Mother's Day 2016

Mother's Day. A day that has been so hard and one that has been so good.  The truest definition of bittersweet. This year it has been wonderful. Chris cooked 3 amazing meals, full breakfast and then had his parents over for roasted cabbage, grilled chicken and baked potatoes. Dinner was delicious a nice filet, more cabbage and grits. 

After church my kids actually took a decent photo with me! Only took like 300+ pictures to get one of each of them!! Actually the out takes are just as funny! 

 

They share their lovies with her! 

I posted this today and my husband got all sappy on me. I can't let these words get lost. This is almost better than a paper card because it is heartfelt in the moment. 

Mini update

Well. I love looking back at my blog posts, but I am horrible now that these 2 keep me running.  Here is a typical MWF of our life: 

Owen to play school by 9 am

Jesse and I run errands, hit up the Y where I can even get a shower while my crazy man plays and has a grad time!

Then usually it is time to pick up Owen, eat lunch in the car and head home to play before nap time or to the grocery store to pick up food.

1:30-? Jesse will sleep tops 2 hours and Owen will sleep till 5pm if he falls asleep! 

Then it is time for a snack while I cook dinner and we wait for daddy to come home from work!

Daddy gets home and its kisses and hugs for all! We eat dinner and then play a little before 7:30-8pm bed times.

Chris and I indulge in some tv before bed and doing it all again!

T/Ths: are mostly the same we either hit up the Y in the morning and hope for lunch or have a PJ day and mommy tries to clean house! 

My sweet Jesse boy.

A moment in time that I never want to forget.  

We just had a great day!  This morning mommy slept in and daddy and boys had a fun morning together.  Then Owen got to be BIG STUFF and go on a trouble call with daddy.  Mommy stayed home and got the house cleaned and played with Jesse.  Nap time couldn't have gone smoother and once the boys were up we were off to Dark in the Park at Btown Park!  We rode the rides with our friends, got covered in Orange sand and participated in a costume contest winning a sucker and a pencil! At about 7 we headed to Zacks for some fries and a greasy burger with our little girlfriend Maddie and her mommy.  That place is great bc you are in and out so quick which is about all these boys could handle at that hour.  

Quicky we headed home and for bed.  Got Owen ready first and then mommy and Jesse had time to relax and snuggle before bed.  This morning was the first day we dropped the morning feed.  We had been down to 2 times a day and now we are down to one.  So Jesse  nursed and then as I lifted him to my shoulder he reached over and gave me the sweetest open mouthed kiss.  Then laid his head on my shoulder and sighed in contentment.  

Thank you baby for that kiss.  It spoke so many more words than you will ever know. It felt like a thank you for a great day, thank you for the milk and snuggle, the I love that your my mommy and I just need to kiss you because I can't stand it any longer and this is how we show it.  

I laid my sweet Jesse D on his belly and he drew his feet up under him like a little frog butt in the air and I covered him with the white Cotten blanket that I was so excited to be pregnant that I had to buy something.  

Good night sweet boy, I love you. 

(Ps: my night with Owen isn't over yet...he is still talking in his bed and I would bet we have another trip to the potty before his eyes close for the night...maybe I can work in an extra special snuggle there too!)

Jesse one year.

I literally can't even fathom how we get here. That year flew by so fast. 

Teeth: 4 top and 2 bottom

Food: most anything we are eating we wants too!  He only wants baby food from a pouch probably because he sees big brother having them too. We are still nursing and I never really wanted to nurse past one year, but here we are. Jesse isn't interested in cups, bottles or straws. We have tried them all with various liquids. Nursing is so easy right now so it's hard to want to change what works! Also, he could easily be our last baby and please let me enjoy this baby and keep him a baby a little longer! I love our moments of quiet nursing in the mornings and evenings the most. Part of our routine right now is when he wakes up we nurse in bed and then he pops up looking for dada!!

Talking: oh-we (Owen)

Dada

Mama (sometimes)

Bobo (brother)

Uh-oh (I think everyone knows this one)

Bu-be (bye bye)

Jesse can clap, high five, fist bump, kiss open mouthed, click his tongue, make the lala sound 

Jesse 7-9 months

I am sorry my dear son. I love every moment with you and I know I am forgetting things faster than they are happening and I want to record every moment, but summer happened. Two kids happened. Life and time kept moving and well blogging isn't on my mind as it used to be when I sat a desk 8 hours a day.  

