Mama Dani's Musings: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Kids Say: January 2012

Sean and Granddad:
Sean: "What's that on your finger?"
Granddad: "A booboo"
Sean: "What kind?"
Granddad: "I didn't know there were different kinds."
Sean: "Looks like a bleed."

Maddy's monologues just about every morning for the first couple weeks after Emily was born, "Mama, she's a baby. She's Emily, Emily Noelle. She's ours. We're her family."

Sean about Maddy: "I have to tell her what to do because she doesn't know everything yet."

Sean: Bat Mobile = Batman Bomowheel

Maddy, after one of her normal monologues about anything and everything all at once, tells Emily "I talk a lot!"

Sean, randomly, "I smell like bubbles!!"

Sean, in the car (Emily started crying) "Mama! I think you need to nurse Emily some more!"

Sean: "Babies get baby food in mommies belly from the 'belken' cord. When they come out they like milk from mama."

Sean: "Boys don't wear bras."
Maddy: "I have two!" *pointing to her nipples* "1, 2, see, I have two!"

About a friend who has two daughters... Sean- "They have a boy?" Me- "No, just two girls." Sean- "They do have a boy! A daddy boy!"

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© Mama Dani's Musings

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Week in Review: Week 4

Our week this past week was not all that exciting so there's really not much to report. The kids have taken a liking to looking at the stars before bed so that's turning into part of our bedtime routine.

I captured a brother/sister moment earlier in the week.

Then about midweek, Maddy decided to take up fashion design

and came up with this outfit:

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

4 Weeks Postpartum

Tomorrow, Emily will be 4 weeks old. Today, I had a postpartum visit with my midwife. At 4 weeks postpartum, I'm feeling pretty normal again. The first few days this time around were really rough. Emily and I didn't really leave the bed. It was nice in one way but it got old. Recovery was much better when I was able to get up more. Nursing is getting better. Sean and Maddy were both champion nursers from the get-go. Emily, on the other hand, had latch issues...resulting in blisters on my part. But I wasn't going to let that stop us. Her latch has greatly improved and I rarely have to fix it now. But, now we're working on over supply and forceful letdown. The over supply has gotten much better but Emily still has problems at letdown. It hasn't slowed her down any! Just for the fun of it, Emily got weighed today. Fully clothed, she's 9lbs 6oz (was 7lbs at birth)!! I'm doing good on the weight issue too. I'm just a couple pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. Then again, what do you expect when someone only has a 15lbs gain and then has a 7lbs baby. ;) The funny thing (that's not hurting the weight) is I'm craving healthy stuff. I can't seem to get enough of fruits, veggies (salads!!), yogurt, protein (eggs and peanut butter!!) and especially water. Emotionally, I'm doing better so far. Many might not realize it but I had postpartum depression after Maddy was born. I really wanted to avoid it this time so I decided on placenta encapsulation. A few days after Emily was born, someone came by to take care of the process for me. So far so good. I've had a couple weepy periods but then remembered I forgot to take a pill. PPD didn't really hit hard until a little bit later postpartum with Maddy. Fingers crossed that it doesn't sneak up later. If it does, Richard and I are both on the look out so we can nip it in the bud asap!!

My placenta pills

Monday, January 23, 2012

Inspired by Finn

I want to tell you about something amazing! I wish I had known about this when Sean was a baby but I didn't hear about Baltic Amber teething necklaces until Maddy started teething. I figured it couldn't hurt so I ordered one from Inspired by Finn. I mean, even if it didn't work, they're really pretty, right? When it arrived I didn't waist any time and put it on Maddy. I was pretty surprised at the results. Unlike with her brother, we didn't know she had a tooth coming in until we saw it. It was amazing. There were nights that she was teething and we forgot to put it back on her after a bath. Those were rough nights but that was the only time we could tell she was teething by her being cranky.

Isn't she cute in her Baltic Amber!?

I also have personal experience on the effects of Baltic Amber. I cut my hand resulting in stitches when Maddy was an infant. There are times when the scar will hurt. When I ordered Maddy's necklace, I also ordered one for Sean...even though he was pretty much done teething. He refused to wear it. I decided to try his necklace and wear it as a bracelet when my hand would bother me. The pain went away when I wore the amber and would come back when I took it off. That's when I became completely sold on the idea. It really does work! Later, when I became pregnant with Emily, I decided to buy a necklace for myself. I had heard that it would help with morning sickness. I'm not sure if this is true or not because I just wore it all the time. But, I have used it for headaches and it works!

