Pippin @ 1 Month

Hey Humble Readers...

Beautifu Boy!

 It is a well-understood truth that in the midst of chaos there is beauty to be found.  And in the midst of the chaos that is swirling around my extended family just now, I am happy to take some time and celebrate the fact that our wee little mister has been with us for a full month. 

Ginny & Pippin

 I know that I should be used to this by now... time just flies!  How has it been a month already???

This was his most common position when he was brand new,
 hand covering his face.

 Pippin has grown so much!  He's almost outgrown most of his newborn clothes already.  It's difficult to accept that some of the sleepers that I have saved from Ginny's babyhood have now been used by our little man and he's done with them already.  Of course, his 0-3 month wardrobe is still pretty big on him.  And don't get me started on the 6 month clothes in his dresser.

Oh man, that big sister of mine is getting close!

 He's super strong already.  When he's laying on my chest, he can lift his head and look all around.  And when he's doing tummy-time on the floor he can pick up his head for several seconds and look around. 

Tummy-time today

 Pip's finally gotten his days and nights reoriented.  He sleeps in two hour stretches during the day, and three to four hour stretches at night.  He has given me a couple of five hour nights, but I'm not expecting that to be the norm anytime soon. 

Itty-bitty toes

 His eyelashes are starting to come in, and I think he's going to have brown eyes like his daddy.

I'm watchin' you Mummy!

 As I mentioned last week, Pip is still having issues with staying awake while he eats, particularly when I use our tommee tippee bottles.  Perhaps they're too much like the breast?  Even with his laziness, he still manages to take in quite a bit of food. 

Little snuggle bunny

He's stingy with burps, but man oh man can this kid fart!  It's like a machine gun.  Pippin's fussiest time of day is still in the late afternoon and evening, but really he is a very content little guy.  He's started to enjoy his bath, but hates being taken out of the water. 

Hanging out on the floor with Daddy

 He's starting to be awake for longer stretches at a time, and he's beginning to 'uncurl' his arms and legs.  Sometimes when he's sleeping during the day (when he's not swaddled) he'll stretch his arms over his head like he's saying "I'm the champ!".

First time doing tummy-time

Like all babies, he loves staring at faces... something that Ginny finds fascinating.  And like all babies, he doesn't blink a lot, and he doesn't have the 'blink button' that Ginny had (when I wanted her to blink, I would tap my finger between her eyebrows).  Also, like Ginny, Pip has a lot of dry skin.  I'm hoping it doesn't develop into eczema like it did for our wee girl. 

Big beautiful eyes

Life with our little mister is an adventure every day, and I'm loving every second of it!

*****
Nonsequitor of the day:  Watching the musical 'Rent' on network television in the middle of the afternoon is actually kind of hilarious.  So much was cut due to content that, if it was your first time watching it, you wouldn't be able to follow the story.  It also really messed with me singing along... hello!  La Vie Boehme?  I think they cut half the song!  LOL

Prayer Request

Humble Readers...

I don't even know how to write this.

My Mom called early this morning to tell me that she and my Dad are separating. 

The details are all too much for me to go into right now, but be assured that I am flabbergasted beyond belief.  I'm angry.  I'm ill.  I'm heartbroken. 

(All of the above is a gross understatement of what's going through my heart and mind right now.)

I never would have expected this in a million years.

Tuckered Out

Hey there Humble Readers...

Tuckered out seems to be my constant state of being these days. 

Pippin has hit his 4 week growth spurt a couple days ahead of schedule, so I'm not getting a lot of sleep these days. The other night he was awake every hour and a half or so. Add in the fact that in less than a week Ginny has cut four teeth.  It's been challenging, to say the least. 

Breastfeeding is not happening, at least not in the traditional sense.  Pip is still getting close to 50% breastmilk and 50% formula.  I'm pumping every three to four hours (usually 15 minutes a side), and he's getting every drop I have to give him. 

