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Baby Nursers

>> Thursday, February 25, 2010

*Warning to readers out there that haven't breastfed, you may want to skip this post.

One word to describe my baby nursing breasts - efficient. They have never been engorged. They don't leak, I haven't worn a nursing pad since the first month. I produce exactly what Jackson needs. I have never had to pump after a feeding because I was still full. We're totally in sync. Our routine, the let down, the flow, the amount. They just work, and well. This may be why breastfeeding has been so easy and why we're going on 9 months exclusively.

With all that said, yesterday was a day I wished my ever so efficient baby nursers weren't that way. I headed to New Orleans for two client meetings, a quick day trip. I nursed Jackson before I got on the road and I packed my pump, as a just in case. I would be there and back. I'd only miss my morning pumping session and be late on my second. No problem, right?

WRONG! My meetings ran late, I was in a city with no place or time to pump. I ran from one meeting to the next. I was in a new client meeting during my normal afternoon pumping session. I crossed my arms, I tried not to think about it... but my baby nursers looked like I had breast augmentation done yesterday. The man sitting across from me said three times that it must be a little nippy in here. Seriously, men just don't get what we go through. Never mind how totally inappropriate his comments were, he will not be a new client!

Anyway, the meeting ended I just wanted to get home. I got in the car and drove, the pulsating of the engorgement was manageable. About half way home I was wishing more than anything that my totally efficient baby nursers would leak. Just enough to relieve some of the pressure. No such luck. By the time I made it back to town I thought I was going to crawl out of my skin. Even my armpits hurt, it felt like I had rocks in my breasts.

I pulled into town at 6, just in time to miss rush hour traffic. I should have been able to fly home. But, of course it never fails. Whenever you're in a hurry to get home, there's something to delay you. The delay - a Saints player signing autographs and launching his clothing line at the health club on my route. Perfect. Traffic was backed up for miles. I finally made it to my parents to get Jackson. And I have never been so happy and relived to see my son. He was a trooper and ate his little heart out. I may have almost drowned him with milk a time or two, but I had relief!

Lessons learned:
1. 12 hours is way too long to go without pumping or nursing. Don't try it!
2. Get a car adapter to plug your electric pump into your cigarette lighter.
3. Read the instruction on how to turn your electric pump into a manual pump.
4. Have a burp cloth ready for the projectile spit up that comes soon after your fill your baby's tummy with three times his normal feeding!

And lastly, thank you to those who talked to me last night while I was on the road to help get my mind off of the pain:) You're the best!

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Diaper Wreaths

>> Tuesday, February 23, 2010

For my baby shower my sister made me this Diaper Wreath, and I adore it. Seriously, its still hanging on Jackson's nursery door. We hung it on our hospital room door and on our front door the day we bought Jackson home. I love it!

My sister-in-law and a good friend of mine are both having baby girls this Spring. And both of their showers are this weekend! I wanted to do something special for them, so I decided to make diaper wreaths for them. I'm definitely not as talented as my sister, but I think they came out pretty cute. I used to make everyone diaper cakes, but I like these so much better. The best part about making a wreath is that you don't have to take it apart to use the gifts attached!

Coming next are step-by-step instructions on how I made my wreaths. You should try one for the next shower you attend!
Esmee's finished wreath

Elyse's finished wreath


What you'll need to make a wreath:
A wire wreath frame or something that is thin enough to wrap diapers around
A package of diapers (keep in mind that I made two, so you won't need as much)
Clear rubber bands
Ribbon
Letters
Baby stuff
Sticky stripes

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Big Boy Car Seat

Jackson has offically exceeded the weight limit his infant carseat carrier. Goodbye to the days of running errands during nap time and hello high chairs! Big boy is now in his convertible car seat. I think he likes it though:)


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New Table

>> Monday, February 22, 2010

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my last post. I was totally in a funk, I hate that! Anyway, the sun came out Saturday and it was a beautiful weekend. I even got to do a little retail therapy!

