Juggling

Posted on September 18, 2010August 17, 2012 by Amy

All things considered, I have found that the second baby is way easier than the first baby. I know part of this is because Lass really is just an easy baby. She sleeps well, she eats well, she rarely cries. But Miss was a pretty easy baby too compared to the stories I had heard from some moms I know. So I know that part of the reason Lass is so easy is because of me. I’m different. I’m more confident. I kind of feel like I know what I’m doing this time around. Things don’t freak me out as much as they did the first time I did all this. I don’t keep an obsessive journal of every feeding, complete with how long Lass nurses on each side, when I pump (heck, I haven’t even pumped an ounce this time around yet!), and when she pees and poops. I know part of this is because Lass did not have issues with her weight gain, and though she lost a little bit of weight in the hospital, it wasn’t much, and she was well over her birth weight by her two-week appointment. Miss on the other hand had lost a considerable amount of weight in the hospital and we had to go for weekly weight checks until she surpassed her birth weight, which I think took three or four weeks for her to do. But also, I’m less nervous about breastfeeding in general this time. Last time I was scared to death that I wouldn’t have enough milk, or my “supply” would run out, or Miss wouldn’t learn to latch or would refuse to nurse or whatever. This time I wasn’t nervous. I knew that I had successfully nursed Miss for 14 months and could do it again. I knew my boobs could produce, so I didn’t worry. In general, I really just worry less this time around.

So like I said, baby #2 is much easier than baby #1. What I do sometimes worry about this time around is Miss. I worry that she will feel that I’m not paying enough attention to her or that somehow she’ll feel left out. I’ve found that the big trick to taking good care of two very small children and maintaining your sanity is juggling. Keeping the balls in the air. Coordination. Etcetera.

I’ve gotten pretty good at juggling. I’m able to do many more things at one time than I ever thought possible. Sometimes it’s just small things to juggle, like holding Lass to nurse with one arm while using the other hand to help Miss put on her Daddy’s coat, which she very much wanted to model for us.

Or bouncing a fussy Lass in my BabyEtte wrap outside so that Miss could blow off some steam in the yard.

And then there are the times when you can’t help but drop a ball. Or two. The other night was one of those times. Picture this. My hubby was at a meeting. It was dinner time for Miss. I was planning ahead. Realized that Lass would be hungry right about the time that I would usually give Miss her bath and put her to bed. I’m flexible. Loose. I decide Miss can stay up a bit later while I feed Lass. Then I’ll do the bath and bed routine with Miss. No biggie.

Well, just around the time I make this plan, as Miss is happily eating her dinner, she toots and says, “Biiig Poop!” (which kind of sounds like “Beee pup!” when she says it). And I reply, “No Honey, I think you just tooted. Say ‘Excuse me’ please.” Not 30 seconds later I hear what sounds like an actual “big poop,” and sure enough she says again “Beeee pup!” So I know I have to revise my plan. Because I can’t let Miss sit in a poopy diaper while I feed Lass. But it seems stupid to change Miss’s diaper only to put her in the tub 20-30 minutes later. So I roll with it and decide I can put Miss in the tub and let her play while I nurse Lass. Juggling, juggling.

Dinner is done. I take the girls upstairs. Miss hadn’t really pooped much at all, but I went ahead with the plan. Cleaned her up, put her in the tub, and positioned myself on the stool by the side of the tub where I proceed to nurse Lass. This is not comfortable, but I’m keeping the balls in the air, and all is well. Until it’s not. I hear the toot. See the bubbles. Miss says again, “Beee pup!” And I’m thinking, “Please, please, please let this only be a toot.” But then Miss gets her “I’m pooping” look and sure enough, she poops in the tub.

Balls dropping. I have a moment of panic. Then Miss sees the poop and proceeds to completely. freak. out. She scuttles away from the poop, stands up and starts screaming at the top of her lungs, reaching for me and trying to climb out of the tub. So I have Lass latched onto my boob, and Miss clutched onto my arm screaming, and poop in the tub, and I do the only thing a Mom can do in this situation. I start cracking up laughing. Because really, what else is there to do in that moment? But the laughter only lasted for a second, since I did have a terrified toddler trying to claw her way up my arm and out of the tub. So I quickly gathered my senses, spoke soothingly to Miss while unlatching Lass (who fortunately had eaten enough to be temporarily content) and putting her in her bouncy seat right by the bathroom door (I had already placed it there in preparation for putting her in it when she got done eating), got all the poop out of the tub and cleaned up, and proceeded to finish Miss’s bath with fresh water in a clean tub. Whew.

