2/4/11 – Discussion Topic #2 – Sleeping Arrangements

Friday. Sweet Friday. There is nothing better than when Friday rolls around…especially after a long, exhausting week like this one! Amelia has not been sleeping well…and I mean, worse than usual. She’s having a rough time transitioning from strictly breast milk, to the addition of foods. She LOVES her food, but now what’s it’s doing to her system! Poor thing. From what I can tell, this is pretty normal, so I hope it doesn’t take too long for her to adjust!

Christian had one last check up for his ear before his surgery. After his last appointment, they prescribed some kind of “tape” for him to wear all day, every day, that is supposed to help soften the tissue and prepare it for surgery. They checked on that and said everything is looking good. I asked him if he’s nervous…he said “no”, but was very hesitant, so he obviously is. It’s just an out-patient, completely non-invasive surgery, but I think anything like that makes you a little nervous. We’re just really praying that this FINALLY does the trick! We really didn’t do too much the rest of the night. I did the dishes, we ate some dinner, watched a little TV and just let the girls play. Like usual, I don’t think it’s going to be a very late night for us.

Sleeping Arrangements
So, when it comes to little ones, the sleeping arrangements are limitless. Bassinet, pack and play, right to the crib, in mom and dad’s room, in their own room, sleeping with mom and dad, and any combination of these options. Sleeping arrangements are also a pretty controversial topic. When it comes to co-sleeping, the danger and risks, along with the formation of bad habits, bring a lot of negative attention to the topic.

When we had Olivia, we took a stance that co-sleeping was NOT for us. It didn’t seem safe, our pediatrician was very against it, we did not want to encourage any hard to break habits later on, and, quite frankly, we did not want to give up “our bed”. Olivia slept in her bassinet, in our room once we got home from the hospital. In the VERY beginning, she wasn’t the best sleeper. She had to be passed out asleep before you put her down, otherwise she would wake up and would not go back to sleep easily. She started sleeping through the night (and I mean, 9-10 hours stretches) when she was 5-6 weeks old. By about 9-10 weeks old, we could lay her down, slightly awake, and she would fall asleep on her own. She quickly started outgrowing her bassinet, and we decided we wanted our room back (and we were finally starting to get over our fear of her sleeping), so when she turned 3 months old, we moved her into her crib, in her own room. It was a rough few nights…knowing she wasn’t right next to us, we couldn’t hear her every breath. We resisted the urges to check on her non-stop, and pretty quickly adjusted the new arrangements. I think she slept better without our noise, and we felt a little bit more at ease.

From that point on, Olivia went through stages. She’d usually sleep straight through the night, but for a few days in a row, every once in a while, she’d wake up needing a bottle. It was all survivable though (a little less as my pregnancy with Amelia moved along). This worked for us. And with that, we took our stance that co-sleeping was not for us.

Then…Amelia came along. And, we quickly realized that it wasn’t so much that co-sleeping wasn’t for US, but that it wasn’t for Olivia. Olivia didn’t need that. Olivia was a wonderful independent sleeper, she never needed that. Amelia, is NOT.

We started out the same as with Olivia, Amelia slept in the bassinet, in our room. We quickly became more lenient on her sleeping in our bed as the long, sleepless nights started piling up. She didn’t like being on her own. With time, I learned the wonderful art of side-lying nursing, so I could sleep while she nursed…she would then fall asleep, and there was no sense in getting up at that point. So, we adapted. It was working for her, which meant it worked for us. She is now 6+ months old…we just moved her from the bassinet to the pack and play (because it’s a little bigger), she still does not put herself to sleep and is still in our room. She we put her to bed in the pack and play, but if she wakes up during the night, I just bring her in bed with me.

So, we have experienced a wide range of the sleeping arrangement spectrum. And, in the end, I just don’t think there is a right or wrong. Every child is different, your relationship with every child will be different, and they all have their own needs. Olivia needed her independence, Amelia needs her comfort. So, while we were very hard-core non-co-sleepers, that has definitely changed!