Mr. and I lucked out when we moved into our house three years ago. Between all of our parent's storage units we didn't need to buy any furniture for our house. Some pieces are great while others, well they're just not our my style. Mr.'s apartment furniture fell into the "not" category. His coffee table is large, and in a bigger house it probably wouldn't bother me. But, now that Jackson is mobile and totally taking over, we need the space!

I've had my eye on this beautiful, smaller, coffee table from Pottery Barn for a while. I was finally able to convinced Mr. that we really needed it. I pulled the Jackson card. He needs more room to play in the living room:)

So Saturday morning we took a trip over to Baton Rouge (closest Pottery Barn) and picked it up. I also feel in love with this piece to replace the sofa table. I love the shelves and drawer space it will give us. Now I just have to sell the one we have, so I can buy the new one! Anyone in Louisiana looking for new furniture?!?

old coffee table, see it takes up so much room!

new coffee table

our sofa table

new table that I want! Look at the storage.

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Unbecoming feelings

>> Friday, February 19, 2010

Guilt is a cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes —accurately or not— that they have violated a moral standard, and bear sole responsibility for that violation.[1] It is closely related to the concept of remorse.

I have been feeling this a lot lately. I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and its crushing me. My mind won't stop and I really want it to. Then I think maybe, if I put my feelings out there and get it off my chest, I'll feel better. I want to focus on the things I have to be thankful for. And I have so much to be thankful for! Here it goes:

I feel guilty for leaving Jackson 5 days a week.
I feel guilty for having a college degree (an expensive one, that I will pay for every month even after Jackson is in college) and wanting to stay home and raise children.
I feel guilty for wishing Mr. made more money so that I could stay home.
I feel guilty for realizing that I would probably miss working, if in fact I did stay home.
I feel guilty for not being a better wife.
I feel guilty for not loving my "after baby body", so that I can be a better wife.
I feel guilty for always focusing on what Mr. didn't do, instead of what he did do.
I feel guilty for not being a better friend.
I feel guilty for being so, so very tired. I am exhausted - emotionally and physically.
I feel guilty for feeling guilty.
I feel guilty for wanting more.
I feel guilty for sleeping on Sundays, instead of taking my family to church.
I feel guilty for bearing so much weight, but not being able to let Mr. share in my burden.
I feel guilty for feeling burdened by my household roles.
I feel guilty for for posting this.
I feel guilty for not just being thankful.

There I said it, and you know sometimes it does feel good to get it off your chest!

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Mardi Gras

We celebrated Mardi Gras on Tuesday and had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky! Such a change from the rainy, cold weather we've been having lately. Mr. and I were both off of work and slept late. Well, actually Jackson and I slept until 10. Mr. rarely sleeps in.

We enjoyed the day's parades, caught lots of beads and caught up with some friends. At the end of the day we ordered pizza, watched the Couple's Retreat and hung out in our pj's. It was so nice and relaxing!

Last year - almost 6 months preggo

This year - Our family of 3!




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Fun Fact

>> Thursday, February 18, 2010

Jackson is 36 weeks and 2 days old today. He has been in the world as long as he cooked in my tummy!

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Brummett Visit

(continuation from previous post...)

Mr. re-packed the car Friday morning and we continued on our way to Dallas. It was bizarre to see the ground covered in so much snow. It reminded me of my college days driving home from Des Moines, but instead we were driving from Louisiana to Texas!

We arrived safely at the lovely Brummett home just before dinner. I say lovely because that is what their home truly is. You can feel the love and happiness as soon as you walk through the door. Four kids and two dogs would have me totally frazzled. It totally completes and becomes them. However, no matter how many times we played "house" and "babies" growing up, I don't think we imagined things to play out so well in real life.

