10/19/10 - It's Come To This..

Well, today I "made" Christian pick the girls up after work and I left work early...used 2 of the precious vacation hours I have remaining, and went grocery shopping. Yup...shopping. We still don't really take Amelia "in public" because she's such a fussy little thing. Olivia is OK, and I usually take her with me, but since I had to go on a weeknight, I just wanted to be able to get through the store and focus on what I needed to get. I must admit...it was nice being able to walk through the store and do my thang, rather than focus on shopping and entertaining the little one. I think I was spoiled...

I got home and started packing up my food for the rest of the week at work and getting everything put away. I also managed to unload and load the dishwasher, prepare Amelia's bottles for tomorrow AND start dinner before Christian and the girls got home! Go me!

I'm on a big diet/weight loss kick right now, and loving it. I "started" about 2 weeks ago, and am just trying to get better and better. I stocked up on my fruits and veggies and healthy snacks, and got everything packaged and ready for work. So far, since my kick started, I've lost 7 pounds! YAY. 3 more pounds to my first goal...my Pre-Amelia weight. SO excited. I was going to follow weight watchers again, but since I'm breastfeeding I get 36 points...36! There is no way I could eat 36 points a day, so I don't really have to bother recording my food right now. Just watch my portions and keep the healthy foods flowing!


Finally, we all ate dinner, watched a little TV. I spent some QT with Olivia since I'd gotten my "chores" done early, and gave her a bath tonight. She's so goofy in the bath...I finally invested in some bubble bath at Target today, so she was in heaven! After she was in bed, I fed Amelia and got her to sleep while Christian put up the first of the plastic on the windows. I can't believe it's plastic on the windows time already!

Here's an innappropriate naked picture of the girls. Daddy is funny, at least the girls think so!

10/18/10 - It's Official...

...Our baby girls has some acid reflux going on. Poor thing. I finally broke down and brought her in to the doctor today. She's still been really fussy, and now she spits up EVERY time she eats. It comes pouring out like a faucet, then she gets really upset. It was interesting to sit down with the doctor and really learn what reflux is. Basically, Amelia's body isn't understanding the concept of holding her food down. It goes up and down her throat, and eventually comes pouring out. And, at times, gets some of the stomach acid mixed in with it, causing the painful heartburn feeling that makes her fussy and upset. Poor thing. He's having me elevate her mattress, sit up her during feedings and for 15-30 minutes after she's done, burp her multiple times during feedings and start her on Infant Probiotics. It's a natural remedy kind of thing, which he said he usually is not "in to", but swears by them for gas, fussiness, reflux, etc. So, after the appointment I stopped into a pharmacy and picked some up. We'll be starting her on those ASAP! He said to do all of this for 2 weeks, and if it's still not better, I can fill the Zantac prescription he wrote her. I really don't want to do that...I'm not big on meds, especially on a daily basis. And, I've heard babies grow tolerances to medicines very quickly, so it will become pointless in no time anyway.

In the end, he said it's often developed between 2 weeks and 2 months, hits it's peak around 4 months, starts getting better around 6 months (when they start on solids and start sitting up more) and usually resolves between 8 and 12 months. Good times....

Anyway, that took up my morning. I finally got to work around 11:30. After work Christian ran to Menards, and we all met up back at home. He fired up the grill and we all just hung out playing all night. Olivia was VERY sleep deprived today, and VERY goofy as a result. It was quite hilarious! Here's a picture of our littlest big girl :)

10/17/10 - Fantastic Sunday!

