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Tuesday, June 26, 2012

42 Weeks Old!

42 weeks old. They can't all be happy pictures!
We were out most of the day on Sunday, so I couldn't take his weekly picture until the late evening, right before his bath. Because of this, he was cranky. That's ok - it shows a different side of him.

Since we were outside for a total of about 5 hours Sunday, Cael slept AMAZINGLY that night! He slept from 8pm to 5:45am, woke up and ate, then fell back to sleep until 9:00 am!! It was glorious, amazing, incredible, etc. I has to be because of all the fresh air he got. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep until 11:30 that night, so I didn't get as much sleep as I could have, but I still got a pretty good chunk of sleep.

Part of why I couldn't get to sleep was because Matt is away. He went to VA for the entire week to see his best friend. He really needed a vacation, as he hasn't had any time off since Cael was born. Plus, it will give us a healthy break from each other. It sucks because I'll have to take care of everything on my own, but I'll manage.

I'm also excited for Thursday. My best friend (Matt's best friend's wife) is coming up from VA and visiting from Thursday evening to Sunday. I cannot wait! I haven't seen her since Cael was a month old. She's not going to believe how much he's grown, changed, and how he is all over the place. It will be so good to see her for a few days. I do a countdown every day. :)

We've learned that, if given the choice, Cael will choose pasta over chicken. He LOVES pasta with sauce. He loves chicken too, but if we're having both for dinner, he'll pick the pasta. He's pretty much eating everything that we're eating now. Even if it is full of spices (I usually cook with garlic powder, salt pepper, seasoned salt, parsley). It seems the more flavor it has, the more he likes it. That works for me, because I have a very bland palate. I would love for him to enjoy more types of food, unlike myself.

He's still eating purees for breakfast, because I mix it with his cereal, but nothing much more beyond that. He loves yogurt, too. I found this yogurt from YoBaby that is like a "meal" because it has pureed fruit/veggies on the bottom. The one I gave him yesterday morning was peach and squash. Since I don't have any pureed fruits made yet, I just mixed his rice cereal in the yogurt. He loved it! I've also learned that he's not too fond of oatmeal cereal. After experimenting for a few days and rotating rice and oatmeal, I've realized that he didn't want to eat anything with the oatmeal mixed in. So we'll just avoid it from now on. He also had a waffle for breakfast too, for the first time. He loved that as well! The boy can eat, that's for sure!

Sleeping with his tush in the air. I love how he's hugging the blanket.
Today, Cael and I were supposed to go to a water park with the local Mom's group I'm in. However, it was really chilly, windy and overcast, so we ended up staying home. Plus, since Cael and I have been out for most of the day the past 2 days, I figured it would be best if he got a good, solid nap. And he did - he slept for about 2.5 hours. Only one nap, of course, but it seems to be all he needs. 

So while he napped, I cleaned the apartment like a crazy woman in anticipation of my friend visiting in 2 days. I'll be completely honest - other than vacuuming every morning and doing some dishes every day - I haven't really cleaned the apartment. It was truly disgusting. And I hate to admit that. So I scrubbed both bathrooms everywhere (around the toilets, the toilets, the floors, tubs - you get the gist), dusted and organized the entertainment center - which was horrid with all the dog hair, and burned all the cardboard. I felt very much accomplished. I feel like a terrible mother for putting this off for so long, especially since Cael is very mobile now. But now it's done. Tomorrow, I plan on going through the "junk drawer" and throwing away quite a bit from there, and then cleaning off the kitchen table. I'm just happy that I finally have the motivation to clean. I feel like such a lazy bum.

Hit & run.
Cael is into everything more than ever. And he doesn't listen to the word "No". In fact, when I say it (and sometimes I have to repeat it several times), he'll turn around, look at me, and then go back to what he was doing. He's too young for punishment, so right now, if he doesn't listen, I have to redirect him. So I'll go over to him, pick him up, and sit him down on the other side of the room. Sometimes it works because he gets distracted by a toy, and sometimes it doesn't, and he'll go right back to where he was. Regarding punishment, I like to think that we will be spank/slap-free parents. I really don't want to use any type of physical punishment, but instead use other options. But as of right now, I'll just redirect.

