I've always had the attitude that breast is best and was and have been determined to bast feed Abigail for as long as I could. My goal was as close to a year as possible, with 6 months being the absolute minimum. Sadly, in the last few weeks, my supply has really been dwindling down. :(
I have never had any problem producing milk, and in fact, was overproducing. I would be able to feed Abigail in the morning and still be able to pump about 5 ounces or more. Then while at work, I could pump another 5 ounces. I knew that going to work would affect my supply, but during the first couple months, I've been able to maintain a good supply. But lately, I've been producing about half of what I normally make. This makes for a frustrated and hungry baby, a shrinking supply in the freezer, and a sad and stressed out mommy :(. I even had a mini break down when I had to open up a can of formula and supplement so that Abbie could get enough to have for dinner.
At my doctors appointment last week, I expressed my concern and was giving a prescription that could safely help increase lactation. I started taking it...and while it makes me feel drowsy, it seems to be working. This morning alone, I pumped 7 ounces in addition to feeding Abbie her breakfast. I'm not sure if the medication is working, or if it has a placebo effect, but whatever it is, I'm just glad it's working for now.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
With a Quack Quack here
Yes, Abigail is a little skunk for Halloween, but during a trip to Costco, my mom found this little duck costume and couldn't resist getting it for Abbie. I put her in it and was singing her "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and every time I got to the "quack quack" part, she'd just start smiling and laughing. I took these pictures and just had to share. :)
Irrisistable, I tell 'ya! :)
Big Girl Bed
As I type this, I have an eye on Abigail sleeping...using the video monitor. That's right! She's finally transitioned into sleeping in her own room at night!
For the past couple months, Michael and I had been talking about when the best time would be to transition her into sleeping in her own room at night. Of course, I had a little trouble letting go of her sleeping in the co-sleeper in our room. Obviously I love having her close, but also, it's just so convenient to have her close just in case she woke up in the middle of the night and was fussing, or if she was coughing or anything. But sadly, the time finally came where she seemed ready to move into her own bed because:
1) She rarely wakes up, and if she does, all she is looking for is her pacifier, and not a feeding.
2) She should make the transition soon because if we wait until she's a little older, it'll be harder to move her.
3) She really was starting to get too big for the co-sleeper. Our girl is really tall, and her legs are long, so she really fills out the co-sleeper. If she get any bigger, it'll be much to small for her. (especially since she rolls around much more now).
Anyways, she started sleeping in her crib on October 21st. We went through our bedtime routine with her, and instead of putting her in the co-sleeper, we just put her in her crib. I'm so glad that she's familiar with, and comforted by her Sleep Sheep and her puppy...because they really helped make the transition soooo easy. We put them in her crib with her, turned them on, and she drifted off to sleep as usual. It's been a week now, and putting her to bed has been a piece of cake. What a good little baby! :)
ps- THANK YOU to the inventors of video monitors! While the transition for Abbie was pretty easy, it was a little rougher on me, so I'm really grateful that we have a video monitor because I can watch her and feel more at ease, knowing and actually seeing that she's safe and sleeping peacefully.
For the past couple months, Michael and I had been talking about when the best time would be to transition her into sleeping in her own room at night. Of course, I had a little trouble letting go of her sleeping in the co-sleeper in our room. Obviously I love having her close, but also, it's just so convenient to have her close just in case she woke up in the middle of the night and was fussing, or if she was coughing or anything. But sadly, the time finally came where she seemed ready to move into her own bed because:
1) She rarely wakes up, and if she does, all she is looking for is her pacifier, and not a feeding.
2) She should make the transition soon because if we wait until she's a little older, it'll be harder to move her.
3) She really was starting to get too big for the co-sleeper. Our girl is really tall, and her legs are long, so she really fills out the co-sleeper. If she get any bigger, it'll be much to small for her. (especially since she rolls around much more now).
Anyways, she started sleeping in her crib on October 21st. We went through our bedtime routine with her, and instead of putting her in the co-sleeper, we just put her in her crib. I'm so glad that she's familiar with, and comforted by her Sleep Sheep and her puppy...because they really helped make the transition soooo easy. We put them in her crib with her, turned them on, and she drifted off to sleep as usual. It's been a week now, and putting her to bed has been a piece of cake. What a good little baby! :)
ps- THANK YOU to the inventors of video monitors! While the transition for Abbie was pretty easy, it was a little rougher on me, so I'm really grateful that we have a video monitor because I can watch her and feel more at ease, knowing and actually seeing that she's safe and sleeping peacefully.
