Swing low

My new favorite thing - Papasan swing on loan from Anne.Kiss, lick, kiss. Scrumptious.

6 week

Had my 6 week appointment today. Sandy held Zach for a few minutes and then once in the room, I nursed him while waiting for Dr H to come in. Always great to see Dr H. I realized while I was there that I wouldn't see him nearly as much any more. Poo.

Lost 17 lbs. Scar looks good.
But, an ingrown hair has gotten infected. I pretty much knew that. It is red, quite tender, and has swollen to the size of quarter under my skin right up next to my scar. Dr H said it is Cellulitis. Testing for Staph and MRSA and will know result on Friday. That sounds scary.

In the mean time, I'm starting Keflex, which should kick non-MRSA Staph and Strep if it is either of those. Otherwise, no restrictions now. I hope to find a way to get some exercise, my blood pumping a little. ; )

Nabbed a lollipop for Reece and was outta there. Update on Friday.

AM and PM

We had a great family walk this morning to feed the fish and turtles at the creek. I love how Lucy is cuddling around her master's leg and peering out from it. D was amazed at the size of the catfish, whom we fed a few bits of our fav muffins - peanut butter banana.

Also, we had a great dinner together at Matt's last night. Thank you, Darren, for being willing (barely) to wait 30 min for an outside table. I love their food, but this momma needed the blue sky, fresh air, sunset, and twinkle lights! Zach slept until I finished eating and Reece did grreat. : )

nightmare

Night time has been a bit of a nightmare lately.
I have still yet to see Reece acting out from the baby, which is so great.

But, as many of his friends have already gone through, Reece has started struggling at bed time...struggling with us. He has thrown fits, screaming and kicking, like nothing I've ever seen from him before. It's been rough. I've cried a few times.

He's come out many times, making up stories at to why he's out. Sometimes he can't find a certain toy, he's scared, he can't sleep, he's not tired, he has a question, etc...
We've laughed a little at what he comes up with, but after a while it is exhausting both physically and emotionally.

We know it is a phase, so we're trying to keep it together and hang tough.

And, in writing this, the past few days have been a better, with fewer nightmares.
Wanted to record these along with all the other sweet dreams. : )

back

Thursday at the arbo. Gorgeous day with great friends. This weather rejuvenates me. Soooo nice to be back...back in so many ways. Nice also to capture a few decent candid images of some of my favorite people and places.Ok, Reece, if you are going to find a pretend cannon and yell, 'bam, bam, bam' at least you are this cute doing it.Clearly you are a natural ballerina, Katherine. What a pose!My love.Speaking of love, just after a startling sound, I love how those sweet hands settle back down into his face.Reece being a good friend, and encouraging his friend to make good choices.
Couldn't love that more.
Entertaining a tired-but-always-has-a-smile-for-Sundee Fozzie while Kir takes the boys to the potty.Vibrant color. Texture. Hearts.
Love.Did we have a great time today?
Zach says, "Can I get a what what?"

Jungle Love remix

Love seeing some of these old clothes again.
Absolutely love these jungle pants.
I looked back at when I first put (my skinny) Reece in these pants...May 12th, see here. MAY 12th! He was like 4 1/2 months old!

Well, I do love a good remix, and I think this one is...Above is to show Zach's hair, which seems to be all in back. But, compared to Reece at 4 months here. Zman has a lot of hair.

bubbly

Happy 1 month, sweet baby boy.

rebel

were home all day today, all 3 of us still in our jammies.
reece was napping in his room. i was nursing zach in my usual spot, when i felt a warm sensation.

someone had rebelled against being in his jammies all day and inadvertently requested a bath.

so, he got one. unfortunately, while 2 of us were wet, only 1 of us got a bath and a fresh set of clothes. ; )love those cheeks!

smile

Zach's favorite spot besides mommy arms is his changing pad. Perhaps it is because he's just received a clean diaper...I don't know. It seems like more.

He was smiling and smiling at Reece and I today, and so I moved him to the window to see if we could snap one of his sweet smile.

Nope. He was so entranced with the trees and leaves blowing in the wind that Reece and I became chopped liver.The tail end of a smile is below...although not directed at us!You can see that both boys have many faces.And I love them all.

8-8 on 9-9

Called a lactation consultant last night for an appointment.
I am sore for one, but mostly wanted to check in and make sure I'm doing everything right and everything I can to keep up my supply. I struggled with my milk with Reece and definitely don't want that stress again if it is at all avoidable. (letting down as I type - sweet!)

Dropped Reece off at school today and headed to meet her. The car ride there was the first time I used a paci ever with Zach...and it worked beautifully.

The first and best news: He's been growing. He was 8 lbs, 8.3 oz, which means he has gained an ounce a day. 8-8 on 9/9...I was thrilled.

The consultation was VERY helpful...both in me gaining confidence and in making some changes. My latch needed improvement, significant improvement, and I was thankful for the amount of time we spent getting it right. In that time, Zach got 3 ounces, half of which interestingly was on the last latch.

We talked about the cluster feedings, which she says are completely normal. And, they make sense in the evening, filling up for the evening ahead. But, hopefully the better latching will help make the nursings more efficient. And, we agreed that the breast is for eating, not for sleeping. : )

It was a great appointment and I am hopeful for less soreness, better latching, great milk, and more efficient feedings. But mostly, I'm thankful he's gaining great weight from the milk I was already providing. Love how it is all so perfectly designed. Thank you, Lord.

on my own

Today was the first day I was completely on my own as a mom of 2.
I don't even remember what we did.

I do remember that I was so proud that I managed to somehow get both boys down for a nap, and for a few minutes it was quiet in the house. I made my favorite cookies to celebrate...and then Zach woke up. He nursed for an hour, fell asleep and then Reece woke up. Whew...I was beat.

Reece and I then got some time together (which was nice) and made his favorite snack homemade trail mix (aka 'yummy stuff').

The rest is a tired blur, but we survived. I am so thankful to be a mom of two, two boys, and as tired as it is...to be at home with them. <3

Damon's

Usually, I put the age in the title of the post, but to honor Uncle Damon, I won't. (He's 45! tee hee)

We got together on Sunday to celebrate. We had lunch, cake and ice cream, and more family showed up - it was awesome. Then, the boys swam, fished, and Zach got lots of hugs and snuggles.We left just before dinner so D could get back for his fantasy football draft that night. It was the first time I was to put both boys to bed by myself. I did it, although it was quite a long night. Great day, long day.

Well worth it to celebrate Big D's birthday together.
Happy, Happy Birthday, Damon.