One thing that he loves doing, is pulling the DVD stand down. First he'll start by pulling one or two Blu Ray discs down at a time. Then he'll just grab the stand, and pull it down. He's done this a few times already, and luckily, he hasn't dropped it on himself yet. I'm sure it's bound to happen. Getting a new entertainment center and DVD stand is on our list of things to-do. Unfortunately, that stuff requires money to get.

Playing with his puppy, Tyson
Cael is working on his 5th tooth. It's right there! So to-date, he has both bottom middle, top right lateral incisor, and top middle right teeth. His top middle left tooth is the tooth that is about to break through. I am starting to feel it poking through the gums. Speaking of teething, Cael has started to bite me after he's done nursing. It could be because that top tooth is starting to cut through, but part of me thinks it's just him doing it on purpose. After he's done nursing, he'll take the tip of my nipple in his mouth a couple of times (like he's testing the waters), and then go in for the kill. He'll bite down, and then look right at me like he's waiting for a reaction. I'll give him a firm "No", and say, "You don't do that!", and he'll just stare at me. Then sometimes he'll try to do it again, and then I'll just fasten my bra and take the boob away from him. I initially thought he wanted to wean, but now I don't think that's the case. I think he's either a) fucking with me; or b) just saying he's done, and/or teething. So far he hasn't broken the skin, and I hope he doesn't.

Bath time!
My lil' shark

Saturday, June 23, 2012

9 Month Photoshoot

Better late than never, I guess huh? Although he's 9.5 months old, I finally got his 9 month photo's done. I was really feeling like just paying to have them done, but 1) we don't have any money; and 2) we'll be paying to have his 1 year photos done.


















Officially "Garded"

By the ParaGard, that is. Thursday, I finally got to Planned Parenthood while Matt watched Cael. I really didn't know what to expect, but it was really weird going in there. I don't want to be judgy, but some of the women who came in were..uh...trashy. But it's good that there's a place that they can go to get help. I seriously felt like a minority there, being married, and looking for ways to prevent pregnancy, and limit our family size. Of course there were women there who were picking up condoms (you could tell, because they handed them out in paper bags), but there was also a woman there who picked up condoms, but also wanted a pregnancy test. I won't go into details, but the gist of what I got from overhearing her, is that she was 3 weeks post-partum, but she wanted a pregnancy test because a condom broke a week ago. Say what!?! Yikes!

Anyway, I was there for a total of about 3 hours. I ended up getting a pelvic exam, pap smear, breast exam, and the IUD in. Initially, when the nurse was interviewing me, she was explaining what would happen. I would answer questions, have a pap and pelvic done, and then come back when I had my period so that they could put the IUD in. Uh, hold up a second nurse-lady. I informed her that I was still breastfeeding, and haven't yet had a period at 9.5 months old. I re-asked her, and said, "so even if I'm breastfeeding, and haven't had a period yet, and don't know when I'm going to have a period, you're going to make me wait?" She said yes, and I told her I wasn't happy about that, and if I'm going to have to wait potentially several months, I might as well leave, and pretend like I didn't come. She said that she would ask the NP to make sure.

She left before finishing the questions to ask the NP about what they would do. She popped her head in to ask how old my baby was, and then left again. The NP came back in with the nurse this time, and confirmed that I haven't had a period yet. She said that it was odd, and asked the last time we had sex. I explained to her about my granuloma and how sex was painful, and then about how my husband can't use condoms during sex. So therefore, it had been about 3 weeks since we had sex. She said ok, and then said that they would do a pregnancy test, and that they can actually insert the IUD at that visit! I was thrilled. Now, they just had to call the insurance company to see how much they would cover. Great. So I went out into the waiting room, trying not to get my hopes up.

I'll spare the details, but eventually they came out to get me to ask more questions. A lady from the front desk came in, and explained to me that they couldn't get a clear answer from the insurance company, and that they may cover it up to 50%. I chimed in, telling her that I already called the insurance company, and they told me 50% after the deductible was met. So we don't know. So she said that what they would do, would charge me half today (which I needed to pay in full), and then bill the insurance company for the other half. And based off our income, we qualified for a discount, so instead of $800, I would have to pay $575. So I owed $285 at that visit, plus a $20 copay for the exam. She explained that if the insurance covers the other half, then fine - I don't owe anything else. But if they don't, I'll get a bill from PP for $285, in which I can set up a payment plan.