Rest in Pieces
My phone broke. :( I was loading the baby in her car seat, and then sat and closed the car door, but for some reason it wouldn't close. I looked down and realized that my phone had slid out of my pocket and I had slammed the door on my phone! Poor Droid. I tried to turn it on, but the screen had cracked and neither the display nor the touch screen would work. I started to panic and tried to rush to Verizon, but by that time they had just closed. I was sad because my phone is the only way for people to reach me, and really my only way to reach other people. Especially with what's going on my brother, I want to be reachable. True, people can reach me through Michael, but how would Michael even reach me while he and I are at our schools? :(
So the next day, I called Verizon and asked about what I can do. Thankfully, I had insurance on my phone, but it would cost me $100 to replace my phone with the exact same kind. As much as I like my Droid Incredible, I had been wanting to change phones for a while now and was hoping to upgrade my phone to an iPhone. I asked about an iPhone, and it would cost $299 with an upgrade discount, and almost $800 without. Our account had an available upgrade so I went ahead and got the iPhone. Why bother spending $100 to get a phone that I wanted to change soon anyways? It's a bit expensive, but I decided to use my recent birthday money on it. The only catch is that due to popular demand, it won't even be shipped to me until the second week of November. Thankfully Fred let me borrow his old phone, so that's what I'm using now. :) I'm really excited to get my new phone...but I'm still peeved that I lost all my old contact phone numbers. The people at Verizon said they can't retrieve it since my touch screen broke. So now the only numbers I know are the ones that I have memorized...which is basically my mom's cell phone and house, and Michael's cell phone. :(
If you're reading this, perhaps you can email me your phone number to help me start up my collection again! :)
So the next day, I called Verizon and asked about what I can do. Thankfully, I had insurance on my phone, but it would cost me $100 to replace my phone with the exact same kind. As much as I like my Droid Incredible, I had been wanting to change phones for a while now and was hoping to upgrade my phone to an iPhone. I asked about an iPhone, and it would cost $299 with an upgrade discount, and almost $800 without. Our account had an available upgrade so I went ahead and got the iPhone. Why bother spending $100 to get a phone that I wanted to change soon anyways? It's a bit expensive, but I decided to use my recent birthday money on it. The only catch is that due to popular demand, it won't even be shipped to me until the second week of November. Thankfully Fred let me borrow his old phone, so that's what I'm using now. :) I'm really excited to get my new phone...but I'm still peeved that I lost all my old contact phone numbers. The people at Verizon said they can't retrieve it since my touch screen broke. So now the only numbers I know are the ones that I have memorized...which is basically my mom's cell phone and house, and Michael's cell phone. :(
If you're reading this, perhaps you can email me your phone number to help me start up my collection again! :)
Monday, October 24, 2011
She TALKS!
I've been meaning to blog about this...and in fact, I finally recorded her talking, but for some reason I was not able to attach the sound clip to this blog :( But nevertheless....MY BABY SAID HER FIRST WORD! :)
Last Wednesday night (Oct 19th), Michael and I were at Target picking up some groceries. I was walking down the aisles, pushing her stroller and listening to her babble, when all of a sudden, she started saying "mama mama!!" :) I called Michael over to have him hear her. He doubted that she was saying it, and said that it didn't really sound like "mama." Michael said that babies don't usually talk until 7 months or so. But even when we were checking out with the cashier, he even confirmed that Abbie was saying it. Haha...What's funnier is that later that night, as I'm putting the groceries away, I could hear Michael with the baby in her room saying, "Can you say 'dada'??"
She now says it all the time, and it just melts my heart every time! <3
Last Wednesday night (Oct 19th), Michael and I were at Target picking up some groceries. I was walking down the aisles, pushing her stroller and listening to her babble, when all of a sudden, she started saying "mama mama!!" :) I called Michael over to have him hear her. He doubted that she was saying it, and said that it didn't really sound like "mama." Michael said that babies don't usually talk until 7 months or so. But even when we were checking out with the cashier, he even confirmed that Abbie was saying it. Haha...What's funnier is that later that night, as I'm putting the groceries away, I could hear Michael with the baby in her room saying, "Can you say 'dada'??"
