Back to Work

I have about 20 minutes to update during the kid's nap time at work. I just realized that I can bring in my laptop to work since they have wireless!! Hopefully I will be able to use this time to update my blog. I have been very busy since starting work. I feel like I never have enough time in the day. By the time I get home, I want to spend time with DJ and the computer is the last thing on my mind. I take the later lunch so as long as I get my work done while the kids are napping, I should have my lunch to be able to do some computer time!

Work was tough the first week because I just wanted to be with DJ most of the time. Plus getting to know all the people working here was a little tough. Some of the girls were a little clicky at first so that was hard getting to know them. But I absolutely love all the people I work with now that we have gotten to know each other. The kids and parents in my room are great too. Even though I would much rather be at home with DJ, this was a good decision coming to work here! DJ just started coming with me today which will be great cause I'll be able to give him hugs and kisses all day! My mom has been out visiting for the last 3 weeks so she has kept him at home to spend time with him. It was great for us to save money too. I am definitely looking forward to him coming with me again though. I have missed him like crazy. I can fully understand why parents stay at home with their children, especially when they are this young. I feel like I miss so much sometimes. But you got to do what you got to do.

Another exciting news, we are renting a nice 4 bedroom house up in Oceanside which means we are moving again. We actually moved all of our stuff this weekend. So you can imagine what a busy weekend we had. Dave and I are both very excited though cause it's a house with a yard for DJ to have plenty of room to grow and play. This is also going to help us get out of debt some so we can eventually buy a house in the next year or 2. We pretty much have decided to stay in California for as long as we can. How couldn't you want sunny, warm weather all year round? My brother still needs some help so he is going to move in with us as well. That will be nice because Dave is going back to a sub in Aug and supposed to deploy sometime in the next year. It will be nice to have my brother around so we aren't all alone. I will try to post pictures once we are all unpacked in and settled.

DJ is doing great. He cut his first tooth 2 weeks ago on Sunday!! He has been a little more cranky but nothing like I thought he could be. He pretty much has been wanting to sleep more and when he's awake take his pacifier. I have to admit that we are very lucky parents with him. He's such a great boy! He is also sitting up on his own for long periods of time. As long as we put toys around him, he'll sit and play for awhile. He's such a people person though so I can't wait to see how he does with the other babies in the room. He's probably going to learn so much just from watching them. I just hope he doesn't turn into a cranky baby cause there are some needy ones in the infant room. I'm also going to start cooking him vegetables to try feeding him. He's been doing great with the rice cereal and we can tell he's ready for more people food. I am using tonight to cook up peas and carrots to try. I will update how that goes once we try it and I have some time. Other than that, he's doing great! I love him to death and am such a happy mommy!!

Well I better get back to the kids since one is starting to wake up.

Mother's Day

I had such a wonderful first Mother's Day. Dave wouldn't let me do anything so he gave me the whole day to do what I wanted!!! I did get to sleep in a little, but then wanted to spend some time with my men. When DJ went down for his nap I went to the gym for a little workout. Dave cooked me lunch and had bought a Coldstone ice cream cake (peanut butter and chocolate, my favorite!) that we had a slice of. I used some of my time to craft and get ready for my upcoming workshop. I couldn't help myself to do DJ's laundry. With him going with me on Tuesday to daycare, I needed to do his sheets. The rest of the day was hanging and enjoying the night with my two favorite men. My husband was the best today and I look forward to next year!!

Here's a picture of us cuddling on the couch for Mother's Day!!

5 Months Old!

DJ turned 5 months old on Sunday!! I cannot believe how quickly he is growing. I swear he does something different everyday. He has been doing great with the rice cereal. He pretty much finishes the bowl every time now. I am still only feeding him once a day. I swear he knows that it's feeding time too. I sit him in his bouncy chair, put on his bib and as soon as I get the spoon out of the bowl, he opens his mouth with excitement. He opens his mouth every time I bring up the spoon with the cereal. It's crazy how quickly he learned that. We are still feeding him 6oz of formula along with once a day for cereal. Here is a video and some pictures from his first feeding that I haven't posted yet.

I have been taking pictures of DJ every time he turns another month old. I found an idea to take it with a stuffed animal so you see how big he has grown since he was born. Here are a few of those pictures.