I asked to call Matt so I can talk to him about it. We just had a lot of bills come out of our account, so we had less than $500 in our checking account. Plus, Matt is going to Virginia on Sunday for a week, and we wanted to make sure he had enough money. We got into a little argument over the phone, but in the end, he said to just do it so that it's taken care of. Whether we have to pay for it now, or in a month, we're still going to have to pay it.

I came out and told the nurses that I was going to go ahead with it. I finished the last of the interview questions, and the nurse gave me an Ibuprofen. She then scared me by saying that even if they can't get the ParaGard in, that I would still be charged an insertion fee of $140. That made me really nervous, but as I was passing the NP, she said, "Don't worry, we'll get it in."

Twenty minutes later, I was in the exam room, and having the exam. Much to my surprise, the pap didn't hurt at all. Especially when she inserted the speculum. The last time I had a speculum inserted (at the appointment with the midwife for my granuloma), it hurt so bad it brought tears to my eyes. This time, I didn't feel anything except for the normal pressure of a speculum being inside you. Just proof that the silver nitrate worked!

The nurse told me that I would feel a pinch when the NP tried to get my cervix open. I felt this weird pressure, and feeling inside my uterus. I learned that the NP was measuring the length from the fundus of my uterus to my cervix. Mine measured 6 cm. Normally it's 6-9 cm, and if it's less than 6 cm in length, then they wouldn't be able to insert the IUD because it would likely be expelled. That's something that I didn't even know. I'm very lucky that my uterus was long enough to put the IUD in. I then felt this moderate discomfort, pressure-like twinge. It was uncomfortable, but definitely bearable. I asked if that was the "pinch", and the nurse said yes, and I told her that was nothing. I said that after the pain I had with the granuloma, this was a piece of cake, and definitely manageable. I did experience some cramping when she was putting the IUD in and measuring the length, but it was quickly gone after it was all done.

The whole things was done in less than 5 minutes. The NP couldn't tell me for sure if I was going to experience bleeding, because normally they're inserted when you have your period. She also said that the insertion might trigger my period to start, but again, she wasn't positive. I don't know how it would trigger my period to start, since it's non-hormonal, but I guess I had to wait and see. She gave me a wallet card that had the date of insertion, and said it had to be removed no later than June 2024 (12 years). Normally, they have you call back in 2 weeks, after your first menses with the IUD in, so that you can come back in and be checked that everything is still in place. But since I have a different situation, she said not to worry about it. It kind of left me with clue as to what to do, but I figured that after I had a period - whenever that would be - that I can always call them, tell them when I had it in, and ask if they need to see me. I paid the $305, and was on my way.

Everyone was so nice to me there. I told Matt when I got home, that I was probably a breath of fresh air for them, compared to the people they normally see. Especially 3-week-postpartum-possibly-pregnant-woman. It sounds mean, but it's true.

I must have started bleeding right after I left PP, because by the time I got home, my pantyliner was filled with red blood. As of today, I'm still bleeding, but it's more like spotting. I don't need a pad or tampon, but it's still coming out, more lighter with each day. I researched it, and found that bleeding and spotting is normal after IUD insertion. I'm not going to consider this a period, because I'm not cramping, and when you think about it, my cervix had to be pried open, and there's a foreign object in my uterus. The combination of these things is most likely what's causing me to bleed.

Although it was expensive out of pocket, I don't regret getting it done. Plus, now we're protected for 12 years! It's the best decision for us, and hopefully now we can have normal (condom-free) sex again. It's been a long time, that's for sure. Of course, there's a list of possible side-effects, and problems. They include: ectopic pregnancy, infertility, expulsion, perforation of the IUD through the uterus, pelvic infection (which I'm scare to get. Mostly occurs within the first 20 days of insertion), breakthrough bleeding between periods, increased menstrual cramps, heavy menstrual bleeding, etc. I'm most afraid of it coming out on it's own, because my uterus is so short. Mainly because of the cost of getting it put back in. Hopefully that won't happen.