She now says it all the time, and it just melts my heart every time! <3
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Our Little Stinker :)
Today we went to a portrait studio to get some pictures of Abbie in her Halloween costume-- a skunk. :) We probably won't be going trick or treating, but still wanted to commemorate her first Halloween by getting some pictures done. It was an annoying experience today because the studio was over booked with lots of families also trying to get Halloween pictures done. Our appointment was supposed to be at 12:10, and we were prepared to have Abbie "ready" at 12:10....but because of the studio's unwise decision to book appointments too close to each other, with not enough time to work with each customer, they were reaaaallllyyy backed up. Our appointment was delayed almost 40 minutes! Anyone with a baby knows that that is NOT good. :( Abigail was a real trooper. Can't blame her for getting tired and falling asleep....or for getting cranky when we woke her up because the photographer was finally ready for us. But even though it was a crappy experience at the studio, we still got a few super cute pictures of our little stinker :)
Thing 1 & Thing 2
With all the craziness that's been going on, I've been so busy, but sooo needing to blog! We've been so busy with work/school/and with everything going on with my brother, that I haven't had time to post about a big milestone. I've been meaning to try and find just 5 minutes at least to escape to my computer, but before I knew it, it had been a week and a milestone became TWO milestones!
Last week on the night of Abigail's 5 months, we saw this:
Tooth #2!! It's crazy how soon it came it, considering it had been only a week (if that) since the first one came. So now, we can say that she has teeth! Crazy! :)
Last week on the night of Abigail's 5 months, we saw this:
That's right!! Her first tooth!! :) We knew it'd be coming, especially since she's been gnawing on her hand and her toys (and everything she can get a hold of). She's also been drooling like crazy! Then on that night, I put my finger in her mouth to massage her gums, when all of a sudden I felt something sharp on her lower gums.
But that's not all, folks! Just the other night, after Abbie had been super fussy all day, I felt in her mouth and discovered something new poking through:
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Not so happy birthday
It's funny how throughout the build up and countdown to any birthday, especially as a child, you'd get butterflies in your stomach and just feel so excited that you could burst. I remember when I was young and asking my mom if she was excited for her birthday, and she would say that it's different when you're older. I guess I must be older now, because that's how it felt for me. Just another day, except for the fact that from now on, I need to remember to say that I'm 27 instead of 26 when people ask me.
But still, my birthday on Wednesday started off happy. It was going to be super hot and humid (which is just ridiculous for this time of year), but other than that, I was good. Any day is a good day when it starts by seeing Abigail wake up with a smile. Work was good too. My kids remembered it was my birthday, and one of my students even brought me a little gift. :) The plan for the evening was to go out to dinner with Michael and my siblings to Cheesecake Factory. On my drive to work, I got text messages from Justin (my brother) and Kayla (my sister) confirming the time and location. I also found out that my cousins GJ, Leslie and Tracy were going to come meet up with us too. Great! :) However...after work when I got home, I received a call from my sister telling me why my mom never called to greet me happy birthday. Apparently she was with my brother who was in the ER. She didn't want to call me while I was at work and upset me with the bad news.
(Side story: Several months ago, a little bit before Abigail was born, my brother went snowboarding and fell. He complained of back pain and got it checked, but everything was attributed to inflammation from the fall and sciatica. The week before Abbie was born, he complained again to my dad and he told my brother that he would take him to the doctor to get it checked. Unfortunately, right after the baby was born was when my dad had his stroke and then passed away. Because of the funeral and everything that comes after a family member passes away, my brother's back issues (which still bothered him on and off) were pushed to the side. Eventually, he started complaining again to my mom, so she got him an appointment for an MRI to get it checked. This test from last week showed that he had a herniated disc. A course of treatment would be devised for him.)
Now back to my original story-- On my birthday (Wednesday), my brother went to school and took his final, and then came home. He complained of being in a lot of pain and that he felt the numbness down his leg again. Within a couple hours, it got worse and he could barely walk. My mom and sister took him to the ER at my mom's work. By the time they got him in and checked, he had already lost feeling in his legs from the waist down, and he could not move. Tests and scans were done and it showed that there was a lot of swelling and a hematoma (a buildup of blood) and his cerebrospinal fluid was leaking out. Since it was my birthday, my mom and brother insisted that we still go to dinner, and said that they wouldn't know how long he'd be there. Hopefully he would be released the next morning. We visited him at the hospital that night and learned how serious his condition actually is. He was very brave, and only complained that he was hungry and thirsty. He was not allowed to eat or drink just in case they needed to take him in for surgery. Thankfully, by the end of the night, the doctors said that he could eat and he was able to have dinner. I left telling him that I'd bring food the next day.
