I meant to do this for Lauren 1 month check up but I completely forgot. The doctor's appt went .... She got ... shots which was, of course, tough (on both her and me!). So here we go with her two month stats (can you believe she's 2 months already!?!?)...
Age -- 2 months
Weight -- 10lbs, 15.4ozs (that's up 1lb, 4ozs since last month -- OINK!)
Height -- 22 inches (up .5")
Sleep -- length of sleep at night varies for the most part. She can sleep 12 hours straight one night and six hours straight the next night. Not really sure what makes the difference, but we're getting there!
Eating -- She must be going through a growth spurt because she's been eating 4ozs every 2-3 hours. We've tried upping the amount to 5ozs, but she never seems to get passed 4.
Likes -- her swing; standing (with assistance, obviously); being swaddled in her miracle blanket (the BEST thing EVER!); her hands; her sister...most of the time.
Dislikes -- tummy time; car rides (until she's asleep); sitting still while trying to fall asleep
New Discoveries -- her hands; her voice (this is just in the beginning stages); her reflection -- she smiles at herself in the carseat mirror, totally adorable!
Kate is doing very well with Lauren. She is a big help, especially when we are driving and Lauren needs her bink to be put back in her mouth. Kate loves to give Lauren kisses -- sometimes Lauren likes them, sometimes she doesn't. We still can't get Kate to change a diaper but we are hoping that will change soon!
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Spring Break Revisited
Last week was Spring Break. I had originally thought about going down to Florida to see the parents, however, I quickly came to my senses when I thought about taking a 2 month old in a car, by myself, 13 hours away from home....umm, no thank you! I thought about the zoo and the museum center. Kate requested that we go swimming. Matt had a day off in the middle of the week (thanks to working the weekend before) so I started thinking about going somewhere. I came up with Mammoth Cave. It's close and we could drive there and back within a day.
We had some hotel points that we could use so we took off after a class at church on Tuesday night and arrived at the hotel 2 hours later. We woke up and someone was ready to swim immediately! After breakfast, it was down to the pool for an hour. We checked out after drying off and then it was down to Mammoth Cave, an hour south of the hotel. We got to Mammoth Cave earlier than we expected so we walked around some, ate some lunch, and Kate worked on getting her junior ranger badge. We had pre-booked a cave tour - Domes and Dripstones. Below is the description from the website...
A wonderful complement to the Historic Tour, this trip includes a dramatic series of domes and pits, typical large trunk passageways, and a short journey through numerous dripstone formations.
Mammoth Cave doesn't allow backpacks on any of their tours, including child back carriers. I was a little irritated at this but since we only had a front carrier, I prayed we'd be able to take it. Thankfully we were. The website said there were close to 600 stairs and that it was "moderate" in difficulty. Obviously, the people who discussed the difficulty level were in relatively decent shape. That hike was TOUGH. Not only were there stairs but there were incline and declines. My knees and hips didn't hurt while in the cave, but the next day -- LOOK OUT! Lauren did great on the trip through the cave (which was 2 hours); she slept the entire way! Kate also enjoyed it as well and she did great up and down the steps. I, on the other hand, got a little freaked out at first. There is a REASON why they say no backpacks. I'm honestly surprised that they don't have a weight/body size requirement. I had some issues fitting through some of the passages with Lauren on the front of me -- it got TIGHT! Add that to the fact that you are going in to a cave (with no emergency exits) and my claustrophobia started kicking in. I kept telling myself "it will open up. It will be bigger when we get down to the bottom. It will open up" and boy did it open up. We got to Grand Central Station and the height from floor to ceiling was 30 ft! HUGE! And, I would bet the square footage of the area was bigger than our house...probably double the size, honestly!
I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may make a trip to Mammoth Cave. Let's just say I had a great time...and we got a stamp for our National Parks Passport! I'd like to go back and go on a different cave tour (they have quite a few). Below are some photos of the trip...
We had some hotel points that we could use so we took off after a class at church on Tuesday night and arrived at the hotel 2 hours later. We woke up and someone was ready to swim immediately! After breakfast, it was down to the pool for an hour. We checked out after drying off and then it was down to Mammoth Cave, an hour south of the hotel. We got to Mammoth Cave earlier than we expected so we walked around some, ate some lunch, and Kate worked on getting her junior ranger badge. We had pre-booked a cave tour - Domes and Dripstones. Below is the description from the website...
