Countdown to THREE! {A look back}

In a month my first baby will officially lose her toddler status.

Where in the heck has the time gone? 

{August 2010} 34 weeks pregnant with Leila 

{September 2010} 1 week old

{September 2011} 1 year old

{September 2012} 2 years old

{August 2013} Almost 3 years old

The countdown to THREE has officially begun...

Boosting my supply...again

We went to Carson's four month doctor appointment this week. I was very anxious to get his stats.  There's something exciting about learning how big and tall your child is and where they fall on the growth chart!

I knew Carson was a tiny guy, but can see him growing out of his clothes. I see him meeting milestones like rolling over, laughing, consolidating his sleep, etc. I was aware that he is much smaller than other babies his age, but really had no reason to be worried. 

Until now.

Carson IS growing...he has grown 3 inches (25 1/4 inches = 37%) in the past two months and his head continues to grow at an average rate too.  But his weight is low, like not-even-on-the-growth-chart low. At four months and 2 weeks old, Carson weighs under 12 pounds, 11 lbs 14 oz to be exact. Slim boy!

Having a tiny baby is not new to me. At four months old, Leila was 10 lbs 15 oz, although unlike Carson, actually made it on the growth chart. Barely. I was working full time at this point in Leila's life and not able to pump enough breast milk for her while I was at work. She started on formula, in addition to my milk, at the four month mark. By seven months our breastfeeding days were over and she had formula until she was one. She gained weight rapidly after being on formula. By ten months she weighed 19 lbs and was in the 50th percentile on the weight growth chart. Two years later...she only weighs 26 lbs. Slim girl!

Jeff and I make tiny children. That is a fact. Carson is showing the same growing patterns as Leila did this early in life. So on one hand, logic tells me not to worry, he will gain weight on his own time. On the other hand, I cannot help but wonder if there is another issue.

Can being TOO happy be an issue?

The nurse practitioner Carson saw on Monday (who also happens to be a certified lactation consultant) recommended that I supplement with formula or find a breast milk donor. Ummm, no and no. I made it clear that I wanted to continue exclusively breastfeeding Carson for as long as possible. She was on board, shared the story of her own slim son, and made some recommendations on how I could boost my milk supply.

So that's where we are today, working on boosting my supply. I am taking fenugreek and blessed thistle to increase my milk. I am feeling confident this will work after our earlier experience with no weight gain (from five days old until two weeks old) was successful. In addition, I am pumping between most feedings and storing it for a later time. (For some reason she doesn't want me to feed it to him.) I was also directed to eat oatmeal two times a day. I have taken it upon myself to make Betsylife's No Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bites and Milkin' Mamas Lactation Cookies. Both are delicious and have milk boosting ingredients.

I made a few changes to the cookie recipe. Comment if you want to know more!

We have a follow-up weight check on Monday, August 12th. Until then I am doing my best to boost my supply. I am not naive to the fact that I may have to supplement, but at this point I am taking it one recommendation at a time.

Any recommendations for boosting my milk supply?

I don't want to forget

So many things.

Sometimes I forget to stop and notice.

My first Mother's Day as a mom of TWO! (Still feels crazy to write TWO.)

I don't want to forget...

How Carson's tiny blond hairs feel when I rub my cheek on his head.

The way Leila looks at us for approval after she acts silly or grown up.

That Carson's fingers are either poking him in the eye, clawing at my chest, or curled up tight with his thumb curled between his fingers.

Milk drunk.

Leila is beginning to play more by herself. Play-dough, coloring, water painting, and markers entertain her for longer than I am use to.

That her sense of matching clothes is developing. She often takes the concept quite literally.

Carson's old man forehead wrinkles, just like Leila had.

The adorable conversations Leila has with her friends.

I don't want to forget.

Soon things will change again.

Scenes from the past {Christmas Edition}

Christmas 2009- Just Married!

This Christmas involved lots of drinking and fun with friends.  Every photo I have turned out terrible (must have been the drinking), including the one below..

Taking down the tree- Jeff and I enjoyed our first married Christmas, maybe too much?!

Christmas 2010- Leila's first Christmas

Leila had no clue what was going on...

She willingly posed by the tree at 3 months old.

Christmas Eve at the Haley's-
Leila is dresses to impress and Aunt Val is sporting our Grandmother's favorite vest.

Christmas 2011-  New Traditions
This year Leila met Santa for the first time, our Christmas Eve celebration moved to Val and Stefan's, and Christmas morning with a toddler proved to be a lot more exciting than waking up with a hangover...

Leila (15 months) and Santa at Fashion Valley Mall.

