Here's some video of Brooklyn from March and April (so she's 7-8 months old) -
And here's some video of Hayden:
I need to take a weekend and make a nicer video montage of the past year. I'm using iMovie and it's really pretty simple, just takes time. Which I don't have much of. But I hate that all these random clips are just sitting on my hard-drive.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Three Months Flies By
I knew I wouldn't being blogging as much with 2 kids, but this has been ridiculous! How is it already April?
So much to share, so little time. To recap the past 3 months is daunting, so here is a quick High and Low summary:
Highs: We went to Whistler with my mom, step-dad and sisters in early March (2 days after the closing ceremonies for the Olympics, intentionally to miss the crowds and get better rates). Hayden loved inner tube sledding for the first time. Phil REALLY enjoyed snowboarding since he hasn't been doing much since we've had kids. I went for half a day, and that was satisfying enough for me. The scenery is breathtaking, our condo was perfect, and it was wonderful to be with my family.
Other high's - Hayden and Brooklyn are doing well sharing a room. Brooklyn wakes up about twice a night and Hayden usually sleeps through it or just briefly wakes up and goes right back to sleep.
Brooklyn is crawling now and pulling up to standing on everything. She babbles a lot and enjoys 'conversations'. Hayden is talking really well now and it's so fun how he's blossomed in that area and can carry on a full conversation with complete sentences now.
Phil is enjoying his job and is usually home by 5:30pm to eat dinner as a family and help with bedtime. We have busy weekends doing things as a family and take hundreds of pictures -- I happen to think I have the most adorable kids on the planet!
Work for me has been SUPER busy. What recession?! I'm turning work away now to maintain my sanity, and getting to be selective on taking on projects that sound interesting and not too stressful. I have some really wonderful clients and am excited about work, though sometimes it's hard to keep my creative juices flowing.
Lows: The ultimate low was that our household was basically an infirmary for practically all of March. I first got incredibly sick with some kind of stomach bug. The doctors never could diagnose exactly what caused it, and I'll spare the gross details of my symptoms. Countless prescription medications, IV fluids, and doctor visits later, I'm finally better. Wow, misery. Thankfully, my mom came back out (after just returning home from Whistler the week before!) to help be my nurse, housekeeper, babysitter, and comforter. Nothing beats the care of Mom and it makes me realize how much I miss her and wish they lived closer. (Which may be on the horizon!) The kids also got really sick with nasty coughs/colds and then Phil and I both got that horrible bug too.
With all the illness, continuing to nurse Brooklyn has been an incredible challenge. Even before I got so sick to the point of dehydration (which is never good for milk production) my milk supply was drying up. Brooklyn was at that age where she gets easily distracted when she's trying to nurse, and easily impatient with slow milk delivery. While I was taking some prescriptions to try to clear up the stomach bug, we had to give Brooklyn formula, and my supply has never been the same since.
Additionally, she had blood in her poopy diapers (like Hayden did around the same age) so I had to go on a crazy elimination diet to try to figure out what was upsetting her digestive system. I eliminated wheat, nuts, dairy, soy, and eggs completely for 3 weeks. Let me tell you, eating vegetables, fruit, rice, and lean meat for 3 weeks got REALLY old. I learned some great new recipes, but glad that is over. And the annoying thing is, that once I reintroduced everything (one at a time, over the past 3 months) it doesn't appear that she has a problem with anything. Well, I just reintroduced dairy finally a few days ago, so that could still flair things up in a week or so once it's had time to pass through my milk and aggravate her system again. We'll see. But as you can see, things haven't been easy at the Milk Factory over here. It seems I may not make it to her first birthday, which really upsets me because I know that breastfeeding is best (and formula ain't cheap!). :(
Another LOW is that Hayden has really started testing out his independence. And by testing, I mean deliberately doing obnoxious, rude, unruly, loud, aggressive behavior that I'd never seen in him before. I know this is a necessary part of development, but some days have been TOUGH. He is really learning how to push our buttons. He has changed a lot over the past few months. I'm trying to implement the Love & Logic principles and hoping that persistence and consistency will eventually overcome.
At the end of the day, I am EXHAUSTED. But I still have a ton of work to do. Some nights I don't go to bed until 1 or 2 am, which is usually when Brooklyn wakes up anyway. I have been struggling with that balance and feel like I have barely any time to myself, or 1-on-1 with Phil. Naps, watching TV, and even daily showers for myself have been a thing of the past, and only a few days ago did I even find time to get myself a haircut after 8 months! Phil and I recognize this isn't a recipe for a healthy marriage or mommy, but I don't really know what to do about it. A Mother's work is never done, and then add to that being a part-time freelance designer, and there's just nothing left.
