Last week was one that Ive been somewhat looking forward to and feeling anxious about for quite awhile.
On Wednesday, we headed off to the Stollery to see Dr.Eksteen, to find out weather or not Eli's tubes are still in his ears. Going into the appointment I was hoping and praying that Dr.Eksteen would be willing to look in Judah's ears, as well as consent to take him on as a patient, even though he's not accepting new patients.
Upon walking in, we had been waiting for an hour already for our appointment. I was feeling extremely nervous and anxious, and Eli asked if Dr.Eksteen would look in Judah's ears first. This was perfect because it opened up the conversation about my concerns with Judah's ears. He did in fact look in his ears, and tell us that they look clear and he didnt have any concerns. He said he would be more than willing to take Judah on as his patient and he'd look in his ears when Eli comes in for check ups. This was joy to my ears, and something that I had been praying for since the ear infections started getting worse for little Judah.
After he looked in Judah's ears, it was Eli's turn. Eli did great. He sat on my lap and did not make a fuss about it. This is a far difference from the little boy we used to have to hold down to let any dr look in his ears. The verdict . . . on the right side the ear drum looks great, white and normal, however there is wax and some gunk blocking half of it and he couldn't see if the tube was in there or not. The left ear, the tube is still fully in!! Less than 1% will have this happen where the tubes dont come out!! Eli did great, I was so proud of him. He didnt put up a fight about it at all.
So, because the tubes are there still he needs surgery to get them out. The concerns with leaving them in for any longer is that once they do fall out, the ear drum will view the hole like a piercing and not close up. This leaves it open for bacteria and infection.
The surgery itself takes all of 10 minutes, and he will need to be put under. It was originally booked for April 5th however thats the date of the ladies retreat with the church and Andy would really like me to go. He said I was still going despite Eli getting surgery the day that Id leave, so I called and see if I could change the date. Low and behold, there was a cancellation for . . . Friday. Not next friday, or 2 weeks from Friday like in 4 days Friday! March 8th. I suppose theres no sense in putting it off if they have an openning for him.
Im hoping more than anything we have a super early spot because he has to fast for 12 hours, and I dont want to have to confuse him by not allowing him to eat.
I remember when we had the surgery for the tubes to be put in. He was just over a year old, and it seemed easy then because he didnt understand and had no idea what was going on. Eli knows the hospital now, and asks alot of questions. When I carried him into the operating room I remember holding him tight while the anesthesiologist held the mask to his face and then he just went limp in my arms. One minute he was kicking and screaming and the next just limp. The nurse and doctor reassured me he was okay and walked me out. All I remember was crying and feeling like I was going to faint, and like I could barely breath.
When I found out he'd have to get the tubes out I decided I couldn't take him into the operating room, not after the first time doing it. But now as I think closer to Friday I just feel like, Im his mom and need to be there with him. To tell him it'll be okay and we'll be close by him.
In no way do I worry about the actual surgery or anything going wrong, its the moments leading up the it, and putting him under. Dr.Eksteen has told us that he wont be in any pain afterwards and wont even know what happened.
We dont plan on giving Eli any details about whats going on before the surgery. No point in making him anxious. He'll probably pick up on my anxiousness anyway.
So if on Friday you think of us, please say a little prayer.
Thanks!!!
Finally, at 7 months old, Judah bear is cutting 2 teeth!! Both are coming in at the same time on the bottom!! He is drooling like crazy and is super miserable! I didnt notice them till Saturday but looking closely their there, and on their way up! Hopefully they continue in the upward direction!
Judah is also almost got the whole crawling thing down. He has been scooting backwards (army style!) for the longest time, but now he is getting the forward crawling dynamics down! And has no problem crawling and then sitting himself up! He is so much happier now, or at least seems content that he can move around a bit!!
This month things have really picked up with lia sophia. Im trying to work towards some incentives, and that means booking some shows. Im so excited about the opportunities its giving me, and Im not going to lie, its so nice having something else to think about and focus on other than being at home, and with my kids! Ive always been skeptical of direct sales stuff but I feel like this door opened for me at a perfect time and is so exciting!!
If by chance your interested in hosting a show, please let me know or ask any questions!! The hostess bonus's are awesome and include free jewelry!! Cant really go wrong in my opinion! When I did my party before I started or even considered selling LS (lia sophia) I was able to get close to $800 in free jewelry!! Such a great feeling!!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Update & Pictures
How is life so incredibly busy!? I know I say that pretty much every post, but seriously, it feels like I have no time to sit and relax!
The last few weeks have been about the same!
