Happy 6 months, sweet Quinn!

I am not sure how it happened, but it appears that Quinn turns 6 months old today! It seems like yesterday I was struggling with sleepless nights and getting the hang of nursing...ok I still get up 2 times a night with him, but it not as long now!

He is still learning to sit up, but can for a few mins at a time with more practice I'm sure he will get the hang of it. He has been trying to crawl for a month now...he just needs to figure out how to move his arms and legs at the same time! He is funny to watch, he rocks back and forth and moves side to side but can't actually go forward yet! He rolls both ways too.

We started him on solids at 5 months. I was trying to hold out until 6 months, but he decided one night to try to DEVOUR Keith's ice cream cup and spoon so he was ready. He started with some rice cereal and seemed to like it. He has since had: applesauce, bananas, oatmeal, sweet potato, avocado(which he wasn't a huge fan of), and carrots. Hopefully he will have more soon. He also has had a mum mum(rice husk) he devours those into nothing!

Soon he will be off running and fighting back against his brother if the next 6 months go just as fast as the first! He is usually a very happy baby and is always nosy! He doesn't like to miss a thing. He is unlike most babies and sleep in his carseat...as soon as the car stops or the seat stops he is wide eyed staring at you! He also won't nap much or for long if he is around other people. All he has to do is bat his extremely long eyelashes and smile with his cute dimples and well your heart just melts!

Happy 6 months my sweet sweet boy!

Preschool at home...

So I've decided that this winter or fall Avery will be attending preschool at least 2 days a week. I used to work at a wonderful program and really want him to get into it. It is more for the socialization and being away from me than the educational aspect, although that will help him too!

Recently, I've been participating in Muffin Tin Monday. So I decided to start doing theme weeks with Avery at home based on her themes. This week is the letter "a" as the monday theme is apples. Well I was supposed to get apples with my groceries this week, but they never came so after Quinn's dr's appt this week we will go get some!

After digging through the ENTIRE box of cookie cutters I finally found the letter "a" and could finally do a craft with Avery. He picked out some paint (yellow and blue) and he used the cookie cutter to make a prints. I also had a cutter for an apple and acorns so he used those too. he discovered that when you mix yellow and blue together you get green. then he grabbed the paint brush and mixed all his beautiful stencil work into nothing...so you can't tell we actually used the cutters.

we then talked about things that start with the letter "a" i was having a hard time coming up with more words, and avery yells out "ANTS" and also his name!

its fun to spend time with just my oldest while the babies nap. I hope to be able to do it 2-3 times a week, more if my creative brain allows and I have the time!

Muffin Tin Monday-Apples

well i decided to order my groceries this week through stop and shop' peapod. I ordered a bag of apples as this week's them is Apples, little did I know that the apples never came until I tried to cook with them last night. So I did what I could with no apples...

So here is what Avery had! The author of this blog had some GREAT ideas! She is so creative!

bananas(for the song "apples and bananas), apple and cinnamon cottage cheese, "a" ginger pancakes, and "a" pb&j. he then also stole my carrots and licked off the ranch dressing.

Wordless Wednesday

Not sure WHY I even bother with a bib...

Muffin Tin Monday(posted on wed)

A friend of mine shared with me this blog called, Her Cup Overfloweth. On this blog they had this MARVELOUS idea for Muffin Tin Monday.(if you click the link above it will tell you how to do it). I found the idea intriguing so I decided to do it and see if that would help avery eat a little better! This will also help to get my creative brain moving again..even if it is for my kids!

So I stopped by Michaels to get some silicone muffin cups...I don't know about you, but washing reg. muffins tins bugs me. So after I paid a small fortune for them I got a coupon...so I will be going to buy more next week. In the meantime, I just used some little cups I had at the house. This week there was no theme and we actually had Muffin Tin Tuesday as we were away on monday.

For lunch I went with a shape theme: goldfish(fish shape), bananas for circles, and star shaped cheese. He ate almost all of it except for 2 pieces of cheese and a couple bananas.
For dinner, I just basically gave him what we were eating, just in the cups. there is rice, beans/corn, cheese, dried fruit, goldfish, and what we were having mixed together. I figured he should get used to eating with all the flavors mixed too. Again he did very well!(lunch pic is on the bottom and dinner is on top) I can't figure out how to switch them!

Tasty Tuesday

I've been experimenting with some new recipes lately and here are the verdicts!

First up, Mega Turkey Nacho Dinner-we really liked this and it was VERY filling! i did add in extra zucchini. i also used gr. beef, added in a can of tomatoes for the romas, no avocado, and used diced jalepino's instead of the sliced. next time i think i will omit the chicken stock as it made it too "juicy". i also didn't layer it and yet we still had lots of extras!

Next, Citrus Curry CHicken-we both liked the unique taste of this dish. it does NOT make enough sauce if you want it over rice so i would double it. i think next time i will marinate it in the sauce as the chicken was a bit dry. i didn't cook it in the microwave but on the stove top. it was pretty simple too! i used chicken breast too.

We also tried, Fluffy French Toast, to me they weren't that fluffy. it was basically french toast with a thicker batter on them. they were still pretty tasty! Although it could have been the bread, i just used reg. wheat bread. I also used rice milk instead of reg. milk. My dinner guest did like them too! Just be fair warned...they are messy! I also added in a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Finally, Cranberry turkey loaf-we like this one as well...but i thought it needed more flavor. i did add extra cranberry sauce and it was def. moist! i used turkey flavored stuffing instead of herb(wasn't paying double for it!) the extra sauce made it taste better. im thinking ill add in some more s&p and poultry seasoning next time. maybe even some apple/celery too!

Drilling our kids?

Sometimes I think in this society we put too much pressure on our kids to be "successful" at such an early age. There always seems to be a competition between who's kid is better than the other...it goes on even if you don't want it too! I do try my best not to compare my boys to others and try to let things go when people compare them to their own.

As most know, I am licensed as a family daycare provider. It is a slow process...but would like it to be a little quicker as least right now when we could really use the extra income. Since we became pregnant with Quinn last summer, daycare took a back seat. I had 2 kids in my care at the time. *I will admit I didn't do much with the kids for activities in the sense of arts & crafts or had lesson plans(i had every intention too). My kids were all under 2 and one of them everytime i brought something out he would either eat it, destroy it, or walk across other's work. So I let it go. Plus I was ABSOLUTELY exhausted and sick from being pregnant. We sang songs, read books, and played with NUMEROUS toys. It was a little more relaxed at the time, but it was the best I could do!

I closed down for 10 weeks and lost both of the kids...which is some ways I am ok with(as one bullied my kid and had NO support from his parents on discipline) and the other little boy I just lost to another daycare...

This other daycare pretty much GUARANTEES that your child will have basic reading and writing skills before they enter kindergarten. To me and my philosophy with my kids(and Keith does agree) this is putting to MUCH pressure on the kids to learn this. In my view, daycare is more for the social aspect vs. the learning aspect. So it seems like more of the day would be spent on " structured learning" than learning through play and each other. These kids range from infant to preschool.

We have talked about sending avery to preschool come jan or next fall. but we are SOLELY sending him for the social aspect and to get used to being away from mommy before I just throw him into full day kindergarten. Plus he will be home an extra year. This preschool is where I used to work and the teacher is faboluous! Plus this will allow him to make friends and to have friends once he goes to public school.