I think I’m getting pretty good at juggling a newborn and a toddler. I can handle two under two. And I’ve learned that even when I inevitably “drop the ball” once in a while, it’s not too much of a big deal as long as I can just pick it back up and get back in the swing of it. And after the Poop-In-The-Tub Incident, as this will ever be remembered, I think I can handle just about anything.

Our Weekend

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Amy

We had a nice weekend here. My hubby was on call and had to work all weekend, but we had fun anyway. Yesterday the girls and I went to a local store and cafe where they have lots of toys in a big play area, so Miss had a blast playing with other kids and some different toys. I was a little bit amazed at how long it took me to get ready and get out of the house with two kids, but we made it, only a half hour later than my intended time. And we weren’t meeting anyone, so we weren’t really late, just later than I thought we would get going. We got home just in time for Miss to have a nap. Lass wasn’t tired, so we had some bonding time while Miss slept. We lounged around.

And had a little tummy time.

And we snuggled.

Then Miss woke up just in time to watch the Michigan game. It was a pretty good football weekend. Michigan State and Michigan both won, and the Michigan game was exciting to watch. I didn’t watch the game, but Iowa beat Iowa State, which made my husband happy but my brother unhappy. My hubby went to Iowa for his undergraduate and medical degrees, and my brother went to Iowa State and played football there, so that game never really has a happy ending for me.

Naturally, since yesterday was 9/11 I spent some time thinking about that day nine years ago, the people who lost their lives and all that has happened since then. My brother participated in a cool 9/11 Stairclimb memorial event with other firefighters. Since my brother and my dad are both professional firefighters (dad retired), the part about the 9/11 tragedy that always seemed the worst to me was how many firefighters and other emergency personnel lost their lives running into the towers to save people. So the stairclimb memorial was a pretty cool tribute I thought.

Yesterday was also the one-year anniversary of this blog. I have gone back and read all the posts from the past year in the past week or so. Mostly I’ve done this while nursing Lass in the middle of the night. It’s been fun to see the things I’ve written about and the photos I’ve posted. I started this blog kind of on a whim, but I’m so glad I did. It has been very enjoyable for me to keep up with it and to look back at how much has changed in the last year.

Today was a beautiful day so we just hung around at home. Miss played some music this morning.

And she showed off her sparkly pants

and bedazzled shirt, which she loved to look at all day.

We played outside this afternoon. The weather was perfect and Miss had a great time in the yard as always. Lass hung out in my BabyEtte wrap again. Bubbles were blown, sticks were collected (and crab apples, and acorns. . .), and there was lots of happy running.

When the Daddy got home he had some good cuddles with both of the girls.

They read a magazine. A plane magazine, of course.

And Miss gave Lass lots of kisses, as she always does.

And finally, I am happy to say that the “transition jeans” I bought after my pregnancy with Miss are already way too big. Yay. It was a good weekend.

On Our Own

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Amy

This has been our first week on our own. Just the three of us. Just us girls. Just me, the Mom, managing a newborn and a toddler. Zone defense. I think I’ve done all right. We have had our moments. A meltdown here and there. I have let Miss watch waaayyy more TV than I ever have before. Which still isn’t a lot, since previously she pretty much watched no TV, but I feel a little bad turning on the TV to occupy her when I’m busy with Lass. But she doesn’t watch it much, and I’ve said many times to other mom friends who have had the same guilt, “A little TV isn’t going to hurt anyone.” So I should listen to my own reassurances and stop feeling bad about it I guess. Besides, Miss loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Yo Gabba Gabba. Has anyone ever watched that show?? Whoa. It is seriously weird, but Miss loves it and dances to the music and waves to the strange characters. The first time we watched it Jack Black was on. That was a little scary. Especially when he was suddenly and magically wearing the weird orange suit to match the DJ guy. Jack Black does not look good in that orange suit. I’m just sayin’.

Miss continues to do well as the Big Sister. She still tries to test me sometimes, and I am occasionally at a loss about what to do with her when she does this while I’m nursing or otherwise occupied with Lass and not very well able to correct her. But overall things are going well and getting better every day. I got a new gate to replace the stupid useless one I had previously purchased. I am always trying to encourage and praise Miss about being a Big Girl, and in that vein she got a new Big Girl Seat.

And then there’s this angel.

She is really a good baby. She eats well and sleeps well at night, for the most part. Some nights are better than others, but I know I have it easy compared to some. For example, a bad night for us is when she wakes up three times instead of one or two (Wednesday night) or when she is fussy and won’t stay asleep until I put her in the bouncy seat at midnight, and then she sleeps until 6 when I wake her up to feed her (last night). So really, even her bad nights aren’t all that bad. And she is just so snuggly!!

