Angela at 5 months

Angela is 5 months today... Such a big girl. And totally loves to be held, especially by mama. She has been doing complete rolls for the last several weeks. Depending on what part of the floor we lay her on, she will occasionally roll into furniture and then get stuck. I am usually in the other room when I hear her squawking, so I have to run out and rescue her.

We had our first family photos taken last week. After rushing to meet the photographer, I was picking Angela up from the carseat and saw that her entire back was covered in poop. Normally this wouldn't be a problem (we carry extra clothing for this type of occasion) but this time we didn't have an appropriate outfit to change into (the pink and white striped Nike onesie wouldn't have coordinated with the rest of the family). Poor little girl.. She didn't seem to mind though. Here is the finished product. We plan on sending this out with our Christmas cards.



We had a very nice Thanksgiving. Our friends from Berkely came down and visited us. Rather than cooking a turkey with all the fixings, we made carne asada on the grill and had corn tortillas, rice, beans, homemade salsa and homemade guacamole. Yum! It was sooo good. Then we had pumpkin pie for dessert.

I have so much to be thankful for. A wonderful husband, two healthy and beautiful children, my wonderful family and friends, and a great career!

Video of Christopher walking on Halloween

Angela at 4 months

It's hard to believe that Angela is now 4 months old. She is no longer considered an infant, but a full fledged baby! We had out doctors appointment yesterday; Angela weighed in at 13 lbs, 2 ounces and 24 inches long. She is in the 40th percentile for height and weight.

She is noticeably more alert; enjoys smiling, squealing, and cooing with us. She has started grabbing objects and will bring them to her mouth. She loves to roll onto her stomach and prefers to lie on her side while sleeping.

Christopher has adapted quite well to her. I will occasionally find him trying to touch her mouth and eyes, but otherwise doesn't pester her too often. It's cute when they smile and interact with each other. I hope that they will play together when they are a little older.

We had a very enjoyable Halloween. We spent the early part of the afternoon at a Halloween party with other mothers and their babies. In the evening we went to the mall and Christopher enjoyed his first carousal ride.

I am looking forward to starting my job in December, as staying home with the kids can be quite mundane. I feel that I will be a better wife/mother with the occasional break from home. I hope that this will work for the family.

Christopher walking

What we've been up to...

This week has been going a little bit better. Christopher is still teething, and two molars are popping through his gums. I've been giving him tylenol, especially before bedtime to help alleviate the pain.

Last week Angela hit her 3 month growth spurt and wanted to nurse every 2-3 hours day and night. I was getting a little worried that this was going to become a habit (especially at night) but for the last 2 nights she has only woken up once. Thank goodness, especially since the sleep deprivation was starting to hit me hard.

Still doing stroller strides; every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It can be a little hectic getting everyone out the door by 8:30 every morning, but I am always glad to get a good workout in.

We took the kids hiking last week. Angela is finally able to handle the car rides without having a complete meltdown, so now we can go places. Last week we went to malibu and enjoyed a nice sunset over the ocean. This weekend we are attending a fall festival in nearby Palmdale.

Here are some recent photos:

A weekend of growth spurt, teething and stomach virus

Blaaaa! It's been a rough week! I started feeling sick Thursday (stomach cramps, nausea, poor appetite, achy joints, fever) and spent Thursday and Friday schlepping around the house.

Poor Angie decides that she is going to enter her 3 month growth spurt a little early, and has been eating every 2-3 hours night and day. I've done my best to keep myself well hydrated while munching on toast for two days.

Then, Christopher developed a fever on Thursday, so we just treated it with tylenol and fluids. I figured he was going through whatever I was going through. Then yesterday he started to get the "teething breath" (I have super acute smell and can smell when his teeth are breaking through) and sure enough he is popping two molars on the bottom. This morning he puked up his breakfast, so we have been giving him fluids and toast. He had a slight fever this afternoon, so I gave him tylenol and he seemed to be feeling better.

What a weekend! I hope everything is resolved by Monday!

stroller strides

It's been a busy couple of weeks. I recently started a work out routine so that I can get back into shape. I joined this group called stroller strides, which is apparently nationwide. www.strollerstrides.com

Stroller strides involves walking with your stroller along a route and doing various work out stations along the way. We use bands to work on triceps/bicep curls, while also doing lunges, squats, stairs and other activities. I have noticed a difference in my shape in the last three weeks, and I have lost 5 lbs so far. It is a good way to work out, meet other women and expose the children to the nice outside air. I figure that since I cannot join a gym, this is the best way for me to get back into shape. We have been doing stroller strides 3-4 times a week, which has kept us pretty busy.

