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.

Back in the swing of things

Maternity leave has ended. I had mixed feelings of course going back to work earlier than I had hoped but thankfully it wasn't as intense as the first time. Now that I'm over the hurdle, it's quite pleasant (but I'm sure there will be hiccups). I had a wonderful maternity leave. My moms group has great activities and we just kept busy seeing friends and family and doing fun stuff. We were able to fit in a last-minute family trip to the San Francisco coast before I started back to work. It was great. Stayed in a wonderful, quaint 1930's motel in the middle of a residential neighborhood, blocks from the zoo and ocean. We didn't use the public transportation because we didn't need to (Maggie and I wanted to, hubby didn't-he's been hardened by his downtown work life and local transit-ha ha) but it was literally out in front of the motel, which made for some interesting white noise outside our windows. Street cleaners, early garden nursery activities across the street, Muni, people talking on the street... I'm a deep sleeper and heard some of it, hubby is not and heard all of it. Overall, a great trip, one I would recommend to everyone. Even though SF has great restaurants, we had a kitchenette so we cooked in and with two little ones, that was very helpful.

Max is a great baby. About a week ago (at just past 3 months) he learned to roll over and back. It's caused him to be a little more restless with sleep which has also made us start moving him to the crib once in awhile. Being jabbed awake over and over gets old and swaddling doesn't work all that great when a baby rolls over and doesn't have it's arms free. Always transitions.

We've been doing lots of swimming, enjoying other people's pools and our public pool. Maggie can swim on her own for short bouts, she's getting pretty close. Both kids are water babies. Maggie is always cracking me up with her sayings, I love observing how she puts her sentences together. She has crazy love for her brother, smothering is constant :-) But he loves her being near and gives her big smiles. Maggie is excited to "get married" this fall, she'll be a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. She also likes taking pictures with my camera. She knows how to work it just from observing me and takes the funniest pictures from her level.

Baby Rose, little dog, Max's face, and her finger

Our plums are going bonkers (like 100's this year) but they are still a little tart. My garden is kind of lame but we've got tomatoes. My only goal really was to have stuff for Maggie to pick and we've accomplished that. Now if I could just keep up on the weeding/trimming, it never ends.

More fun pics from this summer, enjoy!

Visiting great grandpa for first time!

Community service day

Comparisons

Read two parenting books this past month. This one I started reading and really liked the introduction explaining the science behind it all and the section on gentle birthing but it became irritating to read after awhile so I scanned the last half of the book. I'm all for aspects of attachment parenting that are simply intuitive, easy to do, and produce good results, but this women is pretty extreme and seems to sacrifice (too) much of herself.

The other book is a comparison of French to American parenting from an American mom living in Paris. It seems to me that she is comparing Parisians to New York mothers and that might be where it ends. The U.S. is huge and encompasses many types of parents and cultures which means different ways of raising children. I'm sure France is similar. But overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was one I didn't want to put down until I was finished and I even got a good recipe for the kiddos out of it. I appreciated the research this author did and the points she made about French parenting. Much of it I identify with and it was a good education on how to parent wiser.

Another comparison. Max is 3 months old (yesterday) and this is Maggie at 2.5 months (chose this photo because it was taken similarly). I love my kids! I'm scrambling to fit a lot of fun into my last couple weeks of maternity leave. After that, it's a balance of work and home life again. I'm sure it will take some adjustment (like all the pumping and bottle feeding and little Max learning to spend pleasant days with his grandmas!) but I'm excited for the change.