I of course can teach avery his numbers, letters, colors, how to write his name, etc. But we do it through play...I don't sit here and drill him on these things nor do I say "ok avery is time to write your letters".

I just seem to think that they have so much to accoplish now once they get into formal schooling so why should be pressure them in daycare or preschool? Just let the kids be kids! Let them get dirty, pick fights, argue, and play. They learn so much from each other and playing with objects that aren't just paper and pencils.

Wordless Wednesday

my sister just got back from florida...and brought Quinn his own ears! Avery had some from my mom a couple years ago. they are so special they even got their names on them...ok its really b/c i name my kids "different" names and you can't find anything with their names on it!

Tasty Tuesday-Reviews

After last week of not cooking very much...b/c I was melting!(in the 90's and HUMID) I've been cooking or will be cooking quite a bit this week due to the lower temps. I LOVE to do it and it makes me satisfied that I am providing my family with a healthy meal. I am always trying new recipes(well i used to try a lot more, when our budget allowed and before I had Quinn) Hopefully now that he is getting older I will be able to get back into cooking/baking. I find it very relaxing and enjoy impressing people! Btw, if you are ever a guest here or come over for a meal you eat QUITE well...im sure my friends can vouch for that!



so here are some recipes we have tried lately!



Ham and Cheddare Supper Waffles: these were FABULOUS! I really liked how the cheese got crispy...I LOVE crispy cheese. Plus they were different. I do advise if you have a belgian waffle maker to cook them a little longer(the first couple were still a little soft on the inside) and also to double the"dough" part, maybe the whole recipe as it only made 3 belgian waffles. I may try experimenting with ham/swiss, or turkey/swiss. i did also use the finely shredded cheese and used rice milk in place of the reg. milk. but they were fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.


Today I am trying another waffle recipe: chocolate pecan waffles for lunch. ill write a review after I have them.(and the recipe). ok if you want the recipe i will gladly share...but im not sure i can link it right now as its from a magazine and you need a subscription so before i type it all out, ill want to know that someone would like it!
-they were pretty tasty! even my lunch guest liked them. again they were in the belgian waffle maker so it only made 3 or 4. they didn't get crispy on the outside, but im wondering if it had to do with my eggs(they were supposed to be foamy and i thought they were, but not sure if they were foamy enough) i even cooked them longer, but then they were starting to burn so i stopped them. another thing i will make sure to do is temper the choc with the milk. you are to melt the choc. but then you add it into cold milk so it solidified and they were like choco shavings...i still went along and cooked them.
-as for the choco. it called for the unsweetened baker's choc. squares. I had none so i found a sub for it online. 3 tbsp cocoa powder to 1 tbsp shortening.

chocolate zucchini cake with peanut butter frosting! again if you would like the recipe let me know...its another great way to use up the over abundance of zucchini that we all seem to have! it was pretty easy to make as well. the frosting was super simple and tasted GREAT! i could have just eaten that. the cake was a denser cake where I like a fluffy cake, but it was completely edible!

I also made Big Dipper Oatmeal cookies as well today...they are my go to oatmeal cookie recipe now. I LOVE them and so do keith and avery. I started to make them b/c I didn't care of oatmeal and I had heard that oatmeal can help improve milk production during breastfeeding...its a good excuse to eat cookies at least! I wasnt sure I was going to like the cinnamon/choc. combo but it actually went together quite nicely. glad i tried them...and yes I do generally eat reg. old oatmeal for breakfast every morning now. I tend to crave it...i serve it with some brown sugar and REAL maple syrup, and some cinnamon. no instant stuff here...well keith likes it! i also use a little rice milk so its safe for quinn to recieve.

what a difference....

between 2 boys from the same parents can be! Keith and I often find ourselves having a conversation about how different our boys are. Granted there is a little over 2 yrs between them and somedays they are just a like and others they are NOT!

Avery was always a mellow, easy going baby. He would go anywhere you took him and was as happy as a clam. Quinn on the other hand has been a lot better since cutting dairy out of my diet, but he DOES.NOT.LIKE. his carseat. he will last for short trips, but anything longer than 30 mins and forget it! Usually once he is out, he is fine.

Avery would sleep just about anywhere you put him(as a baby, not so much now). if we were out and he was tired, he'd sleep. he would ALWAYS fall asleep in his carseat and usually stay asleep...Quinn as soon as the car stops, he is wide eyed and staring at you!

Avery always slept on his back, Quinn hates sleeping or even being on his back. Avery hated tummy time, Quinn is always on his tummy. Avery didn't start crawling until 7/8 months, Quinn we feel will be there in a month(he already scoots backwards, and is up on his hands and knees)

I know there are other similarities but im drawing a blank right now...

Rockin' Green Laundry Detergent!

I keep meaning to write a review of this new laundry detergent I've been using for a while now...ok a month! It's called "Rockin' Green" and so far its rockin' the cloth diapers in this house!

I had been battling with stinkings for a while...to the point where I was ready to "almost" throw in the towel on cloth diapers, although I do love them and they have been saving us a TON of money! Well I know we have VERY hard water and I've tried just about everything. While searching a diaper forum I stumbled upon this new detergent being made my a WONDERFUL wahm, Kim. I emailed her and asked a few questions, which she quickly responded back too. I was intrigued so I went ahead and ordered some samples. She had quite a few different scents to choose from so I chose "Ocean Rain" and "Vanilla Buttercream".

A few days later, when I went to check the p.o. box I opened it up to a wonderful smell! I was a little giddy knowing what was coming...(ok I really don't get out much!) I couldn't wait to wash the diapers. After the first wash, they came out smelling amazing and CLEAN! So the real test would come when my son "dirtied" them...and it passed with FLYING colors! I can say I won't be going back to use any other detergent. Kim has wonderful customer service any question you may have she will answer for you and will work with you to solve a problem until its fixed.(I haven't experienced that part yet...but I know someone who has).

Overall, if you are cloth diapering her little one's precious bum and need a WONDERFUL detergent to get them clean you should try out Rockin' Green(haha...i totally rhymed and didn't do it on purpose) I can't wait to try out one of her new scents...I'm thinking Mango Sorbet!

oh and here are some quick facts about Rockin' Green

Dye free
No fillers
No enzymes or optical brighteners
100% Phosphate Free
Vegan
Great for sensitive skin
Easy rinsing formula
Approved for Military Use
Works wonders on microfiber stink!
Perfect for cloth diapers
HE Compatible
Reusable packaging
Great for all water types
Economical at .13 cents a load!

why do i attend church?

well it would seem obvious for the reason being that I truly believe there is a higher power to be! But the real question for those that don't know me would be, why do I attend a catholic church when I was raised as a Methodist? well the simple answer would be that my husband is catholic and we were married in the catholic church.

By being married in the catholic church you have basically agreed that you will be raising your children catholic. Now while, I do agree( and so does Keith) that religion is important to us, would I have picked catholism...probably not. But being as it is that my husband is the organist for the Catholic church and HE had to sign the paper about raising our kids catholic, we are now bound too....at least in the Catholic church.

Before we were married there were MANY a nights that we argued about this subject...I found it very important for our children to be raised with both religions, not that they differ all that much, but there are ways that they do. I am NOT catholic or will I ever be...I agree with the basics and the priciples, but there are some aspects I do not agree with and well i just let it be. so to answer the question...I attend a Catholic church b/c my sons are both catholic. they were both baptized into the religion and they will be raised as one.

