Back to the grind....

Well, today is my first day back to work. I've been in for an hour and it already feels like an eternity. I had a rough night last night...mostly due to poor time management in getting all of my stuff organized and ready for today. I also had a hard time falling asleep (which never happens these days) and then I woke up at 2am with a nightmare and Sam woke up at 3 for a feeding. My alarm goes off at 4:15. Yep, not a great night.

I've also had to call IT twice since I got here because I forgot my password. Holy man...is it 3:00 yet? I've got about 5 more hours of doing nothing before I have to be anywhere, too.

It sounds like I'll be getting everything done a lot sooner than expected. I'm not sure what that means in terms of being able to pump while I'm here, but I guess I'll just have to keep on keeping on until then. It's strange because when I came back to work after having Clara I HATED my pump and hated being tied to it. Now it almost makes me sad to think that I won't be able to pump milk for Sam. Maybe because it also means if I stop pumping I'll likely stop nursing, too, and that thought makes me want to cry. I love nursing him. I love the snuggles and I love being able to hold him close.

Crap...no more talk like that or I'll be crying before lunch! It's about time for me to go pump anyway. I'm hoping the rest of the day goes fairly quickly and I don't have run-ins with too many people I don't like. :-) I'll try to do my Two under Tuesday post today, though I likely won't have a picture from this week.

Sam's 2 month survey!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old is baby? 2 months

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: We just had one on May 25th.

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 11lbs 12oz (75%)

b.      Height: 23.5" (97%)

c.       Clothes size: Out of NB stuff now-mostly in 0-3 month clothes. He's wearing some 3 month clothes, like rompers.

d.      Diaper size: Out of NB size and into 1's!

e.      Hair color: Brown, but it looks like there's blond coming in behind it.

f.        Anything else? His eyes seem to be getting lighter blue.

4.       Milestones:

a.       Verbal skills: I think he's finding his voice. He'll "goo" at the curtains next to the changing table once in a while, or in his high chair at the dining room table while we're eating.

b.      Rolling: He almost has, but not on purpose. He just gets frustrated when he's doing tummy time. He is rolling onto his side from his back, though.

c.       Crawling: He can push up with his elbows to look around but no forward movement.

d.      Anything else? He has awesome head control...pretty much has from day one. We've had a few social smiles, but most are still spontaneous. He smiles a lot throughout the day, though.

5.       Things he likes: He loves to be held. I got a Moby wrap for Mother's day and he likes spending time in it. He has fallen asleep a few times while we've been outside. He really likes his play mat. He loves to lay on it and play with the toys.

6.       Things he dislikes: Not a big fan of tummy time, but I still try to get him to do some during the day.

7.       Sleeping: He's awake more during the day. I try to get him down for a mid-morning nap and then a nap around lunchtime (that one usually lasts quite a long time). He usually dozes throughout the evening and I put him to "bed" around 8-9pm. He will usually go about 3 hours between feeds during the night. He slept one 6-hour stretch, too (5/24/12)!

8.       Eating: He's taking 4-5oz of breast milk per feeding when we bottle feed him. If I nurse, he likes to cluster feed in the mornings until around lunch time.

9.       Nicknames: Bubba, Sam I Am, Mr. Sam, Captain Crankypants, Shortbeard

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: Father's Day, and some warmer weather! Maybe even a trip to the NEW Zoo. 

Pictures!!

6 weeks old!

First time in the Moby

Working out the neck muscles

Two under Tuesday: May 22, 2012

Two Under Tuesday Survey

1.       How old are they?

a.       Sam: 1 month, 3 weeks & 1 day

b.      Clara: 1 year, 6 months, 2 weeks & 6 days

2.       What activities are going on this week? Clara had her 18-month check-up and Sam has his 2-month check up. We're going to Green Bay with Grandma to have a date with Jessica & Brayden at the new frozen yogurt place in Green Bay. Next week Tuesday I go back to work. I am NOT excited.

