Joining a Gym

So i briefly mention to Paul about joining a gym and how Carrie Rice (a friend of mine, and the pastor's wife) asked me to join her one day when she went.

Oops, since then Paul constantly brings it up that we should join a gym.

I should be excited that my husband want us to join a gym, but my concern is that we will join and like most everyone else, pay our monthly dues and go maybe 2 time a month.

Maybe not at first. We might go two or three times a week for the first few weeks, and then once a week soon after, quickly followed by once every other week. Paul assures me that this will not be true.

But in spite of my concerns, I do have the desire to get in shape as well as have an hour with out the kids to swim. All this makes it sounds enticing.

So we will probably be joining a gym at the beginning of this next month. Wish us luck as we make a year commitment to exercise.

In our efforts to inspire us on we are also joining a Biggest loser contest between some friends. So Paul and I have a goal of weight we want to lose and the one who gets the closest to their goal weight wins.

Let the weight begin to drop and the smaller pants begin to fit.

Kickball

So yesterday Paul and I went to our first Kickball game. We joined the Church's team for the Co-Ed Kickball league in Canon City. The first competitive team I've been on since high school. I have only played Volleyball a few times since then, I am not a really competitive person.

We had to go to WalMart and get a navy shirt, white shorts and Navy socks. Paul also had his aviators and a white sweat band on his head and arm, yes he looked too much like a character from dodge ball. (pics will hopefully be posted next week, I be sure to take a pic of us in our uniform)

We went to practice at 1 and Paul caught many high balls, while I missed everyone, but in my defense I was chasing a 1 1/2 year old most of the time.

The game was at 6, we get there and find we are playing a team with several players that go to our church.

Carrie Rice and I switched 2nd base every ending and we saw a lot of action at that position. I surprised myself with catching 2 outs and almost throwing one too. (just bearly missed him)

I also had two really good kicks, but I am a slow runner. (I haven't even ran since before I was pregnant with Haddie). They got me out by throwing it to first.

Paul was in outfield and played really well.

Paul was also surprised by my playing abilities too, he kept bragging about my to catches. I felt like quite the kickball player, especially for my first time.

Although we lost 7 to 3, we had a really great time. It was really fun to play and laugh with those from the church outside of church. Also it is good for Paul and I to be active, hopefully this will inspire us to be even more so.

struggling through it

This last week has been a hard one with Eden.

She had been doing really great with her schedule, which makes her a happy baby. I was really thrilled that she sleeps 7-10 hours at night, and takes at least a hour and half nap after an hour awake time 5 times a day. She likes her sleep and is a happy girl when mommy keeps her home and on her schedule. Which is a great change from a few weeks prior when she fussed a lot!

However, this week came a new challenge with Eden. I noticed a drop in my milk supply and Eden did too. She started to fuss each time I tried to feed her. One day she completely refused to nurse. Which really stressed me out and made me really upset. Every time it came time to feed I would take her to nurse and she would start SCREAMING and refused to nurse. I called the Lactation consultant, who didn't call back at all that day. So I did what I knew to do and gave her some stored milk or formula. Which I hated to do.

I was very stressed, which from what I hear doesn't help your milk supply.

That night I got on the internet and did A LOT of research. In my research I found that Fenugreek can increase you milk. So the next day I went and bought some. I also started pumping at least 5 min after each time I'd nurse or 15-20 min if Eden refused to nurse.

She did a lot better the next day, and only refused one side. But my milk supply was still low, when I'd pump I would not get anymore milk.

Finally 2 days later the Lactation consultant finally called me back (after I called her each day and twice that day). She suggested to do what I'd been doing and to take even more Fenugreek. That if I didn't smell like maple syrup I wasn't taking enough.

So currently, 5 days later I am now taking 4 capsulas of fenugreek 3 times daily (asking paul if I smell like maple syrup), drinking 4 cups of Mother's Milk tea (thanks to a great Friend, Carley) and pumping after each feeding. I have noticed an increase in my milk and Eden is back to being a happy girl, with few frustrating moments of persuading her to nurse.

This was a big scare for me because at 5 months of nursing Haddie I began to lose my milk and Haddie was off nursing by 5 1/2 months. Eden is only 2 1/2 months monday. I was afraid I'd have to stop and I wanted to nurse a lot longer then I could with Haddie.

Thankfully this is working, so far. I hope it continues to and gets back to normal.

My encouragement to nursing mothers who have struggled through it or may in the future. Keep trying, their are cheap and simple solutions to help you through it, try not to give up right away. But also remember that you are not a bad mom if you have to stop and give them formula. It is always better that they get fed, and most babies don't really care where it comes from.

Helpful hints I've learned to help with nursing

* Fenugreek (a seasoning used, such as in curry) - proven to help increase milk supply the best

* Milk Thistle (an herb of some sort) - also helps increase milk supply, but you have to continue to take it, and best to take with fenugreek or fennel.

