Fabulous fours.

Another lovely year has passed, and now I have a four year old.  Granted, I’m almost a month late posting this birthday post for Anna, but at least I’m posting it at some point, right?  I still get half a brownie point, I think. 

This year went by so quickly that I barely remember much of it with being pregnant, having a baby, losing a job, getting another (great) job, and just life in general.  I will say that losing my job and getting to spend nearly 5 months at home with my kids was probably the best blessing of my life.  Getting to spend that time with Anna and watch her grow into the precious little (big) girl that she is today was priceless to me. 

So, what’s new with Anna?  Well, she’s in a new school now and absolutely loves it.  She gets to spend some time with her brother there, so I think it makes her feel like the cool kid on the block. 

She’s well mannered and says “yes, ma’am” and “thank you” about 90% of the time.  The other 10% is spent on the ground screaming and crying, but that’s because she’s a moody little 4 year old with a very strong will, so I just roll with it and carry around a bible and crucifix to keep the devil away. 

She loves and adores her grandparents and cousins, and her favorite thing ever is to go to MiMi’s (my mom) house or stay for a few days at Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s (my in-laws) house. 

She’s hilarious and witty and very funny for a 4 year old.  Not cheesy, knock knock funny, but she seriously says things that will make you laugh for minutes.  Granted, I can’t remember any of them now because I fail, but just envision Jay Leno with less chin and curlier hair, and you have my daughter.

She’s very nurturing with her brother, very maternal with her baby dolls, and very loving with her dad and me.  She’s just a sweet kid.  I can’t say it enough.

Anna’s favorites:
Color: Blue
Food: Raviolis (yeah, I feed my kid from a can sometimes, sue me – I take what I can get with her because she’s a VERY picky eater) 
TV Show: Woody Woodpecker, Curious George
Movie: She’s not a big fan of movies – they don’t hold her interest long
Song: She likes whatever we listen to, so lots of old school music and electronica.  Quite an eclectic mix, I’d say.
Saying: She likes to say the word “actually” a lot.  “Well, actually, I don’t like those pants.”
Toy: She likes her brother a lot.  He’s her toy.
Person: Mom, dad, MiMi, Maw Maw and Paw Paw
Animal: Chloe although she calls her White Harley.
Snack: Chips
Drink: Milk, water, or sweet tea
Pastime: She loves jumping on her bed. 
Height/Weight: 40 1/2 (75% percentile); 36 lbs. (50th%)

So, we decided to do the low-key (we’re poor) thing this year and just have a little mini-party with just us.  We woke Anna up that morning with a showering of balloons.  She absolutely loved it! 


At this age we can get away with giving her $1 bills. 


Hey, I want in on some of that action!

I call this clutter corner.  I imagine every house with kids has this if you’re lacking a play room.  If you can find it in the midst of this chaos, her birthday present was a little scooter.

She was very excited!

 
And since I’m the world’s best mom, I was encouraging her to ride it without shoes or a helmet!

Then my brain kicked in, and I made her come inside and gear up before CPS came by to take her away.

We had a very low-key day for a very special little girl.  Happy birthday, sweet Anna Kate!  We love you so much!

6 months under my belt.

The days are flying by like seconds. It’s scary to think that 6 months ago I was laboring in a hospital when it really only feels like 6 minutes ago.  Both of my kids will be married with their own kids before I can blink. 

Here are Joseph’s 6 month photos.  He is just getting over RSV (more on that in a bit), so, once again, he was under the weather for these photos (and it really shows near his eyes).  Our photo session was very brief today!

 

Temperament:
This monthly temperament update has somewhat been skewed since Joseph has been sick pretty much the entire month.  My poor baby contracted RSV somewhere (I’m thinking when I took him to church and he stayed in the baby room), so he’s been a bit fussier and needier this month.  We’re at about two weeks of dealing with this junk right now, and prior to that he was dealing with a cold/sinus crap from the pollen in the air.  Even with all of that funk, he’s still pretty content and happy, still smiles and giggles all the time, still enjoys pretty much everything.  Loves his mama. 