3.       What are the challenges we are dealing with this week? We've hit an all-time fun level with the temper tantrums lately. I think we're also dealing with some jealousy issues. Clara likes to steal Sam's pacis. She never really liked them herself but she'll take his and put it in her mouth. She has started dancing on the couch, too, mostly when we're busy with Sam. I'm not sure if it's jealousy or her testing her boundaries, but it gets old quick.

4.       Any major milestones reached this week?

a.       Sam: Sam has started to smile at me. It makes my whole day!

b.      Clara: Clara went to the park for the first time. She got to go down the slide all by herself for the very first time, too. She had a lot of fun.

5.       How are you feeling about having 2u2 at this point?

a.       Likes: I like that Clara is willing to help me out with Sam instead of just resenting his being here.

b.      Dislikes: I wish I could clone myself some days. It seems like I can't get anything done because someone is always demanding of my time.

6.       Any tips or tricks to share? I'm kind of getting Sam on a schedule-mostly at night. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to get both of the kids to nap at the same time during the day...though Clara doesn't really like to nap anymore.

 Picture of the Week:

Grandma's first time with both kids. It looks like she did pretty well!

18 month survey...hard to believe she's almost 2!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old? 18 months!

2.       Doctor's Appointments: May 21, 2012

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 26lbs (75%)

b.      Height: 33.5 inches (90%)

c.       Clothes size: She still fits in some 18m stuff (a few pajamas and some tops), but mostly 2T, especially for pants. Shoes are a 6.

d.      Diaper size: 5, though we could consider moving up to 6's.

e.      Hair color: Getting super blond with all the time she's been spending outside!

f.        Anything else? She had her 18 month well child check-up on May 21st. Her head measured 46cm and her chest was 49cm.

4.       Milestones:

a.       Teething: STILL working on her 2 year molars. I swear they're never going to come in!

b.      Talking: Picking up new words almost every day.

                                                               i.      Words: She probably has upwards of 40 words now and knows almost the entire alphabet.

c.       Other communication: Daddy taught her how to sign "more".

d.      Anything else? She's starting to show signs of jumping but hasn't done it just yet. She can also use a fork and spoon (regular people sized utensils). She's been pretend sneezing lately and it's so stinkin' cute!

5.       Things she likes:

a.       Toys: She's not really playing with toys much at our house. She has some nice outside toys at Mimi & Papa's (for the sand box). I'd still like to get a sand box.

b.      Books: Hop on Pop is still good, otherwise we haven't been reading much because we've been outside.

c.       Songs: Baa Baa Black Sheep, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and the Alphabet song. She has even started singing the Alphabet song along with us when we sing it. Her most favorite is now "5 little Speckled frogs" because she loves to yell "Splash!"

d.      TV Shows: SuperWhy since she's recognizing letters, and Sesame Street for the same reason (plus she loves to say Elmo).

e.      Other activities: We've been spending a ton of time outside lately. She likes to swing, draw with chalk, play in the dirt or sand box, and just run around like a mad woman. She also likes to rough-house with Dad and read books with Grandpa. We've been taking walks in the stroller and trips to the park during nice weather, too.

6.       Things she dislikes: Coming in the house after being outside.

7.       Sleeping: She's still sleeping really well at night but naps are still hit and miss. We've stopped fighting with her, though it sometimes ends up in major meltdowns in the late evening.

8.       Eating: She has days where she eats a ton and days when she doesn't eat much. We just try to go with the flow and let her eat when she asks.

a.       Favorite foods:

b.      Not so favorite foods:

9.       Nicknames: Pretty much the same-there aren't any new ones.

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: Father's Day and maybe another trip to the NEW Zoo.

Pictures!!

Driving the fire truck

Feeding the ducks & geese

Crawling through a tunnel

2 under Tuesday-5.15.12

Two Under Tuesday Survey

1.       How old are they?

a.       Sam: 1 month, 2 weeks, and 1 day

b.      Clara: 1 year, 6 months, 1 week and 6 days

2.       What activities are going on this week? Adam is off of school so we've been working outside a lot which is fun but hard. Other than that we don't really have a lot of things planned. We've just been trying to spend time together.

