Sunday, January 30, 2011
Anna Girl
Anna turned one month old on Friday. She is such a sweetheart! She is starting to sleep better at night...pulling three hour stretches instead of just one, which is a welcome change. Olivia is a sweet sister, helping get diapers, giving kisses, and making a very concerned sound whenever Anna cries. Anna is just getting cuter and cuter every day. Today she wore a dress that Liv wore when she was tiny, and it was so fun to remember. They don't look much alike, but they do look like sisters! Here's Anna today, and note the new side-by-side one-month photos on the side bar. Happy Sunday!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Oops...
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Monday, January 24, 2011
Home Alone: Week Two
We had a great weekend together. I am so enjoying Jon's time off school between semesters. It is fantastic to have all day Saturday to spend together!
Week Two of being home alone with my babies started with a vengeance. (Don't worry, I still love my job.)
Anna has slowly, but surely, been sleeping better, but last night the poor thing was so congested that her breathing sounded awful and she kept waking herself up. After being up with her for 2+ hours, and trying my old tricks (saline nasal drops and a bulb syringe) with no success, I finally called the after hours pediatrician. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call-back within 10 minutes, and the doctor I talked to recommended making our own saline solution at body temperature (1/4 tsp salt in 1 C. tepid water), putting it in her nose with the bulb syringe, and then suctioning her nose out after a minute. I felt terrible squirting the stuff up her nose. I would put it in one nostril and it would squirt right out the other. But she didn't seem to mind it too much, and it actually helped. The doctor also suggested putting a steamer in the room to compensate for the dry air caused by having the heat on . We followed the doctor's orders, and after more than three sleepless hours, we finally all got some rest.
Jon saved the day by getting up with Olivia and letting me sleep in until 8am. I was still pretty exhausted, but it could have been worse!
Juggling my own tiredness, Olivia's excessive energy, and Anna's constant need to eat and be burped (the girl has a hard time burping, so it is quite the process), we weren't dressed for the day until after 10am.
Somehow we made it through the morning to lunch, and through lunch to what should have been nap time. I was nursing Anna so she would be calm while I put Olivia down for her nap when suddenly I got a nosebleed. I never get nosebleeds, so I was pretty shocked. I scrambled to the bathroom to get a tissue, but didn't get one before I bled all over my nursing bra and my baby. Yuck! Then I couldn't get Olivia to come upstairs for Anna and I to change, so I ended up having to haul her up kicking and screaming.
Speaking of screaming, we had to run to Wal-Mart after nap time, and poor Anna woke up hungry while we were there, and screamed inconsolably for 15 minutes. Totally broke my heart.
But the miracle of it all is that the day flew by, and I felt relatively calm through it all.
I love my girls, and days like today only make me love them more.
Also, bless those freezer meals I made back in December.
Week Two of being home alone with my babies started with a vengeance. (Don't worry, I still love my job.)
Anna has slowly, but surely, been sleeping better, but last night the poor thing was so congested that her breathing sounded awful and she kept waking herself up. After being up with her for 2+ hours, and trying my old tricks (saline nasal drops and a bulb syringe) with no success, I finally called the after hours pediatrician. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call-back within 10 minutes, and the doctor I talked to recommended making our own saline solution at body temperature (1/4 tsp salt in 1 C. tepid water), putting it in her nose with the bulb syringe, and then suctioning her nose out after a minute. I felt terrible squirting the stuff up her nose. I would put it in one nostril and it would squirt right out the other. But she didn't seem to mind it too much, and it actually helped. The doctor also suggested putting a steamer in the room to compensate for the dry air caused by having the heat on . We followed the doctor's orders, and after more than three sleepless hours, we finally all got some rest.
Jon saved the day by getting up with Olivia and letting me sleep in until 8am. I was still pretty exhausted, but it could have been worse!
Juggling my own tiredness, Olivia's excessive energy, and Anna's constant need to eat and be burped (the girl has a hard time burping, so it is quite the process), we weren't dressed for the day until after 10am.
