Valentines Babies, 2013!

[wamommy]

His name is Luca! Woohoo!!! I can't tell you how happy I am about that. Some things are just worth fighting for, and I'm so happy I chose this battle. DH chose the 2 middle names, but that's fine!

He's like a different baby now, too. He was SO fussy and never slept the first 5 days and once I started giving him formula he actually SLEEPS an hour or 2 at a time and will let me hold him without having to be nursed 24 hours a day (literally). He must have just been starving!! Poor little guy.

Sierra, I agree that DH should ask for a raise but still pursue other options, just in case. Once everything's on the table it will be easier to choose the best path.

Kellen, the shop sounds amazing! How cool that Teagen has her own "office." I can't wait to see the final pics!

Dragon, quick question. You had mastitis with the twins, right? What were the early signs? I think I may have it coming on. There's a big pink/red spot on the side that is hot and hurts like the dickens!

Luca is sleeping, so I'm off to take Max in the playroom for make-a-giant-mess time.

 

[wamommy]

I thought I'd add a couple of pics! Here's Luca yesterday and Max falling asleep at the table!

 

[SierraJourney]

Yay yay yay yay yay!!! That's wonderful wamommy!! I am so incredibly happy for you!! Yay Luca! And yay happy baby!!

Thanks for the advice. Dh is applying for jobs as we speak.

And I had mastitis several times and plugged ducts tons! Plugged ducts were big red spots that hurt tons... sounds like what you have. I applied warm washcloths to the area, then firmly and very hardly pressed and pushed my fingers from behind the red spot all the way to the nipple-- I did this for days sometimes. This hurts so bad i almost always cried. In the shower helps or while nursing... you're basically forcing the clog and all the milk behind it out.. sometimes it even comes out very thickly!! Mastitis was a much larger red spot and I has unbelievable chills and fevers. Only antibiotics from my doctor helped that. I'd talk to your dr about it just in case. Either one-- they both hurt sooooooo much! I feel for you!! It's awful!!

 

[SierraJourney]

Oh ! They are so very precious!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Kellen]

Hooray for Luca and hooray for happy, sleeping babies! But boo on painful breasts. I am thankful that I never had a plugged duct or mastitis. The pictures are adorable.

Today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and I'm moving to Australia sans child. We have 4 molars coming in and Teagen was a monster all day. Nothing anyone did could please her. The only time she wasn't yelling at me or tearing something apart was when I could get DH to facetime with us over the phone.

So we have run into a sort of snag with our business... When we bought it we had it put into the contact that if there were any outstanding loans, liens or debts that the prior owners would be required to pay them. We also purchased the company name. However, they had let the LLC lapse and needed to pay the state $300 to make it active again. They agreed however.... I received a call from the bank that we are setting up our business account with saying that the LLC name is inactive according to state records. And now the prior owners are refusing to answer our phone calls.

On the up side they did send their handyman in with the password for the computer. We've been trying to get into the computer for the past 5 days and they "couldn't remember the password." They magically remembered today. However, they let that account lapse too so we'll be paying some $700 over the next 5 months to get it back up and running.

What with teeth and people being shiesty my neck feels like it is made of concrete. And I am in a wedding next Saturday which means I get to drive my mom, Teagen and myself 8 hours south to San Fran for two days and then turn around. All the while driving 90 minutes north a couple of times to give supplies to DH, met with an insurance rep, open a bank account and promote our business. I feel exhausted just thinking of all that needs to be done. Plus I need to do schoolwork for tonight and I have a paper due the Sunday after the wedding. Oh joy... Apologies for the long rant.

 

[DragonflyWing]

That's a lot to deal with, Kellen! I hope the previous owners start taking your calls, and that your trip isn't too stressful.

wamommy, so glad about Luca! When I had mastitis, it started out at night with a very sore spot that felt like a bruise. By the morning, I had a high fever and chills, and a large red area on my breast that was warm to the touch, lumpy, and very painful. I think if you don't have a fever, it's probably just a plugged duct, but that can turn into mastitis if left untreated. When I had a blocked duct, I had the best luck using a heating pad on it at night...I usually woke up with a soaked nightgown because the duct had drained while I slept.