I know we will be faced with quite a challenge in the next few months. We do crave OUR independence, and would love to have our room back to ourselves, but these are the sacrifices we make. Amelia has a wonderful, clean, welcoming crib awaiting her, but when she will use it, is truly an unknown. Not only are we faced with the transition from the pack and play and our room, to the crib in her room…but we are faced with putting the girls in the same room. That, I’m more afraid of. Right now, we don’t even have the energy to imagine how that transition is going to go.

Here’s Amelia, giving a little wave to the camera!

2/3/11 – Adventures in Baby Food – Butternut Squash

Today was a pretty typical Thursday. I felt a little bit more like myself today at work. I do OK, unless I’m not doing anything. So, when I pumping at work, I’m left to my own thoughts…which lead to Frank…and I tear up and cry a little. Outside of that, I’m usually distracted with work and everything. Chloe seems to be more herself now. She obviously knew something was going on, and realized Frank was gone, but she’s kind of your typical, fat, lazy, loner cat, so I think she’s OK with the change. Rico on the other hand, is having a hard time. He sits around, looking downstairs, like he’s waiting for Frank to appear. He’s been coming around us, even when the dog and/or the kids are around. He’s let Olivia and Amelia pet him and hug him. He’s taking it pretty hard…Frank was his little playmate. I feel so bad.

After work, I did a little cleaning and whipped up my 2nd batch of baby food…Butternut Squash! Butternut (and Acorn) squash are wonderful additions to baby's first foods. High in Vitamins and Calcium – smooth, delicious and very nutritious, these winter squashes are sure to be a hit with your little one. Squash may be offered as early as 4-6 months old.

The best way to cook winter squash for baby food recipes is to bake or roast the squash. You retain the most nutrients while bringing out the most flavor. Roasting or baking winter squash is also easier than tying to peel and cube for steaming or boiling. I chose to bake my squash, and followed this simple 5-step process.

1. Place the squash in the microwave for 2 minutes to soften it for cutting.
2. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds.
3. Place the squash halves, face down, in a baking dish and cover with about an inch of water.
4. Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for 40-60 minutes – be sure the “shell/skin” puckers and halves feel soft then scoop squash “meat” out of the shell.
5. Place squash “meat” into your choice of appliance for puréeing. Add water as necessary to achieve a smooth, thin consistency. Note, I used about ¾ cup for this batch.

Simple as that! The squash was very creamy and tasty.

Cost Savings:
- 1 Large Butternut Squash = $3.38 – Made Roughly 12 Jars
- 12 Jars of Gerber Stage 2 Squash = $7.14
- Savings of $3.76

Here are some before and after pictures from the squash. And, a picture of Amelia, enjoying her sweet potatoes!

2/2/11 – Learning to Cope

It’s Wednesday. We’re still having a hard time coping, but it seems like every day gets a TINY bit easier. I’m more grateful than ever to be super swamped at work…it definitely keeps my mind off of everything.

We really didn’t do too much tonight. We all just kind of found leftovers in the fridge to eat for diner, and just took it easy. It’s still sad, and hard to be at home. We keep expecting to see Frank jump up over the stairs or pop out from under the bed. I expect him to jump off the couch when I go downstairs and follow me around the basement. There was a story on the local news tonight about some animal rescues at an apartment fire the other night…they showed one of the cats, and it looked JUST like Frank. I feel like I’m reminded of him everywhere right now. I knew losing a pet was going to be hard, but I just never knew how it would affect me…I never expected it to be THIS hard.

After work we really just hung out. Thankfully the girls have no idea what’s going on, so they just laugh and play and provide us just the distraction that we need. Amelia is loving her Sweet Potatoes, but is still very uneasy about the Avocado. She’ll be moving on to a new food in a couple of days, so we’ll see how that goes!

Today, Olivia decided one of her baby’s could hitch a ride with Amelia. Safety first, right?!

2/1/11 – Adventures in Baby Food – Sweet Potatoes

So, my plan was to post about by journey through making my own baby food, in hopes of inspiring others to do so, by showing just how easy it is. As I mentioned yesterday, I made my first batch, sweet potatoes. Well, as you read, a very unexpected event took place, that deserved my attention on yesterday’s post. Today was a very rough day. We both overslept a little….between being up late, crying and unable to fall asleep, and Amelia waking up, I didn’t get much sleep at all. But, we got up, and I stumbled into work. I couldn’t bring myself to actually tell anybody about Frank, even without saying anything; I broke into tears several times throughout the day. My mom did mention it to a couple of my closest co-workers, otherwise nobody really knows.

