Grandma to the rescue!

Look who's been enjoying some serious snuggling time with Grandma :)

Yes, Aaron goes back tomorrow, but my mother-in-law has arrived to save the day! Hurray!

life with 2 under 2 {so far}

I haven't been the best blogger since our little man, Emmett, was born. So I thought I'd give you all some much needed updates!

We've been having appointments with Emmett's pediatric doctor and my lactation consultant every other day. He has been sloooowwwwlllyyyy gaining weight back. Today, he was up to 6 lbs 1 oz, which is no change from Wednesday and still eight ounces from his birth weight, but at least he's maintaining and not losing. While we were there, we did a weighed feeding, and he managed to get 20ml in about 15 minutes, which isn't as much as a full term baby would consume at the breast, but still not bad. Considering how rough things were in the beginning, with him not latching at all, we are all pretty happy with his progress. He is doing SOOOOOO much better with the help of the nipple shield. In fact, they now upped his time at the breast to 15 minutes per side before offering the bottle, which makes me happy. We are slowly but surely getting closer to our ultimate goal- exclusively breastfeeding.


Elliot is adjusting REALLY well to his new baby brother- much better than I expected, to be honest. He pretty much does his own thing most of the time (busy, busy toddler!) but he likes bringing me things for the baby- pacifiers, burp cloths, etc. I think he does it just to hear the enthusiastic "THANK YOU" afterwards, but either way, it's pretty cute. He also likes to poke Emmett and give him kisses. :)


I'm feeling GREAT! I don't even feel like I just had a baby, and always find myself doing things I'm not supposed to do {like picking up Elliot}. So far, I've already lost 21 of the 35 pounds I gained during my pregnancy, without trying. I gained 45 when I was pregnant with Elliot, and lost the weight quickly and easily, but I thought it would be harder this time around. Looks like I might have been wrong! Fingers crossed!



Emmett wakes up to eat about every two hours. We're cosleeping, so he never cries because I wake up right when he starts to stir. I absolutely love having a little baby to snuggle up to again every night. The pack & play was originally set up next to the bed, but it has since been taken down and put away since we never used it.

Aaron goes back to work on Monday, but his mom is flying in tomorrow to stay with us for a week, to help me out while I sort out this whole 2 under 2 thing. So far, in the few times I've been left alone with the boys, things have gone pretty smoothly. There was one giant Elliot meltdown when I was nursing Elliot and his cup needed to be refilled. He doesn't have a whole lot of patience- after all, he's used to his mama devoting 100% of her attention to him and getting whatever he wanted whenever he asked for it. He'll adjust.

lactation cookies!

I've been having a bit of trouble with my milk supply lately, so last night I decided to make a batch of these lactation cookies that I've heard everyone talking about lately. Ummm, they are DELICIOUS!!

The three most important ingredients, which have been used for years to help increase milk production, are oats, brewer's yeast, and flax seed. These cookies are packed full of fiber, protein, and omega 3 fatty acids, all which are essential to a nursing mom.

All that health stuff aside, they are DELICIOUS! Seriously. I've had a hard time keeping my husband away from them!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. steel cut oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. flax
3 T brewer's yeast
1/3 c. water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 c. (12oz) chocolate chips



Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, brewer's yeast, flax and water until creamy. Mix in eggs.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Add oats slowly, mixing along the way.

Place balls of dough onto greased baking sheets.
Press down each ball lightly with a fork.
Bake 12 minutes.


The original recipe is here. I decided to alter it a bit.

Giveaway time!

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Giveaway:
Prize:
- 100 5x7 postcards (printed on front, with 14pt UV coating and rounded corners)
ready to ship in 4 business days

To Enter:
- leave a comment with your email address & tell me what you would use your postcards for!

Extra Entries:
- follow PrintRunner on twitter and like them on facebook
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deadline of submission: May 29th
*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.

Good luck! Be sure to enter before May 29th.

Thank you to Print Runner for providing this giveaway. I will receive a set of postcards for hosting this.

happy mother's day!