Jesse is a joy. He is such a snugly baby, when I lift him out of the crib he puts his head on my shoulder with one arm around my neck and the other patting my back or arm. Sleep has been hard for him with all the travel it's been hard to have a normal schedule.  But here is a little bit of what we see as normal right now.  Jesse is taking 2-3 naps a day and down for bed at 7:30-8pm, he sleeps till 6-7:30am sometimes just needs a "dreamfed" in the morning and heads back to bed.  

We just moved him up to a new car seat. He is so heavy. Everyone wants to snuggle and hold him, but can't because our arms get so tired. I can't wait to hear what he weighs tomorrow at his 9 month check up.

TEETH: 4 we have two top and two bottom!! The 2 top came in together and it was ROUGH! Poor baby couldn't sleep and hated being spoon fed if that spoon hit his top gum wow what a wail of pain.

FOOD:  we tried 3 times a day for solids, but he isn't interested in it. He prefers pouches over spoon fed and loves copying or being like is big brother.  He eats 4 oz one or 2 times a day. He nurses 5-6 times a day. 

Jesse still sleeps on his belly, I nurse him and then lay him on his belly and cover him with a blanket.  I place toys at his feet and sometimes this occupies him in the mornings.

Jesse is pulling up to his feet. I took a video of him pulling up using my leg today and then later caught him standing at the hearth.  I feel bad for the kid, he falls a lot. He bumps his head more than I remember Owen bumping it and then you have big brother "helping" him with results in more bumps.  

Brothers. Wow. I know about sisters and I hope they have a great relationship like I do. Owen is so good and so bad to Jesse in the blink of an eye.  Today he was wanting to hug and kiss him good morning.  Jesse was sitting on the floor and the hug got a little aggressive and he ended up flat on his back hitting his head in the process.  Later Owen was trying to be helpful and put the teething paci in his mouth and pushed him onto the floor again.  (Did I mention Jesse completely dropped the paci since my last update!!! Chris and I are thrilled we didn't have to have a big transition with dropping the paci). Last night they were playing and Owen didn't want to share the truck so he ran over Jesse's fingers....it was on purpose.  But 10 minutes later Owen was getting belly laughs out of Jesse as he ran from side to side of the high chair playing peek-a-boo.  Big brother was laughing and having a blast too!

I love my boys!

Jesse: 6 months

Jesse has changed so much in the past month.  

ROLLING: he is rolling both ways, but mostly to the right.  This new trick is fun during the day and yet at night has posed some issues. Jesse is flipping from his belly to back and ends up at the corner of the crib and can't get back to his belly to sleep. This means mommy is having to help him.  He is becoming more aware and so when I flip him he wants to nurse to sleep.  He does still use the paci, it is hit or miss. Sometimes the paci is in and I can hold it in his mouth and his head on the mattress and he conks out, sometimes that thumb makes it's way into his mouth and he sleeps and sometimes he screams like he is in pain and I have to start all over. It's been rough.  His sleep is so different than Owen who was sleeping through the nights most nights and Jesse is back to getting me up 2-3 times. The issue is I can't have Jesse crying out and waking his older brother. 

TEETH: well we saw the buds at 5 months and one has popped through. There has been a lot of nursing and a lot of up all night nights.  I am so tired recently.  Jesse has the bottom left tooth and the right is coming in fast.  

FOOD: what won't this boy eat!  He was eating about 4oz twice a day till that tooth popped through.  It seems that he has backed off a little and is not so frantic for solids now that his TEETH SPURT (a very accurate new phrase I can't take credit for but will be using!) is over for a bit.  Jesse likes: apples, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, cereal, green beans, peas, carrots.  He doesn't care for my homemade zucchini and avocado. 

SPIRIT: what a happy guy Jesse is!! Smiles if you look and talk to him!  He LOVES to sit in his play seats and watch his brother play on the floor.  He loves to watch Owen from his car seat and recently Owen finds it fun to try and make him laugh!! My heart melts to see them interact and begin to have fun together!  Jesse is a snuggle bug.  He wants to be close, I love how he already hugs my neck when sleepy; nuzzling his face into my neck with his arm grabbing around the other side if my neck!  Oh how daddy makes Jesse laugh!  He knows mommy is for comfort and food and daddy is fun and play!! Daddy flies him up in the air and tickles him and Jesse will cackle so loud and wake up the house!!   

Jesse: 5 months

Well, we FINALLY had his 4 month well check up about 5 days before he turned 5 months.  I had scheduled Owen's 3 year well at the same time so it had to be after the 11th for insurance reasons and then we got SNOW.  Boy did we get snow!

Owen and Jesse both enjoyed the snow, though the 3 year old loved it more!

