Baby Favorites: Pumping

I gave nursing a good try this time around. I really did, but it's just not my thing. I nursed Connor for about a month before switching to exclusively pumping, which is what I did with William. Connor was such a lazy eater! So I ended up nursing, then pumping. It was just too much work.

Since this is my second time around, here are my favorite, must-haves for pumping.

1. Boon Drying Rack: I found this drying rack used and tried it out. It is soooo much easier to keep clean than the last one we had so I grabbed another one. I also love the little branch and flower accessories--both great for bottle nipples.

2. Medela Breast Milk Storage Solution: Still love this the second time around. Note from the first time around: Matt and I have loved having this storage container for our frig. In the beginning when we were mixing breast milk and formula, this was great to help us stay organized. It has also saved us when one of my storage bags had a leak--everything was contained! Also, having the extra bottles and lids is awesome! This lids with the days of the week are super helpful!

3. Palmolive Oxi Dish Soap: This stuff is amazing! I had issues with greasy bottles and after switching to this soap, our bottles are so much cleaner and clear.

4. Gerber Bottles: Cheap, easy to find and work with the Medela PISA (and other pumps I think). Note: Connor didn't love these to drink out of though.

5. Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags: I had these with William, but didn't really use them much because I just washed everything in the dish washer. I have found it easier to just pop things in the microwave in these bags vs. wait for an empty dish washer (I don't like to mix food dishes and baby dishes).

6. Up & Up Breast Milk Storage Bags: I still love the Lansinoh bags, but I'm loving the Up & Up (Target) brand as well. They are thicker than Lansinoh and slightly cheaper I think!


7. Medela Advanced Personal Double Pump: I got another pump for Connor and decided to stick with the same pump so all my parts would work. Having two pumps is amazing!! I don't have to take my pump home from work--I just leave one at work and one at home (and get a set of flanges for home and work!). The only bummer is that the newer pump doesn't have a handle and pocket. Still good though, but I love the handle on my older pump. Also helpful to have is a car adapter. We have friends all over so to multitask, I pump in the car when traveling to visit family and friends who live more than 30 minutes from us. Saves so much time!

Note from the first time around which all still rings true: For moms who think they may want to breast feed (or at least give their baby breast milk), check with your insurance because most offer some options for free. I chose this Medela pump (covered by my insurance) and have loved it. I will add that it is helpful to make sure your flanges are the right size, and it's nice to have an extra set for when the others are in the dishwasher (we sanitize all baby things in once a week) or it's been nice to just keep an extra set of needed supplies at work during the week.

8. The Let Down Project: OMG, so I don't know if these helped me or not, but they are so good! A friend gave me some cookies that she wasn't going to use and I bought some during black friday deals. I love me some sweets so why not eat some that help with milk production.

Connor: 9 Months Old

Hard to believe Connor is nine months old today! This month he learned to crawl and finally started sleeping in his crib. He's cruising like a champ now too.

Connor has proven to be a good eater when he's in the mood. He eats everything we give him, but if he's not hungry, forget about it. He eats both pureed food and soft foods (still no teeth).

This kid is calm and easy going for the most part, but he has a temper and can go from happy to angry and back again very quickly. He's also very sensitive (always has been). He gets upset when he thinks someone else is upset or if he gets knocked over by William (daily occurrence). He's got a wail of a cry that is just the saddest thing you've ever heard and tears--oh the tears. Luckily he's a happy little guy most of the time!

Connor has daddy's coloring all around--jet black hair (and lots of it!), brown eyes and a little darker skin than mommy and William. Everyone comments on how much he looks like Matt and how William looks like me. Funny thing is that Connor's facial features look more like me and William's like Matt.

Connor: 39 Weeks Old

(Taken August 16)

Life Lately

So it's been a while and I missed a good year on my blog. I want to commit to blogging more so I can capture all the little moments of our lives. It's crazy how it all goes by so quickly. I forget the little stories and when William did things.

Since I last updated the blog, we've had an addition to our family! Connor James joined our little family on November 16, 2016. We are all so in love! He is perfect and completes our family.