Friday night we ate a great dinner and watched our babies play together Jackson roll around trying to eat all of the girls toys. As the night progressed we watched Jackson fall head over heals in love. Landrie was Jackson's first kiss when he was just weeks old. I'm serious when I tell you that this girl makes his eyes twinkle and his heart pitter patter. He lights up when he gets her attention!
Landrie and Jackson's first kiss

Jackson's twinkle


Saturday morning we loaded the kids in the Brummett baby hauler and kissed our Mr.'s good-bye for the day. Like all good friends, Stephanie let me indulge in my California Pizza Kitchen salad. And as always, it was amazing! We spent the rest of the day shopping and changing Jackson's blow outs. I went through 3 outfits before the day was over!

We met back up with our hubbies for dinner at a great Mexican restaurant. After a day of shopping with three kids under 2, we were ready for some Corona's and chips & salsa! A friend of mine from college also lives in Dallas now, so she came and met us too. We had a nice visit and of course, our kids kept us on our toes!
Michelle meets Jackson

Landrie dancing with half of her dinner on her face:)

Sweet Ella watching her sister dance dance

The definition of a toddler Hot Mess

Ladies Landrie's Man

The trip went by way to fast, we can't wait to see the Brummett bunch again! Jackson was so worn out from the trip that he slept the whole six hours home. Young love:)

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A Journey in the Snow

>> Monday, February 15, 2010

I was born and raised in St. Louis and went to college in Des Moines, Iowa. Needless to say, driving in the snow was not a big deal to me... or so I thought.

Our sitter took some time off to visit with her family in the Midwest. Instead of looking for someone to watch Jackson, we decided to go on a little trip ourselves. We hadn't been to Dallas since just after the Brummett twins were born, and it was our turn to go and visit them! As the week progressed, the weather forecast was not in our favor. Against our better judgment, we ignored the severity of the snow storm and headed North on Thursday evening. About 100 miles into the trip the weather turned from rain to sleet to snow.

We made it safely to Natchitoches, Louisiana and needed a place to stay. The interstate was closed about 40 miles ahead of us, so making it to Dallas on Thursday night would be impossible. My parents found us a precious bed and breakfast that was "child" friendly. The Maison Louisiane was a beautiful place to spend the night and weather the storm.

We didn't bring our pack-and-play with us because we thought we'd be staying at the Brummett's on Thursday night. Jackson had to sleep with us at the B&B (and didn't sleep very well), so he slept the majority of the trip on Friday. On Friday morning we had a lovely breakfast, then packed up and continued on to Dallas. We had a great time in Dallas, it was well worth our journey in the snow!

More on our visit to come:)






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Beautiful Blogger Award

I have lots of blogging to catch up on, but in the meantime I was given an award! We took a little journey out of town. To my surprise, I had a Beautiful Blogger Award awaiting when I got home! Thank you EL for the sweet comment and award.

Here are the rules:
- Thank the blogger who gave you the award and make sure to link back to them
- Pass it on to 7 other beautiful bloggers who you've recently discovered.
Link them & notify them about their award.
- Share 7 interesting facts about yourself.

1. I was born and raised in St. Louis. There are days when I miss St. Louis terribly, like when the leaves change color and when the first snow falls.

2. I was a college cheerleader for Drake University.

3. I met Mr. while I was vacationing in Louisiana. I knew he was the one the night we met and never ended my vacation.

4. I LOVE to be outside, but I HATE to sweat.

5. My best friend has been my best friend for almost 20 years.

6. I will do anything for an extra 5 minutes of sleep. I love to hit the snooze button.

7. I love to travel and we haven't slowed down since we had Jackson!

Lastly, I would like to share this award with:

The Brummett Bunch

The Sola Family
Amber
Mrs. Amy
The Pieces of My Life
Bill,Miss & Brood
Karen

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Eight Months & Boogers

>> Tuesday, February 9, 2010

My sweet boy is 8 months old and weighs 22 lbs.!

