29.6.13

Restaurant Idea

If I ever had a restaurant, or other beverage-serving establishment, I would use colored bendy straws. They can't really cost all that much more than the boring plain straws, can they? And every time you got a drink, you would smile in anticipation, wondering which color straw you would get this time! I wouldn't even charge extra for the element of surprise ;-)

Also it is my half-birthday today :-)

28.6.13

Big Day and Big Yesterday

Well today is Declan's six month "birthday!" I can hardly believe that he's six months old already. He is growing and changing so much, and I love him with my whole heart. He is still exclusively breastfeeding, and will be until he is at least seven months old. I have read that doing that helps prevent iron deficiency, and since there's nothing wrong with exclusively breastfeeding longer than six months, that's what we're going to do. Our plan is to actually wait to introduce solid foods until Declan has at least one tooth (unless he gets a tooth before seven months). He is so sweet and smiley, and he has the cutest, chunkiest legs ever!

My big yesterday was Adam's and my third anniversary! The lame part is that he was working out of town, so we didn't actually get to see each other on our anniversary. The secondary lame part is that we can't really celebrate it until next weekend (unless you count the movie-date we went on last weekend as a pre-celebration) because tomorrow we are going to a friend's parents' farm to slaughter chickens. Yes, you read that right: Happy Anniversary, let's kill some chickens to celebrate our love and commitment. I, thankfully, will be taking care of Declan, so I will not be slaughtering any chickens personally. And there's a pool, so I think I may let Delcan splash a little in there, weather permitting :-)

It's amazing how time flies! I can't believe Adam and I have been married for three years, and I also find it hard to believe that I have a six-month-old! Even typing it out still feels a little unreal, but wonderful. I was talking to Adam the other day about how I really miss getting to sleep in, and he said, "Would you rather sleep in or snuggle with Declan?" And without a doubt, Declan is worth all of the sleeplessness or sacrifices we have to make. He's our blessing from God, and we're so thankful for him. And each other.

28.5.13

Brilliant Idea

Someone really needs to invent chocolate-flavored gum. Sometimes I want some chocolate, but I don't want to sit around and eat chocolate all day (well I mean, I do, but I don't), so I think chocolate-flavored gum would be perfect! And if they did it right, it would fly off the shelves because everyone would love it...

So... any gum creators out there?

25.5.13

Jasp, the BDE

Oh Jasp, you are so cute
You are the B D E**
I love that you are small
and that you snuggle up to me
I can't believe it's here
but it's very plain to see
That since today's your birthday
You are finally THREE!

Happy birthday, Jasp!

(**BDE stands for Best Dog Ever. I use this abbreviation for a lot of things... BHE, Best Husband Ever, BKE, Best Kid Ever, etc)

24.5.13

We Are Farmers

So... we are planning on getting sheep! We have land (about 4 acres), and Adam has built a fence, and everything is in process for us to get sheep this summer to raise and then sell.

But that's not really what my post is about.

Adam typically works Monday through Thursday out of town, comes home Thursday night, and has Friday through Sunday off. But their company is really busy right now, so he's been working Monday through Friday out of town. This is less than ideal for me, because it means I'm a "single mom" for an extra day every week (and that extra day does make a difference!), but it's also not cool for Adam, because he has less time at home to get everything done that he normally gets done. :-/ He started to mow last weekend, but a belt broke on the mower, so he had to stop. So now our grass is really long. Like, really long. Joe said to me yesterday, "I like that your lawn looks like a hayfield." Ha! So it's too bad we don't have sheep yet to help us with our hayfield of a lawn.

...for those of you who have never let your lawn get to that point, or who have never seen a hayfield ( = me before I moved to Wisconsin!), basically our grass is going to seed, so it has wheat-like tops on it. Crazy!

14.5.13

Breastfeeding With a Passion

It's been difficult for me to figure out how to say what I want to say. While I disagree with mothers who voluntarily formula-feed their babies, I don't want my words to come across as judgmental at all. I think there are great mothers who breastfeed and great mothers who formula-feed. Especially for those mothers who tried to breastfeed but couldn't, please know that I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. As one of my friends said, things don't always go the way you planned, even though that can be hard to accept.

