Thursday, March 14th marks our return-to-work day. These last 3 months have been to busiest and most enjoyable of our lives (yes, I am speaking for Roman too). We would like to summarize in a not-so-short way of how we've spent the past 12 weeks.
1) We had a baby. The most beautiful girl has entered our lives. When we think back to the night of December 19th when contractions began, and the morning of December 20th, we still get a bit teary eyed. It was such a wonderful, emotional, painful, tiring, and most joyous day EVER. Roman was with me through every moment. Everyone always gives the mom props for all her hard work, but I want to make sure that everyone knows that I could not have done this without Roman. It will be a few years, but we are looking forward to our next!
2) We bought a house. The house we are renting now is knowingly being put on the market at the end of our lease. After talking to a lender, we knew we had to start looking in the price range we were approved for because these houses are FLYING. Our realtor (Merri Ott) showed us a few...then strolled across town to a development we had sorta thrown out of the running. We walked through a quaint 2-story "starter" house and fell in love. It is not quite finished yet, but we can't wait for the finished product. We are scheduled to close on March 29th. Happy birthday (and Christmas and more birthdays) to us!
3) We (Jen) battled making it through the first 2 months with a baby. Norah is wonderful. Her temperament...we couldn't have asked for better. But ask me about breastfeeding, and I'll initially wince. Everyone knows it is so important to give your baby the very best milk made for them. And to get through 2 clogged ducts, 2 milk blisters and a cracked nip, you have to tell yourself that. There was a few times I could have just as easily given up. I told myself that [other moms say] the first months are the hardest. We got past the first few months of heating pads and lanolin cream, and now its smooth sailing until my supply says otherwise.
4) We got hooked on lots of TV shows. Hubby downloaded a slew of seasons of shows for us to watch. Hooked up the laptop to the TV and we proceeded to watch Parenthood, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Dexter. We also were able to make it out to see a few movies on groupon Cinetopia deals we purchased. And of course, weekend morning HGTV shows are now a lot more relate-able since our recent purchase.
5) We saw lots of family. All family. Both sides. We have spent a lot of time over at Roman's parent's house and his grampa's farm. We had a week with my side in early January and a few visits with uncle Kelly and aunt Bobbi . Facetime has been a Godsend for Norah to see her Nana (or rather Nana see her). I think that she'll think our phones are cameras instead of the real things.
6) We enjoyed each other. Some people wondered if both of us having 3 months off together would drive us equally nuts. Nope. Not only do we consider each other entertaining, but we understand. We understand if the other needs to go to the grocery store...alone. Or if the other needs to stay up and play video games with friends. We understand and that's why the past 3 months were more enjoyable than excruciating.
7) My closest friend had her baby. Last year, we found out that one of my closest friends from...well..babyhood was not only moving up to Hillsboro, but also having their first baby. We got a call the morning of March 9th and headed into the hospital. Layla Barr (aka Norah's ready-made bff) was born and she couldn't be any more precious. Roman asks how do we know they'll be bffs?? They will Roman, they will.
8) Justice was served. For those of you familiar with my grandma's trial, it was huge victory for our family. In a nutshell, my grandma was murdered in November 2008 by a distraught employee who felt that his firing from the company constituted returning and killing three of the employees. He pleaded insanity (of course...), saying that he blacked out coincidentally during the exact time he committed the crimes. If the jury felt that he indeed was insane, he would be accused of manslaughter (you know, if you accidentally run into someone with your car and kill them, that is manslaughter). This comes with a lesser sentence. They saw through his BS and ignorance and found him guilty of first degree murder (meaning it was premeditated) for all three counts. He will be put away for a long long long time.
What to look forward to? 2013 has already been fantastic so how can it get much better? We had quite a break last year, but so far we have at least 4 weddings and 3 babies being born. Moving into our new place and establishing ourselves in with our neighbors (we saw some huggies boxes!) will be an important step. Also, figuring out how we can make hologram versions of ourselves so we can stay home with our baby girl.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Saturday, March 2, 2013
hi ho hi ho its back to work we go...
That's right. Our 2 week countdown is here. Can't believe that our 12 week leave will be coming to a close. Still trying to figure out if I should go back on the Thursday (like Roman, a true 12 week leave) or wait until the following Monday. There are obvious pros and cons to both sides.
