladies that are debating about what to bring! Please feel free to add items in the comment section that you found were life savers!

Lastly, Miss Lane was a month old yesterday!! What? Where did that month go? Here are some pics of the lovely lady. 

Here is Lane in the hospital sleeping in the Boppy on my bed! Cozy Right?!  

This was her first growth sticker from the pediatrician! I can't believe that was her last appointment and we don't go back until March! She was doing so well on 1/25 they said we didn't need to go back until March, so now I have no idea what she weighs and all of the fun facts. Thankful for a super healthy baby though :) 

Lane with both sets of Grandparents for the first time! 

One Month Old Already!

Looking nervous for her first ride through a car wash!

Lane Olivia Dorman

She's here!! I really can't tell you what an awesome week we've had here in the Dorman household. Last Friday 1/11/13 we welcomed Lane Olivia Dorman into the world at 2:26pm. She was a big girl weighing 8 pounds, 15 ounces, and 21 inches long.
Lane scored a 9 on her APGAR test and a 2 on her jaundice test (both really wonderful scores), so we are thrilled she is a healthy baby.
This week we had Luke's sister Abigail come take some pictures for me to use in her birth announcement. Lane was really nice to let us dress her up and move her all over the place in our photo shoot. We basically looked up some cute pictures that professionals take and tried to mimic them. I will say professional baby photographers deserve major props. Here are some pictures of Lane that almost made the birth announcement. Thank you Aunt Abigail!!

I think her eyes are dark green just like her mom and dad, but they look a little gray too, so we'll see later on in life!