Mine and Maddy's Baltic Amber necklaces.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, I do like to tell anyone who will listen to me about Baltic Amber but I also have a discount code to share. Inspired by Finn not only has beautiful Baltic Amber jewelry but they also carry Hazel Wood jewelry. Both have benefits for both children and adults. The benefits of Baltic Amber can be found here and the benefits of Hazel Wood can be found here.

To get one, go to Inspired by Finn and enter the code Danielle25 at check out to get ~~15%~~ 25% of your order. Then come back and leave a comment to let me know what you got! I wrote this review solely because I love their products but if 15 of you place an order I will get a free piece of jewelry...a teething necklace for Emily! So, please come back and let me know that you've placed an order using the code Danielle25 so that I can keep track of how close I am to the 15! The code expires February 5th.

And don't forget to tell your friends! ;)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Week in Review: Week 3

This week was pretty uneventful for the most part. It was another half week for daycare but this week I had no help. It went very well. My daycare kids were angels but my own older kids misbehaved. Then came Thursday. Thursday evening I had to make an emergency dentist appointment.

Now for the pictures:

Sisters:

Isn't this just the sweetest!? Maddy absolutely loves her new baby sister. She loves giving hugs and kisses and loves talking to Emily. I love that she loves her but I have to put limits on all the touching because she just can't keep her hands off of her.

And just for the fun of it, baby fingers and toes:

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Thankful Thursday

I saw another blogger post a Thankful Thursday post today and since I'm feeling pretty thankful today, I decided to do the same.

Today I'm thankful for my dentist. I woke up this morning with horrible tooth pain. I have a list of dental work that needs to be done; unfortunately it's too expensive to do all of it now. I've been chipping away at it, putting off what I can. So the pain wasn't much of a surprise. It was a tooth that the dentist said was eventually going to have to be pulled. The pain was worse than I expected. I honestly would rather go through labor again than have a tooth ache like that! I called my dentist and not only were they able to see me today but they were able to get me an evening appointment...which is so much easier for me. I'm so thankful for that and so thankful that the pain is gone!

What are you thankful for today?

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Week in Review- Week 2

This past week was pretty much week one of getting back in the swing of things. With the help of my mom, I started back up with my daycare. One of my daycare kids won't be back until the end of the month so daycare was only part time this week. Friday, mom and I took the kids to the Children's Museum. Sean and Maddy had a blast and after two weeks of getting use to having a new baby in the house, I think they really needed the outing.

Here's a few pictures from this week:

The crazy big kids:

Sleepy baby:

My favorite way to carry a newborn: the Moby Wrap!

The kids and I at the Children's Museum:

Monday, January 9, 2012

Kids Say: 2011

I love looking back on my "Kid Say" posts but I realized I didn't make nearly enough of them last year. Before starting this year's, I thought I'd go back and remember some of what Sean and Maddy said last year. Thankfully, I posted a lot on Facebook. Here are some of my statuses through out 2011:

Jan. 4th
Maddy refuses to try to say the new daycare child's name. Instead, she calls her "friend". ♥

Feb 10th
Today Sean tells me "My grandparents know everything."

Feb. 17th
Sean told Maddy that he was going to fix her doll stroller and "it be new, no time!" lol

Feb. 22nd
Sean says "Bracky" is president, he lives in the White House and works in the Oval. ♥

March 1st
Maddy just growled at me "I love you" ♥

April 6th
Sean: "T-rex have giant feet! But they can't stomp on people!!"

April 26th
Sean- "I don't like hearts. I like circles, even squares and even rectangles but I don't like hearts."

April 28th
I told Maddy that there's a baby in my belly and she says "little baby! Open it!!!" LOL

May 3rd
Sean- "Mama! A bird at the bird feeder!! I love animals...but we can't eat fish." Why not? "There's a big fish on the house!" ??????

May 16th
I'm talking to hubby and Maddy gets between us "No mama, I nursey you!" lol

May 21st
The puppies are being loud so Sean says "Maybe we should put them back in Keme's belly. They weren't loud in there!"

May 31st
Sean do you have a girlfriend? "no. I only have 1 money. I can't paid em. I have a crane truck!"

June 23rd
Sean falls. Maddy-"You ok!?" Sean-"Yea" Maddy-"Hurray! He ok!!" ♥

July 1st
I'm laughing at Sean right now. He's talking to Annabelle (dog), trying to convince her to snort. lol

Aug. 8th
I love Maddy's made up words. Most recently we've heard "fudderfly" and "yummy-licious".

Aug. 20th
I just told Sean that he was smart and he said "And sweet too!!"

Aug. 23rd
Maddy's sitting with dad talking about Barney. Dad says "does he sing - I love you, you love me, let's get together and climb a tree?" Maddy said "no. Let's try again" LOL

Aug. 26th
Sean saw the radar picture of Irene on the TV so I was telling him and Maddy about the storm and Maddy tells me "We need a rocket ship!"

