Wa Waaaaah.....

(That's the Debbie Downer sound effect.)

Tomorrow will be my first day back at work after having 12 weeks off. I am definitely feeling bummed today. But, I am thankful for a flexible schedule that allows me to be home more days than not.

Grandma Sandi

Grandma Sandi came to visit us Monday and Tuesday this week. We had lots of fun with her here, and she even brought a pumpkin (from her garden, no less) for Gabe to carve (well, she carved it and Gabe watched). He was a little hesitant about the slimy insides, but he still had fun!

Photo Printing - Suggestions Please

I realized that I really have never printed ANY pictures since we started using a digital camera, other than few I took to work with me after having Gabe. So, my questions to anyone who cares to comment are:

What service do you use to store and/or print your photos?
How often do you print photos?
What do you do with them once they're printed?

I'm trying to come up with a system so I don't end up with a back log of pics like I have currently!

Similar, but different

We have been transfering our pics to our new computer and getting them organized and I was looking at pics of Gabe when he was about Caleb's age. I came across these two of them in the little play gym thingy and thought they were cute to compare. They definitely have their own distinctive features!

Well, at least it's over....

After a long and painful weekend with the never-ending infection, I had the incision and drainage (I&D) procedure done today. I won't go into all the details, but I was definitely ready to have it done and get over this once and for all. The procedure wasn't too bad, but it's a little scary to look at (again, I won't go into all the details :-)). So, I think nursing is pretty much done, but she (the surgeon) is leaving it up to me, but there's always risk of another infection, and the incision will take much longer to heal if I continue. We'll see. We've been giving Caleb some bottles of formula since Saturday and he seems to be doing OK with it, so that's good.

Anyways, that's the news for today! Thanks to everyone who has been checking in and keeping me in their thoughts and prayers!

Smiles and Coos

I've just discovered the video button on blogger, which is great, because it saves the step of having to upload to google video first! Here's one of Caleb talking and smiling and showing his love for Mammow.

Zoo Pics

Going to the zoo has become a pretty common occurrence, so I won't go into our trip yesterday in detail, but it always makes for cute pics! We did see the dolphin show yesterday, too, which was a lot of fun. And, Caleb had his first bottle of formula there, too. He did just fine; he didn't even flinch. I did better than I thought I would, too. :-)

The Duct, Part....I lost count!

I know I've written more about my clogged duct and infection than most of you care to hear, but it is worse....again. I saw the surgeon yesterday and she aspirated...again. And I'm taking two antibiotics...again. To make things just a little bit worse, I think Caleb has grown a little bit fond of the bottle and lately during the day sometimes I can't get him to nurse without a fuss. So, that means we've dipped into the freezer supply and pretty soon will have no more reserves (like today or tomorrow). Anyway, I don't mean to complain, but I am feeling pretty close to throwing in the towel here and maybe supplementing with formula or just pumping or something, but we'll see. Hopefully this will clear up once and for all! I know formula is totally fine and that he would do just great. I just feel like after all that I've done to be able to continue nursing, I'd hate to give it up now. On the flip side, I've been warming up to the idea by telling myself all the things that I might like about not nursing, like having all the caffeine, dairy and spicy food I want, not worrying about milk supply, not worrying about nursing him while we're out (I'm not a very good public nurser), letting other people feed him (i.e. Dan in the middle of the night), etc. Most importantly, he's an adorable, healthy boy either way and I need to just remind myself of that.

It's the little things....

...but it's big to me. Both boys are currently sleeping in their rooms, in their beds, upstairs. It may not last long, but I'll take it while I can get it!

Moving to the Crib

We decided to move Caleb to his crib this week. He had been sleeping in his bassinet in our room for the past 10 weeks, but he was starting to outgrow it and kick the ends, etc. Plus, he has not been sleeping as well at night, so we thought maybe it would help. We also have a futon bed in his room, so the first couple of nights, he mostly slept with me. Monday night I put him down around 7:30 (without getting a good burp) and he woke up around 8:30 and I laid down with him on the futon and we both slept there until 5:30. I think that's his longest stretch yet. But, his long stretches are not really regular. I feel like with Gabe once he made a milestone like 5 or 6 or 7 hours, he would do that consistently. Caleb is a little bit hit-or-miss. I feel like he usually wakes up around 4 no matter what and again at 6 and then sometimes snoozes until 7:30 or so (8 yesterday). So, we'll see. I'm thankful that at least he's been going back to sleep after nursing when he wakes up, so that's good, and he took a good nap in his crib yesterday, so maybe he's getting a little more used to it and enjoying the extra space!

