It is going to go fast...

I can't believe it.
My son is 4 weeks old today.
Isn't he beautiful?

So enough about me - what do you like about me?

So the breastfeeding troubles cleared themselves up, I have now turned in my application to be considered for the newly created positions at my workplace, and D hasn't puked since this morning. So hopefully we are all set to be on the positive side of life for a while.

I think I will celebrate by watching my Netflix selections that arrived today!

Pee, Poop, Puke

This morning I was feeling pretty confident about my relationship with D and that I could handle this... Then as I was changing his poopy diaper, he peed all over. So I decided to give him a quick bath. Then he was seeming pretty tired - I laid him in the bassinet and about 5 minutes later I heard something and went to investigate and he had puked.

How does the saying go? Just when you think you have everything figured out - everything changes.

B has been dealing with leg aches this week. Poor thing. I remember dealing with those. My dad would come in and rub my legs. B was up last night around 2am very restless and yelling in her sleep. Poor MD was very tired this morning. Thank goodness I can sleep a bit during the day.

Lets change Monday's

I wish we could have a day between the weekend and work to transition. It is so hard to get motivated to do anything on Monday. Of course - maternity leave isn't exactly the best time to be talking about motivation. Every article written says,' leave the dishes, don't pick up, just spend time with your new little one.' Yeah right.

Again... Warning... Sensitive material ahead

So breastfeeding has hit a road block - or is maybe just being chased by the cops. (Bad attempt at humor - I know - but I am a bit off today.)
I won't go into particulars but I have been dealing with some pain the last day or so. I am hoping that it is something that will be able to clear itself up - but I am not holding my breath. I am planning on calling my midwife after we see how today goes.
I can't believe how much guilt I have associated with the thought of not being able to breastfeed my child. Wow. I have a new respect for women who were either told they couldn't or shouldn't breastfeed their own child. I know hospital staff weren't supportive of moms AT ALL not so long ago.
Fortunately - I can still feed Dane - the pain is worse in certain situations that I am going to resolve if I can. Sorry to be so cryptic but I know if you want details - you will ask me.

Thanks for listening!

These are a few of my favorite things....

My three year old is an advertisers dream. She loves Princess stuff and won't wear any underwear that isn't in favor with her. So Elmo is out - Dora and anything with sparkles is in.

One morning this week when MD was getting her dressed, B said, "Dad, can I get some Mr. Rogers underwear?" We looked at each other and smiled. Sometimes three year olds have the most 'out of the box' ideas. Can you imagine Lady Elaine on toddler underwear?

TGIF

3 weeks to go for maternity leave.

Work feels so different to me. It is hard to believe that I had my last 'normal' day three weeks ago. When I get back - I will still be doing my 'old' job but it won't be the same.

Thank goodness it is Friday and now I am going to eat some Chinese with my family and friends.

Three Weeks Old

D is now three weeks old. His cheeks are pretty kissable and I think he may even have a little bit of a Budda look to him.
I don't have much to add. Mostly I wanted to acknowledge D's age and move that last picture I posted down the page. It gives me a headache every time I look at it. Ugh.

Alcoholic Beverages

So I never realized how low my 'tolerance' could get - in terms of alcoholic beverages. The other night I had a small glass of wine that was 1/2 full and I didn't even take more than about 3 or 4 drinks and I was d.r.u.n.k!!!

(For all of you worried about killing my son's brain cells - don't worry - I was drinking after I fed him.)

So I may have to set that as a New Year's Resolution and start working on it after I am done 'giving of myself'. That resolution would be 'Be Able To Drink A Glass of Wine/Beer, Without Getting a Buzz That Renders Me Unable To Drive'.

Does this image make you feel drunk or just give you a headache?!

Life sure can throw some fun curveballs

Well.... I found out yesterday that my job will be going away. To tell you the truth, I hadn't wrapped my head around this until last night as I was looking through information from my employer. I am being given the opportunity to apply for other positions but only about one looks like something I would be interested in. So I get to look for a job while I am on maternity leave.