Although, as a mom I do feel like its my job to be able to teach them about religion along with eveyrthing else a mom teaches their child. This is one thing I am unable to teach them about and it saddens me to a point, but then I think well this is ONE thing Keith will be able to teach them about(of course dad's do teach a lot more). I still can barely follow along during a service...I am getting better though. Although, generally I am up in the choir loft with both boys and can't see all the happenings going on down below, but we still attend as much as we can so the boys are used to it and know that it is expected of them to attend. Until they are old enough to make the decision on their own...but they will be at least 18 before that happens!

I find it very important to attend church as a family, so THAT is why I attend a catholic church, b/c MY family is Catholic.

Wordless Wednesday

August Review

I couldn't come up with anything good as a title...

So let's see...its not mid-august and summer has FINALLY decided to show up and NOT lightly I might add. Its HOT, HUMID, HAZY, and just plain gross! Quinn of course hates the heat, so he has an a/c in his room, avery could care less so he has a fan. He also sleeps under at least 2 blankets regardless of the temp outside.

We are still chugging along in the financial economy that we are all in, we hope and pray that things will be better soon enough for us. At least that we aren't gritting our teeth every month to squeak by. Although it is teaching us a lot...we don't buy things anymore, so it may be good in the long run!

Avery is now pretty much fully potty trained except for bed/nap time. He even does pretty well when we are out and about he will tell me he has to potty. In an hour and half one night he went 3 TIMES! (actually that might have been in 30 mins). I take what I can get and its less diapers I have to wash.

Quinn is now 5 months old and is such a happy baby. No idea where my little peanut went or how we even got to this point. I swear in the beginning I wasn't sure I was going to make it, but like most moms(and dads) we somehow do. He laughs at his big brother and smiles whenever someone smiles at him. And if you talk about him you get the biggest, dimpliest grin ever! I can't wait to see him and Avery interact more. He is still bfing wonderfully and saving us TONS of money!! He just started cereal this past weekend and is doing great with it and loving it. I was trying to hold off until 6 months, but Friday night he was trying to devour keith's spoon with ice cream on it, so I figured it was time!

We had a set back with Rascal, our dog. But we are working on his behavior. He is VERY VERY protective of us and the boys. He basically attacked another UNLEASHED dog, thinking he was a threat. Luckily, no one was hurt(or animal) and the neighbors do still talk to us. We've brought rascal in more(he usually hates it, but since this situation he comes more williningly), and also brought him in the front yard leashed when we are out playing or hanging out with the boys. he has been doing so well and he's almost a different dog! he is NEVER aggressive towards the boys despite the torture they put him through! So we are all on a learning curve here...

As for me? I'm still here! Getting more sleep, most of the time now that Quinn is only getting up once. I've been reading a lot more, so I guess I get a little me time. I need some more of it though, just never seem to find the time!

Keith is still Keith...chugging along at 2 jobs and trying not to stress me or the kids out!lol nothing new really on that front!

It actually feels like summer!

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but life sure can be crazy with 2 kids!

We are about to embark once again into the world of potty training Avery. He did so well for 2 weeks and then we weren't home one weekend and it all went away...so I didn't want to push it. He has been telling me A LOT lately that "avery peed" or "avery pooped" so I told him if he can tell me that then he is a big boy and can use the potty! To my amazement he went flying into the potty this morning and went in it...and proceeded out with his "treasure" and wanting 2 of "jo's candies"(lifesavers). so he got them...maybe he will FULLY get the concept now.

Quinn is growing like a weed of course. He was 13 lb 11 oz at his 4 month appt. The dr agreed that it was good to stay away from dairy for now and we will revisit it after he is a yr old. oh how i miss my ice cream and cheese! He is also 24 inches long too! we were in a decent routine, but of course as babies go he is completely out of it now...i can't get the kid to take a nap longer than 30 mins now and I can't seem to put a finger on the cause. I usually have to lay down with him and allow him to nurse if that's what he wants to do...ok on somedays but I can't do it everyday. I finally got him to sleep longer today, but it was in our bed and not his crib. I let him cry it out earlier and I felt like a terrible mommy, but even that only lasted about 30 mins.

and of course now that I"m typing this he is awake...so there is a small update! I will try to get on to blog more for all of my 3 blog readers! lol

Happy 4 months, to my sweet Quinn!

well it's actually tomorrow, but seen as I have time i'll post it now!!

I think I have finally figured out what has been causing all of Quinn's fussiness from day one. It's sad for me to say but I had to give up all dairy products! I have a great love of ice cream and miss it, but it sure has made for one happy Quinn for me not to eat it!

We took Quinn in at the end of June for blood in his stool and they said it was from an anal fissure. we then had to take stool samples(oh the fun in that) and there was no blood after. well i then questioned for the second time in 2 weeks a milk allergy/senstivity. I researched it a bit online and he had ALL the symptoms. one dr and nurse said we will keep an eye on it, but don't change your diet. ok fine...so for 3 days leading up to a mini vacation I had cut way back on dairy not b/c i wanted to it just happened this way. well we went away and went to a REALLY good ice cream place so i got a milkshake...it was super tasty, but didn't make up for the next 3 days of torture I put my son through. he was not happy...fussy, pooping, spitting up, etc. so I cut all milk out again...i do have a piece of cheese or a bit of ice cream but that's it. It is like he is a brand new kid, laughing, happy, smiling, and content. So clearly that had to have been the problem...I haven't talked to his dr yet about it, I will do that friday. But i'm not about to eat/drink dairy for a while just to test it out...

As hard as it has been to give up the dairy, I can't wait to have it again! I told keith I'm making a date to go out for an Applebee's mudslide once Quinn is done nursing...

he now laughs and coos a whole lot! he rolls both ways and tries his hardest to sit up from a laying down position. I think he is also teething b/c he is drooling buckets and sucks/knaws on his hands!

He is such a joy to have around and I love watching Avery interact with him!

some pictures!

avery on the carousel...he finally went on the horse!



I don't think he was sure of the carousel at first



Tummy time for Quinn

Quinn being baptized

smiles at the park!

Twilight...

well I finally gave in and read "twilight". I had the book sitting on my shelf for a yr that a friend let me borrow. I had heard so much about it so I said it must be good....it took me about 100 pgs to really get into it(the first book is 400+pgs) and then I couldn't put it down! I was completely shocked, surprised, and wanting to read more! we got rid of most of our cable channels so there isn't much to watch now at night. That's ok I was completely into the book and even told keith not to interupt me! lol

Its an amazing book and a great story line! Something you can never imagine possible for someone to write! It almost seems to real! I think I finished the first book within 2 weeks and that was really only reading at night. I then NEEDED the second book almost immediately so I had Keith stop at our friends house and get me the second book. This was sunday and I have about 40 pages left. Our friend is a little upset that I'll get to read her 3rd book before she does, but I promised not to tell her what happens. It's like I "thrist" to read it...I've only been reading this at night after the kids are in bed and while nursing. Keith says well I guess it shows how much nursing you do! It has been a lot lately...then he goes on to tell me I read fast which is true and that he is jealous that I do read that fast. He then asked if I comprehend what I'm reading and I said of course or I wouldn't know what was going on.

The second book in my opinion isn't quite as good as the first....but still pretty good. Not what I imagined AT ALL and I have my opinion what might happen in the 3rd book now. ALthough I may be pretty sad to see the series end but maybe the author will write some more books. I lover her style even though I sometimes do have to go back and re read a portion b/c i apparently missed something! But that just makes it that much more interesting!

