Carol LOVES playing with her Daddy!

Dave comes home and Carol runs and jumps on to the bed. She lays waiting for her Daddy to come tickel and tickel her, she LOVES to giggle with him. I think she found a new best friend. Daddy was the first one she asked for this morning.

Having a rough day

I feel like I often blog on the day's like today... Sorry.
I am kind of having a rough day. I don't really feel good and I am real tired.
So I have been kind of crabby and have had to try real hard not to let my girls get hurt by it.
BUT>>> in the midst of my crabbiness I was making Lunch. Carol was on her blanket time and Anna was being entertained by her.
I walked around the corner, to be sure all was well. and This is what I found.
A very happy Anna. And I bust out laughing.






OH, the grace I have been given, to make it to nap time. =)

Got Milk?

If I had pictures for this blog it would be of Anna screaming. It started about a month ago. She got real crabby for most of her awake time. She would smile and laugh some times, but you had to work real hard to get one. Then she started pulling at her ears. All the time! She would be in the middle of nursing and pull off screaming and pulling her ears. She had bloody scabs on the back of her head and all on her ears from grabbing them over and over. First I chalked it up to her teeth. Then I thought it was her ears. FINALLY after Dave telling me for a week or so, to "Just take her to the Dr. What have we got to loose?"

So, Tuesday, I started with our Chiropractor, Dr. Mioni. He looked in her ears, to find one just a little red, but no big deal. She got and adjustment and we picked up some baby pro biotic. Then we went to the medical Dr. (Dr. Curran, the best Dr I could ask for) He was totally chill and said how beautiful and healthy she looked. Except for one little thing. She looks really thin. The saggy rolls on her legs and arms are suppose to be full. She has only gained 2 OZ in the past 3 mo, and she has gone from the 90% to the 5th%. He said i should pump, to see how much she is getting and supplement the rest with formula. She should get 6-8 OZ a feeding. I expected to pump 4 oz at the LEAST! I had only 2. =(

The first bottle took about 20min for her to finally latch on and start drinking, but i couldn't force more than 3 OZ in her. The next took about 5 min. And now, after two days, she is still angry, but accepts her fate quickly. I would still be struggling with the idea of formula, except I have my baby back. She is the little happy one she should be. Now she smiles and laughs at the drop of a pin. She is talking and playing much more, it is such a blessing to know she is not suffering any more.

The past few days I have been nursing, then bottle feeding. I have been using Fenugreek and mothers milk tea. I have upped the water and done my best to rest. Anna is still only nursing about 7 min total, before she pulls off angry. I check and I still have milk left, but she just wont eat. She wouldn't eat the bottle either, if i didn't hold her hands and face to force her to eat. After much prayer, i have decided to give up the nursing. I will continue to nurse until i am totally dry, but Dave and I decided yesterday that it is better to have a healthy mommy than her unhealthy milk. If I keep nursing it will mean pumping and supplements all day every day. As if I didn't have a toddler to chase. Now that I have made the decision i feel good about it. But it took allot of prayer and tears.

I am greatful for all of your encouragement, I am blessed to have such wonderful friends!
On the Lighter note.... I decided to go run with a girlfriend this morning. BAD IDEA!~ I have been up since 3 in pain from my decision. carrying gallon jugs and running don't go together!

AND NOW>>>> The Happy Baby!

learning to play

Carol is learning to play by herself. She is really good at it. Some times I just hide and watch her play. It is so entertaining. She is getting to that stage where she pretends. Its so beautiful.

She also loves playing with her cousins! Last weekend Carol got a new trike!~ Her cousins had a great time teaching her to ride it.

Anna is growing right up. She enjoys wearing her purple glasses from grandma. (Actually Carol LOVES to have Anna and her wearing them together.) Anna also enjoys long chats with her cousins, swinging outside, and long warm baths, although her bath tub is getting a bit too small. See her feet sticking out of the sink?

Carol likes brushing her teeth.........

and her teddy bears teeth....
and her doll and her sister and her mommy.....

In these she is also Dancing to the newest Until June CD. (Thank you Kristin)
and Sporting her mommy's shoes.

Poopie Pants Expert

Anna is a Poopie pants expert! That is why it has been so long since blogging..... Okay not a good reason? I suppose that's right. Any way, the day worth blogging about happened about 3 weeks ago, but NOW it is a regular occurrence, but still worth blogging about.

It was the Thursday before my husband took me to Sedona. I DESPERATELY needed a weekend away. I mean, I was falling into a black hole.
ALSO... Bible study day. I have study in the morning from 9:30-11 and again in the evening from 6-10ish. I am not doing this to get extra holy or any thing, although it is proving to be kind of a purgatory. Suffering is building my character, I hope, any way.
After morning group I went to target to get a bathing suit. (Because since having Anna I have not lost any Lbs. It seams like I would have lost at least 8 at the hospital when she was born. I guess I gained the all back eating hospital turkey sandwiches.) (Okay, it's not QUITE that bad, but almost. I am really flabby!) Shopping for a suit is TOTALLY DEPRESSING, emotional and exhausting. I wanted to take Carol alone, to spend some special time with her before leaving her for the weekend. BUT, Anna didn't have a sitter. SO, we all loaded up in the red basket, with Popcorn and a drink to make it special. Having a wonderful time, JUST then... We arrived at the bathing suit section and Anna started to whimper. I hurried things along, knowing I wouldn't have long. The red basket fit's in the family fitting room, thankfully! I got down to the bear essentials, tried on suits..... By the time I was almost in tears but, moderately happy with a suit both girls were crying. I let Carol out, who now smelled like POOH! She wanted to sit on the fitting room bench, so she took off all the cloths I was working with, including my own cloths, and stored them UNDER the basket. Mean while, ANNA is screaming So LOUD for about 5 min now. I hunt for my cloths, under the basket, and get dressed. When I take Anna out of her car seat to put her in the sling she is covered in BRIGHT ORANGE STICKY GOO! So I decide she will last to the car, or bath room if I put her in the sling. In the sling she goes. I clean up the room, pick out my cloths and start to head out.... Anna is still screaming, carol Smells so Bad like Pooh, but I can't even smell her cause I have Anna strapped to me...
She is FREAKING OUT! I unload and undress her, right there in the changing room. At this point I had been in that little room at least 30 min. On the bench, I clean up Anna who has Pooh in her ears and on her elbows. But Carol is MAD, because she had worked so hard to get to climb on the bench. With pooh EVERY where, Carol is trying to climb on the bench and sit. I now have sweat on my brow, so stressed out. Finally Anna is clean and happy, but I have no extra cloths. So she is in the sling in only a diaper. We exit the changing room to finish my shopping.
I called Dave to tell him about this experience, and Carol Started saying Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh... FINALLY when I listen, I see she has spilled fruit punch all down the front of her, and it is dripping on the floor.

Needless to say the Target employees helped me get out of there as fast as possible.
I was ready for my weekend away..... Only for it to start all over, only the next time was at our fancy dinner, in front of tuna Tartar and a glass of wine.

The Lesson: If Anna didn't Pooh Yesterday, STAY HOME and ALWAYS bring a change of cloths, or two.