There have been a few changes in the last few weeks that have taken up a lot of my head space and time.
First of all, I have weaned Judah. Or maybe I should so I am not longer exclusively pumping! Judah is now 7 months old, and Iam feeling like Im ready to be done with the pump. My tipping point was one night when it was late and we were going to bed, however I still needed to pump. So I sat myself up on the couch, and pumped for the 15 minutes that it takes. When I got into our room Andy was comfortably in bed waiting for me there. Maybe I over reacted a bit but I was upset that it was going onto 11:00pm, and I had to sit on the couch to pump by myself while Andy was all nice and warm in bed. In my mind I shouldn't have had to sit there by myself.
The other thing is I was getting really tired of having to take that domperidone. I didnt quite feel like myself on it, and didnt like the fact that I had to force my body in a sense to make milk. I slowly started to wean myself from the domperidone, and cut down on my pumping.
Judah didnt like the taste of formula at first so I had to mix the two, and slowly decrease the breastmilk. About 3 days after I had started to wean, I went to bed with a sports bra on,and when I woke up in the am, I had 2 giant lumps in each boob. Clogged Milk Duct. Ow. These were so painful. Luckily I had never experienced this before, but boy was it painful. They were easy to get rid of, I just had to pump, and massage the lump. Very painful still though.
Its been about a week since Ive started and Im only pumping every 3 or 4 days, or when I feel that a clogged milk duct is forming. My hormones are feeling like theyve been leveling out, and over all it feels good. Im having to remind myself that I cant feel guilty for now breastfeeding anymore, although this is hard. As a moms theres always something to feel guilty about it seems.
Next.
Last week Judah was quite fussy and moody. I noticed that whenever I fed him he would be pulling, flicking, tugging, holding his ear. After he was done eating, and Id burp him, he would start to scream. His naps were off, and he would wake up as soon as Id put him down in the crib.
It was Friday afternoon and I had noticed these things for a few days. Andy suggested we wait until Saturday before taking him to the doctor. But on Friday am, when he was miserable and wouldnt nap (after 4 failed attempts!!) I called the doctor and got us an appointment in 30 minutes.
I wasnt dressed, hair done, make on, or anything, but I didnt care!! Off we went and made it on time!
Sure enough, our Judah bear has an ear infection... IN BOTH EARS!! Poor kid. We tried a different antibiotic this time around called Zithromax. We have already done 2 rounds of amoxocilan, since he had an ear infection (in both ears as well!!) just a few months ago, and bronchitis before that. He's been on the zithromax for 5 days now, and he seems like a different baby. Much happier, not tugging at his ears or anything like that! He's also back to napping!
I asked our pediatrician at what point do we get referred to a specialist? She said when they have 3 ear infections in less than 6 months. Well, does having an ear infection in both ears count as 2 or 1? Because if we can them as 2, he's had 4 ear infections in less than 3 months!! Our specialist as well, Dr. Eksteen apparently isn't taking any new patients as he's full. However that being said, Eli has an appointment with Dr. Eksteen next week to find out weather or not the tubes are still in his ears, and Im going to talk to him about Judah when we go in. Id like to have tubes put in earlier rather than later, because it seems apparent that we may have the same issues as with Eli.
Im nervous for Eli's appointment next week because we find out if his tubes are still in his ears. If they are, we book a surgery date to have them taken out. They should've fallen out a year ago, and at our last appointment 6 months ago, they were both still in. For anyone who reads this, and is of faith, please pray that his tubes would fall out. Eli has been traumatized by his ear infections as it is, and I really feel like the last thing we need for him is to put him under to get the tubes out. Above all though, I trust this doctor, and his judgement, and even more so I believe God is in control of the bigger picture and knows what He's doing!
This last weekend Andy and I were able to get away for the day to Jasper to go skiiing. I grew up skiiing however I dont love doing it. But if it meant some time away with my hubby I'll take it!!
We got up at 4am, and were on our way. The roads were scary almost the whole way there but we took our time and went. Our boys did great staying with my mother in law, and I even came home to a tidied house and folded laundry!! Perfect day!!
lia sopia has been doing well so far. I have a few parties booked, and am getting excited about it. I really want to succeed at this, and enjoy it!! So we'll see how the next few months go!!
The last few weeks have been about the same!
There have been a few changes in the last few weeks that have taken up a lot of my head space and time.