Today was a great day! Immediately after getting up, ready and eating a quick breakfast, we made our annual trip to Sever's Corn Maze and had a blast! Olivia and I played in the corn pool, which is the best part of the entire place. Christian took her down the giant slide (she thought it was simply wonderful), helped her shoot the corn rocket and took her on a pony ride (of course). We hung out in the awesome petting zoo for a while...she was obsessed with the deer, she loved them! They had a free jump house there, which she of course spotted immediately. We finally let her go in it, and of course it was impossible to get her out. Christian finally had to go in and get her...she was NOT happy about that. We had to bribe her with some silly carnival game/prize to get her to stop screaming and crying. DRAMA. Finally we grabbed some lunch, and Amelia (who was AMAZING the entire time) started getting fussy and hungry, so we snapped a quick family picture, picked our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and were on our way home. GREAT TIME! Can't wait for next year already!

Once we got home, I fed Amelia and we attempted to put Olivia down for a nap so we could eat some pre-dinner snacks and watch the Vikings game. By the time we finished eating, she still wasn't sleeping. Finally, we just got her up and brought her downstairs to watch the game and play. I made a quick run to Sam's at halftime because the cats were STARVING, but we were out of food. Poor neglected cats. We finished watching the Vikings WIN WIN WIN over the Cowboys, made our read dinner and hung out for the rest of the night.

Busy, wonderful day. Now, back to work in the AM!

10/16/10 - Plans Are Made...To Be Broken...

Apparently.

Today started off well. We all woke up, started some breakfast, then Christian was off to help my Mom move the rest of her stuff out of her house. We assumed that would take a few hours, then Christian would come home and we'd get ready to head off to my Cousin's little girls' 1st birthday party. Well, birthday girl came down with some kind of bug and wasn't feeling up to partying. Poor thing. I was really looking forward to seeing some of the family, but it sounds like they are rescheduling for next weekend, so that will be fun. Right after I found out about the cancellation, the Madrid's asked us to hang out and make "haunted" gingerbread houses with the girls. Why not! Well, as soon as we're showered and getting ready...Christian's parents call...they went to the mall, and now their car wouldn't start. So, he had to drive all the way up to the city to give them a ride home (they have his sister's old car at their house still)...so, we had to cancel. The Madrid's didn't want to be out too late, and it was going to take Christian a while to get there, drop them off and get home, so it wasn't worth making them sit around waiting for. So, needless to say, we really didn't do anything.

Once he was home, we just pretty much hung out, watched some TV. When we switched over to Dish Network we got 3 free pay-per-view movies. We used one of them tonight to watch "The Crazies"...ummm, waste of a free pay-per-view and time. Oh well.

I've also pretty much decided that Amelia has some reflux going on. I amazingly managed to get an appointment for her on Monday to check it out and talk with her pediatrician...I hope we can do something! I can't take much more of the constant fussiness...and she's spitting up SO bad now on top of it. Poor thing. While I tried to do some cleaning up before bedtime, I distracted Olivia with money...she probably thought she was filling her piggy...but, I'm sneaky, that's Amelia's! Since Olivia was born, we put all of our "pocket" change in her piggy (and, let me tell you, that thing is HEAVY). We decided that once Amelia got here, we'd give her all of our change until she's 18 months old, then we'd start splitting it among them. It's not much, but it's something! Every little bit helps, right?!

10/15/10 - Everyone Needs a Drink

Well, it's been a LONG week. My first FULL week back to work is officially done. And, I need a drink! My entire body hurts...from my brain to my feet. I need a vacation, already! My poor mom did not have a good day with little Amelia either. Amelia seems to have a hard time warming up to people. After a couple days with Christian's mom, she seems to be doing much better, so hopefully she'll get better for my mom...SOON! So, I think my mom probably needs a drink tonight too!

My BFF and I made last minute plans to hang out. She stopped over tonight, and I had all the intentions in the world of having a couple drinks. I feel comfortable enough now in Amelia's sleep patters, that I think I can get a couple drinks in, then get it out of my system before she needs to eat. However, I by the time I got her down after visiting with Kari for a bit, finally got my first beer, and finished it...I was exhausted, and it was getting late. Those party animals stayed up and chatted for a while, I snuck into the room and passed out! I am too old and too tired to stay up past my bedtime these days!