I've also been keeping myself busy with baking. I love baking, and recently I have been baking zucchini chocolate chip muffins (thanks to AJ for posting the recipe on her blog) and banana bread. Today I am hoping to try a pumpkin-oatmeal muffin recipe. I bought wheat flour, bran, and flax seed, and I've been substituting with those ingredients to increase the nutritional value in the muffins. I've also been using applesauce instead of vegetable oil and you can't tell the difference. I figure I can just freeze the muffins, and we can use them for a snack or quick breakfast.

Christopher has recently started taking step (4-5 steps at a time), which is really cool to watch. Angela has begun "talking" to us; which sounds similar to someone softly blowing their nose (it's really cewt!). She really enjoys her play mat and get's really excited when she makes the toys move.

yargh!

Just got off the phone with HR.. it's like pulling teeth to get any information. To make a long story short, I won't be going back to work until December 22nd (was pushing for January 5th, but am maxed out on leave of absence). Then when I restart work, I will be part time.

geesh

So the other night I was making dinner.. I had Angie on her play mat in the living room while I was preparing our meal. All of a sudden I hear her crying (more like squawking) and I ran over to investigate.

Angie had managed to roll onto her stomach and was lying on the play mat looking rather discombobulated. Poor baby...

A recent photo of our Angie:

Crystal's Camel

Ok, so it seems that Crystal is wanting to raise money to buy a camel for her village. She will use this camel to transport large/heavy items for her tree planting project, and if she is able to buy a female camel (they are more expensive) she will have it mate. Of course she will donate the camel to the village once she has finished her service with the PC.

My mom (Ruth) is collecting money for those that are interested in donating. She will send the money via Western Union. You can send a check or money to my mom:

Ruth Pilon
1175 AuSable Trail
Grayling, MI 49738

Thank you!

Just photos- enjoy!

What we've been up to...

Alfonso went back to work on Sunday, so I've been at home with the kids for the last 3 days. It's been a challenge, but hopefully it will get easier. I am working on re-establishing a routine with Christopher, and that way it makes it easier on him and me.

Usually we are awake around 7 am (courtesy of Chris and his internal alarm clock), and I feed him breakfast at 9:00. He takes a morning nap (!) and then I feed him lunch at 12:30/1:00. We play in the living room for a few hours (Christopher plays with his toys, but on occasion will raid the cupboards and drawers and sometimes goes to the extent of pushing his high chair that is on wheels around the kitchen floor). The afternoons get a little hairy, as Angie likes to eat and eat and Christopher will start to get cranky. Today he went down for another nap at 2:45, and didn't wake up until 4:15. So, I am pretty lucky to have such a good sleeper on my hands.

As for handling two babies... lots and lots of diaper changes. I forgot how much infants need to be changed. Christopher can have a wet/dirty diaper and not complain. Angie on the other hand, gets worked up and agitated (ok, she seems to be a little high strung... maybe this is a personality trait). Frequently during meal times, I am nursing Angie with the assistance of my boppy pillow and simultaneously spooning food into Christopher's mouth. Often times I am consoling one baby, and then having to console another. It's very tiring...

After dinner (and after Alfonso has left for work at 6:00pm) I will load up the dishwasher (no longer time to wash dishes by hand) and start to get the kids ready for a walk. I make a point to walk in the evenings, as I find it relaxing for myself and the kids. Angie usually cries if she is riding in the stroller, so I often carry her in the baby bjorn.

I try to give Christopher a bath at least every day, as he gets stinky from the sweat and slobber he produces. Angie is bathed every other day. I brush Chris' teeth (with him threatening to bite my finger every time) and then put him in his crib (both babies sleep upstairs with us). We have a CD of bedtime lullabies, so I play the CD for him. He usually falls asleep pretty easily, no later than 8:30.

I used to read to him, but since Angie is usually screaming/crying during the bedtime routine, I haven't been able to. I try to be in bed by 10:30 at the latest, as Angie nurses twice during the night. Lately Christopher has been waking up during the night, and crying his head off. I try to console him, but he only cries harder. I wonder why??