Overall, I'm thrilled to have an IUD, despite the cost. Hopefully it works well for us, and I don't have any complications.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

6 Months Of Cloth Diapering

This month marks the 6th month that we've been using cloth diapers. I'm still in love with them, and enjoy using cloth diapers. We've only used disposable diapers at limited times, like when we went camping last month, and every Tuesday night now for the summer, when my mother-in-law watches Cael at night so we can go bowling. After several Wednesday mornings of waking up to Cael being soaked, I realized that she wasn't putting the cloth diaper on right. I guess she was afraid to put it on too tight, so it would be really loose, to the point of falling off, in the morning. So after dealing with soaked mornings, I decided to let her put a disposable on him Tuesday nights. It's easier for her, and I don't have to completely change Cael's clothes the next morning. I still have some left over from camping (a whole unopened sleeve, actually), so it works out. Plus, they were Babies R' Us brand, so they were relatively cheap. I will never, ever buy Walmart brand again. They leaked HORRIBLY for us.

After trying my homemade detergent a while back, and having it fail epic-ly, we switched to Tide Original Powder. I had to add a few extra rinses at the end of the cycle, but it's been working great. And I haven't needed to buy a new container yet since we switched, and we still have a little left. It's not that expensive to use, although I'm sad I couldn't use the detergent I made. I did buy the Ivory bar soap to transition it to detergent for clothes, but I haven't gotten around to grating 4 bars yet to add in. In time, I guess.

I finally moved Cael to the middle-rise snap position on the Flip diapers. He's still on the mid-rise snap position on the BumGenius' diapers, and have been for a while. Basically, now all his diapers are on the mid-rise. There are a few new ones that I got, similar to BabyLand, from a friend for $20 for 11 diapers, and I have them on the biggest snap setting. They fit funny, which is why I have it bigger. They also leak, sadly, so I can't keep them on him for longer than 2 hours TOPS. I have to strip all the diapers again anyway, so I'm hoping that after they're all stripped (even though they were new), it will stop the leaking. However, I think the problem lies in the fact that they're a cheaply made type of diaper, and there isn't any reinforcement material behind the PUL where the size-snaps are. So the moisture is wicking around the edges of the snaps. If that makes sense. We shall see.

So overall, I'm still happy with my decision to cloth diaper. I feel that I've saved a lot of money by not having to constantly buy disposable diapers. They're easy to wash, and, of course, they're adorable on Cael's butt! Definitely the choice for us!

Finally, My Doctor Update

This is a long time coming, but I figured I would still post an update. I went for my follow-up appointment on May 31st to check the granuloma site. I was pretty sure it fell off the day after the silver nitrate application a week and half before the follow-up appointment. So I was convinced that this would be just a simple check. My best friend S came along this time, so that she could help me watch Cael. It was a great help.

So after telling the doctor that I haven't had any spotting or pain since the last appointment, and that I think it fell off, he started to examine me. Actually, correction - the resident examined me while the doctor oversaw. This resident was very twitchy, and kind of rough, so it was a rather uncomfortable exam. Much to my dismay, the doctor and resident said that there was still a little piece left. The doctor then gave me a choice of what I wanted to do. He said that it can easily be snipped off with some local anesthetic, or he can put another application of silver nitrate on. I cringed at the thought of both ideas, so I told the doctor to do whatever he thought was best, that I knew it was going to hurt either way.

He decided that the silver nitrate would be best, so the resident applied it. I was ready for the horrid pain I felt last time, but to be honest, it wasn't that bad. It also helped that the same nurse who was in with me last time let me squeeze her hand. He said this application should take care of it. And that in one week, he wanted me to use some KY or Vaseline, and massage the area where the granuloma was. This will help stretch the scar tissue, and make it easier/less sore when I have sex. He said to also wait a couple days after that to have sex. He didn't want to see me for a follow-up, but said that if anything was wrong, or if I was having any problems, to contact them and he'd see me again.

It's been almost 3 weeks since my follow-up appointment, and we've had sex twice. We're having some issues with condoms, which is why it's so few. But both times, it wasn't uncomfortable for me at all, and I enjoyed it. Speaking of condoms, I cannot wait to get an IUD. I'm really looking forward to getting the Paragard, which is a non-hormonal IUD. It's copper, and it can last for 12 years, which is perfect for us since we don't plan on extending our family. The only problem is the cost. After calling our insurance company, I found out that they cover it only after our $500 deductible is met, and then it's only covered 50%. The Paragard itself is roughly $500-600, so that would be a total cost of roughly $700-800 if I went through my OB/Gyn. So I decided to call Planned Parenthood, to see what their costs would be.