We got through the day though. I’ve decided to take it easy this week as far as exercise goes. My body is really hurting right now, and I’m mentally not focused at this time. I just know myself, and I know that if I push myself to doing it, when I’m really not in the place to do it, I’m going to resent it and quit completely. So, a little break is in order. After work, I did meet up with my BFF for dinner, and that was much needed.

Now, for the sweet potatoes. The process was SUPER easy. I was very intimated at the thought if making my own food with Olivia, so I’m excited to see just how easy it really is. Sweet Potatoes are a highly recommended first food for babies, ready for introduction between 4-6 months (we don’t start anything until 6 months though). They are high in Vitamin A and beta carotene as well as potassium. They also contain a good amount of Vitamin E, calcium and folate. These wonderful vegetables are a great first food as they are packed full of nutrients, highly palatable and due to their fiber content, help digestive tract and bowel health. In the United States, Yams and Sweet Potatoes are one and the same and the terms are used interchangeably for the same vegetable. The difference between Yams and Sweet Potatoes in the United States is only in the labeling, the color, the texture and the marketing.

Baking sweet potatoes is the very best way to cook them. Baking sweet potatoes, especially for baby food, brings out their natural sweetness and good flavor while retaining the most nutrients. This is the simple, 4 step process I followed:

1. Preheat Oven to 400-410 degrees. Wash the potato, poke holes in potato with a fork, run the potato under water again then wrap the potato in foil – do not peel for baking/microwaving. The water trapped in with the foil will help bring the flavor out in the potato.
2. Place the foil wrapped potato in a baking dish, and into the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until soft. The skin will turn brown and start to pucker when the potato is done.
3. Remove skins by slitting the sweet potato lengthwise when cooled then scoop out the “meat”.
4. Place potatoes into an appliance of your choice for puréeing. Use a liquid from your preferred source to puree or thin the potato – typically water. I used ¾-1 cup of water for 2 potatoes to make it liquidy enough for this stage.

Simple as that; and the potatoes were delicious!

Cost Savings:
- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes = $2.00 – Made Roughly 15 Jars
- 15 Jars of Gerber Stage 2 Sweet Potatoes Baby Food = $10.12
- Savings of $8.12

Here are some before and after pictures of the sweet potatoes.

1/31/11 - Goodbye, Sweet Frank

Today did not end anywhere near where I thought it would.

The day started off great. Work was super busy and crazy, I spent the day playing catch-up from being off on Friday. The snow arrived in full force, but my drive to work, or home, was not nearly as bad as I expected. I arrived home in an odd mood. I just felt off, like something was wrong, but just couldn't put my finger on it. I threw in a load of laundry, and went about my business...

Christian dropped the girls off and made a trip to the store with his mom. Olivia was running around like mad woman, Amelia was sitting in her chair in the kitchen with me, I did the dishes and cleaned up the disaster that was the kitchen. I started cooking dinner, and baking some sweet potatoes for my first shot at baby food. Christian arrived home just as dinner was ready, so he and Olivia started eating, while I pureed Amelia's potatoes and successfully completed my first batch of baby food (and, it was delicious!). I made my plate and joined the others for dinner.

We spent a little time playing, but it was already getting pretty late, so Christian started getting baths ready, while I got the girls undressed. I finally remembered that I was doing laundry, and ran downstairs quickly to switch loads. I turned on the basement light and saw Frank laying right inside the door. As I usually do, I yelled out "Hey Frank" as I walked by, only to be met with no response. This was definitely NOT normal, I always get a reaction out of my animals. I got closer, and realized Frank was not moving, and was not responsive at all, and I immediately thought the worst.

I yelled up to Christian, exclaiming that something was wrong with Frank. He ran down and picked Frank up. At this point, Frank did move slightly and let out the most painful meow I've ever heard. I started crying, and we just knew something was very wrong. We searched the basement to see if there were any signs of him being sick, and found nothing. We placed him on top of the washing machine, and he was just limp...he would not move, stand, sit. Nothing. Christian could feel something bulging from his stomache, and just looked at me with a blank stare and said, "This does not look good".