I hope my passion is not offensive, but that it rather encourages people to learn more or ask questions or maybe just consider breastfeeding if they never thought they would. That being said...

I love breastfeeding. It was difficult (painful and sleep-depriving) the first six weeks or so. Thankfully, it did get easier (even though when you hear that and your toes curl in pain when your baby latches on during those first six weeks, you don't believe it) and now Declan latches on, pain-free, like a pro.

I think that many mothers and mothers-to-be just are not as informed about breastfeeding as they could be. I always knew that I would breastfeed my children, that was never a question for me, but once I researched and learned more, I became passionate about it.

I understand that some women can't physically breastfeed for one reason or another, and I'm so glad we have formula for those instances. What I don't understand is women who just choose to formula feed without giving breastfeeding their best effort first. I hope that doesn't sound judgmental - I'm just saying I don't understand it. Why would I voluntarily choose an option that requires more effort and much more money when there is a nutritionally superior (and vastly cheaper) option available? Granted I'm biased in favor of breastfeeding, but voluntarily formula-feeding just doesn't make logical sense to me.

Anyway, I wanted to offer four tips that I have either learned from experience (you know, because after four months I'm an old hand at breastfeeding! ha!) or have read and incorporated successfully.

1. Just because your baby is eating all the time does NOT mean you don't have enough milk.
Declan breastfed about every two to three hours until he was about two-and-a-half months old, and I know without doubt that I had enough milk, because I was dealing with oversupply. With breastfeeding, you can't really measure how much milk your baby is getting each time they eat, so they may be just eating smaller amounts more frequently. Obviously I would see a doctor if your baby isn't gaining weight or seems unhealthy for one reason or another (which, if that was the case, you could try supplementing breastfeeding with formula while trying to increase your supply, I know one of my friends did that). And if you think that your milk supply seems to be decreasing, it may just be normalizing to the amount your baby actually needs to eat (see this page for additional info).

2. If you are pumping and not getting very much milk, try adjusting the pump.
Maybe this is TMI, but I have one flat and one inverted nipple - in other words, my nipples don't stick out. Because of this, I can't always tell if I'm "centered" properly in the pump. I have found that if I adjust my position in the pump (up or down, make sure it's not too tight, etc) I can get a lot more milk.

3. If you are concerned about milk supply, drink more water.
I have noticed, when pumping, that my milk seems more plentiful when I am staying hydrated. I guess it makes sense - you need liquid to make liquid! I think the key here is to drink water, not soda or coffee (caffeine actually dehydrates you!). I'm not sure about juice, milk, decaf tea or herbal tea, whether they would be hydrating or not. I mean, I'm not saying you have to drink only water, I'm just saying drink more water than you are already drinking. Probably drink more water than you think you need to.

And my last tip?
4. Don't give up without a fight! Obviously, the most important thing is your baby's health, so if you can't breastfeed, I say purchase that formula with confidence, knowing you are doing what's best for your baby. However, don't give up breastfeeding at the first sign of difficulty, or if it's hard the first few weeks. Find help and support, do research, ask questions, try different things. If you can do it, it really is best for you and your baby :-)

Kellymom.com is a great breastfeeding resource... lots of information!!

Ok... I got that off my chest (ha, breastfeeding... chest... punny, right?) I hope I haven't offended any mothers out there. I still want to be friends, even if you disagree with me :-)

So, for anyone who reads this: Did you/do you breastfeed or forumla-feed your baby/ies? Why did you make that decision? For those that breastfeed/fed, I'm also curious to know how long your baby/ies were breastfed, if you don't mind sharing! If you haven't had kids yet, which do you think you'll choose to do and why?

26.3.13

Update on life

It's hard to believe that Declan is almost three months old already! He's gotten so big and is such a sweetie. I've been fortunate enough to take 13 weeks off, but that means I go back to work on Monday. :-( it has been so great being with Declan all the time, it's going to be hard to be away from him at all; but at least it'll only be a few days a week. I just love being a mom. It feels so right and natural. Adam is a great dad, and Declan loves spending time with him.

