C'est Moi! C'est Moi, I Blush to Disclose

Today is Day #1 of my Special K diet. So far, I've eaten one bowl of Granola cereal (didn't care for it) at 6:45am, a yummy snack bar at 10:00am, a bowl of Original cereal at 11:00am, and an apple at 11:45am. And...I'm still hungry. 

The Special K challenge is to lose up to 6lbs in 2 weeks. I have to replace two meals with cereal (I don't care for the meal shakes or the protein bars) and only have 2 of their Special K snacks a day (these include cereal bars or crackers). My 3rd meal is a regular meal, which will be my dinner (I just have to remember portion control!). I can drink whatever I want throughout the day and have as much fruit and veggies as I want. I do this for two weeks and hopefully lose 6lbs and get down to my ideal weight.

We'll see how this goes. I'm also running/walking for 20-25 minutes a day, hopefully getting up to 30 minutes. I will continue to run/walk after the diet, which will hopefully keep the weight off, as well as smart eating and snacking. Before I got pregnant, I was down to my ideal weight and I loved it. Working at Bright Horizons helped me lose the weight I gained from working at a movie theater. I was constantly up and down, picking up kids, and had no time during the day to snack. I also didn't have big lunches. I gained almost 40lbs while pregnant, lost it all about 6 months later, but since Lydia has stopped nursing, I've started gaining some back.

Today is Day #17 of Lydia's "nursing strike". At first she would drink 4oz of breast milk from a sippy cup in the mornings and 6oz from a bottle at bedtime, with 4oz if she woke up. Now, she refuses to drink breast milk in the morning or any other time during the day! She will drink about 4oz at bedtime, then I dream feed her the other 2-3oz around 8:30pm. She hasn't been waking up at all during the night. In the morning, I put about 2.5oz of breast milk in with her oatmeal, since she won't drink it. She's still eating really well. I make sure I feed her about every 1.5 to 2 hours, either a snack or a meal. She is not much of a drinker, only sipping at her milk or juice. Usually at dinner time she will drink a lot of milk. She still has wet diapers (we have to use the special night time ones at night) and poops a lot, so I'm pretty sure she's good. She's in a great mood. She naps just fine and sleeps all night. I now pump 3 times a day (6, 12, 6) and get about 2.5 to 3oz each time. We will see what the doctor has to say next week at her 9-month check up.

Today is President's Day and I have off of work. Brian had to work today, since they had that Snow Day a few weeks ago. So, I was stuck bringing in the Escape to get LoJack put on it. I had to drive all the way to Carmax (about 35 minutes) with Lydia. She started crying when we got on the highway, so I had to get off, give her her pacifier and then she was fine. We made it there by 8:00, but our appointment wasn't until 9:00 (we got confused). We drove around looking for something to do. Lydia was screaming and I was getting frustrated, since I don't know that area. We finally found a Subway so I could give Lydia her yogurt for snack. We then walked around Lowe's and Lydia had a great time! She loved looking at the kitchens (and trying out the sinks) and feeling the carpets. Everything is a learning experience and an adventure for her! At Carmax, she had a great time playing with the few toys they had there, then we had a snack, and she played some more. After an hour and a half, we were done and could head home. She dozed in the car, but was still too tired to eat her lunch when we got home. I put her down for a nap and will try to give her more lunch when she wakes up. We will then head to a kid's consignment store to look for shorts, new shoes, and a little car to ride on. We miss Daddy, but will still have fun!

Well...Actually...There's Not Much Going on Today

Today is Day #7 of Lydia's "Nursing Strike". I don't know if I can still call it that...I don't think she's striking anymore - she's completely stopped. I get very sad every time I offer her to nurse and she turns her head and starts to cry. And now she gets excited when I get her bottle ready at night. Oh well, she thinks she's a big girl.

I called the pediatrician, wondering if I should bring her in for the doctor to check her out. The nurse suggested that I just keep my eye on her and look for signs of Lydia losing weight, sleeping all the time, etc. I told the nurse that Lydia has been acting perfectly happy and normal. I also told the nurse that she only drinks 4oz in the morning, 4oz at night and 3-4oz if she wakes up at night. That is not enough, the nurse said. I have to supplement with formula. There is nothing wrong with formula, I just thought I would never have to use it. It was never in my feeding plan for Lydia. But, I want to do what is best for her.