Anyway, this is week 1 of me being with the kids by myself. I am sure that it will get easier, especially when Angie doesn't need to be nursed/held 24/7.

Pictures from Grandma Pilon's visit

The visit with my mom awesome. I wish that she could live closer (my parents live in Michigan). She was such a wonderful help with the babies. We shared good conversations, went on evening walks, went for pedicures and hung out with the kids. :)

My sister Crystal

I miss my sister Crystal. For anyone that doesn't know, she is a Peace Corps Volunteer and is currently in Niger Africa for the next two years. She wrote me an email the other day, which was awesome because I don't hear from her too often. She lives in a very small village and has to take a bush taxi to another village for inet service. I think it's a dialup service and the power outages are pretty frequent. Here is a link to her blog for anyone interested.

Apparently she wants a camel (so that she can use it for transportation and as a pet---she wants to love it and pet it's neck too) so she is interested in raising money for this camel. She just wrote my mom the other day as well, so I will post the email onto her blog.

Chris 'n Angie

We are all doing well. Slowly we are adapting to life with two children; never-the-less two babies.

Angela is doing wonderful; she is eating well, gaining weight and is more alert. She had her first real smile yesterday at 4.5 weeks. It was very cute, she smiles with her entire mouth open so you can see her top and lower gums.

Christopher is starting to realize that Angie is here to stay and she isn't going to leave. Last week was a little difficult; Chris seemed to be more whiny than usual and required more attention from us. But, he is coping and learning to adapt. I am trying to give him extra attention when Angie is sleeping or being held by Alfonso.

Chris has started to do the cutest thing... We have this stuffed monkey that has been in his toy chest for the last several months. I have never seen him play with it, so I was surprised the other day when he pulled it out. Since then, he has been carrying the monkey around the house and has even put it on his shoulder (like in a burping position). I think he is imitating me with Angie! I will have to catch him in the act and take a photo!

I have some photos to post from when my mom was here, but I will do it later on when I have time. It was such a wonderful visit, and we miss her so much!

Sorry, it's been a few weeks since I last blogged. We are forever being consumed with feeding the kids, changing diapers, naps, laundry and cleaning. It seems like one day runs into the next!

In the evenings we try to go for walks, since it is so hot here in the daytime. Angie doesn't like the stroller/carseat setup too much, so I have been using the Baby Bjorn on our walks.

Angie has been doing well with the eating, she now weighs in at 8lbs, 2 ounces; so she has gained about 7 ounces in one week. Her face is starting to fill out a little more and she is losing the yellow/jaundice look.

Grandma Pilon is visiting from MI tomorrow, so she will be here for a week with us. We are all psyched to see Grandma and can't wait for her arrival!

1st week with Angie

It's nearly been a week since we brought Angie home with us. Overall, things are going quite well. Angie has taken well to the breast, and since I have started taking the herbal supplements (More Milk Plus made by MotherLove- it has a combination of Fenugreek Seed, Blessed Thistle, Nettle Leaf, and Fennel Seed) the feedings have improved.

Yesterday I kept track of how much I breastfed her, and how many wet/poopy diapers she had. In a 24 hour period, she had 9 wet diapers and 7 poopy diapers and this was with 11 feedings. Sorry for the TMI, but being a nurse, measuring how much is going in and coming out is very important!

Tomorrow we are going to have her weighed and she will have a repeat bilirubin drawn. On Friday it was 14, (higher than it was when she was discharged from the hospital on Monday) so the MD wanted to recheck it on Monday. I am sure that it is lower, since she has been feeding really well without supplementation and has had many wet/poopy diapers.

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:

Angie

This is coming out a bit late. I had originally written it on Thursday.

Angie was discharged from the hospital Monday afternoon after her last bilirubin test was 11.8 (MD wanted less than 12 for discharge).

So far it has been pretty good at home. We are working hard on the breastfeeding, and I think that we are making progress. I went to a breastfeeding support group today at the community hospital. The lactation nurses were really helpful and offered me some good pointers. We start the session by each baby being weighed (with nothing on, including no diaper) and then doing a post feeding weight. Angie had taken in 40ml (just over an ounce) with her post feeding weight. I haven't had to do much supplementation (which messed things up with Christopher) and I started to drink mother's milk tea and an herbal supplement to help with increasing the volume of breastmilk.

Tomorrow we are going to have her bilirubin level drawn again. Hopefully it has not jumped up. :/