Dinner with Friends

On Saturday night, we got together with our college friends and their kids. It was great to see everyone and it's crazy to think about the days when we were college when there are six little ones running around! (Well, Caleb isn't really running just yet...)

Good to see you Val and Anne and thanks for everything!

Apple Orchard

I would have to say my absolute favorite fall activity is going to Edward's Apple Orchard. We took the boys on Friday and it was such a perfect fall day - sunny and a little bit cool. We had lunch, cider and donuts in the Cider Cellar and let Gabie run around the kids area. Ironically, we did not buy or pick any apples, just cider and donuts. :-) I really just go for the donuts, kindof like the Oak Park Farmer's Market! Here are a few pics of the day. I love the one of Gabe and Caleb - if you look closely, they are looking at each other.

Happy Fall!

P.S. We had gone to visit my grandma that morning - she has a booth at a farmer's market in Rockford every week. It was a little chilly and breezy that morning, so she gave the hat he's wearing, which she made. :-)

Visit to the Office

Last Thursday I (with Norma) took the boys down to my office to visit my co-workers. One of my other co-workers, Amy, is also on leave with her new little girl and they joined us as well. It was good to see everyone, but I am really DREADING going back (October 1!). They ordered lunch for us and we got to see lots of people. Caleb pooped through two outfits in the hour or so that we were there. Thankfully I found another extra outfit in the bottom of the diaper bag, but it was pretty small and his belly was hanging out! Gabe did well, but was really super shy the whole time. Here's a pic of mom and Gabe by the fountain in front of the building and one of Gabe sitting on a table in the office with the Catepillar truck my boss gave to him.

Outing

So, Tuesday I decided to get out of the house wiht the boys a little bit, so we went to McDonalds for lunch and to get a Happy Meal for Gabe. Sadly, this is the first time I had been out with just me and the boys (because, as you know, I usually have Norma in tow when I go out :-)). It was nice to get out; however, it was a lot more work! Just balancing getting both in and out of the car was a lot. Once we were in McDonald's we were OK; they offered to bring our food to the table for us, which was nice. Caleb fussed for part of the time, and Gabe ended up falling of the booth seat and hitting his face on the floor, but he was OK, thankfully. I have this fear of like Gabe getting away from me and running into the street or something and/or tending to Caleb and having him get lost or something. I'm sure I'll get over it as I get used to having two!

Big Weekend

Here are the things I need to post about before I forget:

Visit to the office

Apple Orchard

Christina's Shower

Dinner with Val and Anne

Dad's Birthday

Move to the crib / sleep updates

In the meantime, here are some miscellaneous pics:

See Dan's Blog..

...for a video about the letter Q.

Playdate!

Today Sally, Nathan and Blake came to visit and play for a little while. It was fun to see the boys together; both the older and younger ones are so close in age! Gabe and Nathan played nicely together and gave each other high fives when they left. The little ones slept through the whole thing! It was nice to have some company; here are a few pics...

The Letter Q

Yesterday I was in the kitchen and Gabe was in the other room playing with his magnadoodle. He said, "mommy, I made a Q." When I went in the other room, this is what I saw:



I think he was doodling and when he looked at what he made it looked like a Q. Still, pretty good that he was able to identify it! :-)

Two Month Check Up

Today was Caleb's two month check-up and the belly pictures don't lie....his weight was off the charts at a whopping 15 lb. 8 oz. His height was 75% at 23.5 and his head circumference was just above 50%. Everything looks good, he's nice and healthy, which we're very thankful for. He also had to have THREE shots and one oral vaccine (which was new), so that was very sad and I even shed a couple of tears. It's just so sad because they don't know it's coming and they are looking right at you and crying real tears like "what's happening to me?!" He did fine, though. I nursed him right after and he fell asleep in the car and slept for almost 5 hours once we got home and woke up in a fine mood. I was smart this time, though, and gave him Tylenol before the shots, which the nurse and doc both said was a good idea. I didn't do that with Gabe, who also slept a long time after his first shots, but woke up screaming uncontrollably, which totally freaked me out. So, now we do the Tylenol beforehand. :-)

He slept right through our play date with Sally, Nathan and Blake. I'll post some pics of that as soon as I get them downloaded. Thanks for coming, guys!

