So whats been going on? The days are flying by, the boys are growing up, every week feels so busy and crazy! But everything is really really good. Here is just a quick update, again so I have something to look back on and remember this season of life.
-I'll start with me. I just finished my first true year of real estate and I am proud to say it was better than I could have ever imagined. Goal that was given to me from my team was for 15 homes. That's because 15 homes means winning one of the big awards in real estate. I agreed to strive for that but had no faith it would actually happen. Personally I was set on 5. I would be happy if I sold 5 homes. Well guess what, I sold 15! What?! I can't believe I actually hit that goal in my very first year. I am super super proud. And what makes it even better, I really like the job. Its hard work and I bust my butt to make it happen, but I am happy! And I feel like I found something I am good at, that I like, and I am making money to contribute to our families goals.
- Mike is next. Career wise there were not major changes this year. He works so hard all the time. An average day he leaves the house around 6-6:30am and gets home between 6:30-7pm. And that is not when he is traveling all over the place. He is normally out of state 1-2 weeks a month. During busy season he was gone every other week, but we have been lucky the last 2 months have been quieter. But we think this upcoming year will be a a big transition for his career. He has put 2 years into this position and his hopefully going to get promoted to a DM (that is the goal). If anything major happens, I am sure I will be back to talk about it.
- Ryan and Patrick are in full blown activity and sports mode. They both play baseball and soccer in the Spring and Fall, Ryan did the swim team in the summer at the Country Club and is doing basketball in the Winter. Patrick is doing a Star club through our church. They sure do keep me busy. But at one point in the Spring when life felt chaotic, Mike and I discussed dropping some activities, but we realized being part of these teams, and having a Saturday full of sports games was actually one of our favorite parts of the week. He loves spending the time as a family, the boys were so happy playing, we were in a great network of friends. Somehow the crazy wild schedule was our happy place.
- Ryan is in 2nd grade. He loves science, marine life, animals, outer space and all things non fiction. He doesn't love ready, writing, spelling quite as much but he is getting there. I am grateful that he still loves going to school, has a great teacher Mrs. Thomas, and lots of good buddies in school. At home he is loud and rambunctious but also loving and helpful. He loves to make us happy. From the minute his eyes open til the second he goes to sleep at night he is on the move. Drawing, creating new inventions, making obstacle courses to be a Ninja Warrior, playing sports, hanging with the kids in the neighborhood... Ryan goes non stop. He still has some struggles with focus, paying attention to one topic at a time, understanding personal space (like running and jumping on someones back to give them a hug isn't always appropriate, who knew). But he is still a kind, sensitive, emotional, sweet boy.
-Patrick is in his last year of preschool. He goes 5 full days this year, and he loves it. He is funny, and spirited, and knows how to make people laugh. He loves following in Ryan's footsteps. Most of his days are spent wondering what Ryan is doing and trying to do it too. He also loves playing outside and creating new games, but he can also be my cuddling cough potato. When he plays Mario Kart video games, he bounces and jumps the entire time, like a jumping bean. Currently his favorite things are The Greatest Showman, Mario Kart, super heros, and unfortunately silly YouTube videos (the annoying ones of kids playing with toys). And just like Ryan, Patrick is obsessed with "his baby" Thomas. Both big kids love love love on Thomas.
- We have met a good group of friends. Between the neighborhood, my work, and the kids sports we finally feel like we have a great system of friends that we enjoy spending time with and that have kids that get along with our boys. It was strange to feel like the new and lonely person living in a town I have lived in my whole life, but finally its feels nice to have some great people around us.
-Daily life in our house is loud. A lot of wrestling. A lot of "he hit me". A lot of running, jumping, throwing, climbing. A lot of fighting. A lot of singing and dance parties. But at the end of the day, Ryan and Patrick cuddle up together in their bedroom to sleep because neither can go to bed at night without the other.
-This year we have some big goals. Mike and I are going to St. Lucia for our 10 year anniversary trip. We are also taking the boys on an Alaska Cruise in September. Hopefully Mike will have some big moves in his job and I will keep growing mine. But on a smaller level I hope to start getting back in shape, maybe start running again. I wan us to get more involved in our church since we finally found a place we really like.
Ryan is going to take some personal training for baseball since he really loves to play and the talent around here is so so good. We hope for Patrick to learn how to ride a bike and how to swim on his own.
I want to read 16 books in 2019. I hope to get both boys overnight potty trained (we still have night time accident issues). I want to live more in the moment... leave the dishes for later, and cuddle on the couch if they ask. Play the game they want to play. Go outside when they ask me to come. I am well aware that they won't ask for "one more hug" forever, so help slow down time by being present.
Even though many days I feel overwhelmed, and overloaded in to-do lists.... life right now is so good. I am happy and blessed and really enjoying this season of life!
The Taynors
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Thomas is One! (Written at 18 months)
Wow- this takes the record in my most delayed post. I am a full 6 months late on Thomas's one year birthday update. Life has been wild! All good but just wild. So unfortunately this blog has been put on a back burner - way in the back where I can barely even find it. But because looking back on these memories and stories is important to me, I am going to do my best to recap what Thomas was like when he turned one. And if nothing else I can update on my 18 month old version of him :)
Some of the facts (again written as if he was exactly one)-
- Still not sleeping through the night. Gets up once or twice a night to eat but will go back to sleep.
- Not walking yet, but cruising and crawling all over.
- Still exclusively nursing. He loves nursing and shows no signs of giving up.
-Thomas spends most of his days hanging out and going along for the ride with his brothers. Most days are on a sports field or on a play date or driving around to Ryan and Patrick's activities.
- His actual first birthday, and our 9 year anniversary, was spent on the little league fields because both Ryan and Patrick had their last baseball game of the season.
- Thomas is tiny. He measures in at about 5-10% in height and weight. Only thing large is his head at 75%
-Baby Thomas is a twin of Patrick at this age.
-He is still so sweet, and cuddly, and laid back. And boy does he love his Mama!
- Not really talking yet, just a bunch of rambling, but not much talking.
We threw Thomas a big first birthday party. I always wanted a summer baby so we could celebrate with a big backyard party. And that is exactly what we did. It was surfer dude themed, and it was one of the hottest days of the summer. But we had a TON of fun. Lots of family and friends from all areas of life came to celebrate and party.
An update on when some of the major milestones took place-
-Started walking- 14 months
-Started sleeping through the night- 14 months
-Slowly weened and eventually stopped nursing completely between 15-16 months
And now at 18 months this is how I see him-
-Loving on Mickey Mouse! The show, toys, his hot dog song. He has entered Mickey obsessed.
-He also loves dogs. Of "woof woofs" as he says.
- He loves loves loves to snuggle. I think his favorite part of the day is when he comes in my bed in the morning for cuddle time before we start our day.
- He wants desperately to keep up with his big brothers. Whatever they do, he does.
- He is determined and active- climbs up the outside of the staircase, up onto the kitchen table, moves couch cushions to climb up like a mountain, our of his high chair up onto the island. Boy had no fear.
-He is strongly independent. Wants to dress himself, go down the stairs himself, put his shoes on himself. And gets frustrated when he can't keep up.
-Thomas loves to eat. Some favorites are meatballs, yogurt, bananas, peas, all fruit, cereal bars. He also must use a fork or spoon if everyone around him is using one.
-He generally takes one good nap a day from 11:30-1:30. Works well with Patrick's school schedule.
- His dance moves are great! He loves music, the piano, drums, and singing.
-He has quite the arm. Loves to play catch with anyone willing to play.
-When we are at home, Thomas is a pretty chill easy going kid. Out in public is a challenge because he wants to touch everyone, explore, run away, and be a free spirit. This fall we had to stop taking him to his brothers soccer games because we couldn't keep him off the field!
-And lastly Thomas gives the biggest, tightest, best hugs.
My boy Thomas is truly a blessing from God. I am incredibly thankful to have this little boy in our world!
Some of the facts (again written as if he was exactly one)-
- Still not sleeping through the night. Gets up once or twice a night to eat but will go back to sleep.
- Not walking yet, but cruising and crawling all over.
- Still exclusively nursing. He loves nursing and shows no signs of giving up.
-Thomas spends most of his days hanging out and going along for the ride with his brothers. Most days are on a sports field or on a play date or driving around to Ryan and Patrick's activities.
- His actual first birthday, and our 9 year anniversary, was spent on the little league fields because both Ryan and Patrick had their last baseball game of the season.
- Thomas is tiny. He measures in at about 5-10% in height and weight. Only thing large is his head at 75%
-Baby Thomas is a twin of Patrick at this age.
-He is still so sweet, and cuddly, and laid back. And boy does he love his Mama!
- Not really talking yet, just a bunch of rambling, but not much talking.
We threw Thomas a big first birthday party. I always wanted a summer baby so we could celebrate with a big backyard party. And that is exactly what we did. It was surfer dude themed, and it was one of the hottest days of the summer. But we had a TON of fun. Lots of family and friends from all areas of life came to celebrate and party.
An update on when some of the major milestones took place-
-Started walking- 14 months
-Started sleeping through the night- 14 months
-Slowly weened and eventually stopped nursing completely between 15-16 months
And now at 18 months this is how I see him-
-Loving on Mickey Mouse! The show, toys, his hot dog song. He has entered Mickey obsessed.
-He also loves dogs. Of "woof woofs" as he says.
- He loves loves loves to snuggle. I think his favorite part of the day is when he comes in my bed in the morning for cuddle time before we start our day.
- He wants desperately to keep up with his big brothers. Whatever they do, he does.
- He is determined and active- climbs up the outside of the staircase, up onto the kitchen table, moves couch cushions to climb up like a mountain, our of his high chair up onto the island. Boy had no fear.
-He is strongly independent. Wants to dress himself, go down the stairs himself, put his shoes on himself. And gets frustrated when he can't keep up.
-Thomas loves to eat. Some favorites are meatballs, yogurt, bananas, peas, all fruit, cereal bars. He also must use a fork or spoon if everyone around him is using one.
-He generally takes one good nap a day from 11:30-1:30. Works well with Patrick's school schedule.
- His dance moves are great! He loves music, the piano, drums, and singing.
-He has quite the arm. Loves to play catch with anyone willing to play.
-When we are at home, Thomas is a pretty chill easy going kid. Out in public is a challenge because he wants to touch everyone, explore, run away, and be a free spirit. This fall we had to stop taking him to his brothers soccer games because we couldn't keep him off the field!
-And lastly Thomas gives the biggest, tightest, best hugs.
My boy Thomas is truly a blessing from God. I am incredibly thankful to have this little boy in our world!
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
10 months of sweetness
I am only days away from his 11 month milestone so we can wrap two months into one again. I can not believe I will only have a "baby for another 5 weeks"- let the tears begin. It is soooo bitter sweet.
-Thomas is very independent, and I probably give him much more freedom than I gave the others. He crawls quickly, goes from room to room exploring, and loves the change of scenery.
- He is starting to pull himself up on his knees, but no interest in standing or walking as of right now.