Pro: going back on a Thursday means only a 2 day work week. This could help ease myself back into work and only 2 days of exhaustion as we start adjusting schedules. Con: The pass-it-on consignment sale begins that Thursday and I can actually go this time (last time we were in California). Decisions decisions.
Cloth diapering has been going great! We wash them about every other day. We could go out and buy more, but until then every-other-day it is. I have mastered the technique of the wash cycle. Fortunatel, we have a top-load washer. Apparently these high-efficiency front loaders aren't as good with cloth diapering.
Largest load setting - cold
Soak for a few hours (usually before we go to bed) with 1 cup oxiclean and 1 tblsp/scoop of Lulu's cloth diaper detergent. **We are on well water at out house. Its hard water, so all of our loads get oxiclean in them to prevent build up of dirt**
Turn to a cleaning cycle HOT and add about 1/2c tide free and clear (usually when she feeds around 3am).
Shells get hung, diapers get dried. It works lovely and gets 99% of the stains out.
Over the past 2 months, she has been receiving exclusively breast milk. Norah gets one bottle a day, and the rest of the time she nurses. I'll tell you...I feel as though women who get through nursing the first 3 months should get gold stars. Among my own issues of clogged ducts and cracked nips, I have heard of so many other new moms with latch issues, thrush, and other things that are very discouraging. It is emotionally crushing when you can't nurse because of infections or don't want to because you dread the pain that it will cause. Getting through those first months helps your baby so much, so for all those moms who push through the pain for the well being of your child, I am proud of you. I am proud of myself and I am proud of you!
We have had almost a week of successful crib sleeping. Our progression was as such: first month in her pack in play next to our bed. Second month in her pack in play a room over. Now, sleeping at night in her own room in her own crib. We figure since we'll be going back to work, it would be helpful for her to be out of our room so we can sleep too. Her longest stretch so far: 6 hours. Hallelujah! I felt like a new person waking up after that. So much so that it was really hard to go back to sleep at 4:30am.
We are looking forward to baseball coming to Hillsboro. We headed to the Orenco Station office of the Hillsboro Hops during the week so Roman could pick up a Hillsboro Hops cap and t-shirt. It'll be a lot of fun bringing our 7 month old to the stadium this summer for some ball! When we posted this picture, Roman tweeted (because Jen doesn't tweet) this out. Hillsboro Hops picked it up and retweeted the photo. Norah, you're a star.
Pro: going back on a Thursday means only a 2 day work week. This could help ease myself back into work and only 2 days of exhaustion as we start adjusting schedules. Con: The pass-it-on consignment sale begins that Thursday and I can actually go this time (last time we were in California). Decisions decisions.
Cloth diapering has been going great! We wash them about every other day. We could go out and buy more, but until then every-other-day it is. I have mastered the technique of the wash cycle. Fortunatel, we have a top-load washer. Apparently these high-efficiency front loaders aren't as good with cloth diapering.
Largest load setting - cold
Soak for a few hours (usually before we go to bed) with 1 cup oxiclean and 1 tblsp/scoop of Lulu's cloth diaper detergent. **We are on well water at out house. Its hard water, so all of our loads get oxiclean in them to prevent build up of dirt**
Turn to a cleaning cycle HOT and add about 1/2c tide free and clear (usually when she feeds around 3am).
Shells get hung, diapers get dried. It works lovely and gets 99% of the stains out.
Over the past 2 months, she has been receiving exclusively breast milk. Norah gets one bottle a day, and the rest of the time she nurses. I'll tell you...I feel as though women who get through nursing the first 3 months should get gold stars. Among my own issues of clogged ducts and cracked nips, I have heard of so many other new moms with latch issues, thrush, and other things that are very discouraging. It is emotionally crushing when you can't nurse because of infections or don't want to because you dread the pain that it will cause. Getting through those first months helps your baby so much, so for all those moms who push through the pain for the well being of your child, I am proud of you. I am proud of myself and I am proud of you!