Kicking off the Christmas Eve festivities.

Still able to fit into her Santa hat.

Christmas morning-about to see what Santa brought!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas! This year we are excited to experience the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a two year old.  Let the celebrating begin...

My biggest rookie mistake

As I near the half way mark of this pregnancy, I am beginning to reflect on my experiences as a rookie mom.  Honestly, being a mom of two kind of scares the crap out of me.  Reflecting on my newbie years brings me a sense of control and confidence.

Although I know better than to think I am actually the one in control (Proof I'm not a newbie anymore!), there are things I will definitely try do again with baby number 2 and things that I plan to do differently the second time around.

With baby #2 I will definitely try to...

• Breastfeed again, and maybe even longer this time since I won't be going back to work.
• Sleep train this baby as early as possible.  Me without sleep = crazy person.
• Wear baby #2 in the Ergo carrier.
• Take monthly pictures of baby #2 to document all the physical changes in the first year.
• Limit pacifier use to the crib, stroller, and car seat after the first three months (and then eventually just in the crib).

I have confidence that those things will happen again.  I've done them before.  I have experience making them work.  Doing things differently, well that will be more challenging. 

This time around I plan to...

• Sleep when the baby sleeps just to prove to myself that I can.
• Deal with a messy house instead of allowing the mess to consume me.
• Not be so hard on myself.  I am not perfect and I will not panic when things don't go as planned.
• Give my husband the freedom to do things his way.
• Always be late.  I am not even going to stress out over trying to be anywhere on time.  I will be implementing a 30 minute window rule for our arrival.  
• Pretend I am not being judged.  We all know it happens.  This time around I will be too busy to care.
• Get in the picture. My biggest rookie mom mistake was not wanting to have my picture taken for months after Leila was born.  I even made my family and friends promise not to take any pictures of me in the hospital.  Pathetic huh?

After reading Allison Tate's blog post on the Huffington Post, I was a teary eyed mess.  I know exactly how she and many other women feel after having a baby...low self-confidence, high expectations, embarrassed to still have "fat pregnancy face", and a body you don't recognize. This time I will be in photos with my new baby, sporting my postpartum weight and all.

I did allow Jeff to snap some pictures at the hospital after I finally took a shower.
I deleted almost all of them.  Huge regret. 

At least I am partly in the picture, right, even if I did crop out my entire body and made sure to hide my face behind Leila.

I find it extremely difficult to venture out of my comfort zone. Changing behaviors is never easy.  But I'm not a rookie anymore. 

  

Time to fess up Mommas.  What will you be doing differently the second (or third) time around?  What was your biggest newbie mom mistake?

  

Will I ever learn?

In 1991 I was a freshman in high school. Tight-rolling your jeans and curling your bangs were still cool, barely.

I can remember exactly where I was standing when I swore to my dad I would never not tight roll my jeans.

I can still hear him laughing at me. Probably because he actually is. I'll never live that one down.

Well, I certainly didn't learn anything from my fashion faux-pas or my extreme way of thinking.

This time I swore, before I was actually a momma, I would never let my child wear a bikini. I didn't want my baby to be...

...I don't know. I really did not think this one through before I got all judgy.

I never even tried to put a bathing suit on a baby, wet or dry. Ever.

I learned very quickly!

Alright, this bathing suit from last summer is more like a tankini.
Just wait until you see her new bikini!

Maybe this time I will learn, never say never.

Crap. I did it again.

Thank you Growing up Geeky and Letters to Mo for this post topic!

Milestones

Most books about infant and toddler development list milestones your child may be approaching in each month of their early life. I've always had a difficult time living in the moment, and these books did not help me in that department. I just couldn't help but read ahead to see what Leila would be learning in the months to come.

The first milestone I really anticipated was solid foods. We started on the earlier side than most books recommended after the doctor suggested rice cereal may help her acid reflux. I thought she could use the food! At four months old, Leila was a tiny thing weighing in at just under eleven pounds.

Sleeping through the night was a life changing milestone for me! At seven month's old, the same week she stopped nursing, Leila began consistently sleeping through the night.

I knew that Leila would be an early walker with her strong desire to move around and be independent. I caught her standing on her own at my parents house when we visited last July. By the time I left to return to San Diego she had take her "first" step!

10 months old

Leila officially became a toddler on her Grandee's birthday last August when she walked to me. The look on Leila's face was priceless. She was proud, grinning ear to ear. This was the milestone she had anticipated the most!

What am I looking forward to next?

I would love for this girl to need a haircut! Chopping off her femullet doesn't count. I am still waiting for it to grow back.