Speaking of which, time to get back to working now. Hopefully I will update the blog again sooner than 3 months from now. But don't hold your breath. If you really want to stay updated and see pictures, one word: Facebook.
So much to share, so little time. To recap the past 3 months is daunting, so here is a quick High and Low summary:
Highs: We went to Whistler with my mom, step-dad and sisters in early March (2 days after the closing ceremonies for the Olympics, intentionally to miss the crowds and get better rates). Hayden loved inner tube sledding for the first time. Phil REALLY enjoyed snowboarding since he hasn't been doing much since we've had kids. I went for half a day, and that was satisfying enough for me. The scenery is breathtaking, our condo was perfect, and it was wonderful to be with my family.
Other high's - Hayden and Brooklyn are doing well sharing a room. Brooklyn wakes up about twice a night and Hayden usually sleeps through it or just briefly wakes up and goes right back to sleep.
Brooklyn is crawling now and pulling up to standing on everything. She babbles a lot and enjoys 'conversations'. Hayden is talking really well now and it's so fun how he's blossomed in that area and can carry on a full conversation with complete sentences now.
Phil is enjoying his job and is usually home by 5:30pm to eat dinner as a family and help with bedtime. We have busy weekends doing things as a family and take hundreds of pictures -- I happen to think I have the most adorable kids on the planet!
Work for me has been SUPER busy. What recession?! I'm turning work away now to maintain my sanity, and getting to be selective on taking on projects that sound interesting and not too stressful. I have some really wonderful clients and am excited about work, though sometimes it's hard to keep my creative juices flowing.
Lows: The ultimate low was that our household was basically an infirmary for practically all of March. I first got incredibly sick with some kind of stomach bug. The doctors never could diagnose exactly what caused it, and I'll spare the gross details of my symptoms. Countless prescription medications, IV fluids, and doctor visits later, I'm finally better. Wow, misery. Thankfully, my mom came back out (after just returning home from Whistler the week before!) to help be my nurse, housekeeper, babysitter, and comforter. Nothing beats the care of Mom and it makes me realize how much I miss her and wish they lived closer. (Which may be on the horizon!) The kids also got really sick with nasty coughs/colds and then Phil and I both got that horrible bug too.
With all the illness, continuing to nurse Brooklyn has been an incredible challenge. Even before I got so sick to the point of dehydration (which is never good for milk production) my milk supply was drying up. Brooklyn was at that age where she gets easily distracted when she's trying to nurse, and easily impatient with slow milk delivery. While I was taking some prescriptions to try to clear up the stomach bug, we had to give Brooklyn formula, and my supply has never been the same since.
Additionally, she had blood in her poopy diapers (like Hayden did around the same age) so I had to go on a crazy elimination diet to try to figure out what was upsetting her digestive system. I eliminated wheat, nuts, dairy, soy, and eggs completely for 3 weeks. Let me tell you, eating vegetables, fruit, rice, and lean meat for 3 weeks got REALLY old. I learned some great new recipes, but glad that is over. And the annoying thing is, that once I reintroduced everything (one at a time, over the past 3 months) it doesn't appear that she has a problem with anything. Well, I just reintroduced dairy finally a few days ago, so that could still flair things up in a week or so once it's had time to pass through my milk and aggravate her system again. We'll see. But as you can see, things haven't been easy at the Milk Factory over here. It seems I may not make it to her first birthday, which really upsets me because I know that breastfeeding is best (and formula ain't cheap!). :(
Another LOW is that Hayden has really started testing out his independence. And by testing, I mean deliberately doing obnoxious, rude, unruly, loud, aggressive behavior that I'd never seen in him before. I know this is a necessary part of development, but some days have been TOUGH. He is really learning how to push our buttons. He has changed a lot over the past few months. I'm trying to implement the Love & Logic principles and hoping that persistence and consistency will eventually overcome.
At the end of the day, I am EXHAUSTED. But I still have a ton of work to do. Some nights I don't go to bed until 1 or 2 am, which is usually when Brooklyn wakes up anyway. I have been struggling with that balance and feel like I have barely any time to myself, or 1-on-1 with Phil. Naps, watching TV, and even daily showers for myself have been a thing of the past, and only a few days ago did I even find time to get myself a haircut after 8 months! Phil and I recognize this isn't a recipe for a healthy marriage or mommy, but I don't really know what to do about it. A Mother's work is never done, and then add to that being a part-time freelance designer, and there's just nothing left.
Speaking of which, time to get back to working now. Hopefully I will update the blog again sooner than 3 months from now. But don't hold your breath. If you really want to stay updated and see pictures, one word: Facebook.
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