Then the next day came and went, and still, he had no sensation or movement in his lower half, and in fact, the paralysis had moved up to his mid abdomen. I visited him after work, and was happy to see him staying positive and in pretty good spirits. It helped that his friends were visiting him all day and bringing him food and other comforts from home. We left that night hearing from the doctors that there wasn't much else they could do for him there, and that he would need to be sent to a bigger hospital, possibly UCLA, which is bigger and has more resources to help him.
Yesterday was my sister's 21st birthday. I went to work as usual and according to my brother's wishes, had plans to go out with her and some of her friends to The Yardhouse in Long Beach to make sure she got out and enjoyed herself. She didn't have school that day, and I knew that she'd be home alone all day probably being sad, so I followed the advise from a co-worker of mine and just left work to spend the day with her and spend some time with our brother. So I left. Went to my mom's house and surprised my sister. Took her out to breakfast first, and then we bought a little cake to bring to the hospital so we could have a birthday cake for us to eat with our mom and brother. We spent the rest of the day there and kept him company. It made me sad to see that his good spirits were starting to die out and he was getting more and more frustrated and depressed about everything. I hated hearing him say that everything was a waste and now he'll be nothing and have nothing to do with himself because he won't be able to get up or do anything. My mom and aunt were there and since they know the medical lingo and have experience with this kind of stuff, they were really upset because they know how serious this condition is and what his chances of ever being able to get up and move will be. Leaving the hospital, we heard that the next step for my brother was still to transfer him by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The calls had gone through, my mom had pulled strings, and the neurologists and neurosurgeons there had accepted him as a patient and a bed was waiting for him. However, the accepting doctors want him to be in the ICU and not just in any room, so they said that they'd wait until Monday or Tuesday when a spot in the ICU would open up for him. Until then, he was to be transferred to the ICU at Long Beach Memorial. Although UCLA is better, LB Memorial was still better than the hospital he was currently at, so they went ahead and approved him to go there. When we left, they were calling in the order for the ambulance and getting my brother ready to travel.
Last night, Michael and I went out with Kayla, a couple of our cousins and some of Kayla's friends and had dinner at The Yardhouse. Before leaving the hospital, my brother had instructed me to order her a couple specific drinks and to make sure she has fun. Dinner was good, and then I passed on my brother's instructions to my cousins who were going to go with Kayla and her friends to a couple bars. It was getting late and since we had the baby with us, we needed to go home.
And now, it's Saturday. Birthday week is almost over, and yet the nightmare of what's going on with my brother seems to be just beginning. I feel so emotionally drained. As if going through each day and knowing that my dad is gone isn't hard enough, now my brother's health and well-being is on the line. My mind and heart and in constant prayer. :(
But still, my birthday on Wednesday started off happy. It was going to be super hot and humid (which is just ridiculous for this time of year), but other than that, I was good. Any day is a good day when it starts by seeing Abigail wake up with a smile. Work was good too. My kids remembered it was my birthday, and one of my students even brought me a little gift. :) The plan for the evening was to go out to dinner with Michael and my siblings to Cheesecake Factory. On my drive to work, I got text messages from Justin (my brother) and Kayla (my sister) confirming the time and location. I also found out that my cousins GJ, Leslie and Tracy were going to come meet up with us too. Great! :) However...after work when I got home, I received a call from my sister telling me why my mom never called to greet me happy birthday. Apparently she was with my brother who was in the ER. She didn't want to call me while I was at work and upset me with the bad news.
(Side story: Several months ago, a little bit before Abigail was born, my brother went snowboarding and fell. He complained of back pain and got it checked, but everything was attributed to inflammation from the fall and sciatica. The week before Abbie was born, he complained again to my dad and he told my brother that he would take him to the doctor to get it checked. Unfortunately, right after the baby was born was when my dad had his stroke and then passed away. Because of the funeral and everything that comes after a family member passes away, my brother's back issues (which still bothered him on and off) were pushed to the side. Eventually, he started complaining again to my mom, so she got him an appointment for an MRI to get it checked. This test from last week showed that he had a herniated disc. A course of treatment would be devised for him.)
Now back to my original story-- On my birthday (Wednesday), my brother went to school and took his final, and then came home. He complained of being in a lot of pain and that he felt the numbness down his leg again. Within a couple hours, it got worse and he could barely walk. My mom and sister took him to the ER at my mom's work. By the time they got him in and checked, he had already lost feeling in his legs from the waist down, and he could not move. Tests and scans were done and it showed that there was a lot of swelling and a hematoma (a buildup of blood) and his cerebrospinal fluid was leaking out. Since it was my birthday, my mom and brother insisted that we still go to dinner, and said that they wouldn't know how long he'd be there. Hopefully he would be released the next morning. We visited him at the hospital that night and learned how serious his condition actually is. He was very brave, and only complained that he was hungry and thirsty. He was not allowed to eat or drink just in case they needed to take him in for surgery. Thankfully, by the end of the night, the doctors said that he could eat and he was able to have dinner. I left telling him that I'd bring food the next day.