 

[wamommy]

Oh, Kellen... that's a lot to deal with!! I can't imagine the stress you're under. I hope Teagen gives you a break and that the previous owners of the shop pull their head out! I can't stand that kind of behavior. It will be nice once everything is truly transferred over and you don't have to deal with them at all anymore. I'm jealous of your trip to San Francisco, though! My Mom got her doctorate degree there (San Francisco Theological Seminary) and so we spent summers there growing up while she finished up her degree. I LOVED it.

Thank you for the mastitis tips, ladies! I think it must be just a clogged duct because I don't have a fever. I massaged the 2 spots in the shower today and it helped a lot. I'll definitely try the heating pad tonight, too.

My brother is getting married tomorrow and we have to drive 2 hours each way with the kids. It's mostly Luca I'm worried about. I don't want to expose him to all of those people! Just imagining how many people will touch his face and hands gives me cold chills, lol. I'm trying to think of a nice way to say, "back up!! He's one week old and doesn't need you breathing on him!"

 

[SierraJourney]

Oh Kellen--how stressful! I hope it gets a lot better for you very soon! And I hope your trip is wonderful! Maybe the wedding will be a much needed break!

wamommy---my sister went to a family reunion right after her baby was born---she simply told everyone that NO ONE was allowed to touch her--they could look but couldn't touch. People really respected that, which was surprising in my family, but I think people understand how fragile new little babies are. I'd just tell them NO! You're the mom. . your rules.

 

[DragonflyWing]

Happy mother's day

 

[DragonflyWing]

So I just encountered a strange bit of sychronicity. I just had to share.

I went to get lunch and brought it back to eat at my desk. As I sat down, I noticed I got an email saying that an accounting firm I've never heard of would be auditing some of our claims. Not thinking anything of it, I turned to my lunch and started reading my book, which is a murder mystery. I turned to the next page, and one of the characters works for the SAME ACCOUNTING FIRM that I just found out would be auditing our claims. I've never heard of them in my life...how weird is that??

 

[Kellen]

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Things are crazy, but good here. We ended up driving to and from Seattle yesterday to pick up a really nice camera my BIL is loaning us for the business. It was a long drive, but we made it. We officially open our doors tomorrow.

Teagen is still teething like mad. Only one of the four molars has even peaked through the gum yet. Right now she is napping while we wait for our dog treat lady to come stock a display she is renting from us.

The rest of the week is going to be insane as I head down to the wedding with my mom and Teagen. Just found out last night that a person I am not on speaking terms with will probably be there. He used to be a fairly good friend until he made fun of a video of Reagen learning to walk. I am fairly tolerant of a lot, but when you bring my child into it be prepared to lose. But at least his date is one of my best friends and I can have her run interference.

 

[helena]

Hope the wedding was good wamommy!
How was your first open day at the business Kellen?


Kiara is officially talking. In so far she is saying "no" a lot! That, tractor and shoe are her full repertoire. But mostly she likes "no". Loudly.

 

[wamommy]

Happy belated Mother's Day to all of you!! I hope you were all pampered.

I hope the opening day went well, Kellen! I imagine you're still gone to San Fran. You are a braver woman than I to make that drive! How did it go?

Dragon, that is a weird coincidence! I like that kind of thing. It makes you wonder how much of life is random, ya know?

Helena, it's so cute that Kiara says, "no!" Max just grunts and shakes his head for No... lol. His main words are stop, bop (as in hit his sisters on the head and yell BOP!), cat, mama, dada, baba, and a few others that are inconsistent or just sounds he made up to go along with certain objects. I'm not super worried about his vocabulary, since he seems to understand what we're saying. Maybe he just has a hard time with making his mouth create the sound.

The wedding was a mix of amazing and totally stressful, but I'm really glad I went. My sister was there, who I haven't seen in 2 years. It was also SO cool to see my "little" brother (he's 6'4") get married. Only my Mom and sister were allowed to hold Luca, and enough time has passed that I think we're safe from him getting sick. DH got upset with me and yelled at me the entire 2-hour drive home, and then punished me for daring to enjoy a family event by not doing ANYTHING for mother's day, not even a card. I woke up with the kids, cooked the meals and did the dishes. Watch, he'll expect me to pull out all the stops for Father's Day, haha! I did get a gorgeous tile with a hand print that my DD made in Kindergarten, which I adore.