A wonderful complement to the Historic Tour, this trip includes a dramatic series of domes and pits, typical large trunk passageways, and a short journey through numerous dripstone formations.
Mammoth Cave doesn't allow backpacks on any of their tours, including child back carriers. I was a little irritated at this but since we only had a front carrier, I prayed we'd be able to take it. Thankfully we were. The website said there were close to 600 stairs and that it was "moderate" in difficulty. Obviously, the people who discussed the difficulty level were in relatively decent shape. That hike was TOUGH. Not only were there stairs but there were incline and declines. My knees and hips didn't hurt while in the cave, but the next day -- LOOK OUT! Lauren did great on the trip through the cave (which was 2 hours); she slept the entire way! Kate also enjoyed it as well and she did great up and down the steps. I, on the other hand, got a little freaked out at first. There is a REASON why they say no backpacks. I'm honestly surprised that they don't have a weight/body size requirement. I had some issues fitting through some of the passages with Lauren on the front of me -- it got TIGHT! Add that to the fact that you are going in to a cave (with no emergency exits) and my claustrophobia started kicking in. I kept telling myself "it will open up. It will be bigger when we get down to the bottom. It will open up" and boy did it open up. We got to Grand Central Station and the height from floor to ceiling was 30 ft! HUGE! And, I would bet the square footage of the area was bigger than our house...probably double the size, honestly!
I don't want to ruin it for anyone who may make a trip to Mammoth Cave. Let's just say I had a great time...and we got a stamp for our National Parks Passport! I'd like to go back and go on a different cave tour (they have quite a few). Below are some photos of the trip...
Monday, April 14, 2014
Say What?!?
Today marks two weeks until I'm going back to work. D-day is April 28. We've found care for Lauren as well as summer care for Kate. All is right where it should be for my return to work...
About 3-4 weeks ago, I started thinking about going back to work. Of course, I was sad about going back to work and leaving my baby with someone else for 8+ hours a day, however, I've done it before and I knew she would be fine. Then I started thinking about going back to work...like actually walking in to the building and sitting at my computer doing work. Immediately, my shoulders start to tense and my heart starts beating just a little bit faster. I can also feel my demeanor change. I get defensive, almost angry. It was at that point I knew something needed to change.
My secondary personality color is green -- passive, wanting to keep the peace and make people happy. Because of that, I kept the thoughts of not going back to work to myself until Saturday (yep, 4/12) around 1:30pm. I shared with Matt at that time that I didn't want to go back to work...and not that I don't want to go back to work, but that I didn't want to go back to Newport. I'm fine with sending Lauren and Kate to daycare, I just don't want to put myself back in that situation at work. I also shared that if I was going to give my notice, I'd have to give in on 4/14 so it would be a two weeks notice.
And as I'm sitting here typing this, I'm having a deja vu moment -- so strange! Anyway, back to it.
Matt took it all in like a good, supportive husband. He had some concerned, as do I. We chatted about it for a few minutes and that was that. We didn't talk about it at all on Sunday. Monday morning comes around and we have another small conversation about it -- my mental health, time tables, daycare, future jobs, etc. It was decided around 9:45 that I would give notice and I was out the door by 10am to give my notice.
I sent a text out before I left to a number ladies that I knew would be supportive and their response was AMAZING! I was in tears on my way to work...no worries though. I went in wearing sweat pants and no makeup so the tears didn't ruin anything!
I got to work and immediately went upstairs to talk to my boss. It went fine -- she said she expected it. Hmmm... I went down to my office to actually write up my resignation and told Felicia. She too said she expected it. Um, ok. I originally wasn't going to go back, however, after some discussion with my boss and her boss, we decided I would work until May 15 and that I would bring Lauren with me. I can set my schedule as it works for me -- if I want to work 40 hours in the office, I can. If I want to work 3 days in the office, 2 at home, I can. If I want to work one day in the office, 4 at home, I can. It's up to me (well, Lauren really).
I called Matt after leaving work and told him I already feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel lighter. Sure, there is a big financial loss. There's a lot of uncertainty. But, it will all work out in the end. As a matter of fact, one of the ladies I texted this morning is the mom of one of Kate's classmates. After I sent her the "update" text message, she told me she was having an issue finding childcare for her daughter for the summer. Sooo...there may be a small opportunity. The care would be T,W,TH from 8:30-4...$100. It's definitely something to think about.
