Gretta Stuff

She sits up really good on her own now. She's been sitting up with helpful for probably two months at least, but now she is very stable and can set up comfortably without me worrying too much about her falling over.

Georgie Updates

Says "I love Grammy very much" and has started saying this about others too (daddy, tee-tee and Leonie etc) Says 'tray' (ish) for "trailer" and "oee" for "oil' He started using a pillow on our Arizona trip this year. That is, January 2014. He slept in a pullout couch at the legacy, and George asked him if he wanted a pillow and he said yes, so we gave him one. Now he sleeps with one at home and at Grammys too.

Rash, Arizona, Clogged Duct

Haven't written anything in a while – to make a long story short, when we went to Phoenix gretta got a rash and we thought it was from the linens at the Legacy, then it continued when we went to the rental houses, so we thought it was the hard water there. We were so excited to get home because we got it would go back to normal which was no rash at all. We got home it got even worse, to the point where we finally took her in to the doctor on a Saturday. They told us to bathe her every day in water only, no soap, and then lube up her entire body with Eucerin Aquaphor. So we did that for a week until her six-month appointment which was the next week. It seems to help a little bit but the rash was just not really going away very good. Basically we've been dealing with this rash for the last month and half, and today is March 15. Actually we've been dealing with it for two months. Even a little more. The rash is gotten much better since we finally took her to an upper cervical chiropractor – kind of a holistic doctor (dr Andrea Jordheim from my mops group). She put her on a regimen of DHA omega-3's, probiotics, and vitamin D daily. That and the brainstem upper cervical adjustment she did to Greta did seem to help a fair amount. So it has gradually gotten better but never completely gone away. About two and half weeks ago I eliminated dairy from my diet in an attempt to kick it even harder. That does seem to be helping, so she probably has a milk intolerance which she will probably grow out of. It's fairly common – they are allergic to the protein in cows milk. But then about a week after I gave up Dairy, I got a clogged milk duct in my better producing left side. It was fairly painful and grossed me out to the point where I almost fainted a few times. Eventually I adjusted to it and was constantly massaging it and using heat and hot showers. It did go away after a couple days but I noticed a white spot on my nipple that was called a bleb, after I researched it. It's like a blister sort of, but the skin grows over one of the milk duct openings on The nipple. Sometimes the milk can get stuck behind there and cause the clogged duct. So I worked the clogged duct out in the rest of my breast, but still have the small white spot and it does seem to be still a little bit clogged. I was making some progress after researching it and doing some occasional Epsom salts baths on the breast only and using very Hot compresses right before I would nurse her. But it severely hurt my milk supply because I wasn't emptying it for a couple days, and so I've been working really really hard to get my milk back up. It has been a huge struggle and I have been very frustrated and weary. I never had to do anything for my milk before even though I wasn't a milk cow, I still produced enough for Greta. But now I am eating lactation cookies, taking at least 12 fenugreek a day, drinking tons of water, taking lecithin which is supposed to help with the milk duct, and eating oatmeal every day which is supposed to help with lactation. I'm also taking goats rue. Nothing seems to be working that great although last night Greta did a long stretch – the longest she's done in a very long time. She slept from 1 AM to 8:15 AM. I was so happy because I needed that sleep so desperately, and we had been up earlier in the night with Georgie who woke up crying hard and inconsolably (this has been happening every now and then for a few months and after researching it, I found out that it happens when they are overtired. It's almost like they can't wake up and so that's why they're inconsolable). But now today, my breast is feeling hard again and I think that it might be clogged again and I am just so completely frustrated and at my wits end. I'm thinking about calling a lactation nurse and going into see them and seeing if they can clear out The clogged milk duct on the nipple. Anyway, that is a summary of a very long big story. That is rash is looking a lot better but she still itching like crazy which is very irritating. I am just so sick of this all and want my baby to feel better not itch, and be satisfied, not hungry. It has been a very trying couple months. Well, after I wrote this post, in the afternoon she was nursing and I was trying to massage the best I could, and she was not seeming that hungry or like she was getting very much so I took her off and scraped the white spot on my nipple with my fingernail. Something did come off, and after that it seems to open the floodgates. She was swallowing better, but still seemed pretty full so I put the pump on and I pumped for like 12 minutes straight with milk just pouring out of that one duct. It was such a release and something. Last night she did another long stretch from around 11 PM to around 4 AM. So my clogged duct seems a little more clogged again today – but I at least feel some hope because I feel like I can keep up on it as long as I keep an ion it and scratch it every now and then.

