Work.

I've been back at work for almost 4 full days now and I STILL feel like my brain is hibernating and like I can't quite get my bearings right. I've switched locations which essentially means I've switched jobs. I used to be primarily an outpatient SLP and now I'm training to be an inpatient SLP. When I first started working nearly 7 years ago, I did inpatient work... Then 1.5- 2 years in, I switched to outpatient. You'd think that my previous inpatient experience would help me, but things have changed SO much since then (nearly 4 years ago) that it makes me even MORE turned around since my memory is like a false memory! Each day il reminded of what I still need to learn, but each day is exciting... Now if only I could turn my mommy brain off and stop missing my babies ALL DAY LONG. From experience... That doesn't get any better... But more manageable. I can't believe it's only Tuesday!

New Milestones

I was sitting in the car driving home from Violet's daycare, thinking about all the recent changes that have been happening to our little family... Both big and small changes have rocked our little home :)

• Violet travels in the car without screaming and/or crying for up to an hour!
• Preston is now in 9 month clothes (he's only 3 months old!)
• Odie eats every meal and doesn't just graze all day
• Violet will leave a barett in her hair for a majority of the day without pulling it out to look at it
• Preston has stopped spitting up like a fountain
• Violet's hair has maintained its curl even after we chopped off her mullet and as it's grown longer 
• Preston has fallen into a bit of a routine: asleep by 7/7:30 pm, naps for 1-2 hrs in the morning a couple hours after he wakes up, naps for another 1-2 hrs in the afternoon a couple hours after he wakes up from his morning nap.

She likes to tell stories and talk... Sound like anyone you know? *wink*

Oh that little face...

They're lucky to have such a good dog

She likes to "go potty" (pretending... No real pottying going on quite yet)

Preston wasn't so sure about this one...

He's our happy easy baby boy

Every morning after we get dressed we go and take a look at how we look :)

This is a new favorite book of Violet's... It's not new, but she has newly found it in her book shelf.

Violet loves wearing my clothes. She puts them on and goes up to Matt and I and says, "look! beeaful!"

He loves sucking on these fingers!

Tongue Tied

Ever since Preston was born he's been tongue tied. There are varying degrees of this diagnosis and at first I thought his was pretty moderate since you could see a heart shape to his tongue when he protruded it and he caused SO much pain for so long while nursing (I took 600-800 mg Motrin around the clock till he was 5 weeks old and can honestly say that I FEARED latching him and wanted to slap him when he DID latch - sadly but truly)... AND I would consider my pain tolerance VERY VERY high... So that should say a lot to those who know me!

But then... He decided to compensate and became a champion nurser and continued to grow and pack on the pounds :) So amidst a 'tied tongue' Ptown was doing great! Our lactation consultant said that although he is tongue tied, since he's gaining weight wonderfully and I stopped experiencing pain, there wasn't any need to 'clip' it (ie a frenulectomy).

Fast forward to 3.5 months old...

For the past couple of weeks I've been noticing that Preston is extremely gassy and fussy at times, nurses for a very short time often screaming and pulling off, and I felt that my milk supply wasn't as strong as it was with Violet (I leaked till she was 10 months old and felt very full most of the time). I emailed my lactation consultant asking if she felt that these characteristics could be related to his being tongue tied. She got back to me in an hour! She was curious about his actual weight gain in ounces per week, but commented on 2 things which stood out in my mind:

1. Second time moms experience less leaking, less fullness, BUT a better milk supply.
2. Preston's fussiness sounded more like reflux to her.