At Jesse's well visit I was told he was perfect.  Yup, I knew that! The only thing he isn't doing is rolling.  He can but I guess he doesn't have the motivation to do it.  Dr. B said he seemed very chill and so this is probably why he isn't rolling yet.  I am not too worried because he is trunk and body tone are great according to the Dr!   We are so in love with this new little man, my little J as I find myself calling him sometimes!  Right now as I am typing this at the dining room table, he is squeaking and playing on the playmat on the floor.  He hands at grasping things are getting better and better. I can see him look at something and then his hand will go to it and if the item is large enough he will grasp it!  He got his 4 month shots and it was a little rough for about 36 hours.  He did need some extra sleep taking a killer nap from 2-5:30, nursed and ate some cereal and then cried out so much we put him back to bed and he slept pretty great all night just needing to nurse a few times.  I could tell his legs were hurting him and he did have a mild fever.  I also noticed that the bottom teeth are starting to come in.  Little white pressure buds under the gums are HURTING my baby.

Jesse is such a happy baby.  We have had some sleep issues, but now that we are committed to tummy sleeping he will go down without a peep to his naps.  Our night time isn't the greatest, but last night was better.  He went to bed at 8pm, dreamfeed at 11pm, then nursed again at 4am and cried for me at 5:30am but we left him and not even a minute he was back asleep till 7:30am!  I can handle that!

Jesse has dropped the bottle or I should say we only have done the bottle about 10 times and the last time he didn't take any from it at all.  It was a bit rough and Mommy had to come home early from her girls game night.  Its ok, this just seems to be what my babies do.  Hopefully, he will learn to drink from a straw at around 6 months like Owen did.  We have started some solids, so far just cereal and bananas.  He likes to eat, but when the spoon hits those tender gums it is OVER!  I fear Jesse is going to have a harder times teething than Owen.  Time for the teething gel and tablets.

Jesse LOVES to watch his big brother Owen.  He will laugh and smile whenever Owen gives him the least bit attention!  Owen loves him too.  Owen just is 3 and Jesse isn't very interesting.

Jesse: 4 months

Wow, my little smiley happy baby!  You are so adorable.  Everyone tells us so!  You are just like Owen in so many ways! You have the sweetest spirit and are so go with the flow.  You like Owen only cry if you are wet, tired or hungry.  You do fuss a little when you want us to sit you up...I am thinking that you don't realize that you are still a little baby and you want to be big/grown already!

Sleep.  Oh 4 month sleep regression....I loath thee.  You were doing so great sleeping till 6am and now all of a sudden you feel the need to get up in the middle of the night. I had been feeding you, but after a couple of nights when you barely nursed one side I decided you are waking out of habit not hunger.  I did have to make sure it wasn't a growth spurt, but I am pretty sure it is because you don't get as scheduled naps during the day as Owen did.  You have an older brother who has school and we need to run errands, go to doctors, and play dates.  I fear mommy is suffering sleep recently due to our packed calendar!

We did the unthinkable. First I decided that you didn't like the swaddle and then I decided to try you on your belly while you were sleeping. Oh the world of difference this makes. I think you are like my family and can't breath out of your nose when sleeping on your back, you now go down without a peep for naps! It is a miracle.  Thankfully we have an angel care monitor and this keeps me from worrying too much about you. 

You have found your hands and they are fascinating to you!  You are starting to grab at things and even grasping items sometimes!  You popped your paci into your mouth several times one day too, but it was really just luck because it hadn't fallen too far from your mouth.  I love how you suck on your hands trying to figure them out and use the other hand to hold the first one in your mouth almost as if you don't trust it to stay where you want it!

Your face lights up when you see me.  Daddy tells me that you watch me walk around the house.  I do have to admit I am your favorite person and I am basking in all the glory of it.  But, you love your Daddy and brother just as much.  You watch Owen play like he is the coolest boy on the planet and you look like you want to jump in and play too!  Baby, stay a baby a little longer!  No need to hurry this growing up business!

You are at least 15 pounds, wearing a size 2 disposable diaper and 3-6 month clothes.  We have had the hugest snow and your well check up visit was canceled. 

Jesse: 12 weeks headed to 3 months

Well, we are in the middle of the holidays! As I start this post it is 4 sleeps till christmas morning!!  We are so excited that Santa is coming to our house this year!  But that will be it's own post this is about our sweet baby Jesse!

Jesse is sleeping great! He goes to bed about 7pm swaddled and under a blanket.  I do a quick dream feed before I head to bed and he either gets me up at 3am and 7am or sleeps till 6am and 9am!

During the day he is nursing every 2-3 hours and sleeping each cycle still. He is so great sleeping in the car seat or swing tho he has to have that paci!!