About 3-4 weeks ago, I started thinking about going back to work. Of course, I was sad about going back to work and leaving my baby with someone else for 8+ hours a day, however, I've done it before and I knew she would be fine. Then I started thinking about going back to work...like actually walking in to the building and sitting at my computer doing work. Immediately, my shoulders start to tense and my heart starts beating just a little bit faster. I can also feel my demeanor change. I get defensive, almost angry. It was at that point I knew something needed to change.
My secondary personality color is green -- passive, wanting to keep the peace and make people happy. Because of that, I kept the thoughts of not going back to work to myself until Saturday (yep, 4/12) around 1:30pm. I shared with Matt at that time that I didn't want to go back to work...and not that I don't want to go back to work, but that I didn't want to go back to Newport. I'm fine with sending Lauren and Kate to daycare, I just don't want to put myself back in that situation at work. I also shared that if I was going to give my notice, I'd have to give in on 4/14 so it would be a two weeks notice.
And as I'm sitting here typing this, I'm having a deja vu moment -- so strange! Anyway, back to it.
Matt took it all in like a good, supportive husband. He had some concerned, as do I. We chatted about it for a few minutes and that was that. We didn't talk about it at all on Sunday. Monday morning comes around and we have another small conversation about it -- my mental health, time tables, daycare, future jobs, etc. It was decided around 9:45 that I would give notice and I was out the door by 10am to give my notice.
I sent a text out before I left to a number ladies that I knew would be supportive and their response was AMAZING! I was in tears on my way to work...no worries though. I went in wearing sweat pants and no makeup so the tears didn't ruin anything!
I got to work and immediately went upstairs to talk to my boss. It went fine -- she said she expected it. Hmmm... I went down to my office to actually write up my resignation and told Felicia. She too said she expected it. Um, ok. I originally wasn't going to go back, however, after some discussion with my boss and her boss, we decided I would work until May 15 and that I would bring Lauren with me. I can set my schedule as it works for me -- if I want to work 40 hours in the office, I can. If I want to work 3 days in the office, 2 at home, I can. If I want to work one day in the office, 4 at home, I can. It's up to me (well, Lauren really).
I called Matt after leaving work and told him I already feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I feel lighter. Sure, there is a big financial loss. There's a lot of uncertainty. But, it will all work out in the end. As a matter of fact, one of the ladies I texted this morning is the mom of one of Kate's classmates. After I sent her the "update" text message, she told me she was having an issue finding childcare for her daughter for the summer. Sooo...there may be a small opportunity. The care would be T,W,TH from 8:30-4...$100. It's definitely something to think about.
Friday, April 4, 2014
The Dreaded Car Seat
Kate was, for the most part, a very easy going baby. Lauren is too...for the most part. There are several exceptions, one being the car seat. She has to be in the right mood to be put in the car seat otherwise she screams and screams and screams and screams (ask my mom, she was on binkie duty when she was up from Florida). I forget where we were going over the weekend, but Lauren started fussing as Matt was putting her in her car seat. He then said "You better get used to this. We are always on the go." At the time, I chuckled but those words have continued to play over and over in my head. We are always on the go and I think that needs to stop.
I can remember when I was little being at home. Sure we would run errands on Saturday morning (to the bank, post office, laundry mat, grocery store, sometimes to the beauty salon -- La Petitie, which was conveniently right next to the laundry mat...and across the street was the bank). Other than that (and church), I remember being at home. Windows open, sun shining in, cool breeze making the curtains move. I can still tell you how my room was set up (and the pale pinky purple color on the walls). I remember getting the latest Babysitter's Club Super Special and reading it in one day! Or playing school or doctor's office in my room. Climbing trees and riding bikes was also big on my list. Unfortunately, it seems like Kate doesn't get to do that stuff because we are always on the go.
Over half of the days in April we have something going on that will take us away from home. Some are church activities (we are having 11 Easter services...yep, 11), some are family activities, some are obligations that Kate has. But still, 16 of 30 days, we have something going on that will take us away from home. Because of this, I'm implementing a new rule in our house (with some room for exceptions, every once in a blue moon). At least one weekend day will be set aside for just family, and by family, I mean our little family of 4. This time will be spent at home enjoying each other and hopefully enjoying the beautiful outdoors! Additionally, during the week activities should be kept to a minimum (no more than 2 per week).