So, Lydia's feeding schedule:

7:00am - breast milk (I can usually pump 3-4oz each morning). She usually doesn't drink it all, so I add it to her oatmeal.

7:30am - breakfast.

9:30am - snack.

11:00am - lunch. I give her 2oz formula and 2oz whole milk mixed together. She wasted my breast milk the other day, so I don't want to give her that. She doesn't want to drink anything but whole milk at lunch, but I want to be able to tell the doctor I've tried.

2:00pm - snack.

3:00pm - light snack (she likes to eat every hour in the afternoon...).

4:00pm - fruit jar.

5:00pm - dinner.

6:00pm - 6oz bottle of breast milk mixed with formula.

That's a total of 14oz offered to her during the day, plus 3-4oz if she wakes up at night, which equals 18oz - the minimum requirement for an 8 month old. For her 9-month checkup, I'm going to ask the doctor if I can get rid of the lunch time formula, since she doesn't really want it then. Hopefully he'll see that she's gaining enough weight and is happy and healthy.

It's very sad for me that she wanted to give up breastfeeding so quickly. I thought that I was in charge, weaning her when I wanted to. Lydia has proven me wrong. She doesn't even ask to be nursed, or ask for milk. In the afternoons when she wants to snack, I give her crackers or yogurt and a cup of whole milk, that she downs. I still believe she does need breast milk in the mornings and at night, but probably not during the day.

The only good thing about giving her a bottle at night (the only time she gets a bottle)? Brian can put her to bed! He gave her a bottle and rocked her last night and she went right to sleep with no problems! We recently bought a treadmill, so I was able to pump and exercise without having to put Lydia down first. That saved a lot of time for me in the evening! I'm glad that she let Daddy put her to bed, instead of just depending on me. I miss my teeny baby, but I love the big girl she's growing into!

Plus, she's started pulling up to standing on her own!

The Best Thing For Being Sad is to Learn Something

Today was Day #3 of Lydia's "Nursing Strike". She has not nursed since Saturday at 5:30 in the morning! Her 3:00 weaning had been going so well. She had still wanted to nurse at 6am, 8:30am, 12pm and 6pm with no problems. 

Friday afternoon we headed to Austin to visit Lydia's Pfeiffer grandparents. She nursed at bedtime at 6:00, I dreamfed her at 9:30, again at 2:30am and then at 5:30am. At 5:30, I brought her into our bed and nursed her. She bit me on after we switched sides and I told her "no", we tried nursing again and she bit again and I said "no" and said we're finished. It didn't seem to bother her much, since she soon fell back to sleep until 6:45. After that, no more nursing. When I tried nursing her before her morning nap at 9:00, she started screaming at me and pulling away. I tried to nurse every time we normally do, but she screamed each time. By 5:00pm, I was dying and had to go out and get a pump from Wal-Mart. I put the breast milk in a sippy cup and Lydia downed it! So, obviously, she still likes my milk!

I tried dreamfeeding her Saturday night, but even though she was fast asleep, she still refused to nurse. The nights have been the hardest. Without nursing to go to sleep, she doesn't want to sleep! We were up over an hour trying to put her back to sleep. Last night (Sunday night) was the worse night in a long time. She woke up at 9:30 and didn't got back down until 11:15. Despite rocking her for 1/2 hour straight, she wouldn't go to sleep. I tried giving her a bottle of breast milk and a sippy cup, but nothing worked. I tried letting her crying it out, but I couldn't handle the screaming. Her crying caused me to cry and I didn't know what to do to help her. Finally, by 11:15, she was exhausted enough to fall asleep.

Today, she refused to nurse several times, so I pumped instead. She downed her milk in a sippy cup this morning, and snacked on 3oz throughout the day. She had 2oz in a bottle to go to bed. Hopefully, tonight she will either take breast milk in a bottle or sleep really well...or I can handle her crying.