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| two months old! |
We have had almost a week of successful crib sleeping. Our progression was as such: first month in her pack in play next to our bed. Second month in her pack in play a room over. Now, sleeping at night in her own room in her own crib. We figure since we'll be going back to work, it would be helpful for her to be out of our room so we can sleep too. Her longest stretch so far: 6 hours. Hallelujah! I felt like a new person waking up after that. So much so that it was really hard to go back to sleep at 4:30am.
We are looking forward to baseball coming to Hillsboro. We headed to the Orenco Station office of the Hillsboro Hops during the week so Roman could pick up a Hillsboro Hops cap and t-shirt. It'll be a lot of fun bringing our 7 month old to the stadium this summer for some ball! When we posted this picture, Roman tweeted (because Jen doesn't tweet) this out. Hillsboro Hops picked it up and retweeted the photo. Norah, you're a star.
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| Outfit from Aunt Bobbi! |
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| Happy girl! |
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| Cuddling with dad. |
Friday, February 22, 2013
February was bizzzzy.
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| Hannah and Norah |
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| Our welcome sign in "Hannah's Suite" |
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| Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Kelly |
We then hopped the narrows bridge over to my old stomping grounds, Gig Harbor. One of my best friends was having her baby shower for a baby girl who is due in March. It was so great to see her (although we see each other weekly) and her family.
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| Norah finally made it back to dad's arms after wooing all the moms and grammas (to-be) |
Cloth diapers. First off, we starting researching cloth diapering when we were early on in the pregnancy. I ran into this site: http://www.diaperdecisions.com/pages/cost_of_cloth_diapers.php. It gave us a good comparison financially. We told ourselves that as soon as we were finished with the box of disposables around 2 months, we would start on that investment we had made before Norah came. We chose to use the brand Best Bottom. Why?
1) Recommended by friends of our who are cloth diapering.
2) Available at a local baby shop in Hillsboro (also online at www.mypreciouskid.com). We were able to touch and feel a number of cloth diapers. Also doing much research on www.diaperpin.com and comparing brands. There are hundreds!
3) Nitty gritty - the cloth part comes out of the liner. If she just pees, we don't have to wash the whole darn diaper. There is no mesh to dig poop out of. We bought 14 cloth liners and 10 waterproof covers. We've been doing most-time cloth diapering (disposables at night...easier on mom) and are loving it. We now only use about 14 disposables a week instead of a billion. It has also bumped her up to most 6 months clothes since her "cotton-butt" is so big.
4) These diapers will fit her [theoretically] until she's potty training.
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| "line dry" in Oregon happens inside with twine |
Other photos:
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| He gets cozy...sometimes too cozy. |
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| We love our hands! |
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
hi BOB
We finally received our Christmas gift from my mom: our BOB revolution jogger/stroller. We listed it on our registry, and were planning on purchasing it ourselves off Amazon, but were super surprised when my mom told us that she got it for us for Christmas. Unfortunately, we received it damaged from FedEx the first time. Then it took nearly a month to get it replaced. Was it worth the wait? Most definitely! Why did we choose a BOB vs other strollers? I'll tell you.
1) We got a convertible car seat for Norah. We were not intending on buying an infant seat, but a relative of ours said they would sell theirs to us for $25. Yes. Ok, twist our arms. We are happy we did, but did not want to go as far as buying a "travel system" (stroller + carseat combination).
2) The BOB revolution allows you either buy a infant car seat adapter OR wait till 8 weeks and it reclines enough for 2 month old. This worked well since we didn't get it until she was 6 weeks old and the weather has been pretty terrible for outdoor walks.
3) The model we got has large wheels in the back, but a smaller one in the front. This makes it not entirely bulky but still "able to trek through sand" (that was a nice feature for us). Also, some of you may know that the roads we live on are not sidewalk material. We wanted a stroller with good shocks and able to gracefully go over the bumpy country roads.
Needless to say, we couldn't wait till 8 weeks. She is about 12 big ones anyways. We put in a nice and secure head support, bundled up our little bundle, and took to the road! We have the perfect route because we turn around at Roman's grandparents house so we can stop and visit (and rest) if they're home!