We left Frank in the laundry room, Christian put the girls in their baths, and I googled emergency animal clinics in our area. I came upon one, that didn't have the best reviews, but it was the only one close by. We were at a loss, and really didn't know what to do at this point. So, of coures we did what most people would do...I called mom. She offered to come down and sit with the girls while we took Frank in, because I could not face that, or the decisions that may come of it, by myself. So, Christian put Olivia to bed, took the dog out and did his usual nightly chores, while I fed Amelia and put her down.

My mom arrived just as I got Amelia to sleep, Christian pickedup Frank, wrapped him in a blanket, and we were on our way. As we took off in the car, the No Doubt sing, "Don't Speak" came on. I felt like it was an omen, and in that moment, I knew things were not going to go well. As we walked in the door, the receptionist literally jumped up, and ran over to us. She quickly took our information, ran over some basics and ran Frank into the back room. She came out and said the doctors wanted to take blood and do a bunch of tests, and it was all very overwhelming. We said we really needed to talk to the doctor.

We sat in the cold, dark exam room waiting for the doctor, and I just felt lost. The doctor came in, and very matter of factly stated that Frank was dying. He has a massive urinary infection, technically speaking, he had Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, and his bladder was litterally going to explode at any time. She said the only thing they could do was place a cathedar, and monitor him for a few days...we were looking at $1,500 minimum, and no guarantee that it would work. Looking at her face, through my tear filled eyes, I could tell she did not have much hope for him. She looked at us and said, "I know this is hard, but you really only have about a minute to decide what you want to do, or Frank is going to make that decision for you".

I broke down beyond belief at this point, and we knew what we had to do. He was suffering enough, and we needed to let him go. She brought him in so we could say our final goodbye's. He was wrapped in heating pads because his body temp was already so low, that it wasn't registering. His heartrate was barely audible at this point, and he was leaving us. We spent a few minutes with him, and I held him as they put him to sleep.

Leaving him there, in the cold, dark room, was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. The thought that we will never see him, never hold him, never hear that whiny little meow of his, or watch him battle Chuy again, is beyond devestating to me. I would not with this process, this experience, on my worst enemy. I found Frank in the basement around 8:20, and we were home from putting him down by 10:30. That was the longest, most torturous 2 hours I have ever experienced.

Frank came to us as a tiny, runt of his litter, bull legged little kitten, with a pipe cleaner tail and the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen in my life. We had 3 wonderful years with him, but his life was cut far too short, and my heart is truly broken.

Frank, simply stated, I love you, and I will always miss you.

1/30/11 – Not Enough Hours

It was a pretty busy Sunday for us. We’re not quite used to that! We started off bright and early…I started some laundry, and we got ready for my BFF’s sons baptism. It’s amazing how long it can take to get up, ready and out the door when you have two little ones in the mix. But, we made it one time, and that’s all that matters! Christian and I had never been to her church before (and, being that it takes about 40 minutes to get there, most likely won’t be back), and we really enjoyed it. It was very laid back and the pastors were great at getting their sermon’s across, with a little humor and real life mixed in. It’s the kind of church we could see ourselves in. Apparently they are going to be building a new chapter a little closer to us, so maybe when that’s done. We’ll see.

After the service, we joined her and her family at McDonald’s to hang out and let the kids run wild in the playland. Olivia was NOT happy when it was time to go, but she passed out within about 5 minutes of driving. Amelia survived the event pretty well. She slept the whole way there, and the whole way home. We had them in childcare during the service, and the ladies said she was fussy and cried here and there, but nothing too bad. That didn’t surprise me.

Amelia enjoyed her Avocado’s much more today. She ate quite a bit more than yesterday. Olivia decided her 30 minute nap on the way home was enough for the day and refused to go down when we got home. So, I quickly wrote out our shopping list for the week, and Olivia and I headed off to Target. Christian made us some dinner when we got home, while I put the groceries away and continued on with laundry.

