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Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
More on feeding Leo
Are you guys getting tired of hearing about this yet?
He's doing so well with his Special Needs feeder, gaining weight, eating well and going through a growth spurt right now apparently. I'm definitely keeping up with pumping and produce more every day than he eats, so I have quite the supply in the freezer. So that is all going well. I gave up dairy to try to help his fussiness. It seemed to help, he started sleeping better during the day and night and was more alert, happy and calm when he was awake. I cheated a few times this past weekend and TOTALLY regretted it - he was so fussy. So I won't be doing that again.
The other day I tried a regular bottle nipple with him, thinking for sure he would be able to do it. But he could NOT do it! I was totally shocked. I guess I shouldn't have been, but I was. He couldn't get anything out of the bottle. I put his regular nipple on that bottle and he sucked it right down. I guess it's just weird to me because he LOOKS totally normal. I forget he has a big issue. Sure it's fixable but it won't be fixed for over a year. I'm nervous about his surgery and recovery on one hand, but on the other I can't wait for it to be over.
As much as I miss being to breastfeed him, there are definite advantages to him taking a bottle. Madeleine sometimes feeds him for me especially if we are trying to get out the door. I put him in his carseat and she loves holding the bottle in his mouth. Ken can feed him in the middle of the night while I pump. If he wakes up twice, Ken finishes feeding him and gets him to bed once, and I take over after pumping the second time. It's really nice to be able to go straight back to bed after pumping the first time! I was able to take the two big kids to the dentist and leave Leo with mom, without worrying he'd be hungry. I'm finally really getting used to pumping as part of my day, and I'm comfortable taking the hand pump if I'm going to be away from home for more than 3 hours. I have pumped in numerous places - maybe embarrassed my mom a little at the Children's museum ;) I've gotten through 11 weeks of exclusive pumping and I know I can make it at least a year. There are definite issues I never thought about as well. For one thing I am never sure how much to give him. Sometimes he eats 4-5 oz and sometimes he eats 2 1/2. And sometimes he just wants a LITTLE bit. I don't want to waste any so I usually end up refilling his bottles several times a day. Also I am really not sure if I'm going to be able to use my freezer supply, since it's only good for 3 months. I'm afraid to give it up in case he needs it, but I am also running out of room.
OH, and I don't know if it's all the pumping or the dairy-free diet, but I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Madeleine. Hopefully I can lose at least another 15-20. I'm feeling good!
He's doing so well with his Special Needs feeder, gaining weight, eating well and going through a growth spurt right now apparently. I'm definitely keeping up with pumping and produce more every day than he eats, so I have quite the supply in the freezer. So that is all going well. I gave up dairy to try to help his fussiness. It seemed to help, he started sleeping better during the day and night and was more alert, happy and calm when he was awake. I cheated a few times this past weekend and TOTALLY regretted it - he was so fussy. So I won't be doing that again.
The other day I tried a regular bottle nipple with him, thinking for sure he would be able to do it. But he could NOT do it! I was totally shocked. I guess I shouldn't have been, but I was. He couldn't get anything out of the bottle. I put his regular nipple on that bottle and he sucked it right down. I guess it's just weird to me because he LOOKS totally normal. I forget he has a big issue. Sure it's fixable but it won't be fixed for over a year. I'm nervous about his surgery and recovery on one hand, but on the other I can't wait for it to be over.
