Hot Knees

I put Aiden in track pants this morning. He's never worn any with zippers at the cuff so he asked what they were for. I told him when he runs around and gets hot he can unzip them. The whole morning he kept unzipping them and saying his knees were hot.

Scorcher

It is insanely hot this week. Triple digits all the way. As of right now Saturday (the day of Aiden's birthday party) is sandwiched between two days forecasted with thunderstorms. So either it's going to be hotter than hell or raining.

My birthday is in July as well. Growing up in Illinois it was always great to have a summer birthday. I had lots of water parties where my friends and I ran around in swimming suits and ate Popsicles. Good times. When I had Aiden I pictured that for his future. I suppose he still will have that but it will be in Texas heat as opposed to comfy Illinois warmth.

Needless to say I'm not particularly looking forward to being outside this weekend. Therefore I planned some activities inside for the kids as well.

I have all the party gear, birthday gifts and food for the party. Now I get to spend the next few days putting together party favors, baking cookies and last minute cleaning. I'm having someone else make the cake this year so I don't have to worry about that.

I hope it all works out!

Two Weeks Left

I can't believe I only have a couple weeks left until I go back to work! I am taking seven weeks off. I only took six with Aiden and I remember thinking it would have been nice to have one more week. It's working out really well this time that Aiden's birthday falls during my leave. That means I have more time at home to clean house and prepare.

Whenever I was on leave with Aiden, I battled with all the changes. I was worried life had changed too much and I would never get a sense of normalcy back, with my body, social life and home life. I know now that things turned into a new normal. Eventually things started to feel like my own again. Because of this knowledge I think I am better able to enjoy my time off with Mila. I look forward to going back to the world of working adults, but at the same time I know there will be plenty of time for that later.

When I DO go back, I will be transferring to a different department. I applied for a position in health and safety last fall, soon after getting laid off due to lack of funding. That position fell through when they promoted someone from within. Instead I applied for the promoted employee's old position. It took five months, but they finally offered me the position! Wahoo!

This job is taking a HUGE weight off our shoulders. I am getting a pay raise that will make up for the cost of sending Mila to daycare. So now we get to keep her!!

I am really looking forward to this new position. I have pretty much plateaued in my lab tech job. The new job has plenty of room for growth. I think the job duties will include 50% desk work and 50% "field" work. That means I'll get some down time (physically) but I won't be bored out of my mind sitting at a desk all week long. My first two weeks are just training. I'm actually looking forward to it! A new challenge for my noggin.

July 9th will bring lots of changes.

Monster Babies

I meant to post these photos last time. Whoops! The girls are Mila (1 month) and Avianna (1 week). Just for fun, I included a old shot of Aiden (1 month) and his friend Luke (1 week).

Dilemma of the Week

Mila is now 1 month old. She has officially outgrown her newborn and 0-3 month clothes. She is also too big for her newborn diapers. The changes have been so gradual that I never noticed her growth - until I compared her to my friend Clarissa's 1 week old baby. Mila was so big!

So now I am confronted with the following decision: donate the baby clothes or save them in the event that we choose to have a third child.

Thing is, I don't know for sure we'll have a third. It would be horribly annoying to save all these girl AND boy clothes for another few years only to make the decision not to have another baby. The soonest we'd have another is when Aiden goes to Kindergarden. Our hope is to move to another house in a better school district before then. Do we want to pack, store, move and, again, store all these baby clothes? Not really. But if it will save us some money, it might be worth it.

Any opinions put there?

Willing to Amputate

I have been breastfeeding Mila. I breastfed Aiden until he was 6 months old. I cannot figure out how I did that. It is such a painful experience. With Aiden I had some serious soreness that resulted I the use of a nipple shield. But after a week of using the shield I was always able to go bare back (sorry for lack of better term). With Mila, I always get raw after one day of feeding her. I can't go any longer without severe pain. I've decided I am just sensitive. I can't even face the shower head when I'm not breastfeeding, to give you an idea of my sensitivity level.

This time around, I have even started having problems with the nipple shield. In order to properly heal, I have had to take breaks using the pump. Sunday I got a clogged milk duct on the right side. Half a day of massaging and warm compresses and it was gone. Tuesday, I got one on the left side.

Wednesday, I woke up with aches, light sensitivity and a headache. All I could think was how I did not have time to be sick. I took some Ibuprofen and got on with my day. Several hours later I felt much worse. I took my temperature and it was at 99.6F. Not too elevated, but strange for me. I never get a fever. The more I thought about it, I put two and two together. Fever, aches, CLOGGED MILK DUCT. 2 + 2 = Mastitis.