Then the next day came and went, and still, he had no sensation or movement in his lower half, and in fact, the paralysis had moved up to his mid abdomen. I visited him after work, and was happy to see him staying positive and in pretty good spirits. It helped that his friends were visiting him all day and bringing him food and other comforts from home. We left that night hearing from the doctors that there wasn't much else they could do for him there, and that he would need to be sent to a bigger hospital, possibly UCLA, which is bigger and has more resources to help him.
Yesterday was my sister's 21st birthday. I went to work as usual and according to my brother's wishes, had plans to go out with her and some of her friends to The Yardhouse in Long Beach to make sure she got out and enjoyed herself. She didn't have school that day, and I knew that she'd be home alone all day probably being sad, so I followed the advise from a co-worker of mine and just left work to spend the day with her and spend some time with our brother. So I left. Went to my mom's house and surprised my sister. Took her out to breakfast first, and then we bought a little cake to bring to the hospital so we could have a birthday cake for us to eat with our mom and brother. We spent the rest of the day there and kept him company. It made me sad to see that his good spirits were starting to die out and he was getting more and more frustrated and depressed about everything. I hated hearing him say that everything was a waste and now he'll be nothing and have nothing to do with himself because he won't be able to get up or do anything. My mom and aunt were there and since they know the medical lingo and have experience with this kind of stuff, they were really upset because they know how serious this condition is and what his chances of ever being able to get up and move will be. Leaving the hospital, we heard that the next step for my brother was still to transfer him by ambulance to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The calls had gone through, my mom had pulled strings, and the neurologists and neurosurgeons there had accepted him as a patient and a bed was waiting for him. However, the accepting doctors want him to be in the ICU and not just in any room, so they said that they'd wait until Monday or Tuesday when a spot in the ICU would open up for him. Until then, he was to be transferred to the ICU at Long Beach Memorial. Although UCLA is better, LB Memorial was still better than the hospital he was currently at, so they went ahead and approved him to go there. When we left, they were calling in the order for the ambulance and getting my brother ready to travel.
Last night, Michael and I went out with Kayla, a couple of our cousins and some of Kayla's friends and had dinner at The Yardhouse. Before leaving the hospital, my brother had instructed me to order her a couple specific drinks and to make sure she has fun. Dinner was good, and then I passed on my brother's instructions to my cousins who were going to go with Kayla and her friends to a couple bars. It was getting late and since we had the baby with us, we needed to go home.
And now, it's Saturday. Birthday week is almost over, and yet the nightmare of what's going on with my brother seems to be just beginning. I feel so emotionally drained. As if going through each day and knowing that my dad is gone isn't hard enough, now my brother's health and well-being is on the line. My mind and heart and in constant prayer. :(
 |
| No hospital stay is gonna stop us from taking a family picture with our cake! |
 |
| With our aunt |
 |
| My sister's "first legal drink" |
 |
| At The Yardhouse in LB with cousins... Abbie was being a tourist and was interested in everything else around her |
Thursday, October 13, 2011
5 Months Old
Holy moly! This girl is just getting os big! Can you believe she's 5 months old already?!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Octoberfest (the non-alcoholic, non-German kind)
I love this time of year! It's October...which means the weather will soon be changing to colder days (yay!!!), we'll be setting our clocks back an hour, the holidays will start rolling in one by one, and also, it's birthday time in my family. Quite a few of us in my family, myself included, have October birthdays.