The smiles. The laughs. I can't even describe how fun I know he is about to get and how fun he is already!! I remember with Owen we thought each new phase got better and better and I wondered how I would feel about a newborn. It is just as fun starting over!! I am trying to soak in each moment and milestone! 

Jesse LOVES a bath! He will grin at me and wiggle around. He gets so wide eyed while the water is running and then smiles and coos at me till he gets tired. I swoop him out if the bath, lotion him and nurse him to warm him up before bed.

We had the worlds biggest poop the other day. Man I don't know how he stored it up so long. From Tuesday till Friday and wow it was a doosy!  I mean let's be honest at this point it is eat, sleep and poop! Haha!

We survived the holidays, it was rough.  I was exhausted, but it was so much fun to see all our family and Jesse got tons of snuggles and Owen was run to the point of exhaustion every day!  

My Babywised Babies sleep great!

(I didn't have much time to proof read and so please excuse the run on sentences, fragments and HORRIBLE punctuation!)

We follow the babywise book.  It's not a new method, but really sleep hasn't changed over the years.  The basic premise is eat, play, sleep; instead of eat to go to sleep, play and then eat again.  Basically, you are teaching your child to go to sleep on their own instead of needing to be rocked, held, or milk to go to sleep.  I have done this with Owen and now again with Jesse and I swear by this method because my babies sleep great!  Owen is almost 3 and still takes an afternoon nap that ranges from 2-3.5 hours!  Jesse is 12 weeks and has sleep through the night 7 times!! His bedtime is 6pm, I nurse again (dreamfeed) before I go to bed around 10-11pm) and he has slept till 6am and 7:30am!!!  Mommy loves her sleep so I am THRILLED!

We started at about 3 weeks old with both boys.  Before that we just nursed and held our babies as we all know those first few weeks are just survival.  Then at 3 weeks we moved our babies from the bassinet in our room to the crib in their own room.  When the baby is only a newborn sometimes the "play" was only a diaper change or a burp to wake them.  Here is what our newborn routine looked like during the day:

Baby is allowed to sleep as long as they would in the night and early mornings, when baby waked we would change his diaper and then nurse one side, burp, nurse the other side and burp.  Sometimes it would take up to 10 minutes to get that 2nd burp, but it is key to know there isn't any belly gas that would be uncomfortable for sleep.  Then we would enjoy a little awake time (keeping the lights bright and not muting sounds of Owen playing or tv etc.). When we saw the first sign of sleepiness it was off to the crib he went.  Some signs of sleepiness are rubbing eyes, droopy eyes, a yawn, redness around the eyes, and fussiness.  Jesse is great at rubbing his hands into his eyes while nuzzling his head into my shoulder when he is ready to sleep.  It is really important to put them to sleep when they are sleepy and before they are over tired.  I usually say the same thing when I put him into the crib:  "night night sweet boy.  Mommy loves you! Its time to go night night" and pat his belly.  I laid my babies on their back in a swaddle they can't get their arms out of.  We used some velcro ones early on and receiving blankets, but once they can get a hand out we would put them in the Woombie brand swaddle.  Yes, they are pricey, but worth every penny!  You can get them on the half off baby websites sometimes.

During the day, I closely watch the clock and if he is sleeping and it hits the 3 hour mark from the beginning of the last feeding I wake him up and we start the cycle over again.  Now, at nighttime I do NOT do this; I let them sleep as long as they can.  With Owen the nurses said I should wake him for the first month every 3 hours.  I think that he got trained to be on this schedule and it took longer for him to fully sleep through the night whereas I knew better with Jesse and we were able to establish his nighttime at night earlier on!

I just looked back and Owen's 4 month schedule was this and it is pretty close to Jesse's schedule now too except he is still about about 2.5 hours during the day and getting up earlier:
8am-Eat, play time (this is a special time of day, he is so sweet!!) then a 1 1/2 hour nap
11am-Eat, play time (usually some tummy time or in his swing) then a 1 hour nap
2pm-Eat, play time (run errands) then a 1 hour nap
5-6pm Eat, play a little then a 1 1/2 nap
8-9pm Eat, play about 30 minutes and ready for bed!
10:30 dream feed and back to bed

Ok, here is the hardest part.  Crying it out.  I think the earlier you do this the easier it is for the baby and parents.  There are different ways to do CIO (crying it out).  We found that at 3 weeks CIO only lasted 30 minutes top.  Our boys would scream crying for the first 10 minutes then it there would be a pause then some more intense crying before tapering off or just conking out asleep.  It is HARD.  I would hold Chris's hand and we would encourage each other to be strong because we knew it was better for them in the long run.  Thankfully, it usually takes only a couple of days/nights to get to shorter crying periods.  Now, Jesse is only 5 minutes tops.  There are exceptions.  Sometimes I know Jesse is over tired from holiday or visits from family and those times I will swaddle him, give him his paci and hold and pat him to sleep and usually I can easily transfer him to his bed.  There are different ways to go about crying it out and you should decide as a family what works for you.  We said 30 minutes top crying before comforting and calming him down and trying again.  You have to check for poopy diapers, burps and sometimes a growth spurt will throw it all off.