"I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine - she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights." -Terri Guillemets

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I hope you all enjoyed your day. We ventured out in public with both babies for the first time- we went out for lunch and then did some Mother's Day shopping afterwards. It went smoothly! I had a bottle of freshly pumped breastmilk on hand {did you know breastmilk is good for 4+ hours at room temperature?}, but we never ended up needing it because Emmett slept the whole time.

My boys this morning:









{No, he does not still have a pacifier... he stopped using one when he was 7 months old. He just thought it would be funny to stick his brother's in his mouth!}

introducing...

Emmett Sullivan was born on Sunday night (5.6) at 10:52pm sunny side-up {AND face first!}.


He was pretty big for a 35 weeker at 6 lbs 9 oz and 19.25", but don't let that fool you...


He has his fair share of little struggles with weight loss, feeding problems, poor temperature control, low blood sugar, and jaundice. We're having some real trouble breastfeeding. He is now back up to 6 lbs, though!


He stayed in the hospital until Thursday, and we are now finally home and together as a family!



Big brother Elliot is doing well with him. He pretty much ignores him most of the time but likes to give him his paci and likes to touch his feet.


He looks A LOT like Elliot did as a newborn- he has slightly lighter eyes and less hair.
See?


Daddy is enjoying being home with his "little monkey"- he didn't get to experience this last time, since he left to head back to Korea the day after Elliot was released from the NICU.



He is a FANTASTIC baby. He sleeps through anything and loves to snuggle. He hasn't cried once during the night {we are cosleeping}.


He is just a joy. I love him so much.

hello from my birthing suite

Just writing to say...
I'M IN LABOR!!!

This morning, we went out for breakfast, came home, and decided to go for a nice little walk to Elliot's favorite park. One block away from home, I realized we forgot Elliot's shoes and went back to get them while Aaron waited with the stroller outside. I walked through the back door and felt a little POP, sure enough... my water had broken. I called Aaron inside and started running around the house like a crazy woman, throwing things into my hospital bag {which I hadn't even STARTED packing}.

For some reason, I really did not expect to go into labor this early. I was starting to think maybe this baby was going to stay in there for the long haul! Boy, was I wrong!

Please pray for a safe/smooth delivery and healthy baby! ♥ :)

35 weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks.
Baby’s Size: a butternut squash- 17.2-18.7 inches & 4.2-5.8 lbs.
Total Weight Gain: 32 lbs... yikes! I really don't think my face is as fat this time as it was when I was pregnant with Elliot, though. My belly seems much more round and centered. Maybe that's where all the weight is going ;)
Bellybutton: Out out out.
Stretchmarks: a few more have appeared on my belly itself- where I did NOT have any stretchmarks when I was pregnant with Elliot. They are small, and light... and I pray they stay that way and don't get too much worse.
Maternity Clothes: Nope!
Gender: a little brother.
Movement: Not as much movement lately, I think he's running out of room in there. Sitting is SO uncomfortable because he is constantly pressing his butt up under my ribs. It's really painful!
Sleep: Not as great lately, hard to get comfortable and I have to get up to pee 4+ times a night, usually.
Symptoms: braxton hicks, insane pressure down below, ribs feel like they are going to crack, lower back pain, heartburn, swollen feet/ankles/calves/knees, I CAN NOT SIT STILL... you know, all those typical glamourous end-of-pregnancy symptoms :)
Food Aversions: none
Food Cravings: sweets- ice cream, chocolate chip muffins, cookies, etc.
Best Moments this week: Elliot laughs everytime he sees my bare belly (if I'm changing, etc). It's SO stinking cute. We went for a long walk (which we haven't been doing as much lately) to the park Wednesday and I really enjoyed watching him climb all over the jungle gym. He is growing and changing so much, I can't believe I'm about to start fresh with another little one. Time truly flies, I'm going to try to enjoy every single stage of this new little baby's life.
What I miss: when my feet didn't look like I had elephantitus.
What I am Looking forward to: Meeting this baby boy and {dare I say it?} NOT being pregnant anymore. I realized today that I have been pregnant for almost a year and a half of the last three years. Wow!
Milestones: Full term in only TWO weeks (what the what?) and less than 5 weeks until my due date. Guys, I'm having a baby either this month or the beginning of the next- whaaaat?!

on weaning

You may remember my post, weaning + bedtime routines which I wrote back in the end of March. It received a fantastic response with plenty of tips, hints, suggestions, and kinds words, which I really really appreciated. I promised to keep you all updated... so this is me keeping that promise. Better late than never, right?

