Sneak Peak and He's One!

Spring family photo sneak peak :-)

Something that hit me recently and not for the first time...those somewhat insignificant moments that make up the every day (with kids, more often than not, the days are long where you are just wishing for the day to come to a close and for sleep to come without being woken up right after you fall asleep) - you soon realize that those are all the precious moments that add up to to the eventual change we witness in our lives and it's just bittersweet when you look back and realize this. The other day I was reading my old posts and that's when it hit me. I post mostly about my family and when I look back on the everyday this is what I see and it makes me smile.

Here's the other thing that I've been guilty of and then I saw it reaffirmed on an episode of Scrubs :-) - we all think our experiences are unique sometimes, whatever it may be. For me, it could be with my birth experience, parenting experience for whatever age group, marriage, etc. But then you have to remember that you are one tiny person in a big big world and for the most part, you are just like all of the other humans on this earth trying to figure out life. It makes me laugh and it's calming to remember this :-)

Max turned 1 this month! Oh, my sweet big boy. He looks more like a 2 year old. Around 11 months, I would nurse him in public or carry him in the ergo and I started noticing wierd looks from strangers and I got the feeling they thought I was nursing or carrying around a "too" big of a kid. Someone asked me last week if he was 18 months. Yesterday, he threw a tiny fit on the ground and someone said "terrible two's?" Ha ha.


Another peak...how cute is this?

Max is always happy when he wakes up and pretty good about going down at night without a fuss. He's also suprising us with his somewhat consistent sleep patterns at night. I love looking at him when he is in my arms falling asleep, that's when I still see the baby in him. He has the prettiest hair, brown and glossy and lots of it and he has fairer skin like me. His eyes are just like Maggie's. I love-hate seeing his legs get scratched up from walking and falling. It's a sign of him growing up and just a reminder how fast time is really going by.

As for Maggie, one of the themes I've seen with turning 4 is she is really exercising her right to say no. I want her to feel like she can express her opinion and have a a choice in some things. Most recently, her dance class had to go. After about a month of classes, each week it was a new complaint: too loud, didn't want to change into her dance clothes, etc. When she was actually in class, she appeared to have fun and I really liked her teacher. I fought it for a few weeks trying to get to the bottom of it, which I thought maybe we had but then it became a useless fight again. Seems kind of insignificant, but for me at the time it was a hard thing to let go of. As a parent you want your kids to do well, have fun, and learn and when it doesn't go exactly as planned, it's a little disapointing. We're in the "taking a break" period and it's been nice because life has been so busy elsewhere.

I read cookbooks a lot, like all the way through. The other day I got the idea from one to start using lemon curd more. This past weekend I threw together some great oatmeal by using what I had in the kitchen and  I wanted to share because it tasted amazing and it's a really healthy, long-lasting breakfast.

Old-fashioned oats - the easiest way to cook these is pour dry in a bowl, boil water on the stove, pour water into the oats and let sit and absorb for about 5 minutes. I added in dry-roasted slivered almonds, orange-flavored cranberries (Trader Joe's), milk, 1 mashed banana, and after tasting it, it wasn't quite sweet enough, so then I added a spoonful of lemon curd. So yummy. I loved the different sweetnesses and the crunch of the almonds. Max sat on my lap and ate it with me.

Happy day

All the reasons today is happy day:

Drive to work in the rain
Earl grey tea and lemon yogurt
New {happy} tree
Max popping top teeth and nicknamed "Scooter"
Scored cute dress for upcoming wedding that is nursing-compatible
Revlon lip butter rocks - see here (I got Peach Parfait and am going back for more)
Gift giving and good friends
Wearing my Mara
Recalling weekend memories of white roses, shopping with my kiddos and lots of fun finds and deals, salted caramel mocha, yummy dinner and great service with sister-in-law (shout out to the waiter for memorizing 10 orders. I had swordfish over butternut risotto, it was super tasty. We finished dinner with a stop at Gunther's for super creamy scoops. I love spur of the moment and I love lemon custard)

More comparisons

While pumping at work, I was sitting there thankful for how much things have changed. This time, I arrived my first day back ready for it all and above all, confident and not stressed. I had my pumping backpack loaded with all the needed accessories, including a baby powder-smelling diaper and 2 little photos of Max for helping with let down. The designated pumping room was already in place and available for us moms (last time I had to ask that one be designated and spent about the first month back pumping in our locking bathroom which was a bit awkward). My co-worker, who had her daughter just before me, is also pumping and we had our first "pumping party" last week. Goofy, I know...you should have seen us. I have the hand me downs my friends gave me...lots of storage bags and the double pumping bra. For you ladies out there that need to pump at work or wherever else, the double pumping bra is essential, as is double pumping. It makes pumping so much more efficient. I only need to take time twice a day at the most and you can do it hands free for the most part (think texting/phone calls/internet/etc). I can't believe I didn't do this last time.

