3 months old

I know hard to believe our sweet red headed princess is 3 months old today! Miss L is just growing and changing way too fast!!! She is a very very happy baby:) Her smiles just melt my heart and make getting up at 5am to start my day so much easier:) She is becoming more and more active, moving those arms and kicking those legs. She is "talking" more and more, it's so sweet to see her interact with her brother and sister. We are still having some spit up issues, but I'm just not ready to start cereal, I personally feel it's just too early. Anyhoo. On the issue of pumping- to stop or not too stop?! Well I felt guilty in stopping even with only getting minimal amount. So I decided to continue pumping. Here is the thing the day that I renewed the pump my milk production really dropped off?? Each time I pump I barely get enough to cover the bottom of the bottle. So now what to do? Ugh!!!! Why can't my body work right for once??? I know Miss L needs the antibodies especially with the cold season coming up! Anyhoo we will just have to see what happens, hoping my milk supply goes back to at least what it was!

Reflux???

Well Miss L has been having a time lately. She started spitting up more, quite a bit more several weeks ago when she had a cold and was really congested, I just chalked it up to congestion. Well she isn't nearly as congested and she is spitting up more, at times she is like a fountain, and this can happen 2 hours after a feeding! Needless to say we go through lots of outfits, burp clothes and bibs! So I decided it was time to call the pediatrician to see what they think we should do, I called yesterday morning and they finally got back to me this morning. The doctors suggestions: reduce her feedings by 1 ounce; keep her elevated at, at least 30 degree angle at all times, burp her good (which we do, every ounce or so) and had rice cereal into her bottles. Here is the thing I am not comfortable with the rice cereal etc... We didn't start our other two on cereal until 6 months old, there is some controversy in starting cereal too soon. So what would you do? My thought is to try everything else first before resorting to cereal. I would love some feed back and suggestions!
I have been pumping since Miss L was born and I have never gotten huge amounts by any means but I have noticed that my supply is starting to drop off- maybe an ounce sometimes just 1/2 and ounce each time a pump and mind you with my crazy schedule I am only able to pump 3 times a day. So I think the time has come to quite pumping:(  I am really sad about this for several reasons, I felt like I was doing something "special" for Miss L, I know how beneficial breast milk is and another (selfish) reason is that I really think it has helped with my weight loss and keeping the weight off etc... However I also know that the little bit she is getting probably isn't doing much for her, it would free up time to spend with all my kiddos but especially Miss L while the others are at school and would save us money that we are spending on the pump rental ($80 a month). In a perfect world my body would work like it is suppose to and I would be able to breast feed (and of course their wouldn't be IF!), but this isn't a perfect world. For now I have the pump till the 21st of this month so I will continue to use it and pump what little I can get till then, but I know it is not going to be easy to quite:(
On another note I am hoping to be able to blog more fingers crossed! We are almost through the birthdays, M and H have their joint friends party this weekend- I will be making at least 50 cupcakes! This past weekend was Miss M's 6th birthday and I have to admit I was a little disappointed in my family (it was her family party), only about half of who was invited showed up! We had TONS of food left over because as usual NO ONE in my family RSVP's- I don't understand that! I was hoping that Miss M was busy having fun not to notice however she asked me several times why weren't there many people at my party? I felt so bad for her, but I also know she enjoyed playing with her cousins and having the one spend the night. Anyhoo, hopefully things will begin to settle down after that:) I am also looking forward to more Fall weather!!!!! We are having some more fall weather today and tomorrow and I am loving it!!!!

CRAZY life!

Well I feel as though I lead a crazy life but one that I love! Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged, I'm having a hard time finding time to blog. I have very little to no "me" time. Having two kiddos in different schools across town, leads to LOTS of running! I have also been getting ready for M's birthday party we had this past weekend and the friends party next weekend. Miss L is doing fantastic!!! She is growing and changing so much. She is pretty much sleeping through the night. She is a happy, happy baby whose smiles light up the room:) she us becoming more vocal, trying out her voice more and more. I LOVE her little giggles. She is very ticklish! I could go on and on, she is just so amazing:)
My other two kiddos are doing great, adjusting to school and actually enjoying it:) Miss M hasn't quite adjusted to the long days, afternoons after I have picked her up aren't pleasant! Miss ATTITUDE shows up- Grrrrr!!
We are finally experiencing some cooler temps, even fall like, and we are loving it!! The kids are able to get outside more, enjoy the fresh air and get rid of some energy:) Hubby and I are also enjoying the return of football!
Well that's a quick update. Even though I haven't been good about keeping up my blog, I'm still reading everyone else's!!!

LOL at myself:)

Ok maybe I'm a little sleep deprived, pre-occupied or both!!! Just did Miss L's laundry and when I got the laundry out of the dryer there were little cotton balls all over the clothes??!! So I go to fold the laundry, come to find out disposable diapers don't laundry to well-LOL!! Apparently instead of throwing her diaper in the diaper ch.amp I threw it in her laundry basket! Needless to say it was a long weekend, and an even longer week without my hubby. I will be so glad for Wednesday night to get here when he will be home and off work for five days:)

Two month check-up

Yesterday was Miss L's two month check-up, good grief where does the time go?? Miss L is perfect (but then we already knew that). She seems to be getting over the virus/cold. Miss L is basically an average length, chubby little girl with lots of brains:) she is in the 50% for length and the 90% for weight and head circumference. I dis go ahead and get her shots since she hadn't run a fever since Sunday and seemed to be doing better! I hate shots but they are a necessary evil. Poor L had to get two shots, one in each leg-OUCH! yesterday afternoon you could tell the shots were bothering her, she was very fussy and just not herself. I'm hoping today will be better.
Well this morning I dropped M off at school, I'm home pumping and then heading off to a parent mtg at H's school. It's never ending, run, run,run!!! Oh almost forgot I FINALLY got L's 6week baby pictures and announcements- long story, just glad to FINALLY have them even though the order was screwed up!

