Thanksgiving

Wow! I did not mean to take an extended blogging break. I guess the holiday just snuck up on me. We spent a lovely 4-day weekend together as a family. Seriously, a lot of the time it was just the 4 of us and it was fun!

I know thanksgiving is over but I don't want the spirit to pass me by!

This year I am particularly thankful for family. I am thankful for my husband, who puts up with me (usually cheerfully), provides for us without complaint, is a wonderful loving daddy, and is still my favorite person to be around. I am thankful for my children, who are wonderful, healthy, joyful, fun, energetic little people (i am so blessed!). For my extended family who provide so much (never ending!!) support to us - whether it is from a distance or around the corner!

Nursing Dilemma!

Normally I don't bring too many "private" issues to light on my blog. I don't necessarily think this is too private to talk about (obviously . . . or I wouldn't be writing this) but some of my readers might.

So . . . if you don't want to read about breastfeeding, please skip this post. Consider yourself warned!

So I have breastfeed both my babies. Neither one has had a drop of formula. It's hard work to put it in mild terms. But that's a post for another time.

I nursed Abigail until she was 17 months old. I got pregnant with Elsie when Abigail was 12 months old and so I had adequate milk supply until about month 15 but we kept on for a while. I felt very good about that experience. One morning (the morning of her 17 month birthday) instead of nursing her first thing, I just walked downstairs and fed her breakfast. She never batted an eyelash, so obviously it was time to quit. She hadn't been very interested for about a month anyway.

I have nursed Elsie now for 12 months (what I consider to be my personal minimum amount of time to nurse a baby). I got pregnant with this baby when Elsie was about 9 to 10 months old (still not quite sure on that timing). Anyway . . . I was hoping to also hit the 17 month mark with her. However, I have a problem. I have hardly any milk left!

I discovered this when I went to a movie with my husband on Saturday night. I missed a feeding (Elsie got pumped milk and drank 5 oz). I pumped when I returned home and wasn't even able to come up with 1 single ounce. Depressing!

Elsie currently nurses about 5 to 7 times a day, depending on whether or not she nurses at night and after her naps. I know babies are more efficient than a pump but she can't be THAT much more efficient. She's still probably only getting 1 ounce per feeding and I think I'm being generous there.

My ultimate goal is to find a way to boost my supply so that I can keep going a few more months. I'm drinking a lot (of water . . . ha!), eating oatmeal, pumping after almost every feeding and before I go to bed, getting as much rest as I can, nursing Elsie almost whenever she demands it. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I know she's over a year-old and can turn to other foods for her nutrition so I don't need to turn to formula. I just feel like she's not ready to quit (I mean really . . . 7x a day!!!!!) and I want to keep going for a while too (for her sake). My body is just not cooperating.

This is on my list to talk to my midwives about. Perhaps they have some experience with this issue. They are very supportive of my decision to continue to breastfeed during pregnancy and don't see any problem with it.

I'm just not ready to quit yet and it kills me that I might have to. Some articles I have read today have given some ideas on how to increase supply and give encouragement to just keep going until it's gone. Some others say that there is no way to recover (sad!).

Any advice (positive that is) is welcome.

Boy/Girl Thoughts

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the gender of this baby. While I really don't care whether this baby is a boy or girl, I have secretly leaned toward having another girl.

Mostly because I know girls. I have two, I am one, and therefore I just know what they are and how they work. I also think it would be cute to have three little girls.

But today . . . after a long day of toddler drama and girl emotions, I'm wondering if a boy might bring some low maintenance balance to this family that is currently female heavy. (Not to say that toddler boys wouldn't come with their own set of challenges as well.)

Just some thoughts.

In all honesty, I will be thrilled either way!!

Elsie's 1 year check-up

I took Elsie to the doctor today for her 1-year check up. I forgot to write down her stats exactly (trying to manage a fussy baby!) so this will be from memory. I am going to call them tomorrow and ask exactly what her stats were for my own sake.

29 inches long (to me it looked like 29.5). I think she was at the 50% for height.

