Monday, January 27, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Seiden Grace...You are THREE Months Old!!! (1-19-14)
My tiny, sleepy, wrinkly little newborn has blossomed into a talking, beaming, smiling, laughing, wiggly, snuggly, and still tiny, 3 month old. Her precious little cheeks are just as full and plump as they can be and mommy and daddy steal LOTS and LOTS of sugars from those gorgeous, rosy red cheeks! The puppies also love to steal lots and lots of sugars from their sister. When I'm holding her and sitting on the couch, trusty mommy pup Faith is right there beside me, usually sharing half of the Boppy, making sure that Seiden is being well attended to and giving lots of love when she sees fit. Trigger mainly likes to give Seiden sugars right after she's eaten. I guess she's just helping her clean up the extra milk she spills on those sweet cheeks of hers! Sarge is still kinda just "whatever" with her! He likes to go and check on her, sniff her a bit, then heads off to find his appropriate spot on the couch...usually stealing one of our spots!
Anyways...this precious little angel is not lacking in the love and attention department! She is SO loved by so many...especially our family. My parents can't get enough of her and when they're over, the pretty much steal her from one of us if we are holding her so they can get their Seiden time. Needless to say...we are going to have one spoiled little princess on our hands! Oh well...she's a little princess and a precious angel...and she already knows it and has us hooked around every finger and toe we all have! And, can you blame us?!?! This girl is so adorable and beautiful it's hard not to just fall completely in love and want to hand her the world. Maybe I'm a bit partial...but I'm ok with that! I do have to say...she looks like a little Snow White. She has the rosiest red cheeks and lips, the softest, most pure skin, and the most precious head of dark hair. Again...I know I'm partial...but she takes my breath away!
In the last month, she has grown and done so much. She is even more active now than she was at 2 months. She is very aware of the world around her and really zones in on things that really catch her attention. Mainly things that are moving is what catches her attention the most. When I'm sitting on the couch holding her and the TV is on, she has got her head turned to it and watches all the movements. I'm sure all the colors, constant movement, and sound really catch her eye. When she gets bored, she'll just turn her head all around and look at other things around the room. My favorite is when she just stares deep into my soul with those big, beautiful, blue eyes of hers. I love it when I'm watching her and she all of a sudden just turns to me and looks at me and then stares at me for awhile. But the best part...is when she smiles! That girl has got a smile on her that lasts for days. She smiles so big sometimes I don't think she knows what to do with herself and she'll just turn her head and kinda laugh and let out a coo, then turn right back and do it again. Oh man...talk about something that will totally change your world! I never knew that a little smile could totally turn my whole world right side up. It's like...everything is just right and perfect in the world when she does it...it melts me! She very much knows who her mommy and daddy are. Cody gets lots of smiles out of her too and she really talks to him. This little girl LOVES her daddy!!! And I love that she is a daddy's girl. I am a huge daddy's girl and always will be. So, it's so sweet to sit back and watch Cody and Seiden's relationship develop.
Besides knowing who her mommy and daddy are, Seiden is very much aware of and knows who her family is. My parents (Opa and Bella), brother (Uncle Stick), and Cody's dad (Granddude) have all gotten lots of smiles and coos out of her. Opa and Bella spend a lot of time with her, we just live across the street, so they see her several times a week and have also kept her for us overnight when we had our first date night a couple weeks ago. So, she has really been smiling and cooing at them for awhile. And Uncle Stick has gotten several smiles too...she sure loves her sweet Uncle! Cody's dad was over this weekend after not seeing her for a few days and she smiled at him for the first time. It was so sweet...he teared up when she did it! It seriously is the best. Her eyes just immediately change and light up, then she smiles and her whole face just lights up into the most beautiful, big smile I've ever seen. It's amazing. She's smiled a few people she's just met too. Mainly friends at church and her sweet teachers at day care. Yes...day care. I started back to work last week. But, when she meets new people for the first time, she just mainly checks them out. You can see it all over her face that she's trying to figure out who these people are. She is so expressive and really talks with her eyes. She'll kind furrow her eyebrows when she's really trying to figure something new out. And, she constantly moves her hands. She is always wiggling her little fingers around and is continuously putting her hands to her mouth. It's so cute!