With the continuing chronicles of Darby... our wonderful can decided to jump off of something and sprain his arm last week. You would have thought someone was killing him. Roman was playing basketball that night when I heard the crash and then the howling cat, hobbling on three legs, and falling over from pain. I thought he broke it. Of course, this happened at 8pm aka emergency vet time. Yes we did. We took our boy to the emergency vet. We had 2 options:
1) Sedation and Xray to see what happened. All I heard was $400.
2) Pain medications, shut him in the bathroom, and watch him.
Option 2, please. And of course, the next day, he strolls out of the bathroom. Well...limps, but not in a my-leg-is-broken type walk. Needless to say, a week later, he's back to normal. Queue jealousy film roll:
1) We got a convertible car seat for Norah. We were not intending on buying an infant seat, but a relative of ours said they would sell theirs to us for $25. Yes. Ok, twist our arms. We are happy we did, but did not want to go as far as buying a "travel system" (stroller + carseat combination).
2) The BOB revolution allows you either buy a infant car seat adapter OR wait till 8 weeks and it reclines enough for 2 month old. This worked well since we didn't get it until she was 6 weeks old and the weather has been pretty terrible for outdoor walks.
3) The model we got has large wheels in the back, but a smaller one in the front. This makes it not entirely bulky but still "able to trek through sand" (that was a nice feature for us). Also, some of you may know that the roads we live on are not sidewalk material. We wanted a stroller with good shocks and able to gracefully go over the bumpy country roads.
Needless to say, we couldn't wait till 8 weeks. She is about 12 big ones anyways. We put in a nice and secure head support, bundled up our little bundle, and took to the road! We have the perfect route because we turn around at Roman's grandparents house so we can stop and visit (and rest) if they're home!
With the continuing chronicles of Darby... our wonderful can decided to jump off of something and sprain his arm last week. You would have thought someone was killing him. Roman was playing basketball that night when I heard the crash and then the howling cat, hobbling on three legs, and falling over from pain. I thought he broke it. Of course, this happened at 8pm aka emergency vet time. Yes we did. We took our boy to the emergency vet. We had 2 options:
1) Sedation and Xray to see what happened. All I heard was $400.
2) Pain medications, shut him in the bathroom, and watch him.
Option 2, please. And of course, the next day, he strolls out of the bathroom. Well...limps, but not in a my-leg-is-broken type walk. Needless to say, a week later, he's back to normal. Queue jealousy film roll:
My first day back at the gym went...well. The following day I received an invitation for the Shamrock run from a friend. I laughed when she said "I saw you checked in and were on the treadmill so you should be ready in a month" BAHAHAHA the optimism made me feel good. Unfortunately, a few years back I messed up my knees while "training" for my wedding. So it would be a Shamrock walk for me..which I'm not so excited to pay $$ for. Anyways. My first day back, I get this video from Roman:
Made me want to RUN home back to her :]
Superbowl was wonderful time with friends! Such a change from 2 years ago...now with little munchkins running around (and lying around). We had a great time letting the other "babies" to play with her as their parents either expecting or may soon be expecting their seconds.
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| Soon-to-be big sister Keira helping Norah with her pacifier. |
Other random photos since last post:
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| The refinished cradle from Roman's childhood. |
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| Never wear mascara, Norah. Never. Looks at those lashes. |
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| Our first boo-boo. Mom's fault. I was almost in tears too. |
Sunday, January 27, 2013
One month!
It's unbelievable that its already been a month (I say this while getting ready to go to a 2 year old birthday party and can clearly remember when we visited her in the hospital). More depressingly is that it has been 6 weeks. That means only 6 more weeks left on maternity leave. Insert graph I found a while ago:
Does this make anyone else upset? Note that the graph states "paid" maternity leave...not "use all your vacation hours to pay for your leave" or "enjoy 12 unpaid weeks of shopping at walmart" like most of us have. Luckily, I have built up quite the vacation bank which I plan on draining and still not making it the full 12 weeks.
Why can't every company be like my husbands? 12 weeks paid paternity leave...so really I'm not complaining.