So if you haven't read it I'm going to jump on the wagon with everyone else and say to go read it!
I even tried to start another book until i got the second one(new moon) and I just couldn't get into it! all i could think of was vampires. I was also dreaming about them...sometimes good sometimes not so good, but I was still intrigued to read the rest!

we may need an ark soon...

For anybody living in New England knows how much rain we've been having lately. I heard the other day that it rained for the last 20 of 29 days. (this was june 29 and it has rained since then EVERYDAY!). Its getting depressing and frustrating especially for a 2 year old.

I decided to get avery out of the house AT LEAST once a week! Going to the park is free so we were doing that. I have few to choose from as I have to drive to all of them. I just signed him up for storytime at the library and we were visiting friends every other week. one would think this would be enough, but apparently not. This poor kid is in need of some major alone time...unfortunately Quinn has not been himself for the past week or so, so I'm not able to do anything with Avery. Luckily tomorrow Keith has off and he is going to do something with just him and avery.

We have also now designated Sundays as no house work day. Its strickly just family time. whether we go out and do something or stay home, but WE must resist the urge to do any housework. this gives us both time to relax and not worry about what needs to get done(so we usually do leave) and focus on our family. It gets hectic during the week so we don't get as much relaxing or down time as we desperately need. This does take some great willpower on my part as i HATE a mess house, but I'm finding its the break I need from not running around like a crazy mama all the time.

As for Quinn...last week he had blood in his stool so the dr wanted to see him. I was fearing the worst, but it turns out he just had an anal fissure which is now on its way to healing. I had to do samples this week to make sure there wasn't any blood I couldn't see and those came back negative. I talked to the nurse while I was at the dr today about a possibly milk allergy/intolerace(sp?) they didn't seem too concerned but I still think there is something wrong he just shouldn't be fussy all the time! for 3 nights he wouldn't sleep unless he was nursing so i brokedown and put him in bed with us and he nursed off and on(i was thinking growth spurt) now the night sleeping is better and the napping is worse...maybe an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. so i gave in and laid in bed with him yesterday so he could get a little nap...until avery woke up crying from his nap so i had to go in and comfort him, which in turn woke quinn up....someday my life won't be as hectic i swear! so now im paying close attention to what i eat for dairy and quinn's fussiness,sleeping, pooping, and spit up. i should be able to fit all that into 24 hours right? no wonder i'm tired...

Quinn is usually a happy baby smiling, laughing, and cooing. he went into the kiddie pool this week and avery splashed him a bit and to my surprise Quinn was laughing at him! It cracked me up!

Avery has a new swing set so both boys have been enjoying that.

we leave on monday for maine for 3 days with my mom. it should be interesting with my mom, sister, brother, both boys and myself. Keith has to work as he has no vacation time. We are only getting to go b/c my mom would split the bill and i really wanted to take avery to the beach(hoping he likes it better this yr) i'm still not sure who is getting the vacation here me(at the beach with 2 kids and my sometimes crazy family) or keith being home with no children, just the dog....something tells me its keith!

Of course the money tree still isn't growing in my yard, but I needed new brakes. Keith isn't sure they were completely necessary but what was I to do when I need the car to drive to maine. at least i know the car is safe. Keith has been getting a bit of overtime so it has been helping.

well that's an update on my end! i try to blog more but sometimes the thoughts don't seem to come!

Wordless Wednesday

It has been a while...

since I blogged. Boy is life crazy with 2 kids and when I find time I'm just tired....so let's see what has been going on.

-Potty training was going GREAT and now not so much! I'm tired of fighting a 2.5 yr old on a daily basis...numerous times over EVEYTHING. So I choose to pick my battles, the potty isn't one I choose to fight right now. I will he will train in time, when he is ready.

-I want my sweet Avery back...he seems to be a MONSTER lately. I know most of it is his age and the fact that he has a new brother, but man does it wear on one's nerves(and daddy's too) we aren't sure what is causing the acting out(fighting bedtime/naptime, throwing stuff, hitting, asking to do one thing and he does the opposite.) He is usually very good whene we get out of the house(which I suppose can be a blessing) but at home well...its yet to be desired.

-Quinn turned 3 months old today. He is still nursing which is great. His sleeping has gotten a lot better at night and during the day well he has good and bad days. I don't know how he got to be so old already!!

-he laughs, smiles, and coos a lot. I love those moments the best!

Keith and I are both still struggling to get things into a rhythm with 2 kids. Its still not working...a friend asked me the other day if I ever felt a disconnect to my husband after having kids...yes and I still do. it seems like we are so busy with the kids and house by the time we get to bed we may have 5 mins together and then we are both out like a light. We have now dedicated sunday as "no housework/chores" day. This way we can just spend the day together as a family and let all else go(except cooking/making meals and i may wash diapers, but those are needed) We want to start going out once a week just the 2 of us...but we need someone to watch the kids and i need to get over leaving my boys. Plus we don't have any extra money but keith even volunteered to go grocery shopping if it means going without kids! I laughed! He hates shopping!

well that's an update for now! ill post pictures as soon as I can.

Potty Training 101

I was really dreading teaching avery to use the potty. Well last week he had a terrible diaper rash and nothing was helping it...(i think i posted this in a previous blog, now that I think about it)

Anyway, we are on week 2 now and we've had NO accidents at home. I don't even need to ask him to go anymore. He just goes when he needs too...he gets mad at me if I ask him so I just let him go. He even goes poop in the potty. I still put a diaper on him at nap, bed, and if we go out. He hasn't used a big potty yet so I need to work on that so he will use it when we are out. But it is nice that I don't have to change his diaper anymore! I didn't even need to buy any pullups/easy ups (sorry cooperate america)

I will also have daddy work on getting him to pee standing up. As sometimes he sits and it ends up on the floor, he still gets a treat as he at least got on the potty...not his fault his boy parts had a different idea!

I can't believe how easy it was for him to go! I have a feeling Quinn will NOT be so easy...so I'll have to pay for more patience!

Wordless Wednesday

What are the boys up too?

I really try to blog more often but it doesn't always happen. Quinn goes in spurts of when I MUST hold him and when he is content on his own. Luckily the mai tai i oredered is on its way and hopefully will be here before sat!

Let's see...Quinn is now 9 weeks(almost 10 weeks old). I still wonder where the time went as I can still remember having him...unfortunately. They say you forget the pain once you are holding the baby, not so in my case. It's still very vivid in my mind! Keith is still holding out that I will want another one someday. This is only being brought up as we are getting ready for a tag sale and I want to sell the baby clothes, but instead I'm holding onto them. I did weed out a few.

Quinn can roll from his belly to back since he was about 6 weeks old. Everytime I put him down for the dreaded tummy time he flips right over. He tries like crazy to roll from his back to his belly, but only manages to get to his side. He is now smiling and cooing...which is better than ALWAYS crying everytime you put him down. I did manage to get a smile with the camera the other day. Keith made the comment that we don't have as many pictures of Quinn as we did with avery. It's not because he is the second child, its b/c he WON'T hardly let me put him down and if i do its not long enough to take a picture. He is slowly getting better with it and is sleeping better at night. last night he slept from 930-4 am...I was quite shocked that happened and it was in his bassinet.