Uh Oh

We may be having some sleep time troubles...

The last couple nights Caleb has been waking up more, like every 2 or 3 hours, which is making me wonder...what's going on? I have to think that he's hungry, but I'm just not sure. Anyway, hopefully things will get back to "normal" (not really sure what that is, but I think it involves more sleep) soon.

Here are some pics from yesterday of him showing his tummy and a few others. I'm also throwing in a couple of Gabe in his helmet and pads. The first NFL game of the season was on Thursday night and he wanted to put on his helmet, too. :-)

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Caleb!

Caleb is already two months old today! I have to say that time goes MUCH faster with the second baby, probably because you stay busy chasing after the first. I'll try to post the link to yahoo photos again for month two, but, shamefully, I feel like I didn't really take that many pics this month!

Caleb is doing well and is still pretty easy going, though the last two nights we've had some "awake" time after his feeding. :-) I have been pumping for three and a half weeks now and have been able to get away with just nursing one side for his night feeding, but I'm thinking it's not really cutting it anymore because he also needed a bottle last night, so we'll see.

Random Piece of Info

Has anyone ever been to Steve & Barry's? I've been once - it's a huge store with lots of stylish stuff for very, very cheap (sort of like H&M, but cheaper and American). Anyway, I signed on AOL today and there was a headline about celebrity designers making clothes more affordable. So, my curiosity got me and after reading the article I learned that Vera Wang now has a line at Kohl's (with some super cute boots) and Sarah Jessica Parker has a line at Steve & Barry's and her stuff was also SUPER cute - like a houndstooth fall jacket for $19.99?

Just thought I'd share. Maybe next time I get out of the house it will be to Steve & Barry's (or Kohl's)!

Here's the link to SJP's line: www.bittensjp.com

Playing at the Park

My mom and I took the boys to the park yesterday. It's a nice new one in Oak Park that has some sprinklers, too. Gabe had lots of fun and Caleb fell asleep in the Bjorn. It was mommy/nanny/daycare heaven there! It made me a little sad about going back to work (and not to the park everyday) seeing all the moms meeting other moms at the park, etc., but I think it also makes me appreciate little outings with the boys more, too (or maybe I'm just thinking that to make myself feel better). Here are some pics of the park and a couple others, too (I'm having trouble getting a pic of Caleb where he doesn't have that "deer in the headlights" look :-)).

P.S. I know all the outings I write about are with my mom, and maybe I'm just lazy, but outings are so much more enjoyable with an extra set of hands!

Good news, bad news (kindof)

I saw the surgeon again on Tuesday and she said things looked better than they had so far (and better than she expected). So, no aspriation and she did not refill my antibiotic (ran out that day). That's good news, though I'm hoping the infection won't make a comeback now that I'm not on antibiotics for the first time in three weeks.

However, I have ANOTHER clogged duct on that side. It's not infected, though, so that's good. But, it means she wants me to keep pumping only on that side since the bacteria that causes the infection comes from the baby's mouth.

So, we're getting there. I'm feeling good, just paranoid and obsessive everyday about whether it's getting better or worse. :-) I think I'm nearing the end, though, finally! Thanks for all your prayers.

"Question."

(That's a Dwight Shrute quote. Like Dan, I am now quoting fictional characters.)

What would you consider "sleeping through the night" for a baby? Is it duration or the time of morning or whether or not it's light outside when they wake up?

Anyway, Caleb slept about 8 1/2 hours last night...from about 8:15 to about 4:50. I remember him stirring around 2, but he must have never really woken up and the next thing knew it was about 5 a.m.?

So, I think for baby book purposes I will consider this sleeping through the night, but am curious as to what you other moms consider or considered sleeping through the night for your little ones?

Correction

I realized that in the post below I asked people to pray that the infection would clear WITH the incision, and what I really meant was WITHOUT the incision. :-) Just wanted to clarify. The incision would mean that I would need to stop nursing and would leave a nasty scar, etc., so I'm hoping to avoid it. However, at this point I'm ready to move past this, so, we'll see!