Anyways, off my soapbox, Norah is now 5 weeks old. Sleeping schedule: somewhat..she's sleeping now. However for those of you who ask if we're sleeping at all: we are. I won't say she sleeps through the night. But only having to feed her twice makes it feel like she pretty much is. Added together, by 9am, I have gotten about 7-8hours. Feeding schedule: she's hungry, I feed. Play schedule: multiple times a day. We have begun doing "naked playtime." I should clarify. Norah has begun doing "naked playtime." Roman was quite surprised the first day we started this as he walked in to her bum in the air, kicking her lion hanging above her.
Right now she resembles a oily faced teenager. Baby acne is the worst! It flares up, then calms down, and moves around her whole face. We're waiting it out...just hurry up!!
I have been loving our time together when she is feeding. She is past the super newborn stage where I feel like I'm just being used for my body. She is now awake for most her feedings, looking around and occasionally making eye contact with me. She's a bit quirmier now too, especially her little hands moving all around. You know what I mean if you have ever had the pleasure of breastfeeding a baby; it's becoming more of a bonding time socially, instead of just physically, for both of us. It is something that I miss when we're away during her feedings (more than her 1 bottle/day), and I know it will be a tough transition when I return to work. She'll still be getting my milk, just not always directly from me. Working mom strategies are greatly appreciated, especially for the first few weeks back.
Norah has been quite the socialite lately. Spending time with friends and family. I must state one thing I have learned. Happy hour does not necessarily involve infants. While meeting a friend for happy hour at Bugattis (one of the best happy hours around), we walk in and stroll into the lounge, infant in tow. Its not really separate from the restaurant...but oh was I mistaken. The waiter tells me that the lounge is for 21 and over. While the friend I was with could easily be mistaken for under 21 (going on 30... :] ), I simply state "oh, we're both over 21," then he looks at the carrier. Really. "Ma'am, you cannot bring a baby in here". You mean I can't bring a snoozing 1 month old into your "busy" lounge because why...I'm going to slip her some wine into her bottle?! We not-so-calmly sat in the dining area talking withing an earshot of the new waiter how ridiculous this is. THEN had to pay full price for our meals (in their defense, our bitching worked, and we got free drinks because Bugattis is a great place with great servers).
Per previous blog posts, you already know that she loves bathtime. We get particularly cute pictures during bathtime.
This year is gearing up to be a big one already. In two weeks is the baby shower for my best friend since...well forever. We'll be packing up and visiting the harbor (Roman says this with an "uppity" voice for the yuppy effect, pronounce "the haaa-bah) for the weekend. Also making a pitstop in Puyallup so Norah can meet her Uncle Kelly, Aunt Bobbi, and [not so] little cousins. Besides enjoying OUR baby girl, we'll be welcoming at least 4 other friends' babies. When we're not wooing newborns, we'll be attending at least 4 weddings between friends and family, one of those being for my mom and her fiance in Sacramento. Side note: they chose to have their wedding in July...in Sacramento aka 100 degree weather. Given the choice of 12 months, they chose July. Aside from August, this is quite possibly the most miserable month of heat. But we'll be there, getting our burn on.
Does this make anyone else upset? Note that the graph states "paid" maternity leave...not "use all your vacation hours to pay for your leave" or "enjoy 12 unpaid weeks of shopping at walmart" like most of us have. Luckily, I have built up quite the vacation bank which I plan on draining and still not making it the full 12 weeks.
Why can't every company be like my husbands? 12 weeks paid paternity leave...so really I'm not complaining.
Anyways, off my soapbox, Norah is now 5 weeks old. Sleeping schedule: somewhat..she's sleeping now. However for those of you who ask if we're sleeping at all: we are. I won't say she sleeps through the night. But only having to feed her twice makes it feel like she pretty much is. Added together, by 9am, I have gotten about 7-8hours. Feeding schedule: she's hungry, I feed. Play schedule: multiple times a day. We have begun doing "naked playtime." I should clarify. Norah has begun doing "naked playtime." Roman was quite surprised the first day we started this as he walked in to her bum in the air, kicking her lion hanging above her.
Right now she resembles a oily faced teenager. Baby acne is the worst! It flares up, then calms down, and moves around her whole face. We're waiting it out...just hurry up!!