Feeding:
Well, I made it to my six month breastfeeding goal, and I’m so excited that I made it this far.  I will be starting a new job on the 15th, so I’m on the fence as far as if I’ll continue pumping and nursing.  I probably will because, at this point, it kills my heart to think about stopping, but I’m not going to feel any guilt (at least I won’t let myself) if things don’t work out past this point.  I just really enjoy it now, much more than I ever thought I would.  And since Joseph is our last, I want to hold on to it as long as I can. 

Other than that, we started him on solids at exactly 6 months (Wednesday, October 3).  I put it off as long as possible because if I can be honest here, it’s kind of a pain in the butt.  A sloppy, crazy pain in the butt! 

Anna was the first to feed him, and she did a great job.  His first meal other than boob milk/formula was squash. 



Sleeping:
Well, the pack-n-play didn’t quite work out.  He hated it.  So, he’s back in his RNP sleeper and strapped in like he’s wearing a strait jacket.  I have no idea what we’re going to do to transition him to his crib.  He still refuses to nap/sleep in his crib, too.  Le sigh.  I love the RNP sleeper, but it does set a rather ridiculous precedent that no standard crib mattress will be able to live up to. 

Joseph isn’t 100% consistent with his nightly sleep ritual.  He still wakes up some nights more than once, others only once, sometimes not at all.  He’s just a mixed bag. 

Milestones:
Joseph is flipping from front to back and back to front like it’s no one’s business.  He’s also sitting up constantly in his swing and RNP.  He’s not quite ready to sit up on his own on a flat surface yet, but I know he’ll be there shortly.


Such a little creeper.

He has two teeth on the bottom (front).  Anna didn’t get teeth until well past her first birthday, so I was a bit shocked to see not one but TWO of those little suckers.  So cute, though! 

He started eating solids on Wednesday, October 3.  First on the menu: Squash.



Health:
Unfortunately, my guy has had a rough month this past month.  He was diagnosed with RSV on Monday, September 24th.  He is only the second case his pedi’s office had seen this year.  He had a weird bark cough which I initially thought was croup.  So, moms, if you’re wondering what an RSV cough sounds like, click below. 

Joseph’s RSV cough

I’ve been having to give him breathing treatments – initially every four hours around the clock.  He slept through the night ones, so that was great.  He didn’t fuss or fight the daytime ones too much.



And then Anna wanted to give her baby a treatment as well.  ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT JOSEPH, THIS IS A BABY DOLL.  A VERY REAL LOOKING BABY DOLL.  THIS BABY FREAKS ME OUT ON A DAILY BASIS.  I HATE THIS BABY. 


So, I brought Joseph in for his 6 month pedi appointment on Wednesday, October 3.  He checked out fine although his chest is still “junky” from the RSV.  One thing that did concern his pedi was his weight.  Here are his stats:

Height: 26.5 (50th percentile)
Weight: 14 lbs. 12 oz. (10th percentile)
Head: 17” (40th percentile)

While he’s gaining at each appointment, he’s still on the lower end of the chart.  She wasn’t too concerned about it since he’s so darn active all.the.time, but she did instruct me to feed him solids three times/day vs. the regular two times/day that is recommended at this age.  He may have been down a few ounces from being sick, but I’m definitely feeling a bit let down that maybe my boobs aren’t giving him the nourishment he needs.  He’s also super pale, paler than I’ve ever seen him.  Granted, Joe and I are one shade from mime paint, but Joseph is just way too pale.  I’m hoping that the solids will put some meat on that boy’s bones and help him get his color back.  He just looks so pitiful and wiped out all the time. 

Other than that, he’s meeting all of his milestones, early even, so he’s right on track with everything.  He’s just my lil’ peanut. 

Since he was still under the weather, his pedi recommended we bring him back within a week for his 6 month shots.  I was glad she decided that because my poor baby has been through enough these past few weeks.  Round the clock breathing treatments, nose running like a faucet, pale like a vampire –poor kid doesn’t need shots just yet!

Size:
He hasn’t grown much since the last time I posted.  He’s still wearing 9 months clothes (I think I’ve even put him in a 12 month outfit because he’s so long).  He’s in a size 3 diaper.  Size 2 shoe.

Activities:
We haven’t really done much this month, but we did go to an off the beaten path pumpkin patch.  It was so off the beaten path that we were the only people there which was quite nice. 