Fire in my Hometown

Maquoketa has a major fire burning in its downtown. It has affected three or four family businesses and from what I understand the buildings are destroyed. The Quad City Times has this story on-line. My Dad said the water towers have been drained and they are pulling water from the river. Scary stuff on a very cold day.

Colder than...

MD went out and threw boiling water in the air today.
It vaporized. It was really cool!

Now I am an Iowan and proud of it. In the last two days I have heard two different 'native' minnesotans say something about not being a whimp in this cold weather. What is it about the 'natives' that make them think they need to be macho about cold weather?

Oh well.

Happy Birthday Marge!

Not Fair

So... my friend, Another Day of Paradise, is traveling to Southern California today to visit her brother. I spoke to her yesterday and asked how she lucked out and was going to miss the 'arctic blast' that was coming our way. Not Fair.

My sister's birthday is tomorrow. 31. I think I feel older knowing she is getting older. My birthdays and age seem surreal. I am going to be 35 this year. Two months from today. St Patrick's Day. It really is a great day to have been born. Everyone parties. Someday I would like to go to Chicago and see the parade and join in the festivities. Maybe even have my first green beer. Never had one. Crazy - I know. So Happy Birthday Marge!

My little munchkin...

This pretty much sums up my life right now.
A little defiant with a bit of a smile on her face.

One of those things I watch

One of the things that I am watching about D and did watch with B - is their eyelashes growing. It is the neatest thing! D's finally have a little bit of length so I can see them.

I can finally see the color of his eyes as well. On Monday - they looked violet but yesterday they looked blue. Maybe they will be the same color as MD's and B's - I may be the only hazel eyed person in the house.

Were there things about your kids or puppies or kitties that you watched as they grew out of the 'newborn' stage?

A little research

Please Note: This entry has some references to topics that may not be suitable for some men. I have a few in mind that will not want to read this. :)

Okay - so I decided to do a quick Google on Wet Nurses. Turns out they are making a minor comeback according to a Time Magazine article. In this article they even say that cross breastfeeding is happening. Interesting. I feel that breastfeeding is the best for my baby but I couldn't ever imagine breastfeeding someone else's baby. WAY too much time and energy...

I think you can even purchase breastmilk online. No thanks.

Happy Monday.

What day is it??

Because I don't get out of the house everyday - I am having a hard time remembering what day of the week it is. It is a strange feeling.

On a similar note: My pediatrician's book suggests that Mom's get out of the house for one hour per day by themselves. I would like to see the percentage of Mom's who actually get this accomplished. I think I would need a nanny and wet nurse to do that now. Do people use wet nurses any more?

Organized & Clean

How many 'declutter' books does one need?
These types of books are my self help addition literature.
But like MD says, 'The first step in these books should be, Get rid of this book - it is cluttering your house!!!'. I love it.

MD's mom and dad came to my home today and we sorted, cleaned, and threw out lots of stuff. Both my parents and MD's parents are wonderful in that way. I wish those genes would have rubbed off on one of us more than they did. My problem is I start sorting and then start reading things or get side tracked in some other way. MDs problem is that he can't see where to even start. I understand that too. It can be a bit overwhelming. So Thank You Mom and Dad A for your help - it is greatly appreciated!!

And to totally change the subject... Does anyone else have a cat that snores? I just looked at MD and asked if that noise was my cat snoring - it was. I also have two of the fattest cats around. The picture below is of my Oliver in D's bassinet. BIG FAT CAT!

iPhone

MD said, 'A new iPhone for you?'

So maybe we aren't quite there yet.
I will keep working on him.
:)

Wednesday Post

I want to thank my friend Scott for showing MD your new iPhone. I have been talking about getting a new phone and trying to talk myself out of the iPhone because MD is so anti-cell but after seeing your phone - maybe I can convince him it would be a good thing!

I am reading a schlock book right now but came across this pertinent quote in the book as I was reading today.

