Thursday, February 25, 2010

First real bath


Ben had his first real bath last night. He got his hair washed and everything. I do believe he will be blond like his big brother Evan. Eliot was taking a bath and I put Ben in a good mama hold and dunked him in and he seemed to really enjoy it. I will try to get a picture next time but it was a bit hard with a squirmy 5 week old in my arms.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

We found him!




I was able to rescue Froggie from a life of office work in the church office. He was safe and sound and definitely not worse for were. He is already a bit worn out. I can now be out of the doghouse with Evan.






As a nice surprise for when he wakes up I put Froggie within arms length of Evan so that when he wakes up from his nap his best friend will be right there with him.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Froggie... where are you?





Oh, what kind of mother am I? I have deserted Froggie. He went to church with us on Sunday and he never made it back home.

Evan has a toy frog that his brother Connor and sister Annika picked out for him before he was born. It sat on a shelf till he was about 6 months old. It came to be his best friend and almost constant companion since then. Froggie doesn't always go everywhere with us but he is always welcome.Well, he went to church with us on Sunday and got left behind in the nursery when Evan moved up to his preschool class. I didn't even realize Froggie went inside with us. Lyn verified that indeed he accompanied us and yes he was left behind. Well, Evan feel asleep without Froggie Sunday night but I got a stern talking to Monday morning. Evan made it very clear that we had to go back to church and get Froggie. Well, I called the powers that be and discovered that no one will be at the church until Tuesday. Now how am I going to explain that to a 3 year old? It is going to be a long night.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

A bright sunny day....






Lyn, Evan, Eliot and I went to church today. The weather was great. The sun was shinning and the mood was light. The service today was about images and how they hold meaning. The music selections were just right for my tastes. The sights all around me just fell into place. I took some pictures of the images I saw. All in all this part of my day was meaningful.

Evan did leave Froggie in his classroom though. We will plan a rescue mission tomorrow!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

You gained how much weight?

Most moms are ready to fit into their skinny jeans as soon as possible after they have a baby. I'll settle for just looking normal!! I gained 42 pounds with Ben's pregnancy. So far I have lost about 30 pounds. The thing is before I had Ben I was holding onto 6 pounds from having Eliot and 15 pounds way back from having Connor. (Eliot is 2 years old and Connor is 9.) Now, my goal is to loose 30 more pounds. Who knows where I will end up. A friend at work is working on a weight loss life change right now. She is committed to becoming a healthier person for a lot of different reasons and she is an inspiration to me. I am determined to be healthier and loose this weight and become stronger. I am all ready to get into shape to run in a 5K this May. Now if I can just find the time to fit exercise into my schedule.


This picture was taken today. Hopefully there will be less of me soon to post. Wish me luck!




Lyn the big sister....

Today was a nice break. The sun came out and it was a lot warmer today. Lyn helped me out by holding Ben so I could get some things done around the house. She's an old pro being a big sister. Ben feels safe and secure in Lyn's arms.


Friday, February 19, 2010

A book I borrowed...


I friend of mine was reading this book recently and was kind enough to let me borrow it when she was finished. I just started on it. It is OK so far. I know if I am able to have a few hours to myself this weekend I'll be able to finish it. It is an easy read. (You know, not too many big words.)I am just having a hard time accepting a male author writing something so female oriented as being a midwife. I guess that is why he makes the big bucks as a half way decent published author. (His book was an Oprah pick.)We will just have to wait and see how it ends.

Here comes the sun...



Finally it was a nicer day yesterday. It was still warm and sunny enough when I got home from work to play outside with the little kids. We are lucky enough to have a sun porch connected to a patio out back. It is a great place to let the kids ride their little bikes. Ben enjoyed being held by mom and watching everyone play. I am really feeling this winter this year. I am so ready for warmer days and more sun. The kids just seem so much happier when they can spend time outside. Not to mention sleeping better after playing outside during those long spring and summer afternoons. I can't wait. It has been interesting having a newborn in winter. Connor was born in December but it is really making a difference to have one born in January. It is just not my favorite time of the year to have a little one. I think I enjoyed Evan's birth time of the year the most. He was born in the middle of the summer. I was able to swim a lot at the end of that pregnancy and didn't have to worry about keeping him warm when we went out. I do believe Ben is even trying to get his first cold. Warm days where are you?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The best way to get chores done...

