Happy Birthday Lauren!

It's hard to believe our baby is now 4 years old. It seems like we just brought her home from the hospital. She's still such a joy although she keeps us on our toes each and every day. As most of you know, she's our little tomboy. So, instead of a princess or fairy birthday party, we had a plank-walking, cannonball throwing, musical island pirate party. I'm so thankful for my talented mother. She made all of the pirate t-shirts for the kids at her shop in Alabama. She also made Jacob's little pants and embroidered his onesie. Once she arrived here in CA, she sewed up the sashes and bandanas. At the party we played "sink the pirate ship", "fill the treasure chest", and "musical islands (our version of musical chairs)". I was worried about the kids being upset if they didn't win while playing musical islands so Doug (Thank you, Honey!)made a real plank that everyone got to walk once they were out of the game. At the end of their walk, the kids received an eye-patch just like "pirates of old". I guess it was a successful ploy as there were no tears. However, noone wanted to stop playing after getting their eye-patches and started sitting two to an island! :) All in all, we had a fun time and were so happy to spend the afternoon with such good friends. I must say a big "Thank you" to Trish Larsen and Tracy Cook. It was so nice to have both of them here at the party and I appreciate all of the wonderful photos they took of the afternoon. Enjoy the slideshow!

The things we do for our children

You never really know how much you can love another human being until you give birth to one...or three. You try your best to always put their needs before your own and even though you try to convince them that the earth really doesn't revolve around them....deep down you know that it does.

When Anna was born, my world changed. I was immediately and helplessly in love. I nursed her for almost a full year and it was such a rewarding experience. Lauren came along and again, my heart was filled to overflowing. I tried to breastfeed her as well but after about 12 weeks we switched her to formula because of what we were told was a milk protein allergy. Jacob arrived and I find myself just giddy over him. I know that sounds a bit silly but I seriously am "giddy" when I know it's time to pick him up from a nap and nurse him.

Unfortunately though, he has been exhibiting a few signs that he might be headed the same direction as Lauren. As a preemptive measure, we decided I would go ahead and cut dairy out of my diet just to be safe. Then I read about all of the other foods to avoid while breastfeeding and now I've cut out everything but range fed turkey, sweet potatoes, brown rice, zucchini, squash, and pears. This is based on advice from the Dr. Sears' website. After a two week period, you gradually begin adding back one food at a time, a new one every four days until you determine to what he may or may not be allergic. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? I would like to think I am a strong-willed person but after only 2.5 days I am currently craving chocolate cake, bread, cereal and everything else I'm not supposed to eat.

This could, however, all be for nothing as I also read an article about foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Apparently if the baby isn't spending enough time on each side, he may only get the foremilk which can cause gas and other intestinal issues which may then be misdiagnosed as an allergy. So, I'm attempting to ensure Jacob gets to the hindmilk during his feedings.

We've also discovered that he seems to get caught up after spending the night on his back. Doug has this problem and since Jacob is basically a mini-version of his Daddy, we thought it could affect him as well. Doug took him at about three this morning (the time when Jacob normally begins his "grunting") and put him upright for a few hours until his next feeding. No more grunting.

So, the questions arise....am I just crazy? Am I depriving myself of chocolate cake for nothing? Is it an allergy or only a foremilk/hindmilk issue? Could it be that neither of these things are a problem and he just needs to be more upright when he sleeps? Would love some feedback from you guys!

Our sweethearts

Conversations with the Peanut Gallery

Anna was smelling Jacob's hair and said, "Mommy, it smells so good. It smells just like honey. I can't "exist" it.

Doug will be headed back to work on the 1st of February. Lauren asked him if they were going to have a band for him.

Lauren got "Biscuit", the fur real dog, for Christmas. It obeys your voice commands and responds to touch. Lauren loves it and keeps telling him to "Sit up and bag, boy. Sit up and bag."

Anna and I have huge "debates" every morning about clothing selection for school. She comes downstairs in summer dresses and sandals all the time. I've been trying to explain seasonal clothing to her. I try to get her to wear sweaters and pants. I usually compromise and tell her she can wear a dress but she has to wear a long sleeve shirt and tights underneath. I warn her over and over that she'll be too cold if she dresses in the clothing she prefers. She always responds that she'll be just fine and not cold at all. Yesterday she came home and said, "Mommy, Mrs. Warren (her teacher) told me to tell you that you need to dress me more warmly because I was cold today."

Arrrrgh...It's a Pirate Party!

It's birthday time again and I love planning birthday parties for the girls. Lauren will be 4 on the 16th of this month and we're having a pirate party for her the following day. This morning I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she told me she needed a "real" sword. Oh my. We'll have to see about that one. We're super excited because Nana is flying out for the party and to see Jacob. We can't wait! Here's a shot of Lauren's invitations that we handed out yesterday.

PPE and Baby TV

I've heard a lot about postpartum depression but is there such a thing as postpartum elation? Whenever I look at Jacob or hold him close, a sense of peace, calm, and happiness just wash over me. I spend a lot of time just sitting and staring at him. In the past, my Dad and I have called it Baby TV. You could just watch for hours with no desire to change the channel. It's going to be a while before the grandparents get to meet Jacob for the first time. I thought they might enjoy a little Baby TV until then. The video is a little long but like I said before...I just find it hard to change the channel.

New photos

Here are a few photos of our precious new bundle. He's so sweet and I'm just ga-ga over him.
I'm so appreciative of these shots courtesy of Trish Larsen. She's super talented and there's a link to her website on the left.