-Big news is as of this week, we FINALLY put the rock n play away. He started sleeping in his crib over night consistently at about the 9 month mark, and this week I finally got in him the crib for naps too!! There are some tears at nap time as he tries to work it out and get settled, but its normally not bad and he settles to sleep.
-Overnight is still pretty rocky. Last night he was up at 10:30 again at 2:30 and then up for the day by 5am. But we have had a few positive nights with longer stretches and just 1 wake up. I feel like we are very slowly making progress.
-In other big news, he did sleep through the night 1 night! It finally happened! After 10 months 5 days, we had our first full night of sleep. It was our first in Disney World and he was super tired from traveling. I was afraid it would have the opposite effect, but on this occasion it was great. He went to be at about 8:30pm and stayed asleep til 6am! Whoooo Hooooo! So exciting. It only happened that one night, it went back to normal the next night, but it was refreshing to know it can happen.
-Perfect time to talk about Thomas's first big vacation! We went to Disney World this month, and it was pretty awesome! Thomas was a good sport. He went along with all of our daily activities, napped in the stroller, nursed around the parks, and slept in the pack n play all just fine. His big brothers had an amazing time!
-Thomas has become quite the momma's boy. He wants me, and only me, all of the time. If I walk in the room and don't pay him attention, he gets angry, really angry. He wants mommy to hold him, snuggle with him, play with him at all times. Apparently when I am out of site, he is totally different, but when I walk in the door he needs to cling. I will take it, because I know its not long before Dad's become the super cool center of attention for the boys as they get older.
-To my amazement, he is still nursing and very frequently. I am finally going to reach my goal of nursing my baby on his 1st birthday!
-He has gotten much better with solid foods. We are doing the Baby Led Weaning and give him mainly soft solids. He prefers to feed himself and does not like to be fed by spoon, so we are going with his lead. Sweet potato fries, avacados, broccoli, scrambled eggs, puffs, and yogurt are some favorites. He also loves those baby food pouches that he can hold up and drink himself. I am glad to see him eating more.
Some of his favorite things are - baths, dancing, clapping, anything with music, playing catch (aka rolling the ball back and forth).
Some dislikes- bumping his head on furniture as he crawls around, not being with mommy, and going to sleep on his own.
Thats about it for right now. We all LOVE LOVE LOVE him so much. He makes off of us smile and laugh all day every day! I can't wait to celebrate his 1st birthday next month and I'll post all the details!
-Thomas is very independent, and I probably give him much more freedom than I gave the others. He crawls quickly, goes from room to room exploring, and loves the change of scenery.
- He is starting to pull himself up on his knees, but no interest in standing or walking as of right now.
-Big news is as of this week, we FINALLY put the rock n play away. He started sleeping in his crib over night consistently at about the 9 month mark, and this week I finally got in him the crib for naps too!! There are some tears at nap time as he tries to work it out and get settled, but its normally not bad and he settles to sleep.
-Overnight is still pretty rocky. Last night he was up at 10:30 again at 2:30 and then up for the day by 5am. But we have had a few positive nights with longer stretches and just 1 wake up. I feel like we are very slowly making progress.
-In other big news, he did sleep through the night 1 night! It finally happened! After 10 months 5 days, we had our first full night of sleep. It was our first in Disney World and he was super tired from traveling. I was afraid it would have the opposite effect, but on this occasion it was great. He went to be at about 8:30pm and stayed asleep til 6am! Whoooo Hooooo! So exciting. It only happened that one night, it went back to normal the next night, but it was refreshing to know it can happen.
-Perfect time to talk about Thomas's first big vacation! We went to Disney World this month, and it was pretty awesome! Thomas was a good sport. He went along with all of our daily activities, napped in the stroller, nursed around the parks, and slept in the pack n play all just fine. His big brothers had an amazing time!
-Thomas has become quite the momma's boy. He wants me, and only me, all of the time. If I walk in the room and don't pay him attention, he gets angry, really angry. He wants mommy to hold him, snuggle with him, play with him at all times. Apparently when I am out of site, he is totally different, but when I walk in the door he needs to cling. I will take it, because I know its not long before Dad's become the super cool center of attention for the boys as they get older.
-To my amazement, he is still nursing and very frequently. I am finally going to reach my goal of nursing my baby on his 1st birthday!
-He has gotten much better with solid foods. We are doing the Baby Led Weaning and give him mainly soft solids. He prefers to feed himself and does not like to be fed by spoon, so we are going with his lead. Sweet potato fries, avacados, broccoli, scrambled eggs, puffs, and yogurt are some favorites. He also loves those baby food pouches that he can hold up and drink himself. I am glad to see him eating more.
Some of his favorite things are - baths, dancing, clapping, anything with music, playing catch (aka rolling the ball back and forth).
Some dislikes- bumping his head on furniture as he crawls around, not being with mommy, and going to sleep on his own.
Thats about it for right now. We all LOVE LOVE LOVE him so much. He makes off of us smile and laugh all day every day! I can't wait to celebrate his 1st birthday next month and I'll post all the details!
Thursday, April 5, 2018
9 months and on the move
Here we are again for another monthly update- Thomas is 9 months old!! Let the first birthday planning begin ahhh!
This month he had two major mile stones- he finally figured out how to go from laying down to sitting AND he learned to crawl. So he is officially on the move!
Sleep is still pretty bad. The good news is most nights he sleeps in his crib all night, but he is still in the Rock and Plan for naps. But he really is still very unsettled. He eats 2-3 times a night, and cries and fusses a lot. The other night he was up and inconsolable from 12-2:45am. We are tired!
Even with the wild nights, he is pretty happy during the day.
We still nurse, A LOT. But I am cherishing the time since this will likely be the last time I nurse a baby. Bittersweet.
He loves to dance. Any song, he bops to the music!
We are still working on solids. Generally I am doing baby led weaning, but will also give purees a try once in a while depending on whats going on that day. He is definitely experimenting more, but eating is not his favorite.
We celebrated his first Easter last week and are getting ready to spend a lot of time this spring on the sports field watching his big brothers.
And for the cuteness...
This month he had two major mile stones- he finally figured out how to go from laying down to sitting AND he learned to crawl. So he is officially on the move!
Sleep is still pretty bad. The good news is most nights he sleeps in his crib all night, but he is still in the Rock and Plan for naps. But he really is still very unsettled. He eats 2-3 times a night, and cries and fusses a lot. The other night he was up and inconsolable from 12-2:45am. We are tired!
Even with the wild nights, he is pretty happy during the day.
We still nurse, A LOT. But I am cherishing the time since this will likely be the last time I nurse a baby. Bittersweet.
He loves to dance. Any song, he bops to the music!
We are still working on solids. Generally I am doing baby led weaning, but will also give purees a try once in a while depending on whats going on that day. He is definitely experimenting more, but eating is not his favorite.
We celebrated his first Easter last week and are getting ready to spend a lot of time this spring on the sports field watching his big brothers.
And for the cuteness...
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
2018 Goals
There is an expression, "do something today that your future self will thank you for" or some kind of variation of that. Well last January 2017 I had that exact thought and finally did something I had been thinking about and went to school to get my real estate license. It wasn't a great time- I was still working at the chiropractor, Mike was starting a new job with super demanding hours and travel, I was pregnant and getting ready to be a mom of 3 boys- but I had been thinking about it for a few years and that quote kept coming back to me. So I did it, I did something that was hard at the time, but the future me would be thankful for. And the expression is freakin true! A year later, I can reflect on the hard work and progress I have made and I am SUPER happy and Thankful I finally made the move.
Last year business was slow, a lot of work without a lot of reward. But it was the building blocks in real estate. I took the class, passed the test, joined my amazing team, started building leads, did a ton of training seminars and classes, asked a million questions. I did have one closing and a couple of rentals in the first 6 months of working, but nothing more than that. Then I took June-August off when Thomas was born (for the most part, I was actually negotiating a deal from the hospital room on the day he was born to try to save a deal from falling through). But I was able to step back and be primarily mom for a couple months. Then in September I stepped up my game again. I started putting dedicated hours into working and building new clients.
Well come January, it paid off. In the first two weeks of the year I got 2 listings (one already sold), and 3 buyers that went under contract. I now have active buyers, potential new listings, and closings on the calendar! I am so excited to see the work coming together. I have big goals for the year, sell 15 homes! If I am able to accomplish this, or come even close, I will be able to help my family big time financially and take some of the pressure and stress off of us.
I am so happy I made the move a year ago, and I am proud of myself for making big strides in building my business. But most of all, I love doing it. I feel like for a long time I knew I needed to work to make money, but I wasn't finding much that motivated me to go out and kick butt. But I found that in real estate. I am motivated, I am excited, I am starting to feel confident in my ability, and I love having something of my own and contributing to the family. Its hard work, I am stressed a LOT, juggling my schedule and the kids schedule is overwhelming... but I feel like its all for a good cause.
So its cheesy, but I am definitely proof behind those words of encouragement to make current changes that your future self with thank you for!
Last year business was slow, a lot of work without a lot of reward. But it was the building blocks in real estate. I took the class, passed the test, joined my amazing team, started building leads, did a ton of training seminars and classes, asked a million questions. I did have one closing and a couple of rentals in the first 6 months of working, but nothing more than that. Then I took June-August off when Thomas was born (for the most part, I was actually negotiating a deal from the hospital room on the day he was born to try to save a deal from falling through). But I was able to step back and be primarily mom for a couple months. Then in September I stepped up my game again. I started putting dedicated hours into working and building new clients.
Well come January, it paid off. In the first two weeks of the year I got 2 listings (one already sold), and 3 buyers that went under contract. I now have active buyers, potential new listings, and closings on the calendar! I am so excited to see the work coming together. I have big goals for the year, sell 15 homes! If I am able to accomplish this, or come even close, I will be able to help my family big time financially and take some of the pressure and stress off of us.
I am so happy I made the move a year ago, and I am proud of myself for making big strides in building my business. But most of all, I love doing it. I feel like for a long time I knew I needed to work to make money, but I wasn't finding much that motivated me to go out and kick butt. But I found that in real estate. I am motivated, I am excited, I am starting to feel confident in my ability, and I love having something of my own and contributing to the family. Its hard work, I am stressed a LOT, juggling my schedule and the kids schedule is overwhelming... but I feel like its all for a good cause.
So its cheesy, but I am definitely proof behind those words of encouragement to make current changes that your future self with thank you for!
How is my Baby 8 months Old!
Here we are again! A monthly update... or what seems to be my new norm, an ever other month update. Thomas is officially 8 months old as of this week, and here are the highlights of his 7 and 8 month happenings.
*Sleep is terrible. Still not happening, still hates the crib, still wakes frequently, still nurses all night. Half of it is baby, he needs the extra nursing and the contact and he is just miserable in the openness of the crib. Part of it is my fault, with the activities of the other kids, balancing bedtimes with all 3, trying not to wake them up in the middle of the night, Mike traveling and away overnight many nights of the week... its been hard to really "sleep train". When Mike is away, or the big kids are sick, anything goes. Whatever I can do to get him to sleep wins. I am aware this is an issue but its hard to make a change right now. Mike is away again this week, but next week he is home for 1 whole week in a row, so I plan to really start working on a sleep routine and at least get him in the crib overnight.
