Skinny Mini

Justin has always been a little guy. But, for the 1st 14 months of his life, he was a great eater! When we started solids, he ate any nasty pureed veggie I put on a spoon and, although he was small, he was consistantly on his 15th percentile curve at each appointment. Then, I stopped nursing him and he started getting sick a lot more often. He also decided he no longer liked veggies or meat. These things combined with teething hunger strikes have led to a weight gain of 1 ounce in 6 months and he's dropped to the 5th percentile (21 lbs. 13 oz. at 18 months old!). He's also slightly anemic. I try not to make meals a battle, but am heartbroken when he goes to bed with only 1 cracker in his belly. How can he possibly have all that energy when he barely eats anything? And how can he get all the nutrients his little body needs to be healthy when he's so picky? I've tried all the tricks…distraction, hiding foods, putting the vitamins he usually spits up in his food or milk (only to have him refuse those as well), trying a wider variety of foods and vitamin brands, looking at his milk intake, offering utensils, etc. So far nothing works, except the lady at daycare can get him to eat all sorts of foods (not always very healthy). I struggle with this too. Is eating something unhealthy better than eating nothing at all? Should I let him eat as much fruit and cheese as he desires and just keep putting the veggies and meat on the plate hoping one day he'll change his mind? Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. I love that he's growing in his independence, but when he throws every piece of food I offer him on the floor I need that time-out more than he does. :-)

Double Trouble

So now that the word is out, I figure I should make the official blog post. We're expecting Baby #2 in December! My actual due date is Christmas, believe it or not, but since we use NFP and I know dates of everything...my prediction is December 30th. In any case, the timing for us is exactly what we wanted. My company has a Holiday Shutdown from Dec. 24th - Jan. 3rd and Bill has Winter Break. This means I won't be working on my due date, like I was with Justin (miserable!), and Bill will be home to help me out. However, I'm sure as the baby grows up he/she won't appreciate having a birthday around the holidays. Maybe we'll celebrate the half birthday in July, so we can split up the presents. We're still trying to figure out a good code name for this one. Justin was "Minkus" from "Boy Meets World", a show we watched growing up. Maybe this one could be "Topanga"? Or maybe that's too girly.

I've been amazed at how much quicker I started showing this time around. Yep, I'm already working on quite the gut, even though I've only gained 2 lbs. in this 1st trimester. Guess Justin did a number on my stomach muscles. :-) I've also been a lot sicker, but that's fine. It's a "nice" reminder of the baby's presence. Justin has also noticed my growing belly and is constantly trying to lift up my shirt to touch my belly button. This doesn't go over so well in church. I am slightly concerned about how he will react to a sibling. I think he'll be incredibly jealous, but this will be good for him. I know how much he loves playing with the other kids at daycare, so I'm hoping he'll adjust well and enjoy the built-in playmate once the baby becomes interactive.

In any case, we're super excited and I know this pregnancy will go by MUCH faster now that I'm busy/distracted with my highly energetic toddler.

It's Possible!

I've been meaning to get this post together for a couple months now, but life's been busy. Basically, I wanted to offer support to all other moms/future moms out there who will be working but want to breastfeed their babies. It is possible!!! I was able to nurse Justin for 13.5 months...no formula. Yes, it was a lot of work, yes my supply was in constant flux, and yes I had no idea what I was getting into. However, it was soooo worth it! If you ever need advice or just an ally to complain to, I'm here for you. :-) I've been there. I've had to leave important meetings early for "medical reasons" to go pump because I was in so much pain. I've made grown men blush when they would stop me in the hallway carrying my pump asking why women carry such large purses. I've had fights with TSA agents that were telling me I couldn't bring my breastmilk on an airplane without my baby present. And I've found out through lactation consultants, friends, co-workers, the internet, etc. what to do when I run into the various problems that arise.

I fully believe this will make a lasting difference in Justin's life. He will hopefully have less allergies, be less prone to weight problems, etc. Plus, as a working mom I always feel guilty that I'm not doing enough for him. I felt like nursing him was the one thing I had control over (of course supply was a different issue), and was glad to be able to do it. I really missed it when we stopped! But, I definitely don't miss the pumping. :-)

Lion Towel

Baby Talk

It's so fun to watch Justin's knowledge of the world around him, and thus his vocabulary, grow. Here are his current words in their order of appearance.

1. Da Da/ Daddy
2. Hi (Justin loves waking Daddy up in the morning by swatting him and saying "HI, da-da, HI!!")
3. Uh-Oh (This started out as an "I accidentally dropped something" and has turned into an intentional throwing of things on the ground just for the opportunity to yell "uh-oh!". It was also funny when he first started using this word, since the emphasis was on the wrong syllable. Now he's got it right.)

4. Ma-Ma
5. Pretty (This started over Christmas when we would point to the Christmas lights calling them pretty. Now he points to anything that glows or is shiny and says "pretty." Bill is trying to get him to point at ladies instead. :-) )
6. Bye (Justin embarrassed a lady trying to sneak out of church early the other day. He softly said "bye" to her as she was slipping on her coat, and when she didn't say "bye" back he shouted it so the whole church could hear. Hilarious!)
7. Da (All animals right now are "da's")
8. Ba ("bath")
9. Buddy (Justin has started saying "Hi Buddy!" to Bill. SOOOOO adorable!)

10. Buh ("book")

11. Baw ("ball")

January 21st

So I'm a day late, but that is unfortunately because I didn't get home from work until super late last night and went straight to bed. But, yesterday was Justin's 1st birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART! Here is my prayer for you:

May you always know the depths to which you are loved.
May you see the dignity and worth in all human beings.
May you love the Lord your God with all that is in you, and follow Him all the days of your life.
May you be genuine, generous, compassionate, empathetic, gracious, and wise.
May you be blessed with good health and many, many days.
May you grow through all suffering, keeping things in perspective and giving thanks for what is good.
May you always light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.
And, may you always remember that the God who knit you together in my womb continues to DELIGHT in you!

Love,
Mom(my)

Noises

From baby babbling to actual words, Justin has become quite the talker! I love listening through the door when he wakes up in the morning and talks to all his stuffed animals. Here are the real words he says:

1) Daddy - This started as "DaDa" and was lingo for Bill or anything he touched (like his computer). Now, Justin will actually point to Bill or a picture of Bill and say "Daddy". So adorable!
2) Hi - Justin LOVES to say "hi" to very nice looking ladies at church, waitresses, me when I come home from work, or anyone who comes to get him from his crib. Sometimes "hi" is followed by a wave. Or, a swat, as in when I use Justin to wake up Daddy on the weekends. He will say "Hi Daddy, Hi!" and swat Bill until he gets out of bed. Very entertaining for me!
3) Uh-Oh - On our drive home from Pennsylvania over Christmas, I taught Justin the "uh-oh" game to entertain him for an hour. Basically, the game consists of me putting something in his hands, which he immediately throws on the floor, looks to see where it landed, and looks back and me and says "Uh-OH!" Hilarious, until we got home and he decided to play the game with his dinner.

On random occasions, I will catch him saying other words (or things that resemble real words), but not with any consistancy. Some of these are "tat" for "cat" and "all done" after finishing a meal. We're also doing baby sign language with him, and the only sign he does at the appropriate time is "all done." He can't quite do the 2-handed version, but will wave his hand in front of his plate when he is finished. This has been soooo helpful, and sometimes I'm surprised by how much or little he eats before letting us know he is done.