We've been on a saline spray, booger sucking, teething tab, rinse and repeat cycle for weeks now. Jackson has had a cold on top of teething, which is just not fun. This morning Jackson literally woke up with a crustified green booger mustache. Adorable, right?!? It was pitiful disgusting! So, back to the doctor we went. Jackson's cold has now turned into a sinus infection - big surprise with the green boogers. Hopefully, his antibiotic prescription will kick this thing and get my baby well!

Aside from the infection and teething, Jackson is still such a happy baby. It seems like he has grown from a baby to a little boy over the past month. He sits, rolls, army crawls, babbles, eats, laughs, plays Peek-A-Boo, has two teeth and is starting to pull himself up! It's time to pack away the infant carrier and install his big boy car seat. Even though the carrier is almost too heavy for me to carry, I still have mixed emotions about this. It really means my baby is a little boy now!

I'm still nursing Jackson and pumping twice a day at work. I am thankful for everyday my body has allowed me to do this. I never imagined that I would be able to provide for Jackson without ever supplementing with formula. You would think it would take a small village to produce enough milk to fill his belly! And can you believe that a 4oz. bottle is all he'll take with his sitter?!?

We've added a fruit with Jackson's oatmeal/cereal in the morning. And for dinner he will eat a meat/veggie jar with another fruit/veggie. He also loves the baby snack puffs. Now that his two bottom teeth are completely out he does well with harder snacks, like Cheerios. Jackson will eat almost anything we feed him, except bananas. The smell is enough to make him gag (he gets that from his momma). I still use my Beaba Baby Cook and love it. However, the thought of pureeing meat grosses me out. So, we buy jars of meat/veggies for his dinner.

I can't imagine what the next month will bring. My heart is so full:)
Eight Months

These monthly pictures are proving to be harder to get each month!

Jackson playing Peek-A-Boo


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Who Dat?!?

>> Sunday, February 7, 2010

What an exciting day here in Louisiana!!! The year that I was born (1982) the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. I only find it appropriate that the year my son was born that the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl! Black and Gold has won the Super Bowl!!!

As we celebrate a huge win, I leave you with pictures from our night:
Jackson's first Mardi Gras Parade Day - Le Bebe Saint

Who Dat Day






Saint Dreams Sweet Boy

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Friday Favorites

>> Friday, February 5, 2010


Jennifer from Blonde Ambition started Friday Favorites. I love this idea! What an awesome way to end the week and start the weekend. So, every Friday I am going to try and post a favorite from the week!

Yesterday I had to stay home sick from work. We can't seem to get rid of this sore throat bug we've all been passing around. Staying home from work meant that I got to stay home with Jackson all day. It was a cold, rainy day here. We stayed in our pajamas all day and had lots of snuggles... which is probably why we are still sick. Oh well, I wouldn't trade spending a day home with this little guy for the world!

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Geaux Big Green!

>> Thursday, February 4, 2010

Yesterday was national signing day for college football. This probably doesn't mean too much to most of you. Any other year, this day wouldn't mean anything to me either. However, this year it was a pretty important day for my family. My little step-brother (my step-dad's son) officially signed to play football for Tulane! We are all so proud of him and are so excited to watch him play.

I know that he is going to have such an amazing college experience. I was a cheerleader in college and loved it!

So for the next 5 years, we'll be sporting our green and blue!


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Simple Pleasures

>> Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Kelly posted this morning about the simple pleasures in life. This got me thinking about the things that bring me joy:

My baby boy's smile, squeal and smell
Getting my feet rubbed by my Mr.
Going to bed with wet hair in the summer time
Weekend mornings in bed as a family
PJ days
The smell of laundry
Clean sheets
Hitting the snooze button for an extra 5 minutes of sleep
Getting to sleep through the night
Summer nights
The sound of the ocean (even if its coming through the monitor from Jackson's Sleep Sheep)
Sand between my toes
Road trips
Laying by the pool
Salad
The smell of cookies baking
Watching my son and my husband

What are your simple pleasures?

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