One other thing you have to know about and it is the 45 minute intruder.  This is how long a young babies sleep cycle is.  After 45 minutes it starts over and sometimes or even most times the baby will wake up crying.  I usually look at the clock and use my judgement to see if it is close to the 2 hour mark I will get him up and start the cycle over, if it isn't close to it then I wait it out.  Usually, after 5 minutes he is back asleep or quiet in his crib.

I really can't stress enough that you should just read the babywise book.  She describes in detail the reasons behind it all.  It is all about the parent making the decisions with the information you have and not about the baby's crying dictating their schedule.

Last thought because WOW this is getting LONG!  If you are nursing you really need to make sure the baby is nursing enough and getting the hind milk.  If you can feel yourself let down then you know baby is getting the nice creamy think calorie milk.  If you only nurse for a few minutes on each side then baby only gets the foremilk which is more watery and wont sustain baby till the next feeding.  Babies who only get the foremilk have to eat more frequently and thus turns into a cycle of snacking instead of eating full meals.  The other reason to move baby out of your room if you are nursing is that baby can smell you...wouldn't you want to wake up earlier if you could smell your wonderful food cooking all night?!  Jesse slept an extra hour longer at 3 weeks when we moved him to his own room at night.  4 hour cycles are amazing during the night with a newborn!

Please, ask any questions!

The 7 nicknames for Jesse

Seven dwarves 

Doc

Grumpy

Happy

Sleepy

Bashful

Sneezy

Dopey

Jesse's seven nicknames

Grunty

Chubs

Squeaky

Snorts

Smily

Piggy

Baby

Jesse: 2 months

So Jesse is 7 weeks tomorrow as I start this post so hopefully I can document all the amazing moments and things he is doing.  

Last night he slept from 7:30pm till 3 am that is 7.5 hours!! It was great then up at 7:30am to nurse before taking Owen to school.  Please make this a new pattern!! 

He is getting better at burping and letting me know when he needs to so that he feels better.  Most nights we are getting a good 4 hour stretch of sleep which has made mommy feel so much better!  He cluster feeds in the evenings before bed and nursing is averaging 15 minutes on both sides.  

He needs the paci during the day, the gumdrop one; but at night when he is swaddled in his woombie/MeMe he goes to sleep pretty quick.  I have found that the big "cry it out" then leads to the big sleep of the night. So I am working on moving it from 7pm to 9pm.  Which also hopefully would mean getting up at 7:30 am most days instead of 6:30am which then means mommy is up for the day. Owen and daddy don't get up till 7:30-7:45 so this would be nice having everyone up at the same hour!

His cheeks are getting fuller and he has a double chin!! Everyone is saying that Jesse looks less like daddy and more like Owen.  Even daddy the other night mistook a picture of Jesse for Owen!! Had to do a double take! 

Switching to cloth diapers several weeks ago was the best move.  Jesse has slept better and even has had less diaper rashes.  In fact he hasn't had any till I put a disposable diaper on him while the cloth ones were drying!  I was so unhappy to see that bright red rash where the poop had been touching his bottom.  Plus longer sleeping stretches because he isnt leaking and cold covered in pee is always a big PLUS!!

Yesterday Jesse had his 2 month old doctor visit.  Dr. B said he is perfect which we knew.  Jesse weighed in at 12lbs 14oz; almost 13 pounds!! My chunker!! He is 75th percentile for weight, 65% for heights and 35th for head!  He got 3 shots and on oral vaccination. This morning he had a temp of 100.5 and we gave him some Tylenol, then he had a big poop and big brother helped give him a bottle while mommy got her hair colored and cut.  

I have to admit it is nice to be at the salon alone, but I do feel guilty leaving my boys. I also miss that I am not at home when all four of us could be together having family time.  

Jesse is sleeping better and better slowly he is moving to waking at 4-5am most nights, even tho last night he woke at 3am and then again at 5:30! Ouch that was rough on mommy.  

Ok onto the pictures!