She is the best thing to come home to after getting off work. Her...and having my sweet family of 6 all home together under one roof! I am in my second week back and it has been such an easy transition. Seiden's spot at her day care opened up on January 6th and I came back to work on January 13th. So, that week before I came back and her spot was open, I took her for a few hours everyday so that she could adjust to being in a new place. And...let's be real. Mommy needed to adjust too! I took her for 4 hours the first day, 5 the next two days, and 6 the last two days. She did great everyday. But, everyday also got better and better. She really fights her bottles sometimes, so I was really wanting to make sure that her sweet teachers knew that she would eat, but it could just take a little longer for her than it does for other babies. I don't know if it's because of her having surgery under her neck and still having some swelling or being fed by someone new. Probably a combo...but there are times when we are doing cartwheels if she eats an ounce to an ounce and half out of a 4 ounce bottle! Then...there are times when it takes her 2 minutes to down all 4 ounces. Who knows...but I wanted to be able to be home if she had a hard day and struggled before I just put her in day care for 8 hours without having some time to ease into it and get used to something new. And...she loves it! And we love the place she's going, her teachers, and everyone else that works there. It's a precious day care that focuses on a Christ-based curriculum. Of course, she isn't on any type of curriculum right now. But, when I've gone in there and they have music playing, it's Christian lullabies...which I love! And I am really loving being back at work. I miss my precious angel like crazy and think about her constantly. But, I also love my job, what I do, my bosses, my co-workers, and my kiddos. Plus, spring break is right around the corner, then summer isn't too far off after spring break. For me, being a teacher is the best job I could have as a working mommy. I'm off early, I have all the major holiday's off, I have Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break, and then summer all off to spend time with her. And...like I said...I absolutely love my school and everything about it!
Our precious girl is 3 months old and I know we'll blink and I'll be typing her 4 month post. This precious, precious time is flying by. It's amazing how much more active she is and how aware she is of everything. She bats at toys, kicks her feet, moves her hands and arms all around, smiles, coos, and just simply loves. Seiden is so amazing and precious in every way. She is truly our precious miracle sent straight to us from God. I am SO glad that He chose us to be her parents. My world has completely changed since she came into it on October 19, 2013 and it will never, ever be the same again. It is so much better and Cody and I both have so much more to live for. I just hope and pray that we lead by example so that she comes to know our loving and gracious heavenly Father. I want her to have everything she desires. But, my greatest desire for her is know, love, and have a relationship with her Father who created her and knitted her together in my womb. My heart explodes for her and I just grow more and more in love with her each and everyday. Mommy and Daddy love you so much Seiden Grace!!! You are an answer to our prayers and you will never know the unconditional love we have for you or how much joy you bring to our lives each and everyday!!! Happy 3 Months Precious Angel!!!
These were too cute not to include!!! We were trying to get her to smile and me to take the picture fast enough. The last one (the one at the top of the post) is the one when we finally got her to cooperate and me to actually get it on camera. But these others are just so cute of her!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Seiden's First Christmas!!! (12-25-13)
I love, LoVe, LOVE Christmas!!! Like...it's been my absolute favorite holiday ever since I can remember. It's such a special time of year. Family comes together, delicious meals are cooked and eaten as one big family, sweet holiday movies are on TV, Christmas music is played, kid's eyes light up, new traditions are started and old ones continue. But, the most important reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When you combine the celebration of Jesus Christ and all the other things mentioned above, there's just no way that Christmas-time could ever be trumped in my book!
And this year, oh this year, was the sweetest of them all!!! People always tell you how much more fun and precious things are when you have kids. But, you can never truly understand until you go through the experience yourself. And that's with anything really. Any life experience can never be fully understood until you actually go through something yourself. But, let me tell you, there is nothing like getting to experience all the firsts that come along with having a new baby! I know Seiden isn't old enough to comprehend even an ounce of what went on during Christmas. But, I do know one thing, this little girl knows the depths of our Savior's love for her. She has felt it ever since she was in my womb, felt it through all of her time in the NICU, felt it through her surgery, and continues to feel His love and His Holy Spirit moving through her each and everyday as He continues to heal her. So, I have no doubt that she already knows that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus's birth. But, she is just going to start finding out all the old and new traditions that our family will celebrate that goes along with this precious, joyous, loving time of year.