He has gotten so good at grabbing things with his hands and trying to play with everything. He absolutely loves his feet and can play with those for hours. He is really starting to sit up on his own. He still flops down after a few minutes though. He is making more and more sounds. I think he repeats when I say hi to him. He just started making this stink face yesterday. Dave and I think he makes the face whenever he his breathing through his nose. Not sure where it came from but I laugh every time he does it, which is pretty often. Hopefully I can get him doing it on tape cause it's great!

This has been a long week of work for Dave so we're not sure about plans for the weekend yet. We also have my mom and his Aunt, Uncle, and 2 cousins flying in next week. We will definitely be taking some time to relax and also make sure the house is ready for visitors.

First Rice Cereal Attempt!

We had DJ's 4 month checkup on Wednesday. He weighs 12lbs 10oz which is 10%. He is 25 inches long which is 50-75%. He was supposed to get shots, but he ended up having an infection in his eyes so we rescheduled for this upcoming Wednesday. The doctor recommended starting rice cereal once we notice DJ was feeling better. I couldn't believe it!! How quickly he is growing up already.

We were going to try Saturday, but hadn't washed up his bowls and spoons we bought Friday night. We decided to try Sunday morning. After his bottle we let him play for about an hour. We sat him in his bumpy chair to feed him. Pretty much the whole time, I could tell he wasn't sure about it. He ate a few spoonfuls then didn't want anymore. Every time I put the spoon near his mouth, he would grab it with his hands then want to chew on the spoon. He kept making faces like he didn't like it once he got a taste of the cereal. It was so cute though. We have some great pictures of his milk mustache! I will try to post pictures later but wanted to make sure I posted this while I was working on my blog!

Much Needed Update About Pittsburgh Trip

Well, I'm finally forcing myself to sit down and write something to update anyone who even reads this. I think I blog more for myself to remember everything that is happening in our lives. It's my little public diary I guess!

Anyway, our trip to Pittsburgh was the best. We flew out Tuesday March 9th at 8 am. We were both a little scared having a flight that early because that meant we needed to be at the airport by 6 am. Since this was our first time flying with DJ and all of his baby stuff, we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get through security. We weren't sure how DJ would react to waking and eating that early in the morning. He did great though. He went right back to sleep on the drive to the airport. Luckily the airport wasn't very busy so it didn't take us long to get through security. Plus there were no problems with our stuff which made it even easier. Once on the airplane, DJ did even better than we thought. We fed him at take off to keep him on his 3 hour feeding schedule and to help with his ears. He played for a little then fell asleep pretty easily. We landed in Minneapolis and had a 2 hour layover where we were able to feed DJ. Once on the plane, DJ feel asleep and slept almost the whole flight. He started getting fussy right before landing so I made a bottle and Dave fed him during landing. He did so great which started our trip out on good terms.

That night we just hung at my parents house. Wednesday was spent at Dave's moms. DJ got to meet his Pap, Great Grandma, 2nd cousin Danny and his daughter Kennadi. It was so cute to see them together. DJ LOVED watching her play. Kennadi gave DJ kisses before they left which was just adorable. Thursday we went up to my Grandparent's house in Erie. It was such a great day seeing DJ with his Great Grandpa. I could tell that it brought my Grandpa such joy being able to hold and play with DJ. This is truly his first great grandchild. He has some, but only through marriage. I was the first grandchild to have their own baby. It was bittersweet though since my Grandma isn't around anymore. I can see how much my Grandpa is still hurting about her death.

Friday my friend Katie came over before Dave was going to spend the day at his mom's house. It was so great to see Katie again. This was the first time since giving birth that we have really gotten to sit down and talk. I was holding a workshop at one of Cori's friends house so I spent the afternoon getting ready. That night was a VERY successful workshop with everyone ordering at least one product! Unfortunately Dave had a tough night with DJ. He didn't react well to seeing new people and not having me around. Dave and I were supposed to go out and celebrate St. Patrick's day in Pittsburgh together, leaving DJ with my mom to babysit. But with DJ acting that way, I didn't want to leave him. So I sent Dave out to meet up with some of his family while I stayed home. I was a little disappointed but that's what being a mom is all about. I will sacrifice anything for my son. DJ seemed to be feeling much better after spending some time just chilling.