I guess I could go on, but I'll end with this - Adam got me an iPad for Easter!! It is so fun, and it allows me to go online when I'm feeding Declan. We'll see how I do on keeping up with posts now... Who knew that having a kid would take up so much of your free time!? (Joke) :-)



12.1.13

Declan's Birth Story

So I've been MIA recently due to the arrival of Declan Bruce on December 28, 2012!! And pictures will have to wait until I get on our other computer, but for now I wanted to at least get his birth story typed up before I forget things!!

So to recap: December 26 - my doctor said I probably wouldn't go into labor that week. My mom arrived from California.

December 27 - I stayed home from work trying to let my hip rest and heal. I told my mom we would finish packing my hospital bag the next day. Went to bed around 10 but didn't fall asleep.

December 28 - At 1 AM, I had to go to the bathroom really badly. I got up and rushed to the bathroom and just made it before my water broke, although my pajamas got soaked. Yes, I was apparently part of the 10% of women whose water breaks first, just like in the movies. I got giggly and excited at this point, and headed back to my bedroom to put on some clean pajamas and try to sleep since I hadn't had any contractions yet and my amniotic fluid was clear and odorless. Adam was sleeping in the living room because his hip was hurting (and because I took up the whole bed with all my pillows) and caught me walking back to our bedroom naked. He had just woken up, and he asked me why I was taking a shower in the middle of the night. I was too giggly to answer for a minute, so I didn't say anything, and then finally I said, "I think my water broke." That really woke him up, and he came in and laid down and talked with me for a little bit. I called my doula to let her know my water had broken, but she didn't answer, so I texted her. Contractions still hadn't started. I called her again, still no answer, and finally she called back. She told me she was going through something personal (I won't put it on here) and couldn't actually come assist me during labor... and her back-up was also not available! I felt bad for what she was going through, but I was also very frustrated and disappointed - how could my doula not be there? For months, we had counted on having her there! So Adam said he would call the other doula we had interviewed to see if she might be able to come help us last minute. This is still at about 1:20 AM, so he said he would wait to call her so it wasn't so middle-of-the-night. Somewhere around that time, more of my amniotic fluid leaked out - thankfully I had put down some puddle pads so I didn't make a mess!

