First Turkey Day!

There are going to be many posts like this.... "Abigail's First ____".

Today's post is about her first Thanksgiving!  While she didn't eat turkey or pumpkin pie, she did get to wear a super cute outfit and I had a little photo shoot where she told our family members and closest friends that she is thankful for them.  Here's a little bit of that:

This turkey onesie was a lot cuter before I washed it and had to iron it afterwards.

 

After Thanksgiving, we did the traditional trip to The Property.  It was Abby's first trip, and our first road trip with Abby AND the dogs.  Luckily everyone survived, even after Chloe got car sick and I threatened to tie her to the roof.  Some usual Property antics ensued, Joey got to go hunting, and the only down side was even though we left on Saturday we got stuck in some return traffic on 95N.

"Hunting the front field"

Fire surfing. The new cool thing.

Bundled up!

We also took the chance to get a few family photos during the holiday. 

It's hard to get a baby to look at a camera... 

"Dad... stop singing."

We topped off the weekend by decorating the house for Christmas.  Abby hung the first ornament. We bought this "Baby's First Christmas" ornament when I was 16 weeks pregnant on our Disney World Vacation. We had just found out that our ornament should be PINK! :)

She looks thrilled.

This week, my Mom is here to play Daycare.  She and Abby are clearly BFF:

I'm excited to get into the holiday spirit.  Even though Abby has no clue what is going on (other than she loves staring at the lights on the Christmas village and the Christmas tree....), it's still exciting to go through the holidays with a baby in the house!  We're going to try to get a picture with Santa, so look forward to hearing about how that goes ;)

I'll be back REALLY soon with her 4 month update too.  I can't even believe that!

Here's a couple more smileys just for good measure.....

Happy Hump Day!

~SG

Turkey Week Randoms

Just stopping by before things get crazy with turkey, football, and Christmas.  Yep... Joey is extremely enthusiastic about the holidays and as soon as we were home from "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday, he begged me to pull out the decorations.  Having a baby in the house means that every project you start gets interrupted every couple of hours for a feeding or a diaper or something.  So, as of this morning, about 1/3 of our Christmas decorations are currently strewn around the house, haphazardly placed on shelves and the mantle and everywhere else there is room.  That was definitely a run-on sentence but I don't feel like going back and fixing it.  I'm sorry.

If you read our 3 month update (and I'm not mad if you didn't), you'll know that I hadn't had a chance to weigh Abby in a while.  I finally plopped her on the infant scale and she weighs just about 12 pounds, give or take an ounce or two.  She's getting big! She's gained about 5 pounds in the 3 months since she was born.  5 pounds is a lot when you only weighed 7 to begin with!

And, more stuff that you may not care about unless you have kids in which case you will totally understand my excitement when I got a text from Joey on Friday that said "omg omg omg! Abby just rolled over!!" And then he sent me a snap chat of her laying awkwardly on her arm because she can get herself over and then her arm is in the way and she lays there and we just laugh. Which is terrible, but it's cute and we obviously help her out (after a few minutes...).

So, I'm the proud parent of a back-to-front roller and she did do one front-to-back this weekend as well but I think she's tired of the attention because she hasn't really done it since.  Girl needs to learn how to perform for an audience....

She also did a really tiny laugh this weekend so I'm hoping that there will be more of those soon.  She thinks Joey is the funniest person alive, so I'm confident she will be laughing in no time.

Everyone enjoy the short work week!

3 Months Old!

Yikes! This is a little late.  Welp, get used to it :)

One-quarter of a year old already! Goodness. My little sugarplum is just blossoming.  She's definitely not a blob anymore and far from it.  She's interactive, cute, fun, and easy going.  We are so lucky.

