HACKED!

Did anyone receive a strange e-mail from me lately? Telling you to shop on-line and save 30%? Well, I'm not sure how that happened or where that came from! I apologize! My Hotmail account was hacked, that strange e-mail was sent out to all of my contacts, and then my contacts were erased. Crap. And, my poor mother thought I was ignoring her! For some reason, Hotmail was not letting me reply at times. Whatever. I'm done with Hotmail. If you'd like to e-mail me, please do so at my new address: afdietrich@gmail.com.

The Joys of Breastfeeding (said with sarcasm)

Ugh...I have mastitis. I started feeling like someone had kicked me in the chest about two days ago, and then the redness began. I called my OB/GYN on Saturday morning to tell her my symptoms, and she said it sounded like it could be mastitis, but to wait the rest of the day to see if it improved. It didn't. My doctor actually called ME back later that evening to see how I was doing. She ended up prescribing me high-dose antibiotics that I have to take 4 times a day for 10 days! Doesn't that seem like a lot? Fortunately, the drugs seemed to have done the trick. I felt better by Sunday morning. I find it strange that this happened 6 months later, rather than in the first 2-3 weeks, like I've read about. On a positive note, the biting has improved.

Ella has learned how to take off her clothes. ALL of them. She apparently learned this new skill while she was supposed to be taking a nap. I went upstairs to check on her (as I had heard her yelling quite loudly in her room) and found her completely naked, standing at the gate. All I could do was laugh. It was the funniest sight! This girl will do anything to avoid taking a nap. Seriously, why don't kids understand that sleep is so awesome? Nathan's naps leave something to be desired as well. Some days he only takes two 30 minute naps. From what I've read, that is not nearly enough sleep for a baby his age. I try to be consistent with his naps, but I also don't want Ella to suffer...meaning, having to stay in the house a lot to try and get Nate to nap. He has been going to bed at night fairly well, but has been waking up 1, if not 2, times during the night to feed, and he seems legitimately hungry. I'm just going to go with it, and hope that as he gets older, the nighttime feedings will decrease. For about 1 week, he really was sleeping through the night. It was nice while it lasted.

This past weekend was a busy one! Saturday was beautiful! Sunny, high 70s...it felt like Spring. We started the morning off with breakfast with our friends Alison and Sean. I lived in the same house with Alison for 2 years during college. She and her husband now live in West Allis (only about 10 minutes from us). We try really hard to get together once a month, but it had been almost 3 or 4 months since the last time! Alison is a nurse and works at the same hospital as I do. As usual, Ella put on a great show. Whenever anybody comes over, Ella likes to "show off," either by climbing on the outside of the stairs, or standing on the couch, or really doing anything she's not supposed to. We were able to get to the park and even did some yard work. Lots of flowers are starting to come up around the house. Our friends Brian and Jenny came over Saturday evening for dinner. And again, Ella was the star of the show. Both kids went to bed and we were able to have some adult conversation. On Sunday, the cold, rainy weather returned, so we were looking for things to do. It's always hard trying to keep Ella occupied when we're cooped up in the house. We decided to try a place called Monkey Joe's. At first, Ella was a little scared of the really big blow-up slides, but by the end, she was a pro! It was so much fun watching her climb up and slide down all by herself. She's such a big girl! And forget the toddler area...she was right there with all the "big kids." We're going back this Wednesday with Aunt Liz and cousin Henry. Here's a video of Ella going down one of the small slides:

Today was another cold, rainy day. So again, I was trying to think of something fun for us to do. A few months ago, the newspaper published this article, and I decided to try one of the places mentioned. We visited Lotza Fun Room this morning, and it really was "lotza fun!" Except for one other little boy, we were the only ones there. We had the whole place to ourselves! And now it's nap time. I think I'll probably have 30 minutes of naps overlapping before the fun begins again for the evening. Is it 4:30 yet? (That's when Joe gets home on Mondays!)

Laughing Baby!

In my opinion, there is nothing sweeter than the sound of a baby laughing. Here's a short video clip of Nate laughing at Joe. Who knew Joe was so hilarious!