Somehow we made it through the morning to lunch, and through lunch to what should have been nap time. I was nursing Anna so she would be calm while I put Olivia down for her nap when suddenly I got a nosebleed. I never get nosebleeds, so I was pretty shocked. I scrambled to the bathroom to get a tissue, but didn't get one before I bled all over my nursing bra and my baby. Yuck! Then I couldn't get Olivia to come upstairs for Anna and I to change, so I ended up having to haul her up kicking and screaming.
Speaking of screaming, we had to run to Wal-Mart after nap time, and poor Anna woke up hungry while we were there, and screamed inconsolably for 15 minutes. Totally broke my heart.
But the miracle of it all is that the day flew by, and I felt relatively calm through it all.
I love my girls, and days like today only make me love them more.
Also, bless those freezer meals I made back in December.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Home Alone with Two Babies
As of Monday, I'm doing this thing on my own...
Day 1:
Surprisingly peaceful day. We ventured out into the cold to go grocery shopping. The girls were incredibly well behaved. Only thing of note, besides the huge box of whole grain goldfish crackers I got on sale, was the lady who asked me if Olivia was adopted. What the?
While I nurse Anna, I let Olivia make a disaster of the living room. Books off shelf, onto floor, shoes out of bench, onto floor, toys out of bins, onto floor. But neither girl is screaming, so I call it a success.
Miraculously, both girls nap for two hours simultaneously. Unfortunately, it doesn't occur to me to nap until five minutes before Olivia wakes up. But boy was I productive during those hours!
Dinner time rolls around before I know it. Back to cooking, and I'm easing my way in, so it's chicken quesadillas, with leftover chicken. But I do throw a few veggies in my new food processor and make a fresh salsa, so I guess that counts for something.
Day 2:
We religiously visit the library on Tuesday mornings for "Baby Boosters Story Time". Whatever will we do when Olivia turns two and is too old? I had others take her while I was out of commission, so she hasn't missed a week, and even had Jon call to sign her up while I was in the hospital in labor. You've got to be on top of it, because you have to sign up one week in advance, and they fill up in ten minutes. Anyway, this was my first time taking both girls on my own. I signed up for the 10:30 slot instead of our usual 9:30 because I thought it might be tricky to get both girls out the door on time, but by 9 am, Olivia was antsy, and kept bringing me my "shoosh" and pointing to the door. So we left a bit early, and I took Olivia to the library playroom to kill some time before the program started. I had to nurse Anna while there, and while nursing in public isn't my favorite thing to do, it's better than a hungry, crying baby.
Later, at home, we kept the peace with lots of snacks, including a small taste of bread dough for Olivia. Umm, yummy?
Naps didn't overlap quite so neatly this time (Olivia talked/cried to herself for 1.5 hours before actually sleeping, which always stresses me out), but I did zonk out on the couch for about half an hour with Anna. Much needed. She's still waking up every 1-2 hours all night.
And I managed a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs (sauce and meatballs were frozen), salad, and fresh bread (remember the dough?). Definitely yummy. It feels good to be cooking again. Even if I'm taking baby steps.
Day 3:
We laid low and stayed home all day today, though Olivia was disappointed. She brought me my shoes several times. Sorry Liv. I want to go to Barnes and Nobel to use my gift card on a slow cooker cook book, but I still don't have a double stroller. I spent a good part of the morning checking some out online, and almost took the plunge on the BOB Sport Utility Duallie, but Jon talked my out of it by reading horror reviews of strollers with fixed front wheels. I'm now seriously considering the BOB Revolution, but it's over $100 more. I may just have to order that cook book online. Ah, well.
Mess making was punctuated with snack eating, and that got us through the morning. Lunch was a mere formality, for all the snacks Olivia had leading up to it. But maybe all that digesting made her sleepy, because she took a 3.5 hour nap! Which left Anna and I to hang out with my friend Stephanie and baby Lily (three days younger than Anna). We had a great time chatting and catching up, as we hadn't seen each other since we had our babies.