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| you can definitely tell which side was laying on the burp cloth and irritated her cheek while nursing |
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| Taken on her 1 month birthday, did I mention I love her cheeks? |
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| not so happy girl. |
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| food coma |
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| check it: i have some photography skills beyond instagram |
Per previous blog posts, you already know that she loves bathtime. We get particularly cute pictures during bathtime.
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| add your own caption...this is her "whoops" face |
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| one of our new favs - we love nemo |
Friday, January 18, 2013
has it been a month??
Well, not yet. It has been over 4 weeks, but Norah will be one month on Sunday. While we're no experts, we are feeling pretty good about the groove we've got going. Our day looks something like this (it is very -ishy obviously):
6am ish - dad takes Norah out (if she's fussy) so I can get a few hours of hard sleep
8:30 ish - mom wakes up, feeds norah, then eats breakfast
..... Norah eats, sleeps, poops, eat, sleeps, sometimes holds poops until after 2 feedings then blows out her diaper.
Side note: I do not recommend the costco brand diapers for the itsy bitsy babies. They don't carry huggies in her size at costco, so we took a chance getting the store brand. They fit her just right but she still manages to get at least one outfit a day poo-ed on. either out the legs or up the back. Maybe this is common for all diapers, if it is...at least I have mastered the soaking part of laundry.
9:30 pm ish - last feeding and we all go to bed. Norah is sleeping in a pack-n-play in our room, occasionally falling asleep with us in bed. She loves to just lay on her back, so if she can fall asleep laying on her back in our bed, I love it!
1 am - 5 am mom and norah get up to eat. I have been setting my alarm because 1) i don't want her going more than 4 hours right now without feeding and 2) my milk supply does not want her going 4 hours without eating.
Then it all starts again!
We have managed to get out and about to take walks in the sunny, yet freezing, weather. She gets bundled up then stuffed in our ergo front pack and away we go! She falls right asleep and we enjoy a nice walk. Today we tried the Moby wrap (thanks to Lacey for lending hers to me) around the house. She clearly hated it...and apparently the camera didn't like my face. Like Lacey said, it was nice to have both hands free finally!
Once we get our stroller, we will start using that on some of these country back roads. Side note: we received our stroller, but it was DAMAGED. Ugh. So we are patiently (however, this is running low) waiting for the replacement. In the meantime, I found a knock-off version for Roman:
I am happy to say that the milk blister that I had has resolved and its back to smooth sailing for feeding! Researching how to get rid of these, I was scared that I would have to get to step 4: "heat the tip of a needle to sterilize it and gently pop the blister" (!!!!) what!? no thanks, those kind of blisters do not pop gently. Now you understand why I'm so happy the warm washcloths help.
For those of you curious about my facebook status the other day regarding a trial, I'll quickly fill you in as it will be an important part of our lives the next several weeks. In November 2008, my grandma (mom's mom) was involved in a shooting. She worked as a contracted Human Resources person for a small tech company in San Jose. After firing an employee, he returned to the company, shot and killed 3 people, my grandma being one of them. It has taken over 4 years, but the trial is finally beginning to bring this man to justice. Of course, he has been pleading insanity...but I'm sorry if you have held a job for this long, have a family, and have led an otherwise prosperous life, you're doing just fine if you ask me. We have many soapboxes that we could go off on as a family, however I said I'd keep this short. The sentencing should come early March. We're praying that the system is just and this man gets what he deserves.
Roman and I are both eager to get out of the house and spend time with friends! Hint. Hint. Norah's one-month photos will be up soon :]
6am ish - dad takes Norah out (if she's fussy) so I can get a few hours of hard sleep
8:30 ish - mom wakes up, feeds norah, then eats breakfast
..... Norah eats, sleeps, poops, eat, sleeps, sometimes holds poops until after 2 feedings then blows out her diaper.
Side note: I do not recommend the costco brand diapers for the itsy bitsy babies. They don't carry huggies in her size at costco, so we took a chance getting the store brand. They fit her just right but she still manages to get at least one outfit a day poo-ed on. either out the legs or up the back. Maybe this is common for all diapers, if it is...at least I have mastered the soaking part of laundry.
9:30 pm ish - last feeding and we all go to bed. Norah is sleeping in a pack-n-play in our room, occasionally falling asleep with us in bed. She loves to just lay on her back, so if she can fall asleep laying on her back in our bed, I love it!