My mom's birthday was last week, for which we had a small family party. Yesterday, we had the annual Limay fiesta (a big celebration and reunion for all the people from Limay, the place where my mom's side of the family came from in the Philippines). This upcoming week will my mine and my sister's birthdays. Mine is on the 12th and hers is on the 14th. She's turning 21 this year and is pretty excited. She's planning on going out with her friends to some bar and ordering drinks. As excited as she may seem, I know that she is sad on the inside, because our dad told her that for her 21st birthday, he would take her to Vegas. I feel sorry for her, and hope to go to Vegas with her soon to make up for that trip that she won't be able to take. Anyways, for my birthday, I'm turning 27. :( I can't believe I'm getting to so old. I know 27 isn't "old", but I can't believe how fast time has gone by. For my birthday, I wish I could go out and do something fun like a weekend getaway to Vegas or something, but sadly, I work, we're busy, and more importantly, we have a baby. Now sure what we're going to do, but I'm fairly certain that there'll be some family party next weekend. Michael keeps asking me what I'd like for my birthday, but honestly, I really can't think of anything I want. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, and most things I want, I work hard for and get them myself. ...or maybe it's because I'm getting more mature and am realizing how blessed I am to have what I've got. Either way, I don't want much. Maybe a day off from work and some time to spend enjoying my family. :)
My mom's birthday was last week, for which we had a small family party. Yesterday, we had the annual Limay fiesta (a big celebration and reunion for all the people from Limay, the place where my mom's side of the family came from in the Philippines). This upcoming week will my mine and my sister's birthdays. Mine is on the 12th and hers is on the 14th. She's turning 21 this year and is pretty excited. She's planning on going out with her friends to some bar and ordering drinks. As excited as she may seem, I know that she is sad on the inside, because our dad told her that for her 21st birthday, he would take her to Vegas. I feel sorry for her, and hope to go to Vegas with her soon to make up for that trip that she won't be able to take. Anyways, for my birthday, I'm turning 27. :( I can't believe I'm getting to so old. I know 27 isn't "old", but I can't believe how fast time has gone by. For my birthday, I wish I could go out and do something fun like a weekend getaway to Vegas or something, but sadly, I work, we're busy, and more importantly, we have a baby. Now sure what we're going to do, but I'm fairly certain that there'll be some family party next weekend. Michael keeps asking me what I'd like for my birthday, but honestly, I really can't think of anything I want. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, and most things I want, I work hard for and get them myself. ...or maybe it's because I'm getting more mature and am realizing how blessed I am to have what I've got. Either way, I don't want much. Maybe a day off from work and some time to spend enjoying my family. :)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Oh poop!!!
Having been exclusively breastfed and bottle fed only breastmilk up until recently, Abigail's poop has been yellowish, and more on the runny side. As a newborn, she pooped what we thought were record breaking 8-12 times a day. (seriously, how does someone so little poop that much?!) Eventually, the number of poopy diapers went down to a few times a day, and then most lately, only a few times a week. Along with occasional tootiness, her poops didn't smell "bad"....but they had a distinct smell. All very typical and healthy. Our doctor said all of that is to be expected, as long as she was eating only breastmilk.
But now that she eats cereal too, even though it's only the 1 time a day, there have been some changes. Funky poopy changes. Who would've thought that introducing a feeding of cereal a day could change her poop that much??? I know it's supposed to be a single grain rice cereal, but what the heck do they put in there? Don't let that 1 tablespoon of simple-looking, almost translucent rice flakes fool you. It turned our innocent, smiley-faced baby into a poop monster!
Her poop's color, consistency and odor have all changed. It's thicker, darker, and smells....funky. Thank goodness she's cute, because even the smell of her toots would make you think you're in some dive bar full of big burly truck drivers who haven't showered in a week! Haha, Alright, alright...maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it's no exaggeration to say that her diapers and toots smell. They smell bad enough that I've contemplated a few times about stopping her feedings and keeping her on only breastmilk again. But alas, this is a part of her growing older. And also, as her doctor said, giving her these feedings is not only good for her nutritionally, but it's also good for her developmental growth, as she learns to stop her tongue thrust reflex and move food from the front of her mouth to the back of her mouth.
Anyways, I don't want you to walk away from this post thinking "wow...her daughter is a beast!" so here are a couple pictures of our little cutie pie. Although diaper changes have gotten more interesting (to say the least), I assure you that she's sweeter than ever :)
But now that she eats cereal too, even though it's only the 1 time a day, there have been some changes. Funky poopy changes. Who would've thought that introducing a feeding of cereal a day could change her poop that much??? I know it's supposed to be a single grain rice cereal, but what the heck do they put in there? Don't let that 1 tablespoon of simple-looking, almost translucent rice flakes fool you. It turned our innocent, smiley-faced baby into a poop monster!
Her poop's color, consistency and odor have all changed. It's thicker, darker, and smells....funky. Thank goodness she's cute, because even the smell of her toots would make you think you're in some dive bar full of big burly truck drivers who haven't showered in a week! Haha, Alright, alright...maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but it's no exaggeration to say that her diapers and toots smell. They smell bad enough that I've contemplated a few times about stopping her feedings and keeping her on only breastmilk again. But alas, this is a part of her growing older. And also, as her doctor said, giving her these feedings is not only good for her nutritionally, but it's also good for her developmental growth, as she learns to stop her tongue thrust reflex and move food from the front of her mouth to the back of her mouth.
