I had really hoped to post last night with a weekend update, but Seth had other plans. He wanted me to be awake with him until 11:00 p.m. He hasn't been sleeping well at night for the last few nights and I can't figure out why. (Maybe it's the new schedule and daycare--he just needs time to adjust. Or maybe he's not feeling well. Or maybe it's because I had cereal with milk.) Just when you think you've got this parenting thing under control, you learn all over again that you know NOTHING! It's enough to make you crazy.
Our weekend was okay. I was sick on Sunday and William spent most of the weekend with Ed and Ed's family. I missed him! I'm feeling better now, and we're on day 4 of back-to-work. It's going pretty well--nothing major to report. I'll be posting tonight because today is Seth's 3 month birthday! Where does time go? So stay tuned for pictures and more talk!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Back to the Grind
Today went really well, and once I got to my office, it seemed like I had never left. I was busy all day, which helped make the day go quickly. Seth did well, too, and took some pretty long naps. But I think that's because he's picked up yet another cold. His nose was runny when we got home and he felt a bit warm. Isn't that just great. His third cold in 12 weeks. I feel like a horrible mother.
If he spikes a temperature, Ed will stay home with him tomorrow. I'm sure my boss would be thrilled if I took a sick day my second day back to the office. I guess we'll just have to see how tonight goes. Last night Seth slept pretty well. He only woke up once, around 2:15 a.m. And William slept all night, so there is hope!
Hopefully Seth will be fine, and tomorrow will go much like today. I have everything ready for the morning--bottles, the pump, lunch, sippy cups, outfits. I need to take something out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow night. Otherwise, I guess I'm all set.
I think overall, my return to work was really anticlimactic. We've been doing the same morning routine since Seth was born since I've been taking William to daycare--although I need to get up a little bit earlier to get out the door a little bit earlier, but we're only talking 15-30 minutes. So that was no big deal this morning. And since I know the daycare center and Seth's teachers, I felt no apprehension about how Seth would be cared for. And since everyone slept well last night, that was just icing on the cake. And of course, knowing what to expect, having done it all before with William, makes everything so much easier. It just sucks that Seth is sick again. I know that conventional wisdom says that him getting sick now will help him build his immunity for later, but look at William--he's still getting sick all the time. And why am I the exception to the claim that breast-fed babies have stronger immunity than formula fed babies? *Sigh* At least this is a short week, and hopefully we can rest up and take it easy this weekend.
If he spikes a temperature, Ed will stay home with him tomorrow. I'm sure my boss would be thrilled if I took a sick day my second day back to the office. I guess we'll just have to see how tonight goes. Last night Seth slept pretty well. He only woke up once, around 2:15 a.m. And William slept all night, so there is hope!
Hopefully Seth will be fine, and tomorrow will go much like today. I have everything ready for the morning--bottles, the pump, lunch, sippy cups, outfits. I need to take something out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow night. Otherwise, I guess I'm all set.
I think overall, my return to work was really anticlimactic. We've been doing the same morning routine since Seth was born since I've been taking William to daycare--although I need to get up a little bit earlier to get out the door a little bit earlier, but we're only talking 15-30 minutes. So that was no big deal this morning. And since I know the daycare center and Seth's teachers, I felt no apprehension about how Seth would be cared for. And since everyone slept well last night, that was just icing on the cake. And of course, knowing what to expect, having done it all before with William, makes everything so much easier. It just sucks that Seth is sick again. I know that conventional wisdom says that him getting sick now will help him build his immunity for later, but look at William--he's still getting sick all the time. And why am I the exception to the claim that breast-fed babies have stronger immunity than formula fed babies? *Sigh* At least this is a short week, and hopefully we can rest up and take it easy this weekend.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Last Day of Maternity Leave
Today was my last day of maternity leave. Seth has been transitioning to daycare this week, and tomorrow will be his first full day. He's done really well--no different, really, than he was at home. He's taking the bottle pretty well, taking lots of catnaps, and even smiling and cooing and showing off for the teachers. I feel really good about the teachers, and they know me really well, so I'm not feeling any of the anxiety that I remember feeling the night before I went back to work with William. But still, even when you love your job and you know you're doing the right thing for your family, it just sucks to give up your days with your baby so soon.
To make myself feel better, I went shopping today and bought some new clothes. I needed a few pairs of pants and tops since my body isn't quite back to it's pre-pregnancy state. I've lost almost all the weight I gained, but everything is distributed a bit differently now. I'm happy with what I bought, and hopefully these clothes will get me through the fall and maybe even the winter.
Now it's past 9:00 p.m., both boys are asleep, the kitchen is clean, the bottles are made, my lunch is made, William's sippy cups for the morning and the car ride are ready, the pump will be ready after I pump one last time tonight, the kids outfits for tomorrow are ready, my outfit for tomorrow is ready. What the heck am I forgetting? Oh well, I'm too tired to remember anything else. Wish us luck tomorrow!
To make myself feel better, I went shopping today and bought some new clothes. I needed a few pairs of pants and tops since my body isn't quite back to it's pre-pregnancy state. I've lost almost all the weight I gained, but everything is distributed a bit differently now. I'm happy with what I bought, and hopefully these clothes will get me through the fall and maybe even the winter.
Now it's past 9:00 p.m., both boys are asleep, the kitchen is clean, the bottles are made, my lunch is made, William's sippy cups for the morning and the car ride are ready, the pump will be ready after I pump one last time tonight, the kids outfits for tomorrow are ready, my outfit for tomorrow is ready. What the heck am I forgetting? Oh well, I'm too tired to remember anything else. Wish us luck tomorrow!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Adjusting to Two
Laura at Laura's Mommy Journal wanted to know a while back about what it's like to go from one child to two. Laura has twin boys, so she's only ever known two. I think I can assure her that transitioning from one to two is infinitely easier than adjusting to two at once!
When William was born, of course he was the center of our universe. And then when Seth was born, well--let's just say that William is still the center of the universe. Only this time, it's his universe! Seriously, though, the adjustment has been in learning how to take care of Seth while also letting William do the things he wants to do and keeping him out of trouble. William loves to play outside, so Seth has spent lots of time in the sling, or just slung under my arm as I tag along after William. William also loves to play at the sink, but this requires me to stand right beside him to make sure he doesn't make a huge mess with the water. So Seth either hangs out in his bouncy seat, or again, slung under my arm while William plays at the sink.
This reminds me of a funny story. Seth needed a diaper change once while William was playing at the sink. William had been doing so well with the sprayer, keeping it in the sink and not letting water get outside the sink. So in my complacency, I thought it would be fine if I just dashed into the next room and quickly changed Seth's diaper. I heard William laughing and saying "Wow-wee!" as I changed Seth's diaper. And when I got back to the kitchen, he had sprayed water everywhere--it was on the counters and the floors and all over the greenhouse window over the sink. I was so mad, but it was my own fault. So I guess that's an example of how having two kids in the picture makes things a little more challenging.
Anyway, we've had to adjust in lots of other ways, too. William was so attached to me before Seth, but that has definitely changed. Ed does so much more with and for William now, and that has strengthened the bond between the two of them. So that has been a really positive adjustment! It's also a lot different when we're out somewhere. It used to be that we could take turns "taking it easy" or eating or talking to people. But now, we have to do man-to-man coverage, so going out is a lot more challenging.
Overall, though, it hasn't been too difficult to make those adjustments. Going from none to one was a much bigger adjustment than one to two. (So I can't imagine what it's like going from none to two, Laura!) With the second child, you still basically do everything the same, because you don't want to change things too much for the first child, so the second child just gets dragged along for the ride.
The worst moments are definitely when both kids need you at the same time, or when they're pulling you in opposite directions. When you're trying to nurse and your older child is putting the cat food in the washing machine. Or when you're trying to read to your older child and the baby will not settle down and stop crying. But you learn to do a lot of things while simultaneously nursing your baby, and you learn that a baby never died from crying.
And then the best moments are when you hear your toddler say to your crying baby, "It's okay, Sef. Mommy's coming." Or when your toddler runs right past you when you get to daycare to pick him up and goes straight to the baby in the car seat and says, with so much excitement in his voice, "Hi Sef! Hi!" Or when the baby is crying but settles right down when we go into big brother's room to watch and listen to big brother playing with his trains.
We went out somewhere one day (I can't for the life of me remember where we were or what we were doing), and a woman stopped and said, "You have a lovely family." And it really hit me then that I have a family--not my parents or siblings or grandparents, but my family. And I know that when it was just Ed and me, we were a family. And of course William and Ed and I were a family. But with two kids, the feeling of family has just become much more poignant. So the transition to two has been relatively painless, and more joyful than I ever expected.
When William was born, of course he was the center of our universe. And then when Seth was born, well--let's just say that William is still the center of the universe. Only this time, it's his universe! Seriously, though, the adjustment has been in learning how to take care of Seth while also letting William do the things he wants to do and keeping him out of trouble. William loves to play outside, so Seth has spent lots of time in the sling, or just slung under my arm as I tag along after William. William also loves to play at the sink, but this requires me to stand right beside him to make sure he doesn't make a huge mess with the water. So Seth either hangs out in his bouncy seat, or again, slung under my arm while William plays at the sink.
This reminds me of a funny story. Seth needed a diaper change once while William was playing at the sink. William had been doing so well with the sprayer, keeping it in the sink and not letting water get outside the sink. So in my complacency, I thought it would be fine if I just dashed into the next room and quickly changed Seth's diaper. I heard William laughing and saying "Wow-wee!" as I changed Seth's diaper. And when I got back to the kitchen, he had sprayed water everywhere--it was on the counters and the floors and all over the greenhouse window over the sink. I was so mad, but it was my own fault. So I guess that's an example of how having two kids in the picture makes things a little more challenging.
Anyway, we've had to adjust in lots of other ways, too. William was so attached to me before Seth, but that has definitely changed. Ed does so much more with and for William now, and that has strengthened the bond between the two of them. So that has been a really positive adjustment! It's also a lot different when we're out somewhere. It used to be that we could take turns "taking it easy" or eating or talking to people. But now, we have to do man-to-man coverage, so going out is a lot more challenging.
Overall, though, it hasn't been too difficult to make those adjustments. Going from none to one was a much bigger adjustment than one to two. (So I can't imagine what it's like going from none to two, Laura!) With the second child, you still basically do everything the same, because you don't want to change things too much for the first child, so the second child just gets dragged along for the ride.
The worst moments are definitely when both kids need you at the same time, or when they're pulling you in opposite directions. When you're trying to nurse and your older child is putting the cat food in the washing machine. Or when you're trying to read to your older child and the baby will not settle down and stop crying. But you learn to do a lot of things while simultaneously nursing your baby, and you learn that a baby never died from crying.
And then the best moments are when you hear your toddler say to your crying baby, "It's okay, Sef. Mommy's coming." Or when your toddler runs right past you when you get to daycare to pick him up and goes straight to the baby in the car seat and says, with so much excitement in his voice, "Hi Sef! Hi!" Or when the baby is crying but settles right down when we go into big brother's room to watch and listen to big brother playing with his trains.