First of all, I have weaned Judah. Or maybe I should so I am not longer exclusively pumping! Judah is now 7 months old, and Iam feeling like Im ready to be done with the pump. My tipping point was one night when it was late and we were going to bed, however I still needed to pump. So I sat myself up on the couch, and pumped for the 15 minutes that it takes. When I got into our room Andy was comfortably in bed waiting for me there. Maybe I over reacted a bit but I was upset that it was going onto 11:00pm, and I had to sit on the couch to pump by myself while Andy was all nice and warm in bed. In my mind I shouldn't have had to sit there by myself.
The other thing is I was getting really tired of having to take that domperidone. I didnt quite feel like myself on it, and didnt like the fact that I had to force my body in a sense to make milk. I slowly started to wean myself from the domperidone, and cut down on my pumping.
Judah didnt like the taste of formula at first so I had to mix the two, and slowly decrease the breastmilk. About 3 days after I had started to wean, I went to bed with a sports bra on,and when I woke up in the am, I had 2 giant lumps in each boob. Clogged Milk Duct. Ow. These were so painful. Luckily I had never experienced this before, but boy was it painful. They were easy to get rid of, I just had to pump, and massage the lump. Very painful still though.
Its been about a week since Ive started and Im only pumping every 3 or 4 days, or when I feel that a clogged milk duct is forming. My hormones are feeling like theyve been leveling out, and over all it feels good. Im having to remind myself that I cant feel guilty for now breastfeeding anymore, although this is hard. As a moms theres always something to feel guilty about it seems.
Next.
Last week Judah was quite fussy and moody. I noticed that whenever I fed him he would be pulling, flicking, tugging, holding his ear. After he was done eating, and Id burp him, he would start to scream. His naps were off, and he would wake up as soon as Id put him down in the crib.
It was Friday afternoon and I had noticed these things for a few days. Andy suggested we wait until Saturday before taking him to the doctor. But on Friday am, when he was miserable and wouldnt nap (after 4 failed attempts!!) I called the doctor and got us an appointment in 30 minutes.
I wasnt dressed, hair done, make on, or anything, but I didnt care!! Off we went and made it on time!
Sure enough, our Judah bear has an ear infection... IN BOTH EARS!! Poor kid. We tried a different antibiotic this time around called Zithromax. We have already done 2 rounds of amoxocilan, since he had an ear infection (in both ears as well!!) just a few months ago, and bronchitis before that. He's been on the zithromax for 5 days now, and he seems like a different baby. Much happier, not tugging at his ears or anything like that! He's also back to napping!
I asked our pediatrician at what point do we get referred to a specialist? She said when they have 3 ear infections in less than 6 months. Well, does having an ear infection in both ears count as 2 or 1? Because if we can them as 2, he's had 4 ear infections in less than 3 months!! Our specialist as well, Dr. Eksteen apparently isn't taking any new patients as he's full. However that being said, Eli has an appointment with Dr. Eksteen next week to find out weather or not the tubes are still in his ears, and Im going to talk to him about Judah when we go in. Id like to have tubes put in earlier rather than later, because it seems apparent that we may have the same issues as with Eli.
Im nervous for Eli's appointment next week because we find out if his tubes are still in his ears. If they are, we book a surgery date to have them taken out. They should've fallen out a year ago, and at our last appointment 6 months ago, they were both still in. For anyone who reads this, and is of faith, please pray that his tubes would fall out. Eli has been traumatized by his ear infections as it is, and I really feel like the last thing we need for him is to put him under to get the tubes out. Above all though, I trust this doctor, and his judgement, and even more so I believe God is in control of the bigger picture and knows what He's doing!
This last weekend Andy and I were able to get away for the day to Jasper to go skiiing. I grew up skiiing however I dont love doing it. But if it meant some time away with my hubby I'll take it!!
We got up at 4am, and were on our way. The roads were scary almost the whole way there but we took our time and went. Our boys did great staying with my mother in law, and I even came home to a tidied house and folded laundry!! Perfect day!!
lia sopia has been doing well so far. I have a few parties booked, and am getting excited about it. I really want to succeed at this, and enjoy it!! So we'll see how the next few months go!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
One week in...
Its been about a week since I last posted. Im going to really try to keep up on posting more often.
Last week I posted about my plan to loose weight and to hopefully get Judah to sleep.
Well . . . one of them I succeeded at.
Over the last week I have watched carefully what Im eating, how much, eating less sugar, breads (cards in general!) and have been drinking more water; or trying to at least! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of last week were really good. I stuck to the 17 diet almost bang on. I went to our ladies bible study, and used great self control and had some fruit and vegetables (with no dip!!) and felt great about it. Wednesdays are an eating day where theres lots to snack on. We have bible study in the morning at the church and then our Small Group meets on Wednesday evenings as well. I decided I could have a few snacks at small group in the evening as long as I didnt snack in the morning at bible study. Im not sure if my body re acted to the timbits and chips I had because I hadnt had any junk for over 48 hours, but on Wednesday night when I went to bed I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. When I woke up on Thursday morning I felt like I had the stomach flu, minus the vomiting and diarrhea. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse, and started to feel achy. Andy had to come home from work at lunch because I was so sick. I barely ate anything on Thursday all day, and even on Friday I really had no appetite.
