Thankful November

Once again, at midnight on Halloween, the Christmas bomb exploded. Once again, my heart aches for the sudden consumerism and insanity that grips the stores and apparently my fellow humans. What happened to being thankful and grateful for what we have rather than suddenly channeling our energy into living 2 months in the future and all the things we want? My kids are also affected, noticing that nobody seems grateful for what they have, and that nobody wants to celebrate fall anymore.

I'm trying to be thankful for my life and the things in it every day in November. Each day I will endeavor to post something I am thankful for, no matter how small, for every day in November. I realize it is now the 9th, so I will post 9 things today.

1. I am thankful that I have three wonderful and happy children, as different from each other as they could be but still happily joined in siblingdom.

2. I am thankful for my husband, who has stood with me and helped me through the shit that life occasionally throws at us.

3. I am thankful for 2015, as insane and emotionally difficult as it has been.

4. I am thankful for my friends.

5. I am thankful for this little mush and I am glad she's here.

6. I am thankful that I am employed.

7. I am thankful for my family, in its many permutations and forms.

8. I am thankful for podcasts.

9. I am thankful for FALL! It's still my favorite season and I love it so much.

9 months!

Holy cow, she's 9 months old.

She loves all the food, though broccoli tempura gave her pause for a second. LCC is super happy and smiley. She wears some 6-9 month stuff and some 9-12 month stuff, and some of the 12 month stuff is too small so we're sort of trying to just stuff her into whatever fits right now.

She's still huge, at 19.5 pounds and about 29 inches.

When it rains...

The transition between late September and early October was a rough one. Many shitty things happened at once, though in the grand scheme of things none were catastrophic and I feel like maybe I don't even get to complain because so many people are dealing with worse, but the fact remains that it was a really shitty 3 weeks. While C was hunting, our beagle got sick. It seemed that he aspirated something, but his breathing didn't improve over the next two weeks. The week C was hunting, I ran out of my meds because I just didn't have time to go to the pharmacy, and when I did go the doctor (for some unknown reason) didn't refill my meds for a year, but only for two months. So they gave me 3 days worth but it was a full week before I got back to the pharmacy. My OCD/anxiety were ramping up.

While my brain was in this state, I got totally slammed with sample processing my first 3 days back at work after the week off while C was hunting. As in 3 9 hour days with only 1 break to pump if any, and like 5 minutes for lunch. One of those days I had 3 blood samples to process- when I've asked in the past that no more than 1 blood happen at a time, maximum two per day, and I got 3 AT ONCE. And in the midst of this, I was informed that I was going to be consolidating my lab space in to *half* of what I've had for the last 8 years (which is ongoing, and the people moving in are apparently not getting what they asked for either and keep asking me for more space which I don't have to give). I was feeling really undervalued as an employee. During this time my dog was not really getting better, but he seemed okay. Stable.

My mom wonderfully was able to watch the kids while I was working late and C had to leave for work before I could get home. On Thursday of the week I was finally able to get my meds. Friday morning, on my way to work, I heard a (seemingly) harmless little "click" and the engine stopped. Of course. It was the timing belt. C came, we towed the Subaru home, and it sat there in the driveway til Tuesday when we got it towed to a mechanic. Fortunately I was able to get a ride with someone else on my floor at work who lives near me for the week we were down to one car, and my mom helped with the kids again. The mechanic informed us that we needed a new engine, the brakes needed maintenance, the power steering boot on the driver's side was torn, and oh, by the way, the clutch needed to be replaced too. The cost of all this? Well, we couldn't get a used car that would last 150K miles for this price, but damn. Not money we really had, but we did get the car back on Friday which was great.

Thursday night we noticed MacGyver was really struggling. He was lethargic and did not finish his food. I called the emergency vet (because, naturally, the regular vet had closed 10 minutes earlier). This earned him an overnight stay, medicine, and some Xrays. We learned that our 11 (almost 12) year old beagle has congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and possibly a mass on his liver (we didn't have $700 more to spend on the ultrasounds to confirm the mass and get a better look at his heart). He did get to come home on Friday evening, and we were all so glad to have him home. He's now getting better every day (and getting back to being a pain in the ass, which is wonderful).