A Painful Subject

Literally...a painful subject. Nathan has the cutest two bottom teeth. It is just adorable to seem them poking through when he smiles! I am still breast feeding and would like to continue to do so for another 6 months if possible. However, with the newly emerged teeth, new problems have also emerged. Namely, biting! And he really CHOMPS down. And then turns his head to the side. And pulls. I have asked several friends about this situation and have posted on a few message boards. The answer seems to be unlatching Nathan and saying, "No biting." If that doesn't work, I've also read and heard that I should stop the feeding and put him down for a few minutes. The first time he bit me, I yelled out in pain. I looked down at Nathan, hoping that I hadn't freaked him out, and all I saw was him smiling up and me and laughing. Nathan, this is NOT funny!

I nursed Ella for 6 months. That was my goal, and I was ready to stop at 6 months. Mostly because I got the stomach flu and just didn't have the energy to breastfeed, so it seemed like the right time. Nathan turned 6 months on April 12th, but this time, I don't feel ready to stop. I enjoy our time together and it makes me sad to think about stopping at this time. So, until further notice, the breastfeeding will continue. Plus, the highlight of my day at work is pumping near the morgue.

Nathan is 6 months old, and without sounding too cliche, it has gone by so fast. Half of a year. Nate will be a 1 year old in another 6 months. It's really unbelievable how much he has changed. He rolls tummy to back and reverse, is starting to sit unsupported (but tips over quickly), and is trying new foods. The little guy tried avocado for the first time tonight and seemed to like it. I am still making baby food for Nathan and blended up some bananas, pears, apples, and avocado this afternoon. While I was steaming the pears, I accidentally waited too long and ended up burning the bottom of the pot. The whole house smelled like a camp fire and I completely ruined the pot. We had to just throw it away. The house still smells. Here is a video of Nathan trying a "Baby Mum Mum." It's basically a rice wafer from the health food store. He did pretty well!

I took Nathan to the pediatrician this morning for his 6 month well-baby check-up. His stats are as follows:

Weight: 17.1 lbs. (50th percentile)

Height: 27 1/8 in. (75th percentile)

Head Circumference: 45 cm (80th percentile)

I was actually a little surprised that his weight was only in the 50th percentile. I guess I'm used to Ella's 100th percentile numbers! Nate had to get two shots, one in each thigh, and an oral vaccine. He did great! He did cry when the needle first went in, but he stopped as soon as I picked him up and started smiling. What a trooper!

Joe and I have had 3 days with just 1 kid, and boy, it was a piece of cake! Don't get me wrong, I DO remember having just 1 child, and it WAS hard. But, adding a second child changes everything and it's so much more than just twice as hard. But I digress...Ella stayed up at Joe's parents after Easter with my sister-in-law Liz and her two boys, Dylan and Henry. They had a blast! They had activities planned, made trips to the library and fun park, and had a sleepover in a "tent" in the living room. It was like summer camp! Ella has so much fun with her cousins and I'm really glad they have such a good relationship. Growing up, I was very close with my cousins and always hoped that my children would have similar relationships.

We spent Easter in Stevens Point with Joe's family. It was nice to spend some time with with my sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, and my nephews, especially my newest nephew Harry. He has changed so much in the past 2 months and is such a cutie. We had some very nice conversations! Harry mostly just looked at me and cooed. On Easter Sunday, we all went to church. I was a little nervous since we usually drop Ella and Nathan in the nursery at our church. Ella just isn't used to having to be quiet and still for over an hour. But, luckily, all the kids behaved very well. I nearly choked on the incense and got Holy water in my eye. When you go to a Catholic church, and you're not Catholic, it's always an interesting experience. I felt silly sitting by myself in the pew when everyone else went up for Communion. My nephew Dylan asked, "Aunt Allie, why didn't you go up to get a piece?" I hoped he was talking about a piece of bread. I wasn't sure how to answer that question. I suppose I could have said, "Well Dylan, I was more or less brought up Lutheran, became Presbyterian when Uncle Joe and I couldn't agree on a denomination, and then switched to Methodist after we moved and couldn't find a Presbyterian church we liked in our area." Instead I said, "I'll tell you later." I never did. I think he forgot.