Some happenings in our third month:
-I wrapped up breast feeding and we're currently supplementing our stash of frozen milk with formula (I have a post written on this and will publish eventually)
-Abby started rolling onto her side, making all kinds of noises, holding onto objects, etc.
-Mom and Dad went out to a bar (WOO!)
-We also went to a cute little pumpkin patch to pick up our Halloween pumpkins
-Abby attended her first wedding (and I freaked out because it was outside and BEES)
-Abby's first Halloween!
-She really started taking an interest in the TV...
-She also took an interest in her Taggie blanket
-Abby voted!  (OK not really but she went with me to the polls)
-Mom broke the stroller (and Dad fixed it)
-Mom went back to work :(
-Daddy Daycare commenced (as did activities such as "Abby-zilla" and listening to Disney Christmas music)


How many months? Threeeee! (14 weeks old today)

Recent Stats?  No recent appointments.  I'll chunk her on the scale and let you know. (But I'm going to post this without stats because otherwise she will be 4 months and this will still be a draft.)

Mmmm HANDS

Clothes Size? We are following all the rules and wearing 3 month size.  She's grown out of most-all of the 0-3 stuff.  It's SO SAD to put away clothes that don't fit.

Holding her fave blue monkey by the tail

Diaper Size? Fitting comfortably in Pampers size 1.

Loungin'

Feeding? Like I said above, there is a complete back story to this, but we're supplementing frozen breast milk with formula and I'm officially not breast feeding anymore.  Abby could care less what's in the bottle or the fact that it is a bottle.  This made my decision easier to handle.  It was very sad but I had to do what I needed to do.

BELLY

Sleeping? Every day I think about how lucky we are. Every day I know that it can and WILL change.  So each night that she sleeps 8+ hours I just enjoy it.  Abby takes her last bottle around ~7:30pm and then will fall asleep around 8:30-9.  And she sleeps until 5-6am. It's a beautiful thing.

It was all good til she kicked Doc in the butt.

Personality? We're still getting to know her.  She is very easy going, easy to please and soothe, and is a generally happy baby.  She is a little head strong, though, and when she wants something (like to sit straight up, for example) she makes sure she gets it.  Future President of the USA?  I'm calling it now.

Vote for me!

Milestones:
Grabs and swipes at dangling toys
Follows moving objects/people with her eyes
Recognizes familiar objects/people/the dogs
Pushes down on legs ("stands up")
Can hold her head up when laying on stomach with some help getting into the position. She's really not into tummy time. At all.
Brings hands (and everything in them) to her mouth. Sometimes brings mouth to hand. This is funny to watch.
Super smiley, chatty, gurgles/gargles/etc. Has started working on some consonants such as "B" and "M". Haven't heard any "D" yet.
Rolls from back to side

Also a note about the milestones, I'm just keeping track of them for future reference.  It is not a comprehensive list and I will probably forget things.

See you later, alligators!

My Post-Baby Body

I follow a mom/fitness blogger who did actual updates on a monthly basis after having her babies.  Like...complete with measurements, photos, etc! You will not be getting too much of that from me.  I just wanted to talk about what changed, what stayed the same, and what I am doing fitness-wise, since I did appreciate having some sort of accountability during my pregnancy.  Even if it was a fail half the time, I had to come on here and admit it to everybody.  Sometimes that in itself got me moving on a Sunday night when I realized I had to post the next day that I didn't exercise all week!

As I've stated about 100 times, I started the pregnancy about 10 pounds heavier than I should be.  I blame this on going off of BCP but mostly it's because of all the beer I drank.  

Pregnancy Weight Gain/Loss:

I did not have the classic "morning sickness", but I definitely had food aversions/didn't really want to eat anything and obviously wasn't drinking anymore, so I lost weight at the beginning of my pregnancy.  

As you also may recall, I gained the majority of my pregnancy weight in the 3rd trimester.  I actually had to stop checking the scale for the weekly survey because I kept worrying that something was wrong. But I did eventually gain a little over 20 pounds.  So, if you are keeping score, that's 30 to lose.

When the baby is born, they say you lose an average of 14 pounds (weight of the baby, placenta, and other fun stuff).  Guess how much I lost? 14 pounds.  I have always been pretty average.  I don't mind.

Breast feeding also makes your body burn a ton of calories, and when I got mastitis (for the first time) I had to go to the doctor to get a prescription and when I got on the scale there, it read the same thing it did when I walked in at 7 weeks pregnant. Yay!

Currently, I'm about -5 pounds from where I started but I'd like to be a round number so let's just say I have about 10 pounds to lose.

So...

What changed?