1 am - 5 am mom and norah get up to eat. I have been setting my alarm because 1) i don't want her going more than 4 hours right now without feeding and 2) my milk supply does not want her going 4 hours without eating.
Then it all starts again!
We have managed to get out and about to take walks in the sunny, yet freezing, weather. She gets bundled up then stuffed in our ergo front pack and away we go! She falls right asleep and we enjoy a nice walk. Today we tried the Moby wrap (thanks to Lacey for lending hers to me) around the house. She clearly hated it...and apparently the camera didn't like my face. Like Lacey said, it was nice to have both hands free finally!
Once we get our stroller, we will start using that on some of these country back roads. Side note: we received our stroller, but it was DAMAGED. Ugh. So we are patiently (however, this is running low) waiting for the replacement. In the meantime, I found a knock-off version for Roman:
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| Disclaimer: we do not really have this stroller, however it may come in handy if Roman was to walk her down to the gun club. |
For those of you curious about my facebook status the other day regarding a trial, I'll quickly fill you in as it will be an important part of our lives the next several weeks. In November 2008, my grandma (mom's mom) was involved in a shooting. She worked as a contracted Human Resources person for a small tech company in San Jose. After firing an employee, he returned to the company, shot and killed 3 people, my grandma being one of them. It has taken over 4 years, but the trial is finally beginning to bring this man to justice. Of course, he has been pleading insanity...but I'm sorry if you have held a job for this long, have a family, and have led an otherwise prosperous life, you're doing just fine if you ask me. We have many soapboxes that we could go off on as a family, however I said I'd keep this short. The sentencing should come early March. We're praying that the system is just and this man gets what he deserves.
Roman and I are both eager to get out of the house and spend time with friends! Hint. Hint. Norah's one-month photos will be up soon :]
Monday, January 14, 2013
my oh my
What a busy last couple weeks.
Norah's Nana (Jen's mom) was here with her fiance and my younger brother from Dec 31st till Jan 6th. We laughed when my mom asked if we should pick up some champagne to celebrate the new year. Really. Think we're going to stay up by choice until midnight.
Our guests slept in Norah's room (since she was and still is sleeping in ours). They cooked us dinner each night and breakfast every morning. We were even able to get a date night in! The trip ended with Norah's baptism at Visitation Catholic Church in Verboort.
During all this time, Norah had her 2 week check up. We were back to birth weight and got the go ahead to try a bottle if we wanted and start her Vit D drops. She had been exclusively breastfed, but there were some feedings (especially at night) that I had become too engorged for her to latch on. We decided that I would continue to pump, but instead of freezing it all, Roman will give her one bottle a day. This way she associates only him (for now) with a bottle, and me with breastfeeding (recommended per her doc). This also allows me to have a little break and pump instead of feed her, and we can just drop the vit D in the bottle. Yahoo! She took it well...I mean why wouldn't she - getting the same amount of food in a fraction of the time and pretty much no effort.
Also, time to start some tummy time. Thanks to aunty Elyce, we have an awesome activity mat to use!
Also during the visit, her umbilical cord fell off. Time for some first bath pictures!
Parent's update:
Most of you know that Roman and I have 12 weeks off each! We decided to take it at the same time. Mostly because both of our employers require you take it consecutively and with it being the holidays and such, just made sense for us both to be home. But don't worry, we have some key entertainment to keep us sane.
1) Dexter - season 7,
2) Homeland - just started this, and if you like 24 you'll love this
3) Parenthood - watched as much as we could on Netflix, but the actual show airs at 10pm. Who stays up to watch 10pm shows...
4) Breaking Bad
We are just finishing up the Harry Potter series as I ...type. We also have a few Cinetopia passes for date nights, some Dutch Bros gift cards from Christmas, and 2 vehicles :]
Norah has become quite the daddy's girl. You can find her in this position most mornings when Roman takes her so I can get a few solid hours of sleep. Or in the middle of the day. She is fascinated with his beard, and loves his kisses. Not spoiled at all. Roman has gotten a few bouts of Xbox time and we have been good about giving eachother some time away from the house to ourselves.