Now Violet had reflux related to my diet so while I was nursing her (till 14 months of age) I had to cut out all caffeine (including chocolate and decaf anything), tomatoes in any way shape and form, and garlic... Boo. I tried all that with Preston but it didn't seem to matter too much. Then our lactation lady asked if I'd tried the 'no dairy, no peanuts, no soy'... Instead of cutting everything, I thought I'd start with just ONE. So that's what I've been doing this past week! I haven't had any dairy whatsoever in 6 days. Even though I didn't think I ate a lot of dairy, I do! Mostly in Greek yogurt form. It hasn't been too bad, but really makes you think about all the cholesterol we eat in dairy products. I've always taken a calcium supplement (since I'm pretty lactose intolerant and don't eat/drink much dairy) but find that without dairy in my diet I'm actually eating MORE calcium since I've been actively searching for it in other sources! It has been rough though and I miss my yogurt (and ice cream)! 

Long story... I've noticed an improvement even just this past week with Preston. Our lactation lady also mentioned that reflux peaks around 4 months and his increased fussiness may also be related to the growth spurts babies experience at 3/4 months, then again at 6 months and 9 months. I am waiting till Preston's 4 month appointment on the 24th to talk to my pediatrician more about it (I called and talked to him this week already and he mentioned that the only medical reasoning would be if he wasn't gaining weight and growing OR couldn't get his tongue past his gums which he can). We have an HMO so we'd need a referral anyway. We also have an ENT we work a lot with at my work who takes our insurance so if we get a referral for a frenulectomy I'll have it sent to his office to consult. 

On the other hand, if Preston continues to be doing well I probably won't get it done... Even though there's no downside, I'm a little torn since it's congenital (genetic) and usually more common in males (Matt has the same thing)... It sounds crazy, but I've grown accustomed to his cute smile with his little heart shaped tongue and knowing that it came from Matt... And Matt's just fine ❤️ (As a side note, Matt wants me to have it done regardless!)

Tummy time

Violet was always a fan of tummy time and really just preferred to be on her tummy at ALL times... It was quite amazing! Preston doesn't so much hate tummy time or dislike it... He just doesn't want to be there all the time. I think it's because of a couple reasons... 1) His muscles get tired 2) He can't quite look at everyone the same way OR get his fingers in his mouth WHILE looking at everyone. So I've been coming up with creative ways to help him endure this much needed time and the best way is READING :) Violet loves reading and Preston gets quite proud when Viilet lays next to him and turns the books pages for him :) ... And it just melts my heart ❤️

What a great big sister Ptown has :)

Little Owl Preschool

This morning Matt and I (with Preston in tow) went on our first preschool tour... Little Owl. This to me, as an SLP was a dream of a preschool based on play skills, problem solving, and getting our children natural experiences to build their minds and nurture their creative souls. It's based on a Reggio-inspired style of learning developed by an Italian. It's housed in a gold standard LEED building with a living roof and walls! They have a chef on staff that cooks all snacks and meals while allowing the children to help (the kitchen is open and in the center). They have a garden and chickens! They have an outdoor play ground designed by the natural playgrounds company (seriously AMAZING). And everything is hands on and child lead!!! What?!?! Of course you pay out your ears for this type of preschool, but so amazing to see that this idea of a learning environment actually EXISTS and isn't just a far off dream! We'll be looking into other preschools as well, but man did we start with a bang!!! Our little Violet would really flourish here... It was NOT your typical academic type setting... But more like beautifully organized chaos that SOMEHOW worked. Almost like the minds of 2.5-5 year olds... Chaotic but somehow purpose driven and beautiful :) Matt had to rush off to work, but I'm excited to talk about this place tonight and break down the positives and negatives of this little school :) more to come!

Slow Down

I've realized that I'm a busy body and I have a really hard time slowing down... Even when my body is screaming at me to stop. Today I took a 45 minute nap while Preston slept and I'm taking the time to just sit :) Usually my day goes like this lately:

• Go to bed between 10-11 pm
• Wake up 1-2x to nurse P-Town usually at 2/3 am and again at 5/6 am
• Wake up anywhere from 5-6:30 am with Violet (she's been getting up earlier than usual lately)
• Feed V breakfast, play with her quietly, and get her ready until Preston wakes up
• Nurse Preston and get him ready at around 8 am
• Take V to daycare (unless we have a play date scheduled)
• Between nursing Preston and his naps I usually do at least 2 loads of laundry, dishes, prep and cook dinner, tidy up the house (toys, counters, dust a little - I'm definitely an anti clutter neat freak), and any other odds and ends that I have on my to-do list.
• When Matt gets home in time he helps with dinner and baths, otherwise I feed and bathe both kiddos and get them both ready for bed by 6:30/7 pm
• Then at 7/8 I nurse and put Preston down for the night (Matt always help put ptown down - every 3 days he also gives Preston a bottle)
• Then from 8-10/11 Matt and I spend time together

Most often by the end of the day I'm so exhausted I can't stay awake, but am too tired to fall asleep! I typically get between 5-6 hrs of sleep per night (my body likes 7.5-8) AND let's not forget to mention the back logged hours I've lost since before Preston was born. I really cherish the time that Matt and I get in the evenings and am excited for Preston to get old enough for us to sleep train him... He has to be at least 4 months and 16 lbs (the latter of which he's already hit!). Then Matt and I will reclaim our late evenings and I will reclaim my continuous sleep at night :)

I love my beautiful, amazing, healthy, and spirited children, but I sometimes look back at Matt and my 'single-married' life with googley eyes :) In this crazy adventure with kiddos, the only thing I seem to miss is the time Matt and I have together just as a couple. With family far away, the times we get together are our late evenings or the occasional date night when our babysitter is in town from college. I wouldn't trade any of this for the world, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I dream of the day when our little ones are old enough for Matt and I to have our adventures again :) 

Until then, I'm trying to learn the art of enjoying the little moments and slowing down and taking time to myself. As most moms do, it's come to my attention lately that the person I never think of OR think of last is myself... Case in point: I often feed everyone else, but forget to eat myself... I bathe and get everyone else ready for bed and often stall showering because I'm too tired... I make sure everyone else has their special 'play/alone' time, but forget to schedule in my own de-stress moments and outings... All of which add up to an exhausted mommy. Even when I'm tired I often think of all the things I could be or SHOULD be doing instead of taking a nap or resting my feet, even if it's only for 20 minutes (those 20 minutes could mean a lot of laundry folding, cleaning, or food prep). BUT, as Matt reminds me... I can't take care of our babies until I take care of myself. Like when you're on an airplane and you're supposed to secure your own oxygen mask before securing your children's masks. It's pretty much a life metaphor right? If your body and mind aren't right, you can't care for others... So put your dang oxygen mask on :)

Swimming

Preston had his first swim class today at exactly 13 weeks old! We had planned to take him sooner, but he got his 2 month shots right before the holidays and then after the holidays our daycare got the stomach flu (I couldn't bring Violet) then WE caught it the next week :( He is much more aware and alert at this age than Violet was at 9 weeks old when we took her for her first time... It took him about 10-15 minutes for him to warm up to the class... Maybe because of all the loud noise and the scariness of the environment? Of course he did great by the end and I'd say his favorite part was tummy time on one of the square rafts :) He's so happy and smiley even when he's sad :) He'll be able to go for a month until I return to work and he's 4 months old (babies up to 4 months are free at this particular parent and me location). What a cutie pie :)

His legs are starting to get chubbier :)

The Stomach Flu

It seems like we're finally over the stomach flu! This week (and last) were rough. Violet threw up for the first time in 21 months, Preston hit a personal sleep record (10.5 hrs), and I haven't had the stomach flu since 2000. That's 14 years! Just saying it makes me feel old! ... 2 Harrison tykes with the crazy willies makes me feel old :) At least we're all feeling better :)

Green Smoothies

I bought a blender on amazon and it arrived in ONE day! Pretty amazing right? We somehow live in a world where we can go online, find a product in our price range, and read reviews on it so we know we'll be getting something descent... And then without more than a few finger taps... It's on your doorstep in less than 48 hrs. Woa!