Georgie Stuff from Winter 2013/14

I want diaper rash for I want diaper rash cream. and my bum hurts I have diaper rash and my pee pee hurts Where chic let (chic filet)?" ! No more binky mid November! Chewing on fingers 'Catay' for 'today' "Where's Jesus?" After bday cake for Jesus How he blows (like bubbles) Starting to draw faces. Soooo cute bc the eyes are just two dots and the nose is two circles (I think bc he is short and always looking up at people's nostrils?!) and the mouth is a straight line. But he's getting the idea, and this is much more advanced than all the scribbles he's been doing Mixing up what calls meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) "Piskurs" for pictures When he sees or hears about somewhere he'll sometimes say "I want to go there sometime" Soooo cute!

Stuff

Below was something I wrote I'm guessing like a month ago-ish? So beginning of October, or somewhere around there. I think GM was around two months old. This bedtime routine has changed a little now (Nov. 8), as we put her to bed earlier now. But I thought I'd still post this, since this is how we used to do it. So at night we generally start bedtime routine at 7:45 (give or take depending on her feeding bc I feed her 'on demand'). G (or sometimes me) takes Georgie and puts his jammies on while I start feeding Gretta (or sometimes I get ready for bed first), then Georgie comes to me so cutely to say “night night mommy”, and I just love on him and tell him “goodnight my love”! Then I cluster feed GM for the next approx. hour and 15 min, getting ready for bed between feedings. And actually, sometimes I technically start the cluster feedings earlier, like before dinner, which usually falls between 6:30 and 7:00. She does have somewhat of a 'witching hour' around dinnertime – usually somewhere between 5ish 8ish where she's a little fussier than normal. I think maybe her appetite just catches up to her bc she sleeps a lot of the day. She seems to be having 'eating days' (when she doesn't sleep as much) and then 'sleeping days' (when she doesn't eat as much).

Georgie Stuff

So I've been writing things down about the kids, on my notepad on my phone, to eventually blog abaout. I'm quickly finding out that I just don't have the time to be as thorough as I'd like, and I figure something is better than nothing. Even if it's just the 'cliff notes' of their childhood, it will at least trigger my memory to fill in the blanks and expand! So, here is, copied and pasted from my notepad 'stuff to blog about for Georgie'.

Train whistles being "way up there" (when he hears them, and obviously can't see them, he kindof points to the sky like the trains are 'somewhere out there'!!!

Calls steak snake, pizza bippa, and ambulance ambimp, "sada" for salad, he called pantusos 'panchoo-choos'!

Funny things he's said: A choir came on the classical station, and it was a part where just the men were singing, and he said "daddy singing?!"; when he's falling asleep at night (or nap) sometimes he'll say funny things like "mommy, daddy - Georgie wake up (is awake)!"; And he'll sing the alphabet;

Right now he's in a MAJOR question-asking stage - soooo inquisitive!!! It is AMAZING to see and I just think he's soooo smart!!! Says "what momma lookin at?" And the other day said "what momma thinking?" - sooooo smart! Says "where _____ (tee- tees house/grammy's house, chic lay (chic filet)/walmart/mall/grommer's" (and others!), "How this works?" ("How does this work?"); "What song this is momma?"; "What momma see?"; "What's that noise"; "Where moon?"; "Where sun?"; "Where daddy/lots of people?"; "What that man doing?"; etc. etc. etc. - soooo many questions!!! Sooo adorable. He will ask the same ones over and over and I will just answer them over and over.