My family has always celebrated Christmas in the most fun and sweet ways. Ever since we were little, we have eaten tamales, pinto beans, queso, and chips on Christmas Eve. Then, we opened up presents from each other and watched a Christmas movie. It's always been The Santa Claus, ever since it came out in 1994. They've added two new ones since then, so we have tried to watch them as well. We've always watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas...the new one with Jim Carry. We would write Santa a note, leave him a big glass of milk and some yummy cookies on his special plate and then attempt to go to sleep. On Christmas Eve night, Michael would make a pallet on the floor in my room and we would wake up together, call my parents from my room so they could set up the video camera to capture our faces, then run into the living room to see what all Santa had brought us. Daddy always made sausage balls for breakfast and had Neil Diamond's Christmas CD's playing all morning long. Then, we would start getting the food prepared for a traditional Christmas dinner and just spend the entire day together as a family. As we got older, these traditions have continued. In fact, the Christmas before Cody and I got married, Cody slept in Michael's room and Michael still made a pallet on the floor of my room on Christmas Eve. There were also several other little things we've done throughout the years. Like, leave out reindeer food, make gingerbread houses, make Christmas candy, do Christmas crafts, etc. Santa also left behind evidence that he had been at our house, other than eating all his cookies, drinking all his milk, and writing us a note back of course! One year, there was a footprint left in the fireplace. Another year, he tore his suit on the fireplace and left behind some of his Santa suit. And yet, another year, he got his sooty footprints from the fireplace ashes all over the carpet leading from the fireplace to the tree. And of course, the reindeer always ate all their reindeer food that we sprinkled out for them in the front yard. There were many other instances where Santa left his mark on our house...and all of them were so sweet, fun, and memorable.
Because we had so many fun and loving memories of Christmas and Santa growing up, Cody and I wanted to make sure that we carried on some of these same traditions with my family. As well as start our own traditions. So, we still did my family's traditional Christmas Eve get-together. Except, we no longer exchange presents from each other. We decided to stop doing that several years ago. Just because we can really go and get anything we want throughout the year now that we are on our own. So, no need to spend the extra money. Santa does still fill our stockings and leave us with a few other goodies at mom and dad's on Christmas morning though! We also didn't stay to watch the movie this year. With Seiden's eating schedule and me having to get up so early to pump and such, we were both so tired and decided to head home and just relax after dinner and some visiting on Christmas Eve. Dinner was good, as always, and spending time with family is always wonderful. It was a nice, peaceful first Christmas Eve as a family of 3!
But Christmas morning was a totally different story!!! Because we have Seiden now, we decided to start our Christmas morning fun at our house. I made hot chocolate in the crockpot and had various toppings and goodies to go along with it. I also made a baked oatmeal and baked a cinnamon roll french toast. Daddy also made his traditional sausage balls and brought them over and I had Christmas music playing from my iPhone through an iHome. About 8:00, everyone came over to celebrate Seiden's first Christmas. And then...about 15 minutes later...someone else came in through the front door. It was none other than Santa Claus himself!!! He came right in through our front door "ho-ho-hoing" and saying that he had a special delivery for a very special little girl. Santa had a bag with Seiden's name on it that had come straight from the North Pole with him filled with all kinds of toys, clothes, books, and a special teddy bear with the year embroidered on it's foot to remember her first Christmas. Seiden loved seeing Santa and loved being held by him...it was precious! We took tons of pictures of course, then Santa had to leave to go back to the North Pole. We are already so excited for Santa to come back next year and visit Seiden and to see what her reaction will be to him when she is a year old! After Santa left, we ate breakfast together, and it was all so yummy! We did get my parents and Mimi a little something for Christmas this year. We got them pictures of us and Seiden and had them put in frames. We also got my parents customized burlap throw pillows with "Opa" and "Bella" stamped on them. They have them on their bed...so precious! After breakfast, we walked across the street to my parents house to see what Santa had left in our stockings. He got us all kinds of fun goodies! New pj's, blankets, Bath and Body stuff, candy, hunting goodies, socks, and some more fun stuff! Christmas morning has never been so fun!
After the fun festivities of the morning, Cody and I went back home for a bit. We left Seiden at my parent's cause we needed to run into CVS to get a couple of things we had forgotten. It also gave us time to put everything away that Santa had gotten us and clean up from all the fun from the morning. And...I'm sure that my parents didn't mind one bit having some time alone with our precious angel...they can't get enough! Cody and I got everything cleaned up at home, then ran into town for a bit. I have to say, it was nice to just jump in the car and go. It takes a little longer to get ready to go and actually run errands these days...a change that we welcome and love. But, it was nice just to be able to hop in the car and head out without having to think about what we might be forgetting. After we got home, we went back across the street and just hung out for the rest of the day until dinner was ready. Cody actually wound up going hunting that evening. So, it was just Seiden at I hanging out at my parent's. I actually went back home for a bit so that I could pump and also get things ready for dinner for Cody's family. They came over the day after Christmas for our family's get-together. My Mimi was here for Christmas this year. So, while I ran home for that hour, she held Seiden the whole time and was in hog heaven! Dinner was ready about 6:30 and we sat together as a family with Seiden snoozing in her bouncer and ate a yummy Christmas dinner. We are so, so blessed!