Pumping and exclusivly bottle-feeding was not what I had planned, of course.  Our little man started out so well at the breast, that I had high hopes, but the effects of the jaundice combined with the realities of my life with a newborn and a toddler brought a different reality. 

With the jaundice, Pip became an incredibly lazy eater... a trait that has still lingered, even though I have tried every trick under the sun to keep him awake.  He simply eats a little, and then dozes off, only to wake up 5 or 10 or 15 minutes later ready for more.  He even does this with the bottle. 

Struggling to keep him awake to eat, then ultimately bottle feeding, and then having to pump meant that every feeding was taking an hour and a half.  This routine was completly impractical, and honestly impossible to maintain.  Something had to give. 

That something was breastfeeding. 

I know that he's still really young and we may yet be able to get him onto the breast.  I still try once a day.  I am hoping that perhaps this growth spurt and his increased appetite might prove helpful in this regard. 

I also know that a nursing baby will get more and better milk at the breast, than what a pump can draw out.  It was a choice I had to make. 

I'm trying to keep the feelings of having copped out at bay.  I'm constantly reminding myself that Pippin is growing like a weed, and he isn't hurting for food.  I'm also working hard to remember that I'm providing half of his dietary needs without medications or supplements, and that is such a huge improvement over what I was able to provide Ginny. 

I don't know how long the pumping and supplementing will last.  Ideally, I'll be able to get him on the breast and have him stay awake.  But if that doesn't happen relatively soon, I'll have to take a hard look at how long I can continue pumping.  The pump rental is expensive, not to mention that it's still taking a long time for each feeding/pumping session, even without actually breast feeding.  I'm tentatively looking at our 6 week doctor appointments as a possible weaning point, but we'll see. 

Both wee ones are sleeping just now, so I'm going to try to catch a few zzz's myself.  I hope you all are keeping well.

The Stroller Saga

Howdy Humble Readers...

I hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was productive and enjoyable, for the most part
Things didn't get off to a great start on Friday, as Ginny's teething kicked into high gear and she cut three teeth in one day.  Believe me, she was a mess...  But we are on our way to finally being done with the heavy lifting of teething.  Two more canines and one more molar, and all the basics will be in, thank heaven!

Saturday dawned cloudy, but not cold, and after a breakfast of sausage mc.muf.fins (which I discovered I no longer enjoy) and iced coffee, we managed to get the four of us out the door and off to the farmer's market.  The market itself wasn't all that spectacular, as it's still very early in the growing season here.  I picked up a bag of potatoes from a local Hutterite colony, a very disappointing cherry pie from a local baker, and a handmade necktie for Pippin to wear for his photoshoot in a couple of weeks.  

The big thing we learned by going to the farmer's market yesterday... our current stroller situation sucks!  (I already knew this, but it was driven home hard.) 

Having to haul two strollers in our car (a prius), even when one of them is a crappy umbrella stroller is inconvenient, and the aforementioned umbrella stroller is simply not good for day to day use.  It's place is on nice smooth floors, like those in an airport or a mall.  Not rough terrain like sidewalks, walking trails, or apparently parking lots like where the farmer's market was set up. 

And beyond all that, how in the world am I supposed to get out of this house with two under two without a good double stroller? 

I had, several months ago, strongly hinted to both sides of our family, that in lieu of clothing/blanket gifts for our new little one, we would greatly appreciate contributions to our stroller fund.  I was hoping possibly get enough to pay for a good chunk of this beautiful little gem. 

Baby Jogger City Select

I love it because it converts from a single to double easily and it steers like a dream.  It's got awesome variety in configurations.  It also folds up fairly small... for a double anyway.  The downside... it's bloody expensive.  And when I say bloody expensive, I mean slasher-flick bloody.

Of course, our families are of the general opinion that I'm either wasteful or just deluded.  My MIL called the week after I talked with her about this situation and offered to buy us a $15 thrift store double stroller.  I have nothing against buying used things.  I like it actually, because it saves us money on things that the kids will outgrow quicker than I can blink. 