I've been wanting a Vitamix blender for a couple of years, but Matt has talked some sense into me as I own EVERY other appliance that a Vitamix can replace (each one a gift), other than a blender... So I ordered a blender... That doesn't cost $600, but 1/10th that :)

... Now, that was only AFTER I tried to use our quisinart mixer/chopper as if it were a blender and somehow sprayed smoothie on the counters, ceiling, and yes... Violet (in my defense, she was standing awfully close) :) 

As soon as we got home tonight and saw the box on our doorstep, I opened it, washed it, and made our first smoothie! 

I should back up a bit and explain why I ordered a blender in the first place. I've been wanting to make smoothies for a while for both Violet and I. A way to increase our superfood intake in a yummy way :) Smoothies full of goodness like kale, coconut milk, super fruits, spinach, etc. 

So I made Violets first 'green smoothie' and it was a hit (for both of us)! Fresh kale, a frozen banana, a fresh nectarine, raspberry yogurt, and coconut milk :) Yuuuummmm!!! I must admit, as much as Violet loved it, she's still our water drinker :) After about 5 sips, she kept reaching for the cabinet saying 'wawa! Wawa! Peeaassee!' Love this girl ❤

Ps - this baby loves seaweed, too!

 
 
 

A Big Bear Weekend Adventure

Last weekend was FULL of adventure! We stayed up in Big Bear Lake Friday through Sunday in a little cabin with both Odie and Violet in tow :) Let me tell you though... It was HOT! I had this picture in my mind of it being a cool lake town... Not quite! 95 degrees during the day with NO AC in that little cabin made things interesting... Especially since it dropped down to the 50's in the early morning. We went to bed tossing and turning with sweat and woke up freezing! Even though we're a little wussy about hot weather now that we live in Long Beach, it was worth it to be in such a beautiful place!

Here are some pictures of our memorable moments!

Testing out Violets new car! What a fantastic hand-me-down from her cousins! Thank you Elliott's!

Violet can never stop hugging our Odie ❤ Neither can we! Even in the horribly dry heat! His hugs make everything better!

About to go on our first hike up to Castle Rock! ~2 miles of beautiful scenery and exercise! One of the best and most amazing hikes we've been on!

Taking a little break ;)

Once we got to the top I tried to hike around to find a good view, but my big belly was getting in the way of my bouldering so I had to climb back down! We took some pictures... Violet doesn't look too pleased! After an hour in the backpack, she just wanted to get down and walk around... But it wasn't so safe with all the boulders and cliff/edges!

Thank you Asian man for taking this photo!

No one can stay angry bears when you have super cool daddy sunglasses on!

Someone did NOT want to sit still!

Thank you again Asian man for this family photo! Poor Odie had to miss out since we had to climb to this spot and he couldn't come with us safely :(

Such a beautiful view from Castle Rock!

After our morning hike on Saturday, Matt's family came up for the afternoon to hang out :) It was a blast to see all the kiddos hang out together and go with the flow ❤ We love our family!

Odie LOVES bubbles more than children do... No seriously. He does.

Grandpa is such a trooper! We ended up on a family walk which turned into a hike and he let Violet hike :)

Go Sarah go!

 A few of us got a little behind (remember... Violet got to hike) so the cousins ahead made arrows for us so we wouldn't get lost ;)

 This just made my heart so happy ❤

Daddy let Violet hike, too :) Twinsies!

Family photo op!

That night Violet was dead asleep by 7 pm after missing her afternoon nap... But then woke up at 5 am crying. We thought she might be cold so I went in and covered her with a towel we found in the cabin... Which she shucked off of course. At 5:30 am I went in to get her to sleep on my chest while I sang to her in a chair... Which worked for a hot second. By 6 am I knew she was UP and we wanted to let Matt sleep so she and I took Odie on a walk to the lake ❤ It was beautiful, calm, and relaxing :) The 3 of us had a blast AND daddy got to sleep an extra 1.5 hrs :)

No makeup mommy... Boggie nosed baby :)

Breath taking ❤

 On our way down the mountain we stopped in Redlands to see grandpa and grandma and take a little car ride break... And give Matt a haircut :) On our way to Long Beach Odie was BEAT! Violet threw down her blanket which landed on his head... This was taken about 10 minutes later. He didn't even try to take it off ❤

What an amazing weekend! Once home, we EVEN had time to get Odie a new dog tag!