Ya know how when you have the stomach flu, or food poisoning whatever it was that you ate, you have no desire to ever have again in your life? The thought makes you feel repulsed? Well I now feel this way about timbits, and the certain kind of chips I had. Ugh Yuck.
I worked out a few times last week, 3 times to be exact. I'm being more deliberate about getting out for walks or any bit of exercise.
So I bet your wondering if I lost any weight? Yes, in 7 days, I lost 3 pounds. Its only 3 pounds but every morning when I weigh myself I am still down 3 lbs, so its not just fluke! Yes!
As for Judah's sleeping. Its not getting any better. Its getting worse. Last night I was up 5 times with him, and Andy was up once. So. freaking. dumb. I'm at a loss as to what to do.
I tried to let him cry it out for his nap today, and he cried for 45 minutes, when I finally went in there he had thrown up, and had it all over the side of his face. Epic fail on the cry it out technique, we wont be doing that again.
So if anyone has any tips. Let me know. Please!!
Last week I posted about my plan to loose weight and to hopefully get Judah to sleep.
Well . . . one of them I succeeded at.
Over the last week I have watched carefully what Im eating, how much, eating less sugar, breads (cards in general!) and have been drinking more water; or trying to at least! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of last week were really good. I stuck to the 17 diet almost bang on. I went to our ladies bible study, and used great self control and had some fruit and vegetables (with no dip!!) and felt great about it. Wednesdays are an eating day where theres lots to snack on. We have bible study in the morning at the church and then our Small Group meets on Wednesday evenings as well. I decided I could have a few snacks at small group in the evening as long as I didnt snack in the morning at bible study. Im not sure if my body re acted to the timbits and chips I had because I hadnt had any junk for over 48 hours, but on Wednesday night when I went to bed I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. When I woke up on Thursday morning I felt like I had the stomach flu, minus the vomiting and diarrhea. As the day progressed I felt worse and worse, and started to feel achy. Andy had to come home from work at lunch because I was so sick. I barely ate anything on Thursday all day, and even on Friday I really had no appetite.
Ya know how when you have the stomach flu, or food poisoning whatever it was that you ate, you have no desire to ever have again in your life? The thought makes you feel repulsed? Well I now feel this way about timbits, and the certain kind of chips I had. Ugh Yuck.
I worked out a few times last week, 3 times to be exact. I'm being more deliberate about getting out for walks or any bit of exercise.
So I bet your wondering if I lost any weight? Yes, in 7 days, I lost 3 pounds. Its only 3 pounds but every morning when I weigh myself I am still down 3 lbs, so its not just fluke! Yes!
As for Judah's sleeping. Its not getting any better. Its getting worse. Last night I was up 5 times with him, and Andy was up once. So. freaking. dumb. I'm at a loss as to what to do.
I tried to let him cry it out for his nap today, and he cried for 45 minutes, when I finally went in there he had thrown up, and had it all over the side of his face. Epic fail on the cry it out technique, we wont be doing that again.
So if anyone has any tips. Let me know. Please!!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Exhaustion, Lia Sophia, 17 Day Diet
Today I feel like I kind of have an excuse for not posting for so long.
My excuse . . .
Judah. Not. Sleeping.
Last night was the first time he had a decent sleep in weeks. Yes weeks!!
He hit a growth spirt a few weeks ago, and since then he has continued to wake up multiple times. When I say multiple I mean like on an average night it would be 4, 5 or 6 times I would have to haul my butt out of bed to go into his room. Can you say exhaustion? Yes, complete exhaustion. Its incredible how lack of sleep can make you feel like a horrible, mom, and wife. And on top if that it sure can make you super hormonal. I feel like Ive been on auto pilot since Christmas. Just doing because I didnt have a choice. Survival mode.
He came down with that great ear infection, and after his round of antibiotics we decided we would do something about his crummy sleeping. Well, we tried... and I suppose we failed. We tried letting him cry it out, but once Eli woke up one night after 45 minutes of crying I caved, went in and fed him. After speaking to the doctor to confirm my thought, she agreed, theres no way a 20 pound baby needs to eat in the night. But he is waking up because he thinks its a scheduled eat time, and the only way he can go back to sleep is if he eats. We tried watering down his bottle, and that didnt work. Most nights he would gulp it back no problem, or he would get right mad and cry and cry and cry.