Lyn grabbed the camera and snapped a picture. This is the best way to get the dishes washed, clothes folded, and keep the baby happy!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Four weeks old today...


Well, my newest addition is 4 weeks old today. I met Dad at the doctor's office for his four week well visit. He is getting bigger everyday. His birth weight was 7 lbs. 9 oz. He now weighs in at 9 lbs. and 1 oz. He has added 2 inches to his length too. He started out at 19 inches long and is now 21 inches long. I know it doesn't seem like a lot. Some babies come out that big. He is eating good. He lives off of breastmilk whether straight from the tap or from a bottle. At the rate I'm stocking the freezer he'll be having thawed breastmilk when he is three in his sippy cup. I am trying to cut back on some of my pumping sessions but cutting back to less that 4 times a day may interfere with my supply so I am reluctant. Better to have too much milk than not enough I guess. The doctor confirmed that he is not tongue tied. His tongue is able to protrude easily over his gums according to his doctor. He just has a weird lazy suck I guess. We still have to have long heart to heart discussions before during and after nursing sessions to get him to latch on correctly. He even has difficulty with a bottle. It has to be just right for him to be able to empty it. But he's a cute little thing isn't he?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

A typical Valentine's Day?

Happy Valentine's Day. I gave the man in my life the best gift I could think of. To thank him for being there for me and helping me make a home to nurture the children in our lives, to thank him for accepting and loving me for who I am, I gave him a few hours to himself! I took the kids to McDonald's to blow off some steam.











Friday, February 12, 2010

Snow Day






The weather man said snow and we didn't believe him. And then around 10am the flakes started to fall. The big kids got to leave school early. Evan and Eliot got to play in the snow a little with Lyn.


Monday, February 8, 2010

3 weeks old


Ben is three weeks old today. So far he has been a great fit for the family. He is a good baby. He does exactly what you would expect so far. He sleeps, eats, and poops. His diet consist of mama's milk. He is still having a hard time latching on though. I believe he may be tongue tied. He does not thrust his tongue out and whenever anything is placed in his mouth he has a lot of trouble placing his tongue under and around it to maintain a good suck. Finally we have had to give most of his feedings by bottle. I pump several times a day and he is able to take bottles with a little maneuvering. I have to wait till his mouth is wide open and place the nipple on top of his tongue and pointed slightly towards the roof of his mouth. This seems to be the only way to get milk in him. Occasionally if he isn't upset I can get him to latch onto the breast this way. When he gets bigger I'm sure it will be easier. If we don't get the nipple positioned just right in his mouth he will suck as happy as he can be but not get any milk out. It seems like his tongue is over the nipple and the opening under his tongue. We will get this figured out eventually.

Friday, February 5, 2010

But where do I sleep?


Eliot has officially started to question Ben's right to occupy my lap. She has started to tell me to give him to Daddy and move him over so that she can lay next to me in bed. I have had to rethink my sleeping arraignments. Ben sleeps great if he can hear me breath. Eliot has an uncanny knack of worming her way right up next to me. I have a crib right next to my bed but no one sleeps in it. Big sister Lyn has a big full sized bed just waiting in the girl's room to share with Eliot. But, no!!! She wants her Mama! So far I have been regulated to the edge of the bed and my two youngest sleep sideways on the other side. Dad just crashes where ever he can find a spot in the house. Evan and Eliot were born 14 months apart. I will take that over having a possessive 2 year old and a newborn any day. Some of my other kids were roughly the same age difference that Eliot and Ben are but Eliot is definitely a mama's girl and it is starting to show. I just keep telling myself it will all work out by the time everyone makes it to kindergarten!!! :)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Sorting pictures...

Lyn and Eliot are sorting old pictures to make a collage. Eliot wants all of the babies in the pictures to be Ben. I need to print off some new pictures to update this collection and add Ben to the mix.

Happy 25th Birthday Lyn

My oldest daughter is 25 today. She has accomplished so much in her life. I am so proud of her. She was such a delightful surprise when I wa...