Mama Monday

Vacation!

Jeremy has a week off so we're headed to Virginia Beach to spend some time, just the three of us. We have been counting down the days till this vacation and we're so excited to sleep in, play with Owen and touch some baby toes in the sand for the very first time. The weather forecast is less than stellar for the upcoming week but as long as we're together it doesn't matter.

See you next week!

Back to Asheville

Jeremy's schedule has been bad (to put it mildly) lately so Owen and I decided to fly to North Carolina to visit Kelly and her boys last week. Apparently, 1 is the breaking point at which your baby won't just nurse and sleep the entire plane trip and wants to get down/fuss/head butt you the entire flight. I tried not to flash the person sitting (oh so close) next to us and on the way back there were two men behind us who graciously played peek-a-boo with Owen whenever he started to fuss. It wasn't the worst trip ever - but definitely the worst so far for us in terms of plane rides.

We had a really fun trip, low-key but it was just nice to having someone to chat with while going about our day.

This trip was the first time I kind of saw Owen through someone else's eyes, mostly because his personality differed so much from Kelly's busy boys. O is very quiet and sweet - he is a thinker and is very reserved about his actions. He ALWAYS went to Kelly (or her Mom or her Dad) for hugs and snuggles and was content to sit in the same spot and play with a toy for an hour while her boys ran circles around him. Her 11 month old, Ben, took his first steps while we were there and Owen could have cared less. Ben spends his days trying to catch up to his older brother (~3) and Owen spends his days exploring stacking cups and petting our cat.  I watched Ben pick up an etch-a-sketch and draw on it with the correct end of the stylus. After he put it down, I watched Owen crawl over to it and EAT THE STYLUS. Ben put a pot on their play stove, Owen put the pot on his head. Having an older sibling is a huge motivator for a baby and it made me laugh to see Owen, unphased, moving along at his own pace.

Owen is very verbal and was able to teach Ben his monster sound and how to clap.  It warmed my heart when I saw him pressing his little nose up against their glass door pointing and saying, "teet! teet!" at the birds on the feeder. 

I also had a realization that I am "that mom" whose kid naps the day away allowing me free time to screw around on the internet make dinner, do laundry and save the planet. Poor Kelly, her boys never nap at the same time and Ben only takes 2, 30 minute naps. I gotta hand it to her - that girl takes one fast shower! Meanwhile, Owen woke up almost an hour after her boys and was taking a 3hr morning nap and a 1(+) hour afternoon nap that I had to waking him up from so we could have dinner. The three boys never slept or ate at the same time! It was like we were in a constant rotation and finally at the end of the week when we finally figured out when/how we could leave the house with all three kids in tow - it was time for us to leave :(

We took the kids to a bar (the horror! babies IN A BAR) early one evening to listen to Irish fiddle music. It was really fun and the boys all did great. Owen rode a bike for the first time and had his first taste of ice cream. If you asked him, he'd say it was a pretty good trip! And I agree!

 We actually made use of the kiddo-cart while in Walmart. We felt like the Duggars

My laid back boy

 Two strollers for our walks, a double for the littles and a jogger for Graham.

Ice cream face!

baby in a bar

Owen "rides" a bike

Riding a bike from Tam on Vimeo.

Kelly's husband is deployed right now but we can't wait until he's back safe and sound and Jeremy has time off so we can spend time together with both families. These boys are going to have so much fun together as they get older and Kelly and I have already started a list of embarrassing stories to tell their future girlfriends ;)

Shabbat Shalom!

 Owen's favorite book, "That's Not My Tractor!"

Also, I'm blogging over at Kveller again today!

The view from the backseat is looking pretty safe

{Flashback: Car seat laxative effect}

This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new guidelines for children to remain rear-facing in the car seat until AT LEAST age 2 (as opposed to an early recommendation of 1 yr and 20 lbs). I strongly believe these recommendations are in the best interest of our children, even if its not the most convenient option for us as parents.

More about my thoughts on this issue at Kveller.com

Wordless Wednesday

No one said being a Mama was going to be glamorous...

Apparently, O is still feeling a little under the weather. Just ask the cheesy-calliflower-scrambled egg shower he gave us this afternoon.

Oy.

Old Mcdonald had a monster

I took this video of Owen about a week and a half ago. He is one smart cookie!


Old Mcdonald from Tam on Vimeo.

He also says, "chicken" "cookie" and "freckle" now.

We have our baby back

Thank you for all of your calls, texts, messages and prayers.We went to the doctor yesterday and while O was still miserable (he slept on me and nursed for most of the visit) it was just a virus running its course. We did feel even worse for him when the doctor looked in his mouth and declared it a "war zone" with four molars half-through and two incisors pushing in. Teething has not been kind to Mr. O.