Now for Mr. Avery...his speech has taken leaps and bounds in the past few months. not always understandable but close. Afterall that is the way 2 year olds go. He repeats everything and is now stringing 2 or more words together. He has even talked to the dr a couple times we've been there with Quinn. At least they do have the same dr. and he can see that he does speak.

This past week he has had a HORRIBLE diaper rash...I'm still not sure what it could be from as we started a few new things all at the same time. Laundry deteregent, new juice, new wipe solution, or just the buildup on the cloth diapers. (we have hard water and i hadn't stripped them for a while) It didn't seem like no cream was helping at all and when he pooped it was HORRID! so i decided to put underwear on him and attempt potty training..yeah its going slow, but what can i expect. It's a lot to ask for a little kid. But we have had some successes and a poop so that is good. he seems to think he gets a "treat" just for trying, but I said its ONLY when you actually pee or poo...he knows the drill just trying to get it to connect now.

I think he is sensing some jealously with Quinn as he is acting out more and trying to sit on him or hit him. I'm still struggling to find a balance between 2 kids, a husband, dog, and the housework. I haven't been quite successful yet so somethings have to be let go and the last thing I want to do is disclude avery. So i'm making a valent attempt to spend more time with him.

I also don't know how single mother's do it ALL! there are plenty of days when i do it all, but I thank God when my husband comes home so at least we have a 1 on 1 with the boys, but yet I still feel like I'm being streched in 10 different directions. On the nights keith has church are usually the worse days...being sleep deprived doesn't help my patience. I love my husband but when he goes to bed at 11(b/c he's on the computer) and then complains he's tired the next day as he gets up from work, well I get a little ticked off...I made it 930 last night. Granted I wasn't feeling well and figured I would have to get up to feed Quinn but surprisingly it was avery who work me up at 1230...oh the joys of motherhood!

I can't deny..

the fact that I am totally jealous of my friend all going to NYC this weekend! They have been planning it for a while and I was going up until I realize how much I was going to need to pay to have Quinn. I just could really use the time away...not that I don't love my children because I do and love every day I get to stay home with them, but sometimes it really drags on a person...especially being sleep deprived and nursing.

I have had a very short fuse with my husband lately and I know a lot of it has to do that I never get time to myself and when I do it's doing something for someday. I try to go at least grocery shopping by myself but even that doesn't happen. We haven't gotten into a schedule yet and my husband is not very good with scheduling time and being productive. At least he gets the drive into work to be alone. Even as I write this Quinn who was dead asleep miraclously woke up as I started to type...so what the heck?

mommy just needs a break...but sometimes that break costs money and that I definately DO NOT have any.

Although, if I did have the money a few months ago to go on this trip(which I had some set aside) I do think I would feel really guilty for going and spending that money on me. As there are some weeks I wonder where I get the money to buy food...

So girls, have a great time and I'm envious...

Wordless Wednesday

Quinn's 2 month check up!

Quinn had his 2 month check up this morning...I'm not sure how he is 2 months old already, but it did happen and it happened WAY to fast!

Weight: 9 lbs 5 oz
Height/Length: 21.75 inches

The dr said he was doing really well and no major concerns. That's always music to a mom's ears.

He did have to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine. Still after having Avery I don't like watching them get shots. I had to hold his hands and he was NOT a happy camper, but calmed right down as soon as I was able to pick him up. I was waiting for Avery to freak out, but surprisingly he didn't. He did know what was going on as he watched the whole thing...if I could get into his little brain I'm sure he was thinking "glad that wasn't me".

All in all...it was very uneventful!

Mother's Day Weekend Thoughts!

First off, Happy Mother's day to all my mommy friends!!

1. have I mentioned there was a bear on my neighbor's doorstep the other night? Talk about being on alarm when I'm outside...as they aren't always nocturnal!!

2.My sweet little Quinn will be 2 months old this week(8 weeks tomorrow), when and how did that happen?

3.Avery has been such a great big brother lately...sometimes too much! He helps to put the binky in his mouth, even if he is sleeping!

4.Avery is now TOTALLY binky free and should be in his new room this week...finally!

5.Someday I will sleep through the night again...someday!

6.Trying to figure out what clothes and baby stuff to get rid of is hard...I'm 95% sure I'm done, Keith not so much!

7.I love my husband...I really do, but having him home for 3 days this week was driving me NUTS! But as soon as he is gone I miss him...

8.I've been up since 5am to feed Quinn...it's Mother's day shouldn't I be the one sleeping in?

9.Avery's speech as improved IMMENSELY lately...you can't always understand what he is saying, but he sure does talk!

10. Planning a baptism party on a budget is NOT easy.

11. I found my book of stamps that have been missing for 2 weeks now...too bad the postage has now gone up!

Wordless Wednesday

Rest In Peace Grandma Richardson

How ironic it is that 7 weeks after the birth of our second son we lost another beloved member of our family. We learned this afternoon that Keith's grandmother, Alice(aka. Betty) passed away this morning. 4 months after having Avery we lost my dad...while he was unexpected we knew it was really any day now that his grandma would go to be with God in Heaven.

It's been pretty surreal as we found out as we were waiting for our friends Kristen and Brian to come over. If anything it helped keep our minds off of it. It hasn't really seemed to affect Keith yet, but I know its coming he was very close to her and very fond of her. I have apparently learned that guys grieve in a different way than women do...as I would be a total wreck even if I knew it was going to be any day now...

I can't really say I knew her very well or know much about her...I'm sure in the coming week I'll find out more. As that always seems to be the way it happens. At least now we know she is no longer suffering and is peaceful. She had numerous heart attacks and was showing heart problems and knew eventually that is what would take her from us.

We hadn't been able to visit her in the nursing home for a while now. One everytime we were going to go one of us was sick and we didn't want to get her sick knowing her health wasn't that great. Then we had the baby and sleepless nights...but I was still trying to encourage Keith to go see her knowing he may regret not seeing her...I've learned a lot since my dad leaving us and I didn't want him to feel the same guilt/regret that I feel.

So rest in Peace grandma...you will be sadly missed by us all...

Wordless Wednesday

Mr. Quinn...I think he looks like a little elf!

Monkey boy climbed INTO the pack n play on top of the stuff I piled inside...he thought it was great!

6 week appointment

First off....who said Quinn can be 6 weeks old already? It doesn't seem remotely even possible! I am really hoping he grows out of this fussy/I need to be held all the time stage soon! Its starting to wear on my poor back...and daddy is loosing sleep at night! He seems to be sleeping better at night in the bassinet, as long as he doesn't loose the binky.I may have to try yet another one....

I made it to 6 weeks breastfeeding!!! YAY!! Never thought I would see the end of that very hard and long tunnel but I did! A friend asked me last week if I would keep doing it and I said, YES! After all I made it through the hard part and it should be somewhat easier now.

I went to my 6 week appt today. I don't think I will really miss having to go there every week! Although the staff and dr's are great! I met with the dr who did the c/s and I had no problems or complaints. I did ask why the surgery seemed to take longer( it really was almost 2 hrs long and should have been 45 mins or so). He said no major reason, other than it being my second c/s, I had some adhesions(scaring), and sometimes it takes longer to put things back in. I had minimal blood loss. But other than that, nothing major happened that would prevent me from having another...not that I plan on it! But ask me when the birth isn't so fresh in my mind! He looked at my scar and was boasting about how great of a job he did on stitching me up! It was quite humorous and we both got a good laugh..."I don't mean to brag, but I did a great job!" So all in all everything is fine and I healed perfectly...good thing after all of that.