Sept. 8th
Sean just told me "Mama, I think I want a baby brother." I told him "We'll have to wait and see. It may be a baby sister." To which he said "I think I already have one." lol :)

Sept. 17th
Maddy didn't make it the whole class today and boy does she know how to tug at my heart strings. She came out crying and saying "I dance. I cry. I want you." :(

Sept. 19th
When Maddy sneezes she tells me her nose needs to be blessed. ♥

Sept. 24th
Mommyhood at it's finest: Maddy crawls in my lap "I love you! You make me so happy!!" ♥

Oct. 14th
Sean is doing circles in the livingroom and tells me "mama..I'm not going to fall and bonk my head again this time. I'm going slow and am being carefull."

Nov. 4th
Sean- "The big walking hot dog made the mess in the kitchen." ???

Nov. 11th
My 4 year old wants to spend his birthday money at the "workshop" (Lowes).

Nov. 18th
I love when the kids randomly come to hug/kiss my belly and talk to Jellybean. I also love how Jellybean actually responds to them. ♥

Nov. 21st
Tonight Maddy told my belly "I love you baby brother and sister!" She seems to think I have 2 babies in there..not to mention the one she thinks is in her belly. Someone's going to be disappointed...

Nov. 26th
We finished getting the tree up today. The rest of the decorations are going up tomorrow. Sean says the tree's up so tomorrow can be Christmas Eve. lol

Dec. 3rd
Maddy heard that I'm going to the chiropractor this morning. Now she's trying to say she needs to go b/c her back hurts. lol

Dec. 19th
Sean is so sweet. The kids are going to give each other gifts this year. I thought it would be nice if they made the gifts and suggested a bracelet for Sean to make. He said yes but he also wants to make a necklace and a jewelry box to put them in. :)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Emily's Birth Story

Emily’s birth did not go exactly like I had imagined it. Sean’s birth was after a typical first time labor- about 15 hours long. Maddy’s birth was after a 4 hour labor. So I had expected that this one could possibly be another fast labor but not quite like this! I especially wouldn’t have thought that I’d give birth before my midwife (Bettie) arrived. But let me start from the beginning...

On the morning of December 29, 2011 I woke up and started getting ready for the day like any other Thursday. I noted that I was feeling crampy. I also noticed a little bloody show when I went to the bathroom. I remembered I had bloody show when I was pregnant with Sean but it was a whole day before I went into labor. Since I wasn’t having contractions I didn’t think too much about it. Right about 8:00 I had my first contraction. I had another about 8 minutes later. These were painful but they didn’t stop me, much like the contractions I had the Monday before. I was not convinced I was in labor yet but the combination of bloody show and contractions got me wondering so I sent my doula (Heather) a text: “Preggo brain is at it again...how significant is bloody show?” I heard back from Heather around 9:00. I told her that my contractions were then 8-17 minutes apart. She suggested that she come over to see if helping with the kids would help me relax enough to make progress then we’d know if I really was in labor or not. ..I should have called my midwife then too but it didn’t cross my mind as I still wasn‘t convinced I really was in labor.

Contractions continued and I decided it would be best if my daycare kids (twin 13 month olds) went home. They were picked up shortly before 11:00. Heather arrived shortly afterwards. That was when things seemed to start progressing so around 11:30 I called Bettie. She didn’t answer so I decided to send a text instead of leaving a voicemail. In hind sight, I should have left a message and called back until I got her. I then sent Richard a text saying for him to come home at lunch and called my mom to ask her to come home so I could send the kids to her house. Richard got home shortly after 12:00 and immediately walked the kids to mom’s. My back was really bothering me so I decided to get in the shower and since I hadn’t heard from Bettie, I asked Heather to call her. The shower didn’t help as much as I hoped so I got out. Since Richard had just gotten home from work (ship yard) he took a shower. Heather said that she got ahold of Bettie and that she was coming. I think some miscommunication happened here. Bettie didn’t seem to realize I was so far along so she didn't leave right away.

The contractions got stronger and more intense after the shower. I also started feeling a little nauseous during the contractions. I moved from the living room to the bedroom because I thought laying down would feel better. It felt worse. At that point I yelled “I want this baby out now!!”. I couldn’t take any more contractions laying down so I changed positions to knelling and leaning over Richard. What a difference it made!! It was pretty awesome. I was able to calm down a little and work with the contractions. Then Heather asked if I was pushing. I hadn’t been meaning to but yes, I was pushing. Heather told me that it was time to take my pants off. Funny how you just don’t think of things like that. It was a good thing I got them off too because my water broke right after that. I had no sense of time but between what hubby and my doula say, I pushed for 5-10 minutes. Emily Noelle was born at 1:18pm…while my midwife was still on the road to us. What an awesome feeling it was to look down and announce “It’s a girl!”