a sick little one:(

We had a busy weekend getting ready for H's big family birthday party- he had a great time and even told us it was the BEST birthday ever till everyone had to leave- LOL! Saturday I spent all day getting ready for the party, cleaning the house etc... and poor Miss L just wasn't herself, fussy, spitting up quite a bit, not taking all her bottles etc.. She had been having some congestion that I was using saline and suction but really wasn't getting much. Then on Sunday poor Miss L started running a fever, it never went over 100 but still worried me. My hubby also left yesterday afternoon for 10 days on a business trip- I was already worried about having all three kiddos and keeping my sanity etc... I noticed throughout the day yesterday that Miss L seemed to be getting worse- I could see it in her eyes, and she was getting more congested. I was surprised that she slept through the night, her last bottle was around 9pm and I had to wake her up around 6:30 am to give her a bottle (I had to wake her because I didn't want her waking up as we were going out the door to take my other daughter to school etc...). She seemed really congested, had developed a cough etc but wasn't running a fever. I decided I was going to call the doc first thing and get an appointment, my main concern was rsv- we dealt with that with H when he was a baby. Luckily I got a morning appointment with the pediatrician I usually try to avoid but he was actually great with L and with me too:) He too was concerned about rsv so they tested L which involved a nose swab, and a heel prick:( L was a trooper! THANKFULLY it was not rsv just a nasty virus but that also means there is nothing they can do. L has her 2 month check-up on Wed. (they did weight her today and my little chunky monkey is 12 pounds 10oz!!!!!) which I am glad that we will be going back this week so they can determine if she is getting better etc... Although I am seriously thinking about waiting on her shots until she is better- anyone have thoughts on that?  I just want L to get better I HATE it when one of my kiddos is sick:( L is just pitiful, you can tell she feels bad but she still gives me the BIGGEST grins that just melt my heart:)
On another note, M had a great day at school- hope this is a trend:) Although mornings are still horrible- she just is NOT a morning person at all!!! I am just happy happy happy to hear that she is having good days at school and seeing her shining face when I pick her up at school.

What a Week, and it's not even Friday yet!!!

WHEW!!!! What a week I have had! I am EXHAUSTED! I have not adjusted to getting up at 5am to start my day. I haven't figured out how to fit some down time in for me once the kiddos are in bed, and get to bed at a decent time (before 11:30 preferably!). With all that I have been busy busy busy and had an emotional week. Monday wasn't too bad, but it was filled with getting ready for the first day of school. Tuesday was an emotional day with M's first day of school (see previous blog post for more info!). She did great going into school, but mommy didn't. I was soooo excited to pick her up from school and hear all about her first day. Unfortunately M had a rough first day at school and was in tears! She was upset because she missed me, she didn't like how loud it was in the cafeteria and they didn't give her enough time to finish her lunch:( She didn't want to go back to school she just wanted to stay home with me. We stayed positive with her and fortunately she went back to school the next day without much fuss- but she did let us know she wasn't happy about it! Wednesday was a better day for her-YAH!!! So this morning I didn't hear anything about not wanting to go to school etc... However this afternoon when I picked her up we had more tears because I was a bad mommy and forgot to put dessert in her lunch box:( I felt HORRIBLE!! But I also know she never gets to the dessert part of her lunch because she is a slow eater and ran out of time. I did make it up to her by taking her out after school today for a sweet treat:) She was also very upset because the teacher didn't call her name to pick something out of the treasure box (she had gotten something the past two days; it's for good behavior) and she didn't have any strikes:( I said what probably happened is M's name is last on the class list due to our last name and she probably forgot. OH MY HEART just hurts for M, she is really struggling with school, I just want to wrap my arms around her and keep her at home forever! BUT I know that would not be good for her.
Yesterday was my son's 4th birthday! But before we get to his birthday, he had a peanut challenge at the allergist yesterday morning and PASSED- YAH!!!!!! So H can now have peanuts:) So for H's birthday lunch we went to Ch.ik Fi.l a where he could eat chicken nuggets and play on the playground for the first time:) We also went out to dinner to celebrate H's birthday, he got to choose where we went and of course we went to Yan.g K.ee Noo.dle his FAVORITE place! Then we came back to the house and had cookie cake- his choice once again (something he has not been able to have/enjoy due to his allergies) and opened presents from us and my parents (his BIG family party is this weekend and his friends party will be in September. M and H have birthday's just a couple weeks apart so we are doing their friends party together).
I would say I am looking forward to Sunday to relax a little bit but that isn't going to happen because I have to take Hubby to the airport to fly out on a business trip- he will be gone 11 days:(  UGH! It is going to be a LONG 11 days for me.
Through all this craziness L is doing fabulous! She is my little chunky monkey:) She has her 2 month check up next week and I am anxious to see how much she weights! For the most part she is sleeping through the night (the other night we had a rough night she just wanted to be held, I think she was having gas issues), with her last feeding around 10 or 11pm and going to sleep afterwards and then waking either right when I get up at 5am or after my shower. So thankfully I am not having to feed her in the middle of the night with the little sleep I am getting.
I am hoping and praying that the end of my week and the weekend is better than my week has been. I am also asking for prayers while my hubby is gone for 11 days. Thank you:)