We went out somewhere one day (I can't for the life of me remember where we were or what we were doing), and a woman stopped and said, "You have a lovely family." And it really hit me then that I have a family--not my parents or siblings or grandparents, but my family. And I know that when it was just Ed and me, we were a family. And of course William and Ed and I were a family. But with two kids, the feeling of family has just become much more poignant. So the transition to two has been relatively painless, and more joyful than I ever expected.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Seth's BFF
Seth has discovered his hands and likes to slurp on them. He's also reaching out to touch things--mostly his new BFF, the Toucan on his rain forest bouncy seat. He luuuuuuves the bird and smiles at him, tugs on him, bangs him, and laughs out loud at him. He'll check out the monkey from time to time, and he likes the lizard that moves up and down. But the bird is IT! Here's a short video. Turn the volume down so you don't here my annoying voice. Every time I replay my videos, I always think, "next time, I won't say anything so you can't hear my voice." And yet, I can't seem to shut up. Anyway, enjoy!Wednesday, July 09, 2008
The Simple Pleasures of Summer
William stayed home on Monday, and after his nap, he wanted to play outside. After playing with his diggers in the sandbox and mowing the lawn with his bubble mower, he decided he wanted to cool off with the hose. How could I say no? He joyfully played with the hose for almost an hour. I was able to take a ton of pictures and I played with all the camera settings. Most of them turned out pretty well for once. I still have the issue of the camera focusing on the background or foreground instead of on William sometimes. But overall, I was happy.
As far as our summer colds go, we are all recovering. William so far hasn't gotten any worse--just a goopy nose. Seth developed a cough, but it didn't turn into Croup, thank goodness! His nose is still goopy, and he's been pretty tough these last couple of days. He alternates between adorable, smiley, and content, and crying, crying, and crying. I'd assume it's because of the cold, but it seems like it's more gastrointestinal discomfort. And I started eating dairy again over the weekend, so now I don't know what to think. It seems to be getting harder to get him to fall asleep, and he cries the hardest usually when it's time to sleep. So maybe he's just getting ornery. Here's a picture of THE HOLD--the only way I can get him to fall asleep now. (Excuse the poor picture quality!)
Of course, he had to prove me wrong this morning. He dozed off in my arms after nursing so I burped him and then went ahead and swaddled him and put him in his bassinet. He was awake and looking around and then he drifted off to sleep. I think it's definitely a timing issue, but damn if I can figure it out! LOL.
As far as our summer colds go, we are all recovering. William so far hasn't gotten any worse--just a goopy nose. Seth developed a cough, but it didn't turn into Croup, thank goodness! His nose is still goopy, and he's been pretty tough these last couple of days. He alternates between adorable, smiley, and content, and crying, crying, and crying. I'd assume it's because of the cold, but it seems like it's more gastrointestinal discomfort. And I started eating dairy again over the weekend, so now I don't know what to think. It seems to be getting harder to get him to fall asleep, and he cries the hardest usually when it's time to sleep. So maybe he's just getting ornery. Here's a picture of THE HOLD--the only way I can get him to fall asleep now. (Excuse the poor picture quality!)
Of course, he had to prove me wrong this morning. He dozed off in my arms after nursing so I burped him and then went ahead and swaddled him and put him in his bassinet. He was awake and looking around and then he drifted off to sleep. I think it's definitely a timing issue, but damn if I can figure it out! LOL.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Hahn Household--Sick Again
This time it's Seth, William, and me. William's nose started running on Friday, my throat started feeling sore on Saturday, and Seth's nose got runny on Saturday night. So far, it seems to have hit me the worst. I've had a fever off and on today, and a bit of a cough. I just hope it stays that way. I'm scared that Seth will get Croup, but no use crying over milk that hasn't spilled yet, right? I can't believe Seth has gotten 2 colds already, and he isn't even 11 weeks old.
Ed took William out to breakfast this morning and then to Chuck E. Cheese to give me some rest. And Seth has been a real trooper. He's sleeping quite a bit, and when he's up, he's happy and cheerful. William's cold doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, other than the annoyance of having his nose wiped all the time. I'll probably keep him home tomorrow, but we'll see how tonight goes. I gave William a dose of Motrin just in case.
Nothing sucks worse than being sick and having to take care of sick kids. Well, maybe a lot of things suck worse, but right here, right now, this is really not fun.
Ed took William out to breakfast this morning and then to Chuck E. Cheese to give me some rest. And Seth has been a real trooper. He's sleeping quite a bit, and when he's up, he's happy and cheerful. William's cold doesn't seem to be bothering him too much, other than the annoyance of having his nose wiped all the time. I'll probably keep him home tomorrow, but we'll see how tonight goes. I gave William a dose of Motrin just in case.
Nothing sucks worse than being sick and having to take care of sick kids. Well, maybe a lot of things suck worse, but right here, right now, this is really not fun.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Happy July Fourth! Now the Countdown Begins.
Happy 4th of July! We had a good day, spent with Ed's family, eating crabs and drinking beer. (Well, I drank non-alcoholic beer, but it tasted pretty damn good!) Ed's father has a little canon that he shoots off every year, so William really enjoyed that. Seth had a good day, too, smiling and cooing for his great-grandparents, and letting his grandmother lull him to sleep in her arms. Today reminded me that I am blessed with really great in-laws.
Now the countdown begins to the end of my maternity leave. I have one full week left, and then I'll start easing Seth into daycare starting July 14. My first full day of work is July 17. Seth will be 12 weeks old then. How did 12 weeks fly by so quickly? My maternity leave has been so busy, and yet, I have accomplished very little. But I accomplished the most important thing, which was spending time bonding with Seth. It makes me sad to think about not getting to spend my days with him. He is growing and changing and learning new things so quickly.
On the positive side, though, I love the teachers in the daycare's infant room (he's going to the same daycare as William), and I know he'll be loved and well taken care of. He's very social and outgoing, so I think he'll adapt very well. It will probably be a relief to him not to have to endure the longer car rides, too! (And I'll be saving a ton of money in gas, not to mention the environment! On the days that I take William to daycare, we travel 80 miles, and Seth is in the car for about 3 hours--1 and 1/2 each round trip.) And since we've been doing the basic morning routine since we brought Seth home, that part of the equation really shouldn't be any trouble. Actually, the mornings have been much easier than I thought they would be. The only difference will be that I'll need to wear work clothes, instead of shorts and t-shirts. I guess getting the bottles and gear together for Seth will take a little time, too, but if I'm organized, I'll have that stuff ready the night before.
Anyway, what worries me most is the going-back-to-work part. I'm not sure I'm ready to get back into productive work mode--to get organized and focus and re-dedicate myself to my job. I don't want to go back and have my head only halfway in. But I don't feel motivated to be the kind of employee I want to be. I can only hope that once I get there, my motivation will come back. Of course, getting more sleep would help that. And in a way, I haven't felt very focused since William was born, anyway. But that makes me feel guilty. I want to be better at what I do. I want to give 110% at work. But at this point, I don't feel capable of that yet. Maybe that's just a cop out. If I want to do better, I should do better. Period. There--pep talk over!
When William was about 6-8 weeks old, I felt like I really needed to get back to work. Like I needed to turn his care over to people who knew what they were doing. I thought that I could never be a stay-at-home mom. But then by week 12, I wanted more time home with him. I was just starting to hit a little groove, and I was much more confident that I could handle staying at home. And I've had the same feelings with Seth. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd fall apart if I had to stay home with both kids. But now, I'm confident that I'd do a pretty good job staying home! I have no doubts that it would be really hard--probably harder than working outside the home full time. And I do like my job a lot and I get a lot of personal satisfaction from my work. My job and my boss are family-friendly, I leave my work at work, I get lots of time off and my hours are more conducive to raising kids than most. But I really just want more time with my babies. So I really hope to make the most of next week. If I'm not blogging much, it's because I'm soaking up as much Seth and William as I can!
Now the countdown begins to the end of my maternity leave. I have one full week left, and then I'll start easing Seth into daycare starting July 14. My first full day of work is July 17. Seth will be 12 weeks old then. How did 12 weeks fly by so quickly? My maternity leave has been so busy, and yet, I have accomplished very little. But I accomplished the most important thing, which was spending time bonding with Seth. It makes me sad to think about not getting to spend my days with him. He is growing and changing and learning new things so quickly.
On the positive side, though, I love the teachers in the daycare's infant room (he's going to the same daycare as William), and I know he'll be loved and well taken care of. He's very social and outgoing, so I think he'll adapt very well. It will probably be a relief to him not to have to endure the longer car rides, too! (And I'll be saving a ton of money in gas, not to mention the environment! On the days that I take William to daycare, we travel 80 miles, and Seth is in the car for about 3 hours--1 and 1/2 each round trip.) And since we've been doing the basic morning routine since we brought Seth home, that part of the equation really shouldn't be any trouble. Actually, the mornings have been much easier than I thought they would be. The only difference will be that I'll need to wear work clothes, instead of shorts and t-shirts. I guess getting the bottles and gear together for Seth will take a little time, too, but if I'm organized, I'll have that stuff ready the night before.
Anyway, what worries me most is the going-back-to-work part. I'm not sure I'm ready to get back into productive work mode--to get organized and focus and re-dedicate myself to my job. I don't want to go back and have my head only halfway in. But I don't feel motivated to be the kind of employee I want to be. I can only hope that once I get there, my motivation will come back. Of course, getting more sleep would help that. And in a way, I haven't felt very focused since William was born, anyway. But that makes me feel guilty. I want to be better at what I do. I want to give 110% at work. But at this point, I don't feel capable of that yet. Maybe that's just a cop out. If I want to do better, I should do better. Period. There--pep talk over!
When William was about 6-8 weeks old, I felt like I really needed to get back to work. Like I needed to turn his care over to people who knew what they were doing. I thought that I could never be a stay-at-home mom. But then by week 12, I wanted more time home with him. I was just starting to hit a little groove, and I was much more confident that I could handle staying at home. And I've had the same feelings with Seth. A few weeks ago, I thought I'd fall apart if I had to stay home with both kids. But now, I'm confident that I'd do a pretty good job staying home! I have no doubts that it would be really hard--probably harder than working outside the home full time. And I do like my job a lot and I get a lot of personal satisfaction from my work. My job and my boss are family-friendly, I leave my work at work, I get lots of time off and my hours are more conducive to raising kids than most. But I really just want more time with my babies. So I really hope to make the most of next week. If I'm not blogging much, it's because I'm soaking up as much Seth and William as I can!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
So Much to Blog About . . . So Little Time
Every day I think of something new that I want to blog about, and then every evening, I'm too pooped to type. So here are some topics that I've been thinking of:
Best Friends
One of my very closest friends came to visit us last week with her four-year-old son Jack. They arrived on Monday and left on Thursday and it was a wonderful visit. William LOVES my friend (I'll call her by her initials, ME, in case she doesn't want herself advertised on my blog!)--I have never seen him be so affectionate with another adult before! One day she was holding him and he didn't even want to come to me! That's pretty crazy. She is pregnant and due in November and I'm very excited for them. I think Jack will be a great big brother. He was very sweet with Seth. On Wednesday we went to a great local water park. There was a big pool with big slides and fountains, and then a baby pool with slides, and fountains that bubbled up from the bottom of the pool, and there was a sand area with a great water table. William and Jack had a blast. Seth slept in the stroller a bit, and I held him for a while, and he also hung out in the stroller and watched the pool. I think he had a good time, too. ME was such a huge help while she was here, which made me feel bad because they were supposed to be my guests! She also helped me see a major parenting infraction that I've been committing--asking William to do things instead of telling him to do things. This is another topic I want to blog about! Anyway, we loved having ME and Jack visit, and I'm hoping we'll be able to visit her in January to meet her baby and see her new house and spend time together.
Allergies
William went to the allergist this morning and had the skin-prick test for 16 different allergens. He got an immediate reaction to peanuts (so much for outgrowing that one!), and also to dust. I have been a terrible housekeeper since having kids and our house is covered in dust! Dust is something that Ed really doesn't see, so he's not much help, either. I'm supposed to get an iPhone for my birthday, and the monthly service fee is going to be a lot more than I currently pay. But now I'm thinking of bagging the phone and hiring a housekeeper instead. Ed said, "Or, you could just dust." Hmmmm--no. Anyway, William did not enjoy the skin test AT ALL, but it was over very quickly and we got to go to Target afterward, so all was well after that. Seth was perfect for the visit. He hung out in his car seat and cooed and smiled at me while we waited for the doctor. He got a bit antsy so I held him and he fell asleep and then slept in his car seat the whole time the doctor talked to me and William got his test. He was even good while we were in Target, sleeping while William played in the digger aisle!