*On the other hand, naps have been good during the day, so that helps big time. He takes a good morning and afternoon nap, and occasionally a cat nap to hold over til bedtime. These naps are still in the rock and play, but they give me a mommy break to work so I'll take it.
*This month he has started dancing! Like totally bopping to the beat. Super cute.
*We have attempted to start solids and it hasn't gone well. He really does not like being spoon fed, so we are going to take the Baby Led Weaning approach with him. So far he seems to like sweet potato fries and these home made teething biscuit things I make. He is really playing more than eating right now, but at least he will bring them to his mouth occasionally. If BLW goes well, I will totally stick with it. I love the idea of him eating what we are eating and not needing to make purees and bring "baby food" around with us.
*He has gotten much more mobile. No moves towards crawling or cruising or anything like that yet, but he can roll and push forward or backwards to get to what he wants. He loves this freedom.
*Finally at exactly 8 months, he got his first tooth!! Woo Hoo! and the second is about to pop through.
*He loves being on the go and watching his brothers. As long as someone is paying attention to him, or someone is around to chat with him, he is happy.
*Thomas is starting to explore new sounds with his mouth, blowing bubbles, babbling much more. No real words but new sounds.
*He is going super strong with nursing. He loves it and will nurse round the clock if I let him. I did finally implement formal for the occasional bottle because I couldn't keep up with a freezer stash and with a lot of work hours coming up, I needed a back up option. I would say he still nurses or gets breast milk 98% of the time, but it took the pressure off of worrying about what I would do if I didn't have enough milk in the freezer. I did a bunch of research and ordered a brand from like Germany (not 100% sure what country, but it is from Europe and goes by their standards) and he took right too it.
*I am super desperate for a little mommy get away. I feel like I am running on fumes these days, but until he is sleeping better or nursing less, its impossible. I hope to plan a weekend getaway with Mike or a girls trip very soon.
Anyway, he is wonderful. Such a sweet, happy baby. Always with a huge smile on his face. Its going so fast, way faster than with the other two (probably because I am busy with the other two) and I am trying to take a deep breath and enjoy this stage. Its basically my very favorite baby stage!
Here is some cuteness!
*Sleep is terrible. Still not happening, still hates the crib, still wakes frequently, still nurses all night. Half of it is baby, he needs the extra nursing and the contact and he is just miserable in the openness of the crib. Part of it is my fault, with the activities of the other kids, balancing bedtimes with all 3, trying not to wake them up in the middle of the night, Mike traveling and away overnight many nights of the week... its been hard to really "sleep train". When Mike is away, or the big kids are sick, anything goes. Whatever I can do to get him to sleep wins. I am aware this is an issue but its hard to make a change right now. Mike is away again this week, but next week he is home for 1 whole week in a row, so I plan to really start working on a sleep routine and at least get him in the crib overnight.
*On the other hand, naps have been good during the day, so that helps big time. He takes a good morning and afternoon nap, and occasionally a cat nap to hold over til bedtime. These naps are still in the rock and play, but they give me a mommy break to work so I'll take it.
*This month he has started dancing! Like totally bopping to the beat. Super cute.
*We have attempted to start solids and it hasn't gone well. He really does not like being spoon fed, so we are going to take the Baby Led Weaning approach with him. So far he seems to like sweet potato fries and these home made teething biscuit things I make. He is really playing more than eating right now, but at least he will bring them to his mouth occasionally. If BLW goes well, I will totally stick with it. I love the idea of him eating what we are eating and not needing to make purees and bring "baby food" around with us.
*He has gotten much more mobile. No moves towards crawling or cruising or anything like that yet, but he can roll and push forward or backwards to get to what he wants. He loves this freedom.
*Finally at exactly 8 months, he got his first tooth!! Woo Hoo! and the second is about to pop through.
*He loves being on the go and watching his brothers. As long as someone is paying attention to him, or someone is around to chat with him, he is happy.
*Thomas is starting to explore new sounds with his mouth, blowing bubbles, babbling much more. No real words but new sounds.
*He is going super strong with nursing. He loves it and will nurse round the clock if I let him. I did finally implement formal for the occasional bottle because I couldn't keep up with a freezer stash and with a lot of work hours coming up, I needed a back up option. I would say he still nurses or gets breast milk 98% of the time, but it took the pressure off of worrying about what I would do if I didn't have enough milk in the freezer. I did a bunch of research and ordered a brand from like Germany (not 100% sure what country, but it is from Europe and goes by their standards) and he took right too it.
*I am super desperate for a little mommy get away. I feel like I am running on fumes these days, but until he is sleeping better or nursing less, its impossible. I hope to plan a weekend getaway with Mike or a girls trip very soon.
Anyway, he is wonderful. Such a sweet, happy baby. Always with a huge smile on his face. Its going so fast, way faster than with the other two (probably because I am busy with the other two) and I am trying to take a deep breath and enjoy this stage. Its basically my very favorite baby stage!
Here is some cuteness!
Monday, January 15, 2018
Why I Want Another Baby, but Know it Will Not Happen...
I get asked all the time- When are you going to try for that baby girl? Are you definitely finished now? Do you think you will have more kids? It is constant. And the one thing I can say is I am very conflicted with my answer. I wish I was one of those moms that "just knew" when their family was complete. That is confident in knowing I am done having kids. I was so hopeful to feel that way. But I don't. The idea of being done makes me sad. I still dream about another baby and doing through it all one more time. I am sad to think that this stage of my life is done and that as Thomas is getting older, I won't ever have that baby again.
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about parts of the future. The traveling with older kids, not buying diapers, not being a slave to breastfeeding, working on really building my career. That all sounds fun and exciting, but it doesn't outweigh the sadness just yet.
But even though I am not convinced our family is complete, I am pretty sure it is. Because Mike and I are way to logical and calculated to have another. And mainly because of MONEY.
If I didn't have to work and I could just stay home with the baby. If we didn't have to stress about the extra financial cost associated with having a baby (Thomas's birth alone cost $10,000 and that is worth good insurance!1). If our monthly budget had more wiggle room for the extra diapers. If we could not worry about the extra fees associated with 4 kids playing sports and activities. If we could still travel and buy 6 plane tickets and the larger suite rooms on all vacations. If the idea of buying a larger SUV was an option. If I could afford to hire some help when needed, or have cleaners come to the house to ease the work load. If college wasn't so darn expensive....if these topics where not an issue, then we would definitely have one more. The decision really all comes down to money.
So with that decision being made, and knowing we are blessed with 3 beautiful boys, it is time to start getting rid of the baby stuff. I can sell the gear and donate the clothes. I can make plans for when the baby is older to do things we have been waiting to do. I can start working out more and get my body back because for the first time in 7 years I won't be preparing to get pregnant, currently pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant again :)
It is bitter sweet. Getting rid of the baby clothes is heartbreaking. I have memories of all 3 kids in those outfits. But it is time. The silly green bouncy chair was all 3 boys favorite thing to sit and play in as newborns. I don't want to give it away. But again, it's time. So wish me luck as I transition through this stage. I can tell you one thing, I am enjoying every minute of nursing him, and I cuddle longer in the middle of the night, and I try to spend more time sitting on the floor and playing with him because boy I know it goes fast and I know I'm gonna miss it.
Don't get me wrong, I am also excited about parts of the future. The traveling with older kids, not buying diapers, not being a slave to breastfeeding, working on really building my career. That all sounds fun and exciting, but it doesn't outweigh the sadness just yet.
But even though I am not convinced our family is complete, I am pretty sure it is. Because Mike and I are way to logical and calculated to have another. And mainly because of MONEY.
If I didn't have to work and I could just stay home with the baby. If we didn't have to stress about the extra financial cost associated with having a baby (Thomas's birth alone cost $10,000 and that is worth good insurance!1). If our monthly budget had more wiggle room for the extra diapers. If we could not worry about the extra fees associated with 4 kids playing sports and activities. If we could still travel and buy 6 plane tickets and the larger suite rooms on all vacations. If the idea of buying a larger SUV was an option. If I could afford to hire some help when needed, or have cleaners come to the house to ease the work load. If college wasn't so darn expensive....if these topics where not an issue, then we would definitely have one more. The decision really all comes down to money.
So with that decision being made, and knowing we are blessed with 3 beautiful boys, it is time to start getting rid of the baby stuff. I can sell the gear and donate the clothes. I can make plans for when the baby is older to do things we have been waiting to do. I can start working out more and get my body back because for the first time in 7 years I won't be preparing to get pregnant, currently pregnant, nursing, or preparing to get pregnant again :)
It is bitter sweet. Getting rid of the baby clothes is heartbreaking. I have memories of all 3 kids in those outfits. But it is time. The silly green bouncy chair was all 3 boys favorite thing to sit and play in as newborns. I don't want to give it away. But again, it's time. So wish me luck as I transition through this stage. I can tell you one thing, I am enjoying every minute of nursing him, and I cuddle longer in the middle of the night, and I try to spend more time sitting on the floor and playing with him because boy I know it goes fast and I know I'm gonna miss it.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
5 and 6 months of Fun
The 5 and 6 month milestones were soooo exciting, that I just didn't even have enough time to post about them :)
Not really, life just gets busy and before you know it the month is over. So here is my attempt to write about 5 and 6 months in the life of Thomas before we actually hit 7 months in 2 weeks (I can't believe we are nearing the 7 month mark WTF)!
The big thing that happened at 5 months is he finally started to roll. He pretty much figured out going from his belly to back and back to belly at the same time. And once he figured out this cool new skill, he wanted to show it off by rolling all over the place. He can officially get anywhere he wants by rolling.
At 5 months he also had no sleep patterns yet. He got a terrible head cold and congestion and was not sleeping, so we moved him back into the rock n play so he was propped up which helped. Unfortunately it also got him comfy back in the RNP and has lead to lots of crib issues. In short, at the 5 month mark I would describe him as unpredictable. Some naps are over an hour and great, some are 29 minutes exactly. Some nights he goes right to sleep (in the Rock N Play of course) and other nights he cries and fusses for hours. Some nights he wakes up every hour, and other nights he wakes for one quick feeding and goes back to bed. Unpredictable. And very hard to get a babysitter for date night!
At this mark he was still 100% breastfed, no solids or substitutes. I am waiting on those teeth.
He still remains a happy, go with the flow baby.
He is starting to practice sitting up by himself, but definitely needs support.
Then he hit 6 months, which fell the day after Christmas. 6mo old babies are sooo much fun and it was happening during a super fun time of year! Every where I go people comment on how beautiful of a baby he is. His smile and eyes just melt right through people. I can literally just stare at him for hours. Freakin cute!!!
By 6 months he was sitting well unassisted, and log rolling around.
Still not teeth!
He is practicing noises but nothing more than uh uh uh uh over and over again.