Your entire body changes when you have a baby.  I weigh 5 pounds less than I did when I started but my clothes do not fit me the same way. 

What stayed the same?

My stomach and waist. This is more an effect of genetics although I religiously slathered myself with various types of oil starting immediately and through about a month postpartum. 

What am I doing now, fitness-wise?

As soon as I felt ready (2-3 weeks I think) I started walking Abby around the neighborhood in the stroller. Even though I had a quick delivery, it's amazing how it really takes a toll on your body.  I mean, a 7 pound baby went through my pelvis. 

I would say from weeks 4-10 I did about 1-2 walks per week.  It really was depending on the weather and what kind of a day we were having.  A few weeks ago, I decided to see how running felt. I have done a few runs and while my legs and lungs hurt, it's really just my body that is slowing me down.

My fitness goals:

My short term goal is that we are doing a 5k this weekend!  I don't have a time goal at all, and my goal for it is to cross the finish line.

Longer term, I registered for the Shamrock Half Marathon (it'll be my 3rd time!) and I'm very excited to get back into the long-er distance running.  

What am I doing eating-wise?

Not much.  It was so much easier to eat healthy when I had a little baby in my tummy.  

My eating goals:

Eat more fresh food.  If it needs to be refrigerated, it's probably better to eat than something out of the cabinet.  I'm also trying Shakeology.

And now, the part you've all been waiting for.

I took some "before" photos at 4 weeks pregnant. (If you are wondering "Can you even find out that early?" Yes.  You can.)

I'm going to share some comparison pictures because this is a safe place/judgement-free zone.... RIGHT?  I even put on the same exact outfit.  I wasn't in great shape before I got pregnant- which, in my opinion, makes it much easier to get back to my pre-pregnancy state. Hahaaaa...  I think the after pics were taken around 10 weeks pp. 

Before on the Left. After on the Right. 

Before on the Left. After on the Right.

Well?  There you have it.  I will check back in a couple more months and let you know how it's going. 

~SG

The Beginning of the Rest of our Lives

Monday I will wake up, leave my baby, and drive over an hour to my job where I will work all day, drive over an hour home, and hopefully get there in time to spend a few hours with her before she goes down for the night.  Just like millions of other people in America.

But it still sucks.

I started working from home weeks before Abby was even born.  The dogs don't even remember what it's like to be locked up all day long.  I can tell you exactly what time the mailman comes on both sides of the street, when to expect the school bus (and parents/children/dogs in my yard), and when the UPS and Fed Ex trucks drive by.  I know what time all of the news channels switch over to soap operas and where to find Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because I feel guilty about my baby looking at the TV (is she watching it?!).  I know what it's like to spend an entire day in my pajamas, only to change right before Joey gets home just so he thinks I did something.  I know what it's like to really do nothing all day and feel completely exhausted.

I could have never imagined what this 12 weeks would really be like.  It's not exactly a "vacation" but it kind of is.  Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's not, and sometimes I sit back and imagine that life could always be like this (if we won the lottery).  Sure, I could stay at home with Abby.  But we'd have to give up some things that I'm not ready to give up (at least not yet).  I also care about my career and I genuinely enjoy going to work and the company I work for.  I'm about to enter into the working mom guilt club that will surely haunt me for the rest of my days. It's going to be rough at first.  But just like those first couple of weeks at home with a new baby, it's going to get better.  We'll survive.

I'm lucky that Abby will be with family for a little while before we start daycare. But I'm still going to miss things.  I'm not going to be there all day to feed her, play with her, put her down for a nap, or be there when she wakes up all smiley.  I'm not going to be able to just sit there for hours and watch her explore her world and develop new skills out of nowhere.

I'm going to miss other things too like watching Good Morning America and 'Kelly and Michael'. I'm going to miss constantly yelling at the dogs to shut the *expletive* up because the baby JUST fell asleep.  I'm going to miss going to Target at 11am on a Tuesday and going through the Starbucks drive thru just because I can.  I'm going to miss taking naps together in the middle of the day and being able to screw around on the internet as much as I want.