Sleeping
William is having a bit of a sleep regression where he wants Ed or me to lie down with him and he cries and cries when we don't. He's waking once and sometimes twice a night. He settles down if I leave his door open, so that's what I've been doing. I don't think he's getting enough sleep, as he's still waking up at the crack of dawn, which is around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., and he's not falling asleep until 00 p.m. or later, even if I try to put him down earlier. Seth, on the other hand, is doing pretty well. He's done several 6 or 7-hour stretches. More typical is 4 or 5 hours, but he'll go back to sleep after eating. Then he'll usually wake up after 2 hours. He has good days and bad days as far as napping goes. Today was a good day, and he actually napped in his swing quite a bit. On his bad days, he cat naps and he often wakes up if I try to put him down anywhere. I'm still not eating dairy, but I'm doubting if it's making a difference.
Eating
William is eating very little these days. He'd prefer a liquid diet of apple juice and chocolate milk. At breakfast, I can get him to eat a little bit of fruit. And at lunch, again, fruit. And at dinner, again, fruit. It's so hard to know if he's just not hungry (maybe because I'm giving him too much to drink), or if he doesn't like the choices I'm offering. He rarely requests anything specific, and what he seems to scarf down one night, he won't touch the next. Tonight he wouldn't touch his chicken nuggets and he started to eat a piece of broccoli, but then spit it out. So he ate NOTHING for dinner. And I didn't give him any chocolate milk or apple juice (which he did request). He drank some water before bed and that was it. We'll see what happens in the morning.
My Birthday
I turned 36 years old yesterday. Ack! I've been noticing wrinkles around my lips and eyes more and more these days. I need to spend a little time in the serious-moisturizer aisle! Anyway, I had a good day yesterday, and even got to linger in bed until 7:00 a.m.! I think that was the best treat of all. And I'm supposed to get an iPhone when the new one comes out on July 11. Woo-hoo! (If I decide to clean my house myself!)
Now it's late and I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Maybe this will be a great sleep night for both boys! A girl can dream, right?
Best Friends
One of my very closest friends came to visit us last week with her four-year-old son Jack. They arrived on Monday and left on Thursday and it was a wonderful visit. William LOVES my friend (I'll call her by her initials, ME, in case she doesn't want herself advertised on my blog!)--I have never seen him be so affectionate with another adult before! One day she was holding him and he didn't even want to come to me! That's pretty crazy. She is pregnant and due in November and I'm very excited for them. I think Jack will be a great big brother. He was very sweet with Seth. On Wednesday we went to a great local water park. There was a big pool with big slides and fountains, and then a baby pool with slides, and fountains that bubbled up from the bottom of the pool, and there was a sand area with a great water table. William and Jack had a blast. Seth slept in the stroller a bit, and I held him for a while, and he also hung out in the stroller and watched the pool. I think he had a good time, too. ME was such a huge help while she was here, which made me feel bad because they were supposed to be my guests! She also helped me see a major parenting infraction that I've been committing--asking William to do things instead of telling him to do things. This is another topic I want to blog about! Anyway, we loved having ME and Jack visit, and I'm hoping we'll be able to visit her in January to meet her baby and see her new house and spend time together.
Allergies
William went to the allergist this morning and had the skin-prick test for 16 different allergens. He got an immediate reaction to peanuts (so much for outgrowing that one!), and also to dust. I have been a terrible housekeeper since having kids and our house is covered in dust! Dust is something that Ed really doesn't see, so he's not much help, either. I'm supposed to get an iPhone for my birthday, and the monthly service fee is going to be a lot more than I currently pay. But now I'm thinking of bagging the phone and hiring a housekeeper instead. Ed said, "Or, you could just dust." Hmmmm--no. Anyway, William did not enjoy the skin test AT ALL, but it was over very quickly and we got to go to Target afterward, so all was well after that. Seth was perfect for the visit. He hung out in his car seat and cooed and smiled at me while we waited for the doctor. He got a bit antsy so I held him and he fell asleep and then slept in his car seat the whole time the doctor talked to me and William got his test. He was even good while we were in Target, sleeping while William played in the digger aisle!
Sleeping
William is having a bit of a sleep regression where he wants Ed or me to lie down with him and he cries and cries when we don't. He's waking once and sometimes twice a night. He settles down if I leave his door open, so that's what I've been doing. I don't think he's getting enough sleep, as he's still waking up at the crack of dawn, which is around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., and he's not falling asleep until 00 p.m. or later, even if I try to put him down earlier. Seth, on the other hand, is doing pretty well. He's done several 6 or 7-hour stretches. More typical is 4 or 5 hours, but he'll go back to sleep after eating. Then he'll usually wake up after 2 hours. He has good days and bad days as far as napping goes. Today was a good day, and he actually napped in his swing quite a bit. On his bad days, he cat naps and he often wakes up if I try to put him down anywhere. I'm still not eating dairy, but I'm doubting if it's making a difference.
Eating
William is eating very little these days. He'd prefer a liquid diet of apple juice and chocolate milk. At breakfast, I can get him to eat a little bit of fruit. And at lunch, again, fruit. And at dinner, again, fruit. It's so hard to know if he's just not hungry (maybe because I'm giving him too much to drink), or if he doesn't like the choices I'm offering. He rarely requests anything specific, and what he seems to scarf down one night, he won't touch the next. Tonight he wouldn't touch his chicken nuggets and he started to eat a piece of broccoli, but then spit it out. So he ate NOTHING for dinner. And I didn't give him any chocolate milk or apple juice (which he did request). He drank some water before bed and that was it. We'll see what happens in the morning.
My Birthday
I turned 36 years old yesterday. Ack! I've been noticing wrinkles around my lips and eyes more and more these days. I need to spend a little time in the serious-moisturizer aisle! Anyway, I had a good day yesterday, and even got to linger in bed until 7:00 a.m.! I think that was the best treat of all. And I'm supposed to get an iPhone when the new one comes out on July 11. Woo-hoo! (If I decide to clean my house myself!)
Now it's late and I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Maybe this will be a great sleep night for both boys! A girl can dream, right?
Friday, June 27, 2008
Pain at the Pump
And I'm not talking about gas. See this picture?
That's 36 ounces of breast milk--LIQUID GOLD--that I had to throw away after our power went out for two days. How painful is that? It may not seem like all that much, but I did not have a great milk supply with William and ended up supplementing his diet with one formula bottle a day. I never had a "stash" of breast milk for William. I hardly ever found time to pump when I was on maternity after William was born, either. So the fact that I have been pumping at least once almost every day since Seth was born, and getting anywhere from 1.5 to 4 ounces per session (I always pump right after Seth has eaten), has been very encouraging and even exciting! And the fact that I had to throw it all away just sucks.
But on the bright side, since I'm not eating dairy now, and Seth seems to be better now, all of that milk contained dairy proteins, so it's just as well, I guess. And I'm still pumping away and I'm building my stash back up again. So there's still hope! I can't say enough how relieved I am that nursing and pumping have been so easy this time around.
That's 36 ounces of breast milk--LIQUID GOLD--that I had to throw away after our power went out for two days. How painful is that? It may not seem like all that much, but I did not have a great milk supply with William and ended up supplementing his diet with one formula bottle a day. I never had a "stash" of breast milk for William. I hardly ever found time to pump when I was on maternity after William was born, either. So the fact that I have been pumping at least once almost every day since Seth was born, and getting anywhere from 1.5 to 4 ounces per session (I always pump right after Seth has eaten), has been very encouraging and even exciting! And the fact that I had to throw it all away just sucks.But on the bright side, since I'm not eating dairy now, and Seth seems to be better now, all of that milk contained dairy proteins, so it's just as well, I guess. And I'm still pumping away and I'm building my stash back up again. So there's still hope! I can't say enough how relieved I am that nursing and pumping have been so easy this time around.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Seth is Two Months Old!
I can't believe it has already been two months since Seth was born. He's not a newborn anymore! He's smiling and cooing and expresses his disdain for the car seat louder than ever. He's sleeping a bit more these days, and by himself! Thank goodness. On Friday night, he slept in his bassinet from 8:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. That's seven hours! I'm hopeful that he'll start doing that more often. He loves the rain forest bouncy seat (a loaner from Stacey--thanks Stacey!) and has recently started focusing on the bird. He's even reached his arm towards it. I think he has eczema, he definitely has cradle cap and baby acne, but he's just adorable, in spite of it all. It also looks like he's going to have blue eyes! (Ed, William, and I all have brown eyes.)
I've stopped eating dairy (been dairy free for one full week now), and I think it's made a difference in his disposition. He's still gassy, but it doesn't seem to make him uncomfortable or cause him pain like it had been. And he's definitely sleeping better. I also think his skin looks better, but that could be because I've been rubbing lotion on him more often. I'll continue for two more weeks on absolutely no dairy, and then try things slowly to see if it makes a difference.
William, meanwhile, has come a long way in the last two months. I'm sure a lot of the changes would have happened anyway, even if Seth hadn't arrived, but I'm so proud of what a sweet and caring boy he has become. Although it's probably just a phrase, he always asks Ed and me, "Are you alright?" (It comes out sounding like, "Er you awight, Mommy?) And he's so earnest when he asks, looking into our eyes with this concerned look on his face. He'll say it to Seth, too, when Seth cries. Sometimes he tells Seth that he's okay. "Yur okay Sef!" This undoubtedly comes from me always telling William he's okay whenever he cries. One of the many qualities I want my children to have is empathy, and it's a hard one to teach. So I'm happy that William seems to have it. But like I said, this could be a phase!
As for our weekend, it was both productive and low-key. We didn't go anywhere any more exciting than Target and the grocery store. Ed's parents came over on Saturday to watch Seth and William so I could mow the lawn. (Ed was there but can't lift anything.) Today William watched a million videos because we were trying to get him to stay off his leg. On Saturday morning, he stumbled coming down a ladder and landed on his knee. He didn't cry or complain of any pain, but he started limping and he's been limping ever since. It's not swollen, he can bend it, he doesn't say that it hurts and doesn't flinch when you probe his foot or ankle or knee or leg. So I don't know what gives. But I'll have the doctor look at it tomorrow when we take Seth for his 2-month appointment.
Here are recent photos. First, today's photo shoot in the chair went about as well as last months!
Clearly didn't like this position:
Big brother didn't help AT ALL:
And changing positions is only going to make things worse!
Thank goodness I got these shots earlier in the day!
I've stopped eating dairy (been dairy free for one full week now), and I think it's made a difference in his disposition. He's still gassy, but it doesn't seem to make him uncomfortable or cause him pain like it had been. And he's definitely sleeping better. I also think his skin looks better, but that could be because I've been rubbing lotion on him more often. I'll continue for two more weeks on absolutely no dairy, and then try things slowly to see if it makes a difference.
William, meanwhile, has come a long way in the last two months. I'm sure a lot of the changes would have happened anyway, even if Seth hadn't arrived, but I'm so proud of what a sweet and caring boy he has become. Although it's probably just a phrase, he always asks Ed and me, "Are you alright?" (It comes out sounding like, "Er you awight, Mommy?) And he's so earnest when he asks, looking into our eyes with this concerned look on his face. He'll say it to Seth, too, when Seth cries. Sometimes he tells Seth that he's okay. "Yur okay Sef!" This undoubtedly comes from me always telling William he's okay whenever he cries. One of the many qualities I want my children to have is empathy, and it's a hard one to teach. So I'm happy that William seems to have it. But like I said, this could be a phase!