There's good news on the baby front, though. We had a 2-week appointment on Tuesday and Luca has gained a full pound and grown an INCH since starting to supplement with formula. He's so much more alert now. Poor guy was just hungry! He actually sleeps for an hour (or 2!) straight too, which he didn't do the first week because he was always nursing.

I'm going to run out and enjoy the sunshine! I hope you are all doing well

 

[DragonflyWing]

wamommy, I'm sorry your DH was a jerk. That's pretty awful that he didn't do anything for Mother's day and made you do all the work. If I were you, I wouldn't do a single thing for Father's day unless your kids request something specific.

That's great that Luca is putting on weight so quickly and sleeping more!

I didn't get anything for Mother's day from my DH, either. However, he did let me sleep in, which was nice. He said he planned on getting a great gift and a card, but his plans got messed up and he didn't get a chance. Oh, well.

Had my 12 week ultrasound today! Baby is 6cm from head to rump, and was jumping around. The pictures were really fuzzy and hard to make out, but I'll see if I can upload some later. The doctor said everything looks fine, nuchal fold was well within normal (1.7mm, I think?). I was hoping they might be able to guess the gender, or that I'd see a nub, but no such luck!

 

[DragonflyWing]

Here are the blurry photos. The first one is the profile, the second is straight on at the face. Little alien!

 

[Kellen]

Brief check in from San Fran. Dragon the profile ultrasound is too cute. Wamommy you need to kick DH to the curb. That is unacceptable behavior.

The wedding is crazy. Teagen is asleep and I am soon to follow. It was long drive with many stops as my mom can only sit for an hour at a time due to her recent hip and knee replacements. The wedding is at noon tomorrow which stinks because that is nap time. Looks like I will probably come back to the hotel with Teagen and join the reception later.

The first two days were awesome, the second two have been slow. However, we now have custom dog treats made by a local lady for sale in our shop. She makes her own cookie cutters so they are shaped as paws and say "Paw" for PawPrints Grooming. DH misses Teagen and I fiercely. Depending on when we get back to Oregon is when we will go up again. I think on the way home we will go the longer coast route and stay the night somewhere. At least the drive will be more entertaining than bleak farm land, hay fields and rice patties.

 

[wamommy]

Dragon, what cute pictures!! I'm going on record now saying it's a boy.

Kellen, the drive sounds tough! I would definitely take the coastal route home. The Redwood forest is one of my favorite places on earth. There is such magic in trees! I hope the wedding goes well. I found that my "role" in weddings is now completely different. Everyone else dances and drinks wine during the reception, while I sip decaf and smell tiny butts to see who needs a change! Do what you need to do and what you think is best for Teagen. They'll understand, and if they don't, meh.

 

[helena]

"Smelling tiny butts...". Hehe. I am still trying to work out how to subtly sniff to see if we need a change. I bet to non mums I look gross holding up my baby to sniff in public!! Haha

 

[DragonflyWing]

lol @ smelling tiny butts! so true.

I had an OB check up today, and the doctor asked me if I was planning to have a repeat c-section, or if I wanted a vbac. DH and I had decided we'd probably have a repeat c-section, but now I'm not sure! It might be really difficult to recover from surgery while taking care of two toddlers and a new baby. With the twins, they were in the NICU for 4 weeks, so I had all the time in the world to recover before they came home. Of course, this time we're hoping for no NICU time and for the baby to come home at the same time as me.

Also, I kind of want to experience labor. It might sound weird, but I'm interested to see how I'd handle the pain and if I could do it without an epidural.

By biggest fear, though, is tearing and/or urinary incontinence issues. My mom ended up with severe stress incontinence and a prolapse years after having my sister (she was over 9lbs)...and I'm so afraid to mess things up down there! Is that silly? I'm really not sure what to do!

 

[wamommy]

Dragon, I totally get wanting to experience labor. I also understand the fear of prolapse or incontinence. I think every woman's anatomy is different, and it totally depends on the shape of your body whether or not you'll have an issue. Luca was 9 pounds and I barely tore and I haven't had any problems at all (with any of the kids) with incontinence or prolapse. My Mom, on the other hand, still has to cross her legs when she sneezes or she'll wee a little, lol. I would discuss it with your OB and ask (based on your history and anatomy) what they would recommend. I still can't believe you're having another one! What's your due date?