Jesse: 4 weeks

Jesse is doing great in his crib.  Mommy is getting a little more sleep with him in there!  He is still getting up about 3 times a night, but last night was twice if you call it an early morning at 6:30am.  Ouch, but really it wasn't horrible.  I got two three hour stretches of sleep, instead of three two hour stretches.  We have been getting more and more 3-4 hour stretches.  Last night would have been even more amazing as he slept great, but mommy got a stomach bug and Owen leaked out of his diaper and we had to get new pjs and sheets.

Jesse is nursing and finally it isn't hurting mommy as much. I think this is just typical for me.  

Just had his one month dr visit.  He is 10 pounds and 15 oz!  Almost 11 pounds, jumping from 30% to 70%!  Dr B said my milk must be very nutritious and keep it up.  The cluster feedings before bed are doing the trick and Jesse is sleeping great getting me up 1-2 times a night. The 3 times a night is what makes me exhausted the next day.  

Jesse is out of newborn clothes and some of the 0-3 month are getting tight too!  His nursery still isn't finished, but we will get to it eventually!!

Jesse: 3 weeks old

I wish I had more time to document every moment with Jesse, but 2 kids is way more work.  This is just plain honesty!

Jesse is thriving! He is a great baby and reminds me a lot of Owen and yet he is his own little person too! The first couple of weeks were just survival between feedings and sleep. Jesse really wants a paci. We didn't do one with Owen and really enjoyed seeing his little face, but he could cry it out and not bother anyone but the parents who were heart broken for him.  This time Jesse's cries wake up Owen if he isnt asleep in the evenings.  

Jesse: birth to 2 week weigh ins!

10-1: 8 pounds

10-2: 7 pounds 14 oz (midnight in hospital)

10-3: 7 lbs 5 oz (follow up at Peds office)

10-7: 7 lbs 10 oz

10-9: 7 lbs 13 oz 

10-14: 8 lbs 3 oz 

Next apt is one month!!

Jesse is giving us a couple 4 hour stretches, but they seem to hit during the day.  I just finished skimming the baby wise book again and will be waking him up during the day to eat.  I, also, moved him to his crib a couple nights ago.  These has seemed to help him stretch to a full 3 hours between starts of feedings instead of 2.5 hours...that extra 30 minutes makes a HUGE difference in the middle of the night!! 

Nursing is different and yet similar with Owen.  We used the nipple shield for several weeks and I stopped using it when his sucking was starting to hurt again.  Owen and Jesse have these tiny mouths and don't want to do a deep latch.  The shield allowed me to force it into their mouths so they got used to it deeper in there.  Then when we drop the shield they allow me to help them do a correct latch.  Well, Jesse has this really hard suckle at the beginning. It HURTS for about 3-5 seconds till my milk lets down and he can relax more.  The other thing that has been harder is finding time to pump.  With 2 kids needing me I can't seem to find a good time and in the evenings Jesse cluster feeds before bed and I don't want to deplete my milk supply or create an over supply.  

Big brother has been soooooo great with little brother.  Our first grocery shopping experience with both boys went pretty good!  Owen at one point held Jesse's hand to calm him down.  MELT MY HEART!!

It worked and Jesse was happy the rest of the shopping trip.  Owen was a little disappointed that he didn't get to ride in the car cart as there would have been no room for groceries and the baby car seat.  I might have to use the ergo next time so he can drive the cart as it makes him so happy! 

We broke out the double stroller and it was great at the outlets!! Both boys were great too!! Especially, since Owen was skipping a nap!  He sat in the front and ate his lunch the whole time, plus it helped that Aunt Sara was with us!! 

This is the ready 2 grow graco stroller that my family gave us!! I love it so far! Very easy to push and turn for a large heavy stroller. Plus the box has created hours of fun for a certain little boy!

We did some naked tummy time: yup of course there was a big poop and pee!!  

Jesse has no butt and skinny long legs!!  Still adorable to me!! Daddy gave mommy the best compliment the other night!  Said Jesses cheeks were filling out!  Means Mommy's milk is doing its job! 

Jesse's Birth Part 2

After getting stitched up and Chris held him for a while, before we attempted nursing.  I pretty much remembered the correct holds and latches and I also remembered Owen's bad latch and YUP baby boy Jesse has the same little mouth.  I was kicking myself in the butt for not bringing the nipple shield or top hat as we called it that I used with Owen for 3 weeks.

Once we got settled in our new room, I asked the nurse.  "When can we go home?"  She looked at me surprised.  I guess others must want to stay in the hospital, but not me.  I hate the bed, I hate being woken up from precious little sleep to get checked, or Jesse to be weighed/hearing test/blood sugar's ran/ etc.  The list goes on and on.