Last night he went to bed an hour and a half later than usual. 8pm. He had 8 ounces to eat, and then slept till 3:00am. I fed him, and put him back to bed and he slept till 7:30am. See, the one night waking I can handle. But 4, 5, or 6 times I cannot. That is not okay with me. On top of the bad night time sleep, he would nap horribly during the day. At the end of the day Im exhausted, and then upon going to bed it starts all over again. I. Just. Dont. Get. It!
So thats my excuse for not posting in over a week!!
I have decided to do something. A few months ago I had a jewelry party through Lia Sophia. The perks were incredible, and I got so much free jewelry. My party was a great hit, and there was $1000 spent and I got over $800 in free jewelry!
After going back and forth with it I decided that Id take a whack at selling it. The kits were half price in January so for $82 I got over $1000 in jewelry and everything that I needed to get started. Im nervous but excited. I have the opportunity to bring in some sort of income, and get out of the house. Plus have nice jewelry, and feel good.
Here's my website if you want to take a peek: http://sites.liasophia.ca/sites/karlahope?T=1358787064347
And finally one more thing I have to put out there. I dont really want to, but I dont think Ill get the kick in the butt that I need if Im not totally honest! Lets talk about ... weight.
After having 2 kids, I ready to loose the extra weight. I think so many moms after having babies just accept they'll never be able to loose the baby weight, and have that extra weight around the midsection. I did after Eli, and started to loose weight after having him and then got pregnant again when I finally got disciplined to do it. Ive watched alot of youtube videos of weight loss transformations, and I want to be one of those! I have at least 20 pounds I want to loose, maybe an extra 10 on top of that. I'd like to go with how I feel, and how I look instead of by the scale.
A few years ago, I picked up the 17 Day Diet book, and started doing it. You can loose up to 10 pounds in the first week by cutting out sugar and carbs. So Im going to start with the 17 Day Diet again, plus working out, and maybe look into a few other things for working out and loosing weight. I plan on taking pictures and measurements along the way to keep a before and after on hand!! Ill keep you posted on how it goes!! Today is Day 1.
I have to run, Judah Bear just woke up for a 45 minute nap, and is now whining. If anyone has any tips for me on any of the above stuff... weight loss, or baby sleep, PLEASE fill me in!!
My excuse . . .
Judah. Not. Sleeping.
Last night was the first time he had a decent sleep in weeks. Yes weeks!!
He hit a growth spirt a few weeks ago, and since then he has continued to wake up multiple times. When I say multiple I mean like on an average night it would be 4, 5 or 6 times I would have to haul my butt out of bed to go into his room. Can you say exhaustion? Yes, complete exhaustion. Its incredible how lack of sleep can make you feel like a horrible, mom, and wife. And on top if that it sure can make you super hormonal. I feel like Ive been on auto pilot since Christmas. Just doing because I didnt have a choice. Survival mode.
He came down with that great ear infection, and after his round of antibiotics we decided we would do something about his crummy sleeping. Well, we tried... and I suppose we failed. We tried letting him cry it out, but once Eli woke up one night after 45 minutes of crying I caved, went in and fed him. After speaking to the doctor to confirm my thought, she agreed, theres no way a 20 pound baby needs to eat in the night. But he is waking up because he thinks its a scheduled eat time, and the only way he can go back to sleep is if he eats. We tried watering down his bottle, and that didnt work. Most nights he would gulp it back no problem, or he would get right mad and cry and cry and cry.
Last night he went to bed an hour and a half later than usual. 8pm. He had 8 ounces to eat, and then slept till 3:00am. I fed him, and put him back to bed and he slept till 7:30am. See, the one night waking I can handle. But 4, 5, or 6 times I cannot. That is not okay with me. On top of the bad night time sleep, he would nap horribly during the day. At the end of the day Im exhausted, and then upon going to bed it starts all over again. I. Just. Dont. Get. It!
So thats my excuse for not posting in over a week!!
I have decided to do something. A few months ago I had a jewelry party through Lia Sophia. The perks were incredible, and I got so much free jewelry. My party was a great hit, and there was $1000 spent and I got over $800 in free jewelry!
After going back and forth with it I decided that Id take a whack at selling it. The kits were half price in January so for $82 I got over $1000 in jewelry and everything that I needed to get started. Im nervous but excited. I have the opportunity to bring in some sort of income, and get out of the house. Plus have nice jewelry, and feel good.