Two Joes

Anna wore this costume everywhere we went that day.  Eh, why not?

Siblings:
Anna and Joseph are little buddies.  She’s really taken a motherly approach to sisterhood with him, if that makes any sense.  She treats him like he’s her child – very gentle, kind, loving.  It’s adorable to watch.  She was so excited to be able to feed him his first solid, and he took it from her better than he does from me, actually. 

Off the couch I fall.

So, after having 2 kids in a 4 year time span and hitting the 34 year mark, the baby weight didn’t just fall off after I had Joseph like it did with Anna.  Two weeks after Anna was born, I was back in my skinny jeans.  Two weeks after J was born, I was unable to breathe in my bath robe. 

Something had to be done.  So I did it.

I started the Couch to 5K program right around the 5 week mark after having Joseph.  I used to run quite a bit pre kids and even managed to hit the treadmill quite a bit after Anna was born.  It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and a way for me to feel like I’m healthy in some capacity (I eat like total crap).  So, after being out of the loop for a while, I dove back in and haven’t looked back since.

It was a very slow process at first.  Using old running shoes that were well past their lifespan certainly didn’t help.  I had major knee issues that I forced myself to run through.  A new pair of shoes, many hours of icing myself down, and bottles of Naproxen later, I’m now running again, and this time I’m in it for the long haul.

It took me about 8 weeks to start seeing any results which was pretty frustrating, but once my body realized it was being used again, the baby bulge started coming off, and I started getting stronger and stronger with each run.

I set a challenge for myself right before I had Joseph to train and run in a 5K before the fall.  I’m proud to say that I met my goal, and I’m even surpassing it by running in additional 5ks (my friend and I are running in the Breast Cancer Awareness 5k in October) and maybe even a 10k if I feel brave enough.  At this point, though, I’m just proud of my accomplishments thus far and am going to enjoy the moment.

Joe was nice enough to join me (he used to be a runner although he’s not been very active with it over the years) at the Saints Back to Football 5K in NOLA.  There were about 5000 runners who showed up that day, and while it was pretty claustrophobic to be around so many people, once we started running, it was fabulous.  The energy was intense.

Here I am before the race showing just how fabulous my time was going to be:

I basically didn’t want to die, so I paced myself very slowly just to be on the safe side.  I am also kicking myself that I didn’t eat any chicken on a stick after the race.

A small section of the crowd. 

Rounding the bend to see the Super Dome.  What a glorious site to behold since I was about to die at that point.

I made it without stopping to walk once!  I wasn’t last either.  WOOT!  My eyes look like that because they were sweating.


Pretending to lick this man’s sassy shorts.  I was just shy of photo  bombing their photo. 

The hubs and I in all of our sweaty glory!

Video of me crossing the finish line.  Take a Dramamine because it’s hella shaky!

Natalie finishes!

My results:

Overall: 1798 out of 4089

Women: 708 out of 2291

F 30-34: 149 out of 466

Age/Grade: 43.29%
Place: 1709

Finish: 34:26
Pace: 11:05

Tag Time: 34:26

Gun Time: 45:23

I am happy to say that I feel more fit now than pre-kids, and it’s all because I got my butt off the couch and started moving again.  The Couch to 5K program is absolutely amazing for anyone who is willing to put in the time and effort.  By following the marathon not sprint mentality, you slowly work your way up to long hauls of running time.  It truly works! 

After the 5K program, I started the 10K bridge program, but I really don’t have an hour a day to run unless I want to neglect my kids, so for now I’m going to work on running faster miles and adding on more difficult challenges with my runs (inclines, arm weights).

If you’re on the fence about this program, start today.  I promise you won’t regret it!

If you’ve had success with the program, let me know.  I’d love to hear your feedback about how it worked for you! 

Toof.

It’s happening this time a lot more quickly than with Anna.  Joseph is getting a tooth.  This would be really exciting if I weren’t still nursing, but since I am, all I can do is shudder at the thought of what may happen with that precious little tooth. 

At least he’s cute!

Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ Part Deux

I went out of town this past weekend for my annual girls’ weekend, so I missed yet another milestone. My mom told me that Joseph spent the entire weekend rolling from back to stomach. I put him on the floor to see, and within a second, he was rolling over like a little pro. I’m so proud of my man!