He is still breastfed exclusively, but we did introduce some solid foods. I am going with the Food for Fun concept right now. He has had peas, then carrots, and then some smushed bananas... all that I made him. He kind of likes it, but also thinks its kind of weird. I am not on any kind of regular feeding schedule right now. If we are home and I have something ready and he seems interested in the foods we eat, I let him try something. If we go a few days without solid food, that's okay too. I also introduced a sippy cup of water. Right now that is much more play than actual drinking but he really likes it.
We had a great first Christmas, Santa brought him some fun presents like diapers and glass bottles and a new push car for outside. Thomas liked the paper more than the gifts of course. His big brothers are totally in love. They want to make him laugh and be by him and help me in anyway they can. They really are so helpful and so sweet.
He is my little love bug for sure. He loves to be held and cuddle and make people laugh. He has these huge chubby thighs that are super ticklish. He is just amazing. My only real challenge is the sleep. It is still not going well. See above notes. Not much has changed. We attempted to crib train again this week for sleeping.... and guess what, he got the stomach virus and threw up crazy amounts. So back to sleeping in my arms and then the rock n play again because he couldn't be on his flat back. Anyway, I will try again soon. As I keep saying, we are in survival mode. Whatever gets him and I the most sleep wins. I know well enough now that everything is just a phase and he won't sleep in the RNP forever.
I have some great pictures of him, and I promise to post them later. But for now I am happy with the accomplishment of getting this blog up!
Not really, life just gets busy and before you know it the month is over. So here is my attempt to write about 5 and 6 months in the life of Thomas before we actually hit 7 months in 2 weeks (I can't believe we are nearing the 7 month mark WTF)!
The big thing that happened at 5 months is he finally started to roll. He pretty much figured out going from his belly to back and back to belly at the same time. And once he figured out this cool new skill, he wanted to show it off by rolling all over the place. He can officially get anywhere he wants by rolling.
At 5 months he also had no sleep patterns yet. He got a terrible head cold and congestion and was not sleeping, so we moved him back into the rock n play so he was propped up which helped. Unfortunately it also got him comfy back in the RNP and has lead to lots of crib issues. In short, at the 5 month mark I would describe him as unpredictable. Some naps are over an hour and great, some are 29 minutes exactly. Some nights he goes right to sleep (in the Rock N Play of course) and other nights he cries and fusses for hours. Some nights he wakes up every hour, and other nights he wakes for one quick feeding and goes back to bed. Unpredictable. And very hard to get a babysitter for date night!
At this mark he was still 100% breastfed, no solids or substitutes. I am waiting on those teeth.
He still remains a happy, go with the flow baby.
He is starting to practice sitting up by himself, but definitely needs support.
Then he hit 6 months, which fell the day after Christmas. 6mo old babies are sooo much fun and it was happening during a super fun time of year! Every where I go people comment on how beautiful of a baby he is. His smile and eyes just melt right through people. I can literally just stare at him for hours. Freakin cute!!!
By 6 months he was sitting well unassisted, and log rolling around.
Still not teeth!
He is practicing noises but nothing more than uh uh uh uh over and over again.
He is still breastfed exclusively, but we did introduce some solid foods. I am going with the Food for Fun concept right now. He has had peas, then carrots, and then some smushed bananas... all that I made him. He kind of likes it, but also thinks its kind of weird. I am not on any kind of regular feeding schedule right now. If we are home and I have something ready and he seems interested in the foods we eat, I let him try something. If we go a few days without solid food, that's okay too. I also introduced a sippy cup of water. Right now that is much more play than actual drinking but he really likes it.
We had a great first Christmas, Santa brought him some fun presents like diapers and glass bottles and a new push car for outside. Thomas liked the paper more than the gifts of course. His big brothers are totally in love. They want to make him laugh and be by him and help me in anyway they can. They really are so helpful and so sweet.
He is my little love bug for sure. He loves to be held and cuddle and make people laugh. He has these huge chubby thighs that are super ticklish. He is just amazing. My only real challenge is the sleep. It is still not going well. See above notes. Not much has changed. We attempted to crib train again this week for sleeping.... and guess what, he got the stomach virus and threw up crazy amounts. So back to sleeping in my arms and then the rock n play again because he couldn't be on his flat back. Anyway, I will try again soon. As I keep saying, we are in survival mode. Whatever gets him and I the most sleep wins. I know well enough now that everything is just a phase and he won't sleep in the RNP forever.
I have some great pictures of him, and I promise to post them later. But for now I am happy with the accomplishment of getting this blog up!
Friday, November 17, 2017
Life in the Taynor House - Fall 2017
I wanted to do a "day in the life" post, but our lives are so different from day to day that it wouldn't really give me (future me who is looking back to ready these and remember what life was like) a true picture. So instead I am going to do a highlight real- this is what is going on in our home right now.
Ryan is 6.5, Patrick is 3.5, Thomas is 4 months, and I will be 35 next week (eek)
-Ryan is in 1st grade and loves it. He got the BEST teacher that I could have asked for him this year. He loves math, doesn't quite love site words or spelling yet, but he does love to write his own stories and being read to. Currently the sentences in his story are rough- most works not spelled correctly and most barely recognizable, but the effort is there and I am encouraging the creativity. I am one of the class moms with two other moms. Its a big job I am coming to find out. But the other women I am doing it with are pros so I am following their lead. I volunteered for the job because I like to be involved with party planning because of Ryan's food allergies. And I know he really likes having me be an active role in his class.
-Ryan played soccer and baseball this Fall. He really liked both but became baseball obsessed! He loves playing it, talking about it, and watching it. Lucky for us the Yankees had a great season- Aaron Judge rookie season, won the home run derby, hit the most home runs ever by a rookie, and the Yankees were only 1 game away from going to the World Series. We have had a lot of fun rooting them on this Summer and Fall.
-Ryan is also becoming such an elementary school kid- saying things like "totally!" and "Boys go to college to get more knowledge, girls go to jupiter to get more stupider" and wanted to explain to me what the middle finger means "I promise I won't do it Mom, but what does it mean?" His favorite words that make him sound so old are quite and often. "I quite like my sleep" and "i often call out in class". Also his Christmas wish list has gone from lots and lots of toys to only a few things and all technology based- a phone (insert eye roll), a video game headset, xbox one, some lego game that you can play through the system. He walks around the house always pretending to be playing baseball, or kicking the soccer ball, or throwing the football up and catching it. But he still loves to cuddle, and loves to be read to at bed time, and gives me lots of hugs and love every day.
-Patrick is a 3 year old boy. If you have ever had a 3 year old boy you know what I mean. There is a lot of rage, and a lot of cuteness, and a lot of stubborn, and a lot of frustration, and a lot of goofy. Just a lot of all emotions. He is developing a personality of his own and his emotions run wild! But he is sooooo stinkin cute that he knows he can get away with murder. He is learning to spell his name and finally interested in learning his letters. He asks a million questions and talks non stop. He says cute things that melt my heart like randomly saying "you are the sweetest mom in the world". He is rough and aggressive and says inappropriate things. Potty talk is his favorite conversation. He loves to get dirty and jump in muddy puddles. Meltdowns come frequently. Just a normal 3 year old boy!
-Patrick goes to pre-school MWF full days, he play soccer on Saturday mornings, and he goes to visit Grandma and Grandpa on Thursdays most weeks. He is actually very good at soccer, he has a decent amount of natural talent. But if he gets frustrated or doesn't think he is doing well, he is quick to quit. We are working on getting him to build his confidence and keep playing even when its hard.
-I started back to work in Real Estate officially right after school started in September. I am still on maternity leave for Coombs Chiropractic, and still debating if I will return or not (that decisions needs to be made like last week). But with real estate I work office hours all day Monday, and half day Wednesday, and then schedule all my other appointments and open houses in the evenings and weekends. Its been challenging because as I am starting to build up some serious buyers, I need to be available at the drop off the hat. Finding last minute child care has been the hardest part. This week for example, Mike is traveling for work and I had a client who needed to see homes two nights in a row. So I reached out to every babysitter I knew to try to get coverage for an hour each night. And getting a babysitter for 3 kids at dinner time during a week night is not easy. They are entering into my home during the most chaotic time of day. But both nights we made it work. Then I do my computer work and get caught up on contacts at night after the kids are in bed. I am really enjoying the job and can see a great career in real estate, but right now I just need to find my grove on how to handle child care when I need to be out of the house.
- I am also still doing wedding hair, can't give it up the money is too good. And I like to do it when life isn't as crazy as it is right now. 2017 was pretty slow with the pregnancy and new baby, but I am already booking lots of weddings for 2018. I am excited because we can use the boost in extra income!
-Mike has been in this new position since February and its going well, he loves the job, but its WAY more travel then we anticipated. Just this past month for example he was away for 16 our of 30 nights. And even when he is working at his regular office, the hours are super long. He leaves before the kids get up and gets home just in time to kiss them goodnight. This has been by far our hardest adjustment to having a new baby at home, is the addition of his crazy work schedule. I don't have the second person to back me up. When two kids need to be in two different places, I need to figure it out alone. At dinner time when kids are cranky and needy, I'm on my own putting food on the table and trying to meet their needs. When Ryan has a baseball game or soccer practice, I am taking all 3 kids with me. So its hard. I am tired. And Mike misses his family. We know this isn't a long term job position, we just need to get through this step on the career ladder, but I am not gonna lie, I am ready for a change.
-Our weekends have entered the crazy zone. A Saturday normally includes 2 soccer games, a baseball game, and a kids birthday party. Sundays I try to work an open house, or we have a family event, or we try to do something as a family since its the only time we are all home together. September and October were nutso. I am kind of looking forward to the winter weather because we will get a break from sports and less outdoor activities... we can hibernate as a family a little bit (or at least thats what I am hoping for).
-Thomas has been a pretty typical easy 3rd child. He just tags along in all that we do. He has already been on rainy soccer fields, and spent all day in and out of the car. He goes to parties and play dates and meetings at the school. He has even been on some home showings with me. Pretty much wherever I go, he goes. And luckily right now he goes with the flow and always makes people smile wherever we go.
- A general normal day- I am up with Thomas in and out of sleep from 5am-7am. Mike leaves for work sometime in that time frame. The boys get up by 7 and we start our get ready for school routine. We all leave at 8:45 to drop Patrick off at school, then I swing around and drop Ryan off at school. Then depending on the day I either go to work, run errands, clean the house, catch up on the ever mounting to-do list until about 2:30. Pick Patrick up at 3:00. Get home to get Ryan off the bus at 4:15. Eat dinner between 4:30-5. Go to whatever the after school activity is at 5:30-6:30/7. Home for bath, snack, bedtime. Mike gets home at bedtime. We get all kids settled by 8pm (on a good night). Then 8-10pm catch up on adult conversation, computer work, clean up from the day, prep lunches for the next day, and maybe spend 5 minutes on the couch with TV before we go to bed. Then start it all over again the next day.
-My days and thoughts revolve around sleep. Did he nap? Will he nap? When will he wake up? Is he asleep for the night? How long do i have before next wake up? 4 month olds are exhausting.
-My days and thoughts revolve around sleep. Did he nap? Will he nap? When will he wake up? Is he asleep for the night? How long do i have before next wake up? 4 month olds are exhausting.