I also asked about Quinn being breech and he said that he wasn't born breech. Apparently, he turned in 20 mins.

So now I don't go back until Aug, unless I decide on an IUD...but Keith and I have some reading and talking to do first! but so far I'm leaning towards that!

Crunchier than I thought i would be...

this topic has been on my mind for a couple days now. I've seen it alot in some of the online forums that I frequent...alot! I need to do something with my 5 mins of downtime!

Anywho, I never thought I would be a cloth diapering, breastfeeding, baby wearing mama! Let's just say those first 2 are saving us a boat load of money right now!

Diapers: $60(assuming we used a pkg a week at $10/pkg)
Formula: $90(assuming we use a can a week at $15/can)

That's quite a bit of money for one little 6 week old!(he will be 6 weeks on monday)

As for the babywearing...I apparently have a high needs baby that just likes to be held esp. when I'm trying to make dinner. I've tried numerous wraps, slings, and a snugli and NONE seem to be working at the moment. They all pull on my back and it ends up hurting. I'm currently in the process of buying a babyhawk...well a mama made babyhawk. We got a little money when we had the baby so I'll use that towards the purchase of one...for my sanity at least. I was reading today that babies that are held more and carried cry less...let's hope it works! Quinn just has a fussy period in the evening, conviently when Keith gets home, which is good in some sense, but I'm exhausted by then and just want to crash. With a 2 yr old and a 6 week old this can't always happen...so I tend to get the baby. So i'm hoping by wearing him more it might benefit us all and Ill have some sanity left...

Although, I'm pretty "crunchy" I do still vaccinate my kids. But that's a WHOLE other blog and everyone is entitled to their own opinion and this is mine.end.of.story.

what to do, what to do...

Back when I was contemplating closing the daycare for maternity leave, I had thought about closing until september. I figured this would give us PLENTY of time to adjust and hope that Quinn would be sleeping better...or at least I would be sleeping better. In the end I decided not to close that long knowing if I did I would probably loose both kids I watched and we needed the money. So I let go extra time with my boys and my sanity and decided to close for 10 weeks. Reasonable I thought considering i was adjusting to 2 kids and add to that the recovery of the c/s. I still had some resistance.

Well we all know how crappy this economy is so I was thinking about taking the kids back earlier than my June 1st deadline. Until I contacted both parents and now it looks like NEITHER child is coming back and if they do its only part time...ugh.

Now I'm left with a decision...do I readvertise and get a couple more kids and completely loose my sanity or do I just close for the summer and pick it back up in the fall, or not do it at all? For those that think its an easy job its not...but it allowed me to stay home. It doesn't make ANY sense to put both kids in daycare as I wouldn't be making enough full time to make it worth it. Plus I might have separation anxiety. I find after doing daycare for a 1.5 yrs my heart just isn't it to it.

Never leaving the house and dealing with bratty kids and parents drives on a person after a while. So I'm left to decide what do I do?

After talking to Keith he has no problem with me not doing the daycare...the problem lies in our bills and needing the money to cover them. Right now we are riding in the red as Keith's hours got cut and as for the savings, we have none.

I'm hoping to find a part time job I can do at home, data entry or something, but so far all of those are complete crap. Can't work in a restaurant b/c the hours won't work with keith's hours. I have one around to stay with the kids for a couple hours...well my mil but well...no.

I'm thinking maybe ill look into doing a paper route and hope that brings in just a little and will allow me to get out of the house...kid free.

Life just likes to throw me curveballs and I can only hope and pray that God will provide for us!

Wordless Wednesday

avery loved to help give Quinn a bath!

Menu Planning...

ok the object of the game this week is NOT to buy groceries or keep it under $20(have to buy 2 gallons of milk and bread at least). so here is a menu plan I will be FORCED to use for the next few weeks!

Frozen pizza
waffles
pancakes
grilled cheese and soup
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Turkey(that I'm sure I can stretch into at least 2 more meals)
chili
mac and cheese
steak with rice

sadly all my veggies have depleted! Keith won't mind I'm sure! Unless I find a really good sale!

other things in my pantry:
chicken broth
tomato soup
cream of mush, chicken, and celery
1 box spaghetti
1 box elbow macacroni
1/2 box lasagna noodles
pork tenderloin
ground beef(2 lbs,separated)
ground turkey
1 lb chicken breast
potatoes
long grain rice, minute rice
2 cans black beans
1 can kidney beans
2 jars of salsa(mango and lime, gr. chili)
eggs
bacon

I'm trying to get as many meals as I can out of what I have so I don't want to use more than one protein per meal(ex. beans and chicken) so if i make taco soup it will only be with beans and no chicken

anyone have any good recipes?

Take time to hug and enjoy your children!

So for that past hour I have been reading about little Maddie Spohr...my friend Amy has mentiond her in her blog and released purple balloons for her. While reading another blog today I happened upon her again so I decided to read her mom's blog and see her tribute videos.

As I sit here in the silence of nap time reading and watching this beautiful, sweet, 18 month old, little girl I can't imagine not having my boys in my life. I read and watched with tears and goosebumps and my heart truly aches for her parents. Rest in Peace sweet Maddie and keep an eye over your parents.

In this hustle and bustle we call life, I think we forget to stop and smell...well the baby of course!(go ahead and smell some flowers too!) For anyone, who has kids and especially experiencing the joys(and hardship) of a newborn know how the first month can be. I am very sleep deprived and can loose my patience very easily. Even through all this I try to take a moment to enjoy the simple things that come with having a baby.

As I sit with Quinn nursing I try to savor every moment even if it is 3 am and I can't seem to keep my eyeballs peeled open! I sit and play with his tiny toes and hold his tiny fingers. I listen to him breath and swallow, and stroke his peach fuzz head. I know all to well that they grow way to fast as I pick Avery up and wonder how he got so big!

I love to watch Avery sing as he walks around the yard or count as we are washing his hands. There are very few quiet moments with him as he is a busy 2 yr old. I am always hugging and kissing him even if he doesn't want to reciprocate, he needs to know he is loved and he won't always be this little and will grow up to be a man. So I will cherish every tantrum now...b/c they will only get worse when he becomes a teenager.

I even find I get frustrated with my husband and probably overreact to everything he does lately...I can't help it and know it won't last forever. I miss him as it seems our bed has been taken over by a 1 month old. We will hurry to bed while Quinn is sleeping in the bassinet just to have a few moments to cuddle...yes only cuddling. As we never know when Quinn will wake up and demand to sleep with us, a habit we hope to soon break. But for now its nice to cuddle with a tiny little body, although my husband will do too!

I'm stressed out with lack of money we seem to have right now and the amount of bills we need to pay with such money. So I really try to not dwell on it, but focus on those sweet boys even though I may be frustrated.

I am lucky to have such wonderful people in my life including friends and family. So give your kids an extra hug and kiss and let them know they are loved b/c some people in this world won't get to hold their children again and thos of us who can should never take them for granted...even in tough and stressful times!

I'm still looking for that money tree....

and I still haven't found it!

Our budget has always been tight since I stopped working and stayed home with Avery. But in all honesty my ENTIRE paycheck would have gone to daycare so why should I have to work?