Here's my website if you want to take a peek: http://sites.liasophia.ca/sites/karlahope?T=1358787064347
And finally one more thing I have to put out there. I dont really want to, but I dont think Ill get the kick in the butt that I need if Im not totally honest! Lets talk about ... weight.
After having 2 kids, I ready to loose the extra weight. I think so many moms after having babies just accept they'll never be able to loose the baby weight, and have that extra weight around the midsection. I did after Eli, and started to loose weight after having him and then got pregnant again when I finally got disciplined to do it. Ive watched alot of youtube videos of weight loss transformations, and I want to be one of those! I have at least 20 pounds I want to loose, maybe an extra 10 on top of that. I'd like to go with how I feel, and how I look instead of by the scale.
A few years ago, I picked up the 17 Day Diet book, and started doing it. You can loose up to 10 pounds in the first week by cutting out sugar and carbs. So Im going to start with the 17 Day Diet again, plus working out, and maybe look into a few other things for working out and loosing weight. I plan on taking pictures and measurements along the way to keep a before and after on hand!! Ill keep you posted on how it goes!! Today is Day 1.
I have to run, Judah Bear just woke up for a 45 minute nap, and is now whining. If anyone has any tips for me on any of the above stuff... weight loss, or baby sleep, PLEASE fill me in!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Dropped the ball...
I dropped the ball!
I actually did a post on our kitchen cabinet transformation however it seems like blogspot lost it somewhere along the line. Im not very happy about it!!
We went super super hard on the cabinets, and of course as soon as we finished we got very sick! It seems like everyone over Christmas got sick, and so did we. Eli was the only one who didnt catch it. Judah came down with an ear infection and has been on antibiotics. Both Andy and I got super sick, and my mom had to take Eli for a day because we could barely function. Ive never had a cold like we did. Achy, sore throat, headache, you name it. It was horrible!! I really dont recommend getting sick at the same time as your spouse when you have 2 kids to take care of!! Not fun!
It really didnt feel like we had much of a break over Christmas, because we were either working hard on the cabinets or sick. We had one day where we felt not to bad to do something. So frustrating, but it is what it is!
Like I mentioned above Judah has come down with an ear infection and had to go on antibiotics. I knew he had an ear infection right after we got better. He had been poking around at his ear, fever off and on for like 2 days, diarrhea, not eating, and he has been down right miserable. I took him in and sure enough ear infection on the right ear but not left. Exactly what I suspected!!
I really didnt want to put him on another round of antibiotics but he was so miserable I couldn't not put him on. He had diarrhea continue the whole course of the antibiotics, and finally close to the end of the course he is finally starting to be his happy self!! We'll see what happens with his ears from here on out. Eli has an appointment at the specialist, and Im going to ask the doctor about Judah's ears.
On top of the ear infection Judah is sleeping horribly! It probably has alot to do with not feeling well, however he is waking up every 2-3 hours. Its exhausting and Im getting to the point where I need to do something with his sleep. Judah is 20 pounds now and there is no reason for him to be eating in the middle of the night! Little stinker.
If anyone has any tips on sleep Id love to hear them!!
I actually did a post on our kitchen cabinet transformation however it seems like blogspot lost it somewhere along the line. Im not very happy about it!!
We went super super hard on the cabinets, and of course as soon as we finished we got very sick! It seems like everyone over Christmas got sick, and so did we. Eli was the only one who didnt catch it. Judah came down with an ear infection and has been on antibiotics. Both Andy and I got super sick, and my mom had to take Eli for a day because we could barely function. Ive never had a cold like we did. Achy, sore throat, headache, you name it. It was horrible!! I really dont recommend getting sick at the same time as your spouse when you have 2 kids to take care of!! Not fun!
It really didnt feel like we had much of a break over Christmas, because we were either working hard on the cabinets or sick. We had one day where we felt not to bad to do something. So frustrating, but it is what it is!
Like I mentioned above Judah has come down with an ear infection and had to go on antibiotics. I knew he had an ear infection right after we got better. He had been poking around at his ear, fever off and on for like 2 days, diarrhea, not eating, and he has been down right miserable. I took him in and sure enough ear infection on the right ear but not left. Exactly what I suspected!!
I really didnt want to put him on another round of antibiotics but he was so miserable I couldn't not put him on. He had diarrhea continue the whole course of the antibiotics, and finally close to the end of the course he is finally starting to be his happy self!! We'll see what happens with his ears from here on out. Eli has an appointment at the specialist, and Im going to ask the doctor about Judah's ears.