We’re chilling at home today, but the past two days we’ve gotten out and about a bit. Doctor’s visits for both girls on Wednesday, Lass is 11 lbs, Miss is 25 lbs. Having both of them together was a bit of an adventure, but it worked out okay. Yesterday we all went to pick up our produce box and then went for a nice walk around the neighborhood. Lass loves to ride in my BabyEtte wrap when we walk or go to the store, or even just around the house. She just snuggles right in and snoozes away. Yesterday she slept while I wore her for our walk and then just stayed in the wrap while I made dinner and ate. Handy.

And while us girls have been doing well on our own during the day, we sure do love it when Daddy comes home. He and Miss have been having little dance parties in the evenings. A breakdancing session turned into this:

After a while he pretended to be asleep. she wasn’t having it though. She prodded him.

She signed “more” and said, “Agi??” (again)

Then she flashed this grin when she knew she had him.

The next game was Mop-the-Floor.

They took a little break for some photos. Check out the adoration with which she looks at her Daddy.

Priceless.

And back to playing.

Miss then wanted to read a book for her Daddy.

And now, right on cue, she’s waking from her nap. Back to it!

Holding the Fort

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Amy

My parents were here for one week and one day after Lass was born. It was great. Miss was in heaven playing with Grandma and Grandpa (both “Gaga”). My dad cooked. My mom bounced the baby and made curtains for her room. They both doted on Miss. It was fabulous.

On Wednesday, they left. It was a little scary at first, but ended up not being too bad. Fortunately my hubby has been off work this whole past week, so we’ve been able to maintain man-to-man defense. After a little bit of a rough patch on Wednesday, Miss has adjusted really well to her new role. She really didn’t do badly at any point, but there were just a few things she had trouble getting used to. Like the fact that she doesn’t get carried up and down the stairs much anymore. She was having a fit every time I would tell her to turn around and go down the stairs on her tummy and instead stood at the top of the stairs reaching out to me and crying “Ca-ee” (carry). We finally came to a compromise when I offered to hold her hand while she walked down the stairs like a “big girl.” Problem solved. And there have been a few other times when she has clearly been trying to test me, but mostly she’s just adorable as Big Sister. She watches over Lass.

Tries to help with the burp cloths and binkies.

And always asks to give kisses to her baby sister. She is a bundle of energy though and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with her.

So we got this to help out. Unfortunately, the mesh doesn’t reach all the way to the sides and she has learned that she can just squeeze through and go on her merry way. We’ll be fixing that.

Overall, things are going really well here. We may not be quite as neat and tidy as at other times.

But we’re making it work. Lass is a great baby and she makes it easy to give lots of attention to Miss, which is what she needs right now.

We catch our sleep whenever we can and cuddle our girls as much as possible.

Life is good.

Our Little Lass has Arrived

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Amy

Tuesday the 24th, our precious Lass arrived. She is so worth the wait.

She was 10 lbs, 7 oz and 21 inches of perfect baby girl. She gave us a bit of a scare, because she wasn’t breathing very well when she was first born. Turns out she just had some extra amniotic fluid in her lungs and stomach that she needed to get out, but they took her to the nursery for the first few hours of her life to monitor her and check everything out. She quickly rebounded and is perfectly fine now. Here she is getting ready to go home, with Big Sister supervising.

All ready to go!

The proud Daddy.

First family photos.

So what does Miss think of her new baby sister? Here’s their first meeting:

Immediately upon coming into the hospital room, Miss made a beeline for Lass and said, “Baby??” She was fascinated by her right away and barely even gave me a notice as she went to see her new sister. She is very intrigued by the things Lass does, like yawning, which Miss has to point out and imitate each time she sees it.

Miss also insisted on wearing her baby sister’s hat. She pranced around very proudly once she got Grandma to put it on.

And she wanted to try to sit in the infant carseat.

She watched intently while I got Lass dressed to go home.

She was already trying to help by getting me a burp cloth.

Miss adores her sister.

I can’t believe how Miss seemed to grow up overnight to me. She suddenly just seems so big. I am thrilled with how she has responded to her sister, always asking to touch and hug and kiss her. She truly looks distressed when she hears Lass crying and points it out to me every time, “Baby crying!” She is very interested in helping me with her sister and has been extra snuggly with her. I am so proud of my big girl.