I get it now

I hate to admit it, but when I was simply just a daughter and not yet a mother, Mother's Day was just another day.

Yes, it was a day to celebrate mothers everywhere, especially mine, but not a day that I could really understand.

I get it now. I recently realized that Mother's Day is more important to me than celebrating my own birthday. (My birthday has always been an excuse for a week-long celebration!)

My feelings toward my own mother have changed since becoming a mother myself. It is overwhelming to realize how much she loves me. I am forever grateful for everything she has done (and still does!) for me.

My wish on this Mother's Day is for Leila to feel the love that I feel...forever.

Leila and Grandma, January 2012

Leila and Baba, July 2011
Leila and Grandee, September 2010

Leila and I are so lucky to have such wonder mothers in our lives!

Happy Mother's Day!

Toddler bedtime routine

Is it 7:30 yet?

Some days I find myself asking this as early as six o'clock, yet other days 7:30 sneaks up on us.



Leila's bedtime has been early since she was four months old. I remember rushing through dinner to be home from my parents' rental by 6:15 so Leila could be in bed by 6:30. Those days she was not sleeping through the night, so I was practically going to bed with her!

When she was seven months old Leila was taking two regular naps and also started sleeping through the night. We implemented a 7pm-7am sleep rule in our house after seeing it work successfully for other families we knew.

It's pretty simple.  Basically Leila would be in her crib from 7pm to 7am each night. Personally we have found many benefits to our sleep rule...the most valuable being Leila's ability to self-soothe herself (back) to sleep.

Now as a toddler, Leila has pretty amazing sleep habits. (I hate saying this aloud in fear of jinxing myself, but we all know that can't really happen, right?) This girl loves her crib!

Her bedtime routine begins between 7:00 and 7:30 by saying "night-night" to Mommy and her toys upstairs.

Jeff brings her down to her room and gets her ready for bed (pajamas, overnight diaper, sleep-sack, and teeth brushed). Then he carries Leila around her room to say goodnight to her things, something that we started from the beginning.  Jeff reads her a few books, puts her in her crib with her stuffed animals and pacifiers, says "I love you", and closes the door.

That's it...short, sweet, and simple.

Since we implemented the 7pm-7am sleep rule we haven't had to go check on her at all. Not once.

Until last night.

Either teething or nap skipping was the culprit. I blame them both.



At 9:00 Leila was still awake in her crib playing, whining, crying, and finally sobbing. Jeff went in to check on her and although she didn't want to see him leave, she eventually feel asleep peacefully.

And guess what? She slept in today to make up for the hours she missed last night.

I love it when life works out like that!

The 7pm- 7am sleep rule has worked for us.  Share your success story! 

What has worked for you and your family?

Dear Leila

It's only fair to show you a different, more flattering picture, of you as a newborn in the hospital.

After all, I did embarrassed you a bit last week with the photo bloopers post.


You are beautiful! (and smart, and funny, and lovable, and creative!)

I promise to embarrass you more in the future.

Love,
Momma xoxo

I swear my kid is cute

Not that you can tell from these pictures, but Leila is actually a cute kid.

I went to the hospital at noon on September 21, 2010 (my due date!) to be induced due to high blood pressure. Twelve hours and twenty-six minutes later I had a a baby.

She looked like this...



I loved her anyways. People told me she was beautiful and I believed them.



You can decide for yourself.



I'm linking up again this week with Mama G over at Growing up Geeky. This Tuesday's topic is Photo Bloopers. Link up here...

Motherhood changes everything

If I have learned one thing about motherhood, it would be that it changes your life completely.



This is certainly not my "ah-ha" moment. (I had that waaaay back when I was a dysfunctional zombie mom.) These days I've been noticing the little ways my life has changed since becoming a momma.

Did you know...

• I don't get to blast the music in the bathroom and sing while I shower because it might wake Leila from her nap.

• I plan my outfit for the day with extreme care not to show my butt while playing with Leila on the floor.

• It's air conditioning over rolling the windows down on nice days (a.k.a. everyday).

• I rarely get the last bite of food on my plate.

• And, my plants do just fine without water.

Did you know...None of these things really ever mattered to me, I'm alright without them. My shower singing is pretty pathetic anyways. And now, when I do get to roll down the windows, I suck in as much fresh air as my lungs can handle.

Now and then {Stroller Edition}

Now

Leila hasn't fallen asleep in her stroller for at least ten months. Last week she passed out during my morning run.


Then

I could hardly keep her awake at one month old.

Now and then {Bathtub edition}

Now
January 2012


Then
September 2010