By the time I called my doctor to ask their advice the boob in question was blotchy red. At first I thought it was from trying toad save the clogged duct, but it never went away. The nurse recommended I come in to see the PA. They didn't have any openings until the afternoon but I took it. Before we got on the road (of course this happens the one day a week I keep Aiden home from daycare) I checked my temperature. 102.9 degrees. I was miserable, had a small child and newborn in tow and was off to a doctor's appointment. The visit lasted 5 minutes before she prescribed antibiotics.

I took my first dose that evening at 5 pm. I did not start feeling we until 36 hours later. WORST TWO DAYA OF MY LIFE. I went back and forth between chills and sweats. I didn't have enough energy to open the apple juice for Aiden.

I am so grateful for friends and family. Ariel came over the first night and helped with the kids. She fed Mila and then entertained Aiden while I took a shower. She even came bearing gifts. (A new dress for me!) Then while I pumped, she put Aiden to bed. Travis worked late that night so he didn't get home until Aiden was going to sleep.

The next morning, my friend Linsey came by first thing to pick up Aiden for day are. She was gracious enough to bring him home at the end of the day as well. Aiden was ecstatic to get to watch a MOVIE on the ride to and from daycare(Alice in Wonderland).

The second day I actually breastfed Mila. Alexa said she would be more efficient at removing the clog and she was right. But it was horrible. Breastfeeding is painful for me, but add the aches of a fever and an infected breast and it is pure hell.

My verdict? I'm done with breastfeeding. It hurts, plain and simple. It hurts to breastfeed, so I pump. I don't have time to pump and take care of a newborn and a small child.

I feel horribly guilty about this decision. I feel like I'm short changing her from what her brother got. But I have to do this for my sanity. I have to wait until I'm done with my antibiotics and we're sure the infection and clog are gone, but I will begin the weaning process as soon as possible.

Props to the women who breastfeed. I'm sure not everyone has to endure the pain I do, but it takes perseverance to keep it up.

Aiden at (almost) 3 Years

- Favorite color: brown (weird, right?)
- Favorite meal: breakfast (cereal, oatmeal, toast, waffles, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs...)
- Favorite book: musical button book about Halloween
- Favorite people: Auntie Ariel, Uncle Robert and Gpa
- Can count to 10 in English and Spanish (and sometimes higher if you catch him in a good mood)
- Calls Home Depot "Humpty Dumpty"
- Pronounces airplane "errplane" (rapper at heart)
- Knows all the colors of the rainbow, plus black, brown, white, grey and pink
- Loves his baby Mila (sometimes we have to hold him back)
- Obsessed with super heroes (his favorite PJs have a Superman cape)
- Loves his dance class at daycare - instructor says he leads the others
- Enjoys helping Daddy work around the house and yard
- Points out every motorcycle on the road
- Likes to help Mommy cook and clean
- Helps take care of his baby sister (rocks her chair, covers her with her blanket, gives her a pacifier, sings to her)
- Enjoys puzzles, Memory card game and reading books at bedtime
- Still sleeps with and adores Mr. Lion

New Lights

Busy

I have my hands full! My dad stayed with us for two weeks to help out with Aiden. He left Monday and Aiden went back to daycare Monday. It was rough keeping him home for that long but it helped by saving us some money.

We're starting to figure out Mila and what makes her happy. She's so different from Aiden. With Aiden, we could swaddle him, give him a pacifier and lay him down for a nap. It is almost impossible to get Mila to sleep without being held, in a swing or in a vibrating chair. She rarely accepts the pacifier and she despises swaddling.

Her favorite thing is the vibrating chair. Calms her EVERY TIME. I wish it was smaller so I could take it with me everywhere. Instead, I take the Moby wrap. That calms her just as much. It's a little rough to use in the summer months though. I am so hot all the time right now. Strap a baby to my chest and I'm a sweaty mess.

Travis was able to take 10 days off to stay home with me. It worked out perfectly that he had from one weekend to the next off. His last weekend home was Memorial Day so he had a 4-day week when he first went back at work.

While my dad was here, he took care of all the gardening I had let fall behind at the end my pregnancy. My plants are so happy! He and Travis built a pergola over the grill and a trellis for my Bougainville. Travis also took the time to put some lights in the wall. There are still more to do, but at least the area looks more finished.

That's all I have time for at the moment. I'll try to post more from my phone. Otherwise it'll never get done!