I am currently reading, "Down Came the Rain" by Brooke Shields. The book is about her struggle with post-partum depression. It is so sad. First of all, she and her husband had to deal with infertility, which I've learned a lot about from friends, and I'm convinced it is one of the most difficult and heart-breaking conditions. So after she has her daughter, a baby she has been waiting for, for a long time, she feels hopelessly sad and unfit as a mother. Reading this book is hard, probably would be for any mother. I have dealt with depression in the past, and post-partum depression was a real fear for me. Luckily, with both children, I did not experience post-partum depression. Sure, some days I felt tearful and frustrated, but those feelings passed, usually within 24 hours. It is just amazing to me how hormones can affect a person. I guess my point is that I feel incredibly lucky to have two healthy children. I just look at them and feel my heart swell. I know, cheesy, but I can't think of a better way to describe it.

During our few days without Ella, Joe and I called a babysitter at the last minute to watch Nate while we went to see a movie. I don't even remember the last time I saw a movie in a theater. It was wonderful! We saw, "I Love You, Man." It was hilarious! The popcorn was good too.

Today brought a glimpse of Spring and it was exciting! Being able to get outside with the kids is great. Joe and I took a walk with the kids this afternoon. It was the first time we had both kids in the double jogging stroller, and it was HARD! It's a good upper body workout, that's for sure.

Here are a few pictures from Easter

Planting of the NUKs

We finally did it! Ella is NUK-free! I had read about "planting pacifiers" in a recent "Parents" magazine article and thought it sounded pretty clever. Joe and I talked about it for days before we actually did it, and when the time came, Ella was more than willing to participate, as you can see below:

On my way home from work the next day, I had to stop at Michael's to buy some flowers to stick in the ground where the NUKs were planted. Ella told me she wanted a black flower to come up. A black flower? I was actually able to find one! Phew! Ella was very excited to see that her NUKs had indeed produced flowers, including a black one.

She asked for her NUKs the first night, and was a bit tearful, but by the second night was only talking about how she had planted them. The dentist recommended that we get rid of the NUKs since she could see that her teeth were being affected by them.

Ella was such a big girl at the dentist! Normally, 2.5 year olds sit on their parent's lap while the dentist checks their teeth. Not Ella! She wanted to lay on the chair. Works for me. The dentist, who specializes in pediatric dentistry, counted Ella's teeth and then applied a fluoride treatment. They don't do a cleaning until around 3.5 years old. The dentist did say that it looked like Ella did bump her front tooth, which is why it is now discolored. It will stay that way until she looses it. Hopefully it will be one of the first teeth she looses. It's not that noticeable to other people I'm sure, but I can really see the difference.

Since we're on the topic of Ella, I'll share a funny story that happened last night. Joe had to work late, so I had to put both kids to bed...a task that I am getting much better at, I might add. I had tucked Ella in and came downstairs to check my e-mail. Joe came home a few minutes later and went upstairs to change. All of a sudden, I hear him call to me, "Al, you have to come see this." Oh boy, never a good sign. As I get to the top of the stairs, I see that Ella's light is turned on. She had gotten out of bed, pulled her chair over to her dresser, climbed onto the chair, grabbed her piggy bank from on top of the dresser, got down onto the floor, proceeded to OPEN the piggy bank, and began to line up all of the coins! This kid would rather play with coins than sleep. Doesn't she realize how great sleep is?

I have the most wonderful news to report...Nathan is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! In case you missed that, Nathan is SLEEPING THOUGHT THE NIGHT!!! Can you tell that I'm thrilled? I am seriously so proud of him. After a rough two weeks of sleep training, we are able to put Nathan into his crib awake, and he falls asleep on his own, with little or no crying. Being able to do that feels amazing. Both kids are in bed by 8:00pm at the latest, which gives Joe and I some time to ourselves now, without having to run up and down the stairs to soothe Nathan back to sleep. With all this extra time, I am able to do wonderful things, such as wash my face or read a few pages of a book. Fantastic!

Last weekend we drove to Michigan to visit my parents. I had this grand plan to drive at night, so the kids would sleep. "Parents" magazine told me to do it. For the most part, it worked. I only had to climb into the back one time to give Nate a bottle. He slept most of the ride. Ella watched "Dora" and slept for a few hours. When we arrived in Northville, it was 1:00am. Both Ella and Nathan were awake at that point. Nathan went back to sleep easily, Joe passed out almost instantly, and Ella was all tucked into her bed. I had a little glass of wine to unwind and was about to go to bed when..."Mommy?" "I's awake." Crap. After several attempts to get Ella to go to sleep, I gave up, and Ella and I pulled an all-nighter. How that child stayed awake late long, I'll never know. She played quietly and I caught up on "People Magazine." I'm very up-to-date on all current events now. Thank you Ella. It was a very short visit, but worth it. On Saturday, many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins came over to visit and to watch the Michigan State basketball game. I was finally able to meet my cousin Dan's little girl, Teagan, who is 3 months old. Such a cutie!