Sunday we went about an hour away to Johnstown where his sister is living. We stayed there until Thursday. That visit was really nice. It was not stressful and we felt very much at home. Dave's sister gave birth to Parker in February so it was great meeting and introducing DJ to him. We had such a great time with our nieces too. Dave's sister is engaged to a guy who has a son and daughter as well. That was nice to finally get to meet him and his kids. They definitely have their hands full though! That mini trip was probably the best part of our whole vacation.

Friday we drove back up to Erie to spend more time with my Grandpa. We visited my Grandma's grave. That was very emotional, but I'm glad we saw it. I think I needed a little closer. Saturday was spent with my Dad's side of the family. We had a family reunion that everyone could attend. My dad is the oldest of 7 so we have a pretty big side of his family. We haven't all been able to get together in forever. That was a great experience for DJ to meet all of his family too. I'm glad they planned that. Sunday we hung at my mom's. Monday was spent at Dave's mom's with some of his family. Then Tuesday we flew out. DJ did great on that flight as well. I am so glad we were able to get home to see everyone. It was a great trip and wonderful hanging with all of our family!!

Away

I am finally back from our trip back east and have settled back into our routine. I will try to get some time to update you on the trip. We had a wonderful time with both of our family. I am working on getting things ready for my Cards for Troops workshop this weekend so a new post might not be until later. I will try my hardest though!

It's Been Too Long

I just realized that it's been over 2 1/2 weeks since my last post. Where does time go sometimes? The problem I'm having is that I'm writing 2 blogs; this personal one and my business one. If you haven't seen it, check it out and follow me please! I have been trying to get my business up and running so I'm putting in more time with that. I am going to try to stop neglecting my followers to this blog and update more often.

Well since my last post I went to the demonstrator meeting and met some wonderful ladies. This is another reason I am really looking forward to this business opportunity. Being a military wife requires us to move around and lose those great friends we meet while stationed there. I'm hoping this will help me meet some great friends where ever we go! I had the best time at the meeting and I got to use our great products that we sell. They are meeting again March 9th, but that's when we fly to Pittsburgh so I'm a little disappointed I'm going to miss it. If you want to see the projects we made, check my other blog.

In my last post I talked about joining some meet up groups out here. Well, I haven't been able to attend any of the get togethers yet. I am going to try to go to one with other moms of infants and toddlers next Wednesday. That's DJ's appointment but I should have enough time to do both. At least I'm hoping cause it would be great to mingle with other adults. It's been awhile since I've had that now that I'm not working.

DJ turned 3 months yesterday and I cannot believe it! He has changed sooo much too.

He discovered his hands last week and spends most of the time staring at them. He usually keeps is right fist next to his face and extends his left fist in front of his face to look at.

He is also discovering that he can grasp things and make them move when he pushes on them. He is also getting really good at holding his head up when he's on his belly.

I saw him flip over on his own on Tuesday, but it was by complete accident and it scared him to death. It happened so fast, I don't think he even realized what he did.

I had another bad case of it hurting when he was breastfeeding. I went to the doctor Feb. 12. She diagnosed me with thrush, which is yeast on the breast. I was prescribed a cream to apply 4 times a day and an oral med for DJ to take 4 times as well. I continued to breastfeed over the weekend and it was not getting any better. When the doctor called Tuesday to check up on me, she recommended me getting in to see the breastfeeding consultant. They weren't able to get me in until Thursday. (that's another post that I could complain about the military) The lady was great though and thinks it's either thrush, an allergic reaction or worst case breast cancer. She prescribed me with an anti fungal to take for 2 weeks. I also got my blood drawn to check my liver. It's been a week and things seem to be clearing up. I go back to see the doctor next Thursday so hopefully things are all better by then and it's nothing more serious.