I have recovered remarkably well. I say this because of hearing near-horror stories of other's labor and delivery and thinking, I got lucky. Within the first week, I was pretty mobile. Lifting was restricted of course to Norah's weight, but we just adapted certain "duties" for me around the house so I wasn't sitting all the time. So at my 3 week mark, I am down 25lbs. Ok ok, for some this is ALL you gain. Wel,l that must be nice. I gained about 45, so still at least 20 to go until I feel back to normal. Roman's folks got me a 6 month gym membership (per request...don't worry they weren't implying anything) for me to start once I'm cleared to exercise. Also, Roman got me Zumba for the kinect...so if anyone wants to join looking ridiculous, let me know!! Breastfeeding is going mostly well. Last week I discovered a "milk blister" or bleb or clogged duct, whatever you want to call it. Made feeding extremely painful. After a few warm compresses and some ibuprofen, the blister went away, but the residual pain usually lasts a few more days. Ugh. But if this is the biggest hurdle, I'll take it!
I get my cuddle time in too :]
 |
| Tracy and Bentley holding their first grand daughter |
 |
| Nana is enamored with baby Norah |
 |
| Uncle Nick and his "cool" california kid look |
Our guests slept in Norah's room (since she was and still is sleeping in ours). They cooked us dinner each night and breakfast every morning. We were even able to get a date night in! The trip ended with Norah's baptism at Visitation Catholic Church in Verboort.
 |
| Norah wore the same christening gown as Roman and Eric |
 |
| Godfather AND Uncle Eric holding her as she gets blessed |
During all this time, Norah had her 2 week check up. We were back to birth weight and got the go ahead to try a bottle if we wanted and start her Vit D drops. She had been exclusively breastfed, but there were some feedings (especially at night) that I had become too engorged for her to latch on. We decided that I would continue to pump, but instead of freezing it all, Roman will give her one bottle a day. This way she associates only him (for now) with a bottle, and me with breastfeeding (recommended per her doc). This also allows me to have a little break and pump instead of feed her, and we can just drop the vit D in the bottle. Yahoo! She took it well...I mean why wouldn't she - getting the same amount of food in a fraction of the time and pretty much no effort.
Also, time to start some tummy time. Thanks to aunty Elyce, we have an awesome activity mat to use!
Also during the visit, her umbilical cord fell off. Time for some first bath pictures!
 |
| Would like to note that immediately following this photo, she peed all over dad. |
 |
| She actually rather enjoyed her first bath! |
 |
| What the.. |
Parent's update:
Most of you know that Roman and I have 12 weeks off each! We decided to take it at the same time. Mostly because both of our employers require you take it consecutively and with it being the holidays and such, just made sense for us both to be home. But don't worry, we have some key entertainment to keep us sane.
1) Dexter - season 7,
2) Homeland - just started this, and if you like 24 you'll love this
3) Parenthood - watched as much as we could on Netflix, but the actual show airs at 10pm. Who stays up to watch 10pm shows...
4) Breaking Bad
We are just finishing up the Harry Potter series as I ...type. We also have a few Cinetopia passes for date nights, some Dutch Bros gift cards from Christmas, and 2 vehicles :]
I have recovered remarkably well. I say this because of hearing near-horror stories of other's labor and delivery and thinking, I got lucky. Within the first week, I was pretty mobile. Lifting was restricted of course to Norah's weight, but we just adapted certain "duties" for me around the house so I wasn't sitting all the time. So at my 3 week mark, I am down 25lbs. Ok ok, for some this is ALL you gain. Wel,l that must be nice. I gained about 45, so still at least 20 to go until I feel back to normal. Roman's folks got me a 6 month gym membership (per request...don't worry they weren't implying anything) for me to start once I'm cleared to exercise. Also, Roman got me Zumba for the kinect...so if anyone wants to join looking ridiculous, let me know!! Breastfeeding is going mostly well. Last week I discovered a "milk blister" or bleb or clogged duct, whatever you want to call it. Made feeding extremely painful. After a few warm compresses and some ibuprofen, the blister went away, but the residual pain usually lasts a few more days. Ugh. But if this is the biggest hurdle, I'll take it!
I get my cuddle time in too :]
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