I'm worried that my milk supply will go down. I don't want to give up nursing quite yet - I wanted her to at least nurse once a day until 12 months. I don't really think she wants to give up nursing, but I haven't figured out why she isn't nursing. She doesn't have an ear infection, she's not teething, she's eating everything else so it's not her tummy. Hopefully this "strike" will end soon and we'll get back to normal.

Don't Let It Be Forgot

Day #4 of Lydia's 3:00pm weaning and it's going great! I don't think she really misses it. She gets a bit fussy around 3:30 and I give her a sippy cup of whole milk and she just drinks it down and she's fine!

The only bad thing about weaning is that I think I'm going to miss it. This is probably why many breastfeeding women don't wean until after 12 months! I love the quiet times we have sitting in her room in the glider, especially at bed time. But, we have other times when we cuddle and play, that are still special, too.

Lydia's schedule has changed (as has mine) since I first started posting. Here's are current daily (Mon.-Fri.) schedule - careful, it's a busy one!

6:00 - my alarm goes off. Usually Lydia is awake by now, talking in her crib. She is rarely still asleep. Recently, she has started screaming at 5:45, but I don't get her out of her crib until 6:00.

6:00-6:45 - I get Lydia up, her diaper changed, and nursed. I then get ready for the day while Brian gets her dressed (in clothes I pick out). Brian also gets my lunch ready and in Lydia's bag. Brian leaves at 6:30 and we head out the door at 6:45.

6:45-7:00 - Lydia plays on her own while I set up the center. I check e-mail and facebook on my iPhone.

7:00-7:30 - the children arrive. We usually have 3 or 4 by 7:30. I get breakfast ready and Leah comes out at 7:30. Lydia now eats oatmeal with banana for breakfast and a bit of whole milk in a sippy cup.

7:30-8:30 - play time. Our 5th kiddo usually arrives around this time.

8:30-9:30 - Lydia nurses and falls asleep. She usually sleeps about a half hour to an hour (depending on how loud the kiddos are). They kids have snack at 9:00, while Lydia has snack when she wakes up from nap. I usually give her Lil' Crunchies, a cracker or a jar of fruit. 

9:30-10:00 - play time.

10:00-10:45 - we usually go outside, weather permitting. Lydia loves playing outside! If it is too cold, or rainy, we do a directed activity. Lydia participates in everything. She has painted, colored with crayons, played in the water table, popped bubble wrap, danced, watched bubbles - everything!

10:45-11:00 - we read books. I have recently started letting the kids take turns picking out books. They love deciding what book to read. Lydia sits with us, although she isn't too interested in books, yet.

11:00-11:20 - lunch time. The kiddos are all sitting at the table eating "real" food. Lydia sits in the highchair and has a veggie or fruit, and sometimes a meat. She isn't a fan of the jarred meats, so I'm just going to stick with the veggies and fruit. She can eat a whole jar of 2nd foods, sometimes a whole jar and a 1/2 of something else. She has some whole milk with lunch.

11:20-12:00 - Leah and I eat lunch while the kids play. They are always in a good mood after a yummy meal! Lydia loves watching the kids play, although sometimes I have to save her, since they have started pushing her, sitting on her, or just getting up in her face too much.

12:00-12:15 - circle time. Lydia loves the songs we sing (Jesus Loves Me, Wheels on the Bus, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc). We also go over where our eyes, ears, nose and mouth are. We do Ring Around the Rosy, The Duke of York, stomp our feet, turn around and wiggle! Then, we read a book. I nurse Lydia while Leah reads to the kids.

12:15-12:30 - I pat the boys down for nap. Lydia plays quietly (sometimes) while I pat the boys down.

12:30-2:00 - I rock Lydia to sleep and put her in the crib in the back room. She is good at sleeping an hour and a half. The boys are real good sleepers, so I get about an hour nap in, as well!

2:00-2:30 - the kids wake up and we give snack. Lydia gets a yogurt and water. 

2:30-3:15 - we go outside, weather permitting. If we don't get to go out, we do a directed activity around 3:00. Today we did dancing, bubbles, and then stacking blocks.

3:15-4:00 - play time. This is the time Lydia starts getting fussy for her nursing. I sit her in the highchair and give her a sippy of milk. This usually makes her happy and she plays until 4:00.

4:00-4:30 - snack time and more play. Lydia has a cracker or two for snack. The kids play again and some are picked up.