Cody's family came over that next evening to celebrate Christmas. We decided to take it easy on the cooking this year. So, I just made a huge batch of chili in the crockpot. I also whipped up some cornbread and had a salad to go along with it. And...I also made a pecan pie cheesecake for dessert. That was the star of the show! Oh man...it was SO good! I'll have to make that again for sure! His family got to our house about 6:30 and we visited for a bit, then filled our bowls and plates and ate dinner together and visited and talked for the rest of the night. We also don't exchange presents anymore. But, we do get something for the kids. So, the kiddos opened up their presents, and we opened up Seiden's presents for her. Chrissy, Cody's sister, got her the most adorable Cabbage Patch doll! Her favorite doll to play with when she was growing up was her Cabbage patch doll. So, she HAD to get Seiden one...and I just love it! She said she searched all over to find her the perfect one...and it is perfect! I can't wait for her to play with it!!! She also got some clothes, a reindeer stuffed animal, and some money from her Nana. And, a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn playing table and some money from her Granddude. We are going to put the money in a college fund for her...so that is a huge blessing to get that from them! We had such a good time spending time with Cody's family. The kids are growing up so fast. It's amazing to me to look at them and see how much they've grown and matured over the years. We are so blessed by each and everyone of them and it was so good to spend time together as family!
And...one final thing! Mom, Mimi, and I have always gone shopping the day after Christmas ever since I was a little girl. We don't really do the Black Friday thing after Thanksgiving. But, we have always gone shopping the day after Christmas. We used to go for the Liberty Falls Houses that Dillard's carried. But, they stopped carrying those years ago. So, then we started going to get Christmas decorations that were marked down half off. And now, we still go to look. But, we also go to several other stores to see what kind of deals they have on other things besides Christmas decor. This year, Seiden accompanied us!!! It was her first big shopping trip...one of many, many more to come! Mom and Mimi came over that morning for some leftover over cinnamon roll french toast bake and coffee before they headed out. I feed Seiden at 9:30, and they wanted to head out earlier than it would take me to feed her and get her all ready to go and loaded up in the car. So, they headed out after they finished up breakfast and Seiden and I met them after she had eaten and I had gotten all changed and ready to go. We got to the mall about 10:15 and she did SO good! She is going to be quite the little shopper...I just know it! We spent all day at the mall, she even had to eat her 12:30 bottle out there. When it was time for that, we went to Books-A-Million and got some hot water from Joe Muggs (the coffee shop inside BAM) and heated up her bottle in that cup. She ate the whole thing, then we got some coffee and headed back out for more shopping! About 2:30, I had to call it quits. I hadn't pumped since 8:00 that morning and needless to say, I was desperately needing to get home to pump! Plus, Seiden needed to eat again at 3:30. So, I was kinda pressed for time by the time we got to the car and I got her loaded in the car, then got home and unloaded her, took care of the dogs, then took care of pumping. So, I was making a mad dash to get home! We pulled in the garage about 3:00 and I managed to get her all settled, get the dogs fed, and pump before it was time for her to eat...phew! We had so, so, so much fun! My life has never felt more complete and fulfilled and I realize more and more every single day just how blessed we are. God is SO good!!!
And this year, oh this year, was the sweetest of them all!!! People always tell you how much more fun and precious things are when you have kids. But, you can never truly understand until you go through the experience yourself. And that's with anything really. Any life experience can never be fully understood until you actually go through something yourself. But, let me tell you, there is nothing like getting to experience all the firsts that come along with having a new baby! I know Seiden isn't old enough to comprehend even an ounce of what went on during Christmas. But, I do know one thing, this little girl knows the depths of our Savior's love for her. She has felt it ever since she was in my womb, felt it through all of her time in the NICU, felt it through her surgery, and continues to feel His love and His Holy Spirit moving through her each and everyday as He continues to heal her. So, I have no doubt that she already knows that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus's birth. But, she is just going to start finding out all the old and new traditions that our family will celebrate that goes along with this precious, joyous, loving time of year.