As for our weekend, it was both productive and low-key. We didn't go anywhere any more exciting than Target and the grocery store. Ed's parents came over on Saturday to watch Seth and William so I could mow the lawn. (Ed was there but can't lift anything.) Today William watched a million videos because we were trying to get him to stay off his leg. On Saturday morning, he stumbled coming down a ladder and landed on his knee. He didn't cry or complain of any pain, but he started limping and he's been limping ever since. It's not swollen, he can bend it, he doesn't say that it hurts and doesn't flinch when you probe his foot or ankle or knee or leg. So I don't know what gives. But I'll have the doctor look at it tomorrow when we take Seth for his 2-month appointment.
Here are recent photos. First, today's photo shoot in the chair went about as well as last months!
Clearly didn't like this position:
Big brother didn't help AT ALL:
And changing positions is only going to make things worse!
Thank goodness I got these shots earlier in the day!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tidbits and Updates
We're still here--just finding very little time to blog.
- Ed had his hernia surgery on Monday. It's an outpatient procedure, so it's a relatively minor procedure, but it's pretty painful for Ed. His parents took him to the surgery and brought him back to their house and he recuperated there for a few days. They brought him home last night. He's getting around pretty well, but it hurts him a lot to get up and down. William really missed him while he was gone, though. Ed came back last night in time to read stories to William and turn out his light. And while Ed was with his parents, my mom has been here helping me with the boys. We are soooo lucky to have family close by that are willing and able to help us out.
- While Ed was gone, we addressed the issue of William waking up during the night and needing us to lay down with him. Since Seth was born, Ed has been going in and laying down with him if he wakes in the night (which he does about half the time). I can't do it, obviously, because Seth is still sleeping on top of me a lot of the time, and I'm often nursing him when William wakes up. So on Sunday, I talked to William about how Mommy would come into his room and hold him for a minute if he woke up, but then Mommy would go back to her room and William would go back to sleep in his bed. He woke up that night and I went into his room and held him and put him back in his bed and left. He cried for less than a minute and went to sleep. The next night he woke up and I went in and held him and put him back in his bed and he went back to sleep with no protest. The next night he didn't wake up at all. Last night he woke up and I didn't even have to hold him. I just put his blankets over him and kissed him and he went back to sleep. So yay for positive progress! I'm hoping that eventually he'll stop needing us to come in.
- William is transitioning to the Two's classroom this week. He's moving to the new room with his best buddy Michael and 3 other kids from his class, so I think the transition will be pretty painless.
- William can walk down the stairs by himself now. We've been reluctant to encourage this development for fear that he'll fall down the stairs (he tumbled all the way down the basement steps almost a year ago and while he didn't get hurt, it scarred Ed and me for life!) but he's ready. I still stand directly in front of him as he walks down, though.
- I think that Seth has a dairy intolerance. I won't say allergy, although it might be an allergy because it looks like he has eczema. He's super gassy and grunts and strains and tenses up quite a bit, so I had stopped eating dairy to see if it helped. He got a lot better, but when I started eating dairy again, he started getting gassy and uncomfortable again and wasn't sleeping well. So I'm quitting dairy entirely for 3 weeks, and then I'll see if I can eat things that have milk as an ingredient (cooked milk), and go from there. It really sucks because dairy is my favorite food group. I could easily eat only from the dairy food group all day.
- Seth is starting to discover his hands. He'll bring them to his mouth and suck on them. His movements are also starting to be a little bit more controlled.
- Seth took his first bottle yesterday and had no issues whatsoever! Mom gave it to him in the car when we picked William up from daycare. So yay for that! I'll probably offer him the bottle every other day or every two days for a few weeks, and then do one bottle a day the week before he starts daycare.
- Speaking of daycare, I have less than four weeks of maternity leave left. I start back to work the week of July 14. While maternity leave hasn't really been a "break," I'm not sure if I'm ready to rejoin the working world. Six months of leave would be so much more civilized than 12 weeks!
- William's favorite books right now are My Truck is Stuck (thanks MJ!), Just Go To Bed, and I'm a Big Brother! The big brother book is awesome for after the baby's arrival. I highly recommend it for those of you who are expecting! (Lindsay and Megan :-) They have a Big Sister version, too, Megan!)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Things You Don't Want to Hear . . .
when your toddler is in a different room unsupervised: (Or so I've heard. ;-)
"Uh-oh, Mommy."
"I broke it!"
"I filled it up!"
"I open it!"
"I okay Mommy."
"I made a mess!"
And the number one thing you don't want to hear when your toddler is in another room unsupervised . . . . . SILENCE!
"Uh-oh, Mommy."
"I broke it!"
"I filled it up!"
"I open it!"
"I okay Mommy."
"I made a mess!"
And the number one thing you don't want to hear when your toddler is in another room unsupervised . . . . . SILENCE!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Seth Smiles
Here's a video of Seth's first milestones--smiling and cooing! Please forgive the cinematography. I was holding him in one arm and trying to video with the other.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
More of What's Different and What's the Same
So back to the question of what's different this time around, and what's the same?
There's definitely a huge difference in me and my emotional state this time around. Although having an infant while also dealing with a 2-year-old is challenging, to say the least, the caring-for-the-infant part is so much easier this time. And it's not because Seth is an easier baby, because really, he isn't. In fact, Ed thinks he's a lot more fussy than William was. (I think Ed thinks that because I hardly ever let William cry for even a minute, but Seth has to hold his own a bit more than that!) I think it just makes a huge difference in knowing what to expect, and in really knowing (based on experience and not because people are telling you) that it's just a phase, and that this, too, shall pass. Maybe it all comes down to confidence.
Or maybe it's just a matter of necessity. I spend so much time and energy trying to keep William out of trouble while trying to let him explore and learn, and trying to balance discipline and love, that I don't have the time or energy to worry about exactly how long or how often Seth is nursing, or why he'll only sleep when I hold him, or what I'm doing wrong. Maybe that's the biggest difference in my emotional state--I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong, per say. And if I am, well, whatever. With William, it just seemed like everything mattered so much. With Seth, I'm definitely much less uptight. Which is to be expected, I guess.
Another difference is that I'm successfully wearing Seth! I use the Ergo and I finally got a Hotsling! The Ergo is much easier on the back, but it's hard to keep the baby in position. He slips down a lot. Plus it's a little bulky and not convenient for on-the-go. The Hotsling is great for on-the-go, Seth seems to really like it, and it's fashionably cute! But again--a little hard on the back. And with either carrier, there's only so much you can do when wearing them. It's not easy to bend over or squat or reach up for things. But they definitely have their uses. We also have the Bjorn, but Seth doesn't like the face-in position. We'll see if he likes face out. Although I'll probably just use the Ergo for that position, too. William loved face out when he got big enough. But he never liked the slings. Maybe I didn't really give them a chance, but William never liked being held in the cradle position, either. Anyway, I think baby wearing is more of a necessity for baby #2, especially if he won't sleep on his own!
Another difference is that I know to try something many times before giving up on it. (Kind of like offering new foods to toddlers!) Swaddling didn't work well for Seth in the first several weeks, but now it's working a lot more often. He'll sleep for hours in a row swaddled. (Not every time, mind you, but more often than not!) I tried swaddling William early on, but he seemed to hate it, so I gave up. Then when he started his new daycare at 4 months, they swaddled him for naps, and it worked! I was shocked and was mad that I hadn't kept trying. The sling is the same story. Seth doesn't always like it, but it works more often than not. I tried once or twice with William and then gave up. So live and learn!
Something that is the same as last time is the frustration I sometimes feel when I use all my patience to hold Seth and let him fall into a deep sleep, and then when I finally ease him down into the swing or the car seat or the bassinet or onto my bed, he wakes up. The evenings after William goes to bed are the worst. He's usually gassy and cranky and I can hardly even change into my PJs and brush my teeth. I usually don't get dinner, and yes--Ed tries holding Seth, but that just doesn't work very well. Ed is not much of a "baby" guy, although he tries!
Seth is also unpredictable and inconsistent, just like William was. One day, he'll sleep for a long stretch in the bassinet and the next day he won't. One day, swaddling will work and I'll get a five-hour stretch of sleep at night. But the next night, it won't. One day, he'll have a long alert/happy time in the morning, and the next day, he'll be a wreck in the morning, but happy and content in the evening. Maybe I'm the unpredictable one, or the inconsistent one. Maybe I should try harder to get a "schedule" going. But even now, after two years and a routine that is mostly carved in stone, William still wakes up at a different time every day. There's just no telling. Regardless of why, it's definitely the same!
I've been working on this post for several weeks now, so I better post it before it falls into the neverland of "drafts that never get published." It feels like there are many more little things that are the same and different, but I'll have to try to save them for another post!
There's definitely a huge difference in me and my emotional state this time around. Although having an infant while also dealing with a 2-year-old is challenging, to say the least, the caring-for-the-infant part is so much easier this time. And it's not because Seth is an easier baby, because really, he isn't. In fact, Ed thinks he's a lot more fussy than William was. (I think Ed thinks that because I hardly ever let William cry for even a minute, but Seth has to hold his own a bit more than that!) I think it just makes a huge difference in knowing what to expect, and in really knowing (based on experience and not because people are telling you) that it's just a phase, and that this, too, shall pass. Maybe it all comes down to confidence.
Or maybe it's just a matter of necessity. I spend so much time and energy trying to keep William out of trouble while trying to let him explore and learn, and trying to balance discipline and love, that I don't have the time or energy to worry about exactly how long or how often Seth is nursing, or why he'll only sleep when I hold him, or what I'm doing wrong. Maybe that's the biggest difference in my emotional state--I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong, per say. And if I am, well, whatever. With William, it just seemed like everything mattered so much. With Seth, I'm definitely much less uptight. Which is to be expected, I guess.
Another difference is that I'm successfully wearing Seth! I use the Ergo and I finally got a Hotsling! The Ergo is much easier on the back, but it's hard to keep the baby in position. He slips down a lot. Plus it's a little bulky and not convenient for on-the-go. The Hotsling is great for on-the-go, Seth seems to really like it, and it's fashionably cute! But again--a little hard on the back. And with either carrier, there's only so much you can do when wearing them. It's not easy to bend over or squat or reach up for things. But they definitely have their uses. We also have the Bjorn, but Seth doesn't like the face-in position. We'll see if he likes face out. Although I'll probably just use the Ergo for that position, too. William loved face out when he got big enough. But he never liked the slings. Maybe I didn't really give them a chance, but William never liked being held in the cradle position, either. Anyway, I think baby wearing is more of a necessity for baby #2, especially if he won't sleep on his own!
Another difference is that I know to try something many times before giving up on it. (Kind of like offering new foods to toddlers!) Swaddling didn't work well for Seth in the first several weeks, but now it's working a lot more often. He'll sleep for hours in a row swaddled. (Not every time, mind you, but more often than not!) I tried swaddling William early on, but he seemed to hate it, so I gave up. Then when he started his new daycare at 4 months, they swaddled him for naps, and it worked! I was shocked and was mad that I hadn't kept trying. The sling is the same story. Seth doesn't always like it, but it works more often than not. I tried once or twice with William and then gave up. So live and learn!
Something that is the same as last time is the frustration I sometimes feel when I use all my patience to hold Seth and let him fall into a deep sleep, and then when I finally ease him down into the swing or the car seat or the bassinet or onto my bed, he wakes up. The evenings after William goes to bed are the worst. He's usually gassy and cranky and I can hardly even change into my PJs and brush my teeth. I usually don't get dinner, and yes--Ed tries holding Seth, but that just doesn't work very well. Ed is not much of a "baby" guy, although he tries!