Looking back, I remember feeling anxious, stressed, crying too often, and as a result I had pumping problems that eventually got worked out, but that time involved lots of panicky phone calls, a trip to the Sutter Lactation Station where I had an impromptu therapy session with the lactation consultant, and having my in-laws bring me pump parts mid-day. This, along with everything else that comes with being a first time parent, made things harder to function normally but I also remember all the good stuff too.

I just feel so much more relaxed this time around and am thankful that my sweet Maggie helped paved the way for baby Max.

Uphill

After a week that wasn't too pretty, I'm feeling much better and have avoided taking antibiotics for this infection. However, I've done a lot of pill popping, sleeping, nursing, hot showers, pumping, cold and hot compresses, liquid consumption, shivering, and sweating! And now it's a beautiful 80+ degrees outside this weekend so the sweating continues :-)

My friend said it perfectly the other day - having mastitis a week after having a baby is totally complicated. You have so much to do to just take care of yourself yet somewhere in there you also have to REST. It is complicated, especially when you feel responsible for taking care of your other children and things at your house. We used help each day this week - family is invaluable. Anyways, we agreed that the upside to this problem is that our milk supply is the bomb, it just needs to even out.

Here is what I have to show for almost 2 weeks in~

Joys of Pregnancy

It's not all rainbows and unicorns, but @ 33 weeks, I'm feeling pretty dang good. I've got my routine down and I do feel that pregnancy glow some women talk about. For me, it's the 1st trimester that really kicks my butt. I wallow...cry...and whine to get through it, but once it passes, it's mostly uphill. I wish in this pregnancy that I was getting more exercise but it's tough to fit in so I make due with stretching and chasing after Maggie.

I've indulged here and there with caffiene this time as it's supposed to be ok in moderation and I'd say half of my friends have their cups of coffee, etc. to get through the day and their babies were a-ok. Sometimes you are dragging so much from lack of energy that you need that little boost and treat to yourself. I'd love to color my hair as that also gives me a boost in the beauty department and supposedly that's fine too...a question for the midwives :-)

Life is good though as we make (shall I say final?) preparations. Things are coming together and I plan to work up until I can't work any longer. I have a long-term project at work that allows me to easily work at my desk and from home when need be and part of me is going to miss that involvement while I'm on leave. 

We just finished a bathroom remodel which now allows me to focus on getting the baby's bedroom ready. It involves getting rid of/moving/and buying furniture for both hubby and baby. Then I can organize and get the room all ready for nursing, changing diapers, and the like. I recieved some thoughtful presents this past weekend, including a handknit pair of baby booties from a friend that are just about the cutest little pieces of footwear I've seen in awhile (aside from my new Acorn slippers that just arrived today...oh the fleece goodness). The booties and an outfit my sister gifted to us might be the perfect birthday outfit for the babes once he makes his way into the world.

Funny Happenings during the Holidays

This has been an exhausting but fun-filled time of year for us. Exhausting part isn't really due to the holidays (although the added activities that come with the holidays make things busier) but it's taken the past couple months to get Maggie's new bed dialed in as well as come up with a sleep plan that works for our family. It's been a process getting her to stay in her bed with having to use the bathroom or want in our bed, which we were not being very consistent about. But just this week things are working well and we've got a good little sleeper. Part of the fun of switching her room around for me has been finding deals. When I scored her colorful ladybug bedding for less than $10 from a consignment shop and then found matching ladybug sheets at Target, it made my day. I have to say that the coupons this season have been amazing. Online purchasing is amazing and so are family gift exchanges. It's the first time we've done it and I love that I just have to get one gift for my secret family member, cutting 9 gifts down to 1. It has helped keep things low-key and has put more focus back on enjoying other aspects of the giving season.

Upon finding out that a boy will be making his way into our family, we've started dissembling our last spare bedroom. The plus to this is we know what we need for his arrival, which isn't much, but it also means finiding more storage in our room and making everything fit. Our house seemed so big when we bought it pre-kids!

Maggie has become quite the goof and she can be sneaky too, like when I'm trying to hide her advent calendar with goodies in it and then fall asleep briefly...she sneaks it out, wakes me up playfully, and proceeds to shake it and find all the hidden candy. I'm also the type of person that doesn't really hold much back with the truth of things and with having kids, I think this is a fine way to go, but it can also get you in trouble (a.k.a. embarass you) sometimes. We've had a few of those moments lately after our quiet teaching moments. Things having to do with how babies are born, girl and boy parts, and babies nursing. The momentary shock is worth all the laughter that follows.

Maggie and I sent off her 1st letter to Santa this year and she and I brainstormed on what she wanted to ask for. She is still a little young in this department, but we came up with a good list. Maggie stated more than once that she is thankful for pigs around Thanksgiving which had us cracking up. She is infatuated with pigs, I wonder how long it will last. Her clothes preferences seem to change weekly. Anyways, pig toys made it onto the list and my sister is delivering in that area. We've got some of the other stuff covered and are keeping it simple.

Donating

One thing I am passionate about is donating items that I don't have a use for anymore. I have never liked throwing things away for the heck of it and figure there is someone out there that could use these things, even if it's something small.

