WTH!?

Why in the heck is my blog spamming?? I changed my passwords. Help help help!!!

ten weeks of breastfeeding

I have officially been breastfeeding Evelyn for ten whole weeks!! She has not have a drop of formula and only takes a bottle a few times a week until I go back to work. You guys. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how happy and excited I am that we have made it this far! Like childbirth, you DO forget the aches and pains you go through to succeed at breastfeeding. Yes I remember curling my toes every time she latched and yes I remember crying every time she nursed for the first 3 weeks (almost every time...) and yes I remember the exact moment that I took the nipple shield away and said "never again girl!" and that was it. We only needed the shield for just over a week and unlike my experience with nursing Logan, we have NOT had thrush or an abscess or even a clogged duct to speak of! Which, really, is a miracle since I have a serious over-supply that has regulated to a point.

Like giving birth without an epidural, I am still amazed that I am able to do this. I do recall thinking to myself during one of the toe-curling latches that I totally understood why many mamas quite breastfeeding early on because it seriously, effing hurts. I know I said more swear words during her latches in the first few weeks than the 2 hours that I was in massive transitional labor. Seriously.

One of the biggest differences this time is that I have more self-education on the subject, way more resources and support. The community for breastfeeding women is growing and it has nothing to do with being a hippie. And neither does giving birth naturally. That stereotype is going out the door and acceptance is coming in. HOWEVER, it is not all the way there. I think it is DUMB that some people think I should cover up. So I don't. Now that Evie and I have learned how to do this breastfeeding thing at home, nursing her in public is much easier and honestly, if someone can actually see something then they are way too close! Because I am wicked sly with layers.

I have a serious soap box now when it comes to breastfeeding and I guess that makes me even more feminist than I ever imagined I'd be or admit to being!! Anyway...I just have to share how proud and happy I am. This is one of the most incredible things I have ever done. I truly LOVE breastfeeding Evelyn. I love the way she caresses my breast with her hand, how her little eye lashes tickle me, the little sounds she makes as she swallows and grunts with satisfaction and how she smells afterwards. So amazing.

hacked

I noticed, as I know some of you readers have as well, that my blog was quite possibly hacked and is spamming the heck out of your feed. I am so sorry! I had a pretty decent password but when I went in to change it, it had been FIVE YEARS since I updated it! So I suppose it was time! I hope this fixes that issue. Please let me know if you see anything else that looks fishy.

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In other news (in bullets):

• Logan and Evie were possibly exposed to the chicken pox virus exactly 10 days ago and so far, nothing. It generally has a 7-10 day incubation period and thankfully, no signs of it! And since you're all wondering, I'm sure, we did not vaccinate Logan because he has a high risk for allergens and gelatin is in the vac so we put it off. Now that he is older, if he does not get chicken pox in the next few days, then I will have him get the vac. Evie should be protected since I'm breastfeeding her.

(playing at the gardens on Friday)

• Speaking of breastfeeding...as of tomorrow I will officially have been breastfeeding Evie longer than I did with Logan...with no signs of stopping any time soon! I am so happy!! I was determined to make this time better and sure enough, it's been just that. Evie has an awesome latch, she's really efficient, and my body is making more than enough. YAY!

(she started smiling this week!)

• The last few weekends have turned out to be great days as a family. We have made the most of the nicer, cooler weather and getting out of the house makes us all just a little happier. Yesterday we went to a parade downtown and then later we took Logan to the river to search for bugs under rocks. He had a blast!

• Tomorrow (Monday) also marks two weeks until I go back to work (ish). The exact date is still in question as we have a brand new system that I have to learn and be trained for so the first few weeks of work will actually be training.
• If I'm being honest (and I always am), one of the biggest reasons I'm going back to work is for insurance. Through the hospital, our insurance is incredible. I just received a $450 Medela pump for FREE from my insurance company. Amazing! You know, there are things in our country that suck and sometimes our health care is one of them, however, this benefit is one thing health care is getting right.
• Lastly, I have been working hard on lots of super cute headbands for the shop!! Please check it out. I'm still waiting for my very first sale to come through...maybe it's for you?? ;)