By the time Bettie got to us, I had delivered the placenta and Emily was nursing away. Emily being such a good nurser (latched right on and nursed for a very long time) really paid off. I had retained a little of the placenta but Emily’s nursing kept the contractions coming and the bleeding down. I was given an herb (can’t remember what it’s called) and my midwife pushed on my belly until the rest of the placenta came out. I had a small tear so she then stitched that up. After Bettie was done taking care of me, Richard cut the cord and Bettie did the newborn exam. I could not believe it when Bettie said that Emily was 7lbs!

Emily’s birth was nothing like I imagined it would be but it was just amazing. If I was to go back and do it again, the only thing I’d change would be to make sure Bettie got there on time. It was just an amazingly fast labor.

Now for the pictures:

Just moments old

Kisses...oh the newborn smell!!

Getting checked out

And weighed

Photo opt- baby feet... and midwife Bettie and her assistant Debbie

Close up of those little feet!

First bath..she did not like it!!

Back with mommy

Then some time with daddy

Time for big brother and big sister to meet little sister

Maddy gets to hold her

Sean's turn

My other birth stories:Sean's Birth StoryEmily's Birth Story

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Week in Review- Week 1

This was our first full week as a family of 5. We had pediatrician appointments, chiropractor appointments, a midwife appointment, and a newborn photoshoot. Emily saw the pediatrician on Monday and then again on Friday. By Monday (4 days old), she was already 2.oz above her birth weight. She gained another 1.5oz by Friday making her 7lbs 4oz. Maddy and I went to see the chiropractor and found out that Emily could get a free visit. So Emily got her first adjustment. Emily didn't like the midwife appointment because that's when she got her heel pricked for the PKU test.

Here are a couple of moments I captured this week:

Sean woke up from nap and fell back asleep on Richard...who then fell asleep. Then the dog joined them. Maddy then woke up from nap and fell back asleep on Richard and the cat joined them. Emily was nursing through all this and fell asleep in my lap.

Emily's cord fell off this week so she's now in cloth diapers.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

2012 Blog Plans

I've made my list of 2012 resolutions but thought I'd also sit down and think about what I want to do with this blog in 2012. I still plan on blogging often but for the most part I will be getting away from a blog schedule. Also, I originally started blogging to just blog about our life, the kids milestones, etc. I have gotten away from that and want to get back. So, you'll start seeing more random posting...some of my favorites were the kids say posts.

Here are my plans for last year's regular posts:

Project 52: I did pretty good with this last year. I really enjoyed looking back at all the pictures when I put together the year review slide show so I'm definitely continuing this this year. The difference will be that I'm going to move it to the weekend and expanding it into a week in review.

School Days: We haven't really been doing weekly themes so trying to do a homeschooling post every Saturday doesn't make much sense. School Days posts will no longer be on a specific day or even every week for that matter. When I blog, I may blog about a whole unit or just a project that we did...some units/themes are more interesting than others.

Recipes: I recently moved this to facebook. Recipe posts typically are only a link to a recipe and a couple pictures anyways so now they can be found in this facebook album. Older recipes can still be found under the "recipes" tab at the top of this page. I need to get back in the habit of trying new recipes too. Especially since hubby and I got some new kitchen gadgets for Christmas that we need to try out!!

Kids Meals: The lunches I was making for the kids started not getting the excited reaction they once were so I stopped doing them. I will start these up again but it won't be a weekly thing so that hopefully they'll become an exciting thing again.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Good bye 2011, Hello 2012

At the beginning of a new year I like to take a look back at the previous year. Here's a look back on 2011:

We celebrated Maddy's 2nd birthday.
We found out we were expecting #3!
Keme had puppies.
We evacuated because of hurricane Irene.
Maddy tried out dance class but ultimately decided not this year.
Sean had his first (and hopefully only) trip to the ER.
Richard and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.
We celebrated Sean's 4th birthday.
We may finally have answers on Sean's small size.
I had ups and downs with the daycare business but am ending the year on a good note.
Last but definitely not least, we welcomed little miss Emily Noelle into our family on December 29, 2011....birth story to come.

I also attempted Project 52. I did pretty good right up until the end (only missed 2 weeks).
Here's most of 2011 in pictures:

I'm really looking forward to 2012. Here's what I would like to accomplish:

Work on living on a budget better.
Build our savings.
More quality time with Richard.
More quality time as a family.
Cloth diaper Emily...no falling back onto disposables like we did with Sean and Maddy.

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