* Mother's milk tea (infused with fenugreek, fennel, milk thistle, Red Raspberry leaf tea, and chamomile)

* fennel (another herb) - helps with milk letdown

* Red Raspberry leaf tea - helps with milk supply

* Pumping (a lot) - helps increase milk supply

* Lots of Water - keeps you hydrated

* Oatmeal

* Root beer (caffeine free)

Not really sure if Oatmeal or root beer work, but it's worth the try and they taste good. Also Root beer is a nice break from water and tea!

the bedroom shuffle

So we decided to shuffle the bed rooms around. The master bed room with a half bath is the smallest bedroom and we had been using it as a guest bedroom. Paul and I had been using the biggest bedroom as our master and the other middle sized room for Haddie. Until now.

.... Well, because we want Haddie and Eden to share a room we decide to give them the biggest room. Also because we would like to use the Half bath now that it is fixed, we decided to move into the smallest bedroom. But not without making it our own first by a good paint job. I love it and am excited. Even though it is smaller it fits everything we need and NO more. which is perfect.

(still have the decor to put up on the walls)

The rest of this week we will be moving Haddie and Eden's things over to the larger bedroom. Although eden will not be sleeping in the big room for at least another month. It will be ready for when she is sleeping through the night!!

We'll be making the middle room an office/guest room. It will be nice to have a place to do projects like bows and such. All will be portable so it can easily turn to a guest room.

Eden is 2 mo and Hadassah is 17 mo

Hadassah:

What a cute little girl she is becoming!! She is understands so much, it surprises me how much. If she is getting into things she's not suppose to, i can say "Haddie, go play with YOUR toys! And she will (well, some of the time)! We can also hand her something and say "take this to Daddy." and she will (again, some of the time, that is as long as she

doesn't think its something she wants to play with).

The funny thing lately has been, if she does something, and you laugh, she will do it over and over again hoping for the same reaction.

She loves to feed her self and also feed us. She is wanting to sit in the "big girl" high chair lately. she is so much fun, and growing so fast.

We have started her training to a big girl bed today. She has taken her morning nap there. She did well getting out only 4 times, then understanding that she must stay in her bed, she would stand, play, and bounce IN her bed. She didn't do much sleeping for the first nap. For the second nap we laid her down, and she didn't

get out not once! such a good girl! She also only played for a short while before being so exhausted from not having much of a morning nap she fell asleep. She is sleeping peacefully now while I type.

I can't believe she already old enough to go to a toddler bed, it doesn't seem possible. But we are needing her to be able to fully sleep in her toddler bed by 18 mo so that when Eden sleeps through the night we can move her into the crib.

My how time flies, I am trying to cherish every moment. This stage that Haddie is in is SOO much fun. She is such a character and loves to perform. I think she will be a sanguine, like her mommy!

Eden:

She is 2 mo today. It is wired, because it seems like she should be older, yet at the same time I can't believe she is already 2 mo.

She is a great baby, and although she may look like Hadassah, she is very different from her sister (as she should be). Eden loves her schedule, she eats and stays awake for an hour as happy as can be, but as soon as that hour is up, out comes the fuss. This lets me know she is ready for her 2 hour nap.

Eden is more reliant of her schedule then Haddie was. Where Haddie could sleep anywhere and could be off and on her schedule with NO problem. Eden hates to be off her schedule and we Just got her on one a month ago. If we are out and about and its her nap time, oh baby, she is not happy. She wants to be held or be in her own bed, if not she is very fussy.

Although, that means I have a fussy baby if I want to go anywhere, unless I am holding her, she is a happy baby at night.

Eden sleeps very well. She feeds at 8 and we put her down for the night, waking again at 4. Yes, that is 8 hours. She then goes right back to sleep after eating and waits until 8 to eat again. I have had great sleepers, Haddie was even better and was sleeping 12 hours at 3 mo. We shall see how Eden does in a month.

I can always count on a smile or 3 with some cooing after her 8 am feeding. She has such a pretty smile, and smiles with her whole face.

Eden also loves watching her sister. Haddie will sit by her and chat to her and Eden will just stare at her big sissy with such amusement. I love it!!!

a fun project

Things have been crazy around her. Between dr. appointments and grocery shopping, I have had somewhere to be at every day. I am tired and ready for a break, to bad I don’t see one in the near future.

One of the things I have been busy doing is making a new cover for Eden’s car seat. I have had a friend help cut out a pattern and she taught me how to sew it together. She even let me take home her sewing machine.

It has been an adventure in learning how to do this, but it has been fun. I must say I am very proud of my work.

Paul asked me if this is something I would want to do more of. I am not sure, because it was hard to find the time in order to finish it. With two little ones demanding your attention, it makes it hard. I would have to have my own space that can be blocked off in order to be able to do more projects, because Haddie get very curious and want to touch EVERYTHING.

But here is Eden’s NEW car seat. However, I still have the visor to finish, it should be done tomorrow.