- Lots of fun events the past couple months. My Dad's 60th birthday at the race track. The twins 4th birthday, Thomas's baptism, Micky's 60th birthday. Michelle is due with her baby in December and we recently found out Matt and Laura are expecting their first in April. We visited our NC friends and halloween festivities are this week. We just booked our Disney vacation for April, this week is the 180 day mark to make dining reservations. Lots of great stuff!
-The basement project is 99% finished! Woo hoo! And we are starting to use it to entertain. People hung out down there during the baptism because it was a million degrees out. We had new friends from Ryan's baseball team come over for a football Sunday a few weeks ago. We are planning a Frankie fight night/Christmas party for the beginning of December. Its a great space and I am sooooo happy the project is finally complete.
I think that sums up the highlights of our world right now. Its crazy but I know I'll miss it one day.
I think that sums up the highlights of our world right now. Its crazy but I know I'll miss it one day.
Friday, October 27, 2017
4 months Update for Tommy T
Hey hey, here we are again for another monthly update on Tommy T (as you can see from the title the nickname is sticking in our family, not sure how I feel about it). Anyway it is not a huge month to report on, a lot of the same as last month, just some added alertness and trying to do new things.
-He is currently 15 lbs
-Still 100% breast fed. Some days are good, some days are hard. He wiggles and squirms so much while eating, and he eats super fast. So my nursing sessions are not relaxing and cuddly. But he is gaining weight well, and is perfectly heatlhy so we will continue on our nursing journey.
- His routine is finally starting to spread out and he is eating closer to every 3 hours. I still don't watch the clock, we just go with the Eat Activity Sleep cycle. But his activity time is longer which leads to longer time between feeds.
-Naps still SUCK. I can't wait (please please please) for this to change. They are still 30 minute cat naps every time. Last week we were traveling and visiting friends so I just let him sleep wherever we were. But since we have been home I am starting to "nap train". Every nap is in his room, blinds closed, pre-nap routine... anything to start moving towards a true nap time and hopefully a longer nap. Both he and I will be happier when this happens.
-Night time sleep also SUCKS right now. Its hard to get him to actually fall asleep. Up to an hour of going up and down the stairs to help get him settled. Then his wake ups vary every night- could be 11:30pm, or midnight, or 2:30, or 4 or 5 or all of the above. I never know what I am going to get. And sometimes he goes right back to sleep after a quick feed, and sometimes he is up and fussy for 30-45 minutes after. He seems to be very inconsistent and its making mommy tired!
-Last month he found his hands, this month he found his feet! He also really wants to be able to sit up. If he is in the laying down position, he will try to pull himself up to sitting.
-Still no rolling, and he doesn't really try. Occasionally you see him roll to his side, but quickly gives up. The other boys were both early rollers, so this is new to me.
-This month he also started to laugh. It doesn't happen often, and when he does laugh it kind of scares him, Like what the heck was that noise. But the smiles are all day every day.
-We went to visit our NC friends last week, so it was his first plane ride. He did great. A few tears at take off but otherwise slept most of the time. And in general he was super happy with all of our traveling around while down there. It was super easy to travel with only one baby! Mark that in the category of things that are easy now that I have three kids that would have been so sary and hard with my first. I would never ever have flown with Ryan at 4 months old, and if I had to it would have been super stressful. With Thomas it seemed like a relaxing vacation to only be taking care of one baby.
That's about it for our little stinky man. Time sure is flying by! We love him to pieces and so do the boys!
-He is currently 15 lbs
-Still 100% breast fed. Some days are good, some days are hard. He wiggles and squirms so much while eating, and he eats super fast. So my nursing sessions are not relaxing and cuddly. But he is gaining weight well, and is perfectly heatlhy so we will continue on our nursing journey.
- His routine is finally starting to spread out and he is eating closer to every 3 hours. I still don't watch the clock, we just go with the Eat Activity Sleep cycle. But his activity time is longer which leads to longer time between feeds.
-Naps still SUCK. I can't wait (please please please) for this to change. They are still 30 minute cat naps every time. Last week we were traveling and visiting friends so I just let him sleep wherever we were. But since we have been home I am starting to "nap train". Every nap is in his room, blinds closed, pre-nap routine... anything to start moving towards a true nap time and hopefully a longer nap. Both he and I will be happier when this happens.
-Night time sleep also SUCKS right now. Its hard to get him to actually fall asleep. Up to an hour of going up and down the stairs to help get him settled. Then his wake ups vary every night- could be 11:30pm, or midnight, or 2:30, or 4 or 5 or all of the above. I never know what I am going to get. And sometimes he goes right back to sleep after a quick feed, and sometimes he is up and fussy for 30-45 minutes after. He seems to be very inconsistent and its making mommy tired!
-Last month he found his hands, this month he found his feet! He also really wants to be able to sit up. If he is in the laying down position, he will try to pull himself up to sitting.
-Still no rolling, and he doesn't really try. Occasionally you see him roll to his side, but quickly gives up. The other boys were both early rollers, so this is new to me.
-This month he also started to laugh. It doesn't happen often, and when he does laugh it kind of scares him, Like what the heck was that noise. But the smiles are all day every day.
-We went to visit our NC friends last week, so it was his first plane ride. He did great. A few tears at take off but otherwise slept most of the time. And in general he was super happy with all of our traveling around while down there. It was super easy to travel with only one baby! Mark that in the category of things that are easy now that I have three kids that would have been so sary and hard with my first. I would never ever have flown with Ryan at 4 months old, and if I had to it would have been super stressful. With Thomas it seemed like a relaxing vacation to only be taking care of one baby.
That's about it for our little stinky man. Time sure is flying by! We love him to pieces and so do the boys!
Friday, October 13, 2017
3 months old!
Late again, same old story... but here are the notes I made about Thomas at the 3 month mark.
Month 2-3 was a great month. Thomas became very smiley and very happy! I loved this turn around in him. Basically he only cries if he is hungry or tired, and just gets a bit fussy if he is overwhelmed or bored. But know matter what I am able to help him and he is back to happy again. I do believe he is my happiest baby.
-Thing he likes: baths, diaper changes, flirting, being help upright, trying to sit
-Car rides are getting better, finally!
-He is also starting to like tummy time in short increments. No rolling yet, but he will push up and look around.
-We moved him to his crib right after 2 months. It wasn't a super hard transition. I elevated the head of his crib for his reflux, and made a little nest under his sheet to help him feel cozy and it was pretty smooth. He is normally in his crib from 7:30pm-4-5am, if he wakes up after 4 am its hard to get him back into his crib and he ends up sleeping with me or in the rock n play next to our bed.
-His sleep is very inconsistent. Some nights he goes right to sleep between 7-7:30 and other nights it takes me an hour to get him to really sleep. Some nights he sleeps til 4am without waking up, and other nights he is up at 11:30pm, 2am, 4am, etc. When I go to bed I never know what I am going to get. I am having a hard time getting over these wake ups, and everytime I think things are going well, he will change it up again.
We also stopped swaddling him about half way through the month. Out of no where he was miserable at bed time, and would cry even if I tried to nurse him or rock him. So one night out of frustration I took off the swaddle, put him in a Zipaddee sack and that was that. I think he was trying to tell me he didn't like the swaddle anymore and he likes his hands by his face.
-Naps are pretty terrible. 30 minutes, exactly, almost every nap, no matter where he is sleeping. Car, swing, baby wearing, stroller, crib... 30 minutes his eyes pop open. I totally know that this is a brain sleep wave thing, and that if he could get past that 30 minute mark he would probably sleep longer, but its really hard to nap train with our schedules. One day he is with me, one day a babysitter, one day my inlaws, running around at sports on the weekends... it all makes nap training difficult. I am going to just go with it until he hits about 4 months. At that stage our schedules let up a little, and he is a little bit older to get into a routine, and then we will see if I can help him get better naps.
-Even though naps are short, we are at least falling into a better Eat, Activity, Sleep routine. The routine is quick- he really only goes 2 hours between feeds most days, but its a routine and I can predict what he will need next.
-In the beginning of the month, he had the tongue tie procedure done. It was super simple and much easier than I anticipated. The goal is to help his tongue move better, so he can nurse more efficiently, and help make sure I have a strong supply. So far so good. I think I will have a better idea if it made a big impact as he gets older (like 6-8 months). That is when I really started to struggle with the big boys and I couldn't keep up.
-Pumping is going much better this time around. When I pump I actually get what I am leaving him in bottles. If I miss a feeding I always pump at the same time he is getting a bottle. And then I also pump every night around 9:45 before I go to bed. by doing this I have a great freezer stash of over 60oz right now and it is gradually increasing. Having that stash makes going to work and appointments so much easier. I really really really hope to be successful and make it to his 1st birthday still nursing !
- He found his voice and loves his hands this month. I feel like he tries to talk to me, and repeat sounds I am making. He also is starting to reach out and grab things. I love all of these little mile stones.
-He was Baptized on September 24. He pooped through his white outfit and cried through the whole service, but otherwise all went well haha. His God Father is Mike's brother Matt and his God Mother is my cousin Lauryn. We had everyone back for lunch after the church. Other than it being 90 degrees and humid, it was a nice day.
-Lastly, Thomas loves to be sung to as a way of calming down or falling asleep. He is my first baby that likes that. If he is getting fussy or squirming a lot, I just sing "Hush Little Baby" and he immediately calms down. I guess he likes my beautiful voice.
So life is good. He is a trooper being dragged around town to soccer practice, baseball games, school pick up and drop offs, meetings with Mommy... you name it and he tags along. They say 3rd babies are easy for this reason, and as of right now it is true for him. He is just going along with our madness.
Month 2-3 was a great month. Thomas became very smiley and very happy! I loved this turn around in him. Basically he only cries if he is hungry or tired, and just gets a bit fussy if he is overwhelmed or bored. But know matter what I am able to help him and he is back to happy again. I do believe he is my happiest baby.
-Thing he likes: baths, diaper changes, flirting, being help upright, trying to sit
-Car rides are getting better, finally!
-He is also starting to like tummy time in short increments. No rolling yet, but he will push up and look around.
-We moved him to his crib right after 2 months. It wasn't a super hard transition. I elevated the head of his crib for his reflux, and made a little nest under his sheet to help him feel cozy and it was pretty smooth. He is normally in his crib from 7:30pm-4-5am, if he wakes up after 4 am its hard to get him back into his crib and he ends up sleeping with me or in the rock n play next to our bed.
-His sleep is very inconsistent. Some nights he goes right to sleep between 7-7:30 and other nights it takes me an hour to get him to really sleep. Some nights he sleeps til 4am without waking up, and other nights he is up at 11:30pm, 2am, 4am, etc. When I go to bed I never know what I am going to get. I am having a hard time getting over these wake ups, and everytime I think things are going well, he will change it up again.
We also stopped swaddling him about half way through the month. Out of no where he was miserable at bed time, and would cry even if I tried to nurse him or rock him. So one night out of frustration I took off the swaddle, put him in a Zipaddee sack and that was that. I think he was trying to tell me he didn't like the swaddle anymore and he likes his hands by his face.