On top of the ear infection Judah is sleeping horribly! It probably has alot to do with not feeling well, however he is waking up every 2-3 hours. Its exhausting and Im getting to the point where I need to do something with his sleep. Judah is 20 pounds now and there is no reason for him to be eating in the middle of the night! Little stinker.
If anyone has any tips on sleep Id love to hear them!!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Kitchen
We have had a crazy (insane!!) past few days!! Christmas always comes and goes so much, and this year was exactly the same!!
Andy is on holidays which has been so enjoyable, however we havent had any opportunity to relax!! I will show you why!!
Our Kitchen before!!!
Our Kitchen After!!
It took a ton of work, but Im happy with it!! I will sit down this evening or tomorrow evening and explain how we did it, and what was entailed!!
Andy is on holidays which has been so enjoyable, however we havent had any opportunity to relax!! I will show you why!!
Our Kitchen before!!!
Our Kitchen After!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Domperidone
The last few weeks were a bit stressful as my milk supply drastically dropped. I went from having more than enough milk, too much milk, to barely cutting it by the end of the day. What changed? The only thing I could figure was the fact that my dear old friend returned... any guesses? For those of you who guessed my menstrual cycle, you got it right. Thats the only thing that I can figure changed. And once I talked to my doctor, she confirmed that its quite normal that when your period returns, your milk supply drops.
I tried everything to increase it. Pumping every 2 hours, drinking more water, mothers tea, and fenugreek. For a time the tea and herbs worked to increase my supply, but then it dropped. I spoke to my dr, and she prescribed me Domperidone. This medication is not actually to increase milk, its for prolonged stomach fullness, and nausea, I dont have either, however one of the side effects is increased milk production. Women who are not lactating at all can take this drug and it will cause their bodies to produce milk. Needless to say this stuff works!!
For the first time in over a month, I actually had enough milk by 5:00pm, that I could put 6 oz away in the freezer. This is such a great feeling. Before I started the domperidone, we ended up picking up a tub of formula because I just didnt have enough. I had considered looking into other mothers who had a large supply of frozen breastmilk before turning to formula, but Andy wasn't comfortable with that idea, so formula it was. It was only about a bottle of formula once a day, usually at the end of the day as my supply would drop in the evenings.
The side effects to this drug are headaches and dry mouth. I have experienced both in small amounts, however nothing that I can say has been a big issue.
Once concern that I do have though is I wonder what the long term effects of this drug could be on my system? I hope to continue to exclusively pump and give him my milk until he is a year, and so being on this drug for another 7-8 months could maybe cause some long term issues. Im not sure, its just a thought.
If anyone has any experience with Domperidone, and would like to chime in, Id love to hear it!
I tried everything to increase it. Pumping every 2 hours, drinking more water, mothers tea, and fenugreek. For a time the tea and herbs worked to increase my supply, but then it dropped. I spoke to my dr, and she prescribed me Domperidone. This medication is not actually to increase milk, its for prolonged stomach fullness, and nausea, I dont have either, however one of the side effects is increased milk production. Women who are not lactating at all can take this drug and it will cause their bodies to produce milk. Needless to say this stuff works!!
For the first time in over a month, I actually had enough milk by 5:00pm, that I could put 6 oz away in the freezer. This is such a great feeling. Before I started the domperidone, we ended up picking up a tub of formula because I just didnt have enough. I had considered looking into other mothers who had a large supply of frozen breastmilk before turning to formula, but Andy wasn't comfortable with that idea, so formula it was. It was only about a bottle of formula once a day, usually at the end of the day as my supply would drop in the evenings.
The side effects to this drug are headaches and dry mouth. I have experienced both in small amounts, however nothing that I can say has been a big issue.
Once concern that I do have though is I wonder what the long term effects of this drug could be on my system? I hope to continue to exclusively pump and give him my milk until he is a year, and so being on this drug for another 7-8 months could maybe cause some long term issues. Im not sure, its just a thought.
If anyone has any experience with Domperidone, and would like to chime in, Id love to hear it!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Christmas, pumping, sleep, etc
Andy has been super busy with side work this month. We prayed for extra side work, and his phone wouldn't stop ringing. It actually got to the point where he told me that if his phone rang and he wasnt around, not to answer it because he had to tell no to so many people!! Our plan is to have him stay home for 2 weeks at Christmas. 16 days in total (not that we're counting!!) so we needed to save up enough for him to stay home. Needless to say we have enough and more for him to stay home for the 2 weeks. Now that we're on our budget, we're saving more money, and a whole lot motivated to save as well. Its such a great feeling!! Next we're hoping to save up to buy a minivan. Yup, I said it. A minivan! Id love the space & easier access into the vehicle!