But I'm also very grateful that we are ready for this transition. Abby and I are both healthy and ready to go out into the real world.   I knew 12 weeks ago that this day would come but it seemed so far in the distance.  But here we are. So, as we pack up our laptop and diaper bag and head to work and daycare (let's hope I don't get the two bags confused), we'll remember these good times but look forward to even more that are sure to come.  Like our upcoming Disney trip, for example ;)

~SG

Abby's First Halloween

Hello there, friends!  It sure has been a while.  I could be telling you how to use breast milk to cure pink eye or how I broke the stroller already, but instead I'm just going to share pictures from Abigail's first Halloween because it's way more fun.

I only have one week of maternity leave left.  It's a bittersweet feeling.  I'm excited to go back and continue my career, and I'm happy that we've decided to ease Abby through the transition (family will be watching her for a while before she goes to daycare), but I'm not ready to give up my special one-on-one time with my baby.

Back in August, I knew that Halloween meant that it was time to go back to work and that Abby would be almost 3 months old.  But that was so far away, right?  ....Time flies.  And it flies more when you have a new baby.  So, even though I've had some tough times, I've been making sure to soak in and enjoy every single day.  She's growing and changing and developing at an alarming rate! I can't wait to share all of her new talents at her 3 month update, coming up in less than two weeks!

Until then, check out our Halloween adventures:

Two Months!

AHH How are we back here already?  I'm guessing the shock of how many days/weeks have passed is going to be a regular thing.  I'm really, finally, starting to enjoy maternity leave.  It took me about 6 weeks to recover/get used to Abby/get into a groove.  We're just past 8 weeks and I'm finally feeling comfortable with things and really starting to enjoy each day.  Going back to work is inevitable so I'm just trying to make each day count until then!

This month, Abby met almost all of the family members on my side at my Grandmother's funeral and the surrounding events.  It was so wonderful that my Grandmother got to meet Abby and I will always remember and will share the photos and memories with Abby as she grows up. The three of us packed up and headed to PA- and Abby and I actually stayed for a few days extra while Joey flew to GA for work.   It was this trip for the funeral and all of the family events that really kicked my rear into gear.  It was the first time that I had to follow a schedule that wasn't Abby's and Joey wasn't there to help and there wasn't time to feel sorry for myself because I had clogged milk ducts (this was right when I started antibiotics for mastitis and I was terrified of getting it again).  I fed her in the church, I pumped in the car, and she slept through the church service and everyone held her and said what a good baby she was.  We survived.  And after that, I realized I can do this! And it was really empowering.

Getting a bottle from Aunt Corinne at the church.  This was the only picture I got of her complete outfit that day (-1 sock).

One of my favorite pictures so far.  Abby and my Mom.

Also this month, we took Abby to her first restaurant(s).  She was very well behaved, of course, because the moment we strap her into her carseat and put her in the car, she's out like a light.  ALSO, I finally worked up the nerve to take the stroller out with me.  I don't know why, but that was a huge deal.  I got her into Dick's Sporting Goods (to buy Joey a kayak...) and to Kohls to try on dresses.  I was terrified the whole time that she would cry, but of course, she didn't.  And nobody even looked twice at the stroller.

Our 4 year wedding anniversary was this past weekend.  We celebrated by leaving Abby with Grandma and going out to a really expensive French restaurant for dinner.  The fourth year is "flowers and fruit", so Joey got me 2 dozen humongous roses and a bottle of wine (<- counts as fruit, right??).  I deviated a bit and bought him the kayak he's been talking about since I was 39 weeks pregnant and he didn't understand why I wouldn't let him go get a kayak and play on the river in it. He had a blast paddling up and down the Potomac near our house this weekend.

Snapchat FTW

How many months? TWO Months! (Currently, 8 weeks and 5 days)

Recent Stats:  I gave you her stats in my "Just Popping In" post, and that's from 2 weeks ago.  Luckily I ordered an infant scale from Amazon. It arrived today but I don't have the right battery so I'll have to check back when I get it.  I ordered the scale because her next appointment isn't for a couple months and I want to make sure she's gaining weight.  I'm also curious to see how many ounces of milk she's taking in when I breast feed her vs. bottle.  I want to make sure we're giving her enough in her bottles.