4:30-5:00 - Lydia starts getting fussy and I try to put her down for a nap. She usually doesn't go because the kids are being noisy and she wants to join in. I want her to rest so she can be happier when she gets home, but oh well.

5:00-5:30 - Brian comes between these times to give Lydia dinner (usually a veggie or fruit and milk). He then plays with her (Mon, Thurs and Fri). The other kids love to watch Brian play and he has fun with them. Usually Lydia is in a good enough mood to laugh and play with him. Sometimes, not so much. I use this time to start cleaning the toys and the center.

5:30-6:00 - I play with Brian and Lydia. I get to leave at 6:00, since I came in at 6:45. Leah stays until the last kiddo leaves (usually before 6:30).

6:00-6:30 - Lydia sometimes gets a bath. She is changed and gets ready for bed. I nurse her and she falls fast asleep. Brian is making dinner while I put Lydia to bed.

It's definitely a busy day, but everything usually goes smoothly. The kiddos usually don't drive us too crazy and we get some breaks when they play independently well. Sometimes there are fights that we have to break up, sometimes we have to put a child in time out. But, most days are good ones. Lydia loves watching her friends play. She has started crawling around (pulling herself on her tummy) after them and laughing. She likes to join in on their playtime and activities. She loves to stand at the shelves and cruise. She has started getting upset when a friend takes her toys, but she has also started taking toys!

The weekends are quieter, but we still like to go on adventures to keep Lydia busy. Brian and I still switch days on who gets to wake up at 6:00 with Lydia. I love it when I get to sleep in until 8:30 or 9:00! Brian is so good with her in the mornings. She loves playing with him!

Lydia, November 2010.

Lydia, February 2011

My Heart Wants to Sing Every Song it Hears

Today was day one of weaning Lydia's 3:00 pm nursing. Luckily we were a little off schedule today. She nursed at 12:30 before nap time, and woke up at 2:00. We didn't have snack until almost 2:30, diapers at 2:45 and we went outside by 2:50. Which means, we were outside at 3:00, so Lydia wasn't thinking about nursing. She was too busy playing. On most days, we're outside by 2:15 or 2:30, and back inside a little after 3:00. Today, we were back inside by 3:20. Lydia got fussy shortly after getting inside. So, I gave her a cracker to snack on. By 3:45, she was fussy again. I put  her in her chair and gave her some milk and another cracker. Her friends had snack at 4:15, so I gave Lydia a jar of fruit and some whole milk. This made her happy. 

She didn't want to take a nap this afternoon. Usually, she naps around 4:30 to 5:00. This not wanting to nap could have had something to do with not nursing. She was really fussy when Brian came over to give her dinner. She only wanted to eat 1/2 a jar of veggies, but did drink some milk and snack on a crunchie. Brian was a big hit with the other kiddos, and Lydia calmed down and enjoyed watching him play with the babies. She was fussy (as usual) when we got home. We got her ready for bed, she nursed and fell asleep.

Tomorrow is supposed to be really cold, which means we won't be going outside in the afternoon. This could be harder on Lydia since she won't have the outside to distract her in the afternoon. I plan on giving her food and a sippy cup of milk whenever she gets fussy. This will show her that she can have a snack instead of nurse. I have a feeling that I will carry out this 3:00 weaning for a long time. I want to stretch it out for at least a month. Even if she gets used to no 3:00 nursing pretty quickly, I won't drop another nursing until next month, when she's 9 months. The next nursing dropped will be her 9:00 am nursing. That way I'll be nursing at 6:00 am, 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm. I haven't yet dropped her "dream feed" at 9:30pm, but she hasn't been waking up at night. She will sleep from 6:00 to 9:30 then 9:30 to 5:30ish (but I don't get her out of bed until 6:00).

Lydia was so funny today! I was giving her kisses, saying "mwah!" and she would say it back! So cute!

Because You are the Most Important

Not only did Lydia turn 8 months today, we also bought a new car! We had been wanting a new car for awhile now. I felt bad for Brian driving all the way to New Braunfels in his Hyundai, which squealed all the time and sometimes had difficulty starting up. I wanted him driving a more reliable car back and forth from work. I also wanted a more reliable car while driving Lydia around.