I don't know. Maybe I have a slightly jaded view point. Growing up, we lived in such a small town that we could walk to the library. We could walk to the lakefront. We could walk to my grandparents house if we wanted. We didn't really have any family obligations because the only family we had in town were my grandparents. I don't really remember going to that many birthday parties. We only went to the mall once in a blue moon because it was in Orlando! I know, things were much simpler back then, but why can't we get that simplicity back? Why do we always have to be on the go? I want to be more aware of our schedule as we move in to the summer months so we don't have to deal with the dreaded car seat!
I can remember when I was little being at home. Sure we would run errands on Saturday morning (to the bank, post office, laundry mat, grocery store, sometimes to the beauty salon -- La Petitie, which was conveniently right next to the laundry mat...and across the street was the bank). Other than that (and church), I remember being at home. Windows open, sun shining in, cool breeze making the curtains move. I can still tell you how my room was set up (and the pale pinky purple color on the walls). I remember getting the latest Babysitter's Club Super Special and reading it in one day! Or playing school or doctor's office in my room. Climbing trees and riding bikes was also big on my list. Unfortunately, it seems like Kate doesn't get to do that stuff because we are always on the go.
Over half of the days in April we have something going on that will take us away from home. Some are church activities (we are having 11 Easter services...yep, 11), some are family activities, some are obligations that Kate has. But still, 16 of 30 days, we have something going on that will take us away from home. Because of this, I'm implementing a new rule in our house (with some room for exceptions, every once in a blue moon). At least one weekend day will be set aside for just family, and by family, I mean our little family of 4. This time will be spent at home enjoying each other and hopefully enjoying the beautiful outdoors! Additionally, during the week activities should be kept to a minimum (no more than 2 per week).
I don't know. Maybe I have a slightly jaded view point. Growing up, we lived in such a small town that we could walk to the library. We could walk to the lakefront. We could walk to my grandparents house if we wanted. We didn't really have any family obligations because the only family we had in town were my grandparents. I don't really remember going to that many birthday parties. We only went to the mall once in a blue moon because it was in Orlando! I know, things were much simpler back then, but why can't we get that simplicity back? Why do we always have to be on the go? I want to be more aware of our schedule as we move in to the summer months so we don't have to deal with the dreaded car seat!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
The "No Eat" List
There's no question -- Kate is a picky eater. She doesn't like to try new things and when she does, it takes her FOREVER to try it. We blame ourselves for this and the fact that we didn't try many things with her when she was a baby. I don't think she had any meat until she was 18 months or so (which may explain her love of fruit and some veggies...oh and pasta!). Because of her pickiness, dinner time can be a challenge (to put it mildly). I recently read or saw something about a "won't eat/no eat" list for kids.
The concept of this list is simple. The child gets to pick any 3 items and put it on this list. If one of the items is served for dinner, the child automatically gets a pass and isn't required to eat the item. If the child has something for dinner that they realize they don't like, they can add it to the list, however, something already on the list has to come off.
For example -- Kate's list is the following
1) Fish
2) Green Beans
3) Cheesy Potatoes
She wanted to add mushrooms but we don't eat mushrooms. She also wanted to add peanut butter and chocolate but we gave her a pass on those since she has tried both on MULTIPLE occasions and still doesn't like it (and really, if she isn't going to eat chocolate and peanut butter, can I be upset about that?).
If we have BBQ sandwiches one night for dinner and Kate decides she doesn't want to eat the sandwich, she can choose to put it on her list, however, she must take something off her list (and you best believe we will be having that the very next night). Something tells me that green beans will be coming off the list soon!
The list is already working. We were out to eat on Sunday afternoon and I asked Kate to try a piece of my pork (from Chipotle...come on, it's amazing!). She got whiny and didn't want to try it...ew, it's gross...but after reminding her it wasn't on her list, she tried it...and liked it! We also got her to try egg noodles with pork and sweet and sour sauce, which she enjoyed! While it's not brussel sprouts or asparagus (we're trying that this week), it's certainly a step in the right direction. Heck, it only took us 5 years to get her to eat a cheeseburger (and 4 years for her to try a hot dog)!
The concept of this list is simple. The child gets to pick any 3 items and put it on this list. If one of the items is served for dinner, the child automatically gets a pass and isn't required to eat the item. If the child has something for dinner that they realize they don't like, they can add it to the list, however, something already on the list has to come off.
