Random Stuff

This past week has been a major roller coaster for our family. On top of what I posted last week, we also lost our daycare person. I was in a panic, but God is good, and within a day, everything worked out and we love our new person. I also went and saw my new doctor and got some medicine that really seems to be helping so I'm am SUPER thankful for that because I feel like myself again. Lastly, I got a haircut and color to complete our fresh start this week.

Because of feeding Jack formula, I needed a few more things. Below is the first new thing that I think is fabulous. It is a formula dispenser for when we are on the go. I love this one because it opens so easily and closes so tightly. My old one was hard to open and I always ran the risk of formula going everywhere once I pried it open.

This next thing is the coolest thing ever. It is a mesh bag for the dishwasher to hold all the bottle nipples and rings. It is along the same lines conceptually as a lingerie bag. I love it because it doesn't take up hardly any room in my dishwasher. They carry it online at babisrus or at amazon. It is so much better than the dishwasher baskets.

The best part about this last week was that it was Ryan's 3rd birthday. Below is a picture of Rita on the morning of Ryan's birthday. Notice all the stuffed animals. Ryan has never, ever been partial to stuffed animals until his preschool had a teddy bear day. We had to go through the house to find a teddy bear a student had given me so he had one to bring to school. We pulled out a lot of stuffed animals in the process, which now ALL sleep on Ryan's bed. He calls them his friends. We think he's pretty cute and we liked that Rita wanted to be one of his "friends."

Ryan has been really into Mercer Mayer's Little Critter stories. We bought him one called Just Me and My Little Brother for a birthday present. When he found it in his gift box, we had to read it immediately.

I love this next picture because it shows just how crazy and excited Ryan was on his birthday. We could not get him to hold still for a single picture so we have tons of pictures that look like this.

And if that wasn't enough birthday, we had his friends over last Saturday to play and I made some cupcakes for the event. I think they came out pretty cute.
I'm hoping for a smooth and uneventful week this week. I think we need it.

On a personal note

I've had trouble with insomnia and anxiety off and on for almost 3 years ever since Ryan was born. During my pregnancy with Jack, it disappeared, and I felt great. Since Jacks delivery, it's returned, unfortunately. Since I had already gone through all of that when Ryan was born, I didn't hesitate and went to my doctor for some help. Medication and nursing do not go well together, but I was determined to nurse Jack. I accepted the risks, and started taking some meds that were on the safer side. I have definitely worried about their affect on Jack, but also realized that I needed some help. The results have been inconsistent, and the past week, for whatever reason, has been more difficult for me. I went back to my doctor yesterday and he agreed that I needed some more help, but he said I would not fully get better, nor could he prescribe much of anything, unless I stopped nursing. I started crying immediately and he asked (in a way that was meant for me to sort through my own feelings) why it was so important to me. I said I really didn't know because I really have no problem with formula and have been supplementing Jack since day one. He referred me to another doctor for some additional help and asked me to consider weaning Jack so I could fully get better.

I had a lot of tears on the way home, and then I talked with Phil, my sister, and my mom, and they were all so supportive of me. They all helped me recognize that I have had too much on my plate since returning to work, knowing that I will be full time in about a month, and trying to drop off the boys in two different places each morning. In addition to all that, on my work days, instead of eating lunch with the teachers, I've rushed to feed Jack, then I've hurried back to school. I've missed the friendships of my colleagues and the strain of this arrangement has taken its toll. I decided that the doctor was right.

Today, my confidence has grown in my decision as I watched Jack go 3 hours (!) between feedings with the bottle. Not only that, but I realized no longer will I have to schedule my entire day around his feedings, or plan to be home by a certain time when I've gone out for a bit. I can pick to wear any kind of clothes, including dresses, that I want and they won't look wrinkled from pulling them up all day. Phil realized the best thing of all; we can go out of town for a weekend without children sooner than when Jack turns one. I think it's going to be alright and I'm looking forward to meeting with my new doctor next week to figure out what to do next.

Car Cake and Birthdays

September is upon us and in our family, that means lots of celebrations. The 6th was our anniversary and Phil and I got to have a date and had dinner at Frugatti's. Yesterday was my birthday and we had dinner with my family. Tomorrow, we'll celebrate all the September birthday's with my extended family. We'll finally finish it all off with Ryan's first friend party next weekend. The party tomorrow means that I had to bake Ryan's race track cake today. This was no easy task with two children in the house. My mommy brain couldn't think clearly with all the distractions so I made a huge mistake of not putting my cake plate under my 9x13 cake pan, and THEN flipping it over. Instead, I went with the dump approach and consequently broke apart our cake. I was upset, Ryan was in tears, and I thought I had ruined everything. Anyway, frosting and Oreo cookie crumbs seemed to be able to fix everything and the cake turned out looking better than expected.

The damaged cake

Ryan asking if it was going to be alright

Ryan yelling, "CHEESE," with the finished product

Happy Ryan

And this was Ryan when he realized that he would have to wait til tomorrow to eat his cake and get his cars back. Poor kid. Being nearly 3 is hard.

Lastly, here is a video of Ryan giving his thoughts on his cake and his upcoming birthday.

Who does Jack look like?

Julie suggested that I post our baby pictures alongside Jack's to see who he looks like. I thought he was really looking like me, until I looked at Phil's pictures. At least we know he's ours. Let me know what you think!

Jenny 6 months Jack 2 1/2 months

Phil 6 months Jack 2 1/2 months

A Smile!

I finally captured Jack's smile on film. He is the cutest thing. He smiles and coos at everyone now and has been so happy lately. As long as his tummy is full and he is rested, he's all smiles!

Below are some pictures of the boys. I wanted to see some comparisons to see if they look alike. While I see similarities, I notice the differences more. I think their similarities are more in their expressions. Ryan's dimples also give him away.

Ryan 2 1/2 months

Ryan 4 months

Jack 2 1/2 months

Ryan 2 1/2 months

Jack 2 1/2 months