Pee Pee tales.....& other fun stuff :)

The other night we were getting the kids ready for bath time.  Ryan had the bath water running, Declan was in the tub & I was holding naked Averley while Ryan got things ready to lay Averley in the tub.  Apparently Ryan took too long because all of a sudden I felt warmth on my arm/wrist that dribbled down onto my socks.  Lucky me - I got peed on.  As Ryan sat there laughing at the situation I remembered the time he got "sprayed" when Declan was a baby:

That was pretty funny stuff when it happened :)  Ryan's giggles soon turned around on him when later on after bath time Declan gave him another nice spray!  We have a little bit of diaper free time before bed time & I guess Declan had his diaper off for too long.  All of a sudden Ryan feels warmth on his foot - Thank you Declan for letting mommy have a good laugh!  The siblings ganged up on the parents already at this young age.

Being able to stay home with my kids is so rewarding & so much fun!  Its something new every day that makes me smile.  Today Declan went pee pee on the potty all on his own.  He wanted his diaper off and he sat down on the potty.  Nothing happened the first 5 times he sat down but he finally went pee pee after about 20 minutes of diaper free time.  We did our little reward dance & clapped.  It was so great.  Then 5 minutes later he peed on his toy car & then really let it go soon after that all over the couch, floor & his foot.  He cried about that, haha.  Its just another day of fun cleaning up pee!

Declan was full of cuteness today.  What was suppose to be nap time turned into babbling at who knows what in his crib & JUMPING in his crib!  I caught him actually jumping in his crib - hilarious to open up his bedroom door to see him up in the air and land on his little tush grinning ear to ear.

After getting him out of his trampoline...err...crib, he proceeded to copy me as I got on my tip-toes to see out the top of the front door.  He walked up to the door, put his hands on it just like I did, got on his tip-toes & lifted his chin up just like I did to try to peer out the window.  Of course, he is WAY too little to even come close to seeing out the window but it was so stinkin' cute.  I love him!!

It is so fun watching Declan interact with Averley - he is always bringing her toys & its even better watching him try to give her the pacifier.  He does everything he can to try to get it in her mouth.  I'll have to load the video up later, so cute!

Yesterday - Valentine's Day - I got a special treat!  Getting to see Averley roll back-to-belly for the first time!  Ryan got that special honor with Declan so it was nice to be able to experience this "first" first :)  Today she was just a rolling machine.  There was no keeping her on the play mat - she just wanted to roll & roll.  She also tried bananas today.  This is her second food - she first tried avocado which she seems to really like.  Bananas she liked but I don't think they sat well with her belly.  I love making her food for her!  That is another blog for another day!

My kids are awesome & I love every second of being with them!

Breastfeeding Struggles

Breastfeeding 

Breastfeeding is one of those topics.  I've talked to people who felt so strongly about breastfeeding you would think they might call CPS on you if you decide to formula feed.  There are others who don't even want to think about it as an option - they will formula feed from day one.  Other women might really want to try to breastfeed but it doesn't work out for one reason or the other & they switch to formula (or supplement).  Then there is me........


With Declan I tried breastfeeding - it was difficult.  More difficult than I thought it would ever be.  The issue was never not having a good enough milk supply - I had plenty of milk.  Instead, I just didn't "enjoy" it.  I want to say part of the reason was not being prepared - not knowing what to expect.  I never felt that bond I had heard other mothers say they feel when they nurse their precious little babies.  To me it was a job - a job only I could do and it annoyed me.  Every 2-3 hours (in the beginning) I was the only person who could feed my son while everyone else could do whatever they wanted.  They never had to stop what they were doing & go in the other room (if need be).  They never had to get up every 2-3 hours every night for the first few weeks.  They got to sleep...they got to leave the house for more than an hour...they got to do whatever they wanted without ever having a baby attached to them.


Yeah...I guess I was a bit jealous.  Which is ridiculous when you think about some of the women out there who so desperately wanted to breastfeed but couldn't.  How selfish of me, right?  I know - I've gone through all of those feelings myself.


Sadly, I only made it 5 weeks with Declan before switching to formula.  I didn't think it was "sad" at that point - I felt more of a relief than anything.  I didn't feel bad (at first) - I was able to sleep at night since Ryan was able to get up & make a bottle.  I thought, "This is great!"  Soon after switching to formula Declan started sleeping in longer stretches which was considering "sleeping through the night."