I've decided NOT to wean him right now, after all.

That's probably not what you expected to hear, right? Well. Let me explain my thought process.

• Elliot only gets a bottle two times a day. One before his nap, and one before bed. Sometimes he gets a third, if he takes an afternoon nap, but he has been dropping that habit lately. It only takes him about ten minutes (or less, if he's super tired) to lay in my lap and suck down his milk, and then I lay him down to sleep {WITHOUT the bottle}- whether he's awake or not. He's figured out that bottle = sleep, and he doesn't cry anymore, even if he's wide awake when I lay him down. He just gets it.
• He happily drinks water, milk, and occasionally watered down juice out of his straw sippy throughout the day. He will also drink out of our water bottles and cups.
• It's not like he's walking around with a bottle hanging out of his mouth. He's also not sucking on it throughout the night in his crib. I understand the concern about dental hygiene, but I really doubt that drinking from a bottle for ten or twenty(ish) minutes a day will cause much harm.
• Elliot's world is about to change in a BIG way, with the arrival of his baby brother. I'm already anticipating some serious difficulty with him adjusting to sharing his mama. I won't be able to hold him as much, and he will constantly be competing for my attention. So, in my mind, why throw in another change right now? If it comforts him and helps him to still nap and sleep normally, even with the addition of his little brother, I'm okay with him having the bottle a little longer.

So, what have I decided to do? I'm not going to bother trying to wean right now. I think, once his baby brother is a few months old and Elliot has adjusted, we will try it again. At that point, he would likely be 20+ months old, and more capable of understanding. In fact, I think we will opt for the tough love method- one day, when I'm feeling brave enough, the bottles will simply disappear. If he asks or looks for them, which I'm sure he will, then I will just explain to him that he's a big boy now and big boys don't have bottles before bed. Instead, we will rock and read stories. Will it be tough? Probably. But I know we can do it.

Who knows? Maybe he'll wean himself naturally before then. He has already shown signs- sometimes he falls asleep after only a few sucks on the bottle, or (if we're out) he falls asleep without it. My original plan, had he been able to breastfeed, was to let him wean himself naturally. Perhaps he will let me know when he's ready.

what we've been up to

No matter how hard I try, it seems like I am not able to blog consistently every day. Sorry for that. I usually get things done on the computer at night, but lately I've been so drained and exhausted that I pretty much crash on the couch the minute Elliot is asleep. I feel ready to pop!!

So, what have we been up to?


Well, Elliot has been getting better at entertaining himself, particularly in the morning. Lately he's been finding more exciting things than toys to play with, like boxes...


He also likes to carry his blankets everywhere, especially in the morning.

... and he's been busy making messes while I'm cleaning/organizing/trying to get things ready for his little brother's arrival. Aw, how nice of you, Elliot!


I am 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and I've been working on the nursery. We rearranged things, added some new furniture, and hung some new things on the walls this weekend :) I'll post some pictures soon!

I had an OB appointment yesterday, and I'm happy to say that little brother has FLIPPED! I used some of the tips/tricks in the following article:

If you are pregnant, you must read this!
Optimal Fetal Positioning For a Better Birth by Doula Momma.

We also saw on ultrasound that he is thankfully not posterior and his head is fully engaged, as low as it can go. Hopefully that means I won't have terrible back labor this time. But we'll have to wait and see! My cervix is very thin, and my OB was nervous to check me because she thought it might break my water. Sooo, I have no idea how dilated I am. But that's okay. Either way, this baby will be here soon!

Can't wait to meet you, baby brother! ♥