We had put off purchasing a new car because we wanted to see where our finances stood after having to pay the mortgage on our house, all the utility bills, and everything else for a few months, so we could see what we had left over. Once again, God showed us that He has everything happen when He wants it to happen. Allstate figured out my claim from last year's accident only a few months after the accident. They took forever to get to Brian's claim. He had to keep calling them since we kept getting bills from the hospital. Finally, Allstate says they paid the hospital and there was money left over. This couldn't have happened at a better time! Brian's car just started having difficulty starting up, and this past week it really had a hard time starting up. With the money from the claim, we were able to buy a new car! Now Brian doesn't have to drive my tiny Ford Escort!

We went to Carmax, since my parents had just purchased a car for my little sister from there and they had a good experience. Brian wanted a truck, but I convinced him we needed a family car first. I wanted a car that was big enough to carry lots of stuff, but not so big that it would be hard for me to drive and to get in and out of. So, we settled for a small SUV. Brian likes Fords, so we thought about either an Escape or an Explorer. We drove both, but liked the Escape better. It's really fun to drive and I like the blue color! It only took us 2 hours to get everything situated with the car and then we could drive home! Yeah!

Lydia is also 8 months today! I can't believe how big she has gotten in just a month. She weighs 18 pounds, and is most likely over 27 inches. I just put away her 3/6 month onesies, since most of them are a little tight, and put out her 9 month onesies. She's long and chunky up top, but has a skinny waist, so still wears 3/6 month pants. She's in size 2 shoes and has three pairs of "real" shoes, and two pairs of those slipper shoes. I need to get her socks with grippers on the bottoms for when she's not wearing her shoes, since she likes to stand most of the day. She has started cruising around on furniture just this past week and it is so fun to watch! And, when she falls (because she thinks she can let go), she knows to land on her bottom (although she will then tip over). She has started saying "uh-oh" because her friends say it a lot, and she still says "ma ma" a lot. She hasn't gotten up on her hands and knees yet to crawl, but is getting better at pulling herself along on her tummy. We purchased two convertible car seats (one for each car) for her today. I researched them for awhile and was able to find inexpensive ones at Wal-Mart (I can't believe how expensive the ones at Babies-R-Us are!). It took awhile to figure out how to put them in our cars, since they're so different from the infant car seat. But, we wanted the convertible car seat since we don't carry her around in the infant one anymore (way too heavy), she's really long (her feet touch the edge), and I know she'll be in it for awhile. Of course, she's still rear-facing (you have to be 12 months AND 22 pounds to face forward). She looks like such a big girl sitting in the new car seat!

I can't believe January is already almost gone! So much has happened already and Lydia has grown so much more!

You Have to Live the Life You Were Born to Live

I like the random lists bloggers make. So here's mine:

1. I love busy weekends, but being busy (and having fun) makes the weekend go by too fast. Even though doing "nothing" is boring, sometimes it's the best way to drag out the weekend.

2. I'm so excited about seeing WICKED again! I read the book while in college (I read CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER first, then WICKED) and enjoyed it. I thought that a musical would be silly, but I love musicals and was willing to try it. Brian bought me tickets for WICKED in 2007 for my Half-Birthday/Valentine's Day present. We drove all the way to Houston, sat way, way up high and enjoyed every minute! We're going this year for an Anniversary/Half-Birthday/Valentine's Day present. We're taking my mom and my friend, Katie. This is my first time going to The Majestic downtown - hopefully it won't be the last time! I LOVE MUSICALS!

3. I LOVE MUSICALS! My first Broadway musical was PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. It was amazing! I read the book soon after I watched it (nothing like the musical, but still good). I love the new movie version (with Gerard Butler). While living in New York, I also saw LES MISERABLES (read that book, too), MUSIC MAN, PETER PAN, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The next musical I really want to see is INTO THE WOODS. I watch the movie (it's performed on the stage) all the time. I have the soundtrack on my iPhone. LOVE IT.

4. Lydia started "cruising" today. I put her at one end of the coffee table and the next time I looked over, she was halfway down the table! It's crazy how quickly she learns a new "trick" and how she grows, learns and develops everyday! I love looking back at pictures from the previous month (or even the start of the month) - she grows so fast! Babies are amazing!