My family has always celebrated Christmas in the most fun and sweet ways. Ever since we were little, we have eaten tamales, pinto beans, queso, and chips on Christmas Eve. Then, we opened up presents from each other and watched a Christmas movie. It's always been The Santa Claus, ever since it came out in 1994. They've added two new ones since then, so we have tried to watch them as well. We've always watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas...the new one with Jim Carry. We would write Santa a note, leave him a big glass of milk and some yummy cookies on his special plate and then attempt to go to sleep. On Christmas Eve night, Michael would make a pallet on the floor in my room and we would wake up together, call my parents from my room so they could set up the video camera to capture our faces, then run into the living room to see what all Santa had brought us. Daddy always made sausage balls for breakfast and had Neil Diamond's Christmas CD's playing all morning long. Then, we would start getting the food prepared for a traditional Christmas dinner and just spend the entire day together as a family. As we got older, these traditions have continued. In fact, the Christmas before Cody and I got married, Cody slept in Michael's room and Michael still made a pallet on the floor of my room on Christmas Eve. There were also several other little things we've done throughout the years. Like, leave out reindeer food, make gingerbread houses, make Christmas candy, do Christmas crafts, etc. Santa also left behind evidence that he had been at our house, other than eating all his cookies, drinking all his milk, and writing us a note back of course! One year, there was a footprint left in the fireplace. Another year, he tore his suit on the fireplace and left behind some of his Santa suit. And yet, another year, he got his sooty footprints from the fireplace ashes all over the carpet leading from the fireplace to the tree. And of course, the reindeer always ate all their reindeer food that we sprinkled out for them in the front yard. There were many other instances where Santa left his mark on our house...and all of them were so sweet, fun, and memorable.
Because we had so many fun and loving memories of Christmas and Santa growing up, Cody and I wanted to make sure that we carried on some of these same traditions with my family. As well as start our own traditions. So, we still did my family's traditional Christmas Eve get-together. Except, we no longer exchange presents from each other. We decided to stop doing that several years ago. Just because we can really go and get anything we want throughout the year now that we are on our own. So, no need to spend the extra money. Santa does still fill our stockings and leave us with a few other goodies at mom and dad's on Christmas morning though! We also didn't stay to watch the movie this year. With Seiden's eating schedule and me having to get up so early to pump and such, we were both so tired and decided to head home and just relax after dinner and some visiting on Christmas Eve. Dinner was good, as always, and spending time with family is always wonderful. It was a nice, peaceful first Christmas Eve as a family of 3!
But Christmas morning was a totally different story!!! Because we have Seiden now, we decided to start our Christmas morning fun at our house. I made hot chocolate in the crockpot and had various toppings and goodies to go along with it. I also made a baked oatmeal and baked a cinnamon roll french toast. Daddy also made his traditional sausage balls and brought them over and I had Christmas music playing from my iPhone through an iHome. About 8:00, everyone came over to celebrate Seiden's first Christmas. And then...about 15 minutes later...someone else came in through the front door. It was none other than Santa Claus himself!!! He came right in through our front door "ho-ho-hoing" and saying that he had a special delivery for a very special little girl. Santa had a bag with Seiden's name on it that had come straight from the North Pole with him filled with all kinds of toys, clothes, books, and a special teddy bear with the year embroidered on it's foot to remember her first Christmas. Seiden loved seeing Santa and loved being held by him...it was precious! We took tons of pictures of course, then Santa had to leave to go back to the North Pole. We are already so excited for Santa to come back next year and visit Seiden and to see what her reaction will be to him when she is a year old! After Santa left, we ate breakfast together, and it was all so yummy! We did get my parents and Mimi a little something for Christmas this year. We got them pictures of us and Seiden and had them put in frames. We also got my parents customized burlap throw pillows with "Opa" and "Bella" stamped on them. They have them on their bed...so precious! After breakfast, we walked across the street to my parents house to see what Santa had left in our stockings. He got us all kinds of fun goodies! New pj's, blankets, Bath and Body stuff, candy, hunting goodies, socks, and some more fun stuff! Christmas morning has never been so fun!