As much as I miss being to breastfeed him, there are definite advantages to him taking a bottle. Madeleine sometimes feeds him for me especially if we are trying to get out the door. I put him in his carseat and she loves holding the bottle in his mouth. Ken can feed him in the middle of the night while I pump. If he wakes up twice, Ken finishes feeding him and gets him to bed once, and I take over after pumping the second time. It's really nice to be able to go straight back to bed after pumping the first time! I was able to take the two big kids to the dentist and leave Leo with mom, without worrying he'd be hungry. I'm finally really getting used to pumping as part of my day, and I'm comfortable taking the hand pump if I'm going to be away from home for more than 3 hours. I have pumped in numerous places - maybe embarrassed my mom a little at the Children's museum ;) I've gotten through 11 weeks of exclusive pumping and I know I can make it at least a year. There are definite issues I never thought about as well. For one thing I am never sure how much to give him. Sometimes he eats 4-5 oz and sometimes he eats 2 1/2. And sometimes he just wants a LITTLE bit. I don't want to waste any so I usually end up refilling his bottles several times a day. Also I am really not sure if I'm going to be able to use my freezer supply, since it's only good for 3 months. I'm afraid to give it up in case he needs it, but I am also running out of room.
OH, and I don't know if it's all the pumping or the dairy-free diet, but I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant with Madeleine. Hopefully I can lose at least another 15-20. I'm feeling good!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Cootie
Madeleine and John Paul LOVE playing their Cootie game. And It's so fun to play a family game after supper! Today I had put it up on the hutch and Madeleine thought she could stand on a chair and get it. Ken's briefcase was on the closest chair.
M: Daddy, could you please move your purse off the chair?
(I about died laughing!)
Ok time for American idol. And Fr. Dan gave me some Irish cream for Leo's baptism. Is he not the coolest priest EVER??? Then Ken bought me some butterscotch schnapps so...
Ill see y'all later ;)
M: Daddy, could you please move your purse off the chair?
(I about died laughing!)
Ok time for American idol. And Fr. Dan gave me some Irish cream for Leo's baptism. Is he not the coolest priest EVER??? Then Ken bought me some butterscotch schnapps so...
Ill see y'all later ;)
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Monday, February 21, 2011
Buddy trying out the miracle blanket
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Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Leo's first Sacrament
Hallelujah!!!
Fr. Dan has baptized all of my children. And we lived at the Newman Center together in college ;) (Separate houses, but we all still called each other "roommates.")
Leo Michael, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Godparents Dominic and Jenny.
Fr. Dan and my sweet Leo Michael
It was such a beautiful day. Leo slept through the entire baptism. We celebrated with family and friends. "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God’" (Luke 18:15–16).
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Surprise!
Leo and I had a great weekend! We had the opportunity to fly down to North Carolina to go to Dorothy's baby shower and surprise her, then we crashed at her house til last night ;) Other than the craziness we experienced traveling there and back, we had a fantastic time.
The plan was for us to get up at 3:30am on Saturday, get a 6 am flight to DC, then an 8:45 flight to RDU, then D's sister was going to pick us up and get to the shower at 11, and it started at 12. Perfect plan. Unfortunately, that did not happen. We got on the 6am flight, then it started snowing. They had to de-ice the plane, which took 30 minutes. Then we got out on the runway, waited too long to take off, and they had to bring the plane back to the gate to get de-iced again. By 7am they made us get off the plane and switch to another one. Oh also, apparently if you try to take breastmilk through security, they think you're a terrorist. They did so much testing on it I thought it probably wasn't safe to give him, so I really didn't give him any of the milk I brought. So we got on the other plane, they had to de-ice it as well. We were two hours late taking off and missed our connecting flight in DC. They also took us to the wrong terminal, so I had to go OUT of security and back in, where they did more tests on the milk and extra patdowns for me. I also was wearing Leo in the Moby wrap which was under a sweater. They made me take him out, then said I had to take off the sweater and wrap and put it through the machine. I had already put the carseat and stroller through the machine, so I asked a security lady to hold Leo while I stripped down. She wouldn't. And NO ONE offered to help me at all. It was quite interesting trying to hold Leo with one hand, take off my sweater and untie my wrap to go through security. We got on an 11am flight and I had not pumped since 3:30am. It was PAINFUL. So I got out the hooter hider and the hand pump, while holding Leo, and this old guy in front of me turned around and started this long small-talk conversation. I learned that I can't really small talk, hold Leo, keep the hooter hider in the right place and pump at the same time. I hope the guy didn't think I was too rude. I tried my best! He had no clue what I was doing. Also, Leo decided to fill his diaper at this time and the flight attendants would not let me get up. So he got changed on the seat next to me. P picked us up and we got to the shower right as it was ending. But it WAS fun to surprise Dorothy ;) And I had a GREAT time hanging out with her and Lucy for two days. She looks beautiful at 36 weeks pregnant and Lucy is such a sweet, fun little girl. She got all kinds of attention wherever we went because she is so cute and smiley. Love her! Plus I had such a great time hanging out with Dorothy. It was definitely like a vacation with only one kid! Plus the weather was amazing! We got to hang out outside which was wonderful after our recent weather. Thanks for everything D! ;)
Leo was the perfect little traveling companion. He could not have been ANY better. Love him!