Anyways, I don't want you to walk away from this post thinking "wow...her daughter is a beast!" so here are a couple pictures of our little cutie pie. Although diaper changes have gotten more interesting (to say the least), I assure you that she's sweeter than ever :)
 |
| Just finished eating and "pooped" |
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Other side of things
Although being parents is a HUGE part of our lives now, there's still a lot more going on besides the baby. It's so easy to be consumed by being parents that it's also important to acknowledge and celebrate the other things going on in our lives. This post is just to fill you in about what else we're up to...
Me:
Still working like crazy. As much as I wish I could've taken a year off to spend with the baby, it's absolutely necessary for me to work. This year, I'm still at the same school and teaching 3rd and 4th grade SDC. We found out at that our school is now in our first year of PI, so administration is really buckling down hard on all the teachers to improve their teaching in order to help the kids do better on their state tests. Unfortunately, because of the area that I work in, with the low socioeconomic status and number of English learners, it's characteristic of the students to perform lower than students in more affluent areas where parents provide more support. What bothers me is that even though I teach Special Ed, I (along with the other SpEd teachers) are feeling so much more pressure to get our students' scores on the state tests to increase. There are so many things wrong about this...but I don't really want to get into that, because it only gives me a headache to think about it. Anyways, I'm busy trying to teach my 13 students the same standards that the general ed teachers are doing, and as you can imagine, much of it is going over their heads. Though, I think it's frustrating me more so than it's frustrating them, and it really is making me stop and think. Is this what I really want to do? Lately, I'm coming to the conclusion that it isn't. I want something else. I was specially trained and got my credentials to work with students who have severe disabilities. In the past month, I've realized that while I do like what I do and the students I work with, it's just simply not the population I want. It came to me while I was talking to the school counselor that I just met. I was introducing myself and telling him about what I did before I came to this school, and he said "wow, with that skill set, you're working here?" That's when the lightbulb went off, and made me realize that I need to start looking elsewhere. So now, I'm doing my best to chug along at work, and do what they're asking me to do with the students. But on side, I'm starting to look around and see what my options are.
Michael:
Although he's still aching to have a classroom of his own instead of taking on substitute positions, things are starting to look more promising for him. Last year, he worked in my school district as an Impact teacher, which is basically an intervention teacher who works with small groups from different classrooms to work on skills that they are having difficulty with. The liked working with the kids, but his experience was really tainted because of the way the classroom teachers, themselves, were to work with. He was very frustrated, to say the least. Coming into the new school year, he was hoping to secure another year as an Impact teacher (and hopefully at a different school)....but as luck would have it, he found out that there was a position open in Irvine Unified at the school where his former principal (who LOVES him) now works. Unfortunately, he only came in second to getting the position...but only because the staff there who have a big say in the selection process did not know him. He was told, though, that he could be put on the sub list at Irvine, which is hard to get on to. Soon after that, he was offered a long term position teaching 2nd grade which is the perfect chance for him to get his foot in the door and give the teachers there a chance to get to know him so that he'll have a better chance at getting hired when the next opportunity comes. That's where he's at now, and he's loving it (but not so much loving the drive there and back through the traffic every day). The students are sweet and he's finding that the parents aren't as bad or as interrogative as he was fearing they would be. Best of all, he gets to work again with the principal who initially hired him when he first started teaching, and who he really loves working with. We're keeping our fingers, toes, eyes, and everything else crossed that he can get another long term position there after this one ends, and that a position opens up soon. :)
Me:
Still working like crazy. As much as I wish I could've taken a year off to spend with the baby, it's absolutely necessary for me to work. This year, I'm still at the same school and teaching 3rd and 4th grade SDC. We found out at that our school is now in our first year of PI, so administration is really buckling down hard on all the teachers to improve their teaching in order to help the kids do better on their state tests. Unfortunately, because of the area that I work in, with the low socioeconomic status and number of English learners, it's characteristic of the students to perform lower than students in more affluent areas where parents provide more support. What bothers me is that even though I teach Special Ed, I (along with the other SpEd teachers) are feeling so much more pressure to get our students' scores on the state tests to increase. There are so many things wrong about this...but I don't really want to get into that, because it only gives me a headache to think about it. Anyways, I'm busy trying to teach my 13 students the same standards that the general ed teachers are doing, and as you can imagine, much of it is going over their heads. Though, I think it's frustrating me more so than it's frustrating them, and it really is making me stop and think. Is this what I really want to do? Lately, I'm coming to the conclusion that it isn't. I want something else. I was specially trained and got my credentials to work with students who have severe disabilities. In the past month, I've realized that while I do like what I do and the students I work with, it's just simply not the population I want. It came to me while I was talking to the school counselor that I just met. I was introducing myself and telling him about what I did before I came to this school, and he said "wow, with that skill set, you're working here?" That's when the lightbulb went off, and made me realize that I need to start looking elsewhere. So now, I'm doing my best to chug along at work, and do what they're asking me to do with the students. But on side, I'm starting to look around and see what my options are.