Seth is also unpredictable and inconsistent, just like William was. One day, he'll sleep for a long stretch in the bassinet and the next day he won't. One day, swaddling will work and I'll get a five-hour stretch of sleep at night. But the next night, it won't. One day, he'll have a long alert/happy time in the morning, and the next day, he'll be a wreck in the morning, but happy and content in the evening. Maybe I'm the unpredictable one, or the inconsistent one. Maybe I should try harder to get a "schedule" going. But even now, after two years and a routine that is mostly carved in stone, William still wakes up at a different time every day. There's just no telling. Regardless of why, it's definitely the same!
I've been working on this post for several weeks now, so I better post it before it falls into the neverland of "drafts that never get published." It feels like there are many more little things that are the same and different, but I'll have to try to save them for another post!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Maternity Leave Is Not Time Off
A lot of people have asked me if I'm enjoying my "time off" during maternity leave. As any mom knows, maternity leave is NOT time off! Yes--it is a change of pace, but it is just as stressful, if not more so, than my full-time WOH job. Here is our typical day:
Get up around 6:00 a.m. or 6:30, after having been awake in bed since about 4:00 a.m., which is when Seth usually wakes up and nurses. And when he finally goes back to sleep (if he goes back to sleep), William is usually up by then and rarely does he fall back asleep, either in his bed or in ours. If Seth is fussy, I'll try nursing him again. If not, I'll either take a shower, or brush teeth/wash face/brush hair. (Ed usually gets in the shower at 6:30.) Between the Lions is on PBS at 6:00 a.m., so we usually turn it on to keep William occupied which either gives me a chance to shower, or gives us both 30 more minutes to stay in bed.
Between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., Ed and I juggle getting ourselves dressed, getting William dressed, taking things away from William that he shouldn't be playing with (like the hair dryer, deodorant, tampons, any bottle with a lid which he can now open, toilet paper rolls, dental floss, my makeup, etc. etc.), holding Seth, getting breakfast for William, and getting something to eat for ourselves (which doesn't always happen).
Some time around 7:00 or 7:30, depending on how our morning is going, I'll nurse Seth again to top him off before the ride to William's daycare. We usually leave the house some time between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. We'll get to daycare any time between 8:00 and 9:00. I drop William off, get back in the car with Seth, and head home. We get home some time between 9:00 and 10:00.
Sometimes I'll stop at the grocery store or run some other errand before heading home. I usually go straight home, though, because Seth is often hungry by the time we get home, and if I try to stop, he'll inevitably end up screaming his protest, and I'll end up nursing him in the car in some parking lot.
Between 10:00 a.m. and noon, I'm usually attempting to get Seth to nap by himself after playing with him for a bit. Sometimes I try pumping after I've nursed him. If I can put him down for a few minutes, I might try cleaning up from the morning rush. I might even get a load of laundry in the wash. Sometimes I can check my e-mail or read a few blogs. Mostly, I end up sitting on the bed, watching morning TV while Seth naps on top of me. And while this doesn't really sound like "work," it can be very frustrating. He'll fall asleep and then I'll put him down somewhere, and then five minutes later, he's crying like his world has ended.
Lately, Seth has been taking a good afternoon nap. I shouldn't really say "lately." More like, there have a been a few days recently when he has taken a good afternoon nap. This has made such a difference in my mood and productivity. I've been able to sort through baby clothes and put things away and do laundry and get a head start on dinner and blog and email. There are still lots of things I want to work on, but I don't have any more "free" time on maternity leave than I did when I was working all day.
Anyway, before I know it, it's 3:00 and time to nurse Seth before we leave to pick up William. We leave the house around 3:30, and get home around 5:00 p.m. I spend the next hour and a half trying to play with William, picking up the house if I didn't get to earlier, nursing Seth, and getting William's dinner ready and sometimes Ed's and my dinner.
Get up around 6:00 a.m. or 6:30, after having been awake in bed since about 4:00 a.m., which is when Seth usually wakes up and nurses. And when he finally goes back to sleep (if he goes back to sleep), William is usually up by then and rarely does he fall back asleep, either in his bed or in ours. If Seth is fussy, I'll try nursing him again. If not, I'll either take a shower, or brush teeth/wash face/brush hair. (Ed usually gets in the shower at 6:30.) Between the Lions is on PBS at 6:00 a.m., so we usually turn it on to keep William occupied which either gives me a chance to shower, or gives us both 30 more minutes to stay in bed.
Between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m., Ed and I juggle getting ourselves dressed, getting William dressed, taking things away from William that he shouldn't be playing with (like the hair dryer, deodorant, tampons, any bottle with a lid which he can now open, toilet paper rolls, dental floss, my makeup, etc. etc.), holding Seth, getting breakfast for William, and getting something to eat for ourselves (which doesn't always happen).
Some time around 7:00 or 7:30, depending on how our morning is going, I'll nurse Seth again to top him off before the ride to William's daycare. We usually leave the house some time between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. We'll get to daycare any time between 8:00 and 9:00. I drop William off, get back in the car with Seth, and head home. We get home some time between 9:00 and 10:00.
Sometimes I'll stop at the grocery store or run some other errand before heading home. I usually go straight home, though, because Seth is often hungry by the time we get home, and if I try to stop, he'll inevitably end up screaming his protest, and I'll end up nursing him in the car in some parking lot.
Between 10:00 a.m. and noon, I'm usually attempting to get Seth to nap by himself after playing with him for a bit. Sometimes I try pumping after I've nursed him. If I can put him down for a few minutes, I might try cleaning up from the morning rush. I might even get a load of laundry in the wash. Sometimes I can check my e-mail or read a few blogs. Mostly, I end up sitting on the bed, watching morning TV while Seth naps on top of me. And while this doesn't really sound like "work," it can be very frustrating. He'll fall asleep and then I'll put him down somewhere, and then five minutes later, he's crying like his world has ended.
Lately, Seth has been taking a good afternoon nap. I shouldn't really say "lately." More like, there have a been a few days recently when he has taken a good afternoon nap. This has made such a difference in my mood and productivity. I've been able to sort through baby clothes and put things away and do laundry and get a head start on dinner and blog and email. There are still lots of things I want to work on, but I don't have any more "free" time on maternity leave than I did when I was working all day.
Anyway, before I know it, it's 3:00 and time to nurse Seth before we leave to pick up William. We leave the house around 3:30, and get home around 5:00 p.m. I spend the next hour and a half trying to play with William, picking up the house if I didn't get to earlier, nursing Seth, and getting William's dinner ready and sometimes Ed's and my dinner.
Friday, June 06, 2008
When Will This Week End?
On Wednesday afternoon, a crazy fast storm blew through our area and knocked down tons of trees and branches, downed power lines, and tied up traffic for hours. Our power went out at 3:00 p.m., I left with Seth to pick up William and didn't return until 3 hours later (a round trip that usually takes one and a half hours at the most), the power didn't come back on for 30 hours, and a heat wave descended on our area after the storm passed through.
William stayed home from daycare on Thursday and Friday. He stayed home Thursday because Ed had locked our van when it was in the garage (I never lock the car when it's in our garage), and the diaper bag with my keys and cell phone were in the diaper bag. By the time Ed came back to open the car, it wasn't worth it to take William to school. We got a good laugh when Ed walked into the house and said, "Don't we have a spare key?" Ummm, oh yeah. It's in the living room, in the cup with the other keys. Well, maybe not so much of a laugh as a, "holy shit--are we sleep deprived or what?"
William missed daycare today because we spent last night at Ed's parents, since we weren't sure that the power would be turned back on. Fortunately, it went back on at 8:45 last night, so when we got home today, everything seemed back to normal. I started cleaning out the freezer and the refrigerator, though. It's painful how much food I'm throwing out. My grocery bill this weekend is going to be outrageous.
I'll be glad when this week is over. I'm lost as to what day it is--this week has seemed so long. I took pictures of Seth on his six-week birthday. He's so cute, but he's got a terrible case of baby acne right now. William had it, too. Poor guy! Anyway, Seth is doing better--no more strider. But he's still stuffed up and has a pretty rough-sounding cough. I really hope he shakes it this weekend. I'm trying to nurse him a lot to keep him hydrated. He's not sleeping all that well, but after some long spells with lots of broken naps, he'll settle down for a long spell of sleep, so that's always a relief. Here are some pictures! Enjoy. And lets hope next week is much better!
William stayed home from daycare on Thursday and Friday. He stayed home Thursday because Ed had locked our van when it was in the garage (I never lock the car when it's in our garage), and the diaper bag with my keys and cell phone were in the diaper bag. By the time Ed came back to open the car, it wasn't worth it to take William to school. We got a good laugh when Ed walked into the house and said, "Don't we have a spare key?" Ummm, oh yeah. It's in the living room, in the cup with the other keys. Well, maybe not so much of a laugh as a, "holy shit--are we sleep deprived or what?"
William missed daycare today because we spent last night at Ed's parents, since we weren't sure that the power would be turned back on. Fortunately, it went back on at 8:45 last night, so when we got home today, everything seemed back to normal. I started cleaning out the freezer and the refrigerator, though. It's painful how much food I'm throwing out. My grocery bill this weekend is going to be outrageous.
I'll be glad when this week is over. I'm lost as to what day it is--this week has seemed so long. I took pictures of Seth on his six-week birthday. He's so cute, but he's got a terrible case of baby acne right now. William had it, too. Poor guy! Anyway, Seth is doing better--no more strider. But he's still stuffed up and has a pretty rough-sounding cough. I really hope he shakes it this weekend. I'm trying to nurse him a lot to keep him hydrated. He's not sleeping all that well, but after some long spells with lots of broken naps, he'll settle down for a long spell of sleep, so that's always a relief. Here are some pictures! Enjoy. And lets hope next week is much better!
Monday, June 02, 2008
ER!
Seth made his first trip to the ER. He's only six weeks old, and he's already having breathing issues. Unlike William, however, he was having stridor, which is a high-pitched squawking or crowing noise when he inhales. William wheezes, which can be heard on the exhale. Stridor happens when the trachea swells, while wheezing is caused by inflammation of the lungs or bronchial tubes. (I learned all of this at three in the morning!)
Needless to say I was scared to death, because it sounded like Seth couldn't breathe, and he felt hot. I definitely panicked. It seemed to happen so suddenly. I woke up around 1:00 a.m. because Seth was squirming a bit and after a few minutes, I started hearing the awful inhale noise and the barky cough. Ed woke up pretty quickly, too, which scared me because he sleeps through almost anything. I turned the shower onto hot to get the steam going and had Ed sit in the bathroom with Seth, and we decided I should call 911. I was that scared. The 911 operator heard Seth crying though and said that crying was a good sign because it meant he could breathe. So we decided that I would take Seth to the ER. I was so torn between feeling like I was overreacting, and then feeling like I wasn't doing enough to help Seth.
So at 1:45 a.m., Seth and I arrived at the ER. Because he was having breathing problems, he was seen right away. They diagnosed him with Croup, although it's very unusual for an infant or young baby to get croup. There could be something else going on with his trachea or vocal cords, but they treat the inflammation the same way regardless. He got an oral steroid and a nebulizer treatment, and we got to go home at 6:00 a.m. He still has the barky cough and sounds super hoarse, but the stridor is gone, thank goodness. We followed up with our pediatrician today and Seth looks good, but I've got to watch him closely.
I won't even go into all the guilty mom feelings I'm having as to why I can't seem to keep my kids healthy. Isn't breastfeeding supposed to give them better immunity? Not so in my case. The only good news to come of all of this is that Seth weighs 10 lbs, 5 oz! He's definitely eating well. Let's hope that continues. And of course, Seth is sleeping like a champ today (by himself! Not on me!). Not sure if it's because of the virus, or our night in the ER. Either way, I'll take it. Stay tuned!