Owen's fever finally broke early this morning. He ate breakfast for me for the first time since Thursday so that was a relief.

I knew he was back to his old self again when he was dancing with Ellen DeGeneres this morning.

I'll admit, both Jeremy and I took advantage of the sick baby snuggles over the past three days. He hasn't slept on us since he was a newborn and it felt nice to have a cuddly boy who needed us, but we are thrilled to have a happy, healthy boy back and I'm happy to not be sleeping on the couch anymore.

Our first real sickness was quite the experience. I now have to stop myself from buying a plastic bubble to lock him in until he's 18.

Fever persists

Unfortunately O wasn't much better today. We struggled to keep his fever below 103.5 and had to put him in a tepid bath when it reached over 104 -- he was NOT a fan. He nursed and slept on us for most of the day so the good news is he's hydrated. I'm so glad we're still nursing and he can find comfort when he's ill. He hasn't eaten in two days and is only drinking a few sips of water for us out of the sippy cup. We're trying to avoid going to the hospital so we've been in contact with the doctor and as long as he's nursing and we can keep his fever down a little bit it is fine for us to take care of him at home. The doctor wants to see him tomorrow morning at 10am.

Tonight as I was rocking Owen to sleep he threw up all over me. Jeremy came in to grab him and help me get cleaned up. Oddly enough, Owen's fever broke and all of a sudden he wanted to play with toys and eat some cheese?


We'll see what the rest of tonight brings...

It was bound to happen

Today Owen woke up at 6am screaming his little heart out. I rushed in to get him and my heart sank as I picked up a burning hot baby. I stripped him down to his onsie and took his temperature, 102.3.  SHIT. I fumbled around for the Tylenol while he screamed on the changing table. O has had some low teething fevers before but never anything over 100. I brought him into our bed and tried to comfort him but he was having none of that. I brought him back in the nursery and rocked him and nursed him and finally he found sleep around 9am. He woke up screaming again at noon and I took his temperature again, 105.  I almost cried when I saw the thermometer reading. I actually started to get light headed and felt a little nauseous with fear, but forced myself to get it together. I gave him more Tylenol and called the doctor. They said to keep him hydrated, dressed cool and loose, give Tylenol every 4 hours and to call back in an hour to report if the fever had gone down, "even a couple points it good, just know you're not going to bring it back down to normal and that is fine as long as you can bring it down a little bit."

An hour later it was 103.2 so apparently that was moving in the right direction. I literally spent the entire day with a firey ball of crying, nursing, sleeping baby attached to me. My heart was breaking for him and I did everything I could to stay hydrated and try to sneak in meals for myself. Each time I tried to put him down he would cry hysterically so I scooped him back up and made my way to the couch. We stayed in the same spot most of the day, he nursed and slept while I cleared out the DVR. It was 70 degrees and sunny today and I so badly wanted to bring him outside for some fresh air but he just wanted to be held and nursed.

Jeremy came home from work around 7pm and tried to relieve me. Owen was asleep nursing when Jeremy walked in the door and in a groggy, sleepy voice he said, "Dah-dy?" MELT ME WITH CUTENESS WHY DON'T YOU!!

It was long day and even with Jeremy home, Owen wanted me. It felt nice to be needed, but I was longing for that smiley boy from yesterday. In the last few days we've been around a toddler who goes to preschool, we've been on a plane and he's licked a few shopping carts (much to my horror). Somewhere along the way he picked up a nasty bug that is tearing through his little system.

Today I learned a new lesson in being a Mama. I learned to be calm and patient. I learned not to take it for granted when O is too busy playing to nap. I savored the snuggles and was so grateful I was able to comfort our boy. Today was hard, but we made it through. 

Please keep baby O in your thoughts and prayers, hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Today Jeremy had his first day off in 17 days and we were greeted with a BEAUTIFUL sunny day. We (finally) got our hands on some girls scout cookies, had a sample bonanza at Costco (Owen cleaned house today with a cart picnic) and then a walk with friends to see the fire truck. Not exactly the green beer debauchery of years past, but I wouldn't trade my little family for anything in the world.

 {21 days old}

How is it even POSSIBLE that this is the same baby??

wrinkles up his nose when he smiles, just like his Mama!

Wordless Wednesday

One Year Visit!

Last week we took Owen to the doctor for his ONE YEAR visit! Such a perfect boy we have and I couldn't belive that he SITS UP on the scale now!

Birth: 7 lbs 2 oz 19.5 inches

1 Year: 20 lbs 8oz  30.25 inches

He is in the 65% for height and head circumference and 34% for weight (on the WHO breastfed babies chart). Growth-wise he's doing great. He had three injections and his finger pricked for iron levels (12.1 Hbg, PERFECT!)