PP still bills the insurance, and it's more of a process than I thought it would be for PP. I have to have a consultation appointment first, which consists of a PAP smear, pelvic exam, and figuring out if the Paragard is "right for me". That appointment is subject to our $20 copay. Then they set me up with another appointment  to have the IUD put in. But before that, they will give me the approximate total cost. Basically, they contact the insurance company, and whatever they don't cover, I'll be subject to pay at a reduced price through a sliding scale. I really want to have the Paragard put in, so I hope it's not that expensive in the end. They have walk-in hours tomorrow, so I'll go while Matt has off. We'll see what happens.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Another Schedule Change

Today is the 2nd day in a row that Cael has only taken one nap. I think he's transitioning from 2 naps a day, down to 1 nap a day. Yesterday, he took his morning nap around 3 hours after waking up, and then didn't go down for another nap in the afternoon after about an hour of trying. So he was up until he took a bath at 7:45, sans fussiness! I couldn't believe it! And then today, he didn't take a morning nap, but took an afternoon nap from 1-3:30. We had a busy morning today, too. We went to a LLL meeting, which lasted 2 hours, and then came home and baked cookies. I was trying to keep him occupied, because I didn't want him napping at 12, just in case he wanted to take a second nap. In that case, it would throw off his entire day. So I put him in the highchair facing me and the counter, and baked cookies while he watched and played with measuring cups.

If this is the start of a new change for Cael, I'm going to be slightly sad. I'll miss his morning nap, because that gave me time to either a) nap too, if he had a rough night, b) have some time to myself, or c) catch up on chores. But at the same time, a lot of other mother's have said that 1 nap a day is a lot easier to plan your day around. I can see how that's the case, because I wouldn't be able to do anything in the morning because it would run into his nap time, and I didn't want to disrupt that. So I would really only be able to get out after 12 or so, unless I had a doctor appointment, or absolutely had to go out. And I guess as long as he's not cranky or fussy in the morning, then all will be good. We will have to wait and see what tomorrow brings, as to whether or not this is a fluke, or a definite change.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

41 Weeks Old & Happy Father's Day!

41 weeks old
Today is Matt's first Father's Day. Cael was up for the day at 5:45 this morning, and that was after being up at 1:30am. Of course I was going to let Matt sleep in, so after keeping Cael in his crib for as long as I could, we were up at 6:45. He's been getting way better at keeping himself occupied for a little while in the morning while he's in his crib. Matt says that sometimes he'll get up for work at 6:45, and he'll find Cael just sitting in the crib playing quietly. That's really good to know.

For Father's Day today, Cael and I made Matt 2 picture frames - one from Popsicle sticks for a picture, and another for Cael's hand print. The one for the hand print was a plain wooden frame that I bought for $1, and decorated it with dad-themed, and sports-themed scrap-booking stickers. I then bought a non-toxic, washable stamp pad, and put Cael's hand print on a piece of blue scrap book paper, and cut it to fit the frame. I feel I could have decorated the frames a little better, but I'm still happy with how they came out.
Happy Father's Day
We also got Matt a fender flare kit and an emergency soft top for his new Wrangler. The fender flare kit should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. Finally, I took some pictures of Cael holding the letters "D" and "A", and spelled the word DADA with 4 pictures. I arranged them, and then ordered a mug from CVS that says "Happy 1st Father's Day 2012" on it. Matt loves to drink coffee on his days off, so it will be perfect. I was originally going to do another picture frame, but then saw an idea for a mug, and thought it was a better choice. I can't wait to pick it up from CVS in a week, and give it to Matt. I love how the pictures came out. These are the pictures I used, but it's arranged in a straight line from left to right, not on a diagonal like in this picture.

His sleep at night has been very inconsistent. One night, he'll get up at, say, 1:30, 4:30 and then sleep until 8. Then, the next night, he could sleep through the night until 5:20, and be up for the day at 6:30. And when he gets up in the middle of the night, only nursing seems to soothe him, and get him back to sleep. It could be a combination of a growth spurt (not sure how long that lasts), and teething.

Speaking of teething, Cael finally cut an upper middle tooth. His top middle-right tooth finally broke through, and its neighbor isn't far behind. It's so exciting to see him with so many teeth, although I'm not looking forward to the teeth grinding that I'm hearing about. It makes me shudder. And I'm also afraid of being bitten during nursing even more now. It hasn't happened (yet), and I hope it never happens.