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it begun, or if there were
A day when it was not --

--Emily Dickinson

This quote reminds me of the many conversations I have had with women about labor. It is very true that when you are in the midst of the process, you can't imagine your life before the pain or imagine it ever being over but when you are past that point and the baby is lying on your chest, the pain is a distant thing.
This quote also helps me understand my friend Ya-ya's pain and how debilitating it must be to live with day in and day out.

In other news, MD's mom gave me a Kitchen-Aid mixer for Xmas. LOVE IT! So far I have crushed ice to put in water to feed my ice-chewing addiction, made an Orange Julius type drink and some other concoctions that remind me of my early years mixing stuff together. (Mom - you remember those concoctions!!) Thank you Mom-in-law!

And Netflix is working out smashingly! Watched 4 episodes of Felicity yesterday AND Ladies in Lavender with Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. It was a love story and I enjoyed it. So I put those selections back in the mail today and will hopefully get my new ones before too long. I am not sure what the turn around will be. So much for watch one send it back and have the other while I am waiting for the new one. Next is Felicity Disc 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - can't wait!!!

Preparations

Netflix should be sending my first two selections today. Felecity TV series is what I am most excited about.
D is an in and out machine. Eating like a pro and moving it out just as fast. Last night he wet through every piece of cloth around him every three hours. Ugh. MD helped me out by doing the changing. Lots of laundry generated overnight.
B is informing us that she can get her own breakfast. She can too if everything is available.
Happy Tuesday.

First Night at Home

The first day/night at home was a bit overwhelming but I survived.
I am so much better equipped to handle this time with Dane than I was with Berit.
It makes me wish I could go back and do Berit's baby time all over again.

Thank you all for your congratulations and support, it has helped me through the last couple of days.

Milestones...

My daughter crossed another milestone today.
She cut her own bangs today.
At first Mark was mad and I was upset but then we each took a deep breath and realized that this wasn't a huge deal. Hair will grow back.

I have this picture but it doesn't do the job justice.
So be on the look out for my little punk rocker.

In other news... Dane was born on Thursday. He was 8 lbs 14 ozs and 21 inches long. It is definitely a new experience to have a baby boy in the house. I am sure Mark is excited because now he won't be the 'odd man out' so to speak. We are very lucky to have two healthy and happy kids.

Berit has grown up overnight. She had her bikini on tonight and was 'playing at the beach' before bedtime. We compromised and she is wearing her bikini bottoms to bed tonight. She had a great time with both sets of grandparents over the last couple of days. We are so lucky to have such wonderful families.

We made it.

We are home.

I am posting a few pictures and will write more later.

Best of 2007

For posterity, I thought a 'Best Of' list would be fun to do.
So here we go.

Best Place to Eat for a Special Occasion ** Heartland

Best Place to Eat Out Regularly ** Mai Village

Best Book Read in 2007 ** March written by Geraldine Brooks

Best Book Series ** Stephanie Plum Series written by Janet Evanovich

Best Movie Seen in the Theater ** 3:10 to Yuma

Best Movie Rented ** Ocean's Eleven

Best Coffee Shop ** Steamworks

Best Album ** The Story - Brandi Carlisle

Best TV Show ** Gray's Anatomy

Best Dessert at an Eating Establishment ** Creme Brule

Best Homemade Dessert ** Anything made by M.D. (Love you Honey!)

Best Vacation with 'The Girls' ** Anderson Ladies Weekend in January

Best Vacation ** Costa Rica

Best Family Vacation ** Northwind Lodge - Ely MN


I will continue to update if I think of anything else fun to share.
Again - Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

As a friend of mine has declared - 2008 is going to be the best year of my life!
How exactly does one go about making that happen?

2008 has started with a beautiful, sunny, and cold morning. It is going to make the snow crunchy which always gives me the heeby-geebies. I have really breezed through the winter so far. I think I have been a bit distracted to be bothered by something like weather.

Less than 2 days left.