18 pounds (hasn't gained since her last appointment). 20% (guessing).

I don't remember her head but he said it had grown and was around 50%.

The concerns were definitely her weight! The girl eats and poops just fine but I guess she is just very active and doesn't eat a lot of fatty foods or protein rich foods. She essentially breastfeeds and then gets either fruits or vegetables at meals. I bought some baby food tonight with chicken and beef so we will be starting those soon.

He also recommended perhaps supplementing my breastmilk with cow's milk. Since I'm pregnant, I'm really not sure how good my milk supply is. I am very hestitant to feed babies cow's milk (Abigail has never had any).

Read an article here: http://www.greenourkids.com/natural-living/health/the-dangers-of-cows-milk-should-children-drink-cows-milk/

So I am looking into alternative choices for her that offer the same fat and vitamins that cow's milk supposedly does. We'll see. We used coconut milk for Abigail but I need to find an alternative to that that does not contain so many processed additives.

I had decided to give myself a break and gradually start weaning Elsie by not pumping in the evenings to store up milk for her. Now I'm thinking that it might be helpful for me to keep this up a while longer and feed her the extra milk I'm pumping the next day. It definitely won't hurt my milk supply to do this.

Also we discovered that she has a little baby "hernia" - although my doctor was hesitant to diagnose it as such - the word did come out of his mouth. :) He said that lots of babies have them and not to be concerned but that it should close up on its own.

I did my own research and apparently this is true. From what I found if the hernia goes back inside the body when the baby is resting (not straining) then it should close up by itself although sometimes it takes up to 5 years. We'll definitely be keeping our eyes on it!

The poor girl is still teething up a storm. Her top tooth finally did come in today (I think) and I can feel that the molar is getting closer and closer to the surface. I can't wait for this to be done because she woke up 4x last night. Poor girl!

Emotional Girls

We're dealing with something new at our house . . . jealousy! Seriously! When Elsie was born Abigail was really just fine with it. She didn't regress in any way (that we could tell) and she was very gentle and loving to the baby.

Now that Elsie can crawl and stand up (not walk yet) and demand my attention, jealousy is abundant in our house. I just spent the last hour keeping my kids up before their nap by holding both of them in my lap.

If I just had just held one, the other would be crying, believe me.

I have been talking to Abigail about her emotions. I just told her that I love her and that even if she can't get the same kind of attention as Elsie (after all, Elsie is breastfeeding still) she was still a special girl. I told her this and she burst into tears. Poor thing.

I think some special one-on-one time is necessary after Elsie goes to bed at 7 pm!

New Energy

Well folks, despite being also troubled by back/hip pain and sinus headaches I have found a renewed energy lately! Whew! It is about time.

My nausea is also better . . . not gone but better. I still cannot stand to think about or cook some vegetables but I've been able to throw together a few more meals for my family lately. I also haven't accidentally crashed on the couch in the middle of the day. Must mean the 2nd trimester is upon me. Yes!!!

In other news, Elsie has been really struggling (more!!) at night recently. She's been getting up every 2 to 3 hours. I fully expected her to come down with a cold or something else but it has been three days and she's fine.

It finally dawned on me last night that she did just turn 1 yr old . . . which means . . . molars! Sure enough, I felt around in her little mouth last night and it feels to me like she's working on getting 3 teeth in - 1 top front, 1 top right side, and 1 bottom left molar. I've been giving her motrin and orajel but it doesn't seem to last all night.

My darling, wonderful, helpful, husband is going to do a wonderful thing for me this weekend that is very exciting. I am going to sleep in the downstairs guest room (in the basement!!) and he is going to try to care for Elsie so I can get a full-night's sleep. He will just come get me if he thinks she's hungry. We'll see what happens!

It will be the only full-night's sleep I have gotten in one year except for about a one month stretch in the summer where she slept blissfully through the night. I wonder if I will wake up or if I'll just be able to crash.

Yeah!!

That's all for now. I'm just SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad to be feeling better! (Can you feel the energy?!)