It was amazing how quickly I was able to get up and moving. I am not going to lie, I was in PAIN.  But it was different pain and much less than a c/s.  The c/s I was stuck in bed for over 12 hours.  The VBAC I was up in a few and ready to move around a little so my back, legs and butt didn't get as soar.  The bed was comfy at first compared to the Labor and Delivery bed, but by the time I left it felt like concrete.

daddy buckling him up

ready to go home

Owen took a ride with Mommy

same outfit that Owen wore and it was WAY too big this time again!

Jesse: 38 week apt

Our apt was at 3:30, we had a bunch of errands to run and got them done with time to spare!  At 3:15 we arrived at the OBs office, sadly they were running behind and we didn't got back for the u/s  till 3:50.  Jesse looked great, head down apx weight 7 pounds 12 oz; great fluid. Finally we saw my OB she checked me and I was at a 2cm and 50% effaced.  Basically, some of the contractions were doing stuff but not much progress in my book.

We decided to put a c/s on the calendar, but since it was 5:15  pm at that point the lady who schedules them had left for the day.  To say I was disappointed was an understatement.  

We decided to run to a couple of stores and look for a mirror for the master bath. We bought one at garden ridge even tho it was a smidge too long.  

Jesse: 37 weeks

Wow.  We are here buddy!  FULL TERM!


How far along: 37 weeks, COME ON BABY!
Total weight gain/loss: I was up 42 lbs with Owen and I am proud to say we are only up 30.8 pounds!
Maternity clothes: Loving that the weather is a little cooler and I am comfy in my yoga pants that I enjoyed  at the end with Owen!
Sleep: Looking back at Owen's 37 week post it seems the leg falling asleep thing isn't new.  I had forgotten that happened with him.  My main complaint is shoulders get so soar.  
Best moments this week:  the progress on the bathroom!  I am so ready to have our master bath functioning again.    
Belly button in or out?: officially out, guess that means he is COOKED!
Craving: ready to eat normal again!
What I am looking forward to: meeting this little guy in a few weeks hopefully.

Stretch marks: my belly is still red and splotchy I am using the same Berts Bees Wax, Mama Belly Butter that I had left over from Owen's pregnancy.  I finally figured out to scrape it out with the top of my finger nail and rub it on.  It is so greasy, but does keep me from feeling dry!  I think Owen's stretch marks have gotten red and the other stretch mark I thought I had disappeared! I will take it!

This week has been difficult.  One evening I had contractions on and off all night long.  They ranged from 6-10 minutes apart and were definitely uncomfortable.  They woke me up at night along with the urge to pee and because I was drinking extra water it made the night very long.  It kinda messed with my head a little too because I was a little hopeful that it meant possibly a baby on the way, but I am pretty sure this guy is going to wait till he is cut out! haha!  After all the preterm labor scares he is going to be stubborn at the end!

We still have a few little things that need I would like to be finished before Jesse's arrival:

• hanging vinyl wall art in Jesse's room
• wash sheets and changing table cover
• clean his room one last time
• few more freezer meals including: shepherds pie and turkey chili (working on that last shopping list next)
• clean up around the house...its just cluttered
• hang a few things that were in guest room now nursery around the house

The BIG Master Bath Renovation still needs:  (wrote this on Saturday and since then the crossed out stuff has been finished!)

• crown molding: hang, prime and paint
• base board: install, prime and paint
• can lights: install trim (still waiting for it to come into supply house)
• 2nd coat of paint on walls
• hang mirror (using my Grandfathers Mother's antique Mirror)
• hang light fixture over mirror
• finish electrical switches and receptacles and some other electrical stuff to do with the breakers
• install thermostat for heated floor
• install towel bars
• install shower door: the guy is coming hopefully middle of this week
• Plumbing: set toilet (needs a good cleaning first), install faucets and fixtures in shower; plumber is set to come Monday morning hopefully before I post this on Tuesday! Haha!  He did!!
• cleaning: the whole thing will need a good cleaning before I will feel like it is "ours" and then of course we need to move our stuff in
• towels
• toiletries
• extra shampoos and stuff!  This is the exciting part as it means we are DONE!

Really only the cleaning and the moving of stuff is my part.  Poor Chris has A LOT to do!  I have started gathering stuff in the hall bath to move to the other bathroom!  I need to remove that stuff and then it will be easier to make room for Jesse's stuff in the hall bath too!