A friend of mine had a baby just a couple days before I had Declan.  As the months went on & she continued nursing while I switched to formula I started to feel more & more upset that I had given up.  I felt a sense of guilt & even jealousy.  She made it a year breastfeeding her child & I just gave up.  Sad.


At one point I looked into how to "re-lactate" - I never knew it was even possible but apparently some women have great success with it.  Soon after I researched it I found out I was pregnant again!


Here comes Averley :)  I was bound & determined to make it longer than 5 weeks.  If I could just get over that "hump" than it would be a bit easier.  That is what I kept telling myself in those first 6 weeks of getting up ALL THE TIME!


I think Averley was around 2 months when I decided to start pumping & giving her a bottle of mommy's milk instead of exclusively nursing.  I felt better knowing how much she was getting & although nursing was going fine for the most part she wasn't getting very good "nursing sessions" since I had to run around & make sure Declan was taken care of while I was nursing her.  Sit down, latch on, Declan needs something, get up...oh crap she unlatched, get Declan what he needs, sit down, latch back on - what? Declan needs something else?  Sorry Averley - your broken nursing session wasn't exactly what you wanted was it?


It just seemed easier to pump & feed her from a bottle - that way others can feed her if I need to do something else (there I go again..me me me).  As the weeks & months went on I continued to exclusively pump.  I have yet to have to supplement with formula (only because I have a supply stored in our deep freeze).  I am proud of myself for making it this far.  I do still nurse in the middle of the night - its just easier that way - but other than that she is fed from a bottle.


I have my struggles with pumping - especially during the days when I am babysitting 1 or 2 other kids.  Trying to schedule it out so all of the kids have their needs met & I can be stationed on the couch for 15 minutes every 3-5 hours can be a bit of a task.  There are days when I feel it would be so much easier if I didn't have to pump - technically, I don't.  I could try to switch back to nursing that way I wouldn't have to pump, then feed.  That actually takes up more of my time than it would to just nurse.  But then Averley will still not get the nursing sessions she needs/deserves.  With taking care of the other kids I will probably be up & running around even more than when it was just Declan.


Another option is to switch to formula.  I've battled this in my own mind almost every time I pump.  But then I think about how bad I felt "giving up" on Declan & I trudge through it.  I think about the difference in taste from breast milk to formula - then I feel bad about that (I know...so silly).  Its ridiculous, really...formula may not be AS good as breast milk, but its still pretty darn good & I sit here and feel bad about things that really don't matter.  It's so silly.


In the end, I'm just going to continue to battle through for as long as I can.  I've made it 5 months so far & I will just keep going 1 month at a time.  My next goal is to make it to 6 months.  I know I can do it - but what is important is not feeling guilty if I need to supplement for any reason.  It is OKAY.  It doesn't mean I love my daughter any less or that she won't be a healthy & thriving beautiful girl!


Breastfeeding is hard - Formula isn't bad - The end!

Snowpocalypse 2011

Yes - Snowpocalypse 2011 is what they are calling the ice storm we are experiencing here in the mid-west.  We have been getting ice for 24 hours now (about).  Many people are having power outages or are afraid their trees are going to fall into their homes from the weight of the ice on the limbs.  Highways are shut down, many places of work are closed, schools are not in session.....pretty much only go out if you absolutely have to right now.

Ryan got to stay home today with us & will get to stay home tomorrow as well.  We finally got to really clean the house today which we don't really get to do often because I just don't have the time during the day just yet & on the weekends we are both either too tired or just want to spend time with the kids so we do just that.

On to the kids!!! :)~

Declan is so stinkin' cute - I just can't get enough of him.  Even when he is crabby he is cute.  Yesterday he took off his pajamas & didn't want to wear anything but his diaper & flip flops.....
 
Apparently he didn't get the memo that there was an ice storm upon us!  He is just as ready for spring as the rest of us. I am looking forward to being able to take the kids on a walk or just out in the back yard! SO ready for spring. Not to mention seeing all of the pretty tulips (my favorite flower!).


Declan has been learning what it is to be a boy these past few days.  He has taken more stumbles than ever - here is a picture of what happens when he falls into the air return vent in our hallway:

He wasn't very happy after it happened.  Then today he was having WAY too much fun on his rocking horse - it "bucked" him off...haha.  He just rocked too far backward & landed on his back with the horse on top of him.  It was a funny site to see but he wasn't very happy about it.  I think his pride was hurt more than anything - he got back on it soon after he calmed down.