Happy 1-Year Elsie Joy

Dearest Elsie Joy (or Pie),

How can you be 1-year old? It seems like only yesterday that you were in my tummy - a big baby for such a short mama - making me very uncomfortable! Ha! What a joy-filled child you are. I love to hear your laugh, see your smile and watch you dance.

I love to watch you learn new things and to watch you develop more and more into a little girl each day.

You are a mama's girl - big time. (In no particular order) . . . You love Dewey the dog. You are so gentle with him when you finally catch up and pat him. You love your sister. You love to play with her and to watch her do crazy and wild things! You love your daddy! You get so excited to see him and you've even started to reach for him. It's so sweet! You love our extended family and being played with, loved on and entertained by them!

We'll always have a special connection, dear girl. You see, I am also a second born girl. You are so very much loved, darling, but yes, it is just different for the 2nd. Just remember that in some ways, girlie, you have it easier than your sister. See, she is breaking us in - on the parenting front that is. You get the more relaxed and easy-going version of us because we've been there before! :)

My greatest desire as your mother is for you to grow up and know the love of Jesus Christ. It is so important, darling, that relationship. Never forget it and never neglect it.

Thank you for surprising us and for being in our family. I cannot imagine life without you, sweetie.

I am looking forward to watching you grow and discover new things every day!

Love,

Your Mama!

Elsie Joy

11/8/2009

2:53 pm

9 lbs 2 oz 22 inches long (BIG!)

Blue or Pink

At my last midwife appointment (last Tuesday) they went ahead and scheduled me for my 20-week ultrasound even though it isn't for quite a while. So we'll find out on December 20th what the sex of this 3rd (and in my opinion . . . final) baby will be.



So . . . any guesses?



If you guess right, you might get a prize! Ha!



I have thought about being creative and wrapping up something for the grandparents to unwrap at Christmas telling the gender of the baby. I'm not sure if I'll do that or not. It would require several days of waiting time and I'm not sure that will work in our family! :) Ha!

At-Home

Today marks the one-year anniversary of me becoming a stay-at-home mom. Wow! What a year it has been.

There have been moments, minutes, hours, and days where I have felt so blessed and lucky to be at home with these beautiful girls.

And to be quite honest, there have been moments where I certainly could have used a day of just sitting behind a desk with no bottoms to wipe, noses to wipe, food to make, behavior to correct, babies to nurse, house to clean, etc.

I wouldn't trade it for the world though!

I'll take the bad with the good because it means that I get to be the one to see it all . . . all the firsts and the cute things said . . . and all the temper tantrums and messes.

I also realized that I haven't had one month go by since quitting my full-time job that I haven't brought in some form of income for my family. I'm not sure this will always be the case but I'm glad to have been able to always help out.

So it was on this day one year ago that I quit my full-time job. (Elsie was born 3 days later!).

Swinging!

Elsie has been a pill lately but she loves her new swing! Unfortunately it is getting cold here so we won't be able to use it much until the spring time! Thanks for the swing Papa and RoRo!

There's a new "dancing queen" in the house!

Abigail loves to dance but recently we've disovered that so does her sister!

Enjoy!

Rollercoaster and Normal?

Whew! This last week has definitely been a crazy one! I actually had two decent days, Monday and Wednesday. I cleaned and cooked a bit on those days. Then I had days like Thursday, from which I still feel wiped out from.

I just simply woke up with what felt like a really bad sinus headache. I remember not even feeling like I could walk around because the movement felt too jarring! It got worse during the day so I eventually called my husband and asked him to come home from work.

I seriously could not function. Anyway, I started feeling better around bedtime. I certainly hope that never happens again. Since then I have really continued with the nausea and exhaution!

I'm 12 weeks on Tuesday so I hope to start seeing some slight improvement soon!

Elsie is starting to sleep a little better. At least she did last night. This is a huge blessing and I hope it continues! I still got up with her once but it wasn't until 5:45 am! That feels like a record even though she did have a month (between 6 and 7 months) where she slept through the night. Not since then though!!

Speaking of Elsie, the girl is definitely going through a stage. She does not like to be set down and have me walk out of the room. Even when I'm just home alone with her and Abigail. It is tiring! I know it's just a phase but it's a hard phase for me! What a mama's girl!