List making

I'm copying a friend who blogged about this a few weeks ago. I make lists usually every day to keep my brain on track but here's one for the summer. These are the fun things I hope we accomplish:

Visit the zoo (a lot) - we have a pass
Mom's group activities
Mr. Cooper at the library
Make ice cream with our ice cream maker
Make lots of popsicles
Pick berries
Go to the state fair - for Maggie, this means see the piggies :-)
Go on one or two road/camping trips...two camping trips are planned, one local and one far...
Visit the ocean
Have backyard barbeques and campfires
Lots of play for the kids in the kiddie pool
Swim lessons
Go on family bike rides
Garden/pick tomatoes all summer
Walks with the kids during the day/to the park

Not on the list, but yesterday we set out for a local nature tour - I took them to a little botanical garden I saw off the road in our town, but it was a short walk and the garden hadn't been kept up too well. So we visited Effie Yeaw Nature Center which had more for Maggie to explore. When I told her we were going on a hike, she looked scared and said "mountain lions"! Last year, it was rattlesnakes. Instead, we spotted a family of turkeys and pipevine swallowtail butterflies. Good day in the sun (and I'd have uploaded a picture of Mags out there but it's too big).

Summertime

My posts have been lacking and Max will wake up any minute now (which is why they are lacking...) but trying to get something documented from the past month of fun! Just realized the guy that runs the little train by our house, who is also a photo instructor, changed the settings on my camera and all my pictures are huge! So, taking forever to upload...grrr.

I was on the daycare search this past month and then found out I need to return to work even sooner than I'd hoped but because of that, my mom and mother in law were able to work out a schedule to care for Mr. Max like they did when Maggie was a baby. So happy about the arrangement, I was more than nervous about finding a good fit for him.

Blueberry picking with cousin Eden

Maggie, our oh so wonderful 3 year old, is fiesty, sometimes driving us crazy but mostly just making us smile and laugh. She's such a great helper with Max, but at the end of the day, I'm exhausted regardless. We got rid of her naps because of late bedtime, then brought them back because we had a tired monster on our hands. Now she's napping but we wake her up after a bit which seems to be the best solution.

Max seems to have come out of the colicky stage thank goodness and he's a happy little guy. While looking for daycare, one of the ladies I met up with brought up Baby Wise, which advocates a schedule to put your baby on. I tried it for a day but then it backfired. Too much sleep during the day left him restless at night. It was a good lesson though in being mindful of our babie's cues and when to feed, put down for sleep, etc.

Maggie had her first round of swim lessons as a Guppy and in a few weeks she starts as a Minnow :-) I can't wait for what has now become my favorite holiday - the 4th! It's warm, late nights, fireworks, swimming, good food, and a party I can go on and on about. We're going on a trial camping trip just before the holiday. Babies are pretty easy to camp with and Maggie is at a great age for it. We got an awesome tent for our growing family with two rooms and you can stand up in it. I get to try out my plush camping thermarest for the first time and you can fit a pack n play and more in the new tent, I'm stoked. We used to be a backpacking couple, now whatever it takes to be comfortable car camping with two little kids, I'm all for it!

Finishing out May

While hubby tallies up his miles for May is Bike Month (over 1,000 miles with goal of 500 and don't think you had any of us fooled mister on how competitive you are in May compared to your colleagues), I tally up photos of our happenings around home. I am settling into managing two and we have our good and bad days, mostly good. The colicky crying gets old but it doesn't last too long and in the evenings Mr. Max usually goes for a long walk with dad for peace and quiet. Funny side note: talking with a neighbor, she said her sister swore Michael was walking with a puppy in the ergo. ha ha, must be all of Max's hair poking out.

Max is close to 2 months old now. He's got wild, strong arms. Breaks out of his swaddles and sticks his fists in his mouth trying to suck on them. He can be quite fussy, but he coo's and "talks" often and Maggie makes him smile when he's not overwhelmed by her smothering him. He seems to be through the newborn acre/cradle cap stage and is really filling out. He's all chubby cheeks.

Maggie tells everyone that she is "free" (three), dresses herself and always wants to wear fancy shoes, a dress, and jewelry. She's our girly girl. She can't wait to feed Max with a bottle and she is constantly amusing us with the things she says. She mimicks a lot of what I do with Max (feed, change, etc.) with all her animals and dolls and she's my big helper.

Hello June!

Zoo wildlife show

Memorial day BBQ

Happy boy