Unfortunately, I have to work this Saturday, so Joe and the kids drove up to his parent's house this afternoon. I will drive up tomorrow after work. I am home ALL ALONE. I don't remember the last time I was completely alone in the house for more than a few hours. It's so quiet. I should be relaxing, but I feel like I have to take advantage of this time and clean, do laundry, empty the dishwasher, etc. At least I had some uninterrupted time to update my blog. The dryer just buzzed. Better go fold the clothes. Happy Easter!

Welcome Back!

Nearly 3 months ago, I decided to stop blogging. (See previous post for reasons why.) I changed my mind. I enjoy reading my friend's blogs, and I thought, maybe there is someone who would enjoy reading mine again. When I wrote my final blog on January 1st, Nathan wasn't even 3 months old...now he's almost 6 months old! Ella is now 2 and a half. I was going through a rough patch, both physically and mentally. I was completely overwhelmed, trying to take care of 2 children while running on very little sleep. Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband, supportive family, and understanding friends to keep me going. Our days run much more smoothly now, and I actually have some free time in the evenings. 3 months is a long time, and I can't possibly remember everything that has happened, but I will try to give a brief summary.

ME: I went back to work at St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee. I work Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30-4:00. I've been working on 11LM, the same floor I've been working on for 2 years. The population is mostly geriatrics and the floor is considered an ACE unit. ACE stands for "Acute Care for the Elderly." The physical therapist up on 11LM has been up there for about 2 years as well, so we have become friends and work really well together. I have also gotten to know the other staff on the floor, from the nurses and aides, to the social worker and housekeepers. I feel comfortable on "my floor" and do enjoy getting out of the house 2 days a week. It's a perfect schedule for me, for right now.

I am continuing to breast feed, so I have to find time during my day at work to pump. I have to take the elevator from the 11th floor to the basement, weave my way through a maze of hallways with low ceilings, until I finally reach the "Nursing Nook," which is located right in between the cafeteria and the morgue. Lovely.

My most recent adventure is making homemade baby food. Today I made squash and sweet potatoes. I really hope Nate likes it because one large butternut squash and 4 medium sweet potatoes makes A TON of food! I don't know how long I will make baby food, but I thought it might be neat to try it. It was kinda fun actually!

I just finished up my "Zumba" exercise class, which is a mix of Latin dance and aerobics. Now my new class begins on Tuesday. Are you ready to hear what kind of exercise class I will be taking next? Get ready...pole dancing and lap dancing at a studio called, "Miss Pole." A few of my co-workers convinced me to join them. What was I thinking? Joe is very supportive and encouraging.

JOE: Joe's job is going very well. He's taking on a lot of responsibilities and is really good at what he does. He is currently anticipating the start of th Brewer's season. Joe wants to take Ella to a game, but thinks maybe next year would be more appropriate (and fun.) He is a super dad, always horsing around with Ella and making us all pancakes on Sunday mornings. We are a team.

ELLA: Ella is one smart cookie. I have to thank Ms. Linda, our daycare provider, and Dora the Explorer for teaching Ella many new things. She can recite the days of the week and the months of the year, all in song form, of course. She can also count to five in Spanish. Ella rides her big-wheel like a bat out of Hell and does somersaults off the couch. She's my blonde beauty. She challenges me daily and tests my patience every minute. Because of this, I am currently reading the following books: "Screemfree Parenting," Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood," and "Soft-spoken Parenting: 50 Ways to Not Lose Your Temper With Your Kids." Basically, I just need to breathe and realize that it's called the "terrible twos" for a reason. She'll be 3 in 6 months...I have a feeling it's only going to get worse before it gets better. And then she'll be a teenager. Oh boy. Ella has her first dentist appointment scheduled for this Wednesday. We're concerned because one of her front teeth is discolored, following a nasty fall where she hit her teeth on the floor. The dentist...she's growing up so fast.