My apologies for this being boring but honestly, this is about all that is going on right now. Most days I am just thankful to make it through with reasonably well-fed and healthy children (and spouse). I know that these days of feeling continually overwhelmed will pass (they will. right?) but boy they are difficult when they are here.

I am thanking the Lord for a wonderful husband and family. I don't know what I'd do otherwise!

Improving?

This weekend has not been the most fun weekend of my life, that's for sure. It started late last week with Abigail catching a cold. Nothing bad, just cough, sniffles, etc. She ran a fever for about a day and then was better. She still has a runny nose and a cough but it could be much worse.

Then it was Elsie's turn. Poor Elsie. The girl just doesn't know how to be sick. I think I got up with her seven times on Saturday night. I also woke up on Sunday with a sore throat. Whoa! Try packing that all on a pregnant lady! Not fun. The usual nausea and tiredness from pregnancy, then add on probably only sleeping 4 hours (not in one stretch) the night before, and adding a nasty sore throat. I was a mess on Sunday morning until I got a nap.

But . . . in the midst of all this. . . I woke up with something this morning that I haven't felt in a long time. . . ambition!!

I WANT to get something done. We're all still a little sick and you wouldn't know it from looking at my schedule from this morning but I actually desire to get something accomplished today. That's a big step for me! Maybe the nastiness of the first trimester is slowly wearing off.

I'll be 11 weeks tomorrow so it's a little early for that but we'll see. I certainly hope so!! I'm hopeful!!

(Elsie woke up at 10:30 pm, 3:30 am, 7:00 am and then slept until 8:30 am - as did I. That's a pretty good night for a sick Elsie. Then I laid down on the couch at 9:30 while the girls played and fell asleep again! Craziness!)

Happy Birthday!

I have been such a slacker lately but I don't want to let this opportunity go by to wish my husband a very happy birthday.

I apologize that your favorite food wasn't waiting for you when you got home and that I didn't have a cake!

We did win in Spouseology tonight at small group so hopefully that was a highlight of your day!

Thank you for being patient and kind when I am not! Thank you for putting up with my whining and complaining! Thank you for taking the kids, even if just for a moment, when I feel like I can't take the fussiness one more second.

I am extremely blessed to have you as my husband! Happy Birthday!

I'm still here! - Thoughts on 1st trimesters!

Wow! The blogging has really been neglected lately!

It was seriously unintentional but everything else in my life has been neglected too - so just goes along with it all, I guess.

This past month has seriously been one of the hardest of my life. I feel kind of wimpy saying that because honestly no one has died, we both still have great jobs, our family is healthy and happy, we have a wonderful support system, etc. Just physically - and if I'm honest with myself and you - emotionally, it's been really difficult for me.

The person who gets to take the brunt of this is my husband. Who, for the record, is really pretty good about my whining. Especially my emotional whining. He listens, he advises, and he goes on.

I don't want to wish the time away and I do want to treasure these sweet ages of my children - but boy . . . it with it were April and that this baby would be almost ready to arrive. I don't think anyone likes it when life feels like a constant struggle and I'm not exception.

Well, I'm off - to load the dishwasher and lay on the couch.

My family is coming!! Yeah!

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of my parents and brother this afternoon. They are bringing a playhouse (yes, all the way from KS - they're crazy!) for the girls. I know Abigail will love playing in it while they are here!

Elsie has still been getting me up 2x a night for about a week now (maybe more). She'sll 11 months old today. Sleep girl, sleep!

I have a dilemma with my oldest. She is totally addicted to Dora and Boots (as she calls it). It is the first thing out of her mouth in the morning (Mama, I want to watch . . . ). I don't have a problem telling her "no" or at least "wait a while" but then she wanders around the house for 10 minutes looking for something to do before asking me again. It's getting crazy. The child has toys - but perhaps they aren't really at her age level and so they aren't entertaining. I know that Elsie will soon be older and they will be great play partners. Still, I'm at a loss for how to help Abigail play (or play for a while by herself).