Needless to say I was scared to death, because it sounded like Seth couldn't breathe, and he felt hot. I definitely panicked. It seemed to happen so suddenly. I woke up around 1:00 a.m. because Seth was squirming a bit and after a few minutes, I started hearing the awful inhale noise and the barky cough. Ed woke up pretty quickly, too, which scared me because he sleeps through almost anything. I turned the shower onto hot to get the steam going and had Ed sit in the bathroom with Seth, and we decided I should call 911. I was that scared. The 911 operator heard Seth crying though and said that crying was a good sign because it meant he could breathe. So we decided that I would take Seth to the ER. I was so torn between feeling like I was overreacting, and then feeling like I wasn't doing enough to help Seth.
So at 1:45 a.m., Seth and I arrived at the ER. Because he was having breathing problems, he was seen right away. They diagnosed him with Croup, although it's very unusual for an infant or young baby to get croup. There could be something else going on with his trachea or vocal cords, but they treat the inflammation the same way regardless. He got an oral steroid and a nebulizer treatment, and we got to go home at 6:00 a.m. He still has the barky cough and sounds super hoarse, but the stridor is gone, thank goodness. We followed up with our pediatrician today and Seth looks good, but I've got to watch him closely.
I won't even go into all the guilty mom feelings I'm having as to why I can't seem to keep my kids healthy. Isn't breastfeeding supposed to give them better immunity? Not so in my case. The only good news to come of all of this is that Seth weighs 10 lbs, 5 oz! He's definitely eating well. Let's hope that continues. And of course, Seth is sleeping like a champ today (by himself! Not on me!). Not sure if it's because of the virus, or our night in the ER. Either way, I'll take it. Stay tuned!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Big Dig
On Thursday, we had a work crew digging up our backyard to address some drainage issues in our yard. They brought a ditch witch, and a small push front loader, and a mini excavator. I kept William home from daycare that day and Ed came home early, which made for a perfect day for William! William was outside almost the whole entire day. He only came inside to take a nap. Here are a few pictures.
He talked about diggers at daycare all day on Friday! If I was a stay-at-home mom, I'd know every construction site within a 15-mile radius!
He talked about diggers at daycare all day on Friday! If I was a stay-at-home mom, I'd know every construction site within a 15-mile radius!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
William's Birthday Party
We had William's 2nd birthday party at our house on Saturday (yesterday) and it turned out really well! I wasn't quite as prepared as I should have been and did everything very last minute, which meant that some things just didn't get done, but I doubt anyone else noticed. My mom came back on Wednesday to help out, so on Thursday, she held Seth all day (literally, except when I fed him) so I could clean the house (while William was at daycare), and on Friday, we took both boys and ran errands in the morning, Mom went to the grocery store while William napped and I napped with Seth, and then we made fruit salad, pasta salad, and the birthday cake that afternoon and evening. Meanwhile, Ed came home early and put together the new kid-size picnic table that we bought, which turned out to take FOREVER and was a huge pain in the butt. But the table is cute.
Anyway, we were up until after 11:00 p.m. that night getting ready, and then bright and early on Saturday, I was up and running trying to get everything ready. (I had to clean all of the old sand out of the sand box and add new sand because we forgot the cover last week when we had torrential downpours!) The party was from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our theme was Construction, and we used Caution tape to decorate, along with construction-themed decorations from the party store. Luckily it was a gorgeous day, and we had the sand box, water table, basket ball hoop, and bubble stuff in the back yard all ready for the kids. There were six kids in all--5 two-year-olds (or almost two-year-olds) and one four-year-old. Plus their parents and Ed's parents and my mom.
William had a blast and loved having his friends over. He hardly interacted with me at all, which says a lot! I was busy with party stuff, visiting with our friends, and taking care of Seth (although the grandmothers mostly held Seth so I needn't worry), and William didn't need me for hardly anything. The party wrapped up around 1:00 p.m. (a little late, but that's to be expected), and William took a nap shortly after that.
So without further ado, pictures! Here's the birthday cake that Mom and I made. We got the idea from the Internet:
Here's the Birthday Boy with his birthday shirt:
Eating lunch at the new picnic table with his buddies:
Singing "Happy Birthday to William!"
Laughing hysterically with Daddy over the party blower:
And here's a picture that just cracks me up. The two little ones are William's friends from daycare. Maggie is in the diaper and Michael is wearing pants. Why does Michael have that smirk on his face? (The older kid is William's second cousin Jimmy.)
Hopefully if I have another party at our house, I'll be more prepared. The only reason anything got done was become my mom was here. And I know I would have outsourced the food if Mom hadn't been here. But we saved a lot of money and I think everyone had a good time. Yay to us for pulling it off!
Anyway, we were up until after 11:00 p.m. that night getting ready, and then bright and early on Saturday, I was up and running trying to get everything ready. (I had to clean all of the old sand out of the sand box and add new sand because we forgot the cover last week when we had torrential downpours!) The party was from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Our theme was Construction, and we used Caution tape to decorate, along with construction-themed decorations from the party store. Luckily it was a gorgeous day, and we had the sand box, water table, basket ball hoop, and bubble stuff in the back yard all ready for the kids. There were six kids in all--5 two-year-olds (or almost two-year-olds) and one four-year-old. Plus their parents and Ed's parents and my mom.
William had a blast and loved having his friends over. He hardly interacted with me at all, which says a lot! I was busy with party stuff, visiting with our friends, and taking care of Seth (although the grandmothers mostly held Seth so I needn't worry), and William didn't need me for hardly anything. The party wrapped up around 1:00 p.m. (a little late, but that's to be expected), and William took a nap shortly after that.
So without further ado, pictures! Here's the birthday cake that Mom and I made. We got the idea from the Internet:
Here's the Birthday Boy with his birthday shirt:
Eating lunch at the new picnic table with his buddies:
Singing "Happy Birthday to William!"
Laughing hysterically with Daddy over the party blower:
And here's a picture that just cracks me up. The two little ones are William's friends from daycare. Maggie is in the diaper and Michael is wearing pants. Why does Michael have that smirk on his face? (The older kid is William's second cousin Jimmy.)
Hopefully if I have another party at our house, I'll be more prepared. The only reason anything got done was become my mom was here. And I know I would have outsourced the food if Mom hadn't been here. But we saved a lot of money and I think everyone had a good time. Yay to us for pulling it off!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Where Have I Been?
Life got a little crazy on us. We made it through William's and Ed's bad colds, although Seth is sick now, but only with a congested nose so far (knock on wood). William is now on a daily dose of Pulmicort, which is an asthma medicine (steroid) that he gets with the nebulizer. I was hoping we could avoid this, but hopefully it won't last too long. He does fine with the nebulizer now, so at least that's not a battle. Then after getting through the week, it turns out that Ed has a hernia. So he'll have to have surgery in the not-too-distant future, and he can't lift anything heavy or do anything strenuous. More on that in a future post.
We had a pretty decent week last week. On Monday, Seth had an appointment in the morning to have his hearing tested, and William had a follow-up doctor's appointment in the afternoon. So I too both boys to both appointments by myself, and it all went very smoothly. We even went to McDonald's for lunch after the a.m. appointment! Seth was quite cooperative and slept in his car seat the whole time.
William went to daycare Tuesday-Thursday and did great all three days. Even the drop-offs were drama-free. I learned that he'll be transitioning to the Two's classroom in a month. He'll be going with five of his classmates, though, so I'm hoping it won't be a tough transition. I like the teachers in the Two's room, but I LOVE his Toddler teachers, so it's bittersweet. But time marches on. This is such a cliche, but he's growing up SO FAST!
Last weekend, William pitched a huge fit on Saturday after his nap. Definitely his biggest fit yet--the sobbing, freak-out-no-matter-what-we-say kind of fit. Thank goodness he doesn't do that very often!
William has started singing along with songs. He's been sing the lyrics to songs for a while, but now he likes to sing along and it's so cute. I've also noticed that he's engaging in more imaginative play.
Seth has decided he will not stay asleep anywhere but on somebody, preferably Mommy, so that has made it close to impossible to get things done (like blogging!), but this too shall pass. He hasn't fallen into any sort of recognizable pattern so far as far as sleeping and eating. Sometimes he eats a good long meal and doesn't need to eat again for 3 hours, and other times he snacks for five minutes and then wants more an hour later. I've kind of stopped keeping track, and just feed him when he smacks his lips. It seems to be working okay for us.
I missed posting on Seth's one-month birthday. I did manage to take a picture, but couldn't get him to stop crying. Here's the picture, though:
And here are a few more pictures:
Showing some love:
Napping together:
Brothers:
And finally, we had William's birthday party today. William had a blast and was so good the whole day. More about the party and pictures in my next post! (Hopefully it won't be a week and a half before I post again. Baba is here, which is why I have the time to post now!)
We had a pretty decent week last week. On Monday, Seth had an appointment in the morning to have his hearing tested, and William had a follow-up doctor's appointment in the afternoon. So I too both boys to both appointments by myself, and it all went very smoothly. We even went to McDonald's for lunch after the a.m. appointment! Seth was quite cooperative and slept in his car seat the whole time.
William went to daycare Tuesday-Thursday and did great all three days. Even the drop-offs were drama-free. I learned that he'll be transitioning to the Two's classroom in a month. He'll be going with five of his classmates, though, so I'm hoping it won't be a tough transition. I like the teachers in the Two's room, but I LOVE his Toddler teachers, so it's bittersweet. But time marches on. This is such a cliche, but he's growing up SO FAST!
Last weekend, William pitched a huge fit on Saturday after his nap. Definitely his biggest fit yet--the sobbing, freak-out-no-matter-what-we-say kind of fit. Thank goodness he doesn't do that very often!
William has started singing along with songs. He's been sing the lyrics to songs for a while, but now he likes to sing along and it's so cute. I've also noticed that he's engaging in more imaginative play.
Seth has decided he will not stay asleep anywhere but on somebody, preferably Mommy, so that has made it close to impossible to get things done (like blogging!), but this too shall pass. He hasn't fallen into any sort of recognizable pattern so far as far as sleeping and eating. Sometimes he eats a good long meal and doesn't need to eat again for 3 hours, and other times he snacks for five minutes and then wants more an hour later. I've kind of stopped keeping track, and just feed him when he smacks his lips. It seems to be working okay for us.
I missed posting on Seth's one-month birthday. I did manage to take a picture, but couldn't get him to stop crying. Here's the picture, though:
And here are a few more pictures:
Showing some love:
Napping together:
Brothers:
And finally, we had William's birthday party today. William had a blast and was so good the whole day. More about the party and pictures in my next post! (Hopefully it won't be a week and a half before I post again. Baba is here, which is why I have the time to post now!)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I Can Do This
Since my mom left us on Saturday, Ed and I have been on our own with the two boys. It's not too bad when it's the two of us. Ed tends to take care of William while I take care of Seth. It gets hard when William wants just me to do things for him, but we work through it. What I was most anxious about was being on my own with both boys. What I have learned this week, though, is that I can definitely handle it. It's not easy, and it's certainly not ideal, but I can do it.
Now, I know there are TONS of moms who handle multiple kids by themselves every single day. I have the luxury of taking William to daycare every day, so it seems silly and maybe even pathetic to pat myself on the back for being able to watch both of my kids at the same time by myself. But I also think it's a bit of a milestone for parents of more than one kid to be able to say, "I did it by myself and we're all still here to talk about it." So I'm patting myself on the back. I'm actually a bit proud of myself!
Things might go downhill fast, however, because William has caught yet another cold and tonight he started wheezing. And on top of that, Ed is sick, too. We might be in for a rough night. I'm very thankful that William and Ed have bonded more, though. When William wakes up in the night, he's okay with Ed lying down with him. Ed has been the one reading to him and turning out the light before bed, too, and tonight, he even asked for daddy when I was reading to him instead.