I know there are more stumbles to be had - its just what its like being a boy!!

Averley - she is still growing like crazy.  I love seeing her smile.  Here she is eating the horses ear (yes..the horse Declan got "bucked" off):

See how big she is getting!!  UGH!  I just want her to stay little, lol.  Not really but I am enjoying every single moment of her being not as heavy as Declan - ha!

They Grow So Fast

Ryan & I have discussed Averley being our last child - if we want more down the road we will adopt or do foster care.  That being said, it is so difficult thinking about not having another baby...not being pregnant ever again...not feeling my baby move & grow in my womb...not feeling so close to our Creator the first time I hold my baby.  It may be odd to think of feeling so close to God while giving birth, but I did both times.  The pain is obviously there, especially with a non-medicated child birth, but something about giving birth is so Heavenly.  Knowing that this...THIS...is of God - nothing comes close to that feeling.  Some may disagree, but for me, pushing my children out of my womb & bringing them into this world so I can love them, teach them & watch them grow is one of my favorite times in my life.

This moment is worth every sleepless night, uncomfortable feeling, contraction, hemorrhoid, pain - everything!  The moment you feel skin to skin after 9 months of your baby growing inside you, the moment of seeing the child you helped create, the moment of pure bliss is so precious.  It is hard to describe unless you have been there - hopefully what I have said above can give you some kind of an idea.

Now that Averley is 4 1/2 months old - and almost sitting up on her own, (Crazy!!) its getting more real to me that she is my last baby - it's bittersweet.

We shall see what the future holds for the Worl family - for now we are complete & will go & do whatever God has planned for us.  If that means another child for us - no matter how - then so be it.  I love my children & feel so blessed to have been able to carry them for 9 months while they prepared to enter this crazy world.  I pray I can be the best mother to my children, the best teacher, spiritual guide, comforter, healer & anything else I need to be to make my children happy!

Watching a 3rd

Yesterday was my first day of "childcare".  When Ryan & I decided I would stay home with the kids the option of opening a daycare came up.  One of the friends in our Lifegroup (Bible Study) had just had a baby and was interested in having me watch her.  I agreed to care for her daughter at the first of the year.  At that time Averley would be 3 months and her daughter would be 6 months.  I figured Averley would be in a pretty good routine by then & her daughter would be pretty easy to care for at her age so why not?

The day went pretty smooth - her daughter was off schedule a little from what they had told me but it wasn't anything we couldn't work with.  Her daughter really is a pretty easy child to care for.  We didn't have any issues really other than trying to get her to go down for another nap in the afternoon - once that happened it was smooth sailing.  She is formula fed & on baby food - I forgot how bad the poop smells!!!  I am NOT looking forward to Averley starting solids.  Averley's poop doesn't really smell since she is on breastmilk & Declan's poop is solid and plops right in the toilet so I don't really smell anything with his either.

I wanted to start watching 1 child at first and see how it went.  My biggest fear is Declan not getting the attention he needs/deserves.  It was already a transition for him when Averley was born & now there is another baby that needs attention.  I really need to make sure I take time out during the day to sit & play with him one-on-one.  He's beginning to throw fits like no other & I don't know if it is his age or the lack of attention so throwing the fit gets him attention - even if its not the right kind.

I think I need a date with my son!  Actually, I know I do.  That is my next goal - to have a date with my son.  Not sure what we will do but anything that gets us out of this house will do.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Doctor Visits - Cloth Diaper Stuff

Yesterday Declan & Averley had their well-visit check ups.  Taking both kids to the doctor is a nightmare.  I did it one time by myself when Averley was 1 month old & it was just awful.  I do not know how single parents do it!  I am so grateful I have a husband & family nearby to help me out.  Declan hates the doctors office now - has since he was about 1 year old.  He screams from the moment we pull up to the office until the time we leave, even if he doesn't have any shots.

Yesterday he did the same.  Luckily my mom was with me to help out.  Declan wouldn't even let us weigh him so I had to stand on the scale holding him & we subtracted my weight to see what he weighs.  I cannot wait until he isn't afraid anymore - not sure when that will happen.  Doctor said it is completely normal for him to be scared at his age and it will probably last until he is 3.  GREAT! 