It doesn't help that in this season, I do want to take a nap on the couch so I turn on a show for her. She's spoiled with it, I know that!! Any ideas on great things for kids to do? She colors, plays with playdoh, play with baby dolls, dances, reads, etc. It's just that she doesn't do those things for very long.

Okay, I've got to help the little one go down for a nap. Wishing I could do the same!!

Neglect and Appointment

Hey all!

Sorry about the blog neglect. I guess it is a true reflection of how my life is going lately. I consider it a successful day if I just get my kids fed!

I had my first midwife appointment today. It went great. I found out that I'm (approximately) 9 weeks pregnant today. She did an ultrasound but got different readings from each measurement (the little one was squirmy!) so she took the sum of all three measurements.

Other than that, things are fine at this point.

Hopefully I'll be able to post something more exciting later.

Oh . . . Elsie's getting a top tooth in. That also means multiple night wakings and a cranky baby during the day.

Toota loo!

Abigail "isms"

My daughter has such a sweet and tender heart. She also says lots of funny things. I want to share some and record them here so I can remember them in the future.

- I have been a bit extra emotional lately - you know, pregnancy, breastfeeding, feeling like crud, etc. Abigail found me teary-eyed in the kitchen one day and said to me, "Mama, it'll be okay. I'll bring you a Kleenex." And proceeded to bring me a used one from the other room. It was so sweet anyway.

- Another emotional moment: I was crying earlier this evening because Abigail had given me a good bonk on the nose. Still hurts now (I don't think it's broken). Anyway tears were running down my face as the pain was seering through my nose and Abigail said, "Here Mama, I will sing you a song and you'll feel better." She proceeded to do so and I made myself stop crying. She came over and said, "See Mama? You're all better."

- She always wants to know who bought something for her. Today she asked me "Mama, who bought me these shoes?" When I replied that I had, indeed, bought the shoes she was inquiring about she said "Mama, YOU bought me these shoes. I LOVE these shoes." Ha!

- We were at my in-law's today and I put Abigail on the potty before her nap (in their downstairs bathroom). My mother-in-law has a bird house with one (or two, can't remember) birds hanging from it. Abigail pointed to it and said "Mama, that bird's mad." Ha! It was pretty funny because the bird does have somewhat of a scowl.

That's all I can remember for now. I need to write this more often, I guess!

Ah, a break!

I'm experiencing a rare break from overwhelming nausea at the moment so I guess I'll blog. Ha!

We're doing fine around here. I feel like I'm barely holding on most of the time but I know that's not true.

Abigail is doing great in her big girl bed. She only had a night or two where she cried out. It was for someone to come and take her to the bathroom ("I need go pee pee in the potty.") I don't know if that was the new bed or the potty training's fault but she hasn't done that in a while.

Elsie . . . still doesn't sleep well. She got up at 11 pm last night so I had firm resolve to let her cry for a while. She "fussed" (not really outright crying) until about midnight. Then she wailed. I let it go until 12:30 but by then I was exhaused. I went and fed her. She slept until morning.

She was playing in the kitchen this morning and got a little too close to our step (we have one step between the kitchen and the tiled mud room) and she fell. Just one step but it gave her a pretty good fat and bloody lip. Poor baby.

My parents may be coming for a visit in a few weeks. We're all excited about that. It all depends on how wheat planing goes!

I'm still working. Most of my days are focused on just getting food into my kids and myself and getting a few hours in for work. I have plenty to do!

Sorry this is so boring! I have a few recipes to share if I can manage to look at the food pictures long enough to post them.

Reminder

I haven't blogged all week in an effort to keep the whining to a minimum. Ha!

No, seriously.

My husband has been out-of-town and my in-laws have been super in his absence . . . keeping my kids, making us food, keeping Abigail overnight, and many other things. I've been spoiled.

Now . . . will someone please remind my husband that I'm pregnant? I mean, seriously. He wonders why I am crying at something that is so silly - um . . . I can't help it!

Logic . . . totally gone.

Sorry, dear.