motherhood

Aidan

He's resourceful:

He's in love with his daddy:

And he's sweet enough to hold hands with his baby sister while watching a show:

I'm crazy about him. I got my third plugged duct last night and he fixed it right up this morning (after an epsom salt soak and hot compress and a little positioning magic). Thank you Aidan! Now let's have another good day like yesterday.

got yeast?

Wednesday I got my second plugged duct in a month. I was totally sore in between them. Aidan has also had diaper rash. I was able to clear up his diaper rash with acidophilus before I made the connection with my sore nipple. Duh. He also had a small white patch in his mouth that is gone now from the acidophilus. I had been nursing Anna on my other side because of the soreness and her improper latch when my milk lets down and overtakes her, so she has not been showing symptoms. I have nursed her a little on that side at night (**since moving back into our bedroom since her birth, yay!). I am very sore on that one side so I'm getting desperate to get rid of it.

I have been taking acidophilus, grapefruit seed extract, garlic, and flax oil. I have also been doing vinegar solution rinses and grapefruit seed extract rinses after nursing. I'm a little hesitant to doing the anti-fungal cream (it creeps me out a little) so if anyone has inpu there, I'd really appreciate it. Tonight I started the gentian violet. We're having fun with it tonight, although I don't know how long that will be. The kids look so cute with purple faces. My boobs, not so cute. I think it is smiley juice for Anna though because she didn't stop smiling after nursing it all over herself. I wonder what people will think when we go out tomorrow. I think Adam should rub some around his mouth to give some extra humor. LOL!

**we are all in one room now and we absolutely LOVE it. Aidan sleeps on the queen on the floor next to our bed and Adam, Anna and I sleep on the king. So far, so good. I'm just hoping this doesn't lead Aidan to night nursing again.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!!!! We are going to take advantage of Adam's last two days of work shutdown and relax.

We've had a good week

Since the main variable in the goodness of the week seems dependant on Aidan, here is my sweet boy in a couple of ways he made my week so great. I made him a little pouch to carry his loveys/baby around like I carry Anna. The queen of stuffed animals/dolls (my MIL) went on a quest for a baby doll for Aidan. It arrived tonight and it was love at first sight. Aidan hugged, kissed, and bounced his baby and even made me give it na-nas (that's what I need - one more baby to nurse. LOL!!!) Check out Aidan's snazzy outfit of swim skirt as jacket and black bracelet. He is such a little dresser-upper. Can that be a word? He has been wearing a pink slipper and sequined flat shoe for almost three weeks now. He wears them everywhere! Needless to say, we get lots of looks and smiles when we go out.

Free

Adam and I went out to dinner Friday night. Alone, without kids, for the first time in over two years. It was great. The postpartum doula we had after Anna came over and watched Aidan and Anna. We were gone for a little over an hour. I ate my dinner with both hands, slowly, while drinking a glass of wine. Adam and I kissed, held hands, and enjoyed talking about everything we could think of that didn't have to do with babies and toddlers. I think we're going to try to do this a little more often.

Our postpartum doula, Amy, has become part of our family. I talk to her at least once a week and feel like I have known her forever. I am so lucky to have had her then to take care of Aidan while I was having Anna and then after when she took care of all of us. She is truly amazing. Thank you Amy!

I'm losing it!

How is it that a 2yo can drive a person CRAZY? Shouldn't I be smarter than that? I understand that that is how it goes, but really. I almost lose it with him sometimes. He has started this high-pitched scream with sobs in between that hits a nerve in my brain and makes me want to freak out. I'm not a spanker. I'm not a spanker. I'm not a spanker. Why does this sh*t get to me so?

got blue?

I've been trying to capture Anna's blue eyes in the camera and this is the best I could do.

where are we going with this?

Anna started rolling from front to back at 8 weeks old. Now, when I put her on her tummy, she tries to crawl! Adam didn't believe me when I told him, but over the weekend he saw for himself. She pulls her knees under her and moves them in a crawling motion. She even moves. The whole time her head stays pretty much down and she seems to have no idea why her body is compelled to do this, but it does. She fusses the whole time.

She's 13 weeks old now and I'm thinking she'll be an early crawler. Not anything like Aidan was. He'd sit forever without trying to move as a baby.

Another Good Day

sacked out after a fun day of friends and pool

It was a sh*tty day

No, it was a really good day, just one that involved many cases of sh*t, as in poop. Aidan is in big-time naked mode when we're at home these days. He asks for his shirt off first "shirt. shirt." Then he either asks me to take his "pants" and "dipee" off or he takes those off himself. The he runs around the house, plays with his toys (and himself) and pees here and there. Yesterday, though, he pooped while naked on the loose. He was playing games on his computer and the rest can be guessed from the picture. He ran into the kitchen, mad because he has a "mess" on his feet.

After a kitchen sink bath, he was on the loose again (stupid us). After peeing a couple of times here and there (I do try to get him on the potty and he did pee there once yesterday) we put little underwear on him. Then he and Adam went out to the car to imstall Adam's new iPod interface thingy. Aidan was playing with a flashlight and knocked himself in the head with it and started crying. Adam picked him up to comfort him and when he walked inside the house I noticed there was poop everywhere. It was on Adam's shirt and on Aidan's hands and feet. It was even in the back seat of Adam's car, stuck in the little perforated holes of the leather and smeared on the carpet. Sucky. Sucky.

Oh well, I guess this crap happens to everyone with kids. Right?

Amazingly Beautiful

There are amazingly beautiful parts to every day. Sometimes they're hard to find, sometimes they stick right out. Like the wow kiss your husband gives you while out shopping with two kids, unexpected and definately welcomed, maybe a reminder of the past and the hint of something new. Like the sweet "good-nights" and "I wuv yous" from a little boy on his way to bed. And the delicate outlines of a baby girl curled up next to you in bed for the night. I love my family. I have never been happier (and more out of my mind) in my whole life. Thank you Adam, Aidan and Anna.