Monday Madness

• Even though I'm home a lot right now, I still find it hard to blog regularly. 
• Evie was baptized yesterday and it was beautiful! I just wish my mom had been there. She has been ill and I hate that she had to miss it.
• WILLS AND KATE HAD A BOY!! I asked Logan this morning if it would be a boy or a girl and he said boy. I was hoping for a girl. Kid has a gift!
• Two nights ago Evie slept from 1030-545 and last night she was up almost every hour because...
• She has Logan's cold. Been coughing and super fussy all day. Poor baby!
• I finally opened an ETSY shop!! Please go follow it and buy things and be happy!! ;)

Evelyn's Armoire

• It's crazy-hot today so Evie and I are just hanging out at home.
• I hope it doesn't take a week to name the new prince. May I suggest Asher? George?
• I'm totally over cloth diapering. Washing with a front loading HE washer is really difficult. Tips?
• Evie is 9 weeks old today! Here is an awesome comparison of her and her brother at 2 months old.

• Three more weeks until I start working again? Already?! :(
• I LIVE for Mondays with Evie. While everyone else is dreading the first work day of the week, I am relishing in the naps and relaxed snuggles I get. I will so miss this...
• Bachellorette Men Tell All is on tonight! I just love Des.

To the Mountains, Blown Tires, and Fevers

It's amazing how crazy the weeks after having a baby can be. Outside of having a newborn, June is always one of our busiest months. There are four birthdays in the family and this year we planned a weekend away to the mountains at the end of June. We left on a Thursday evening and arrived before 10pm. The kids did great in the car after almost 3 hours. Friday we woke up to a beautiful, quiet, sunny morning. I had coffee while B chopped up potatoes for breakfast. There were 15 family members there and we were on for breakfast. Everyone loved the potatoes! I made lemon pancakes, also a big hit, and the rest of the day was ours. We hiked around the cabin, played with Logan in a sand box, passed Evie around to all her 2nd cousins, and great grandparents. Then we had really strong margaritas, burgers and I shot a bee-bee gun and hit the target (TING) on my 5th try. 

Saturday morning I woke up early with Logan. Evie stayed asleep while her Lolly snuggled her close outside in the crisp mountain air. I missed that. Growing up in the mountains, the air is so pure. I sat outside with my parents and uncle, keeping a close eye on Logan while he explored. The sun kept peeking in and out of clouds which only brought a few drops here and there. After our morning coffee I didn't feel well and turns out I'm not as apt to altitude as I thought. I never seem to drink enough water and the symptoms of altitude sickness earned me a long morning nap while B took care of the kids. The rest of the day I was off, but managed to play several games of Banana Grams (LOVE!) and watch The Princess Bride with my cousins. B took off with a huge group to the shooting range before the rain started up and we had amazing homemade lasagna for dinner before heading down the mountain. We stopped at Amy and Ted's place to pick up our doggies and as we merged onto a new section of highway, this happened:

The many of you readers who know me, know that I hate driving on the highway. I'm a better passenger than I am a driver and even still, I can be a nervous wreck. The idea of anything happening while on the highway has always scared me, though nothing had ever really happened to me on the highway. I'm just an anxious mess. Then this happens. We were merging and heard a really loud sound. I thought it was the car next to us, as if it had a broken muffler or something but as the car passed us, the sound stayed. B started to move into the right late and realized, at 60 MPH that he thought we had a flat tire. Let's review the facts: it was 9pm, dark outside, our car was packed with luggage, two dogs and two sleepy kids and I instantly started freaking out that we were now going to be stuck on the side of the highway in a part of Denver that is not so great.

Before we even exited the car, we could smell the burning rubber and that's when we learned that we had more than just a flat tire; we'd blown it. This is where I say a million prayers of thanks for God protecting us and keeping us safe. Blown tires are known to cause car accidents and end up a lot worse and we were so lucky. Long story longer, the car jack was not with the spare tire so I called the state patrol. We waited 30 minutes for him to show up. He helped B change the tire and we made it home at midnight after taking the back roads home. THEN, the next morning B took the inside of the car apart, because we have never needed to use the car jack in this vehicle and he could not find it in our other car. Turns out it was placed UNDER THE CAR SEATS...how the heck is anyone supposed to know that (car manual didn't specify) and there was no way, if we had known, that we would have been able to access it without taking the entire car apart on the side of the highway. B moved it over to the spare and 4 days later our pockets are lighter and we have new tires.

I'll admit: we are not the best car maintenance people, however B can fix almost anything on a car. He changes the oil, fixes flats, replaces air filters and broken belts...the cause of blowing the tire is unknown but I will tell you those tires were not bald. We still had a good 10,000 miles on them, according to the guys at Discount. Anyway...