-Naps are pretty terrible. 30 minutes, exactly, almost every nap, no matter where he is sleeping. Car, swing, baby wearing, stroller, crib... 30 minutes his eyes pop open. I totally know that this is a brain sleep wave thing, and that if he could get past that 30 minute mark he would probably sleep longer, but its really hard to nap train with our schedules. One day he is with me, one day a babysitter, one day my inlaws, running around at sports on the weekends... it all makes nap training difficult. I am going to just go with it until he hits about 4 months. At that stage our schedules let up a little, and he is a little bit older to get into a routine, and then we will see if I can help him get better naps.
-Even though naps are short, we are at least falling into a better Eat, Activity, Sleep routine. The routine is quick- he really only goes 2 hours between feeds most days, but its a routine and I can predict what he will need next.
-In the beginning of the month, he had the tongue tie procedure done. It was super simple and much easier than I anticipated. The goal is to help his tongue move better, so he can nurse more efficiently, and help make sure I have a strong supply. So far so good. I think I will have a better idea if it made a big impact as he gets older (like 6-8 months). That is when I really started to struggle with the big boys and I couldn't keep up.
-Pumping is going much better this time around. When I pump I actually get what I am leaving him in bottles. If I miss a feeding I always pump at the same time he is getting a bottle. And then I also pump every night around 9:45 before I go to bed. by doing this I have a great freezer stash of over 60oz right now and it is gradually increasing. Having that stash makes going to work and appointments so much easier. I really really really hope to be successful and make it to his 1st birthday still nursing !
- He found his voice and loves his hands this month. I feel like he tries to talk to me, and repeat sounds I am making. He also is starting to reach out and grab things. I love all of these little mile stones.
-He was Baptized on September 24. He pooped through his white outfit and cried through the whole service, but otherwise all went well haha. His God Father is Mike's brother Matt and his God Mother is my cousin Lauryn. We had everyone back for lunch after the church. Other than it being 90 degrees and humid, it was a nice day.
-Lastly, Thomas loves to be sung to as a way of calming down or falling asleep. He is my first baby that likes that. If he is getting fussy or squirming a lot, I just sing "Hush Little Baby" and he immediately calms down. I guess he likes my beautiful voice.
So life is good. He is a trooper being dragged around town to soccer practice, baseball games, school pick up and drop offs, meetings with Mommy... you name it and he tags along. They say 3rd babies are easy for this reason, and as of right now it is true for him. He is just going along with our madness.
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Thomas's Birth Story
Finally getting around to tell my story. I am so mad that it has taken me 12 weeks to finally write this out, because we all know the details around childbirth slowly fade away as time goes on. I guess better late than never.
Thomas's labor and delivery was by far my best birth! It all went so smoothly, shockingly so. In fact my first words as soon as he came out was not ones of love for my son, but "Wow that was awesome!" So here is the story in all the details I can remember.
Before hand-
While pregnant with Thomas I did a few things different, and who knows if it made a difference in his delivery but I think its worth noting. I stopped running completely, and I stopped doing any kind of strength training with my legs and hips. Instead I did a lot of walking, prenatal yoga, and hip opening stretches. I stayed very active (I mean I had no choice, I had 2 other crazy boys to deal with) but was careful about not doing anything that would tighten up my hips, low back, and pelvis. I also got adjusted regularly and got occasional acupuncture.
When I was about 16 weeks pregnant I started getting regular braxton hicks contractions. Almost every night I would have them for a few hours. It was annoying but not painful. Then about 2 weeks before he was born I started getting contractions. These became more and more uncomfortable and regular, but never enough to signal I was in labor. I really think all of these early contractions were preparing my body for labor way before real labor even started.
The day before I went into labor we had a busy summer Sunday. Spent a lot of time outside, went to a birthday party up the street, and had a nice family day. But at about 4pm I really just started not feeling well. I was very very tired and lethargic and just felt physically done. It was exactly 1 week before his due date. At this stage in pregnancy you know anything can happen so I tried to take it easy and I went to bed a little earlier than normal just in case.
Labor-
The whole time I was pregnant I would make jokes saying he could come whenever he was ready to be born, just not on June 26. June 26 is our wedding anniversary and I kind of wanted to keep that a special date for just Mike and I. I already share my birthday (Halloween) with my kids, I really wanted to keep my anniversary. Well you guessed it, at 4:30am on June 26 I woke up with intense contractions and almost immediately knew this was the real deal.
At first the contractions were strong enough to take my breath away, wake me up, and prevent me from laying down, but they were also quick and only every 5-6 minutes. I woke Mike up and we started to reach out to our parents for support about 5am. The plan was for both parents to come to the house, my mom first so she could let us leave for the hospital whenever we were ready, and then Mike's parents would get there a bit later and stay with Ryan and Patrick for the day. Then my mom would join us at the hospital.
I then spent from 4:30am-6:30am just walking around the house, eating small snacks, staying calm and just letting my body do its thing. Mike sent a few frantic work emails since clearly he wasn't making it to the office that day.
At 6:45 am we decided to head to the hospital for a few reasons- first the contractions were starting to get very painful and intense and come much closer together. But also because I thought it was a good idea to leave before the boys woke up. I realized if they woke up, it was going to be a big dramatic goodbye. I was in enough pain to know that I couldn't handle that, and Ryan is so emotional I didn't think he could handle it. So we snuck out just in time. My mom said they woke up within minutes of us leaving. My inlaws also arrived at that time and all 3 grandparents got to tell the boys that Mom and Dad were off to have their baby brother.
The car ride is always the worst part to me. Every bump feels terrible, its so uncomfortable to sit still, and at this point I was in full blown intense labor. When we arrived at the hospital I found out why the car was so rough- I was already 7 cm and going into transition!
I decided I wanted to get the epidural this time. I really debated this decision for the last few months of pregnancy. I didn't want to get one, I knew I could deliver the baby without one, but I also know how stressful and chaotic Patrick's delivery got without having one. My first baby the epidural did not work, and caused problems with delivery. The second baby I choose not to get one, but then had a very very long labor and pushed for over 2 hours and it got very scary and stressful. My main goal was I wanted this delivery to be peaceful. That morning when labor was still just starting and I was clear headed, I decided to go ahead and get the epidural, in hopes of a peaceful calm delivery.
The only problem that occurred was that I arrived at the hospital right at 7:00am - shift change! So by time we got admitted, got set up with the IV, got the bag full of fluids, and my blood work done, I a 8-9 cm dilated. My doula and all the nurses pretty much said there was no reason for the epidural at this time, I was doing great, baby was in great position and they thought he was going to be born very soon. But I am stubborn and once I make a decision, its hard to change my mind. So I opted to get it anyway. Looking back, I do kind of wish I choose not to get it, I didn't think I really needed it BUT it did help me have the peaceful calm delivery I wanted so I guess it was still a good decision.
While waiting for the epidural I walked around a lot, sat on the yoga ball, did all my breathing techniques and pretty much just labored on. Mike laughs that I was very zen and looked like a hippy (maybe I am a little hippy like these days haha)
Almost baby time-
After the epidural (around 9-9:30) things got calmer again. The epidural worked exactly like it should (I hadn't experienced that before). For about 20 minutes I just rested and we waited for my water to break on its own. While laying there I decided to try some of the breathing exercises that someone taught me were effective while pushing, a way to "breath the baby down." Well after the very first time doing it, my water broke. I guess it works and the breathing pushed baby down enough to break my water.
This next phase is why I loved my midwife Karen and my Doula Sue- I was 10 cm dilated, my water broke on its own, baby was in good position...technically I could have started pushing. But instead of making me push just because I could, they encouraged me to just continue to rest and relax until I really really felt the pressure that he was ready to come out. The epidural took away the intense pain, but I could still feel enough to know when I was having contractions and know when I was ready to push.
So we all just hung out and chatted. I was using the peanut ball to move in different positions so I was not just laying flat (thats never good for getting baby in the right position). After maybe another 30 minutes I really felt I was ready to push and so did my midwife. This was the part I was the most anxious about. I pushed for 45 minutes with Ryan and ended with a vacuum delivery, lots of tearing, and an episiodome and with Patrick I pushed forever and it was terrible.
We looked at the clock, it was 11:04 and decided next contraction I would push. After the first push the midwife said she could already see his head, and after the second push she said I was almost there (and I responded, don't mess with me, its never this easy). But sure enough the third push he was out. It was unbelievable. The relief and excitement was incredible. He was born at 11:13am! Under 7 hour labor and only being in the hospital for about 4 hours. It really was amazing.
After he was born-
Thomas Michael was finally here- 7lbs 13 oz, 21 inches. He had a head full of darker hair, and beautiful eyes. He had long skinny legs, wrinkly knees, and big feet! Of course, it was love at first sight.
Immediately following I was able to have skin to skin time and he nursed within minutes. Then the nurses did all of the measurements and tests and Mike got to hold him while I was stitched up. Lots of stitches again, but my midwife did a good job and everything healed well. This part is all kind of a blur- delivering the placenta, getting stitches, new born baby cuddles, waiting to go to the bathroom for the first time, and all the grossness that comes after having a baby. I will forever think of childbirth when I smell witch hazel!
We were moved into our room by about 1pm and we planned to have the boys come visit that afternoon. Everything just went really well. Mike and I had some time to rest, the boys got to visit by mid afternoon, and then we had the rest of our hospital stay to just recover and bond with Thomas.
Thank you to all of my birthing squad and the hospital staff for an amazing labor, delivery, and maternity care. It was a great experience.
Thomas's labor and delivery was by far my best birth! It all went so smoothly, shockingly so. In fact my first words as soon as he came out was not ones of love for my son, but "Wow that was awesome!" So here is the story in all the details I can remember.
Before hand-
While pregnant with Thomas I did a few things different, and who knows if it made a difference in his delivery but I think its worth noting. I stopped running completely, and I stopped doing any kind of strength training with my legs and hips. Instead I did a lot of walking, prenatal yoga, and hip opening stretches. I stayed very active (I mean I had no choice, I had 2 other crazy boys to deal with) but was careful about not doing anything that would tighten up my hips, low back, and pelvis. I also got adjusted regularly and got occasional acupuncture.
When I was about 16 weeks pregnant I started getting regular braxton hicks contractions. Almost every night I would have them for a few hours. It was annoying but not painful. Then about 2 weeks before he was born I started getting contractions. These became more and more uncomfortable and regular, but never enough to signal I was in labor. I really think all of these early contractions were preparing my body for labor way before real labor even started.
The day before I went into labor we had a busy summer Sunday. Spent a lot of time outside, went to a birthday party up the street, and had a nice family day. But at about 4pm I really just started not feeling well. I was very very tired and lethargic and just felt physically done. It was exactly 1 week before his due date. At this stage in pregnancy you know anything can happen so I tried to take it easy and I went to bed a little earlier than normal just in case.