So wish us luck! As for William and Seth, William continues to show lots of love for Seth and he is very tolerant of me having to attend to Seth's needs. We're struggling a bit with listening and following directions. But I think this is more of a two-year-old issue, as opposed to him acting out because of Seth. It's probably a little of both, but we'll get through it. Seth is eating well and gaining well. He weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz. at his 3-week check-up. He's still sleeping mostly on me, as opposed to his bassinet or car seat or the swing. But I know that won't last forever, either. I can't say he's predictable yet, but hoping to get there soon.
Back to the topic at hand, I'm prepared for a big challenge tomorrow. I'll probably keep William at home, and may even have to take him in to the doctor's with Seth in tow. To make matters worse, it's supposed to rain all day, so no outside time for William. As I said before, wish us luck!
Now, I know there are TONS of moms who handle multiple kids by themselves every single day. I have the luxury of taking William to daycare every day, so it seems silly and maybe even pathetic to pat myself on the back for being able to watch both of my kids at the same time by myself. But I also think it's a bit of a milestone for parents of more than one kid to be able to say, "I did it by myself and we're all still here to talk about it." So I'm patting myself on the back. I'm actually a bit proud of myself!
Things might go downhill fast, however, because William has caught yet another cold and tonight he started wheezing. And on top of that, Ed is sick, too. We might be in for a rough night. I'm very thankful that William and Ed have bonded more, though. When William wakes up in the night, he's okay with Ed lying down with him. Ed has been the one reading to him and turning out the light before bed, too, and tonight, he even asked for daddy when I was reading to him instead.
So wish us luck! As for William and Seth, William continues to show lots of love for Seth and he is very tolerant of me having to attend to Seth's needs. We're struggling a bit with listening and following directions. But I think this is more of a two-year-old issue, as opposed to him acting out because of Seth. It's probably a little of both, but we'll get through it. Seth is eating well and gaining well. He weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz. at his 3-week check-up. He's still sleeping mostly on me, as opposed to his bassinet or car seat or the swing. But I know that won't last forever, either. I can't say he's predictable yet, but hoping to get there soon.
Back to the topic at hand, I'm prepared for a big challenge tomorrow. I'll probably keep William at home, and may even have to take him in to the doctor's with Seth in tow. To make matters worse, it's supposed to rain all day, so no outside time for William. As I said before, wish us luck!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Happy Birthday William!
Dear William,
Today you turn two years old. Happy Happy Birthday! You are such a wonderful little boy and you make Mommy and Daddy so happy. We are so proud of you each and every day. I know your world has been a little crazy ever since we brought Seth home, but you have taken it all in stride. You are such a wonderful big brother, showing Seth all of your toys, thinking of him whenever you make a new discovery, wanting to share with him all of the things that make you happy. We love watching you and Seth together and can't wait until you make him laugh, show him how to crawl and walk, and even start fighting with him over toys.
You have learned so much over the past year. You can count to ten, sing your ABCs, sing lots of other songs, feed yourself with a fork and a spoon, run, jump, climb, speak in sentences, say please and thank you, and so much more. Lately you've been saying, "Hmmmm, let's see," and "Be careful!" (Wonder where you got that one from?)
You absolutely love trucks--construction trucks, diggers, backhoes, bulldozers, fire trucks, garbage trucks--and you have about a million of them that you play with. You love to play in your sand box in the back yard, and you love being outside. You love the playground, and playing with the hose, and watering plants, and your bubble lawn mower, and you love following Daddy around, helping him with yard work. You would stay outside all day if we let you. When you're inside, you play with your cars and trucks, and with playdough, and you would watch the movie Cars over and over if you could. You also love your Mighty Machines video, and the "There Goes A . . . " series that Mommy bought for you.
You still cry almost every day when I drop you off at daycare, which still breaks my heart every day, but you always have fun there. Your best friend is Michael, and the two of you play together, along with your other friends and teachers. You love to laugh and you like to ham it up so that your friends will laugh, too. Miss Gwen calls you and Michael the class clowns. You are shy when it comes to new people and new situations, though, always preferring to size up the scene for a while before you jump in. You are a funny combination of being reserved and shy, but very much a show-off once you feel secure.
You had your two-year doctor's appointment today and you were so good, as usual. You never fuss when we go to the doctor. You always sit quietly while the doctor examines you, and you carefully watch everything that the doctor does. Today you got a shot in your arm, and you didn't even cry. You didn't flinch. What a strong boy you are! Mommy and Daddy were very proud of you. You weigh 25 pounds and are 35 and 1/2 inches tall. You've grown very tall over the last 6 months! You're in the 75th percentile for height now. It must be all the chocolate milk you drink!
Speaking of food, it's still a battle to get you to eat a whole lot, but every once in a while, you surprise me. You love watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. You almost always eat pasta. You used to love hot dogs, but not so much right now. You also like macaroni and cheese, and you'll eat a few bites of a sandwich sometimes. For breakfast, you'll eat french toast or pancakes or waffles. And you also like bagels. Green veggies are a little tough, but you generally eat broccoli and peas. I don't worry too much about how much you do or don't eat. But sometimes you get really cranky when you're hungry. And I don't think you even realize when you're hungry. You never ask me for anything to eat!
Anyway, we hope you have a wonderful birthday today. You have brought us so much joy over the past two years. We can't wait to see what you will learn and how you will grow over the next year. But do us a favor, okay? SLOW DOWN!!! Time passes by so quickly and we want to hang on to every bit of you for as long as we can. We love you so much and will do our best to guide you through the next year, providing you with all of the support and encouragement that you need, being patient as you test your limits (and ours!), and disciplining you appropriately when you need it. Lord knows that we aren't perfect, so please be patient with us, too.
We love you to pieces, buddy! Happy 2nd birthday!
Mommy and Daddy
Today you turn two years old. Happy Happy Birthday! You are such a wonderful little boy and you make Mommy and Daddy so happy. We are so proud of you each and every day. I know your world has been a little crazy ever since we brought Seth home, but you have taken it all in stride. You are such a wonderful big brother, showing Seth all of your toys, thinking of him whenever you make a new discovery, wanting to share with him all of the things that make you happy. We love watching you and Seth together and can't wait until you make him laugh, show him how to crawl and walk, and even start fighting with him over toys.
You have learned so much over the past year. You can count to ten, sing your ABCs, sing lots of other songs, feed yourself with a fork and a spoon, run, jump, climb, speak in sentences, say please and thank you, and so much more. Lately you've been saying, "Hmmmm, let's see," and "Be careful!" (Wonder where you got that one from?)
You absolutely love trucks--construction trucks, diggers, backhoes, bulldozers, fire trucks, garbage trucks--and you have about a million of them that you play with. You love to play in your sand box in the back yard, and you love being outside. You love the playground, and playing with the hose, and watering plants, and your bubble lawn mower, and you love following Daddy around, helping him with yard work. You would stay outside all day if we let you. When you're inside, you play with your cars and trucks, and with playdough, and you would watch the movie Cars over and over if you could. You also love your Mighty Machines video, and the "There Goes A . . . " series that Mommy bought for you.
You still cry almost every day when I drop you off at daycare, which still breaks my heart every day, but you always have fun there. Your best friend is Michael, and the two of you play together, along with your other friends and teachers. You love to laugh and you like to ham it up so that your friends will laugh, too. Miss Gwen calls you and Michael the class clowns. You are shy when it comes to new people and new situations, though, always preferring to size up the scene for a while before you jump in. You are a funny combination of being reserved and shy, but very much a show-off once you feel secure.
You had your two-year doctor's appointment today and you were so good, as usual. You never fuss when we go to the doctor. You always sit quietly while the doctor examines you, and you carefully watch everything that the doctor does. Today you got a shot in your arm, and you didn't even cry. You didn't flinch. What a strong boy you are! Mommy and Daddy were very proud of you. You weigh 25 pounds and are 35 and 1/2 inches tall. You've grown very tall over the last 6 months! You're in the 75th percentile for height now. It must be all the chocolate milk you drink!
Speaking of food, it's still a battle to get you to eat a whole lot, but every once in a while, you surprise me. You love watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. You almost always eat pasta. You used to love hot dogs, but not so much right now. You also like macaroni and cheese, and you'll eat a few bites of a sandwich sometimes. For breakfast, you'll eat french toast or pancakes or waffles. And you also like bagels. Green veggies are a little tough, but you generally eat broccoli and peas. I don't worry too much about how much you do or don't eat. But sometimes you get really cranky when you're hungry. And I don't think you even realize when you're hungry. You never ask me for anything to eat!
Anyway, we hope you have a wonderful birthday today. You have brought us so much joy over the past two years. We can't wait to see what you will learn and how you will grow over the next year. But do us a favor, okay? SLOW DOWN!!! Time passes by so quickly and we want to hang on to every bit of you for as long as we can. We love you so much and will do our best to guide you through the next year, providing you with all of the support and encouragement that you need, being patient as you test your limits (and ours!), and disciplining you appropriately when you need it. Lord knows that we aren't perfect, so please be patient with us, too.
We love you to pieces, buddy! Happy 2nd birthday!
Mommy and Daddy
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!!!!
I just wanted to quickly say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of you amazing moms who have supported me, helped me, encouraged me, laughed with me (that's with me, not at me!), and taught me more than I ever thought I needed to know. That includes my very best friends, MJ, ME, and TF, and long-time close friends Ruby and Stacey, and my fellow daycare moms who have become such close friends Jenna and Melissa, and my amazing blogging friends--Laura, Lindsay, T, Cathy, Megan, Bridget, Jill, Gail, Julie, Jennifer, Stacey--and my amazing cyber-friends, Sara, Sarah, Heather, and Carrie, and all of the Mature Mamas who I met through Babycenter.com, who have probably given me the best advice and the most comfort over time, and my family--my sister Rose, sister-in-law Cheri, and of course, saving the best for last, my mom. My mom left us yesterday and while Ed and I are ready to try this thing all by ourselves, boy has it been nice to have Mom around.
I cannot thank you ladies enough for helping me to be a better mom. You are all wonderful and inspiring and I feel sooo fortunate to call you all friends. The Internet is a wonderful thing and a lifeline to mothers everywhere. Now if I could just get my kids to let me spend a little more time reading blogs and message boards and e-mails . . .
I cannot thank you ladies enough for helping me to be a better mom. You are all wonderful and inspiring and I feel sooo fortunate to call you all friends. The Internet is a wonderful thing and a lifeline to mothers everywhere. Now if I could just get my kids to let me spend a little more time reading blogs and message boards and e-mails . . .
Friday, May 09, 2008
The Second Time Around
[Disclaimer--I actually started this post last week some time and am finally getting around to publishing it. Yikes! Will I ever have Me time again?]
One of my friends asked me what's the same this time around and what's different. What great material for a blog post! I don't have much time, however, so I thought I'd just tackle the question a little bit at a time.
For starters, breastfeeding is much much easier this time around. I'm still pretty sore and have that initial 10 seconds of "Aiyeeeee" when Seth first latches on. But I'm so much more comfortable holding him while he nurses, and I can nurse just about anywhere. In fact, yesterday, when we got home from daycare, Seth, William and I played outside for about an hour and a half. I was holding Seth the whole time and even nursed him as we sat in the car while William played. With William, I didn't feel comfortable without my nursing pillow (My Breast Friend) and couldn't figure out how to nurse comfortably while in bed. And I also ended up with cracked and bleeding nipples and mastitis. Now, granted, I'm still stuck using one nursing position (the cross-hold), but it's not too bad. Side lying just does not work for us--maybe when Seth gets older--and I can't figure out the football hold, either. But overall, it's been a much better experience this time around, and I'm so grateful for that. I hardly even use My Breast Friend now! I've also been pumping and have quite a stash going. I've been freezing in two-ounce portions, so it looks like a lot more than it really is. But I'm in a much better place at this point than I was at the same point with William. It was almost impossible to pump after nursing with William. He was not content to sit by himself and look around like Seth is.