Clothes size:  Well we're in an interesting conundrum.  Abby is long and thin, so she can still fit in (some) newborn size onesies.  The problem is the pants and footies... her legs are too long!  The 0-3 size fits the best but we don't have a lot of that.  The 3 month stuff fits her length-wise but is huge and baggy everywhere else.  I feel like we're probably not the only family in America with this issue... The onesie in the pics below is a newborn size and you can see it's a liiittle too small.

Diaper Size: 1

Breastfeeding: I gave a lengthy update a couple posts back so I'll just tell you it's more of the same.  The only issue I've been dealing with lately is a ton of blocked milk ducts, which is scary because if they don't resolve they can get infected and cause mastitis.  I know diet is a huge factor, so I'm going to focus on that and see if it helps at all.  Since Abby is no longer in my body, I've become a bit lackadaisical about eating well...

Sleeping: I'm afraid to write about it because I know as soon as I do, she'll stop sleeping through the night.  Actually last night she did wake up for a dream feed around 2:30, but for the most part she's sleeping ~7 hours at night, give or take.  I detailed our schedule in my previous post so I won't bore you with that again.

Personality: OH my goodness! Every day she is just budding.  She and I will carry on little "conversations" with her coos.  Her smiles are to die for! She is just starting to learn how to use her voice.  I've heard her laugh but I don't think it's been in response to anything- I think that's next.  I know every Mom says this but damn, my kid is cute!

One of these days she is going to wear this and like it!!!

Milestones: [*Last time I talked about 'babbling' but I really meant 'cooing'.  Babies don't really babble for a couple more months.] Tons of cooing, following us around the room with her head and eyes, lift her head up off the ground/turn it to the side, holds head up when sitting for longer periods of time, reaches out for things (such as her mobiles/hanging toys), etc.

I'm sure I forgot stuff so I'll just come back and edit the post when I remember... ;)

~SG

Our Schedule

I've never been one for routine.  I think this stems from my rebellion after spending my entire young life in a ballet studio doing the same exercises, in the same order, day after day.  I remember once in college I realized I had a shower routine (facewash, shampoo, etc) and I immediately switched it up because I didn't like it.

Here's the thing, though.  Babies need routine.  So... I bit the bullet and started working on a schedule with Abby.  I was really disappointed in how it was going until I realized that it's not going to be cut and dry. *Duh, Sarah.  I was thinking about it yesterday and while we don't stick to specific times, we do have a pretty good schedule down.  It will get even more solid once I go back to work, (and will probably get messed up a few times with each growth spurt), but here is what we're doing each day so far.

Disclaimers: Abby eats every 2.5-3 hours, so the times below will obviously change on a daily basis depending on when she ate last.  Also, I'm pumping every 3 hours but I'm not going to put that on here because that's pretty predictable. ALSO so you people don't think I'm a bad Mom I do change her diaper more than I wrote down below.  Obviously that's something you do as needed...

I realize you probably don't care about any of this but it's fun for me to write it down (hello, I make itineraries for fun) so... either read it or don't ;)

3:30AM: My day starts.  Yep.  I wake up every day, on my own, around this time because I need to pump!! Abby might be sleeping through a feeding or two, but my udders don't get that memo.  I sneak out of the bedroom and back in and hope that the creature doesn't stir.

5AM (If we are lucky. Sometimes it's more like 4/4:30): Joey's alarm goes off for work, and Abby is usually sucking on her fists, kicking her legs furiously, and making various noises.  I've been getting a bottle ready after I pump so I have one ready to give the starving animal right away!  She eats, gets a new diaper, and after some brief awake time, she'll usually go back to sleep.

Morning Nap #1: This is the early morning nap.  Takes place either upstairs in the pack n play or downstairs in the swing while Mommy has coffee and watches Jummy and Autria on ABC7...

I always put her down horizontally and I always find her like this in the morning.  She rotates 90 degrees every night.

8AMish: Abby wakes up, gets a new diaper and a bottle.  I usually get her dressed and then we have some play time since she's awake for a little while.  She's not a huge fan of tummy time but it's necessary :( We also listen to Baby Einstein music or just plain classical (we're going through the Tchaikovsky ballets...) and sometimes I even put on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because I feel guilty when I see her looking at the TV...

