Back from the Beach!

Parker had his first official vacation (we've done a staycation before, but this was serious road trip time!) We drove to St. Augustine, FL to visit my grandmother, who is recovering from surgery. We also were able to visit the beach, the outlet malls, and the cute town/oldest city in the United States. I got a few good picture. The kids were well behaved, my grandparents were tickled to see them, and of course we ate tons of food. Lily even swam in the ocean in February, but she is crazy!

Wordless Wednesday

Excuse the quality of the photo-it is from Shane's Iphone. Parker got a little bored at the tile store, but Mom and Dad were going ga ga over getting a tiled shower.

Happy Wednesday!

Sick-ish

Lily always says that Chef Boyardee makes her "sick-ish." I couldn't agree more, blech. Anyways, now whenever someone is under the weather around here, they are "sick-ish."

Sadly, my sweet angel P is sick-ish today. It started Saturday morning with the two two hour naps, as he's not a great napper. Then the almost sleeping through the night got me really thinking, I think he woke up once at 4 am. Sunday was a fever of 101.4, a bad cough, a runny nose, and a general lethargic quality about him. Last night, he slept for 11 hours (without eating???! So not P). His eye has gook, for lack of a better word, coming out and it was so bad this morning his eye was crusted shut (hope you're not eating right now!) He's not eating anything but boobie milk, and he really just wants to suck his Wubbanub and swing in his swing. Smiles are few and far between, and he continues to sleep, sleep, sleep.

So, we called the pedi this morning. I'm not one to rush to the DR or the ER, but he may need something. I just can't keep watching him like this.

We go in about 30 minutes. I hope little one feels better soon-a quick beach visit is planned for the weekend!

He mustered up all the good looks he could to take a few shots this morning:



Update: Totally sick-ish, just as we suspected. Upper respiratory infection, which we can't do anything for but Tylenol and pull gook out of his nose. But also-double ear infection. My poor child! Prayers for a quick recovery. First anti-biotics. :(

That is all.

Breastfeeding Experience

Lots of my friends have been having babies lately, and while most of them are second time breastfeeding mommies, I had one friend who had her first child and was breastfeeding for the first time. I tried to encourage and offer advice. She was really nervous and had heard horror stories regarding bleeding and cracked nipples, mastitis, engorgement, and pain. She sort of stopped me in my tracks, and I began to recall my personal experience with breastfeeding Parker, and I wanted to share my story. Maybe if I type this out and gather my thoughts, I will be able to offer better advice and knowledge.

I did not breastfeed Lily. Didn't even try. Stupid, I know, but I can't really take that back, can I? I don't remember my milk coming in painfully, but I do remember having big boobs for a few days several days after she was born. I think I wore some 10 year old breastpads I found under my mom's bathroom cabinet to combat leaks, but that's about all I remember.

When I got pregnant with Parker, I was terrified of breastfeeding, because, like my friend, I had heard how hard it was to start. And while I fail at things a lot, I didn't want to fail at this. I didn't want to buy formula or give it to my baby. I reached out to every mom I knew who had breastfed. We discussed it at length during my husband's ball games. I read books, read online, etc. I bought lanolin, breastpads, and was prepared to send Shane out for cabbage leave or bags of frozen peas should pain or engorgement occur.

Parker was born via repeat c section. I was hell bent on nursing him as soon as possible. But, they whisked him out of the room while I was still getting stitched up for his bath and exam (insert major vent here and my desire to go to another hospital and have a better birth plan with my next child!)

I went to recovery, and then I went to my room, where I met my mom and sister. Shane was given strict instructions to stay with that baby and keep any drops of formula or bottles far away from him. I did not see Parker for two hours after he was born. I still have no clue why they had him for so long.

Two hours after he was born and I was in a drugged haze, they brought him to me. I nursed him for the first time. My mind was full of thoughts on the football hold and the correct latch. People kept coming in and out, and I was also trying to be discrete. His tiny head was so much smaller than my boob. I had no clue if I was doing it right, but he latched right on. The only thing my mom said I needed to do was make sure his nose wasn't smushed against my skin.

I was pretty proud. He was getting colostrum. Eating every two hours. Waking up and crying to eat. We had this! I was sore of course, but I had my lanolin and would apply it after he ate.

In the weeks that followed, I was sore. I was sore for about two weeks. My nipples were super tender, and it would also hurt when he first latched on. But it was nothing unbearable and nothing I couldn't get through. I'm not sure if my research and reaching out paid off, but I never had any bleeding or any serious engorgement. I was breastfeeding him under a blanket the week after he was born while sitting outside with family. It actually came a lot more naturally than I ever thought.

Almost eight months later, we still have an amazing breastfeeding relationship. He still nurses every two-three hours. He nurses for both survival and comfort. He usually wakes up once or twice a night to nurse as well. We've completely given up ever having a sort of schedule. He nurses when he wants or needs it. I'm ok with that for the most part. My type A personality yearns for control, but I know that's not best for him.