For the most part we have been doing well...until this week anyway. We cut out all extras such as eating out a lot, spending money on ourselves, netflix, and our water delivery. We bundled our internet/phone/cable, I dry clothes outside when its nice, and I cloth diaper both boys now. I also clip coupons, shop sales(never buy anything full price), and menu plan.

Once I had Quinn keith worked only a few days/half days so that didn't help our money situation, then I also didn't have daycare money coming in either and that helped buffer some costs. Well in the past 3 weeks or so Keith has lost his overtime...not that we truly depend on overtime to get by, but he was hired to work 42.5 hrs/week and just that little bit of extra helped...well we have felt the crunch this week.

We haven't really done any extra spending, but have just gotten through another holiday and a few things I needed for Quinn. After all the kid can't really go naked when its 40 out.

So we sat down last night and added up our expenses and our earnings...that was NOT so good. we will skim by the seat of our pants, but I hate feeling like this and have to worry about it. We don't have any money to even buy groceries and we don't qualify for anything as keith still makes to much money. I'm all for the programs out there to help and I have no problem asking for it, but we can't get it.

We've cut everything we possibly can...last night we cut our home phone and our cable down. Still have internet as I "need" it. It helps us save a little extra, but not a whole lot. I'm really hoping the economy will pick up and things will get better! at least I can hope right?

Thank goodness I don't need to buy diapers and formula for the baby as I have no idea how we would manage that!

Happy 1 month birthday, Quinny!(easter and updates)

I can't believe my itty bitty baby is one month old!(well technically it won't be until the 16th, but he is 4 weeks old today). He is still tiny, he was 7 lb 9 oz last week at the dr. Everything else checked out good.

I have made it 4 WHOLE WEEKS nursing! Who knew that would happen? I figured something would have happened and it would go south, but so far so good! for those that have nursed you know how hard it is in the beginning I'm sure! You find a whole new respect for bfing moms now!

Quinn sleeps about 3-6 hours at night. Once at 6 hours straight, it must have been a fluke as it hasn't happened again. I would love to have it though! We are slowly starting to get back into a routine and once that happens maybe I won't be such a scatter brain.

Yesterday, was Quinn's first Easter he got mostly some summer clothes and my mom did buy him a toy. Not that I need either of those things.

Avery made out like a bandit...thank you grandma jo. He had 2 easter egg hunts and my mom even put money in some. He's not spoiled though...

We are now cloth diapering both boys again! YAY! Avery has them 90% of the time and Quinn is in them 100%. Saves us a bunch of money.

Here is a funny story...my dear husband decides he is going to potty train Avery yesterday(or at least start too). He has no interest in it at all, but he got some new big boy underroos so Keith decided to give it a go. 20 mins into it, he peed. So he got changed and the floor got cleaned. 20 mins later he pooped...again daddy got to take care of it! Afterall it was his idea...after that he was back in diapers! i think i need to get keith a potty training 101 book...it was quite humerous! I know it will come in time though!

Best Diet I've Ever been on!

Well I'm not about to disclose how much I weigh, but I could definately be a contestant on Biggest Loser.

During my pregnancy with Quinn I gained a whopping 4 lbs...so I knew after having him I'd definately loose that!

So on monday when Quinn turned 3 weeks old I decided to jump on the scale...I held my breath and closed my eyes. To my suprise I've lost 31 lbs since having him! I didn't believe it and thought my scale was wacky...so I climbed back on it. Yup its true I really have lost that much!!

It must be the breastfeeding...I'll take it! Now if I would eat a bit more healthier...not that I'm eating total crap, but I have a serious addiction and cravings for chocolate lately and I haven't been limiting really what I've been eating.

So now that the weather is getting nicer, I'll start walking more and being more active. It is also coming into fruit and veggie season so chances are my poor husband will be forced to eat them and I'll loose even more!

I struggle so much with my weight regardless of what I do I was SHOCKED when the scale said those numbers!

3 weeks..

I can't believe my itty bitty Quinn is 3 weeks old today! Those weeks flew by and I didn't even do anything but stay home!

He went for a 3 week check up...which will count as his one month appointment. He is weighing in at 7lb 9 oz so above his birth weight. This is also up from the 6 lbs 8 oz he was when he left the hospital. So I guess my milk is good! He is still nursing great and saving us a bunch of money! He will still feed for about an hour each time, but hopefully he will not be as sleepy soon so I get more sleep! I am half way through the tough 6 weeks of nursing...I just keep thinking of that and I know I'll make it! He is slowing starting to sleep in his bassinet...i think its going to take some time to get him used to it. He goes about half the night and then ends up with us. Its better than nothing! Quinn will be starting with vitamins as soon as I get to the store to get them!

My recovery is finally so much better! I can actually move and get comfy in bed. I could still use more sleep as any mom can attest too!

Avery is doing ok...he seems to be adjusting well and once we are back on a schedule I'm sure it will be better for him. Avery's iron level is up a little, but he is still on the supplements.

We went out for the first time shopping this past friday. We had a diaper explosion at Kohl's and I actually nursed in public...well kinda. It was in the dressing room. I have a small fear of REALLY doing it out in the open. But one of these days I'll have to do it and just get over it! Right now he is still little and I'm still new so we are still learning it! I was glad my mom and sister went with us. Avery was a bit rambuctious but over all he was very good! After riding in the car for 1.5 hours, you'd be active too! Plus we had lunch he had to sit through as well. Quinn slept most of the time.

We got family pictures done 2 weeks ago and they came out fabulous! If you would like to see them let me know as they are on a special website!

Well I guess that's all I can write today as Quinn conviently has woken up!

Wordless Wednesday

A brother's love....

Recovery...

sure has been slow this time around! They say your second c/s is easier...well I can honestly say its NOT! I was starting to feel back to normal monday which was one week postpartum, but after that it all went downhill!

Monday we had to take Quinn to the dr and Avery to get blood work. I took it slow walking and of course I wasn't driving. Keith decided to stay home monday and just enjoy the 4 of us. He had to work part of the week I was at the hospital and I feel bad he didn't get all the bonding time with Quinn like he did with Avery. But in this economy we can't afford a whole week without pay..

Tuesday was my first day home alone with both. I was nervous about it, but knew I could handle it. Afterall, I had 3 toddlers everyday for the last 9 months! It wasn't bad at all, Avery listened for the most part and we just hung around and watched movies. I will admit I've let him watch more movies/tv this week, but recovery hasn't been so hot so I haven't been able to do much else with him. I feel bad, but I'm very limited.

Tuesday night I started to feel sore again...I just figured I over did it and needed to rest. Even though my house was a COMPLETE diaster when Keith got home. I really didn't do much other than fold laundry, but I find if I sit to long then i get stiff and feel worse. So I try to move a bit in between feedings.

It was worse wed, to the point I was in tears. I couldn't get out of bed and Keith had to help me. I thought it was issues with my "digestive system" so I took gas meds and more "softener"(tmi sorry). I was having a sharp pain going from one side of my abdomine to the other. Then it was all crampy. I just layed low. It really didn't get much better and then my back started to hurt.

Thursday morning rolled around and Keith made me call the dr to see about going in. He was thinking the worse. Well after talking to the midwife we concluded that I pulled a muscle near my hip and the cramping could be gas, unterine contractions from nursing, and that I just needed to take it even more easy. So that's what we are doing this weekend...