"No I like it" for "I don't like it" (usually with food)

Got his two year molars in the last month (basically the month of October). I think some of his 'agrssiveness' towards Leonie was bc he was hurting. He's been much better lately! (Today's November 1).

Afraid of (at least aware of) the dark. It's so funny bc I always thought parents TAUGHT their kids how to be afraid of things by what they said, watched, etc., but that is NOT true. Georgie recently became aware of the dark and even though he says 'turn light off' (I think in a way he's 'facing' his fear), he always wants me in the room with him when we do that. And he now won't go in the family room or office in the morning by himself bc it's not super light. He doesn't directly say he's afraid - I can just tell bc now he'll say things like "momma go in there with me" or "momma come on" or "it's dark in there". Sooo interesting to see him noticing complex things like the unknown of the darkness.

He's been better with Gretta - he'll kiss and hug her (be it slightly aggressive sometimes) and has held her a few times. Says things like "she cute" and "Gretta crying?" and "big smiles" - soooo cute! I really try to have him help me with little things, saying he's SUCH big helper, and when he does sweet things to GM I praise him UP AND DOWN. I think he's starting to get used to not getting ALL the attention.

Gretta Stuff

So I've been writing things down about the kids, on my notepad on my phone, to eventually blog abaout. I'm quickly finding out that I just don't have the time to be as thorough as I'd like, and I figure something is better than nothing. Even if it's just the 'cliff notes' of their childhood, it will at least trigger my memory to fill in the blanks and expand! So, here is, copied and pasted from my notepad 'stuff to blog about for Gretta'. Nicknames: Baby princess, Pickles, Gret mer, Miss Mae, mrs. Maes, Mae, angel, angel princess, Beautimus. I know - pretty ridiculous!!! It is so sweet in the morning bc Georgie gets up (too early), so we (George) gets him set up to watch videos on the kindle (usually police cars, little einsteins, caillou), and around then GM gets fussy so we move her to the bed next to George and she falls back asleep. So we all are on our bed together, and it's just fun family time (even though 3 out of the 4 of us are sleeping!). Cute swallowing sound when she nurses Manly grunting sound when she's trying to poo :( Has issues with that (pooing) - sad! Started doing short little laughing episodes a LITTLE before 3 months. Did it tonight (exactly 3 mos - Nov. 6). Soooo precious!!! We just started implementing a bedtime of 7:30 (try to), made easier by the recent time change. Other than that benefit, the time change is kicking ALL our butts! I go to bed at like 8:30 or 9 (try to), made easier (and harder) by the time change. Tiredness is very set in now but I know this too shall pass. With earlier bedtime, she sometimes feeds THREE times/night now. Stinks. She's starting to fall into half hour napping schedule like georgie. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Trying to nip it in the bud and only thing we've found somewhat successful is standing over her and waiting for her to wake at 30 min, then sticking the binky in when she does. Usually only works for her late afternoon nap. She's been doing a fair amount of naps in the crib or in the nursery in the rock n play. I've been tracking her naps (time/where/length) for a week now, trying to come up with some patterns to make a schedule. She's all over the place. Probably bc MY scheudle is all over the place! I probably need to start tying myself to our home more, which is REALLY hard for me. Sleep training is a trade off for sure. She still sleeps pretty good at night and I often put her down awake in her bassinet. I'm pretty sure she's a small eater, but she had gained ENOUGH at her 2 month so it's okay. My milk has definitely dropped of (I like to call it 'regulated'!) but I'm just plugging away and she seems to be getting enough. I've been pumping less - 1-3 times a day usually, and USUALLY both night feedings. Still about one bottle a week so she'll take one. She's beautiful! Beautiful big eyes and cute little lips! She's tall! She was in the 25th% at her 2 month. Just got her first diaper rash. Really sad.