Labor-
The whole time I was pregnant I would make jokes saying he could come whenever he was ready to be born, just not on June 26. June 26 is our wedding anniversary and I kind of wanted to keep that a special date for just Mike and I. I already share my birthday (Halloween) with my kids, I really wanted to keep my anniversary. Well you guessed it, at 4:30am on June 26 I woke up with intense contractions and almost immediately knew this was the real deal.
At first the contractions were strong enough to take my breath away, wake me up, and prevent me from laying down, but they were also quick and only every 5-6 minutes. I woke Mike up and we started to reach out to our parents for support about 5am. The plan was for both parents to come to the house, my mom first so she could let us leave for the hospital whenever we were ready, and then Mike's parents would get there a bit later and stay with Ryan and Patrick for the day. Then my mom would join us at the hospital.
I then spent from 4:30am-6:30am just walking around the house, eating small snacks, staying calm and just letting my body do its thing. Mike sent a few frantic work emails since clearly he wasn't making it to the office that day.
At 6:45 am we decided to head to the hospital for a few reasons- first the contractions were starting to get very painful and intense and come much closer together. But also because I thought it was a good idea to leave before the boys woke up. I realized if they woke up, it was going to be a big dramatic goodbye. I was in enough pain to know that I couldn't handle that, and Ryan is so emotional I didn't think he could handle it. So we snuck out just in time. My mom said they woke up within minutes of us leaving. My inlaws also arrived at that time and all 3 grandparents got to tell the boys that Mom and Dad were off to have their baby brother.
The car ride is always the worst part to me. Every bump feels terrible, its so uncomfortable to sit still, and at this point I was in full blown intense labor. When we arrived at the hospital I found out why the car was so rough- I was already 7 cm and going into transition!
I decided I wanted to get the epidural this time. I really debated this decision for the last few months of pregnancy. I didn't want to get one, I knew I could deliver the baby without one, but I also know how stressful and chaotic Patrick's delivery got without having one. My first baby the epidural did not work, and caused problems with delivery. The second baby I choose not to get one, but then had a very very long labor and pushed for over 2 hours and it got very scary and stressful. My main goal was I wanted this delivery to be peaceful. That morning when labor was still just starting and I was clear headed, I decided to go ahead and get the epidural, in hopes of a peaceful calm delivery.
The only problem that occurred was that I arrived at the hospital right at 7:00am - shift change! So by time we got admitted, got set up with the IV, got the bag full of fluids, and my blood work done, I a 8-9 cm dilated. My doula and all the nurses pretty much said there was no reason for the epidural at this time, I was doing great, baby was in great position and they thought he was going to be born very soon. But I am stubborn and once I make a decision, its hard to change my mind. So I opted to get it anyway. Looking back, I do kind of wish I choose not to get it, I didn't think I really needed it BUT it did help me have the peaceful calm delivery I wanted so I guess it was still a good decision.
While waiting for the epidural I walked around a lot, sat on the yoga ball, did all my breathing techniques and pretty much just labored on. Mike laughs that I was very zen and looked like a hippy (maybe I am a little hippy like these days haha)
Almost baby time-
After the epidural (around 9-9:30) things got calmer again. The epidural worked exactly like it should (I hadn't experienced that before). For about 20 minutes I just rested and we waited for my water to break on its own. While laying there I decided to try some of the breathing exercises that someone taught me were effective while pushing, a way to "breath the baby down." Well after the very first time doing it, my water broke. I guess it works and the breathing pushed baby down enough to break my water.
This next phase is why I loved my midwife Karen and my Doula Sue- I was 10 cm dilated, my water broke on its own, baby was in good position...technically I could have started pushing. But instead of making me push just because I could, they encouraged me to just continue to rest and relax until I really really felt the pressure that he was ready to come out. The epidural took away the intense pain, but I could still feel enough to know when I was having contractions and know when I was ready to push.
So we all just hung out and chatted. I was using the peanut ball to move in different positions so I was not just laying flat (thats never good for getting baby in the right position). After maybe another 30 minutes I really felt I was ready to push and so did my midwife. This was the part I was the most anxious about. I pushed for 45 minutes with Ryan and ended with a vacuum delivery, lots of tearing, and an episiodome and with Patrick I pushed forever and it was terrible.
We looked at the clock, it was 11:04 and decided next contraction I would push. After the first push the midwife said she could already see his head, and after the second push she said I was almost there (and I responded, don't mess with me, its never this easy). But sure enough the third push he was out. It was unbelievable. The relief and excitement was incredible. He was born at 11:13am! Under 7 hour labor and only being in the hospital for about 4 hours. It really was amazing.
After he was born-
Thomas Michael was finally here- 7lbs 13 oz, 21 inches. He had a head full of darker hair, and beautiful eyes. He had long skinny legs, wrinkly knees, and big feet! Of course, it was love at first sight.
Immediately following I was able to have skin to skin time and he nursed within minutes. Then the nurses did all of the measurements and tests and Mike got to hold him while I was stitched up. Lots of stitches again, but my midwife did a good job and everything healed well. This part is all kind of a blur- delivering the placenta, getting stitches, new born baby cuddles, waiting to go to the bathroom for the first time, and all the grossness that comes after having a baby. I will forever think of childbirth when I smell witch hazel!
We were moved into our room by about 1pm and we planned to have the boys come visit that afternoon. Everything just went really well. Mike and I had some time to rest, the boys got to visit by mid afternoon, and then we had the rest of our hospital stay to just recover and bond with Thomas.
Thank you to all of my birthing squad and the hospital staff for an amazing labor, delivery, and maternity care. It was a great experience.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Thomas 2 month check in
Hey hey- back already with the 2 month stats.
Huge changes from month 1 to month 2. He is a much happier baby these days.
- Lets start with sleep because that is the popular topic when they are this age. He is not sleeping great over night yet. He normally goes to bed around 7:30-8pm and wakes for the first time between 11-1am. After this feeding he goes back to sleep pretty easy. Then he wakes again between 3-4am, but after this feeding he really struggles to get back to sleep. From 4-6 am is the hardest part of our night. He fights sleep, wakes frequently, and just seems uncomfortable and unsettled. By about 6 am I give in, and I let him sleep in my arms while I doze off. At this time Mike is getting out the door to work and the boys are waking up, so its hard to get him into a real sleep.
- He is still sleeping in the Rock N Play in my room (we moved him into the crib the day after his 2 month mark) and he is still swaddled.
-Day time sleep has gotten better. Sometime during this month, he started to fall into the Eat, Activity, Sleep routine. He nurses, then he has about 45 minutes to 1 hour of happy awake time, and then once he starts to fuss he likes to be rocked and he will fall asleep. A lot of times he will let me transfer him to his swing and he will sleep for a while. If its a cranky day he will nap on my chest or in the carrier.
-Nursing has been a little bit of an issue. I have had a reoccurring plugged duct that lead to mastitis on one occasion. It made nursing hard for Thomas and lead to some supply issues, especially on one side. Also he nurses VERY quickly, like only a few minutes on each side. He is definitely gaining weight and healthy, but needs to nurse more often because he won't stay latched on and get a full feeding. Its like constant snacking.
-I had a lactation consultant come in and help post mastitis. She thinks the short nursing session and plugged ducts are because he is tongue and lip tied. She suggested going to see a specialist and possibly get it taken care of. So we are doing our research and have a consultation set up for 2 weeks from now to hopefully get it taken care of.
-I am totally dairy free for now. It seems to be helping Thomas a lot with his skin, diaper rash, gas, and reflux. Its super hard to avoid all dairy- I really want a huge ice cream sundae- but its worth it to see his improvement!
- Car rides are getting a tiny bit better. I just need someone to sit in the back seat with him or time it perfectly.
-Overall its been a pretty good month. We are settling into life with a new baby. I am looking forward to getting back into the school routine and hope that helps Thomas continue to find his own routine.
-He is about 12 lbs and wearing 3 month clothes and size 2 diapers.
Huge changes from month 1 to month 2. He is a much happier baby these days.
- Lets start with sleep because that is the popular topic when they are this age. He is not sleeping great over night yet. He normally goes to bed around 7:30-8pm and wakes for the first time between 11-1am. After this feeding he goes back to sleep pretty easy. Then he wakes again between 3-4am, but after this feeding he really struggles to get back to sleep. From 4-6 am is the hardest part of our night. He fights sleep, wakes frequently, and just seems uncomfortable and unsettled. By about 6 am I give in, and I let him sleep in my arms while I doze off. At this time Mike is getting out the door to work and the boys are waking up, so its hard to get him into a real sleep.
- He is still sleeping in the Rock N Play in my room (we moved him into the crib the day after his 2 month mark) and he is still swaddled.
-Day time sleep has gotten better. Sometime during this month, he started to fall into the Eat, Activity, Sleep routine. He nurses, then he has about 45 minutes to 1 hour of happy awake time, and then once he starts to fuss he likes to be rocked and he will fall asleep. A lot of times he will let me transfer him to his swing and he will sleep for a while. If its a cranky day he will nap on my chest or in the carrier.
-Nursing has been a little bit of an issue. I have had a reoccurring plugged duct that lead to mastitis on one occasion. It made nursing hard for Thomas and lead to some supply issues, especially on one side. Also he nurses VERY quickly, like only a few minutes on each side. He is definitely gaining weight and healthy, but needs to nurse more often because he won't stay latched on and get a full feeding. Its like constant snacking.
-I had a lactation consultant come in and help post mastitis. She thinks the short nursing session and plugged ducts are because he is tongue and lip tied. She suggested going to see a specialist and possibly get it taken care of. So we are doing our research and have a consultation set up for 2 weeks from now to hopefully get it taken care of.
-I am totally dairy free for now. It seems to be helping Thomas a lot with his skin, diaper rash, gas, and reflux. Its super hard to avoid all dairy- I really want a huge ice cream sundae- but its worth it to see his improvement!
- Car rides are getting a tiny bit better. I just need someone to sit in the back seat with him or time it perfectly.
-Overall its been a pretty good month. We are settling into life with a new baby. I am looking forward to getting back into the school routine and hope that helps Thomas continue to find his own routine.
-He is about 12 lbs and wearing 3 month clothes and size 2 diapers.
Friday, August 11, 2017
Thomas 1 month stats
I am late on this post, 3rd baby problems. But I still didn't want to skip it all together, I love looking back on the monthly updates of the other boys to see what they were doing in the early stages. So even though Thomas will be 7 weeks in 2 days, I am writing this as if it was his 1 month birthday (a lot has changed in the past two weeks, more about that in his 2 month update)!
I forget how hard the early newborn days are, when the baby needs you every minute of every day. It is physically and mentally draining. But its also so special at the same time. The newborn cuddles and sleepy times don't last long. The excuse to stay in your PJ's all day. It is a special time in motherhood that goes by REALLY REALLY fast. But damn its hard!
The sleep part is not bothering me as much as it has in the past. I heard someone use a great analogy- first baby the lack of sleep is shocking! Its like running a marathon when all you have ever run before is a 5k. But by time you get to the third baby, you haven't been sleeping well for years. Your body has adjusted. So it feels much more like I am well trained for this lack of sleep. I have been training for this marathon.