As with William, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and they thought Connor would be big so I was induced at 39 weeks. We actually picked November 16 so that William's birthday is 10/14/14 and Connor's is 11/16/16. Kind of fun!

Connor's birth took a bit longer than William's. We got to the hospital at 6 a.m. They broke my water and started getting things going. It was a slow process. It wasn't painful but I was getting nauseous, which was horrible so finally around noonish I asked for an epidural. Like with William, the epidural only worked on one side except it was way worse this time. I had a "hot spot" as they call it on my right side that the epidural did not work on and when I bent over it hurt so bad. They ended up giving me anti-nausea medication, which didn't work, and I was starting to throw up but couldn't because it hurt too much to lean over...so they redid my epidural. I was so numb, I couldn't even wiggle my toes. That only lasted an hour before the pain started coming back. Thank goodness it was time to push.

So I pushed for three contractions or maybe two (I don't remember, it was not long) and he was there. So maybe TMI, but his little head was out, but the doctor wasn't there yet so I had to wait. The doctor made it though (unlike William's birth) and Connor was born in about one more push. Fun note: the nurse that delivered William was Connor's baby nurse. :) Her name was Alice. Also, the doctor that delivered Connor went to Indiana University. Matt liked that!

Funny story about his birth weight. The nurse said he weighed 7 lbs 9 oz. but the little card on his bassinet said 7 lbs. 0.5 oz. We just assumed they wrote it wrong. Connor's discharge papers had the lesser weight too and when we went for his first doctor's appointment, he was under 7 lbs. so doctor said he probably was smaller. So we're going with his weighed 7 lbs. 0.5 oz, was 20.5 inches long (just like William).

Connor is so easy going! He is just a happy little guy. I thought William was easy (well, after those first few months). Connor is just easy from the beginning....except for sleeping at night. It took us a good two months to be able to get him to sleep easily at night. He had his days and nights mixed up for a while; then refused to fall asleep easily at night (we'd be up until 2 a.m.!). But finally right after I went back to work (so about 10-11 weeks), he has finally gotten used to going to bed at night with us and for the most part is easy to put down for the night now...but even at 14 weeks, he is up once or twice in the night. Still it's a lot easier than it was.

William is the best big brother, even from the beginning. He hasn't been jealous, except a little with my mom and the baby, but not with Matt and I. In the beginning, he was a little rough, but he quickly learned to be gentle (there might have been one incident where William wanted to hold Connor and knocked him off the couch while I walked to the kitchen for all of 10 seconds). William wants to help all the time and calls Connor "my Connor." We often hear "Are you hungry Connor?" or William will want to hold "My Connor" and tickle him. It's the cutest thing ever.

I'll write more later on the specifics of the last three months. But welcome to the world, little Connor. You are loved so much!

A few pics from our first week:

Brothers meeting for the first time.

Baby Favorites: 18 months

Oh my, does time fly! I can't believe William is 20 months today! I figured my blog was due for an update. William changes daily and continues to amaze us!

Aden + Anais Lovey: Somewhere between Christmas and now, William has become obsessed with his bunny lovey. He loves his blanket too and his cheetah lovey, but bunny or "bubbie" as he says, is his favorite. Epic meltdowns occur when bunny has to be washed and William notices that he is gone. This little guy isn't the thickest material and probably not meant for the dryer so we may have to purchase another one soon since I put it in the dryer anyway.

Melissa and Doug Chunky Puzzles: William absolutely loves puzzles! He mastered the chunky puzzles at about 16-months. We've gotten a few as gifts, but of course Mickey is his favorite. I like the chunky puzzles because for my little beaver who chews on everything, these pieces hold up pretty well. The knob Melissa and Doug puzzles are good too but the paint doesn't hold up with chewing.

BabyFirst TV Station/App: We are no strangers to using TV to entertain William when we need to get something done around the house or maybe aren't feeling well (we've had a rough Spring with many colds for all of us). My mom recently stumbled across the TV station, BabyFirst. William is now obsessed! He dances to the music, sings his own little songs to certain cartoons. It's so cute to watch him. The counting is finally helping him start to repeat numbers! My favorite though are the "Color Crew."