Home!!

And now? Now I'm rebounding, but my soul is exhausted and wrung out. My mental state is muted. It's better this week but I'm still reeling from the ups and downs (mostly downs) of the last few weeks. I just need a break, but I'm treading water to stay afloat at work and there's no end in sight. I just hope the Universe is done fucking with me for a while.

Oh, and another fun note about something that *just* happened: one of the people at work informed me today that she took my desk phone into the cell culture room for my ENTIRE MATERNITY LEAVE. I realize that I've been back for 6 months, and cleaning/sterilizing my phone now is an empty gesture, but what in the ever-loving-fuck. Join me, won't you, in a massive full body shudder? And then this same person just left candy on the chemical bench. Which I've since thrown away, because there are just places that food NEVER goes.


On the upside, my garden (mostly tomatoes) went gangbusters this year.

Praying mantis! From my Mother's Day eggs, perhaps?

Tiny watermelon! We had to pick it early because a rabbit bit the stem through...

Most recent harvest

Edit: Oh, Universe. I see what you did there. PMS on top of everything? Lovely. And now, ladies and gentlemen, my first postpartum period.

8 months!

Where oh where has the time gone?!

8 MONTHS OLD. This baby is just full of joyful mischief. LCC still has 2 teeth, though she's working on at least 2 more (I think the next two on the bottom, rather than the top two, but I know better than to say for sure). She's pretty drooly and wet from the face down most of the time. Making her siblings laugh is a priority. LCC has not met a food she didn't like yet, but she's not very good at getting it into her mouth in any great quantities. Mostly it ends up all over her and I am SO glad we're doing Baby Led Weaning (easier to clean up). She's very good at using her tongue to manipulate the bits of food around her mouth. Still, she's primarily nursing (or taking bottles from Daddy and nobody else) and hasn't decreased her intake on that end, though she's sort of slowing down on growing/zooming through clothing sizes. Whew. I doubt she'll wear the adorable "My First Halloween" outfit I bought for her last year (foolishly in size 6-9 months...) 7 weeks from now though.

No crawling yet but she can sit up like it's her purpose in life. She can reach *really* far in front of her and get back to sitting, but not quite to the hands and knees position yet. She's getting there. Both of her siblings are trying to help her learn things and they love to play with her. J is particularly good at getting her to laugh out loud.

Measurements (as given by our bathroom scale, and roll of paper and pencil, and with Dee's help)

28.125 inches ~88%ile
19 pounds ~75%ile

7 months!

Seriously, baby, slow down!

LCC is 7 months old now. She still loves her siblings and is striving to be the most chill and happy baby out there. She has 2 teeth, and likes to bite people's fingers. She's working on the whole pincer grip thing to get food from her tray into her mouth, but has had very limited success in that area. She sits up like a pro and is enjoying tummy time more, though she doesn't do a whole lot of moving around yet. She sort of scoots around her crib/the floor on either her belly or her back, and she has sort of taken a break from rolling to focus on her mad sitting and reaching skills. LCC is also experimenting with perspective and frequently enjoys looking at things sideways or upside-down. Bathtime is still a hit, as is her new (to her) jumperoo. She sleeps through some nights, but usually wakes up once (which, compared to Dee through age..3... is fantastic).

According to our bathroom scale, she weighs 18.2 pounds, which means she's gained over a pound in the last month. Yowza.

6 Months Postpartum, and a plan

I'm now 6 months and change postpartum for the third time. I am still suffering from discomfort and, frankly, pain, from the SPD that I had while pregnant with LCC. I've gained back the 5ish pounds of weight I had lost immediately postpartum (which, honestly, just puts me back to where I was a couple months before I fell pregnant). I am sick of living in pain, and I want to get back to where I was before I got pregnant. So I've joined a fitness group on Facebook and hopefully that will help me with the motivation I need to work on this!

Crappy *Before* Pic - weight 144.6 pounds

Here are my goals:
1. Strengthen my core and pelvis and anything that comes along with that is a bonus.
2. Get back on track with healthier eating, by tracking my food so I don't have issues as LCC starts eating solid foods and my milk output decreases.  This is not to say I am counting calories, but I am trying to make sure I get enough fruits and veggies and protein, and enough water.
3. Start being able to run again (which can't happen until my pelvis is back at 100%, because OUCH).