5. Brian and I took Lydia to the park for the second time yesterday. She definitely enjoyed it more this time (she was really young the first time). Brian can't wait until summer when she'll be running around the park with the other kids. He loves making her smile and laugh.

6. Lydia actually wanted Brian over me yesterday! It totally made Brian's day (and mine!). She was crying while I was holding her, Brian walked up, she reached for him and when he took her, she stopped crying and didn't even want me. He held her while walking around downtown because he loved that feeling - and he didn't even mind when she spit up on his shirt! I love to see them bonding!

7. I really enjoy Saturday mornings. Those are my mornings to sleep in. I get up at 6:00, when Lydia wakes up, nurse her, and then go back to sleep. Brian has baby duty that morning. She's really good with him. She'll play on the floor while he plays his video game. She'll even just chill in his lap! She never does that for me. On Sunday mornings, when I have her, she always wants me to hold her! Totally jealous of Daddy!

8. I got my haircut yesterday and love it short. I used to keep it short all the time, but in 2009 decided to grow it out. I didn't cut it until mid-2010! It's so much easier to manage when it's short. I also dyed it dark brown yesterday - my blonde was showing. I still haven't quite perfected my hair straightener. How in the world do you get the back of your head?! I need a REGIS hair stylist at my house every morning!

9. We went on a date last night, leaving Lydia with my dad and little brother. I put her to sleep at 6:00pm, and left the house at 6:30. I also worry that Lydia's going to wake up and give the babysitters a bad time. Yet, each time we left her after she's asleep, she hasn't woken up! My dad was disappointed that he didn't get to hold Lydia and get her back to sleep (he actually wants her to wake up!)!

10. It's back to work tomorrow. Back to getting up and dressed at 6:00 in the morning, heading over to Leah's house at 6:45. Back to greeting kiddos at 7:00 and making them breakfast at 7:30. Back to dealing with screaming toddlers, biting, hitting, dirty diapers, potty training, cleaning up messes, and so much more. Back to marveling at new discoveries, laughing at silly toddlers, playing Ring Around the Rosy, stacking cups only to have them knocked over right away, helping Lydia practice crawling, and watching toddlers play with each other! I have the best job!

Swinging!

Playing on the bridge.

Having fun with Daddy!

I Have Confidence

Brian and I just celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary! It seems like we have been together much longer than that. We met in February of 2006, but were not immediately friends. He was, technically, my superior, and I was quite intimidated by this super tall guy with long hair and a goatee. We both worked at Showplace Theatre in San Marcos. He had worked there awhile before I started. After a few months we became friends. I allowed him to take me disc golfing (never did that again!) and we hit it off. Over the summer we called each other and he visited San Antonio a few times. In August it was back to school and back to work. And we started dating. By January I knew I wanted to marry this guy. He was sweet, funny and smart. He helped me get over being so serious, made me laugh, and tutored me in math. In turn, I gave him a haircut, taught him how to take some things seriously, and helped him in English. By June we were engaged. And by January we were married!

So much has happened in our three years of marriage. We have learned how to compromise, how to make each other laugh (and cry), and we have learned how to work as a team. Some other things that have happened in three years:

1. Brian became general manager at Showplace and I worked at Marketplace in New Braunfels, since they don't allow married couples to work together

2. We moved to New Braunfels to student teach.

3. We graduated from Texas State December of 2008.

4. We moved to San Antonio to live with my sister and her husband in a house my parents rented to us. I worked at Bright Horizons and Brian worked at Regal Fiesta.

5. We went on our first family vacation to Disney World!

6. Brian started work at First Mark Credit Union in order to get better hours to spend time with me and we found out we were pregnant!

7. Brian got a long term substitute job in New Braunfels and I quit Bright Horizons to work from home at our daycare with Leah.

8. We were in a car accident that reminded us how wonderful and powerful God is!

9. Our baby, Lydia, was born safe and sound!

10. Brian got a full time teaching position at New Braunfels Middle School!

So many wonderful things have happened in just 3 years - I can't even imagine how many more wonderful things will happen in 3 more!