By the way, I was able to have a successful medication-free VBAC delivery. It was quite an experience. I’ll tell that story another day. Today is for introducing our two new girls, Lass and Miss – The Big Sister. They have filled our hearts with joy.

Come and Gone

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Amy

Baby Girl’s “due date” I mean. Friday was the big day. It came. And it went. I posted about this before here, but the same thing happened with Miss, who was born three days after her due date. Here’s a photo of the hubby and me on Miss’s due date before going out for a nice dinner.

We decided to go out to dinner again on Friday. Nothing fancy this time. Just a nice little Italian restaurant and then some fabulous ice cream. I had a waffle cone with one scoop of Espresso Oreo Chunk (or something like that) and one scoop of something vanilla with lots of chocolate and caramel things in it. Yum. We even packed our stuff in the truck since the restaurant we picked was very near the hospital where I’ll be delivering, and I had been having contractions about 4 minutes apart for quite a while that evening. I wasn’t super hopeful, because the contractions had been occurring while we went for a walk and then while I was vacuuming and getting ready to go. Once I sat down in the car, they slowed right down, just as I thought they would. But it didn’t hurt to be prepared. Anyway, here’s our due date photo from Friday.

I know the “due date” is just an estimate date of arrival, but it is a bit discouraging to watch it come and go. My mom said I was born 19 days late (!!!), so maybe I’m just destined to have babies who arrive late. I like to think maybe it’s just so comfy in there for them they are reluctant to come out into the world. Whatever. I’m ready. So Baby Girl can come any time now. Really. Any time. Maybe she’ll follow in her sister’s footsteps and come three days late, which would be tomorrow. That would be good. Fingers crossed. At any rate, next Tuesday is her deadline. If she doesn’t come before then (please, please let her come before then), my doctor is going to induce me on the 31st. Basically, since I’ve had a prior c-section, induction only means that my doctor will break my water and hope that gets things started. I’d much prefer to let things start on their own though, so hopefully this little girl will make her appearance in the next week.

So here’s a question. As I’m sure you can imagine, I have heard tons of suggestions on ways to get labor started (a new one I heard recently was to repeatedly drive over railroad tracks). The thing I’ve been doing the most of is walking. Every day I go for at least one walk. In fact, Friday night my hubby and I were out walking with Miss before putting her to bed and going out to dinner. We stopped to chat with our next door neighbor and Hubby jokingly said that he wasn’t going to let me stop walking until I went into labor. We happened to see the same neighbor at the restaurant we went to that night and he said “What, did you make her walk all the way here??” (the restaurant is roughly 20 miles from our house). We got a little chuckle out of that. Anyway, I’d love to hear your strategies, whether old wives’ tales, silly ideas, or something that worked for you. So post a comment and tell me how to get this show on the road!

18-month “Miss”-cellany

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Amy

I can’t believe Miss is 18 months old! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday we were here:

But those pictures were all taken about a year ago!

It’s funny that I no longer commemorate the months passing with various milestones, but rather marvel every day in how much she is learning and growing. It amazes me the things she can suddenly do! For example, she recently completed a gymnastics class. The other day she bent over and just did a somersault by herself. She did it again today. And her language is just phenomenal. She says new words and phrases every day, and can repeat back to me just about anything I say. Today I said “Oh boy!” about something I was trying to get her excited to do, and she repeated it right back. I have no idea how many words she can say now, there are so many. It is so fun to talk to her. To see her understand me and actually answer my questions. And I adore her voice. The way she says certain words, like “bubbles” and “goggles” and “buh-byee,” just makes me want to squeeze her and laugh every time. She is fascinated with colors. Right now most things are “pink,” but sometimes she will correctly identify a “red car” or use the word “white” correctly. She also loves the number 2 and counting. She gets excited when she sees two of something and says “two!!!” She also likes to try to count. When we are counting she will point and say “twoooo, heeeee.” Never any other numbers, but she’s got those down!

Here are some of the other things she’s enjoying right now.

She loves our dogs!!

She loves giving a stick to our younger dog. . .

. . .and gets so excited when he takes it!

Sometimes she just watches him chew on it. . .

. . .and sometimes she tries to take it back.

She makes funny faces all the time. She will sit in front of the mirror when I’m drying her hair after a bath and pull and pinch her face to try to “make faces,” which is something she learned from her cousins in Iowa. Other times, she just makes funny faces because she’s funny! She was actually telling me something serious here:

She is a total Daddy’s girl. She likes to hang out wherever he is. She enjoys playing with him in the garage in our gym area. He plays music and she tries to lift the “big balls” (medicine balls) or dances around. These are some booty shakin’ moves:

She is a big helper. She loves to help with laundry. She pushes the basket to the stairs and climbs up in front of me while I carry the basket behind. Then she hands me the clothes while I’m folding them. She also loves to help make the bed. Every day she gets the pillows for me when I do.