Cael started doing some new things this past week. For starters, if I ask him to come give me a hug, he'll stop what he's doing, and immediately crawl over to me with a big, grinny smile on his face. He'll pull himself up to where I am, reach up for me to grab him, and then he'll tightly wrap his arms around me. It's the.greatest.feeling.EVER. I love his hugs so much - they just melt my heart. Another thing he'll do, is if I'm standing up, and I say to him "Want to come up?" he'll crawl over to me, pull on me so he can stand, and then put his arms up to me to pick him up. It's so amazing that he's understanding what I'm saying. Then today, he started using the back of his hand against his mouth, to make his voice shake (for lack of a better description). I can tell he's trying to mimic how I use my hand over his mouth when he's making sounds. He's so smart already, and it's only a matter of time before he'll figure it out.

Mommy and Cael in the pool
Floating in the pool
I'm kind of sad that he can't wave or clap yet, but I'm working on it with him. I'm also trying to get him to say "mama" or "dada". He's a lot more chatty now, and has added the "B" consonant sound to his sounds, so he'll say "babababababa". He'll get there, though. I'm not concerned at all.

I love this suit!
Yesterday, Cael and I spent about 2 hours outside by the pool. I was finally able to get some pictures of him in his floaty, and of him and me in the pool. He's definitely getting more relaxed each time he goes in, which I'm happy about. We were only in the water for about 20 minutes, and then sat out on the deck in the sun to dry off, with my mother-in-law. Cael loved playing on the deck, and watching Grandpa mow the lawn. He was so fascinated by him, and wouldn't take his eyes off him. After being in the sun for a little while, we moved to the shaded gazebo, where Cael continued to play. He really enjoyed being outside.

As far as Cael's birthday party in PA, I have no idea what I'm going to do theme-wise. At first, I wanted to do Where The Wild Things Are, but now I'm leaning more away from it. I think I might just do a theme of colors, like what I did with his bedroom. I might go to Party City to look around and see what they have. Maybe I can get some ideas from there. I've also been looking on Etsy and Pinterest a lot lately to try and gather some ideas. I still have 3 months to go, but it's going to fly by!







Peek-A-Boo
Relaxing in the sun. Sorry for blinding you
with my paleness
Look at all that hair!
We started using the toothbrush

Friday, June 15, 2012

Strawberry Picking!

Yesterday, I took Cael strawberry picking for the first time. We went with the local MoM group we're in. It was a little difficult to hold a conversation with a fellow MoM, but it was still fun. We were each assigned our own row (hence the difficulty in chatting) to pick strawberries. I had Cael strapped to me in the Infantino carrier, facing outwards. I'm glad I opted for that instead of the Moby - it was super hot, being out in an open field in the blazing sun. I'm glad I remembered Cael's hat and sunblock as I was heading out the door.

We got there at 10, and took a short hayride to the field behind the barn. Cael and I were done picking and on our way home by 10:45, but it was still fun. He started getting cranky, as it was interfering with his morning nap, so after I had almost a full bucket of strawberries, I decided it was time to leave. It was difficult to strawberry pick, because the bushes are low to the ground, so I had to crouch on my knees and bend forward. Not an easy task when you have a 19 pound baby strapped to your chest. It's very sad, because my thighs are a little sore this morning. Just goes to show how out-of-shape I am. But since Cael was facing forward, he would reach into the bucket I had on the ground, pick out the strawberries, look at it, and then throw it on the ground. I didn't realize what he was doing at first, and couldn't figure out why there were berries all over the ground. Until I saw him do it. I thought it was so cute - the little pip!


Cael even got to enjoy some of the berries we picked. I'm more lenient when it comes to the foods we let Cael have (with the exception of sugar/candy, and nuts). I'm not too worried about a strawberry allergy because no one in our family is allergic to strawberries. Plus, the first pediatrician said that those allergies mostly come from the pollen on the berry, and not the berry itself. So Matt let Cael have a few bites, and he LOVED it! He even tried biting off the whole berry, in which I freaked out, and Matt then started holding the berry closer to the edge so he couldn't do that. It was a great little outing we had!

Monday, June 11, 2012

40 Weeks Old & Pool Time!

40 weeks old!
Yesterday was HOT! It got up to 87 degrees, and it was really sunny out. After Matt fixed the lawn mower out in the blazing sun, he decided it would be fun to jump into the pool. We also finally set up Cael's baby blow-up pool. It's really cute, and has a blow up palm tree canopy, so it blocks the sun. It's only a few inches deep, but that's all we need. We figured we'd try the main pool first, and give the new floating device I got for Cael a try. We got into our bathing suits, lathered Cael up with sunscreen, and headed down to the pool.