For example -- Kate's list is the following
1) Fish
2) Green Beans
3) Cheesy Potatoes
She wanted to add mushrooms but we don't eat mushrooms. She also wanted to add peanut butter and chocolate but we gave her a pass on those since she has tried both on MULTIPLE occasions and still doesn't like it (and really, if she isn't going to eat chocolate and peanut butter, can I be upset about that?).
If we have BBQ sandwiches one night for dinner and Kate decides she doesn't want to eat the sandwich, she can choose to put it on her list, however, she must take something off her list (and you best believe we will be having that the very next night). Something tells me that green beans will be coming off the list soon!
The list is already working. We were out to eat on Sunday afternoon and I asked Kate to try a piece of my pork (from Chipotle...come on, it's amazing!). She got whiny and didn't want to try it...ew, it's gross...but after reminding her it wasn't on her list, she tried it...and liked it! We also got her to try egg noodles with pork and sweet and sour sauce, which she enjoyed! While it's not brussel sprouts or asparagus (we're trying that this week), it's certainly a step in the right direction. Heck, it only took us 5 years to get her to eat a cheeseburger (and 4 years for her to try a hot dog)!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Hungry Hungry Hippo...
When Kate was born (a week early), she was 8lb, 2.2oz. Lauren was 8lb, 10.8oz (almost a week late). Kate had some issues latching on to my breasts in the hospital. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many lactation consultants we saw while we were in the hospital. Like Lauren, Kate had a high billirubin level at discharge so we had a home nurse come the next day to recheck her level...the level was still elevated so we had to go to the doctor sooner than normal (normal is one week after birth). Kate wasn't gaining weight quick enough so we spent a few days in the lactation consultants office -- try this hold, try that hold, try taping a tube to your nipple that's attached to a syringe of formula (if the formula comes out of the syringe, she is latched properly), try eating oatmeal, drink more water, drink a beer, take fenugreek supplements, pump in between feedings... You name it, we tried it with Kate. I remember sitting up in the nursery with Matt in the middle of the night. He would tape the tube to my nipple and then go get the screaming Kate (because she was, well, hungry) and then he would hold the syringe (because it's hard to do that on your own). He'd sit up with me while I pumped and pumped and pumped for what seemed like an eternity to only get enough milk to BARELY cover the bottom of the little container we were trying to fill. I remember it taking me two entire days of pumping (every 2-3 hours) to get 2ozs of milk. FYI -- 2ozs is approximately 70mLs - divide that by 16 pumping sessions, yeah, it was rough. I continued to pump when I went back to work at 6 weeks. Whatever milk supply I had at that time, well, let's just say pumping at work isn't the most relaxing thing and my supply completely dried up within a few weeks.
I was so disappointed with myself and completely frustrated that my body didn't do what it was supposed to do. I was pregnant at the same time as many of my friends and they all talked about how easy breastfeeding was for them and how they would leak (and how embarrassing that was). All the doctors would say how important breast milk was and how it was best for baby -- no formula or pacifier, can't have any nipple confusion! To say I felt like a bad mom for not being able to feed my child the way nature intended me to was an understatement!
Then I stopped and took a step back. Kate had no problem taking a bottle when she started daycare at 6 weeks. Kate was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. Kate was healthy and by healthy, I mean other than a cold here and there (and RSV when she was almost a year), the only time we went to the doctor was for well checks. My breastfeeding friends seemed to have their kids at the doctor once a week for something!
With Lauren, people asked me very early on if I was going to breastfeed. I was honest -- I'll try, but I'm not going to stress myself out about it. If it works, great. If not, formula isn't going to kill my child. Lauren didn't have any issues latching in the hospital. In fact, one of the lactation consultants joked that she must have read the breastfeeding manual before being born (which is why she was late). She lost quite a bit of weight and had the high billirubin level so it was back to doing weight checks. When we were at the doctor's office for the weight check, Lauren dropped to 7lbs 4ozs...imagine my surprise when she was weighed AFTER I fed her and was at 7lbs, 7ozs! I knew I had more milk this time around, however, I didn't know how much since there isn't ounce indicators on my boobs! The doctor was still concerned so we came up with a plan -- feed on both sides for 15 minutes each, then supplement with 2ozs of formula (more if she wants it), and then pump...every 3 hours. Great -- here we go again.