I am seriously in such awe of her all the time. I love to try to see things through her eyes, as she often notices things I completely miss or take for granted. And she gets such joy out of everything. It’s impossible not to be happy when I’m with her. She is exuberance and sunshine and delight. Man, it’s great to be “Mama” to my girl.

Big Girl Chair

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Amy

Well, I’ve finally gotten Baby Girls’ room almost complete. I got her crib sheets made, though I kind of slacked on making the crib skirt.

I got the artwork on the walls.

And we moved the big glider/recliner from Miss’s room. We also moved Miss’s small wicker rocker from her room so that she can sit and rock with me while I’m nursing or rocking the baby. At least that’s the idea anyway! I still have to get the window treatments done. There is a blackout shade, but I still need to make panels.

So you may be wondering what we did with Miss’s room after moving the chairs out of there? We gave her a Big Girl Chair, complete with tiny matching ottoman! The big pillows next to it are for me when we’re reading stories before nap or bedtime.

We also put a cradle for her Baby there so she can get into doing baby care things alongside me, hopefully. The area is still a work in progress, as it looks a little sparse, but we’re getting there. I did move the birdcage/chandelier lamp out of there for now. Though it would add a lot, the chain/cord makes me nervous, so it’s in the guest bedroom until Miss gets a little bit older. And Miss loves her new chair. She loves to sit and read. . .

Or put her feet up. . .

And she is enjoying taking care of her Baby. Here she is tucking her in.

She’s gonna be a GREAT big sister!!!!

My Dad

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Amy

Today is my Dad’s birthday. Naturally I have been thinking about him on his day. In fact, I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. I have really come to appreciate what a great Dad I have. Not that I didn’t already know this, but it has been more on my mind these past few months. I think this has something to do with some discussions I’ve had with others about how their fathers were involved in their lives. Or not so involved. It made me more conscious of the fact that there are lots of fathers out there who are bread-winner-authority-figure-type guys but who don’t really do the DAD thing. I also think my recent thoughts about and appreciation for my own Dad come from the enjoyment I’ve gotten out of watching my husband be a Dad to Miss. I am so, so, so thankful that I married a man who is more like the Dad I had than like the hands-off-dad-type. And I’m thankful that I had the type of Dad who made me know that I had to find such a man to spend my life with. I love the fact that my hubby is so involved in playing with and taking care of Miss, and I know that both of our girls will have wonderful memories of times spent with their Dad. Just like I do.

And because I’ve been thinking so much about my Dad, and telling other people about him, I want to share some of the great memories I have of growing up with him. This is just a glimpse, but I hope you can see what kind of guy he is.

He taught me to ride a two-wheeler, shoot a bow and arrow, throw a tomahawk, drive a stick shift (my Mom and brother helped with this one too, it was a big job), and shoot a muzzleloader, among many, many other things.

He moved my stuff in and out of various dorm rooms, apartments, and houses, who knows how many times.

He tried to teach me to cook, though I wasn’t interested at the time (I told him that I would be perfectly capable of reading and following a recipe when necessary). He did teach me a few basics though, and these days I enjoy talking cooking with him, as he’s a great cook and I really enjoy cooking now.

When I was in fourth grade he coached my basketball team because no one else would do it. I was horrible at basketball, though I truly didn’t know it then. And my dad doesn’t even really like basketball. But I wanted to play and we needed a coach. So he coached.

He helped build the most amazing Homecoming parade float for my Freshman class when I was class president. It was Dumbo and it was fantastic. We blew the upperclassmen out of the water in the float competition.

He used to build the best snowmen. One year we had a bust of Abraham Lincoln. I’m talking a 3D representation of what you see on a penny. It was cool.

He belayed me when I was really into rock climbing and didn’t have anyone else to go with me.

He was there for everything. Volleyball games, cheerleading competitions, gymnastics meets, choir concerts, and on and on. He was just a cool Dad. He still is. But now he’s a fantastic Grandpa too. Happy Birthday Dad.

A Fun First

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Amy

Pigtails!!! Miss sported her first pigtails today and I was totally in love with them and with her wearing them. Surprisingly, she didn’t pull them out either. Gotta love the old-school plastic barrettes too, just like I had when I was little. Check out the cuteness.