When Liv finally woke up, the peace was over for awhile, as both girls decided they needed my attention at the same time, but we survived somehow. And thanks to my slow cooker and yesterday's bread baking we had some yummy bbq beef sandwiches for dinner. And for the record, Olivia did not fall for it when I tried to sneak some broccoli into her sandwich. She promptly spit that bite out. I don't know how she knows...
Being Wednesday, Jon went to mutual, leaving me to get Olivia down for bed while caring for Anna at the same time. And with the tantrum that was beginning right as it was time for a bath, disaster seemed imminent. Blessed Anna saved the day, though, by conking out, and allowing me to practice my dad's tried and true parenting technique of "confuse and conquer" on Olivia.
Now Olivia is out for the night, and I am actually nursing Anna while typing. If you're gonna be a mom, you have to learn to multi-task!
And it is SO worth it!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Milestones
Tomorrow is another milestone of sorts. Jon is going back to work, and I will be on my own with my girls. He has been working half days from home for the past two weeks, so I've been on my own some, but mostly two or three hours at a time, as opposed to the eight or nine we will face starting tomorrow. Overall, though, I am optimistic. The past week has been sweet and peaceful, interspersed, of course, with a few chaotic moments. But I think I can do this. Wish me luck!
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Resolutions
2011 is here, and life is changing for me in a big way. Read: mother of two. Babies. Yikes! People ask me how it is going, and I say, I have NO idea...I still have Jon home from work and my mom in town, which equals TONS of help. And I love it. But the true test will be when all the family goes home, and Jon goes back to work. Thankfully, that won't happen for another week and a half. I am so blessed.
I thought, though, that to make myself more accountable, I should share my New Years resolutions with you all. Feel free to check up on me.
#1- Train for and run a 10 K. I plan to do this in the spring/summer with my sister Diana & friend Stephanie, both of whom also just had babies. In preparation for this, I asked for (and received, THANKS honey...err, Santa) a TREAD MILL for Christmas! I am also on the hunt for a good double jogging stroller, but it has proved difficult because I have the world's smallest trunk, and I'm not quite ready to upgrade to a mini-van. Anyone know of a super compact, affordable double jogger? Anyway, 10 K, here I come. Did I mention I am not a runner?
#2- Don't miss a day of Scripture study. I think this will keep me sane, and keep the blessings coming.
#3- Learn to be a mother of two. This is going to require patience, organization, and a lot of other things I'm sure I don't know about yet. But some of my plans are: make sure I have plenty of diaper changing supplies on all three levels of our house, shower at night when Jon is home, keep making freezer meals on occasion, and use my slow cooker often, and help Anna learn to SLEEP! Other suggestions are welcome!
That's it for me. Happy New Year! May it be blessed!
I thought, though, that to make myself more accountable, I should share my New Years resolutions with you all. Feel free to check up on me.
#1- Train for and run a 10 K. I plan to do this in the spring/summer with my sister Diana & friend Stephanie, both of whom also just had babies. In preparation for this, I asked for (and received, THANKS honey...err, Santa) a TREAD MILL for Christmas! I am also on the hunt for a good double jogging stroller, but it has proved difficult because I have the world's smallest trunk, and I'm not quite ready to upgrade to a mini-van. Anyone know of a super compact, affordable double jogger? Anyway, 10 K, here I come. Did I mention I am not a runner?
#2- Don't miss a day of Scripture study. I think this will keep me sane, and keep the blessings coming.
#3- Learn to be a mother of two. This is going to require patience, organization, and a lot of other things I'm sure I don't know about yet. But some of my plans are: make sure I have plenty of diaper changing supplies on all three levels of our house, shower at night when Jon is home, keep making freezer meals on occasion, and use my slow cooker often, and help Anna learn to SLEEP! Other suggestions are welcome!
That's it for me. Happy New Year! May it be blessed!
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