Pool time!
Despite the pool being directly in the sun, it was FREEZING! I was going to get in first, and have Matt hand Cael to me. But I was only able to get down the first rung on the ladder. I then took Cael, and told Matt to get in. He thought it was freezing too, and for him to think that, you know it's cold. So we decided to just let Cael play in his pool to cool off. He spent about 20 minutes in the pool, and loved it! He was splashing, laughing, and crawling around in the water. Matt even laid him on his back with his head resting on the edge, and he loved kicking his legs and splashing in the water. After 20 minutes, Matt and I were roasting in the sun, and really hot. So we decided to give the pool another shot, since we were hotter this time. I decided that the best thing to do was to just jump in, instead of ease in. So Matt helped by pushing me in, and it felt so refreshing. It was cold at first, but you quickly get used to it. We decided if Cael wasn't enjoying himself and looked to be shivering, we'd take him right out.

They're both trying to climb out
Just like in the river, Cael clung to me for dear life, but he didn't cry or complain. The water temperature took his breath away for a second, but he got used to it too. It really wasn't as cold as we initially thought it was. Matt then jumped in, and we put Cael in the floaty. He really enjoyed it, and I could see he was kicking his legs under the water. He seemed nervous, because he was just floating in something that he's never been in before, but he did really well. We spent about 25 minutes in the pool, pushing Cael around in the floaty. We didn't want him to be in so long that he would start hating it, so as soon as he started to get fussy, we took him out. He really enjoyed it, and I'm so happy that did. I didn't learn to swim until I was around 15, and I hate having water on my face at all, so I want him to get used to the water and to be at ease in the water. It was a great pool experience all around. Unfortunately, Matt and I left our phones in the house, so we couldn't get any pictures of him in the big pool. I was disappointed, but I know there will be tons more times that he'll be in the pool this summer. I'll be sure to get some good shots then.

My brother- and sister-in-law came over with B yesterday too. I texted them in the morning, and told them to bring B's bathing suit because we set up Cael's pool. So when Cael woke up from his afternoon nap, both Cael and B went into the pool together. Cael only lasted about 10 minutes this time, because he was hungry, and probably had enough of the pool for the day. It was funny to see their interactions in the pool though. B is only 6 weeks older, but she's definitely more dominant. She was pulling on Cael, and trying to poke him in the face. It was cute, and we let them be (my SIL was telling B no). They have to learn to socialize.

Cael has been doing well with lunch since his 9 month appointment on Friday. I think he really enjoys the additional meal. He's also continuing to do much better at night, too. Last night, he slept until 4am, ate and went back to sleep, then woke up at 6:45 to eat again, and then we fell asleep again until 8:30! That hasn't happened in a long time! It was awesome to get that much sleep again. I'm thankful for it. Now we'll just have to see if it happens again tomorrow. :)

9 months in & 9 months old!

Yesterday, since Cael turned 40 weeks old, I decided I wanted to take a picture with me holding him. Originally, I wanted to do a 40 Weeks In/40 Weeks Old comparison picture, but then I realized I didn't have a full body 40 week belly picture. I wanted the pictures to be similar so that it was easily comparable. I took one when I was 39.5 weeks pregnant, but you can't see my head, and it was done in a mirror. So I used a picture from when I did my own maternity pictures. I think I was about 36/37 weeks pregnant, so I was technically 9 months. It was the best picture I had, so I had to use it. My belly wasn't its' biggest, but at the same time it didn't get that much bigger. I had Matt take a few pictures of me holding Cael, not knowing that this picture would be the one I'd use, and it turned out to be a perfect comparison.

I also was able to see how I looked physically. We don't have any full-length mirrors in the apartment, and I rarely get any pictures of myself full-body. I was actually quite pleased with how thin I look. You can definitely see how much weight I lost in my face from when I was pregnant, to now. I had gained some weight in my neck and cheeks when I was pregnant, but I'm happy to say that I lost that and then some.


I can't believe I have a 9 month old!

Cousins chattin' it up!
Yummy lunch & eyes to die for!
Lounging on Mommy
Hanging out at the Nature Center Festival