The flight home was a direct flight last night. It was supposed to leave at 5:30 and get to Indy at 7:15. Oh how perfect. I got Leo on the plane in his carseat, he was fast asleep. I had gotten a chicken wrap and a drink and was all settled in to eat it. Ken was planning on picking me up with the kids. That was too good to be true. There was a mechanical problem with the plane and they made us get off with all our stuff. They had already taken my stroller so there was no way I could go anywhere with the carseat and 3 bags. We sat at the gate for 2 hours while they worked on the plane. I needed to pump so at one point I had to carry everything to a bathroom to do that. We finally got back on the plane and arrived home at 9:30. My goodness! I was so happy to see the kids! Apparently they really missed me. Mom said when John Paul saw a snowman he said, "He's crying." Mom asked why the snowman was crying and he said, "He can't find his mommy." How sad!
Also today Leo is 2 months old. Already! How did that happen? He's so happy and smiles at everyone. He wakes up either once or twice a night. Not too bad! I'm also pretty proud of myself that I've pumped exclusively for two months. It's been hard, but I'm getting into the groove now. My goal is to pump until he turns one, then I'll see how we are doing. If I can keep going until his surgery I will. If not, I'll give myself permission to stop after his first birthday. He is happy and healthy and thriving! He looks so much healthier than he did the first month.
The plan was for us to get up at 3:30am on Saturday, get a 6 am flight to DC, then an 8:45 flight to RDU, then D's sister was going to pick us up and get to the shower at 11, and it started at 12. Perfect plan. Unfortunately, that did not happen. We got on the 6am flight, then it started snowing. They had to de-ice the plane, which took 30 minutes. Then we got out on the runway, waited too long to take off, and they had to bring the plane back to the gate to get de-iced again. By 7am they made us get off the plane and switch to another one. Oh also, apparently if you try to take breastmilk through security, they think you're a terrorist. They did so much testing on it I thought it probably wasn't safe to give him, so I really didn't give him any of the milk I brought. So we got on the other plane, they had to de-ice it as well. We were two hours late taking off and missed our connecting flight in DC. They also took us to the wrong terminal, so I had to go OUT of security and back in, where they did more tests on the milk and extra patdowns for me. I also was wearing Leo in the Moby wrap which was under a sweater. They made me take him out, then said I had to take off the sweater and wrap and put it through the machine. I had already put the carseat and stroller through the machine, so I asked a security lady to hold Leo while I stripped down. She wouldn't. And NO ONE offered to help me at all. It was quite interesting trying to hold Leo with one hand, take off my sweater and untie my wrap to go through security. We got on an 11am flight and I had not pumped since 3:30am. It was PAINFUL. So I got out the hooter hider and the hand pump, while holding Leo, and this old guy in front of me turned around and started this long small-talk conversation. I learned that I can't really small talk, hold Leo, keep the hooter hider in the right place and pump at the same time. I hope the guy didn't think I was too rude. I tried my best! He had no clue what I was doing. Also, Leo decided to fill his diaper at this time and the flight attendants would not let me get up. So he got changed on the seat next to me. P picked us up and we got to the shower right as it was ending. But it WAS fun to surprise Dorothy ;) And I had a GREAT time hanging out with her and Lucy for two days. She looks beautiful at 36 weeks pregnant and Lucy is such a sweet, fun little girl. She got all kinds of attention wherever we went because she is so cute and smiley. Love her! Plus I had such a great time hanging out with Dorothy. It was definitely like a vacation with only one kid! Plus the weather was amazing! We got to hang out outside which was wonderful after our recent weather. Thanks for everything D! ;)
Leo was the perfect little traveling companion. He could not have been ANY better. Love him!