Roughest night yet

Saturday was about like any other day. I walked around, but I don't think I over did it. We took Owen to the park with his Pa-Paw and then out to eat and home for a nap.  I baked a roast in the oven and made a huge pot of Santa Fe soup and froze it.  Well, of course, the contractions start as we head to bed. 11:04 was the first one we started timing. They came about every 5 minutes for several hours till I was finally able to sleep through them and they stopped.  I was up to pee about 6 times and had one or 2 each time but I knew they weren't active labor. That would be too easy at this point.  We are 35.5 weeks and still a little early, but OB said she wouldnt stop labor.  But we want him to be full term. As I type that I also am so ready for him to be here. I feel huge, I am so uncomfortable, those contractions were no joke and I want him out. I worry about the cord around his neck, I worry about a very late loss.  I was talking to my sister and I feel that we are all so happy right now that I don't want someone to pop my happy bubble.

As I type this at 8am, Owen is in his big boy bed talking.  One two three....blast off!!! Silly little chatter from the bed! I love it. 

Jesse, I want you to come when you will be healthy and ready, but heads up mommy's body is getting tired.  

  

Jesse: 36 weeks

Ok, buddy. You can come anytime!  I am so ready for you.  Yes, there is more "to dos" on my list like freezer meals, hanging more wall art in your room but really those things don't matter.

Total weight gain/loss: 29 pounds (lost a pound this week, must be water!)

Maternity clothes: Yes 

Stretch marks: found some new ones on the left side and the belly bump is getting a bit red and splotchy.

Sleep:  A couple of nights have been pretty good, though my belly is so hard to get comfortable on pillow.

Best moments this week:  Threw a good friend her baby shower/sprinkle!  Its been so fun to be pg together!  Love and hate all the double looks I have been getting I must be huge!  Haha!

Belly button in or out?: ugh. so far out a so visiable through ALL my clothes.

Craving: not much, just if I don't eat all my snacks I do get hungry and it is hard to get full again. Maybe a brownie! 

What I am looking forward to: Possibly 3 weeks and I get to kiss his face.

I did get a few things done that I am kind of embarrassed to admit.  I am so over prepared.  Today Owen and I went to the car wash.  Everything, I mean everything came out of the van including a toddler's car seat.  That was so gross!  Then during naptime, I installed the baby car seat, mirror and put our suitcase, breast feeding pillow and blanket for Chris in the van!  Yes, I will be driving around with all our junk in the back for weeks, but it was cluttering up the floor in Jesse's room and driving me crazy.  Now all we have to do is grab the last minute items (the very detailed list is on the fridge) and put them in the duffel bag and go!  Last night Chris hung a bunch of "art" on the walls!!! 

Haha!  Here we are:

This morning as I took Owen to school I asked him if he noticed Jesse's car seat? He said "uh-huh, when Jesse outside I buckle him, ok mommy?"

Ok buddy! You can buckle him.  Chris and I got a great laugh because it isn't about helping mommy it is ALL about the buckling 

Time for Freezer meals again!

We had been trying to eat out the freezer before I had to thaw it out last week.  I am so thrilled at how organized and clean it is again!!!

Its pretty organized right now, but once the food freezes solid I will move stuff around to be more like my plan below:
Top Shelf will be meats and meals
Second Shelf will be breast milk (eventually) and Owen's food
Third shelf is frozen veggies
Big Forth shelf is ice packs and other bigger stuff
Bottom Shelf is frozen chicken breasts, pizzas and packaged stuff

But onto the reason for this blog post!  My plan for freezer meals this time.  I am one month away from our due date so usually I shop one day and do a recipe or 2 a day.  It works best if I plan for us to eat it for dinner that night too; so, I am not cooking dinner AND freezer meals.  I always get exhausted doing this even when not pregnant because it is a lot of work, but it really is so worth it for after baby.

Week 1:  Chicken and Pork

• bags of cooked shredded chicken breasts
• chicken pot pies
• Mediterranean Rosemary Chicken Thighs
• Boneless Pork Chops
• Marinated Pork Chops

Week 2: Beef and Ground Beef

• Shepherds Pie (I really want a new recipe b/c we are not in love with the one from Owen's freezer meals, its decent so I will use it if I cant find a better one)
• Santa Fe Soup: seriously this is the EASIEST to make!!
• Beef Stew or Zesty Beef and Veggie Stew

Week 3:  Ground Turkey

• Mild Turkey Chili
• Ground Turkey Cheesy Casserole

Most of the recipes are in my old posts so check them out!  

here are the dollar store pans and they have a reflective side that I put towards the food and a white side that I write directions for later on!

My white erase board is getting full!