The fitness group challenge runs through the end of October, but I don't plan to stop then. I'd like to at least get #1 and 2 solidly in place by then. 

5 months!

Wow, five months! This giant baby is growing so fast. She's a very happy baby. Her favorite people are her sister, brother, mom and dad. She's also a big fan of MacGuyver and sort of wary of Athena, since she's not so much a fan of being licked. She eats a lot (I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 ounces a day, but since I am nursing her half the time and she gets pumped milk while I'm working, I can't be exactly sure). She also has been wearing mostly 6-9 month sized clothing, because, well, she's giant. Giant for my babies, anyhow. LCC can sit unsupported for a second or two at a time, and loves to sit up straight (on her own) in her high chair while the rest of us are eating. Baths are awesome, and so is eating her toes. LCC has discovered blowing raspberries and enjoys sucking her thumb and sticking out her tongue. She's not really into tummy time, and does not roll over yet but the big kids are trying to teach her.

Her current stats (as best as I can measure at home):
16.5 pounds (about the 82nd percentile)
27" long (off the chart for height... so...99th percentile?)

This makes her bigger than both of her siblings at 6 months, though Dee was the same length at that age. She also seems to have more hair than the other two did at this age, but maybe it's just a little darker so it looks like more.

Four months!

Colic is GONE! Hurray!! I am so very glad it "only" lasted about 3 months. Since then, it's become apparent that LCC is the second happiest baby ever (obviously J was the happiest). We got out the high chair because she wants to see everyone while we're eating, so she hangs out and plays with toys at table level while we eat. She's really trying to sit up on her own and while being held is close to sitting up without being supported. She thinks farts are hilarious and loves watching her brother and sister, and playing with her toys. The current argument between the big kids is whether she's as cute as a baby panda or a baby platypus. 

She still wears 3-6 months clothes though she's starting to test the tensile strength of some of her leggings. She hates tummy time after about 3 minutes, but loves playing with her toys, especially those she can stick in her mouth. She loves bathtime, and has discovered that she can kick her legs and splash. She eats about 30-34 ounces per day (guesstimating, since I can't really measure how much she eats while nursing), but I've been able to keep up with her by pumping at work and then again in the evening before bed. I'm actually keeping up so well that I'm ahead of her, and I have about 70 ounces in the freezer. I NEVER had that much with the other two kids!

Her stats (at 4 months and 10 days): 
Weight: 15 pounds, 1 ounce (62%)
Length: 25.6" (85%)
Head Circumference: 16.54" (81%)

Big and healthy!

4 years old!

Dee is 4 now. Not quite used to that yet!

She's 40.25" (63%ile) and 31.8# (23%ile). Still tall and skinny, that feisty girl!

3 months old!

Oh Little Cat C. Three months already!!

She's solidly in 3-6 month clothes. Colic is improving so she only has 1-2 days a week of it, and the rest of the time she's pretty cheerful. She does like to be held sitting up though, and she wants to be right in the thick of whatever is going on so she can watch. She's discovered her toys and really loves to reach out and grab them. The big kids are great sources of entertainment for her. She still nurses and eats like a little piggy and she's by far the easiest nurser I've had. She laughs occasionally and drools a lot. She also enjoys playing on the floor on her play mat, and looking in her mirrors.

Two Months Old!

Apparently, I don't know what day my child was born, since last month I posted on the 11th that she was 1 month old. Oops.

I can't pick just one picture. The bottom one cracked me up, Dee insisted on holding the baby, and this was about a second before the spitup reached her arm...

Little Cat C is 2 months old (WHAT?!). Her 2 month stats are:
23.2" long (72%ile)
11 pounds, 15 ounces (55%ile)
15.9" head circumference (86%ile)

So she's slimming down a little, but still pretty darn big! She's proportional, and is transitioning to 3-6 month clothes as she's suddenly outgrown her 0-3 month stuff. Yikes! She loves to watch people, and be worn. She has also discovered that she loves chewing on her hands and if we didn't know better we'd say she's teething. The bouncy seat is pretty awesome. She also sleeps through the night about half the time, which is AWESOME. I joke that she sleeps better than Dee, and it's actually about half true.