NATHAN: Nate is now 16 pounds and is quickly growing out of 6-9 month clothing. He recently began teething and has 2 cute little teeth popping up on the bottom. There were a few days where it seemed like the teeth were bothering him, but otherwise, he's been a trooper. Nathan seems to get sick a lot, usually with a runny nose and a cough. He finished up a course of antibiotics a few weeks ago after his cough had lingered for over a month. His pediatrician thought it might have been a sinus infection. Who knows. Nate was also on an anti-reflux medication called Prilosec for about 10 days. His pediatrician thought he might have had "silent reflux" since he was getting the hiccups so frequently and sleeping so poorly. He also said we would notice a huge difference if it really was reflux. We didn't. We stopped the medication and tried to accept the fact that our son was just a horrible sleeper. I think I read every book on the market on the topic of sleep, or "sleep training." Joe and I decided to follow a method described in a book called, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. His philosophy does involve some crying and it is considered a "cry-it-out" method, or "CIO." Nathan was used to Joe or I rocking, bouncing, walking, feeding/nursing, etc. to sleep and then being put down in his crib asleep. He didn't know how to self-soothe, so when he woke up, he couldn't get back to sleep on his own. We have made HUGE progress! Nate now goes into his crib awake, following our routine of books, bottle, rocking, and singing. He still cries, but the amount has decreased considerably each night, and he falls asleep on his own! He only wakes up once or twice during the night to eat, which I can handle. Joe and I have some time to relax in the evenings now since once Nathan falls asleep, he's generally asleep for a good 4-6 or more hours for his first stretch. We still need to work on lengthening his naps, but he does fall asleep on his own for his naps as well. Nathan can roll from his tummy to his back and today Joe found him on his tummy in his crib, after I had put him on his back. He LOVES his Rainforest Jumperoo and can really get going! He also enjoys his Baby Einstein Playmat. Nate is trying lots of new foods and is doing really well with it. After a few trials, there isn't anything he absolutely wont eat. Yet.

I hope I've kept your attention. I felt like I had to provide an update and summarize the past 3 months. The past 5 months have been the hardest months of my life. They have been challenging and trying, difficult and emotional, stressful and frustrating. But, they have also been amazing and rewarding, beautiful and exciting, fun and memorable. Our family is complete and it's finally starting to feel like we know what we're doing. For now.

Enjoy the video of my funny kids!

My Final Blog

I'm not even sure how many people read my blog, but for those of you who do, I'm sorry to say that this will be my last posting. Here are my reasons why:
1. Like scrapbooking, knowing that I have something unfinished makes me stressed out. Do I really need my blog to create MORE stress in my life? No.
2. My free time is spent...oh wait, that's right, I have no free time. :) Hehe!
3. I return to work on Tuesday. Even though it's only 2 days a week, it's going to be a big change at first.
4. And finally, most evenings are spent putting Nathan to bed. And "to bed" means, putting him in his crib, going downstairs, he wakes up, we go upstairs, calm him down, go back downstairs, rinse and repeat.

I plan on printing out many of my entries and putting them into Nathan's memory box. It's been neat having a blog for a while, but I'm done. I do really enjoy reading everyone else's blog though! So keep it up! :)

I will continue to post lots and lots of pictures on Snapfish, so you'll be able to see our lives in pictures rather than in words.

Just a brief update: Christmas was spent in Michigan. It was great to be with my parents for so long, and they had a blast with the grandkids. It was crazy, but as my mom put it, "a good crazy." I was able to see family and friends and introduce them all to Nathan. I finally met my the children of my friends, Jessica and Sarah. Noah and Halle are just adorable! I still need to meet Christine's son Danny, then I will feel complete! Our drive to Michigan was rough, but going back to Wisconsin was smooth sailing. I only had to climb into the back seat once. Thank God for mini-vans. (and mini-vans with DVD players!) New Years Eve was spent putting Nathan "to bed." (See above.) He rang in the new year with us and then stayed up another hour after that! He's just a party boy I guess. He gets cuter and cuter each day and gives us lots of smiles and coos. He loves looking at ceiling fans. No need for toys! Ella continues to amaze us with her vocabulary and cracks us up on a daily basis. I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009.

THE END