 

There's a First for Everything

Let me start off by saying that Violet has NEVER slept with us. Not when she was 1 week old, not at 10 weeks old (when we moved her from her bassinet in our room into her own room), not at 6 months (when she started teething and cut her first tooth), not at 9 months (when she started crawling and waking herself up with this cool new skill), not at 11 months (when she started pulling to stand but couldn't get back down), not at 13 months (when she caught her first cold)... And then there was last night... Or should I say this morning... 15 1/2 months...

First, let me give you some background. Last night, after an amazingly fun 4th of July with his family, we stayed the night at Matt's folks house. Violet slept upstairs by herself in a pack n play in Matt's old room (now an office - she's done this for an entire weekend before while Matt and I were in SF celebrating our anniversary in May). Matt and I slept downstairs in the family room on a blowup bed while Odie roamed around, eventually sleeping at our feet on the floor. After a fun filled day and a bath, Violet fell asleep around 7-7:30 pm. Then at about 4:15 am she started to cry... And cry... And cry...

Now if we were home, we would have let her cry... But Matt's folks graciously took us in for the night and grandpa was supposed to wake up at 5 am to get ready for work. We REALLY didn't want Mark to wake up so I quickly ran up stairs to get her. She was standing up, clutching her blanket, and crying. As soon as I walked in and picked her up she said 'mama' and snuggled in. I thought, 'yay! This is going to be quick!' Well, she went back down ok... But when I turned to leave and close the squeaky door she started to cry. I did this 2 more times and then called Matt upstairs to make an attempt... To no avail... And then she appeared to be UP! What?!?! So Matt brought her downstairs to hang out with us in bed until grandpa was awake and gone to work. Walking down the stairs she immediately saw Odie and said 'Odie!' She somehow stayed quiet (yet awake) between us in bed and said 'bye' while waving to grandpa as he walked out the door at 5:30 am. Then about 15 minutes later she FINALLY fell asleep (after rolling around between us and thrashing about, effectively demoting me to the foot of the blowup bed as if I were a tiny lap dog, not a 25 1/2 week along pregnant lady who can't get comfortable). And that people, is why Violet has NEVER slept with us!

At 8:15 am when she woke up and smiled at me, I gave her a big hug and kiss... Even though my entire body was aching and stiff ❤

Are you comfy Violet?

 

A New App to Blog

So I did a little searching (almost 5 months after my last post in February) and have found an app that is allowing me to insert pictures into my blog again... reigniting my hopes to blog a little bit about our adventures :) And just in time for all our summer festivities! Hopefully this app will be better than the blogger app and won't drive me insane :)

Who couldn't love Odie?

 

4th of July ❤

Today has been an amazing day full of family and amazing firsts for Violet! I think her favorite was playing in the sprinkler (Mr. Wiggles) at grandmas house! This little one is NOT afraid of new experiences... Well, minus those involving the sounds of a lawn mower or leaf blower that is (she somehow things they'll have her down the sidewalk!). We're so blessed to have so much love that surrounds us and literally fun and adventure at every turn :) Today is just the beginning, too! We're off to Big Bear Lake tomorrow for a weekend at a cabin with Odie and Violet :) So of course... More to come!

Violets first 'big stick' with daddy... A daddy favorite!

Playing in the sand with grandma :)

I don't know how, but I somehow never got a picture of our sweet violet all dressed up in her $5 dress and crazy firecracker headband... I feel slightly like a mommy failure!

Odie almost melted!

It was beautiful enough to wear bathing suits all afternoon and play in the pool!

These girls are getting so big!!!