Pumping is another story. In the beginning, I constantly pumped bottles when we went out. I was able to leave him for almost 4 or 5 hours with a bottle. Heck, Shane and I even went to a Braves game sans baby. But, I really didn't keep up with the pumping. I guess if I offered the bottle daily, it wouldn't have been a problem. He grew to hate the bottle. He hasn't had a bottle in months now. Last time he did, he refused it and I had to hurry back. And, while sometimes it would be nice to escape, I know that breast is what he wants, and I'm ok with that. It's not like he is going to breastfeed forever, and I really must enjoy our bonding while I can. If I ever pump any extra now, I usually put it in his baby food. I ought to put some in a cup at some point, but there is rarely more than an ounce extra.

People ask me if I will wean him at a year. I sort of laugh. I can't imagine just taking breastfeeding away from this baby. He would be livid. I'm not sure how long I plan to breastfeed Parker. I'm definitely going to encourage him to eat more foods when he turns one, but the milk will still be here for him. I don't think turning one is the magic number to stop breastfeeding all together. How traumatic that would be for him.

I never imagine myself breastfeeding a toddler. But, as the year mark approaches,(that is insane to even say! My baby is growing so fast!) I don't see him refusing boob any time soon.

As a side bonus, I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant. And my boobs don't look awful. But, they aren't any bigger anymore, unless he STTN, which is a rare occurrence. Breastfeeding is so insanely healthy for babies in so many ways. BREAST is BEST!

Home Improvement

You know how when you move into your first home, you have plan? Like, a five year plan? Well, we did. We purchased our first home when our daughter was one year old. It was our starter home, and we were so proud. We were 20 years old! We figured we would be here for about five years. Little did we know!

We really do like our house. The yard needs some work, but we've put a lot into that too. We cut down lots of trees and put up a privacy fence. ...What sucks is our neighbors. A lot of them really don't care about the upkeep of their homes or properties. It's discouraging to say the least, but thus, our privacy fence went up.

We won't be moving any time soon, obviously. So we have started some serious home improvements. We're a one income family, so it will be a slow project, but I couldn't be more excited! I know this may be a boring post, but I want to document a lot of the before and after as well as what we have already done for future reference. Thus, a tour of our home...

Kitchen: We haven't done hardly anything to the kitchen. We purchased a simple black fridge, we changed the all the light fixtures, and we replaced the back door. The green was there when we moved in, and we like it. I'd love to paint the cabinets one day. Plus, our kitchen holds my favorite piece of furniture-the green armoire.

Living room: We just had our living room painted. We went from a gaudy gold to a neutral beige. I love it. I wanted lots of splashes of red-thus new throw pillows, curtains, and a new red lampshade. I love the mirror over my mantel and my fancy clock.

Here is the before: (moved everything for painting)

After:


Hall bathroom: We painted over the ugly brown, we put in a new toilet, a new faucet, and a new light fixture. I love brown and blue! I'm a little obsessed. I don't have any before pictures. I hope to get a new vanity for in here too.

Lily's bedroom: Lily has a cute room, but I don't love the border, and I'm not the hugest purple fan. But here is her room with all of her stuff (I swear, she loves knick knacks to the extreme!) It's a little cluttered for my taste, but I do try my hardest to let her express herself. We haven't done a thing in here yet, but she is happy for now.



Parker's room: Parker's room was painted red, white, and blue with stars like a flag when we moved in. We painted it far more neutral, and changed it from the guest room to the nursery when he was born. Please note his coon skin cap from Bass Pro Shop, he he he.



Our room: It was painted this blue when we moved in. We changed the fan, but that's about it.


The next big project: Our bathroom. The shower, toilet, vanity, sink, and of course linoleum floor is going! I can't wait to beat the linoleum Office Space style in my backyard. Farwell! So here is a before picture:

So there you have it. Lots to do, but lots of change coming in 2011!

Paker 6/7 month checkup

Parker's 6 month checkup got rescheduled about a month ago when there was all the snow and ice, so he just went today. Parker is 27 inches long (about 70%) and 16 pounds, 8 ounces (about 31%). He is doing great and has met so many milestones. He sits up like a pro, he scoots around and is almost crawling, and he even has started pulling up on stuff. He loves eating carrots and bananas, and he also eats peas, green beans, applesauce, and sweet potatoes. And of course he still loves breastfeeding (7 months, going strong, and has never had A DROP of formula!)

He also is obsessed with those baby puffs! I break them in half, and he loves 'em! We are starting on a sippy cup with water, but he really prefers to drink water through a straw...

Parker sleeps through the night for the most part, and I guess he decided he can't make it too easy for me. Parker is really attached and loves to be held, but in the last week, he has taken to playing on the floor with toys, and he does especially well when Lily is down there with him. I think they played for over an hour yesterday.

So that's Parker's little update... :) Happy weekend!

Just hanging out

We decided sippy cups are lame...
We've been sitting pretty...
We played with measuring cups...
We took a bath in the sink...
Thank goodness the groundhog predicted an early spring today. We are certainly laying low...and we are ready for some sunny weather!