My mom came down to help with Avery and to entertain him and to allow me to sleep in a little. I feed Quinn and then send him downstairs. Last night actually went better than it has since we've been home. Hopefully this sleepin while nursing will end soon and he will continue to sleep in longer increments. I got about 8 hrs last night...not in a row of course. But I felt better. Still not as sore while sleeping, but very stiff in the morning and takes me a bit to move around. Keith tries not to laugh at me, but he still does!

Quinn is still nursing great! Its so nice in this economy not to have to buy formula! I said to keith it was nice not having to pack up bottles, water, and formula in the diaper bag on monday. Nursing is tiresome believe me, but I know in the end its well worth it. They say the first 6 weeks are the hardest...so I only have 4 more to go! So far so good! I think my mom still thinks I'm nuts for doing it, but she doesn't say much now. I haven't had to nurse in public yet so that might be interesting...

Now I just need to get Quinn to sleep in his own bed! He likes to be held or sleeping with us. Not the ideal situation, but right now Keith and I both need our sleep and we are trying to work on getting him on his own!

Quinn's name

Keith and I struggled this ENTIRE pregnancy coming up with names. After all it is a very important decision you face as a parent. Then when we didn't find out what we were having it made it even harder. We threw names around all 9 months...and towards the end we had a definate boy name...Everett Martin. The middle name was always going to be Martin after my dad. When we started to tell people the name, my family wasn't a fan, but it didn't really sway our decision. It was the one name we could agree on so we stopped talking about a boy name.

For a girl, we didn't have a name picked out. Well Keith did, Isabell/Isabella. the middle name was set at Elizabeth as it is his grandmother's middle name. I wasn't sold on it AT ALL! So if we had a girl I was going to pick another name on his list. After all I had picked Avery's name and I'm still in love with Avery on my sweet boy.

Well...when Quinn was born they showed me him and out popped the name Quinn. Keith looked at me funny and said, "where did that come from?" It was a name we threw around a couple times after seeing it on a stroller when we went to the big E. I said he doesn't look like an Everett to me at all! After being in the OR for an hour he still didn't look like an Everett and kept saying Quinn in my groggy, drugged state of mind. Keith looked at me and said you can name him whatever you want after going through what you just went through. So Quinn it became!

After recovering for a bit, he called out families and friends. We still weren't quite sure on the name so he told them that. When he called my friend Amy, she asked the name, and Keith said "i don't know..." Amy was puzzled and said "you don't know?" he said well we THINK its going to be Quinn. Which I'm sure she was surprised at. My mom was glad it wasn't Everett as she didn't like the name at all and kept trying to get used to it! We heard this from a few people and I was still happy with my decision. I still am happy with the decision and was glad we picked it! It just fits him so well! Its just funny how quickly things can change!

Wordless Wednesday

Brotherly love! This is one of my favorite pictures of all my boys! Just missing the dog...yes I'm clearly outnumbered!

Avery pretending to be a dog! He will also eat food off the floor like Rascal if I'm not quick enough to stop him!

One Week...

one week ago today, my sweet baby boy was born. I have to admit its been a bit surreal! But we are slowly getting back into things and a routine...maybe.

we went to the dr today for his one week check and he is doing great! he is up to 6 lb 14 oz, he left the hospital at 6.8 lbs. Apparently, mama's milk is doing him good! Keith met the pedi for the first time and really liked him.

I feel like he is so much older b/c he has been nursing so well. I can only hope it continues to go this week as it has great benefits to Quinn and our wallets! Now if I could just get him to not fall asleep after 5 mins of nursing, I wouldn't feel like I spent all my time doing it! He is pretty good at night, but it takes 30 mins to an hour sometimes for him to nurse. But I'm hanging in there and know it will get better!

The dr said everything else looked great and we go back in 2 weeks just to check to make sure his belly button and circ. is healing well. ALthough Im sure they will weigh his as well.

Avery is doing well...a few outbursts/throwing toys but nothing to bad so far. Tomorrow will be my first day home alone with them, and hopefully all goes well! we then took avery to get his iron checked again. We waited longer than it took to get the blood taken. He was a brave boy and didn't flinch or anything again this time! He is being a great big brother, but I do miss snuggling with him and being able to pick him up.

Quinn Martin

This week sure has been a busy and tiring one! We welcomed our second son into the world on Monday March 16,2009 at 11:42 am. He weighed 7 lb 4 oz and was 20.5 inches. Here is his story...

All weekend I had been busy making meals so I wouldn't have to worry about them after I had the baby. Sat both Keith and I had trouble sleeping probably due to anxiety and nerves. I tried to keep myself busy so I wasn't thinking about the impending c-section(c/s).

Monday morning rolled around and we did sleep sunday night. My sister was here to stay with Avery and we left for the hospital around 8:15. Avery didn't seem bothered by the fact that we left him...which in a way made it easier for me to go! But I still wanted to feel like I would be missed! (I know deep down he did)

After arriving to the hospital and getting into my lovely gown, they put on the monitors and took all my vitals. Baby was still breech. We met with the pedi on call, the ob/gyn, and the anthesteologist, filled out paperwork, and waited.

They finally came in shortly after 11 to bring me to the OR. I kissed Keith and off we went into a cold OR. She started my spinal which didn't feel right AT all! I keep having/feeling sharp pains and she continued to ask what I was feeling. She finally got it in, laid me down, got me prepped, and brought Keith in.

Keith actually watched just about the whole c/s. He was able to take some great pictures(which if you know him, he doesn't always do this well). I was so glad he got them as then at least I could feel a part of the birth. (if you want to see the pics, email me or leave a comment as I don't feel comfortable posting them on the web. they are pretty gruesome, but neat at the same time!)

Quinn Martin was born at 11:42, crying the whole way out. He was NOT born breech and I have yet to figure out why or how...I honestly think they turned him before delivering him as it hurt really bad and they were tugging/pulling a lot! It was a VERY painful experience...they did have to use the vaccum as he was so high up to pull him out. As I laid there thinking they would need it, I heard a pop!

Keith got to announce he was a born and even though he had a mask on I could tell he was one proud daddy! He also got to cut the cord and I watched the whole time as they continued to pull/tug on things that just didn't feel right. It literally felt like someone was pulling out my uterus and stomping on it! They essentially were pulling on my uterus...but man was it painful. Again the dr. knew I was in pain and kept asking me if I wanted more pain meds...by the end it I had a half dose of demerol to take the edge off and it seemed to help a bit. It took them an hour to close...which I will be asking why at my 6 week appt. The c/s total should take less than a hour...so I really wonder if something happened.

They then continued to close and I felt every stitch...spinal wore off towards the end that warranted novacaine to finish. Did I mention I could feel my feet the ENTIRE time? But no pain besides the tugging/pulling...which in itself was painful! it was the most painful c/s I had ever had.

Originally, Quinn was going to be named Everett. Well after seeing him, I decided he didn't look like an Everett and in my foggy state, I looked at Keith and said he looks like a "Quinn". He looked at me a little puzzled and we didn't decide on a name right away...but he still continued to look like a Quinn. Keith said I could name him anything I wanted after going through what I just went through.

We spend the next 2 hours in recovery as Keith was a baby hog. I did get to hold Quinn for a bit as well while he went and got lunch and made phone calls. We made people wait long enough...

Ice chips never tasted so good after not being able to eat/drink since midnight the night before.

Recovery is going well and we've been home since thursday. Quinn is nursing like a champ. I'm still sore, but getting better! thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!