But since all of this happened, Dave and I decided to put him on some formula. Over the weekend, DJ wasn't eating very much at all. I think my milk was being affected. We also weren't comfortable giving him the medicine for himself 4 times a day. I didn't want to keep breastfeeding with all that was going on with me. We decided to just pump and give him formula when there wasn't enough breast milk. Since then, DJ has been doing great. He drinks from a bottle with no problem. It has made life a lot easier for us too. I can completely understand why people chose formula over breastfeeding. I am glad that I did it as long as I did. I am a little disappointed the way I had to stop. I just think this is the best thing for us though. I'm still pumping so he's still getting the benefits of the breast milk. I'm just not putting him to my breast anymore. I didn't want to be in pain anymore.

What's crazy is the way his poop has changed since drinking formula. What a different color, texture and smell. His farts can stink up a whole room too. Yuck and I'm not going to say anything more!

My mom is out for the next 2 weeks. She leaves March 6th and we fly home to Pittsburgh March 9th. She is going to have a lot of time with DJ. She loves it of course. We are loving it too because Dave and I actually have a babysitter to go have a date night. We are both very excited about that! My brother and sister are happy too because they want to take us drinking one night too! I have a feeling this weekend is going to be trouble! :)

Sunday I am having our first party to introduce some of my girlfriends to my supplies. I am soooo excited to see the girls and show them what I have to offer. If you want to see the projects we are making, check my other blog. I am hoping to have pictures up today.

Super Bowl Weekend

The rest of the week was spent hanging as a family. DJ had a slight fever Thursday and Friday from his shots so we didn't want to do much. He really wasn't cranky but we still wanted to take it easy. We watched a bunch of movies. We have Netflix and haven't been using it much since DJ's been born. I finally got motivated to redo our queue with the new releases we wanted to see. Most of the movies we had seen on TV. Friday we watched Adventureland. This movie is based in Pittsburgh at our theme park Kennywood. It was an ok movie, just neat to see a place we went to every summer growing up. Saturday we watched the new Indiana Jones and Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Both were good. Benjamin Button movie was just a neat concept, a little slow at times though. I am ordering chick flicks for this upcoming week, so hopefully Dave doesn't mind. :)

Friday we got lots of rain. Dave had a surprised planned Saturday but since it was still raining he didn't want to do it. He wouldn't tell me because he wants to do it another weekend. Since the rain stopped somewhat in the afternoon, we drove down to the outlets. Dave needed some new shoes and jeans. I didn't mind at all because I LOVE the outlets. We were also looking for warm, winter clothes for DJ for when we fly to Pittsburgh in March. I ended up finding a pair of jeans for myself. I have been trying not to buy anything until I lose this baby weight. The problem is I'm in a weird stage right now. Neither my pregnancy or before baby stuff fits very well. I hated buying the jeans because I don't want to stay at this weight, but I need something I can wear when I do go out. Dave found a pair of shoes but no jeans. We found a few pants for DJ. He's just so skinny that most of the clothes are too big for him. He's also tall so we have to put him in a bigger size which makes them too big. There were a bunch of things at the Carter outlet but Dave wanted to check the other stores first. It started down pouring so we didn't get a chance to go back to Carter's. Luckily my mom wants to go down when she comes out at the end of February, so hopefully they still have some of their winter stuff left.

Today was the Super Bowl. DJ woke up with a slight fever so we didn't do anything for it. I did get a chance to run out and get my eye brows waxed. I needed to get them done sooo bad. They haven't been waxed since November, so they were out of control. I feel so much better now that they are waxed! I also need my haircut, but I'm going to wait until we go home to Pittsburgh. I want to grow my hair out and I have a stylist who I feel confident will give me a cute haircut to allow me to start growing it.
I was very happy to see the Saints win. I think they deserved to win. I never thought I would be happy for another team winning the Super Bowl when it's not the Steelers. We had some delicious nachos and some desserts. It was nice having an excuse to eat junk! Back to taking our walk everyday tomorrow.

I received my starter kit for my company on Friday. I have been going through all of the supplies and organizing everything. I am hosting a party Feb. 28 where the guests are going to make a card. I'm still trying to figure out what that will be. I am going to a demonstrator meeting on Wednesday night. I'm going to participate in the card swap so I will have some great ideas after then. I am really looking forward to meeting local demonstrators and to hear how to grow my business some more. I just ordered business cards, address labels and a few other things to help with my business. I have also begun joining some local groups on this website meetup.com. They are local crafting groups that I'm hoping I will meet others who want to learn some new techniques from me and hopefully order supplies. I'm debating on making my own group but there's a monthly fee that I'm not sure is going to be worth paying. There's a money back guarantee after your first month if it doesn't work. I might try it just to see. I can also write it off on my taxes next year so we'll see. If I do make a group, I will post the name so you can join if you are interested.

