Half a Year!

 

This past weekend our sweet "Baby Lei" turned six months. I remember when Emory hit six months and I was shocked at how quickly time had passed by. This time around it is different. Sure, I say " time flies" but with her I don't feel like time is passing by at warp speed and that I am "missing" out. This seems completely contrary to what I thought life would be with two working parents and children in day care. With my amazing work schedule, and the recent random government closings/delays, I really feel like I have a lot of time with both of my kids but especially Leia. And she is a pretty awesome baby.

Despite my slight mental break down ;o), she is still nursing like a champ! She is up about twice per night and most nights I really enjoy that time together, no E, no Daddy, just mama and baby together. She is rolls over, she scoots backward (stop that), and has incredible hand-eye coordination. She lights up when she sees me and gives me big smiles however we both know I am not really here favorite. She loves her Daddy, like loves, loves her Daddy. If he enters the room, she is all grins. If she hears his voice but can't see him she starts tracking until she finds him. When he is holding her she nuzzles her face on his chest. Yes, my friends I have the makings of a Daddy's Girl and I am cool with that. She also loves her big brother. She is fascinated by him and thinks his is so funny. And oh my, how I love the clothes the tiny, adorable girl clothes. Leia is my little doll baby. One days she is in a smocked dress, the next in leopard print. And normally no matter what she has on, she is wearing a headband.

Six Months Stats

Weight 13 lbs, 9 oz
Height 24 inches
Food- Still using breastmilk as her primary source of food but she has started solids, so far so good. She hasn't tried a food yet that she doesn't like.

 

 

 

Just being 3

It is amazing when I look back to when this blog started and Emory was so little and now he is 3! The toddler and preschool years have certainly brought their challenges but we are making our way to a really great place. In the past few months since is birthday, he personality has blossomed. While their are certainly times that he drives me a little bonkers, if I stop, take a breath, and allow myself to be in the moment he still totally rocks my world! Here are just a few of my favorite things about my son that make my heart skip a beat.

-He still sleeps with Lula every night. He has also added a small cloth bear that he received when visiting Leia for the first time at the hospital.
-He listens to the same lullaby CD every night that he listened to as a baby.
-We listen to Wee Sing CDs in the car and he sings along happily kicking his feet.
-He runs to hug me saying, "Mommy, Mommy!" each day when I pick him from school.
-He makes his sister laugh, kisses her at night, and goes to her if she is crying. He tells her "It's OK Leia, Emory is here."
-He finds fun in everything. His imagination is amazing.
-He says " I lub you."
-He dances without reservation.
-He pretends to be a rock star with sunglasses and his play guitar.
-He loves the story of Baby Jesus.
-He remind me to be careful, drive slowly, and lock the doors.
-He eats a tiny piece of chocolate in several bites, savoring it rather than shoveling it in.
-He loves his Daddy and tries to be just like him.
-He is always ready to do chores, cook or clean.
-He says, " I had a nice nap" when he wakes up from a long slumber.
-His hair sticks up in the back. :o)

It is crazy that even as I write this, I am tearing up a little? This list could go on and on but this is just what comes to my mind this morning. I know that he will not be little for long and that these days are flying rapidly by. I pray that each morning I will remember this and live in the moment with both of my children. And not just my children but my husband as well, because tomorrow is not promised. So I am going to continue to remind myself that a perfectly cleaned and organized home is not important and that one day I will have time for all of that but my children will be gone.

It's a family day.

Each day when Emory wakes up, he normally asks me..."is it a nice day?" This is code for is it OK for me to get up yet?  The next question or statement has to do with school.  And on the days when we say "No Buddy, it's not a school day." You can tell he does a silent cheer because that means it is a family day.  Nick and I use this term to reassure Emory the day will not be filled with busyness but time spent together as a family.  This is especially important now that we are a two parent working family.  I admit this without apology that we are indeed homebodies.  We really truly love being home and have been this way for some time.  Part of this is caused by the fact that we live in a metropolitan suburb and weekends mean the crazies are out.  ;o)  Our family days usually consist of extended pajama time, lots of play, and just hanging around the house.  I do my best to run the majority of our errands on my telework day or on my Friday. Of course there are still times when we must venture out to run errands but my hubby has made it a point to do this together as a family so it is indeed still a "family day."  We also nap together, we cook together, and we spend time with our kids.  This  time is important because it gives us time to get our house and bodies in order before we start another busy week.  And of course there are times when we attend special events or play dates!  I know that the concept of staying home with two kids on the weekend would drive some people crazy and I get it but for us, staying close to home is just what we all need to reconnect after a week filled with schedules and commuting.