9AM: 'Live with Kelly and Michael' comes on.  Joey makes fun of me but I think they are hilarious and I watch it every day.

Morning Nap #2 (10/11am): 2nd morning nap.  Sometimes stretches into the noon hour depending on feeding times.

12PMish: Mom tries to find something to eat for lunch.  Thinks she really needs to get out to the grocery store.  Wonders about taking the jogger in the grocery store.  (I'm still a little gun shy about taking the stroller places... is that weird?)

1/2PMish: Abby wakes up, diaper, bottle.  More awake time, tummy time, etc.

Afternoon Activity: This is usually a walk/jog in the stroller around the neighborhood, but can also be errands or a nap for both Mommy and baby ;)

Afternoon Nap: She skips this one sometimes.  Then there are days where she just refuses to sleep at all, or days where the dogs bark too much and she wakes up.  Anyway, this one doesn't really have a time range.  After noon, our schedule gets a little wonky.

4:30PMish: Joey gets home from work, turns on Castle, and starts planning dinner (yep... he's still cooking.  I am a horrible housewife and I can't lie to you guys.)

5PMish: Abby wakes up/diaper/bottle.  Awake time with Daddy :)

Evening Nap: This one may or may not happen as well.  It can stretch into the 7 o'clock hour which always scares me because then I'm afraid she won't sleep at night.

[Wednesdays and Saturdays (or Sundays) are bath nights.  Abby isn't very stinky, so we only bathe her twice per week.  She LOVES the bath.  I use a space heater to warm up the room, get the water to the perfect temperature, and she will just chill in her little tub.  After bath, I put on that magical lavender lotion and she's usually out like a light shortly thereafter.]

8/9PMish: We get changed for bed, diaper, and one last bottle.  If she ate earlier in the evening, I will nurse her around 9 to get her to calm down/get some more food in her tummy.  All babies have fussy time and Abby's is at 8pm.  Walking around with her or nursing her usually does the trick.

She's a pretty smart baby (or at least smarter than I expected!) and sometimes we have to turn off the TV and I have to actually put my phone down and roll over before she goes to sleep.  And forget it if I'm not laying down in bed next to her PnP.  Moving her to her bedroom should be fun........ I said I would do it in October but I'm not ready yet.

Abby is usually asleep by 10 and then she will sleep through the night.  I know.  I'm an asshole.  I'm just enjoying it while it lasts.  I'm not stupid enough to think that it will.

I pump for the last time after she's asleep, get the dishwasher going and finish up whatever else I'm doing and then I'm in bed too.

It doesn't seem like much but it's actually exhausting.  I'm able to keep the house clean and laundry/dishes done, but that's about it.  On days where we have doctor's appointments or other outings, our schedule gets thrown off but Abby is pretty good at getting back on.

She's what we call a "Trap Baby".  Special thanks to my bro and SIL for the term.  Basically means that she's so good that we assume that we are either a) awesome parents or b) that all babies are like this.  So inevitably we'll decide to have more babies assuming they will all be like her.  Except they won't.

OK I gotta go because the creature is stirring.  Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary, Abby is turning 2 months old in 3 days, and I go back to work in 4 weeks :( .  Hold me!!!

~SG

Bonus pic of the baben... in case you read all of that.

Breastfeeding Update and Professional Newborn Photos

---More about nipples than you probably care to read.  But, my blog, my rules.---

---I wrote this post about 2 weeks ago.  Since then, things have gotten much better.  But I'm going to leave it the way it was written because I want to remember the good AND the bad.  And maybe I'll help someone else while I'm at it.  I'll pop in again at the end. ---

I knew I was going to have trouble with SOMETHING.  You don't just get an easy pregnancy and delivery.  That's not how it works.  After my smooth pregnancy, I was so focused on my labor/delivery (that was SURE to be the trouble spot) that I did not really think about what our new life was going to be like. Thankfully, Abby is a very good baby.  She is easy to care for.  What I did not realize, even though I researched it to death, was that breastfeeding would be a challenge for us.