Finally, it was time for bed and baths. It was a long, busy day, and I can’t believe the weekend is over already! The laundry is not quite done, the dishes are piling up, toys are scattered everywhere, and the kitchen needs a good cleaning…now, when will that all get done?!? To top it off, the snow has returned, and is supposed to continue for the next couple of days. Just what we needed…MORE snow and another run of horrible commutes. Ick.

Amelia new favorite toy is the bottle of Tylenol (which was Olivia’s favorite for a while as well!). The two have been fighting over it for days now…

1/29/11 – Amelia’s First Food

Today was a pretty laid back day. We spent the morning just hanging out, doing a whole lot of nothing. Once the girls were down for their naps (very LATE naps, I might add), I cleaned up the living room and Christian was off to get a haircut. He also spent some time replacing some lights in the truck.

The big excitement of the day was Amelia’s first solid food experience. We started her off with Avocado’s (they are a great first food because they are high in good fats and protein). She didn’t know what to think of it before her nap, and only took a few bites. But, we tried again around dinner time, and she was much more into it. I’m sad that she won’t be relying solely on me anymore, but I’m excited for the next step at the same time. And, after her appointment yesterday, I’m really hoping this helps her pack on some pounds!

I really wanted to stay up and watch a movie after the girls went down, but A) I was beyond exhausted, B) I’m going on day 3 of a headache that just won’t go away, and C) Amelia hasn’t been sleeping well, so I knew I was in for yet another long night, and it just wouldn’t be a good idea to stay up any longer.

Here are some pictures from Amelia’s first food experience. She opened right up for it; then she was intrigued by it; then thought she could just do it herself; then she was DONE with it. LOL

1/28/11 – Band-Aids Galore!

Well, today was a big day…Check-Up day, for both girls. I was quite nervous about it. I’ve taken them to the doctor by myself a couple of times now, but this is the first time they both actually have appointments! So, it was a mad rush this morning to get everybody fed and ready to go, but we managed to get up and going with little fight.

The appointment didn’t start off well when I checked in and was told the doctor was an hour behind! Really, I have 2 young kids and you expect them to survive sitting in the waiting room for an hour?! A heads up would have been nice! But, apparently the reception area wasn’t up to date on their facts, because we were called back into the office just a few minutes later! Thank goodness! The nurses did her weights and measurements, the doctor came in shortly after to chat and check over the girls, then the nurse was back to do vaccinations. Then it was off to the lab…

Olivia was first. She now weighs 28lbs (up 3 pounds since her 18 month check), putting her at 65%. She measured 35.5” (up 3” since 18 months), putting her at 85%. And of course, her head is still off the charts at 95%! She’s growing along the same line, so the doctor was happy with that. She’s now free to eat anything and everything, and can go down to 2% milk if we want. Her heart murmur was barely audible, which is GREAT news! She is doing and saying and acting exactly how a 2 year old is supposed to, so the doctor was more than satisfied developmentally. She did great through the appointment. She said and read her books and was a perfect angel. She didn’t need any vaccinations (she is done until she turns 5!), but did need to get her blood drawn to check her lead levels and everything. So, off to the lab we went. I was a little nervous, but the lab tech was great. He talked to her and got her calmed down and ready. I took a risk and decided to have her watch and get her interested in the whole process, hoping she would handle it better that way. Which, she did! She didn’t flinch or whimper or anything. I was so proud. So, she got her band aid and her sticker and she was happy as a clam!

Amelia was next. She now weighs 13lbs (only up .12ozs since her 4 month check), putting her at 4 – she dropped down from 16% at 4 months. She measured 25.5” (up 1” since 4 months), putting her at 41%. Her head is a nice, proportional 25%. Her height and head are growing great, but her weight is a concern. I was actually very shocked by her weight. I knew she was still tiny, but she seems like she’s really packed on the pounds lately. Apparently not. The doctor said not to worry too much. Just keep nursing her as much as I can, and hopefully with the introduction of solids this weekend, that will help her bulk up. He said she is below the 5% mark, which is usually when they “intervene” (whatever that means), but is going to give us some time to see how things go. We’ll be going back in a month to get her weight checked again. She ended up getting her oral vaccine, two other vaccines, and dose one of her flu shot. When she goes back in a month, she’ll get the second dose of her flu shot, and her the vaccine that we skipped today. She did pretty well with her shots again, just a little cry, but nothing too horrible.