At 1:30 AM, my contractions started. They were very small and I was just "pretty sure" I was getting contractions. But I knew at that point I wouldn't really be able to sleep, and I didn't want to lay down anymore anyway. So I started walking and Adam put on Captain America to watch to pass the time. I was semi-timing my contractions and they were about 30 seconds long but not too close together. I made it to my favorite part of the movie, which is near the beginning, before I lost interest and had to handle my contractions. I tried a variety of positions, but the ones that worked best were walking and sitting on the toilet. I also got in the shower a couple of times, which was helpful. I tried doing some vocalization in the shower but just wasn't feeling it. We woke my mom around 4:30, and called the doula shortly after that. She didn't answer, so Adam texted her telling her our doula couldn't make it and could she come help us? She called back maybe 20 minutes later and said she could come - HOORAY!! I don't remember what time she arrived, because I was still walking a lot through my contractions and getting very focused. Our doula, Megan, arrived somewhere between 5:30 and 6. I was very focused at this point and Adam was updating her on my labor so far and the timing of the contractions. I was handling some contractions on all fours on the bed, and wanted pressure on my lower back for the pain, so Adam, Megan, and my mom took turns pressing on the area. Just before 6:30, they thought it might be a good time to head to the hospital, which is about 20 minutes away. Adam asked me if I wanted to leave and I said something like, "That's fine." Megan helped me get dressed and Adam and my mom packed the car. I was sitting sideways in the front seat and had some really strong contractions in the car. I also burped a few times and I remember wondering if I was in transition! We got to the hospital at about 7 AM and someone came out with a wheelchair to take me up to the birthing center. They took me straight into an LDR room and did a vaginal exam to see where I was - the nurse said I was between 5 and 6. I almost felt like I was ready to push, so I thought wow, only 5 or 6? I handled some more contractions on the toilet and in the shower (they had a great shower with three shower heads, one aimed directly at your lower back!), and on all fours with more pressure. It felt like 15 minutes and three contractions later when I was ready to push, but apparently it was more like an hour and a half. During this time I started doing vocalizations... the best description I have for them would be "roars." Nice and low pitched but very intense! My throat hurt afterward. The nurse checked me again and said I was at 9 with a lip, but I could start pushing if I wanted to, which I really did. I pushed on all fours and with an egg-shaped labor ball, but it didn't feel very effective, and my doula suggested I push in a squatting position for a few contractions. She or Adam would stand behind me to support me while I pushed and that way they could help me lay down between contractions. The nurse suggested a different way to push that might work better, so I tried it and it felt like it was working. I remember doing a lot of pushing in those positions, and still wanting a lot of counterpressure on my back. I could tell my doula was getting up on the bed and leaning on my back with all of her upper body weight to give me the pressure I wanted, which I really appreciated! The doctor came in a couple of times, and he wanted to see the progress I was making with pushing, so he had me lay on my side for a couple of pushes, with people holding my legs as necessary. I didn't think I would want to push in that position, but once I was there I LOVED it because I could rest very easily between contractions. When his head was crowning, my doctor said I was going to tear, and would I rather tear or have an episiotomy? I really didn't want an episiotomy, but I just couldn't make a decision in my frame of mind, so my doula suggested perineal massage to help, which they did. I think the doctor offered a local anasthetic for him crowning, but I refused. Finally, after about an hour and a half of pushing, Declan Bruce was born! They gave him to me right away and he was very calm and alert. He cried some but for the most part he was just hanging out with Mom :-) He arrived at 9:53 AM on December 28, 2012 (which is Adam's mom's birthday and my grandma's birthday, and the day before my birthday!), 7 lb 15 oz, 21 inches long.

I'm very proud of myself for giving birth naturally with no pain medication - that was my goal and I achieved it :) That being said, I can definitely understand why some women get epidurals!

Other interesting things: Apparently, after his head came out, his shoulders didn't follow immediately, so they were coaching me to really push to get the rest of him out because he was starting to have trouble breathing (I think the umbilical cord was getting pinched?). Once he was born, the umbilical cord was already not pulsing, so my mom cut the cord.

Also, I lost a lot of blood during labor and just afterward. The nurse said that a normal amount of blood loss is up to 150 (whatever measurement they use) and I lost about 700. So even though the placenta delivered fine shortly after Declan was born, they eventually did give me some pitocin to help stop the bleeding, because it wasn't slowing on its own. My doctor said that that sometimes happens with quick labors, that the uterus gets "lazy" afterward... I thought, goodness, it wasn't lazy throughout my pregnancy, I got so many Braxton-Hicks contractions! But about 20 minutes after the pitocin, my bleeding slowed enough that they let me take a shower to clean off. I also had two tears with some stiches. But it was definitely worth it, and in the end I'm glad I didn't get an episiotomy.

Another funny thing - there were three Megans in the room while I was giving birth - me, my doula, and the labor nurse! At one point, just after Declan was born, I remember someone saying, "Megan, do you have any scissors?" And I thought, "I'm pretty sure all I have is my baby."

I believe it was later in he day on the 28th that I realized my back felt sore and bruised where I had been getting the counter pressure, and on the 29th I had a large swollen area there! After some ice and ibuprfin the swelling went way down and the pain was gone; however, two weeks later I still have some slight swelling!!

And where did his name come from? Well, I found Declan online and just thought it was awesome - a strong solid name, but uncommon. And Bruce is my brother's middle name (and apparently my uncle's middle name, my great-grandpa's first name, my great-uncle's middle name, and my second cousin's husband's name... even more of a family name than I realized!!)

So I think that's it... Declan is now here, home, and healthy! Pictures will come soon :-)