The hardest part about the early days for me is the cluster feeding in the evening and losing the adult time after the kids go to bed before I go to bed. Thomas is a serious cluster feeder, its not joke! He starts at about 4:30-5pm and either nurses or cries all the way til about 9pm when he goes to sleep for the night. This makes any and all night time activities impossible. Spending time with the boys, making dinner, eating, putting the other kids to bed... its all really challenging and exhausting. By time I get Thomas to sleep for the night, I am so beyond tired that I go right to bed too, knowing that his first wake up is only a few hours away. I struggle with this. Normally from 8-10pm is my "get shit done" time frame. Finish cleaning up from the day, finish any work that needs to be done, spend time with my husband, order that thing online that I have been meaning to get, etc. Becoming totally useless (except for the important role of nurturing a brand new baby) from 5pm til bedtime every night makes me a bit crazy. Luckily I know this phase is short, and once bedtime for Thomas gets a little earlier, I will have some adult time back, but for now its rough.
The boys have been busy in camps and playdates with friends or hanging with grandparents. I appreciate all the help, but I sure do miss them. I know I need this time to take care of myself and Thomas, but I still am sad about losing the time with Ryan and Patrick. Ryan said to me one day "mom I am so sorry you have to miss doing all of the fun things with us" which made me burst into tears because of guilt and appreciation for his empathy.
I actually do feel like we have still been doing a lot as a family- Blue Claws games, Kite Night, going out to Dinner, birthday parties. We have really been busy. I guess life doesn't stop when the new baby comes, you just bring him along to all the chaos.
And because its been brought up before, I can now officially say I like having a summer baby WAY more than a winter baby. Being able to go for walks outside, sit in the backyard, take him with me to summer activities, its been really nice. I am generally a happier person in the summer and struggle with a little bit of winter blues, so it has definitely been better on my postpartum stability to have this baby in the summer.
I have been exclusively breast feeding and its going really well. I think I developed a pretty good milk supply right off the bat. I had a few days of concern when he was so fussy during his night time nursing, I started to worry he is not getting enough. But in reading more and more about cluster feeding, its all very normal. He is gaining great weight, he is thriving, pees and poops frequently- all is good.
The other most challenging part about this particular phase is Mike's work schedule. In taking a new job this winter, his hours and commute changed. He now has a 1.5 hour commute each way, and thats on days with no traffic. The ride home normally ends up being closer to 2 hours. He has been leaving the house around 6am and getting home at about 7pm. This has been hard on the whole family. The boys miss him a lot, he feels like he is missing out on time with Thomas, I could really use him around more (especially in the evening when I am by myself with 3 kids, dinner and bath and bed time, and a cranky cluster feeding newborn!!!) We believe this is probably just a transitional job for him, but for now its really challenging. To quote Mike- he feels like he is falling short on both sides. He is missing family time and bonding with his new son because of work AND he is missing opportunities with his new job because he needs to be home more with his family.
Here are some stats for the month-
-I don't have his weight and height by me- but I know he is 50-75% in all categories.
-I think he has reflux. He does a lot of gurgling, crying out in pain after eating, spitting up, and just generally seems uncomfortable. We are watching this to see if it becomes more of a problem.
-I suspect a dairy or egg sensitivity is causing the problem, so I am going to cut it out and see how he reacts.
-He nurses constantly. The longest stretch he has ever gone during the day is 2 hours, and that is pushing it.
-Right now he is sleeping like a normal newborn. He goes down about 9pm and gets up between 12-1 and then sleeps again til about 4am and then up for the day around 7. I can't complain.
-He has been pretty cranky, especially the last 2 weeks. If he is awake he is crying and fussing, we haven't really seen a happy baby yet. But he is able to be soothed most of the time and will sleep in my arms or nurse on and off to stay calm.
-This is frustrating to visitors who want to come see a cute cuddly baby and all he does is cry if they hold him. I feel bad but right now he really only wants mommy.
-He has been very spot on with "growth spurts". Any time he has a day that he is extra fussy and wants to eat constantly, I look up a newborn growth spurt chart, and its been 100% accurate. It lasts a day or two and then he goes back to normal patterns.
-It doesn't happen often but we have seen a few real smiles from him!
-He has beautiful blue eyes! I really hope he keeps them.
-He loves being in the baby carrier (ergo or baby k'tan), baths, being held upright, and occasionally the green bouncy chair.
-He HATES the car! Its terrible. He screams like we are torturing him every time we drive anywhere. It sure can make me insane. It also makes doing anything a bit more challenging because even the simplest errand becomes more stressful because of the car screaming. Lets pray this is a quick phase. Third babies need to be able to be in the car a lot, they don't have a choice. They will be dragged around to all of the other family activities which equals many car naps. Fingers crossed.
-Lastly, Ryan and Patrick have been great big brothers. They seriously surprised me. They are both super helpful, understanding that they need to be patient, no jealousy, its been great. The love to hold him, and talk to him, and are just happy to have him in our family. Its been a great transition.
-And one more thing- I am already back to pre-baby weight! I seriously can't believe it. Thank you breast feeding and having an active pregnancy! Don't get me wrong, my body is no where near looking the same as it did before baby, but the pounds are gone. Now to get back to a few workouts a week and I might just feel like the old Shannon before I know it. I had gained a total of 25 lbs this pregnancy.
I forget how hard the early newborn days are, when the baby needs you every minute of every day. It is physically and mentally draining. But its also so special at the same time. The newborn cuddles and sleepy times don't last long. The excuse to stay in your PJ's all day. It is a special time in motherhood that goes by REALLY REALLY fast. But damn its hard!
The sleep part is not bothering me as much as it has in the past. I heard someone use a great analogy- first baby the lack of sleep is shocking! Its like running a marathon when all you have ever run before is a 5k. But by time you get to the third baby, you haven't been sleeping well for years. Your body has adjusted. So it feels much more like I am well trained for this lack of sleep. I have been training for this marathon.
The hardest part about the early days for me is the cluster feeding in the evening and losing the adult time after the kids go to bed before I go to bed. Thomas is a serious cluster feeder, its not joke! He starts at about 4:30-5pm and either nurses or cries all the way til about 9pm when he goes to sleep for the night. This makes any and all night time activities impossible. Spending time with the boys, making dinner, eating, putting the other kids to bed... its all really challenging and exhausting. By time I get Thomas to sleep for the night, I am so beyond tired that I go right to bed too, knowing that his first wake up is only a few hours away. I struggle with this. Normally from 8-10pm is my "get shit done" time frame. Finish cleaning up from the day, finish any work that needs to be done, spend time with my husband, order that thing online that I have been meaning to get, etc. Becoming totally useless (except for the important role of nurturing a brand new baby) from 5pm til bedtime every night makes me a bit crazy. Luckily I know this phase is short, and once bedtime for Thomas gets a little earlier, I will have some adult time back, but for now its rough.
The boys have been busy in camps and playdates with friends or hanging with grandparents. I appreciate all the help, but I sure do miss them. I know I need this time to take care of myself and Thomas, but I still am sad about losing the time with Ryan and Patrick. Ryan said to me one day "mom I am so sorry you have to miss doing all of the fun things with us" which made me burst into tears because of guilt and appreciation for his empathy.
I actually do feel like we have still been doing a lot as a family- Blue Claws games, Kite Night, going out to Dinner, birthday parties. We have really been busy. I guess life doesn't stop when the new baby comes, you just bring him along to all the chaos.
And because its been brought up before, I can now officially say I like having a summer baby WAY more than a winter baby. Being able to go for walks outside, sit in the backyard, take him with me to summer activities, its been really nice. I am generally a happier person in the summer and struggle with a little bit of winter blues, so it has definitely been better on my postpartum stability to have this baby in the summer.
I have been exclusively breast feeding and its going really well. I think I developed a pretty good milk supply right off the bat. I had a few days of concern when he was so fussy during his night time nursing, I started to worry he is not getting enough. But in reading more and more about cluster feeding, its all very normal. He is gaining great weight, he is thriving, pees and poops frequently- all is good.
The other most challenging part about this particular phase is Mike's work schedule. In taking a new job this winter, his hours and commute changed. He now has a 1.5 hour commute each way, and thats on days with no traffic. The ride home normally ends up being closer to 2 hours. He has been leaving the house around 6am and getting home at about 7pm. This has been hard on the whole family. The boys miss him a lot, he feels like he is missing out on time with Thomas, I could really use him around more (especially in the evening when I am by myself with 3 kids, dinner and bath and bed time, and a cranky cluster feeding newborn!!!) We believe this is probably just a transitional job for him, but for now its really challenging. To quote Mike- he feels like he is falling short on both sides. He is missing family time and bonding with his new son because of work AND he is missing opportunities with his new job because he needs to be home more with his family.
Here are some stats for the month-
-I don't have his weight and height by me- but I know he is 50-75% in all categories.
-I think he has reflux. He does a lot of gurgling, crying out in pain after eating, spitting up, and just generally seems uncomfortable. We are watching this to see if it becomes more of a problem.
-I suspect a dairy or egg sensitivity is causing the problem, so I am going to cut it out and see how he reacts.
-He nurses constantly. The longest stretch he has ever gone during the day is 2 hours, and that is pushing it.
-Right now he is sleeping like a normal newborn. He goes down about 9pm and gets up between 12-1 and then sleeps again til about 4am and then up for the day around 7. I can't complain.
-He has been pretty cranky, especially the last 2 weeks. If he is awake he is crying and fussing, we haven't really seen a happy baby yet. But he is able to be soothed most of the time and will sleep in my arms or nurse on and off to stay calm.
-This is frustrating to visitors who want to come see a cute cuddly baby and all he does is cry if they hold him. I feel bad but right now he really only wants mommy.
-He has been very spot on with "growth spurts". Any time he has a day that he is extra fussy and wants to eat constantly, I look up a newborn growth spurt chart, and its been 100% accurate. It lasts a day or two and then he goes back to normal patterns.
-It doesn't happen often but we have seen a few real smiles from him!
-He has beautiful blue eyes! I really hope he keeps them.
-He loves being in the baby carrier (ergo or baby k'tan), baths, being held upright, and occasionally the green bouncy chair.
-He HATES the car! Its terrible. He screams like we are torturing him every time we drive anywhere. It sure can make me insane. It also makes doing anything a bit more challenging because even the simplest errand becomes more stressful because of the car screaming. Lets pray this is a quick phase. Third babies need to be able to be in the car a lot, they don't have a choice. They will be dragged around to all of the other family activities which equals many car naps. Fingers crossed.
-Lastly, Ryan and Patrick have been great big brothers. They seriously surprised me. They are both super helpful, understanding that they need to be patient, no jealousy, its been great. The love to hold him, and talk to him, and are just happy to have him in our family. Its been a great transition.
-And one more thing- I am already back to pre-baby weight! I seriously can't believe it. Thank you breast feeding and having an active pregnancy! Don't get me wrong, my body is no where near looking the same as it did before baby, but the pounds are gone. Now to get back to a few workouts a week and I might just feel like the old Shannon before I know it. I had gained a total of 25 lbs this pregnancy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)