Shinesalot: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Laughing man

For some reason, Papabear gets the biggest grins out of our LittleGuy and today we had our first big laughs - amazingly I caught them on video.

Laughman

Littleman had his Halloween party at preschool yesterday. They made jack-o-lantern cupcakes.

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LittleGuy's wearing shoes!!!! How cute!

Pumpkin carving....

Papabear went all out when making a veggie tray for Littleman and a friend he had over for dinner!!! Would it surprise you at all to hear that Littleman cried when Lauren ate a little of HIS name???

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In case you want an update on the breast feeding, continue reading: I started weaning LittleGuy off the shield a few days ago by taking it off for one of the afternoon feedings. WELL, by yesterday afternoon, he decided he wanted NONE of the shield at all! It's been a little bit of a struggle. When the jugs are full, so to speak, there's not a lot of surface area which makes it difficult for LittleGuy to latch on. He gets royally pissed, though, if I try to start with the shield - he really wants nothing to do with it! But, he has trouble getting "on" without it. This morning, though, we finally made things "work" by using the latch-assist. Without going into too much detail, for those of you who have no interest in reading about the finer details of breastfeeding, it's going well. We had a full feeding session completely free of the shield. I am still amazed that I am doing this. I am feeding my baby and it feels great to be able to do so.

Are you wondering if he sleeps through the night? He's pretty much on this eating schedule at night: 8p, dreamfeed at 10:30p, 3:30a, 7a - So I am up at 3:30 and 7 ish....I have adjusted to this so I am functioning okay. I am hopeful that he'll start sleeping longer soon....aren't we all? He's cute and sweet and cuddly, so I feel well compensated for the lack of sleep....

This little one is NOT sleeping in our bed like Littleman did for so, so, so many months. (not yet anyway, ha ha) He sleeps in the bassinet next to our bed. I tried moving him to his room the other day, but it's too soon. I felt absolutely haggard running down there in the middle of the night. I'm going to try again in a couple of weeks.

That's all for now folks! Hope everyone has a happy halloween!

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Sunday, October 25, 2009

A-goo

Littleguy begins to converse...

Agoo

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Fall fun

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Went to a pumpkin festival...Papabear was working so I was technically on my own (we went with some friends). It is still too warm most days to feel like fall, but we had fun.

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Yes, Littleman is holding a giant "diamond." He bought it with his own money...the kid has strange likes, I know. Okay, this next one is seriously too cute for words.

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LittleGuy was the talk of the festival in this little number!

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Littleman in a pumpkin house.

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Yes, that's fake grass. I swear we live in "The Truman Show."

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And Vox is acting funny so I literally cannot delete this picture I accidentally posted twice. Well, it is so cute, enjoy it again.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Chubby

Well, my LittleGuy is getting chubbier, little by little. At his two month check up on Monday he weighed in at 10 lbs., 10 oz. I am no longer worried if the milk factory is working - clearly it is. LittleGuy is happy, sleeps well, has his active time, and seems satisfied when we're done nursing. I can't ask for more.

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I get scared when I think that in a few months my hooters will hold roughly 8 oz of milk per "session." Currently they carry about 4 ounces...and they are HUGE. That may be biggest drawback for me, the size issue. BUT, I've already complained about this, so let's move on. OH, I am still using the nipple shield. I wish I weren't, but LittleGuy just doesn't want to latch without it. I am starting to wean him, but it will be VERY slow going. The pediatrician says that since he's gaining and all, I shouldn't worry too much about it, so I am not.

Here is Littleman and some of his buddies dressed up in their costumes for our neighborhood "fall festival." It reached about 82 degrees and did not feel very fall-like...but they had fun running around. I am in the process of hemming Littleman's superman costume..as you can see he's basically swimming in it. My poor little short boy. Oh, you might be wondering why he is wearing that scary spiderman mask. He made me print it out from a CD-ROM that came with a t-shirt and laminate it! He's been wearing it for months and apparently is needed to "complete" his superman costume. He assures us he is a "GOOD scary superman." Whatever that is. Silly boys. How do you like our "spooky graveyard?" Fifteen bucks at Wal-Mart.

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LittleGuy wore only the hat/stem for the chili pepper costume. Like I said, it was pretty hot.

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I have a cute video I posted on Facebook of LittleGuy "talking" to Papabear. I'll get it up here tomorrow...or whenever I have the energy/extra time to do upstairs. I can only post videos from Papabear's MAC, not the PC...isn't that funny? Hmm...yes, more lame than funny.

All is well out here. Papabear loves his new job...even if it keeps him late - last night he was scheduled to work from 9:30a to 8p. He didn't get home until midnight! That's emergency room work, though. The only plus is that he is paid megabucks for all the overtime. Extra bucks can't hurt...ever, really. And, he enjoys all the different cases he sees - a stark contrast from the endless prescribing he had to do at his previous job. (However, he sees about 10 to 20 flu/swine flu positive people a day! Neither of us is thrilled about this, but it is a risk he/we has to take.)

We went to the U2 concert last week. It was pretty awesome. I was never a huge, huge fan, but it was a truly amazing show. I wasn't thrilled about going with LittleGuy being only seven weeks old. I was nervous about my boobs exploding...BUT, I pumped in the car as we pulled into the parking lot. I have a battery operated travel pump and I brought a cooler to keep the milk. Towards the end of the show I could feel the music literally rippling through the accumulated milk in my chest - definitely weird! I pumped nearly five ounces when we finally made it out to the car! So, it all worked out and I am really glad I went.

I wish I had more to write. There are plenty of anecdotes and thoughts to share, but I am simply tired. I feel good, but I also feel like I am still adjusting to life with two little ones. I am not as "together" as I usually am. Bills are being paid late and I haven't fully gotten back into the swing of hosting playdates.

I am grateful to the handful of girlfriends out here who keep us occupied when Papabear is working late. AND, my MIL who comes over to either take Littleman out for an afternoon, or stays with LittleGuy so I can go out with my big boy. Life is a whole lot more bearable when you get a break here and there. Today Papabear was home and just the simple act of driving Littleman to preschool made my day...well...awesome. I had time to exercise AND shower - JOY.

Okay, off to pump so I can one day, maybe, go see a movie with my husband again...

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Coming up for air...

Well, with two kiddos it's hard to post as frequently as I'd like to. I think of things to post all day long, but having time to actually sit down and use both hands is a highly sought after commodity.

Every thing is going really well. LittleGuy nurses like a champ all day long - we're not on a strict schedule. If we're home he'll actually nap in his crib, if we're out, he'll nap in his carrier for eternity. He also loves snoozing in the "wrap" (I LOVE wearing my baby) or the Baby Bjorn. At night he gets his last meal from me at 8pm, daddy gives him a bottle at 10, then LittleGuy sleeps until around 3. So, I'm up then and again at 6:30-ish. It's really not bad. I can deal with it now that I know what's coming. And boy, is this little baby growing! He's starting to get some fat on his thighs and he doesn't fit in the newborn clothes anymore. He is 7 weeks old and already holding his head up (for a few seconds) and trying to "stand" up when we prop him on our legs. He smiles a lot, especially when people are very close to his face - he especially loves the sound of Papabear's voice.

Littleman continues to thrive in preschool. We are constantly working with him on his attitude and "drama-queen-ness", but otherwise, he remains the funny, cuddly, silly little boy we love so much. Below you'll find a video of him reciting the pledge of allegiance, along with a couple of photos. Enjoy.