With all the pumping I've been doing at work, I have a lot of extra milk in our freezer. Maggie loves to nurse but I'm not sure she drinks as much from the bottle as she does when she is nursing.

Before I was pregnant, a friend of mine was considering donating her milk. I'm not sure if she followed through with it but it got me thinking that I could do that with my extra milk after I started noticing that we had milk taking up so much space in our freezer it was squeezing out room for other goodies.

We have a freestanding birth center in Sacramento that also operates a milk bank so I did the testing and filled out the application and now I'm a milk donor. I'm happy to say that I get to donate my milk to hospitals for NICU babies and also to a local woman that hasn't been able to provide enough milk for her baby.

When I had Maggie and was going to a moms group, there was a mom there that found out she had breast cancer right after birthing her son and she had to stop nursing him and go through treatment. She was very thankful to have hooked up with a U.S. milk bank and recieve milk in the mail for her son in his first year. Hearing her story has always stuck with me and now I am in a position to offer my milk to other people's babies that need it. It's a great feeling to know I am helping others in this way.

Not many people know that this is possible. If you know someone that isn't nursing and instead goes the formula route, mention this to them. Educate your family and friends. It's a pretty easy process on both ends (donor and reciever) and giving your baby mother's milk is much more nutritional than formula.

Just typing "milk bank" into Google brings up all sorts of websites. Milk banks help during worldwide disasters like the earthquake in Haiti. Salma Hayek was filmed nursing a newborn in Africa, which after reading this article, is called cross-nursing. Huh! It's a controversial issue here in the U.S. but I think it's a wonderful thing. I tend to follow beliefs featured here, which is a great magazine encouraging more natural ways of parenting from all aspects. I highly recommend it!

Going with the flow

I'm starting to understand why they use no sleep as a form of torture and why my sister has been telling me over the past two years that it's really hard to function when you are constantly up at night with a baby and not getting good sleep. I always thought it was funny how everyone would ask us about sleep and whether any of us were getting any because overall, the past 8 months have been pretty good to us. I really didn't understand...until now.

I've really noticed a change in her lately. Maggie is a little crankier (it's got to be teething but no teeth yet), she's easier to upset, and she is crawling like crazy which means she gets into stuff before you know it and taking things away from her little hands is like prying something out of a ninja grip and it does not please her one bit. Just getting her diaper on is an ordeal. And naps. What naps?

Yesterday, I was amazed I could get up and go to work looking better than I felt seeing as how I got no sleep that night. I woke up exhausted and had a heck of a day (turns out no sleep increases stress about everything which in turn makes it hard to pump and so that makes me go a little crazy). It was lights out just before 8. The other night, between Michael and I, we got up 6-8 times to soothe her. It was exhausting.

On the bright side, we painted Maggie's room. It's pretty cliche, but it's pink. We were given a lot of hand-me-downs for her room and a lot of the items are blue and white but there is this undertone of rose pink, so I incorporated it on the walls and love it. Below are the cute knobs my sister and I spotted at Target and she suprised me with pink ones awhile ago. They go perfectly.

I'll leave you with this...I think a raccoon got into the leftover paint as I let it dry outside overnight. There is one pink paw after another trailing down our walkway.

Workin' girl

I'm back to work for real now (P/T). Hit a few speedbumps in the beginning, but I'm figuring it all out as I go.

This morning, for example, I'm eating kix as I'm driving to work (yeah, not very safe at all but I like to live on the edge) and I was scrunching my hair with curl gel as I had the heater pointed at me full blast. It actually worked quite well!

I've been pumping a little here and there since she was born, but now it's a serious business and I experienced some frustration with a poorly-working pump so pump #2 is in action now. It's such a funny thing to go through (the act and art of pumping, that is) but at the end of the day I feel good that I can continue to feed Maggie momma's milk. It makes me feel more connected to her as I go about my day and it has such great nutritional value.

I have lots of support at work - three of us gave birth this spring and another co-worker is due in November. We also have a new dad in the office that can relate and many other parents of older children. So, it's all good and what makes me especially comfortable with it all is that our family is watching her. She's in really good hands. For the future, I'm on the search for the right daycare in case one day we need it. This week I toured a feel-good one that is definitely being tucked away in my tool box.

Although at this point I haven't felt like I need work to balance out my life, going back has its advantages (besides bringing in income of course). Not only do I get to see my co-workers and friends, it gives me a little time to myself and the opportunity to do errands and have lunch sans kiddo.

I can tell you though, there is nothing like racing home to your baby after the end of the day and seeing her smiling face when you walk in the door. Maggie loves giving hugs and it's the best thing ever. And oh, did I mention the house smelling of beef stew on a rainy day and seeing your own mom's smiling face as well? Makes life that much sweeter! Add Michael to the mix and his mom's homemade flour tortillas, and I'm a happy, happy girl.

Breastfeeding

This is the international symbol for breastfeeding. I've had the pleasure of nursing Maggie since birth and with a few exceptions, it has been a wonderful experience for both mom and baby. I really feel like I am giving her a great start in life and that it is totally worth the sacrifice on my part. For all you breastfeeding mothers out there, good job!