After the fun festivities of the morning, Cody and I went back home for a bit. We left Seiden at my parent's cause we needed to run into CVS to get a couple of things we had forgotten. It also gave us time to put everything away that Santa had gotten us and clean up from all the fun from the morning. And...I'm sure that my parents didn't mind one bit having some time alone with our precious angel...they can't get enough! Cody and I got everything cleaned up at home, then ran into town for a bit. I have to say, it was nice to just jump in the car and go. It takes a little longer to get ready to go and actually run errands these days...a change that we welcome and love. But, it was nice just to be able to hop in the car and head out without having to think about what we might be forgetting. After we got home, we went back across the street and just hung out for the rest of the day until dinner was ready. Cody actually wound up going hunting that evening. So, it was just Seiden at I hanging out at my parent's. I actually went back home for a bit so that I could pump and also get things ready for dinner for Cody's family. They came over the day after Christmas for our family's get-together. My Mimi was here for Christmas this year. So, while I ran home for that hour, she held Seiden the whole time and was in hog heaven! Dinner was ready about 6:30 and we sat together as a family with Seiden snoozing in her bouncer and ate a yummy Christmas dinner. We are so, so blessed!
Cody's family came over that next evening to celebrate Christmas. We decided to take it easy on the cooking this year. So, I just made a huge batch of chili in the crockpot. I also whipped up some cornbread and had a salad to go along with it. And...I also made a pecan pie cheesecake for dessert. That was the star of the show! Oh man...it was SO good! I'll have to make that again for sure! His family got to our house about 6:30 and we visited for a bit, then filled our bowls and plates and ate dinner together and visited and talked for the rest of the night. We also don't exchange presents anymore. But, we do get something for the kids. So, the kiddos opened up their presents, and we opened up Seiden's presents for her. Chrissy, Cody's sister, got her the most adorable Cabbage Patch doll! Her favorite doll to play with when she was growing up was her Cabbage patch doll. So, she HAD to get Seiden one...and I just love it! She said she searched all over to find her the perfect one...and it is perfect! I can't wait for her to play with it!!! She also got some clothes, a reindeer stuffed animal, and some money from her Nana. And, a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn playing table and some money from her Granddude. We are going to put the money in a college fund for her...so that is a huge blessing to get that from them! We had such a good time spending time with Cody's family. The kids are growing up so fast. It's amazing to me to look at them and see how much they've grown and matured over the years. We are so blessed by each and everyone of them and it was so good to spend time together as family!
And...one final thing! Mom, Mimi, and I have always gone shopping the day after Christmas ever since I was a little girl. We don't really do the Black Friday thing after Thanksgiving. But, we have always gone shopping the day after Christmas. We used to go for the Liberty Falls Houses that Dillard's carried. But, they stopped carrying those years ago. So, then we started going to get Christmas decorations that were marked down half off. And now, we still go to look. But, we also go to several other stores to see what kind of deals they have on other things besides Christmas decor. This year, Seiden accompanied us!!! It was her first big shopping trip...one of many, many more to come! Mom and Mimi came over that morning for some leftover over cinnamon roll french toast bake and coffee before they headed out. I feed Seiden at 9:30, and they wanted to head out earlier than it would take me to feed her and get her all ready to go and loaded up in the car. So, they headed out after they finished up breakfast and Seiden and I met them after she had eaten and I had gotten all changed and ready to go. We got to the mall about 10:15 and she did SO good! She is going to be quite the little shopper...I just know it! We spent all day at the mall, she even had to eat her 12:30 bottle out there. When it was time for that, we went to Books-A-Million and got some hot water from Joe Muggs (the coffee shop inside BAM) and heated up her bottle in that cup. She ate the whole thing, then we got some coffee and headed back out for more shopping! About 2:30, I had to call it quits. I hadn't pumped since 8:00 that morning and needless to say, I was desperately needing to get home to pump! Plus, Seiden needed to eat again at 3:30. So, I was kinda pressed for time by the time we got to the car and I got her loaded in the car, then got home and unloaded her, took care of the dogs, then took care of pumping. So, I was making a mad dash to get home! We pulled in the garage about 3:00 and I managed to get her all settled, get the dogs fed, and pump before it was time for her to eat...phew! We had so, so, so much fun! My life has never felt more complete and fulfilled and I realize more and more every single day just how blessed we are. God is SO good!!!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Seiden Grace...You are TWO months old!!! (12-19-13)
How, oh how, is this precious angel already 2 months old?!? I have been looking at pictures from when she was first born and then one month old and now these two month old pics. She has grown SO much! We see her everyday, so sometimes it's hard to really tell how much she's growing and changing. But, I do know that she is gaining weight because she is much heavier when I hold her and I can especially tell when I feed her! She feels the heaviest when she's eating because she just gets so relaxed and pretty much just goes limp in my hands. And then, she gets ready to be done eating and gets so fidgety it's hard to keep the bottle in her mouth! She's a pretty good eater, but sometimes she fights her bottles. I think a lot of it has to do with all the stuff that went on with the cyst and her surgery. We still have to remind ourselves that for the first 12 days of her life she ate off of the feeding tube. Even though she's been eating from a bottle for almost 2 months, this is not the way that she originally learned how to eat. When she gets tired, she has to keep pulling off the bottle and can't sleep through her feedings like she did when she was being fed from the feeding tube. We're putting about 4 ounces of breastmilk in her bottles for 7 feedings and she's eating anywhere from all 4 ounces to only 2 ounces. Her pediatrician said that she's getting plenty and gaining weight and couldn't be healthier though. So, we'll just keep on keeping on!