I don't have much planned for this week. I plan on taking DJ for a walk everyday. Wednesday night I will get some time for myself when I go to that meeting. I am definitely looking forward to that! I hope to get some crafting done this week as well. I need to start using my new supplies. Check my other blog this week for pictures and updates about what I do with my company. Have a great week everyone!

2 Month Check Up

DJ had his 2 month check up yesterday. His height is 23in, which is 50%. His weight is 8lbs 12oz which is 5%. The doctor is a little concerned about his weight since it is pretty low. She said it's good that he's grown cause that would make his low weight even more of a concern. We have to go back in a month to check his weight again. If she isn't happy with the amount, he's going to have to get blood work done. So I'm hoping we don't have to go through any of that. I am going to be making a conscience effort to feed him as many times throughout the day that I can. He's normal day schedule is eating every 3 hours. He's been sleeping through the night after his late night feeding. His last feeding has been usually between 11 and 12 and then he will sleep until between 7 and 8. I'm going to be getting him up at 7 and his last feeding will be between 12 and 1 now. This will allow him an extra feeding each day. Hopefully that will help his weight.

The rest of his check up went great. The doc said he's looking good. It was his first batch of shots. I know I was definitely not looking forward to this. He had to swallow one. The nurse said it was like sugar water. He did fine with that. Next came the needles. Dave held his legs while I held his upper body. The first one he started crying but not an ear piercing cry like I thought. The nurse was great and did the shots really quick. I didn't watch because I didn't want to jump while I was holding him. He only cried while the shots were given to him. I was soooo happy and impressed. The rest of the day he was a little tired and had a slight fever but he was still his normal, happy self. That makes me feel so much better because he gets shots every time we go for the next couple of appointments. I won't be as nervous taking him for his 4 month check up and shots.

We have been so lucky with DJ. I hope everything continues to go as well.

Stampin Up Website

Here is my personal website for Stampin Up. You can use this site to order any supplies that you might want or need. Enjoy looking at all of the great products!

http://brittnysmith.stampinup.net

New Job!!

Well I took the leap and am starting my own business. I am becoming a Stampin Up demonstrator. It's an online store who sells paper-crafting supplies. I will be able to host workshops to teach with their supplies. At these workshops people will be able to purchase the supplies. Since I love scrapbooking and teaching, this was a perfect opportunity. I'm looking forward to doing something everyday that I absolutely love. I hope I will be able to find a group of people who want to come craft at my workshops and buy lots of stuff. I am looking to start with at least one workshop a month. These workshops will most likely be themed based and will make cards, scrapbook pages and different projects. If you read this and would like more information, please post, email or call. I am also going to be starting a different blog that will track my progress and projects. I want to make it public so anyone can read. I want to keep this one private since I have so much about me and my family. I'm hoping the blog builds some of my business as well. When I have that established I will post the url so you can follow me. I am really looking forward to beginning this new adventure. I am awaiting my starter kit this week. Once I have that I am going to meet with another demonstrator so she can help me get started. I cannot wait!!!

Here is my other blog so starting following me!
http://papercraftingdemonstrator.blogspot.com/

7 Weeks

Last week was a very exciting week for us. D.J started smiling nonstop!! It truly is the cutest thing every time he does it. He's started making all kinds of noises too. He does it a lot when we copy him, he tries to copy us back. He also seems to make noises whenever we aren't paying him any attention. It's funny how he's learned some of these things already. He's soothing himself more and more with his hands. He pretty much eats his whole fist but it seems to work when he's upset. He's doing great and we've had a great week together.