5 months under my belt.

I’m getting behind on my monthly posts because the days are flying by like seconds.  How do I already have a 5 month old child?  And a near 4 year old?!  Say wha?

Here are his (and Anna’s) 5 month photos. By the way, my baby doesn’t look like Mr. Clean in real life.  I have no idea why his little hair sprigs don’t show up in these photos.  I think he’s going to be blond like his daddy was.  Awww!

(Little Joe wasn’t feeling 100% the day these photos were taken yet he still smiles and has fun.)

Help me, help me now.


Temperament: I have the happiest little guy on the planet.  He’s just so content and happy about 95% of the time.  The other 5%, while he can be fussy, he’s still smiling in between the cries.  He soothes very easily and is pretty much content once he’s able to nurse or included in whatever activity is going on at the time.  He’s very aware of his surroundings and people around him, and he enjoys sitting up and being part of the group.

He also adapts well to new situations and people.  He’s just as happy and content around family members as he is around me.  This is wonderful because it allows me to get away every once in a while. 

Feeding:

I’m a few weeks shy of my 6 month goal, and I’m happy to report that all is well in boob land!  I will hopefully be starting a new job soon, so we’ll have to see how the whole pumping situation will go, but ideally I would like to make it to a year now.  I never thought I’d say that, but here we are.  He’s made it especially easy this go round, and my supply has basically kept up with his demand. 

I went on my annual girls’ vacation this past weekend (more on that later), and he took a bottle like a champ the whole time I was gone.  So, I think it will work out just fine with him going to daycare eventually and having bottles there.  I pumped enough on my vacation to carry him for quite a while, and since I’ll be pumping at work, hopefully we can keep him on mostly BM until the 1 year mark when he’ll switch to whole milk.

No solids yet – I’m waiting until he’s 6 months, so that’s right around the corner. 

Sleeping: While we’ve somewhat weathered the 4 month wakeful storm, Joseph is still not the world’s best sleeper.  He usually goes to bed around 9:30 – 10 p.m. and wakes for his first night feeding around 3 a.m.  Again at 5 a.m.  Again at 7 a.m.  Some days he will nap for an hour here and there.  Other days, not so much. 

We will have to move him out of his RNP sleeper now (in fact, I will do that tonight).  He’s almost fallen out of it twice – once at my mom’s house, and once last night.  Even buckled in, he’s somehow able to wriggle himself to a position that is no longer safe for him.  I am hoping he does well in the pack-n-play since it’s flat and he’s used to being elevated.  We shall see.
Milestones: In a month’s span, he’s hit some major milestones!  He started flipping from stomach to back around 4.5 months.  Then, while I was away on vacation, he flipped from his back to his stomach, and he’s been doing it incessantly ever since. I put him on the floor on his back.  BAM, he’s on his stomach.  He’s starting to move his legs in a way that mimics crawling, so I imagine it’s only a matter of time before he’s more mobile.  Eeek!

He can sit up on his own with very little assistance.  Where is my little baby?! 

He’s also very verbal and is cooing and communicating more with lots of squeals and baby talk.  He is even murmuring (ugh, 50 Shades ruined that word for me) mamamama, and while I know he has no clue what it means yet, it’s still cute to hear.

I also feel a little sharp tooth coming in on his bottom gum.  I really am NOT ready for him to have teeth yet.  Anna didn’t pop a tooth until well after her first birthday.
Size: We just moved him up to size 3 diapers. If he keeps growing at this speed, we’ll need to buy him some Depends. 

He’s wearing 9 month clothes and size 1 shoes.
Activities: We introduced the Jumperoo just a few weeks ago, and so far he loves it.  Well, for about 15 minutes, that is.  Anything longer than that, and he has a meltdown.  We have to put a pillow beneath his feet so he can reach, but he’s quite enamored with the different lights and sounds and spinny things. 

He’s kind of over his swing at this point.  He’ll swing for a while and get really fed up with the motion. 

Siblings:
Joseph loves his big sister.  He smiles and laughs at her all the time, even when she’s not trying to be funny.  I think they’re going to have a close relationship because she’s super protective of him, and he definitely loves her.  It will be fun to watch them interact.