The flight home was a direct flight last night. It was supposed to leave at 5:30 and get to Indy at 7:15. Oh how perfect. I got Leo on the plane in his carseat, he was fast asleep. I had gotten a chicken wrap and a drink and was all settled in to eat it. Ken was planning on picking me up with the kids. That was too good to be true. There was a mechanical problem with the plane and they made us get off with all our stuff. They had already taken my stroller so there was no way I could go anywhere with the carseat and 3 bags. We sat at the gate for 2 hours while they worked on the plane. I needed to pump so at one point I had to carry everything to a bathroom to do that. We finally got back on the plane and arrived home at 9:30. My goodness! I was so happy to see the kids! Apparently they really missed me. Mom said when John Paul saw a snowman he said, "He's crying." Mom asked why the snowman was crying and he said, "He can't find his mommy." How sad!
Also today Leo is 2 months old. Already! How did that happen? He's so happy and smiles at everyone. He wakes up either once or twice a night. Not too bad! I'm also pretty proud of myself that I've pumped exclusively for two months. It's been hard, but I'm getting into the groove now. My goal is to pump until he turns one, then I'll see how we are doing. If I can keep going until his surgery I will. If not, I'll give myself permission to stop after his first birthday. He is happy and healthy and thriving! He looks so much healthier than he did the first month.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Sick sick sick
My big kids have been sick for a few weeks - runny noses, coughs, fevers. I took them to the doctor on Friday and he said they need mama love, chicken soup, tylenol and motrin, and their immune systems would work. But it's been pretty miserable around here. I had the doctor look in Leo's ears and the poor baby has a double ear infection :( I hate hate hate giving my 7 week old antibiotics. We are going back later this week to make sure he's all clear. I really hope this doesn't keep happening. I would have never known he was even sick except for one bad night he had, up about every hour. Otherwise he's been wonderful.
I felt so bad for Madeleine on Friday when we went to the doctor. I had told her we were going to the doctor and he'd help her feel better. When it was time to leave she started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "But I don't feel better yet!" Poor thing!
They've been playing "Dr. J" with their doctor kit ever since! Actually today was the first time Madeleine got off the couch all weekend. She has been miserable. I hope the worst is over and now they are recovering. She seems so skinny, I think she's lost weight. I tried to give her some extra protein today - I made pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes with extra eggs and protein powder this morning. They were delicious!!
Ken and I got to go on a date last night. My mom babysat M and JP and we took Leo. We haven't been on a date in a long time and it was really fun! Unfortunately we had to cut it short and come home because the roads were a sheet of ice.
Seriously the weather needs to clear up and the kids need to get better because I NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!
I felt so bad for Madeleine on Friday when we went to the doctor. I had told her we were going to the doctor and he'd help her feel better. When it was time to leave she started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "But I don't feel better yet!" Poor thing!
They've been playing "Dr. J" with their doctor kit ever since! Actually today was the first time Madeleine got off the couch all weekend. She has been miserable. I hope the worst is over and now they are recovering. She seems so skinny, I think she's lost weight. I tried to give her some extra protein today - I made pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes with extra eggs and protein powder this morning. They were delicious!!
Ken and I got to go on a date last night. My mom babysat M and JP and we took Leo. We haven't been on a date in a long time and it was really fun! Unfortunately we had to cut it short and come home because the roads were a sheet of ice.
Seriously the weather needs to clear up and the kids need to get better because I NEED TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!
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