Here's our little peanut....upset that bathtime is over!

10/14/10 - Ugh

So, I can honestly say I've just about lost my mind. I cannot remember anything anymore, and it's getting ridiculous. This morning was rough. Amelia woke up at 3:30 to eat. By the time she finishes eating, there's no sense in going back to bed, so I just laid there for a little while with her. Then I had to shower, get ready, pump and pack everything up for work. Then, we get the girls up and ready to go. I pay my mother in law on Thursday's, so I usually take Christian's card to work with me to get cash...forgot that today. I got to his parent's house to drop the girls off and realize we'd forgotten Amelia's pacifier (and his mom swears she doesn't have the extra one there)....great. Get to work, I forgot my ID badge. AHHHHHHH. This is how everyday is, just a serious of things I forget to do, calls I forget to make, things I forget to tell people. I don't even know what to do! I need some kind of secret cure for restoring ones memory!

I got a surprise text from the Madrid's this afternoon, inviting us over for some dinner and play time. We ordered some food from Buca's (YUUUUUM), and watched the girls go crazy together. They were quite hilarious tonight. I think they love each other and have fun together, but they definitely drive each other nuts too. It's quite entertaining.

Finally, it was time to head home, put the girls to bed and PASS out! Tomorrow is Friday, and I am VERY excited about that! We are beyond ready for the weekend! Here are some pics from our play date...

10/13/10 - Another Toddler Milestone :(

Today was a good day. I was pretty tired after being up so late, but I made it through. Work was good. Our work has this club you can join every year...the club puts on different events (craft sales, Halloween parties, etc.), and twice a year we have a luncheon. The food is great, and it's nice to get away from the office for a little while here and there. I ended up winning $15.00 at the luncheon, and since my my graciously paid for my lunch, I made out like a bandit! It's sad that I get so excited over $15.00!

After work, I picked up my ladies and made the long drive home. I hate rush hour. Christian was just finishing up mowing the lawn when I got home..I'm sure he's happy to have that out of the way. At least this time of year the grass doesn't grow quite as quickly! With all of the business of last weekend, I didn't make it to the grocery store, so we've been living off of leftovers and whatever we can scrounge up...tonight was no different.

After dinner and a little hanging out, Christian and Olivia headed out to the garage to turn Olivia's car seats forward facing. Yes...she is officially too tall to be rear facing any longer, and I'm very sad about it. I feel so much more comforted with her rear facing, but with her seat, it's no longer safe. The seat in his truck was a breeze to turn....but my car is a different story. Our seats come with a special latch system for added security, but my car doesn't have anything for it to latch onto. Christian ended up drilling a hole in my car (yes, he drilled a hole in my car...) and made his own latch. Whatever works I suppose. So, yes, my baby is even less of a baby now!

Finally, it was time for baths. Olivia went down; I fed the baby and she went down; then, it was my new nightly ritual...washing my pumping supplies, getting bottles ready for the next day and freezing the little extra milk I get. YES, I've actually been getting extra milk! So exciting (again, this is what I get excited about these days!). I really hate this chore though...

Here's a picture of her checking out her new view (she was not enjoying the flash...tired girl)!

10/12/10 - I WIN!

Today was a pretty boring day. Just the usual. I had a long meeting at work...I really don't like meetings. But, I did discover a really great thing at work today!! When I went back to work after having Olivia, I was pumping. She never actually took to breastfeeding, I pumped and didn't get a ton, but it was something. My work has an actual "lactation room", which is great. It's a locked room, with a cubicle inside, which has a door and locks, and has it's own chair and sink and everything. It's really great. BUT, one day I was in there, and I heard the outside door unlock and open, and some woman came in and started heavy-duty-stapling and working on stuff. I couldn't believe it. I told our office administrative assistant what happened, and she contacted some higher ups about it and a big "fight" ensued. The woman basically said SHE was down there first and THEY took over her space when they built that cubicle inside HER working space. She insisted that ONLY the cubicle was considered the lactation room, the other area was hers to work in. She was a very aggressive person, and I refused to get into a battle over it, so I found another room to use, even though it was not meant for that. Well, shortly after I stopped pumping anyway. When I came back to work last week, I just started using the other room. But, today, somebody else was in there and I had to get to my meeting, so I gave in and went to use the lactation room. To my surprise, all of the other "work area" stuff was gone, it was now STRICTLY being used for pumping mothers. I was so excited to see that, and so happy to have that room back! And, I feel slightly vindicated!