One of the biggest changes we've seen in her is how much more awake and active she is throughout the day. She still naps a lot, but she is really more cat napping now than sleeping the entire time in between feedings. She will be sound asleep and then I'll look up at her in her swing or bouncer, and she is just wide awake looking around at her little world. And get this...she has been sleeping through the night since she was about 7 weeks old! It's pure bliss. Cody puts her to bed after he feeds her at 11:00 and then I usually have to go in and wake her up for the day when I get her up at 6:30. I don't know if I've mentioned the schedule that we're on. But, we are going off of the Baby Wise method and we absolutely love it. I know that "sleep training" and Baby Wise is controversial. But, we absolutely love, love, love it. It works perfectly for us and Seiden couldn't be doing better by us going off of this method. She's on a schedule, so I can plan my days around her feedings for when I need to run errands, clean house, go grocery shopping, or have coffee dates/play dates with my besties and their babies. She never fusses in between feedings unless she's overtired or has a poopey diaper. And...did I mention she's been sleeping through the night since week 7?!? Baby Wise...it's worked wonders for us!
Cody and I have also worked out a schedule that works so wonderful for both of us. I decided in the hospital that I didn't want to nurse. However, I am absolutely pumping between 5 and 6 times a day so my precious angel gets that amazing breastmilk. I think I may be somewhat of a milk machine. I'm currently producing anywhere from 4-115 ounces of breastmilk every time I pump! Just call me Elsie!!! Now...when I pump almost 15 ounces, I've gone about 7 1/2 hours since the last time I pumped. During the day, when I'm pumping about every 4-5 hours, I get about 4-6 ounces every time. Anyways, Cody is a night owl and I'm an early bird. Our whole marriage, I have always gone to bed long before he does and get up long before he does. Mainly because I go workout before I go to work everyday, so that calls for an early bedtime. That schedule for us hasn't changed since we had Seiden. It just made sense, for us, for him to stay up for the last feeding (which is between 10:30-11:00) and I'd get up with her anytime she got up during the night. Well, now that she's sleeping through the night, I still have to get up to pump. I go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 (after I've pumped) and then get up at 4:00. I pump, then head straight to the gym so I can get a workout in before I have to take care of our little princess. Before we had Seiden, I was getting up at 4:40...so this really isn't a big schedule change for me. It's worked wonders for us though. Cody can get a few extra hours of sleep and I can go and get "me time" in, come home and get completely ready for the day, and get Seiden up and ready for the day and we are all happy and get to do things we want to do. Oh...and we all sleep through the night...which is HUGE! Thank goodness for the video monitor just in case she happens to wake up while I'm gone! She hasn't though...knock on wood!
The one poopey thing about Seiden being 2 months old...her shots! Such a bummer and a hard day for mommy. I was so worried that she would just have such a hard time with her shots, she had to get 4, or would have a reaction to one of them. Then, I was worried that she would be extra fussy for a few days after them. I know how my arm feels after I get a shot...it's just a bit sore for a few days. I'm sure she had some soreness in her legs, but she sure didn't act like they bothered her at all! She was such a champ. When she got her shots, she let out a big, blood curdling cry, then cried for about 5 minutes after that, and then was absolutely fine! When we left the doctor's office...she was just happy and content and just as sweet as ever! This is the picture that I took right before we left...look at how precious she is!!!
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My favorite thing that has happened since our princes turned two months old...she smiled!
Monday, January 6, 2014
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