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All day Thursday, Evie felt warm to the touch, but I just assumed it was from the heatwave outside so we stayed in with the AC on. Friday morning Logan woke up with a fever. He was cranky, achy and spent a lot of time on the couch watching TV. It was my mom's birthday and with some meds, he was feeling a little better so we decided to head out to celebrate at a local brewery. While my dad was holding Evie, he pointed out how she felt warm and could feel something like a wheeze in her back. I was not worried about her until then. Logan had a fever and Evie is still so little...I've seen way too many babies end up in the hospital super sick super fast. I called her doctor and talked to several of my nurse friends and mamas...better get her checked out. Urgent care was closed so it was to the ER we went. B stayed home with Logan so it was just me and my girl. 

I prayed the whole way there and battled between feeling like was we were over-reacting to feeling safe rather than sorry. We checked in and had no wait. They take sick babies very seriously. I had not managed to take her temp but it was 99.5 when we got there and to me, that was scary (although the nurses and PA assured me that was normal for a baby). She had been throwing up more, and was really fussy the last few days...I thought something must be going on. We were taken back to our room and the PA came in right away. He checked her out, listened to her lungs (he didn't hear a wheeze) and decided to talk to the ER doc to see if we should do anything other than a chest xray. Radiology came, took pictures and then the PA returned. Labs and a UA were ordered. Nurses came back and decided that sticking Evie only once was best (I agreed, though sticking her at all was scary) so they placed an IV line just in case she needed fluids and meds based on the blood and UA results. It was horrible, though I could not cry, I just held her and gave her love when it was all over. Then she had a cath placed to get sterile urine, which didn't seem to bother her, and then we waited for all the results.

Everything was normal. Maybe she was fighting a little virus since Logan had something going on, but we don't know. All I know is that I'm glad I had her checked out. Catching bacterial infections early is really important with newborns. It's not how I wanted to spend the evening and I missed out on celebrating my mom's birthday, but I am so thankful that my little girl is healthy. She's been doing great since and I think she's hitting her 8 week growth spurt. Eating like crazy and just the most precious baby ever!!

Lately (in snap shots)

//colorado sky//

//the sis//

//baby Einstein radio is a hit//

//Angelina Jolie lips//

//the 4th, train ride//

//oh, us//

//cheeky lil milky girl//

//big brother lovin//

4th Sunday

Whew! Today was the 4th Sunday that I have spent alone with both kids. B works every Sunday and he had the first 3 weeks off. The first few Sundays were really hard. I had no idea what to do with myself or the kids. I kept fretting over messes and limiting Logan in his requests for anything and everything. Then, maybe last Sunday, I threw my hands up and said eff it (in my head, not out loud) and decided I could care less what the house or what Logan does on Sundays as long as he is safe and he's not doing or eating things he shouldn't. He wants chocolate milk 3 times? Fine. Painted Butte with orange paint? Whatever. Watching hours of TV/movies? Not a big deal. I need this stuff to keep us all sane. And I can manage most of his requests with Evie attached to one side of the milk bar. ANNND Logan is pretty self-sufficient now so if he wants to go out back to play in his water table, he can or if he wants to color he can get his supplies out himself. All of this to say, he has issues with cleaning up... so I may say yes to 99% of everything he asks to do, but then his follow through on cleaning up is terrible and it's just a battle I am not willing to fight with a newborn hanging off my arm. Not yet anyway.

Evelyn is 7 weeks old tomorrow. We are on downslop of the countdown of my going back to work and that's all I'm going to say about that. She has started to sleep 4-5 hours at night which feels great! I have about 150oz of milk in the freezer for her. Pretty awesome my body made all of it. Her little personality is starting to come through. She is a total "hold-me" baby. She hates being in her car seat most of the time. She can eat and be done in less than 10 minutes. She has had more blow out diapers in her 7 weeks of life than Logan ever had while he was in diapers for 2 years. She loves her baths, which Logan still is not a fan of to this day despite his affinity towards water in general. The stoke bite over her left eye gets really dark sometimes and looks like she has a black eye. Neither of us are on a schedule and I love it. I wish I had been more relaxed about that with Logan.

Shameless plug: check out my midwife blog. I have a lot of new readers and I'm not sure all of you know that I have a separate blog to talk about all things pregnancy, childbirth, etc with tons of links and articles on the subjects.