Other than that....Christian worked late, so we all got home around the same time. I quickly fed the baby while Christian and Olivia played outside for a while. Then, we all packed up and headed to Petco...Chuy needs his nails clipped like nobody's business...and I refuse to do it myself. After his grooming, we walked around the store and checked out the animals. Olivia LOVED the fish and the turtles. She spotted the turtles and started screaming "TURTLE TURTLE TURTLE", it was too cute. I didn't even know she knew what a turtle was! When we got home, we were skimming through her "colors" book...each page is a different color, with a bunch of pictures of things that match the colors. I would ask her "where's the strawberry", "where's the banana", etc., and I couldn't believe all of the things she knew! She's point them out and then repeat me. I was in shock! She's such a smarty pants!

Soon after she had her bath and went to bed. Amelia decided to take an evening nap, and I didn't want to wake her, so she didn't end up getting up until 11:00 to eat. Ugh, late night for me! What's new though :) Here's my lady checking out her favorite pet store animals!

10/11/10 - Daddy Daycare

Well, Monday's are back to being pretty crappy. It's SO hard getting up on Monday and head to work, especially after super busy weekends. But, here we are...I forgot what Monday's really felt like!

Christian was home with the girls today...his FIRST time home with BOTH girls, and for the entire day nonetheless! He did great though, I'm very proud of my hubby!

Work for me was good. The days are still going quickly, which is great. Busy, busy! We all quickly rushed home so we could get in dinner, some play and maybe get the girls down a little early because the Vikings were playing Monday night football tonight! Well, Olivia decided she wasn't tired, and, the game was under a rain delay and didn't even start until 8:15! Ugh. And, it was a HORRIBLE game! Stupid Vikings, I don't understand what their deal is. They have basically the same team, minus a VERY necessary wide receiver...and they now have Randy Moss to fill that position, so I don't understand how they go from being so amazing last year, to looking like complete crap this year! It's so frustrating! Needless to say, they lost. We watched nearly the entire game for nothing! Stupid Vikings.

So, it was a hang at home and do nothing kind of night! It was necessary though :) Here's pic daddy took of his babies today (look, he even got them dressed!)...

10/10/10 - Happy Baptism, Amelia!

Today was Amelia's big day!! Baptism day, and we were very excited! Today I put aside the BS excuses from people who "couldn't" make it, and didn't pay any mind to the people who didn't even care enough to respond to my invitation, and just celebrated the wonderful event with the people who mean the most to us! It's events like this that remind you who in your life deserves your time, and who doesn't. And, the constant excuses and no-shows will no longer be forgotten, or tolerated, by us...

Christian and I were up early finishing up some final cleaning and food preparation. Then, we all got ready in our Sunday best! We decided to have a taco bar for lunch, and my mother in law brought the rice, beans and salsa. After they dropped that off, we all headed over to the church to meet everybody. The girls did so great during the service, I was amazed! And, the baptism was beautiful. After the service, we all headed back to the house, ate some yummy food and spent some time together.

Everybody was gone by 2:30, we put the girls down for their naps, quickly did some cleaning up and we both caught a quick nap ourselves! We took it easy the rest of the night. It was a busy, chaotic weekend, and we were EXHAUSTED! Time to get ready for my first FULL week back to work...it's going to be a LOOOOONG week!

Here are some pictures from the baptism...