Peek-a Who? Board Book: I picked up this book at a consignment sale for probably $1. It is so simple, yet cute. William will repeat the book now, but his favorite is the end when he can look at himself in the mirror ("Peek-A-You!"). My vain kid. haha. 

Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Baby's First Blocks:  William mastered these at about 16-months (around the same time as he did puzzles). We love this little bucket because it's easy to take with us when we go to people's houses.

OshKosh Jet2-B Slip On Water Shoe: I picked a pair of these up at a consignment sale as well. I love them because they don't slip off to easily (always a struggle with William), and they can be worn as regular shoes too and not look like water shoes. They don't dry super fast so if you do use them in water, bring another pair of shoes for changing, but we really like these.

Pottery Barn Elephant Plush Rocker: So last Easter, I got William a rocker similar to this one (William's is more like a canvas and blue elephant) from Pottery Barn. They were on sale and it goes along with his elephant-themed room. Up until recently, William hasn't done much with the rocker and Matt always jokes that it was a waste of money. Now though, William is big enough to jump on the elephant by himself and he loves it!

William Lately

Life flies by and I realized there are so many new things that William learns or does each day. I feel like a bad mom sometimes because I forget to capture these moments for when he asks later on. I am blessed every day to have such a good toddler. He truly is just a happy kid.

As William nears 20 months, I realized I haven't even done an 18-month favorites. Here's a snap shot of life from the last six months:

William's words:

Dada-his first official word, for months he would say “dada” every time Matt came home. Yet, still no “mama” :(
Matt: He used to say this when he was just over a year. Not so much anymore.
Momm-eeee: I can't remember when he first started saying this, but it is quite possibly the cutest thing ever and my favorite sound in life (except for his giggle which makes anyone smile).
Paw Paw
Gran-ma
Pup pup
Woof woof: William just started saying animal sounds recently, associating them with the animals that make them. His favorite is of course a dog and he says “woof woof” every time he sees a dog. Cow and moo are his second favorite.
Other animal sounds he says: Meow, baa, bzz, ribbit (frog), neigh
No: It’s often “No No” while pushing something away now-a-days. He’s starting to be very vocal about what he doesn’t want. haha.
Up
Bee (bye)
Hi
Uh oh
I don’t know
All done
All gone
Shoe
Baby (this is his cheetah lovey)
Bubbie (which we think is him trying to say “bunny,” his favorite lovey)
Callie (after Sherif Callie)
Yee-yee (Mickey)
Minnie
One day he said all the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse character names. He has yet to do it again, except Minnie.
Cracker
Baba
Pa (Paci)
TV
Choo choo (and he knows this is from a train)
Boo

Zoo
Ball
Cheese
Peez (Please)
Block
Car

Some of his latest words:
Green (I think he thinks every color or crayon is green. haha)
Blue
Crayon 
I do I do
Open

A few firsts:

First time in daycare: September 2015 for a few weeks while mom’s foot was healing.
First trick or treating: October 2015
Learned to walk: Early November 2015 (12.5 months); he cruised on furniture for MONTHS (starting in the Spring).
First 5K: Thanksgiving morning 2015, at Burke Lake
Learned to blow kisses: December 2015 (around Christmas time, from Bubbe Elkin)
First haircut: December 24, 2015
First trip to Santa: December 2015
First trip to the National Zoo: December 2015 (because it was like 70 degrees in December!)
First trip to Chuck E Cheese: December 2015, with Matt's family
First blizzard: January 2016
Learned to climb onto the couch: March 2016
Chunky (Melissa and Doug) puzzles mastered: March 2016 (he loves puzzles! He’s so quick at them now!)
Shaped blocks in their prospective holes: March 2016
Can point to his teeth and nose: May 2016
First trip to the library: May 2016

Teeth Update: 

A late teether, William got 6 all at once in September 2015. Next he got first 4 molars (all at once) in February 2016, then just one tooth in May 2016. He tends to run a fever, along with some throwing up before the teeth pop threw. We just had a bought of fever/throwing up on Sunday; I'll be curious to see if another tooth doesn't pop up soon.