I go back to work next week. Boo :-(

Colic is... colic. It sucks. The screaming inconsolably haunts me sometimes, and can send my anxiety through the roof. I hope the end is sooner than later, but the pediatrician says it can go anywhere from 3-6 months. It's like she's two different babies. One that's normal and happy and one that's possessed. 

RSV vs LCC

Little Cat C is sick. Not as sick as she was, since we're home now, but it was scary for a few days. She got sick about a week ago, but on Wednesday she was struggling to breathe and her little fingernails were purple-tinged, and when she cried her whole face got dark and scary. We went to the ER, and were admitted with RSV. Two chest x-rays showed that she did not have pneumonia (yay!). It hit everyone but J and me, and LCC earned a 3 day hospital stay with oxygen and albuterol nebulizers. My mom was awesome and brought me stuff a couple times, since I hadn't packed for a hospital stay when LCC and I went to the ER. The nursing staff and respiratory therapists were wonderful. Babywearing was a lifesaver, and I knew she was feeling better when she was colicky again.

Waiting in the ER for news and test results.

 

Nap time for baby.

This swing was borrowed from the NICU, and it was wonderful.

Nebulizer time at home!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to My Sweet Girl

Dee turned 2 today. TWO. Although, if you ask her, she'll tell you she's three. I think that 3 may be her favorite number. She can count to 3, even, and knows how many things add up to 3. Smarty pants.

The stats:
Still tall and skinny!
Height: 34.75" (72ish percentile)
Weight: 22 pounds, 11 oz (20th 5th percentile!)

Growing Up

We moved both kids to big/bigger kid beds last night. Dee still woke up twice, but no worse than normal! She *loves* that she can get in and out of her bed by herself. J still slept like a rockstar, as he always does. He loves his big bed! We got his bedding and bed from Ikea (bed frame, duvet cover, sheets). Dee has her old mattress and moved into the toddler bed that my father-in-law made for J when he turned two.

           

J's bed is sort of temporary. I will (this summer) be making him this bed (from Ana White's website) so that he and Dee will have more room in their shared room. He will be keeping his mattress since it's brand new and we just dropped a small fortune on it. It's important to us that our kids' exposure to outgassed, manmade chemicals be minimized when possible (lots of reasons why, but a good summary is given in Breasts, a Natural and Unnatural History), so we went with an organic cotton mattress for Dee (from Munchkin, got it at Target) and the Sultan Heggedal natural material mattress from Ikea for J. I figure he's going to be using it til he moves out, so it was worth the investment. He said it's a little too "hard" but it should soften a bit with use, and if it's still too firm we can always get a topper. Although the way he's been jumping on it, it might get softer really fast...

J's 5th Birthday: PIRATES!

J turned 5 this month (*sob*). We had a big old pirate party, and it was amazing. The kids all had a great time and, most importantly, J was absolutely thrilled with the decorations and things. So here we go!

Pirate hats - Acquired with eye patches, swords, and mustaches (as desired) by arriving guests.

The treasure chest: Goodie bags (a.k.a. treasure) was put in the chest, which was made of a divided cardboard box and duct tape. The tissue paper was taped over the bags, red "X" marks the spot! This worked great until J got impatient during the plunder and ripped off the whole sheet...oh well. The kids had to do a treasure hunt and find the treasure chest (with the help of First Mate Daddy). 

Treasure bags - sewn from black fabric and stamped using poster paint

Booty!

The "Pirate Pirate" - This ship (complete with two cannons) served as plaything, pirate gear storage (swords, etc), and gift receptacle. The white thing is one of the clues from the treasure hunt!

The Jolly Roger (which may or may not still be hanging up, on J's request)

"To Prevent Scurvy"

Pirate Booty, Cuties oranges, Grog (root beer), cannonballs (chocolate cake balls), and there were Goldfish crackers that I hadn't put in that blue bowl yet when I took the picture.

The treasure map cake, made by yours truly