Why didn't I think of that?!?

It is funny how we become so overwhelmed with our own lives and problems that we fail to see the most obvious answers right in front of us.  After another week of pumping with less that satisfying results, I was talking to my good friend C.   I was so frustrated I just broke down into tears.  She calmed me down (like always) and started offering solutions.  Some I shot down because I ama brat that way. ;o)  But then I spun into a tagent about why the low milk supply made it so hard for me to take Lia to school on my telework days or times when I legitimately needed to without feeling overcome with guilt and pressure.  She offered a solutin.  Since my house is so close to their day care, why don't I go over and nurse her during the day.  I wanted to dispute it.  I wanted to tell her that I couldn't but then it hit me...DUH! Why hadn't I thought of that? I could certainly go over on my lunch break and nurse my daughter, right?   That day at pick up, I poked my head into the Director's office to ensure it wouldn't be a problem.  Of course, it was not problem with them!   I am allowed access to my children or their classrooms any time I want.  Wednesday rolled around and I informed the teacher that I would try to come back over during my break.  And as my luck would have it the break in my work day aligned perfectly with Leia's next feeding.  I jumped in the car and 5 minutes later I was at her school.  She was tickled to see me, they let me use the glider and I chatted with the infant teachers while feeding my baby girl.  BEST IDEA EVER! I was more relaxed the whole day knowing I was going to be able to feed her and not stress about pumping. I am blessed to have good friends who give good advice and great day care teachers who go the extra mile!

Mamas don't have time to be sick!

For the past week or so I have had an annoying cough with some congestion but otherwise I felt fine. That is until yesterday. I was one of "those" people at work who was hacking all day . It seemed to help if I didn't talk but if you know me that is nearly impossible! ;o)   And it got progessiveky worse thoughout the day. By the end of the day I was ready to surrender that I indeed had something. So on the way home I picked up my standard cold care treatment items, OJ, chicken noodle soup, and crackers. (I keep vitamins, fruit, Emergen C, etc on hand always.)

No less than 5 minutes after I walked into the door hacking, Nick kindly stated " So you are going to the doctor tomorrow right?" I replied, "Oh yeah." Uh let's be honest, the thought hadn't crossed my mind! In fact I had talked to my insurance company twice that day to inquire about a benefit and to schedule a weigth check for L but it never really occured to me to make an appointment for myself. We all know mamas don't have time to be sick!

So I am headed to the doctor this morning at 10am to see if there is anything that can be done for this hacking, headachy mama. In the meantime, I am drinking lots ot fluids both hot and cold.

Hoping you all have a happy and healthy weekend! GO REDSKINS!

Mama Struggle #1

I am sure I am not the only mama out there who would say that the journey of motherhood is hard, really hard.  There are days when I put so much pressure on myself to do or be something that I rob myself of the joy in that moment.  I am working on it.  I wanted to take some time to write about my personal struggles as a way to heal. It will be my "Mama Struggles" series. ;o)

One of my struggles as of late is my ability to produce enough breastmilk for Leia.  It seems silly when I put in into words because I really have very little control over how much milk I produce.  I had this struggle with Emory and was determined not to let it be a factor this time around.  I stressed and worried so much that by the time he was about 8 months old, I was mostly supplementing and my supply had all but dried up.  So I told myself that this time I would not do that to myself and that if I had to supplement, it would be ok and that in the long run she would be getting my milk for longer.   However, the first few days when I returned to work I started doing it again.  I fell into the self defeating, negative talk.  "Oh no why wasn't there more milk coming out?"  "What if I didn't make enough for her bottles?"  So I have read more, sought help and ultimately stressed more.  And guess what it has nearly 3 months later and my supply is about the same. Leia is perfectly healthy but sure could be gaining weight more quickly.  The peditrician has expressed no concerns.

Luckily, I have an amazing support system of friends, co-workers, family and my beloved husband.  I am trying various methods to increase my milk supply along with stressing less but what if in the end I am just a low milk producer?  What if I have to supplement to ensure my baby gets the nutrition she needs?  Does that mean I am a bad mom? The logical part of me knows that the answer is no but the emotional part of me gets in the way.  So my goal is from this day forward is to make a conscious decision about what methods I am willing to pursue that will not take from my nursing experience. And to remind myself that I am REALLY doing the best I can.

I will end on this. About a month ago after an evening pumping session, I was confiding in my husband, Nick, about how frustrating it was that while I had to work so hard some women seemed to be making gallons of milk.  I will attempt to paraphrase his response.  "You have always had to work hard at things, school, work,...but in that just makes you successes all the more impressive." Yes, after all my craziness he gets me.