Springtime activities:

We took a music class this Spring and William loved it! He is not used to sitting still, which was very hard for him. He wandered much of the class time some days, but he now loves music, dances all the time to music by moving his little legs quickly and moving his arms. He also learned to pat his legs to songs.

This Spring, William has also learned to put his books away, and sometimes toys. He will read independently sometimes and then cleanup his books. :) He continues to love to read before bed.

This Easter, William loved picking up the Easter eggs, which surprised us. We didn’t think he would get it yet.

This past month (May), William has started patting us on the arm, back, (wherever he can reach) when we hold him and give him hugs. It is the cutest thing ever!

William continues to love being outdoors--whether it’s snowing or 100 degrees. He will most likely throw a fit when it’s time to come in!

Since last summer when William was introduced to the pool (summer 2015), he has loved bathes and the water. We can’t wait for the summer this year. We have already played in a little pool and he loves it!

William's favorite game is peekaboo and tickle. He will giggle forever if you play peekaboo with him. :)

Eating:

William continues to be a horrible eater. He gladly eats sweets and crackers, but anything else is a struggle. Bananas and carrots are his favorite, but it's hit or miss whether or not he will eat them. He loves cheese, especially shredded orange cheese. lol.

We haven't weaned William from his bottle. He has been able to drink from a sippy, strawed cups and even bottles or cups if we hold them, but he will not drink milk out of a sippy. We continue to try...William wouldn't drink anything but milk and water for a while. He will occasionally drink Gatorade, lemonade or tea now, but usually only a few sips.

Christmas "Break" 2015

This year's Christmas "break" (we can still have a break even though we're adults, right?) was truly just what we needed. Matt had a few days off, as did I and we just really tried to make the most of our time--do some things, but not over schedule ourselves too much. We had time to relax, time to try new things and go new places, time with family and time to clean up after all the holidays!

Last year, William was so little and cried A LOT. This year, he's at such a fun age (I'm sure it gets even better as he gets older). He does get into everything so there's that when we go to non-baby proofed homes, but really he's a good kid.

My sister and brother-in-law were in Virginia Beach again for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning so my mom, other sister and I made Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve. It was really nice to hang out all day. One of the cookies was a sugar cookie so we had fun decorating them. I think this will be our new tradition.

We also gave William his first haircut on Christmas Eve! My sister was over (she's a licensed cosmetologist) and it was super warm out so we decided to go ahead and do it! I had wanted to wait until after the new year, but it was good timing. I have to admit, he looks so cute with his clean cut hair! 

We had ridiculously warm weather for December--like 70s. Crazy! So we took advantage of the warm weather and got William a trike for Christmas and used that a few times. We also went to the National Zoo one day (bonus that they still had the holiday lights up; bummer that EVERYONE else had the same idea).

We took a chance and spent the night at Matt's dad's house one night (last time we tried this was horrible, just horrible. William cried the entire night, like screamed and could not be calmed). William was an angel and took a nap and slept through the night. It was awesome!

During our trip to Fredericksburg, we went to Chuck E Cheese for the first time. William had mixed reviews. haha. He liked it at first, but then mid-way through refused to let go of me in the game area and didn't want to ride on anything any more. He loved Chuck E though and wanted to watch the show area characters and run around there (where the tables were).

Matt and I both worked on New Year's Eve. This was maybe strategic on my part because I knew we'd probably get off early and I live 10 minutes away so why waste a whole work day of vacation. Well, turns out my CEO was feeling extra jolly and let us off work at 1 p.m. Amazing! Matt was home at 3 p.m. so we did an early dinner out just the two of us while mom and dad watched William. It was quite nice! My sister and her husband joined us for some table games (shuffle board and ping pong; we're lame, I know!) and we had the best time! The best part is, William went to bed on time and slept through the whole thing! Did I mention he's a great kid?!

William's first haircut, Dec. 24, 2015

Decorating Christmas cookies, Dec. 24, 2015

Christmas evening at Mom and Dad's.

National Zoo, Dec. 27, 2015

Trip to Fred; first trip to Chuck E Cheese, Dec. 29, 2015

New Year's Eve 2015

New Year's Day 2016