As for something that is the same, putting the sleeping baby down in the bassinet or swing or car seat and then crossing both fingers and praying and praying and praying that he'll stay asleep for longer than 10 minutes--that's the same as last time! Seth, like William, is not a big fan of sleeping by himself. He's had some long stretches in the swing, but he's not consistent, so the swing is not a guaranteed. He's had some long stretches in the car seat, too, but usually only after we've been driving somewhere. He sleeps best on his stomach, either on someone, or in the bassinet, but I only put him on his stomach if I'm right there with him and not trying to sleep myself. Swaddling hasn't worked so far. BUT--here's another thing that's different this time around--Seth likes the sling. William did not, AT ALL. But fortunately, Seth is down with it, so I can wear him while I'm running around the back yard and front yard playing with William.
So that's all for now. I know there are lots more things that are the same and different, so I'll try to write more another time!
One of my friends asked me what's the same this time around and what's different. What great material for a blog post! I don't have much time, however, so I thought I'd just tackle the question a little bit at a time.
For starters, breastfeeding is much much easier this time around. I'm still pretty sore and have that initial 10 seconds of "Aiyeeeee" when Seth first latches on. But I'm so much more comfortable holding him while he nurses, and I can nurse just about anywhere. In fact, yesterday, when we got home from daycare, Seth, William and I played outside for about an hour and a half. I was holding Seth the whole time and even nursed him as we sat in the car while William played. With William, I didn't feel comfortable without my nursing pillow (My Breast Friend) and couldn't figure out how to nurse comfortably while in bed. And I also ended up with cracked and bleeding nipples and mastitis. Now, granted, I'm still stuck using one nursing position (the cross-hold), but it's not too bad. Side lying just does not work for us--maybe when Seth gets older--and I can't figure out the football hold, either. But overall, it's been a much better experience this time around, and I'm so grateful for that. I hardly even use My Breast Friend now! I've also been pumping and have quite a stash going. I've been freezing in two-ounce portions, so it looks like a lot more than it really is. But I'm in a much better place at this point than I was at the same point with William. It was almost impossible to pump after nursing with William. He was not content to sit by himself and look around like Seth is.
As for something that is the same, putting the sleeping baby down in the bassinet or swing or car seat and then crossing both fingers and praying and praying and praying that he'll stay asleep for longer than 10 minutes--that's the same as last time! Seth, like William, is not a big fan of sleeping by himself. He's had some long stretches in the swing, but he's not consistent, so the swing is not a guaranteed. He's had some long stretches in the car seat, too, but usually only after we've been driving somewhere. He sleeps best on his stomach, either on someone, or in the bassinet, but I only put him on his stomach if I'm right there with him and not trying to sleep myself. Swaddling hasn't worked so far. BUT--here's another thing that's different this time around--Seth likes the sling. William did not, AT ALL. But fortunately, Seth is down with it, so I can wear him while I'm running around the back yard and front yard playing with William.
So that's all for now. I know there are lots more things that are the same and different, so I'll try to write more another time!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Two Weeks Old
Two weeks old today! He's 8 lbs, 2 oz., so not quite back to his birth weight, but everything else checked out okay. He's still congested, but nothing to worry about yet. I can't believe it's already been two weeks!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Weekend Report
We had a great weekend and things seem to be settling into a bit of a groove around here. Of course, my mom is still with us, so who knows what chaos will descend once she leaves. In the meantime, though, William is getting used to having Seth around, and he's also getting used to having Daddy give him a bath, put him to sleep, and lie down with him when he wakes up during the night. What a relief that has been! He's had his moments of not wanting mommy to leave him, but he doesn't seem to correlate my unavailability to Seth, so that's a relief. He went to daycare all last week, and I think getting back to his normal routine helped him a lot. So we'll do the same this week.
Seth is a great baby, but I'm a bit worried because it looks like he's caught William's cold. He's pretty congested, and today, it seems that he's been sleeping more than usual, and eating a bit less. But maybe he's just getting more efficient with his eating. His two-week appointment is on Tuesday, so hopefully we can hold out until then. Otherwise, he's so easy-going, and only cries when he's hungry or really tired. He has long awake periods in the morning, and again in the afternoon. And he's eating about every 2-3 hours. Last night, he had a four-hour stretch of sleep! He was on top of me, but I slept so soundly that when I woke up, I forgot where he was for a few seconds.
As for the weekend, yesterday, we went to Ed's parents' house. Ed's sister and BIL were in town with their two boys (ages 5 and 3) and William had a blast. Ed's mom had back surgery the day before Seth was born, so she had not seen Seth yet. And there was lots of other family there, too. Seth let everyone hold him and slept in his car seat for a long time. William played with his cousins and took a good nap and generally entertained everyone. I actually got good pictures of Seth and William together (for the announcement, so I'm not showing them here!), and we even took a family picture of Ed's family. I also tried to get a good picture of the four grandsons, but here's how that went. (This reminds me of some of Laura's photo sessions!)
And here is the whole family picture:
Today's weather was absolutely gorgeous, so William spent most of his day outside. He played in his sandbox, filled the watering can over and over with the hose and watered the flowers, painted on the driveway with sidewalk paint, went to the playground with Mommy and Seth and Baba and played there for over an hour, and then took a nap. After his nap, I strapped on the Ergo baby carrier with Seth, and William got into the stroller and Ed, William, Seth, and I took a walk to the 7-11 to get slurpees. (Seth didn't get one, but he was okay with that. In fact, he slept in the Ergo the whole time. The Ergo is awesome, btw. Thanks to my friend MJ for making sure I have one!)
So that's our weekend report. Other than being tired, things are going very well. I'm trying to be productive and get things done, but also I'm trying to spend lots of one-on-one time with both William and Seth, and of course, I'm trying to catch naps where I can. As my blog says, we're definitely working it out!
Seth is a great baby, but I'm a bit worried because it looks like he's caught William's cold. He's pretty congested, and today, it seems that he's been sleeping more than usual, and eating a bit less. But maybe he's just getting more efficient with his eating. His two-week appointment is on Tuesday, so hopefully we can hold out until then. Otherwise, he's so easy-going, and only cries when he's hungry or really tired. He has long awake periods in the morning, and again in the afternoon. And he's eating about every 2-3 hours. Last night, he had a four-hour stretch of sleep! He was on top of me, but I slept so soundly that when I woke up, I forgot where he was for a few seconds.
As for the weekend, yesterday, we went to Ed's parents' house. Ed's sister and BIL were in town with their two boys (ages 5 and 3) and William had a blast. Ed's mom had back surgery the day before Seth was born, so she had not seen Seth yet. And there was lots of other family there, too. Seth let everyone hold him and slept in his car seat for a long time. William played with his cousins and took a good nap and generally entertained everyone. I actually got good pictures of Seth and William together (for the announcement, so I'm not showing them here!), and we even took a family picture of Ed's family. I also tried to get a good picture of the four grandsons, but here's how that went. (This reminds me of some of Laura's photo sessions!)
And here is the whole family picture:
Today's weather was absolutely gorgeous, so William spent most of his day outside. He played in his sandbox, filled the watering can over and over with the hose and watered the flowers, painted on the driveway with sidewalk paint, went to the playground with Mommy and Seth and Baba and played there for over an hour, and then took a nap. After his nap, I strapped on the Ergo baby carrier with Seth, and William got into the stroller and Ed, William, Seth, and I took a walk to the 7-11 to get slurpees. (Seth didn't get one, but he was okay with that. In fact, he slept in the Ergo the whole time. The Ergo is awesome, btw. Thanks to my friend MJ for making sure I have one!)
So that's our weekend report. Other than being tired, things are going very well. I'm trying to be productive and get things done, but also I'm trying to spend lots of one-on-one time with both William and Seth, and of course, I'm trying to catch naps where I can. As my blog says, we're definitely working it out!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
No Time for Blogging
Seth is over one week old! I wanted to blog on Tuesday--the one week mark--but that just didn't happen. Oh well.
I had forgotten how you prioritize things when you have a newborn. There are two categories--things you can do when your baby is awake and you're holding him, and things you can only do when baby is asleep or someone else is entertaining/holding him. Although it's easier to do laundry when the baby is asleep, it's not impossible to do it while holding him, or after putting him in the bouncy seat or swing for a brief period of time. I can also eat while holding the baby, as inconvenient as that can be, and I can check e-mail and read blogs and even type one-handed if I'm desperate. But the only time I can sleep is when the baby is sleeping. So that's what I've been trying to do. And since Seth prefers to sleep in someone's arms, as opposed to his bassinet or car seat or swing, it's easier to just hold him and nap myself while he naps.
We've also been busy with the business of adjusting to life with two kids--a toddler and a newborn. My mom is still here and has been a HUGE help. She holds Seth so I can tend to William, goes to the store, fixes dinner, cleans up, she even ironed today. William has been going to daycare and I think it's helping him to be back into his routine somewhat. Ed has been putting him to bed after I give him a bath and get him dressed in his pjs. Last night and tonight, there was no crying, so that's huge progress. William still wants to show Seth everything he's doing, ("Look Sef!") and he's still a little rough, though he doesn't mean to be. He's pretty good about me holding and feeding Seth. I'm hoping as time passes, he'll feel more and more assured that he hasn't lost his place in this world.
So that's it for a quick update. It's late and time for bed. Not that I'm really sleeping, but a girl can try. Seth sleeps longer if I hold him, but he moves around a lot, which keeps me up. I'll get used to it eventually, and hopefully, he'll get used to sleeping on his own.
Finally, I'll leave you with more pictures. I have yet to get a picture of the boys together. Seth seems to power nap in the late afternoon/early evening, which is when William is home from daycare. Hopefully we'll get pictures this weekend. But I took these of Seth today:
This last picture is the place where I'll put him for his monthly photo shoot. I never put William in the same place for his monthly pictures, and wish I had. So here's Seth at one week old!
I had forgotten how you prioritize things when you have a newborn. There are two categories--things you can do when your baby is awake and you're holding him, and things you can only do when baby is asleep or someone else is entertaining/holding him. Although it's easier to do laundry when the baby is asleep, it's not impossible to do it while holding him, or after putting him in the bouncy seat or swing for a brief period of time. I can also eat while holding the baby, as inconvenient as that can be, and I can check e-mail and read blogs and even type one-handed if I'm desperate. But the only time I can sleep is when the baby is sleeping. So that's what I've been trying to do. And since Seth prefers to sleep in someone's arms, as opposed to his bassinet or car seat or swing, it's easier to just hold him and nap myself while he naps.
We've also been busy with the business of adjusting to life with two kids--a toddler and a newborn. My mom is still here and has been a HUGE help. She holds Seth so I can tend to William, goes to the store, fixes dinner, cleans up, she even ironed today. William has been going to daycare and I think it's helping him to be back into his routine somewhat. Ed has been putting him to bed after I give him a bath and get him dressed in his pjs. Last night and tonight, there was no crying, so that's huge progress. William still wants to show Seth everything he's doing, ("Look Sef!") and he's still a little rough, though he doesn't mean to be. He's pretty good about me holding and feeding Seth. I'm hoping as time passes, he'll feel more and more assured that he hasn't lost his place in this world.
So that's it for a quick update. It's late and time for bed. Not that I'm really sleeping, but a girl can try. Seth sleeps longer if I hold him, but he moves around a lot, which keeps me up. I'll get used to it eventually, and hopefully, he'll get used to sleeping on his own.
Finally, I'll leave you with more pictures. I have yet to get a picture of the boys together. Seth seems to power nap in the late afternoon/early evening, which is when William is home from daycare. Hopefully we'll get pictures this weekend. But I took these of Seth today:
This last picture is the place where I'll put him for his monthly photo shoot. I never put William in the same place for his monthly pictures, and wish I had. So here's Seth at one week old!
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