While Declan was screaming for no reason the doctor checked out Averley.  She is growing very well.- She was 6lbs 6oz & 20 inches at birth & now at 4 months she is 12lbs 6oz & 25 inches.  90th percentile for height & 50th percentile for weight.  She had to get 2 shots and drink some anti-diarrhea medicine.  She screamed of course - and not just a normal cry from a shot...she screeches!  It is ear piercing!!  The nurse couldn't believe it - she was taken back it.  Of course, when Averley started crying from the shots Declan started crying out of fear.

Declan's turn - I had to hold him down on the table so we could get his measurements.  You would think something terrible was happening to him.  All we needed to do was measure him.  At 18 months Declan is now 26lbs (about) & 33.5 inches.  75th percentile for height & 50th percentile for weight.

While there the doctor noticed the rash on Averley - I thought it might be from detergent build up on the cloth diapers or a reaction to the detergent we are using.  He gave me some suggestions and then when he checked Declan he knew it was a yeast rash.  He thought it might be with Averley but it wasn't as noticeable as it was with Declan.  So - now I have to switch over to disposable diapers while we get the yeast cleared up on the kids & have to make sure it is completely out of the cloth diapers.

The doctor suggested using Lotromin so we are going to get some of that for their skin - until then I read that Apple Cider Vinegar can clear it up.  So I have dabbed a few cotton balls onto the kids' skin and gave them both some diaper free time today.  I've been really diligent in changing their diapers often since yeast likes dark, damp places.

With the cloth diapers the doctor said if we are using hot water to wash them then it would kill the yeast but I want to make sure.  I am bleaching everything even though it scares me to.  Bleaching the micro-fiber inserts, prefolds & cloth wipes doesn't scare me as much as doing the covers.  But I know some people bleach the covers and everything is fine.  I will just have to make sure I don't use too much bleach.  I don't really know what other options I have without having to go out and buy something & not really know if it worked or not until I see if they get the rashes back.  With bleach & the hot water I know for sure it will be gone.  I will just have to make sure I rinse rinse rinse!!!

Rest when I can....yeah right!

When you have a baby everybody tells you, "Sleep when they sleep."  But that is nearly impossible when you have 2 or more kids.  Having them both nap at the same time is something I strive for every day but it rarely happens.  On the occasion it does happen, and usually only for about 20 minutes, I shower, unload the dishwasher and pick up around the house.  Most of the time when I put one kid down for a nap the other is waking up.

When Averley was first born I had a lot of help.  Ryan & my mom were on vacation the week after she was born and they were both able to help me get rest when I needed it.  I never got more than an hour at a time since I was nursing but even 20 minutes of sleep was helpful.  Once Ryan & my mom went back to work my dad was on vacation.  He would come over & take Declan to the mall or out to eat while I stayed home with Averley and rested.  I am so grateful to have family that is able to help out like they do.  Without them I don't think I would have made it those first few weeks!

Declan sleeps through the night usually between 7pm & 8pm to 7am.  He has done this since around 6 months old.  He occasionally has night terrors & will cry out but quickly goes back to sleep.  I can remember nursing Averley a few times at night and hearing him scream out of nowhere.  It scared the crap out of me!  I can't imagine what it is that is so scary to him but I guess anything he sees during the day his mind can twist into something scary.

Averley is now only up 1 time a night for the most part.  She goes to sleep around 7pm, nurses between 2am & 4am, then is awake to eat again around 7am.  She still has her nights when she is up more than she should be....that is when I am exhausted the next day and would rather sleep than shower :)

These past two weeks we have been trying to work on getting away from swaddling.  We currently use the Miracle Blanket (www.miracleblanket.com).  We started with not swaddling during naps - it wasn't until yesterday that it actually worked really well.  I was able to put her down in her crib awake, unswaddled & with her pacifier and she would fall asleep on her own.  We attempted to do this last night as well.  She made it until 1:30am - I nursed her and tried to put her back down & she wasn't having any of it.  I ended up swaddling her again and she finally fell asleep around 2:30am and woke up at 7am.  I can't wait until she sleeps through the night!!  Today I am tired - but lucky me my mom is on vacation this week & will be coming over soon!

We will be taking Declan & Averley to the doctor today for their 18 month & 4 month visits.  I know Averley will be getting shots but I am not sure about Declan.  We shall see!  I'm looking forward to seeing how much they have both grown these past 2 months.