We started that afternoon. I was actually surprised as to how much I was still able to pump after she had finished at 15 minutes (1.5ozs combined). There were times when she would drink the full 2ozs and other times where she wouldn't want anything, but we did that for the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday. Imagine my surprise when we went back to the hospital for a weight check late Friday afternoon (48 hours after we started the every 3 hour thing) and she was back up to birth weight! 8lbs, 11ozs! Woot Woot! Now, that was with a diaper on, but a diaper can't weigh that much, right? The lactation consultant didn't think it was necessary for me to keep my weight check appointment at the doctor for this week (3/5) so I called and cancelled. She also told me to stop supplementing unless she wanted it. I'm still pumping (but only when I feel there's still quite a bit in there). We've stopped feeding every 3 hours and are only feeding when Lauren wants to (which was every 2-3 hours yesterday...including overnight).
What's the difference? Honestly, I don't really know. The only thing I can come up with is that there isn't any pressure this time. Yes, I have friends who were pregnant with me, however, there isn't a "competitive" nature with those friends like the friends I had while pregnant with Kate (I only talk to two of those friends and it's only via Facebook). In fact, with these friends, we don't talking about breastfeeding much and if we do, it's always in the context of "do what you feel is best for YOUR baby." Call it second child syndrome; call it maturing; call it being secure in motherhood. Call it what you want. As long as my baby is growing and gaining, that's all that matters.
Right on cue -- Lauren's crying...it's been 3hours and 15 minutes since our last feeding!
I was so disappointed with myself and completely frustrated that my body didn't do what it was supposed to do. I was pregnant at the same time as many of my friends and they all talked about how easy breastfeeding was for them and how they would leak (and how embarrassing that was). All the doctors would say how important breast milk was and how it was best for baby -- no formula or pacifier, can't have any nipple confusion! To say I felt like a bad mom for not being able to feed my child the way nature intended me to was an understatement!
Then I stopped and took a step back. Kate had no problem taking a bottle when she started daycare at 6 weeks. Kate was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks. Kate was healthy and by healthy, I mean other than a cold here and there (and RSV when she was almost a year), the only time we went to the doctor was for well checks. My breastfeeding friends seemed to have their kids at the doctor once a week for something!
With Lauren, people asked me very early on if I was going to breastfeed. I was honest -- I'll try, but I'm not going to stress myself out about it. If it works, great. If not, formula isn't going to kill my child. Lauren didn't have any issues latching in the hospital. In fact, one of the lactation consultants joked that she must have read the breastfeeding manual before being born (which is why she was late). She lost quite a bit of weight and had the high billirubin level so it was back to doing weight checks. When we were at the doctor's office for the weight check, Lauren dropped to 7lbs 4ozs...imagine my surprise when she was weighed AFTER I fed her and was at 7lbs, 7ozs! I knew I had more milk this time around, however, I didn't know how much since there isn't ounce indicators on my boobs! The doctor was still concerned so we came up with a plan -- feed on both sides for 15 minutes each, then supplement with 2ozs of formula (more if she wants it), and then pump...every 3 hours. Great -- here we go again.
We started that afternoon. I was actually surprised as to how much I was still able to pump after she had finished at 15 minutes (1.5ozs combined). There were times when she would drink the full 2ozs and other times where she wouldn't want anything, but we did that for the rest of Wednesday and all of Thursday. Imagine my surprise when we went back to the hospital for a weight check late Friday afternoon (48 hours after we started the every 3 hour thing) and she was back up to birth weight! 8lbs, 11ozs! Woot Woot! Now, that was with a diaper on, but a diaper can't weigh that much, right? The lactation consultant didn't think it was necessary for me to keep my weight check appointment at the doctor for this week (3/5) so I called and cancelled. She also told me to stop supplementing unless she wanted it. I'm still pumping (but only when I feel there's still quite a bit in there). We've stopped feeding every 3 hours and are only feeding when Lauren wants to (which was every 2-3 hours yesterday...including overnight).
What's the difference? Honestly, I don't really know. The only thing I can come up with is that there isn't any pressure this time. Yes, I have friends who were pregnant with me, however, there isn't a "competitive" nature with those friends like the friends I had while pregnant with Kate (I only talk to two of those friends and it's only via Facebook). In fact, with these friends, we don't talking about breastfeeding much and if we do, it's always in the context of "do what you feel is best for YOUR baby." Call it second child syndrome; call it maturing; call it being secure in motherhood. Call it what you want. As long as my baby is growing and gaining, that's all that matters.
Right on cue -- Lauren's crying...it's been 3hours and 15 minutes since our last feeding!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Never say Never!