* plays peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
* waves bye-bye and gives "high five"
*points at objects
* (sometimes) holds up pointer finger when we say, "how old is Owen?"
*drinks (water) from a straw cup and feeds himself with thumb and fingers (even VERY small pieces of food)
* Says, "Mama" "Dada" "Daddy" "ducky" "quack" "cookie" "stinky" "tweet, tweet" "weee" and sometimes, "uh-oh"
* when he is tired he says, "Night, Night" over and over again
* This week he started signing "milk" to me when he wants to nurse!
*crawls (quickly now!) to get wherever he wants
*pulls up to standing and can stand for a few seconds
*cruises around furniture
*understands simple requests, "give that to Mama" or "Go get your book" or "dance, Owen!" or "eat your toes"
*fake laughs
* after he nurses or takes a drink of water he says, "Ahhh"  I ask him, "is that delicious?" and he answers, "Ahhh" (like in the back of your throat after you take a long drink of pepsi)
*gives kisses at his own discretion 
*loves music and loves to be sung to
*has eight front teeth and is working (painfully) on four molars
*still prefers to be spoon-fed pureed foods, but is slowly accepting more table food with some texture. Slowly. This boy is the slowest eater on the planet. His meals take upwards of 45 minutes! He definitely doesn't take after his Daddy at the table ;)
*nurses at least five times a day
*plays well independently and "reads" books to himself (especially loves touch-and-feel books right now)
*has no attachment to any blanket, object or toy (despite our encouragement for a lovie) 
* goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes 7:30-8am
*wears 12-18 month clothes. We're just starting to put away some of his 12 month onesies because they don't snap and the feet in his pjs are too tight.

This past year we had two sick visits to the doctor, one for teething-related diarrhea and one for teething-related diaper rash (last week). He had the stomach flu for three days (and passed it on to Jeremy and I). I can only hope and pray that his second year of life is filled with as much health and happiness as his first year.

This tiny person already is such a patient, smart, expressive boy. I love him more and more each day and wonder how it is possible for my heart to be so full.  I never take a single moment for granted.

Owen's Heart

On Valentine's day I cut two (messy, uneven) hearts out of red felt. One I pinned on Jeremy's work badge so that he would see it first thing in the morning and remember what a wonderful day we had together. The second one I gave to Owen. He didn't know what it was, and carefully turned it over in his hands a few times before moving on to sort our DVD's or taste an electrical cord. When his toys were scooped up and placed back in the toy bin, I think the heart made its way to the bottom nestled between "Lebron" the Weeble ("weebles wobble, but they don't fall down!") and his stacking cups.

Tonight I was checking my email on the laptop while Owen played quietly with his toys. He came over to me and pulled up on the couch, tugging at my leg. He was handing me something.

I looked down and saw that he had found the felt heart and was handing it to me with a proud smile.

He didn't know what he had in his hand, but my heart about burst and I couldn't hold back the biggest smile of my day.

I scooped him up and smothered him in kisses.

That's yours buddy, my heart is yours.

Occupational Hazards

This morning I found Owen playing in a pile of Foley catheters.

You can see his expression after I told him what they're used for ;)

In a few years he'll be tired of "sorting" these and they will probably double as whips and swords.

At least in our house any way ;)

Cookie Monster

The day after his party Owen enjoyed a lazy morning with Amos and his cousin Marissa while Mama went to a Bris. They proved to be excellent babysitters!

And Owen learned that if you stare at someone long enough with these sad little eyes...

 They might just give you a cookie.

More with CAKE!

Since Owen's "first birthday cake eating experience" was more like a 30 minute drawn out process I thought I'd post some more pictures of Owen staring at, picking at, slamming his face into and FINALLY, tasting his cake.

Am I going to have to put my sippy cup down for this?

Um, why is THIS on my tray?

I'm seriously supposed to eat this with my bath duck on top?

No WAY!

I'll try it out with my face first...

Okay Mama, you can help

And Daddy too!

Now, Owen do it

See! CAKE!

SOOOOO BIG! (cake mess style)

That was fun, now back to my party!

Extended Breastfeeding

Today I had my first feature article published on Kveller! I wrote a version of this article a month ago for a blog post but when they received it they asked that I elaborate on a few things because they really liked it and wanted to use it as a feature story. There is a small portion of our birth story added in and I was really happy with how well its been received.

Just as some side commentary, I do not judge anyone who cannot breastfeed or who chooses to wean at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, whenever. That being said, I do believe that breast milk is the best option for human babies and it is hard for me not to be a little disappointed when someone doesn't at least try. For us it wasn't easy, and I have no idea if I would still be nursing Owen if I went back to work. I just know that I am nursing him now and he shows no signs of weaning. I have no intentions of making people uncomfortable in public or feeding a five year old from my breast - but when I look at Owen, he is still very much a baby who needs his Mama's comfort, attention and milk.