While meeting with the lactation consultants at the hospital, they told me Abby had a tongue tie making it difficult for her to suck correctly.  This was initially not a problem, because my milk supply was (still is) so good that she was getting plenty to eat, regardless of the fact that she wasn't doing it properly.  However, after 2 weeks of breastfeeding, my nipples were so raw I was dreading every feeding and ready to quit.  We got the go ahead from our pediatrician to start with pumping and bottles which was a huge relief.  I also knew I needed to work on her latch, because the improper latch (caused by her tongue tie) is what causes the pain.  I started working on her latch at each feeding and it was getting a little better, very slowly.  I had good days and bad days.  Some very bad days.  I tried every product on the market. Lanolin (I have been through so many tubes of this), gel pads, air exposure, other random Lansinoh products, etc.

As I mentioned previously, we traveled to PA on short notice so that my Grandmother could meet Abby. I ended up breastfeeding at rest stops sitting in the car and other unusual places.  Therefore, I wasn't paying attention to Abby's latch or my positioning.  When we got back from that trip, I was in excruciating pain.  That night, my pain was so bad that I wondered why I was doing this to myself. So I decided to take a 24 hour break and pump exclusively.  I also wondered if I didn't have a yeast infection (Thrush) and made an appointment to visit my doctor the next day.  [Note: He basically took one look at me, rolled his eyes, and told me that sore nipples were normal and to use lanolin and breast shields.  Thanks.]

Pumping exclusively was really difficult at first-  It is hard to figure out where to fit the pumping in between feeding the baby, and what to do with the baby because she's crying while I'm pumping. It was stressful and the stress was causing my milk supply to go down!  Cue more stress!  That night, Joey encouraged me to contact another lactation consultant.  One that would come to the house and help us.  I know I've said it a million times but his support is what has really kept me from just quitting everything and giving her formula (not that there is anything wrong with that!!!!!!!).

After giving myself a day off, I was SO PLEASED to see that Abby picked breastfeeding back up.  Thank goodness for an easy going and versatile baby.  I also felt much better.  I made sure to focus on the latch each time and I felt like it was getting better.

By the time of the appointment with the lactation consultant, I was starting to get sore again.  She came to the house and examined me and Abby.  She said I have perfect nipples for breastfeeding (yay?) but what I wasn't prepared for was that she showed me Abby's tongue tie and explained that if we don't fix it, I'm not going to be able to continue because of pain.  Originally we didn't want to clip it.  Why would we do something that would hurt her?

I was still trying to come to terms with the idea of clipping the tongue tie when I woke up after a horrible night feeling achy all over with a 101 degree fever. What was the matter? You guessed it: mastitis.  Kick me while I'm down, why doncha?! So, now I had an infection in my breast that was painful and had me paranoid about emptying it and clogged ducts and everything else, along with making sure my daughter was getting enough to eat.  My stress was through the roof but I decided to tackle it one feeding at a time.  I continued pumping and bottle feeding and that's where we are today.

--- Fast forward a couple of weeks and I no longer feel guilty about pumping and giving her bottles. I realize now that was a big issue for me and that was what was upsetting me.  Everything you read says "BREAST IS BEST" but that doesn't matter.  What matters is what works for you and your baby.  That is something I was missing, but I am so glad that I understand now.  If we have to give her bottles, or formula, or milk from a cow named Bessie, we're doing what's best for us and she's healthy and I'm not psycho and therefore we are in a good place.  

We are doing great with bottles and SOME breastfeeding.  Usually 1-2 times per day, other than that- bottles.  She's still getting exclusive breast milk.  My supply is off the charts and I'm getting a ton into the freezer which is great for when I go back to work!  I am putting off calling the ENT doctor about the tongue tie but it is something I have to do.  I want to make sure it isn't going to cause her other issues (like with speech, for example). 

I'll be sure to check back in on this subject in another month or so.  Thanks for following along on my journey :) ---

OH and since you read that whole thing, here are some favorites from Abby's 2 week photo shoot with the photographer:

She already looks huge to me compared to this :-/

Those eyes :-D

We're going to have to redo the Mickey hat pics.... it was too big!

This wasn't a posed photo.  Poor thing was a little overwhelmed. (Confession: so was I.)

Future Masonette in her tutu from my Coaches

Obligatory (but oh so cute) ring pic

Sweet Daddy kisses

Our family

<3