When Kate was born, I manually made a promise to myself in my head -- she would NEVER have a birthday party that wasn't thrown at home (or somewhere like home). Meaning -- she would never have a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese or the bowling alley or the pool. I thought it would easier and cheaper to do her parties myself (food, invites, decorations, etc). Well, that has changed, as life tends to do when you have two!
Because Lauren's due date was so close to Kate's birthday, I made the decision early on that I didn't want to be bothered with trying to clean my house for her party. We, unfortunately, don't have a community clubhouse to use and I didn't feel like trekking all the way up to Fairfield to have her party at the in laws house. We do have several community parks, but who wants to party outside in February? Maybe we should start celebrating half birthdays...hmmm....
Anyway, because I didn't want to be stressed with cleaning my house, that meant we would have to go someplace and the first place that came to mind -- Chuck E Cheese. I really didn't want to, but it seemed like the easiest solution. I have to admit, I was SOOOO nervous as to how much a party there would cost (the dollar signs kept flashing in my head), however, I was pleasantly surprised at how "reasonable" it was.
For 2 hours of table time (unlimited play -- stay as long as you want), pizza, drinks, and tokens for all the kids (we invited 15 - half her class), extra tokens, balloon, medal, and crown for Kate, it was less than $150. Add the cake (which they would have done...for the same price as the cake from Meijer...Kate just wanted a Barbie cake), invites, goodie bags (which they would have done for us...for an extra fee) and the party came in under $200! In the past, we've spent that much on just the "family" party for Kate, so this felt like a steal of a deal! And yes, when having the party at our house, we have to SPLIT the party and have a family party and a friends party due to space constraints.
Since Lauren decided to take extra time to get here, I was SUPER excited to have someone else clean up from the party, cook for the party, get drinks for everyone, etc. Our party hostess was AMAZING. We wanted to tip her, but we weren't allowed (and we probably would have tipped her around $50...she was that good!). Trying to clean my house with a 9 day old didn't sound like much fun! Add cooking party food (or throwing party food together) and you add a double whammy I just didn't want to deal with.
Below are some pics from the party -- as you can see, someone had a GREAT time!
Because Lauren's due date was so close to Kate's birthday, I made the decision early on that I didn't want to be bothered with trying to clean my house for her party. We, unfortunately, don't have a community clubhouse to use and I didn't feel like trekking all the way up to Fairfield to have her party at the in laws house. We do have several community parks, but who wants to party outside in February? Maybe we should start celebrating half birthdays...hmmm....
Anyway, because I didn't want to be stressed with cleaning my house, that meant we would have to go someplace and the first place that came to mind -- Chuck E Cheese. I really didn't want to, but it seemed like the easiest solution. I have to admit, I was SOOOO nervous as to how much a party there would cost (the dollar signs kept flashing in my head), however, I was pleasantly surprised at how "reasonable" it was.
For 2 hours of table time (unlimited play -- stay as long as you want), pizza, drinks, and tokens for all the kids (we invited 15 - half her class), extra tokens, balloon, medal, and crown for Kate, it was less than $150. Add the cake (which they would have done...for the same price as the cake from Meijer...Kate just wanted a Barbie cake), invites, goodie bags (which they would have done for us...for an extra fee) and the party came in under $200! In the past, we've spent that much on just the "family" party for Kate, so this felt like a steal of a deal! And yes, when having the party at our house, we have to SPLIT the party and have a family party and a friends party due to space constraints.
Since Lauren decided to take extra time to get here, I was SUPER excited to have someone else clean up from the party, cook for the party, get drinks for everyone, etc. Our party hostess was AMAZING. We wanted to tip her, but we weren't allowed (and we probably would have tipped her around $50...she was that good!). Trying to clean my house with a 9 day old didn't sound like much fun! Add cooking party food (or throwing party food together) and you add a double whammy I just didn't want to deal with.
Below are some pics from the party -- as you can see, someone had a GREAT time!
The table -- table cloth, plates, and cups were provided. We added to goodie bags.
Birthday cake -- it was PINK and turned everyone's teeth (and lips...and cheeks) PINK. Oops!
High fives from the main mouse!
Rockin' out!
Her medal for having a "rockin'" birthday!
Making her wish...
Rockin' out after making her wish
Birthday girl and Chuck E.
In the ticket blaster -- she would up with over 2500 tickets between the games and this little contraption.
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