They both ate some lunch and took their naps once we got home. Amelia didn’t seem to have any reactions to her vaccinations, just a little fussy and didn’t sleep too well. Olivia of course milked her “ouie” as much a she could all night. Once Christian was home, we all just hung out, played for a while and tried not to be too concerned about Amelia’s weight. A friend of mine did point out that there is some logical research into the idea that breastfed babies should have a separate growth chart, so I’m on the hunt now to find some more information on that, hoping for a little reassurance!

Here are some pictures of my poor little ladies, after their doctor visit.

1/27/11 – 6 Months + 1 Day

Apparently this is my new theme…being a day late on Amelia’s monthly update! Oh well, I’m sure she doesn’t mind!

Amelia is 6 months old now! It’s hard to believe. She seems to be growing so much these days, but we’ll find that out for sure tomorrow! She can now sit on her own for a pretty extended period of time. She attempts to crawl, and can ALMOST put herself into the crawling position from sitting. She is very into the world around her…she is very focused and just likes to take everything in. She thinks Olivia is the best, most entertaining thing in the world (oh, how I wish Olivia felt the same way). She is quite the inch work these days…she’ll lay on her tummy, prop herself up on one side, then kind of “throw” herself down, moving forward slightly, then repeat it over and over until she gets to her desired location. She is able to hold on to her toys very well these days. We’ll be starting her on solids this weekend, which I’m pretty nervous about. She is still 100% exclusively breastfed, so it makes me kind of sad to know that she’ll no longer be relying on me ALL the time. And, now I have to hope the addition of food doesn’t affect my supply! She seems to be doing much better these days, attitude wise as well. She still seems to have a pretty strong stranger anxiety, but she seems much happier all around, and much easier to handle. I’m thinking when she finishes her current box of probiotics, we might take her off and see if her reflux is any better without it. We’ll still have to talk about that more though.

Today we didn’t do too much. Just the usual work, exercise, dinner, play, bed. I’m getting really anxious to do our taxes, but of course, we haven’t received our house statement from the bank yet. So annoying. Christian and I were so tired and ready to pass out, but there is a new show on A&E, Beyond Scared Straight, and we couldn’t pull ourselves away. This show basically takes all of these horrible, bad teenagers to a hardcore prison, and has the prisons talk to them and “scare them straight”. It’s very intense, and it makes me cry. You just never know what path your kids are going to go down, and that scares me! I need to NOT watch shows like that!

1/26/11 – Play Date!

Well, my “caught up” period at work ended quickly, and I’m back to being overly swamped. 4:30 sure comes faster than ever these days. Oh well, as always, I just have to hope that means job security!

This week’s weigh in was not as exciting for me. I stayed the same. I know that’s better than gaining, but it’s frustrating. I’m hoping that it was just my body’s shock period from actually exercising, and from losing quite a bit last week. I also know that I have to accept that my body is not going to just drop this weight. Breastfeeding is going to make it hard, so I just have to keep exercising and eating well, and everything will work out in the end.

As I was leaving work, I got a call from my friend Kelly, asking us if we wanted to join them at an indoor playground so our little ones could burn off some energy. So, I quickly ran home, did my workout, Christian got home with the girls…we quickly ate dinner and packed a bag and were out the door. We went to the Eagan Community Center. We’ve been there before, but never in the playground. It was super cheap, and we were the ONLY ones there, so the girls had the run of the place. It was great. It was nice to get out and Olivia definitely needs these play dates and needs to get out of the house. Amelia did well…it looks like we really can leave the house once in a while now! We ended up staying right until closing time, 8:00. We thought about skipping baths, but knowing Olivia has been climbing and running through the playground, we thought she needed a good cleaning. So, baths and bed it was. Amelia is back to sleeping horribly, so right now she’s about ½ in her bassinet, ½ in bed with me. I don’t know what her deal is, but I’m praying for the day she sleeps through the night for good! I think the bags under my eyes have bags under their eyes! Some days, I just don’t know how I even function anymore!

Here is a picture of Olivia and her BFF playing!