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed, but when things got off to a slow start I kind of gave up my goal of 1 year and made tiny more manageable milestones for myself. My first goal was to make it to 3 months, this proved to be the most difficult but once I got there I set "mini goals" of 6 months and then, 12 months. Around 11 months Owen went on a nursing strike from teething and the thought of weaning him ran through my head. I came to the conclusion that he was in pain and desperately wanted to nurse, but couldn't. I didn't want him to come back to the breast after the pain had subsided only to find that his beloved "baby milk" was gone. Now all of my goals and expectations are fulfilled and we nurse because that's what Mamas and babies do. With any future children, I can hope that the early days are easier, but I have confidence that I can figure it out and will succeed.

I am very lucky to have a wonderful support system here. I have attended La Leche League meetings monthly and have a great group of friends through this. In the beginning I really needed the support, cheerleading and information that the group offered (we have close to 16 moms at any given meeting). Now, although I still get hints/tips on biting, introducing whole milk and toddler nursing behaviors, we go to see our friends and nurse in a judgment-free environment.  In our playgroup, all of the mothers have nursed their children AT LEAST until one year, with most upwards of two years until the child self weaned or the Mama got pregnant again. And last, and most importantly, is the constant love and support that Jeremy has offered to Owen and I as a nursing pair.

Making it an entire year is a huge accomplishment for us, not one that I feel needs to be validated by others, but one that I am most proud of.  Nursing Owen has contributed to my overall success as a mother and instilled a sense of "i can" in me that I was desperately seeking. I don't care what anyone thinks of our parenting style or decisions, only that we make decisions as a family and do what works best for us. Weaning Owen will be a decision, hopefully led by him, that we will make together when the time is right.

Thank you for reading, commenting and supporting our journey.

A Homemade Ducky Party

Owen's party was so wonderful! We had over 30 people in our apartment to celebrate with us, including 11 children (9 of them were under 2.5!) Owen took a nap from 11-130 and woke up refreshed and ready to greet his guests. I was worried that he would be overwhelmed with all of the people around, but he did his own thing - playing with his toys and crawling around.

I made his hat with some fabric and a pom-pom!

 We forgot to put it on while he was eating cake, but he tried it on afterward

(yes, we let him enjoy the rest of his party completely covered in cake!)

I made the banner with fabric and iron-on adhesive (no sewing for this Mama). I was really happy with the way it turned out and I'm excited to hang it up in his room!

Owen's 'Uncle' Amos flew in from New York to spend the weekend with us. He is close to 7 feet tall so I assigned him streamer duty! I showed him a picture of my "dream room" and he replicated it perfectly (in just under 2 hours!) It looks so awesome we're keeping them up until it falls down ;)

I found some cupcakes toppers that I liked on Etsy but they were really pricey so I cut these ducks out of poster board one afternoon when O took an extra long nap. I glued them to candy sticks and nestled them in the cupcakes with mini marshmellow bubbles. I didn't expect quite so many RSVPs so I made some extra cupcakes and decorated them with mini rubber ducks I scored on Amazon for $6 a dozen! Owen's cake was a double layer vanilla cake with butter cream frosting in the center. His Nana iced it for me and then we melted some marshmellow "bubbles" and put his bath duck on top. Turned out just like I had hoped!

I made 50 ducky sugar cookies  - these cookies have become a staple in our house for almost any occasion!

In addition to the cupcakes, cookies and snacks we served turkey chili and had a little topping station with cheese, sour cream, Tabasco and Fritos! We also had a cheese tray and some coctail weiners. Everything was gobbled up by parents and kids alike!

We cut some ducky foot prints out of a piece of orange foam and taped them to the floor with packing tape - this proved to be a HUGE hit with the babies. It was the first thing Owen noticed when he woke up and all of the kids loved pulling them up and re-sticking them places.

I made the other party hats out of card stock and poms. 

Owen's gift to his friends was a CD mix of his favorite songs starting with FIVE LITTLE DUCKS! Our printer prints directly on the CD and I found a pack of the printable disks for $5! This gift cost us less than $1 per child. They also took home a party duck and a balloon. We had some very satisfied customers. Note: helium balloons are a HUGE hit with toddlers!

We received so many compliments about O's party and most of all I think he had a blast. The party was from 2-4 but people lingered around until 7pm! Owen and his Daddy kicked back and relaxed with a beer ;) I adore how his hair is matted with cake and he has a wrinkled streamer around his neck. You can tell he really partied HARD!

 HOW OLD IS OWEN?

ONE!!