I started making new recipes for dinner this week. I'm not a huge cooker so this is pretty big for me! Monday I made beef enchiladas and they were delicious. A definite recipe I will make again. Tuesday I made this chicken casserole which is another keeper. Wednesday was a beef mac and cheese dish. I need to change this one a little when I make again. Thursday we did a Digornio pizza. Friday I made lasagna and garlic bread. All of these are new recipes for me and will definitely make all of them again. I have enjoyed staying at home so I can do stuff like this. Usually I'm so tired from working that I just want to do something quick and simple for dinner. It makes me feel good that I can do something for Dave when he gets home from work. I know he's appreciating and liking the homemade dinners because he's taking them for lunches. He LOVED the enchiladas the best.

Dinners for this week: Chicken and biscuits, chicken fajitas, pasta roll ups, spaghetti and meatballs and some kind of hot dog dish. I'll let you know how they are next week! If anyone has any good chicken or beef recipes let me know.

This weekend my friend Jodi came to visit with her daughter Mackenzie. I haven't really seen her since DJ was born. It was so nice of them to come visit. Whenever I've seen them, Mackenzie was pretty clingy with Jodi. She was that way at first but eventually started opening up to us and playing. It was really neat to see her playing. She kept looking at DJ and trying to give him her books. It seemed like she was trying to figure out why he wasn't talking, walking or playing with her. DJ slept through most of the visit. It will be great when he's a little older and can somewhat play with her. It was such a great time catching up with Jodi. If we transfer from here, I will miss her so much.

I am starting my walking routine everyday with DJ this week. I am going to just take him for at least 1/2 hour walk around our apartment complex. I need to get myself back into exercising and this seems like a perfect way. Hopefully the rain stays away so I can keep it up. I am hoping to get together this weekend with the family I used to nanny. I haven't seen them since November and really want to see how much Hayden has changed. They need to meet DJ as well.

I have been doing some research about what I could do to make some extra money without having to go back to "work." I found this online scrapbooking store that you can become a demonstrator to host workshops and sell their products. I would receive a commission from my sales. I'm going to meet with this lady who does this so I can learn some more about the program. I'm hoping it works out because we wouldn't have to put DJ into daycare and I could still make money. I'm meeting her Friday afternoon so I will update how that goes next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Scrapbook Slide Show

If you didn't notice already, I added more pages to my scrapbook slide show. I added the beginning to my baby album and a few more about our cross country trip. Check them out. I'm waiting for the pictures to begin D.J.'s birth and first week pages. In the meantime, I'm finally starting our wedding album. It's only been 2 years since we've gotten married but I'm excited to work on it and remember all the fun we had on that day!! Hopefully I can continue to get a lot done like I have in the last couple of weeks. Enjoy the new pages and let me know what you think about them.

First Smile Video

First Smile!!

I was laying on the bed after feeding him Monday and was playing with D.J. I started saying hi and smiling at him. It took him a few times of him staring at me, but he eventually started copying me. He was making noises and smiling!! I couldn't believe it. I continued to repeat what I was doing and he kept going. I called Dave in and he did it when Dave did the same thing. It was the cutest thing. I kept thinking that it couldn't be a smile but he continues to do it when I say hi to him. I haven't gotten a picture or video of it yet but will try to this week so everyone can see. It really is the cutest thing he's doing right now.

First Sick Scare

D.J. wake up Sunday morning with a pinkish tint to his pee. We called the doctors office and spoke to a nurse. She thought that it might have something to do with my infection and antibiotics I was taking but suggested calling for an appointment Monday. He continued to be pretty tired most of the day and sleeping in our arms. We started noticing before every feeding he hadn't peed either. This was completely not normal for him. He had only pooped in the morning which was even weirder. I was beyond nervous because he went about 12 hours without peeing or pooping. Dave fed him a bottle at 10. We decided if he didn't pee after that we would go to the emergency room. Luckily he ended up peeing which eased some of my worry. He woke up with a small amount of pee but I still wanted to be seen to make sure nothing serious was wrong.

We saw the doctor and D.J. checked out fine. His weight was 8lbs. 14oz. which is normal weight gain for him. The doctor said that he's dehydrated that could be from my infection. That could have affected my milk for a few days. He wasn't too concerned since his weight gain was good. He suggested to give him a few more bottles if he doesn't seem to be taking to the boob as much and also trying to feed him a little more often. He usually feeds every 3 hours so I'm trying every 2-3 hours until he seems to be back to normal.