Judah is finally back to his normal health. Its so great to have him feeling better. However, I think he has started to teeth because he is constantly drooling (just like Eli!!) and his fists are always in his mouth, sometimes both at the same time! Last week we attempted to give him some rice cereal. He loved it, however come Monday he was miserable and moody! He wouldn't eat or sleep. I think that physically Judah is ready for solids however I dont think his digestive system is ready for it. So we'll wait a bit longer. Im considering trying baby led weaning, and generally you dont start BLW before 6 months.
His sleep has started to get a bit better. There was one night last week that I was up 7 times! Weather it was to feed him or to pop a soother in his mouth because he was whining. However the last 2 nights he slept fairly well. Put him to bed at 7pm, slept till 12:30am the one night, had a full feeding, and then slept till 8am. The next night he went to bed at 7pm, slept till 2:15am, had a full feeding, and then slept till 7:30-8ish. This I dont mind. One feeding a night, I can handle. Obviously, our babywise sleep training hasnt worked out quite how I wanted. My struggle with it was that Judah doesnt like to have a full feeding in one sitting, and so it makes it a bit more difficult.
Iam still exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. Im loosing steam though. I spend so much time hooked up to a pump. I know that breastmilk is so good for him, and whats best, but every day is a struggle to keep at it. Ive done it exclusively for almost 4.5 months (other than the first few months of breastfeeding before I started pumping.) and Im tired of it. My supply is dropping because I am getting lazy with pumping during the day, and I barely am keeping up with how much he is eating. When I first started pumping I would have 10+ oz left in the fridge at the end of the day. Now, Im lucky if I have 6 oz ready for our night time feeding. We've been dipping into the freezer stash which is quickly dwindling, and once its gone Im not sure how we'll keep up. I picked up some mothers nursing tea, which has some herbs to increase your supply, as well as some fenugreek which is also a herb to increase milk supply. For a few days I believe it helped, however now Im feeling stressed that Im not keeping up as much.
Eli has been so excited about Christmas. This year is different than any other. Eli remembers last year, and understands what its about. We're not going all out for gifts, but we do plan on making some special memories. We set up our Christmas tree, and I think Eli had the most fun vacuuming up the needles that fell on the floor! So precious!
Judah is finally back to his normal health. Its so great to have him feeling better. However, I think he has started to teeth because he is constantly drooling (just like Eli!!) and his fists are always in his mouth, sometimes both at the same time! Last week we attempted to give him some rice cereal. He loved it, however come Monday he was miserable and moody! He wouldn't eat or sleep. I think that physically Judah is ready for solids however I dont think his digestive system is ready for it. So we'll wait a bit longer. Im considering trying baby led weaning, and generally you dont start BLW before 6 months.
His sleep has started to get a bit better. There was one night last week that I was up 7 times! Weather it was to feed him or to pop a soother in his mouth because he was whining. However the last 2 nights he slept fairly well. Put him to bed at 7pm, slept till 12:30am the one night, had a full feeding, and then slept till 8am. The next night he went to bed at 7pm, slept till 2:15am, had a full feeding, and then slept till 7:30-8ish. This I dont mind. One feeding a night, I can handle. Obviously, our babywise sleep training hasnt worked out quite how I wanted. My struggle with it was that Judah doesnt like to have a full feeding in one sitting, and so it makes it a bit more difficult.
Iam still exclusively pumping and bottle feeding. Im loosing steam though. I spend so much time hooked up to a pump. I know that breastmilk is so good for him, and whats best, but every day is a struggle to keep at it. Ive done it exclusively for almost 4.5 months (other than the first few months of breastfeeding before I started pumping.) and Im tired of it. My supply is dropping because I am getting lazy with pumping during the day, and I barely am keeping up with how much he is eating. When I first started pumping I would have 10+ oz left in the fridge at the end of the day. Now, Im lucky if I have 6 oz ready for our night time feeding. We've been dipping into the freezer stash which is quickly dwindling, and once its gone Im not sure how we'll keep up. I picked up some mothers nursing tea, which has some herbs to increase your supply, as well as some fenugreek which is also a herb to increase milk supply. For a few days I believe it helped, however now Im feeling stressed that Im not keeping up as much.
Eli has been so excited about Christmas. This year is different than any other. Eli remembers last year, and understands what its about. We're not going all out for gifts, but we do plan on making some special memories. We set up our Christmas tree, and I think Eli had the most fun vacuuming up the needles that fell on the floor! So precious!
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