3.       What are the challenges we are dealing with this week? Still somewhat the same as last week only this week I'm not doing it alone. Clara is back to fighting naps again. She didn't take one on Sunday or today, despite playing outside all day both days. The only nice thing about that is we usually have no trouble getting her to bed at night.

One of my other issues is getting to the grocery store. It NEEDS to get done but it's difficult with 2 kids. Number one, I'm not sure where to put 2 kids and the groceries if I go alone (other than putting Sam in the Moby) and Number 2, the thought of doing all the grocery shopping with both kids in tow is EXHAUSTING!

4.       Any major milestones reached this week?

a.       Sam: He's starting to smile a lot more. He still hasn't really smiled AT anyone but he's starting to smile more and coo at things. He's also awake for quite a long time during the day now. I love watching the funny faces he makes when he sits in his high chair while we're all eating dinner.

b.      Clara: Nothing major, but she has picked up a couple new words again: apple and owl. She has also started mimicking sneezing. She'll say "ah, ah, ah, do!" and then fall down and laugh. It's hilarious.

5.       How are you feeling about having 2u2 at this point?

a.       Likes: Clara has been really helpful the last couple days. She'll bring me things I need, like Sam's paci and blanket. It's neat to see her interacting with him.

b.      Dislikes: I've been struggling with patience lately...especially when Clara won't nap and Sam is being fussy. I know he's just coming into his next growth spurt and it should be getting better soon, but until then I'm glad Adam's home to help!

6.       Any tips or tricks to share? I think I need to figure out a better system for naptime. I've been trying to keep Clara on the same nap schedule but I think I need to try to get Sam down first and then try to get Clara down. The only problem is that I'm not guaranteed that Sam will stay down...or that I'll be able to put Clara in her crib for that matter. 

Picture of the Week:

Two Under Tuesday

Two Under Tuesday Survey

1.       How old are they?

a.       Sam: 1 month, 1 week and 1 day old

b.      Clara: 1 year, 6 months and 6 days old

2.       What activities are going on this week? Monday we had Clara's story time. It was really fun to watch her! Tuesday I had both kids all day while Adam was in school. Mom & I walked down to the school to vote. Wednesday Clara goes by Mimi's for a couple hours to give me a break while Adam's at school. Thursday is the same as Wednesday, except that when Adam comes home I'm going out to dinner with my friend Mel (AH, FINALLY SOME ADULT TIME!!). The rest of the weekend we have no formal plans, but I'd like to get my garden planted!

3.       What are the challenges we are dealing with this week? The big one today was naps. I can't get them both to nap at the same time-which wouldn't be a problem except if Sam is awake and crying I can't get Clara to take a nap by rocking her. Occasionally I can put her down in her crib while she's awake and she'll fall asleep, but more often she needs to be rocked to sleep and I can't do that when Sam's crying. I try to get him down for a nap around lunch time so that he's sound asleep by the time I need to put Clara down, but that didn't happen today for whatever reason.

4.       Any major milestones reached this week?

a.       Sam: No major milestones this week.

b.      Clara: She's picking up more and more letters.

5.       How are you feeling about having 2u2 at this point?

a.       Likes: Watching Clara with her brother. She has started coming over to him and giving him kisses when he cries. She likes to rock his swing, too...sometimes a little hard!

b.      Dislikes: Trying to get this napping thing figured out and sometimes I feel like I let Clara watch way too much TV during the day. Sam likes to cluster-feed in the mornings so it's hard for me to spend the time with Clara that I'd like to. I'm getting a Moby wrap and I'm hoping that will help.

6.       Any tips or tricks to share? I wish I had some this week. I'm really struggling. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm starting to get a little burned out. I'm hoping that dinner out will help recharge my batteries a little....if I can get to talking about something other than the kids!

Pictures!

Sleeping in the bouncy chair at Grandma's during dinner

Holding cousin Brayden for the first time