Michael:
Although he's still aching to have a classroom of his own instead of taking on substitute positions, things are starting to look more promising for him. Last year, he worked in my school district as an Impact teacher, which is basically an intervention teacher who works with small groups from different classrooms to work on skills that they are having difficulty with. The liked working with the kids, but his experience was really tainted because of the way the classroom teachers, themselves, were to work with. He was very frustrated, to say the least. Coming into the new school year, he was hoping to secure another year as an Impact teacher (and hopefully at a different school)....but as luck would have it, he found out that there was a position open in Irvine Unified at the school where his former principal (who LOVES him) now works. Unfortunately, he only came in second to getting the position...but only because the staff there who have a big say in the selection process did not know him. He was told, though, that he could be put on the sub list at Irvine, which is hard to get on to. Soon after that, he was offered a long term position teaching 2nd grade which is the perfect chance for him to get his foot in the door and give the teachers there a chance to get to know him so that he'll have a better chance at getting hired when the next opportunity comes. That's where he's at now, and he's loving it (but not so much loving the drive there and back through the traffic every day). The students are sweet and he's finding that the parents aren't as bad or as interrogative as he was fearing they would be. Best of all, he gets to work again with the principal who initially hired him when he first started teaching, and who he really loves working with. We're keeping our fingers, toes, eyes, and everything else crossed that he can get another long term position there after this one ends, and that a position opens up soon. :)
20 Weeks!
Time is flying like crazy! Our little girl is 20 weeks old, can you believe it?!
She's learning so much, so quickly...not to mention growing like a weed! We take pictures often, and even looking back at pictures from the week prior is crazy because we can see how she's changing and getting so big!
In the past couple weeks, Abigail has learned to:
- Grab her toys (any basically anything in her reach) and put them straight into her mouth
- Push the buttons on her toys to make them make noise or play music
- Reach for her toes (while laying on her back) and put them in her mouth. Boy, does she LOVE sucking on them!!
- Recognize her spoon and open up her mouth in anticipation for the next bite of rice cereal
- Roll over
- Outstretch her arms towards what/who she wants
- Respond to the sound of her name, especially when her dad calls her
- Play with all the little toys and gadgets on her jumper...before, she seemed content just hanging there and smiling. But now, she reaches for all the little dangling toys, bats at the little flashing lights, and tries to twist all the knobs and move the little pieces around.
- Stare and smile at her reflection in the mirror, and even tries to "talk" or scream at it.
- Remove her pacifier with her hands, and even pick up her pacifier and put it in her mouth (although it's not always in the right way the first time, she's pretty persistent and keeps trying until it is)
- Suck her thumb! Yep...she finally found it. However, once she found it, she sucked on it for a day or two at the most. It seems she is more interested in sucking on her fist or a few fingers instead.
Abigail is doing great! As her doctor said at our last visit, "She's perfect!!" It still breaks my heart that I have to go to work and not spend the day with her, but I think I've finally gotten the hang of it, especially since I stopped crying when dropping her off in the morning at her Grammy & Grampy's house after the first few days. Things are going great there too during the day, by the way. They've got their routine and it's obvious how much Abbie enjoys seeing her grandparents.
Another thing that's going great is feeding. Breastfeeding is still going well. I feed her whenever I'm with her, and while I'm at work, I pump during my break. It's time consuming and sometimes inconvenient, but it's so worth it to know that I'm giving the baby what's best for her. Also, eating solids is going great too. She loves her cereal and gobbles it all up.
Again, we feel so blessed. We're so in love with this little girl, it's just ridiculous. Now that October is here, we're getting so excited because the holidays will be coming soon, and we can't wait to spend them with her. There's so much to look forward to :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)