But a stroller?  I have spent hours researching customer reviews, dimensions, safety recalls.  I have tried out brand after brand, evaluating how they turn, how easy they are to fold, and if I could lift them by myself up and down our staircase (our condo is a second floor walk up... not a big deal unless you've got a baby, a toddler, and a stroller to wrangle). 

I think that money spent on a stroller that will get used, and save me time and aggravation is money well spent.  Just as I think spending $15 on a stroller that I will hate and ultimately never use is money wasted. 

So, what's the point of all this venting of my spleen? 

We have ordered our new stroller. 

Graco Quattro Tour Duo - Ours is a different colour.

I'm hoping and praying that it will do the job.  Everything I could find online was fairly positive.  It was in the top ten of every list I could find, and was the most reasonably priced.  It's still another large hit to our budget, but we needed something. 

It should arrive later this week.  I'll keep you all posted.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: This, That & The Other

Hey Humble Readers...

As promised, this here is a post that has absolutely nothing to do with mummy-hood, babies, breastfeeding, or sleep schedules.  Instead you're going to get a bunch of the randomness that's been going through my head over the last couple of weeks.

*****
I'm hoping to resurrect the Foodie Friday posts again sometime soon.  I haven't been doing a whole lot of scratch cooking lately, but I did make the most incredible pork roast last weekend.  Of course, I didn't think to take any pics of it, but it was beautiful and it tasted heavenly.  And it was super easy... salt & pepper a pork loin roast and roast in a hot oven (425F) for about a half hour.  Remove from oven, and lower oven temp to 350F.  Spread grainy dijon mustard over the whole roast.  Press a generous amount of brown sugar into mustard (all over) and return to oven, until a meat thermometer reads 165F (it took about an hour).  Baste with drippings often.  Don't forget to allow the roast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.  Drizzle with drippings when serving. 

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I have confessed here before that I watch way too much tv.  But I have to say, the thing that could cure me of the habit is this summer's line-up of trashy reality tv.  The commercials are actually making me kind of sick with all the pseudo-match-making shows and Gor.don Ram.say crap (and you all know I LOVE cooking shows... I just can't stand him!).  Why can't they just run re-runs?  The joys of having ultra limited cable.

*****
Am I the only person who is intrigued by Snow White & The Huntsman?  Or at least, I am until I remember that Kri.sten Ste.wart is playing the lead.  The trailer looks great, I'm just not sure that I could handle a couple hours of her acting.  I also really want to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Rock of Ages, The Dark Knight Rises, and the Odd Life of Timothy Green.  What's on your must see list for summer movies?

*****
I'm getting that urge to re-read Harry Potter again.  It's totally a summer thing.  As soon as the weather turns warm, I want to delve into the world of wizards and muggles.  It's kind of like the urge I get in the fall to read Tolkien.  I'm happy to say that I am experiencing a bit of an increase in my interest and ability to read again.  All through last fall and winter, I didn't have the focus to read more than a couple pages at a time.  I actually ordered a new book the other day, and I also finished reading a book written by a friend that I'm hoping to review for you all soon. 

*****
You know you're anal retentive when you spend a couple of hours reorganizing one of your pin boards on Pinterest.  I had a sort of catch-all board that had a lot of miscellaneous things in it that had gotten a little out of hand.  So last night, I went through the whole thing and made a couple of new boards.  I really am an addict.  Oh, and while I'm discussing Pinterest can I vent a serious pet peeve?  It drives me crazy when people pin pictures of food/recipes and just put "Yum" or "I must make this soon" in the comment section.  Dang it, tell me what it is!  LOL.

*****
Well, I'm fading here.  I'm going to try to catch a bit of a nap while it's quiet in the hobbit hole.  Do you have any fantastic plans for the weekend?  We're going to the farmer's market tomorrow, and I'm planning on doing the grocery shopping ALL BY MYSELF!  I'm super stoked to get an hour or so just to be out on my own.