I am noticing a change already though. He's pooped 2 times since his doctors appointment and peed more often. I didn't have to hold him for any of his naps today!! I put him in the swing this morning so I could get ready for the doctors. When we got home from the doctors we both laid down in our bed after his feeding. He ended up falling asleep without me holding him. His next nap I put him down while he was tired but still awake. The doctor said we could start trying this and if he doesn't sleep to go ahead and pick him back up. He's still too young to let him go too long by himself but letting him try to fall asleep on his own is a good start. He looked around for a little then started whining so I gave him his pacifier. That ended up settling him down for a nap. He didn't last long but it was time for a feeding anyways so I didn't mind. When Dave got home he had just finished a feeding and was a little cranky. Dave put him down and he was awake for awhile before falling asleep. Unfortunately he seems to like falling asleep with his pacifier. I'm noticing once that falls out he wakes up looking for it to be put back in his mouth. It will be nice once he's able to do that for himself. I'm hoping him not feeling well is why he hasn't wanted to sleep in his bed. Let's hope he will sleep in his bed for a little tonight so we can both get a little better sleep.

Sleeping

Well this ended up being a long week. Last weekend my parents flew home. D.J. did not seem to adjust well to getting back to our so called schedule we had before my parents came out. The problem we had is that we spent most of the days at my sisters place. That meant we didn't have anywhere to put him down when he fell asleep, which meant that someone held him pretty much the whole time. That was for 2 weeks straight and I think he got used to that. Since then he has been refusing to stay asleep when we put him down in his crib. Before we would rock him to sleep then lay him down. Now every time we try to put him down, he wakes up immediately and starts flipping out. So it was a LONG weekend of trying to get him to sleep and most of the time just having him sleep in our arms so we could get some rest ourselves. Plus Dave had to go back to work so I didn't want to have to keep him up at night so I was the one taking care of D.J during those early morning hours.

I have been reading and researching nonstop to get some help with this issue. Everything I have read says that this is normal and not to stress too much about it. I shouldn't start worrying until at least 4 months when we can start sleeping learning. That is the time we will teach him to fall asleep on his own in his own bed. I was worried that this was going to be a habit. I read that he is too young to learn bad habits like this. That made me feel better about letting him sleep in our arms. I also read that we should just keep trying to put him down so he can get used to it again. I'm hoping this helps. The swing has been wonderful as well to give us a break. Last night we did have a small breakthrough though.

I have been finally pumping enough milk that Dave can give him a bottle. Dave decided to take the late night feeding, most of the time around 1am. After drinking from the bottle, D.J. is passed out pretty hard core. I decided to try to swaddle him and put him in his bed. We have been having problems swaddling so I wasn't sure if that was going to work either. I wanted to try though because I think all the movement when he lays down wakes him up so I was hoping the swaddle would eliminate that. I read to leave one of his arms out now at this age so he can use it to soothe himself a little. After I swaddled him he continued to sleep so I laid him down and he didn't wake immediately! It didn't last long but it was a much needed 30 minutes in his bed!!! I'm going to continue to try to put him down like that and see how it goes. I always have the swing. :)

So we haven't been doing much but trying to adjust back to the 3 of us. I ended up waking up Friday morning with a 102 temperature. Luckily the doctors were able to see me first thing in the morning. Dave was able to come home after checking into work so I didn't have to take D.J. with me. As soon as the doc saw me she knew I had a bacterial infection in my breasts that was causing my temperature and pain. She prescribed an antibiotic and said everything is safe for the baby to continue to breastfeed. That made me feel better cause I was soooo worried about giving D.J. something. Most of the time it's so hard for him to get something from me since my milk gives him the antibodies my body is producing to fight the bug. I was pretty exhausted Friday and took a lot out of me. Dave was the best though and allowed me to catch up on sleep until I had to feed him. Having him feed a bottle during the late night feeding helped sooo much as well. As soon as I was done pumping I went right back to sleep. That was probably the best sleep I've gotten at night since his birth. It definitely helped because I woke up Saturday feeling so much better. I took over with D.J. so Dave could catch up with some of his sleep. He did that again for me last night which really seems to help. Unfortunately he's got to work so I'll be taking over tonight getting him to sleep at night. Keep your fingers crossed for us that he continues to sleep longer and longer in his own bed. I will post how this week goes.

Lots of News

I realized that I haven't posted anything in over 3 weeks. There has been so much that has happened that I hope I remember to write. I'll talk about D.J. first.

He has had 2 doctors appointments since my last post. His first appointment was his 2 week one. He ended up gaining back his birth weight which is right on track. The doctor suggested I change how I breastfeed a little to help him gain faster. I was letting him drink for 20-30 minutes from one breast. According to that doctor, having him feed 10-15 on both boobs will help him gain weight a little quicker. At first I was a little annoyed because I felt like I was just getting used to breastfeeding and now I had to change everything and kind of start over. Plus I was afraid what that was going to do to my milk supply. But I wanted to try it for my son. The doctor also showed us how to correctly rub his eye to help open his tear duct. Other than that he checked out great for that appointment. The next appointment was for his 1 month check up. His measurements are weight: 8lbs 3oz and height 22.5in. He measures 25% in height and his head measurement and 75-90% in height. They say you can't predict anything until they are 3 but we are keeping our fingers crossed he continues to grow lengthwise and be a tall boy! The doctor looked at his big toes and gave us some suggestions to help. His nails weren't growing over the skin and was causing some blood under them. The doctor said that it looks like it had fixed itself but told us to try clipping the nail after a bath to help it grow correctly. He checked out great and will go back when he's 2 months for the dreaded shots :(


I'm going to take a picture with the pig each month to show his growth.

I cannot believe that it's been a month already. I can definitely understand how everyone says how quickly they grow. Within that month we celebrated his first Christmas. My family was able to be come out here and spoil him. We decided to do a grab bag instead of buying for everyone. The funny thing is that everyone ended up getting each other gift cards since no one knew what they really wanted. My brother gave me and Dave the best gift. We are planning on flying home to Pittsburgh in March and he's going to buy us our round trip flights. With a new baby, we couldn't have asked for a better gift. I tried telling my family not to buy much for D.J. since he won't remember any of it. I think he ended up having more presents to open than the rest of us. He got a bunch of books from my sister. My mom bought probably every first baby ornament that was out there. He received a Steeler blanket and basketball bath toy. It was a great Christmas. The best part is that my mom brought out a Santa outfit for D.J. to wear. We ended up stuffing it to make him look like he had a belly. We pretty much tortured him to get pictures.

We had a great turkey/ham dinner. That night we played different board games with the fam and our friends Jen and Aaron. It truly was a great first Christmas as a family. We are looking forward to starting traditions with D.J. next year.

Sad part of our holiday was finding out that our Grandmother passed Christmas Eve morning. She had Alzheimer's and was getting worse and worse the last couple of months. We pretty much knew it was coming but it was still pretty hard hearing the news. I felt bad for my mom since she was out here and couldn't be there for my Grandpa. She thought about flying home but my Grandpa insisted on her staying here. They are having the funeral next weekend when they are back. My siblings are flying home for it but unfortunately I won't be able to with D.J. being so young. My family understands and we will plan something when we go home in March. I know that my Grandma is in heaven watching over us.

We also got to celebrate the New Year as a family. We didn't do much, just went to my sisters and hung with my parents. The best part was that D.J. was actually awake to see the ball drop. It truly was a great end to our 2009. I'm looking forward to 2010 and seeing our boy change and grow so much.


My parents left this morning. It was so great to see them with D.J. They are the happiest grandparents with their first grandchild. I know he will be loved and spoiled by them. My mom is already planning on coming back in February now that she is retired. It was hard for them to leave. It was cute because they kept asking if they could take him home with them. These are times I wish we lived closer.

The other great thing the last 2 weeks is that Dave's work ended up giving them time off for the holiday. He was supposed to have to work up until Christmas and then again until New Year. When he was on baby leave, they changed their minds and gave them almost 2 weeks off. He just had to go in 3 days to check in. That was great time we got to spend as a family. I know he appreciated being able to spend more time with D.J. and so did I. It was a quick 2 weeks and sucks he has to go back to work this week. We don't have much planned for the weekend. We watched the bowl games today. We are just going to relax and enjoy the last few days the rest of the weekend.