After struggling with infertility for three years, we were blessed with the birth of Matthew and Kayla in March 2011 (by in vitro) , Nathan in October 2013 (by frozen embryo transfer), and Olivia in August 2015 (naturally!). We are loving every moment (well, almost!) of our lives as parents.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Reading the Bible
Every evening after Matthew and Kayla have brushed their teeth, Jon lays on Matthew's bed and they lay beside him (one on either side) and they read one or two stories from a Children's Bible. Matthew always asks who each person is, and typically it's Jesus. A couple times Jon has even sung "Jesus Loves Me" with them when they were done reading. Anyways, now, every time Matthew "reads" his cardboard book Children's Bible (which is different than the ones they read at night) he says, "Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me..." over and over again on every single page. So cute.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Matthew Peed on the Potty!
**There's another new post below this one**
Just the other day I was telling my Mom how I was dreading having to potty train Matthew. Like, really dreading it. We've been telling him every time we change his diaper that he should have gone pee/poo on the potty instead of in his diaper, and he just doesn't seem to care. We've been having a few issues with his cloth diapers not holding his pee and all of a sudden he has completely soaked pants, so I was starting to think that he was probably learning to hold his pee, and then would all of a sudden do a big pee which the cloth diaper couldn't absorb.
Anyways, as I was changing him out of his pajamas this morning I asked him if he wanted to go pee on the potty, like I ask him every morning, but this morning he said yes! I put him on the potty and a minute later when I went to check on him I couldn't believe my eyes! He had actually gone pee! Unfortunately, I had to go shopping this morning (Black Friday shopping at Wal-Mart - where I quite quickly spent over $200) so he had to go back into a diaper, but as soon as we got home he got to wear his "big boy underwear" and has successfully gone three times and has had no accidents. He's even been the one to initiate the potty use each time! Knock on wood, but maybe training Matthew won't be so difficult at all?!?! Matthew was quite upset when I put him into a cloth diaper again for his nap...but seemed to get over it when I told him that Kayla used to have to wear cloth diapers for naps too.
Just the other day I was telling my Mom how I was dreading having to potty train Matthew. Like, really dreading it. We've been telling him every time we change his diaper that he should have gone pee/poo on the potty instead of in his diaper, and he just doesn't seem to care. We've been having a few issues with his cloth diapers not holding his pee and all of a sudden he has completely soaked pants, so I was starting to think that he was probably learning to hold his pee, and then would all of a sudden do a big pee which the cloth diaper couldn't absorb.
Anyways, as I was changing him out of his pajamas this morning I asked him if he wanted to go pee on the potty, like I ask him every morning, but this morning he said yes! I put him on the potty and a minute later when I went to check on him I couldn't believe my eyes! He had actually gone pee! Unfortunately, I had to go shopping this morning (Black Friday shopping at Wal-Mart - where I quite quickly spent over $200) so he had to go back into a diaper, but as soon as we got home he got to wear his "big boy underwear" and has successfully gone three times and has had no accidents. He's even been the one to initiate the potty use each time! Knock on wood, but maybe training Matthew won't be so difficult at all?!?! Matthew was quite upset when I put him into a cloth diaper again for his nap...but seemed to get over it when I told him that Kayla used to have to wear cloth diapers for naps too.
6 Weeks Old
It's crazy how fast time is flying. I don't think it helps that Nathan started out as a big baby. I feel like I've been robbed of the 'newborn' stage. Nathan is easily wearing his 3-6 month clothes, and I don't think he'll be in them for very long. He coos and talks when he's in a good mood which is super cute. He's also losing the hair on the top of his head :). He also has very regular bowel movements, usually only going once a day, in the morning before his bath. And guess what?! Last night he was fed at 9:45pm and then slept until 5am! That's over seven hours of straight sleeping! Pretty amazing when the longest he had gone before was four hours. I had woken up at 3am and snuck into his room because I was actually quite concerned that he hadn't woken up yet. It was pitch black so I couldn't see if he was breathing, so I felt his hand...and it was cold. I right away thought the worst. I then touched his chest which startled him...which made me jump. I guess I was never really was paranoid about SIDS with Matthew and Kayla because I always checked on the sleeping child when feeding the awake one.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Gray Hair
**There are two new posts below this one**
Jon finally caved in and let me buzz his hair last week. I have been trying to convince him for a couple years that a buzz cut is ideal because I can do it, rather than him spending $18 every four to six weeks at Great Clips getting his hair cut. He finally gave in to me!
ANYWAYS...
As I'm buzzing by his ear, I couldn't believe my eyes! Jon has a gray hair! I couldn't believe it!
Too funny.
He's just hoping he goes a nice salt and pepper gray, and then gray like Opa Bomhof.
One Month Old
Ahhhh! I cannot believe that it's already been one month. It's absolutely mind-boggling to me. Where has the time gone? I think it's because we've been so busy this past month that the days have just flown by.
Despite our rocky second week when we realized that Nathan was not gaining weight, but instead losing weight, we have made huge strides. Nathan now weighs 12 lb 14 oz - meaning he is gaining a pound a week right now. And as he should! He's eating three to four ounces every two to three hours (three if we're lucky!). Last night he actually went almost four hours for the first time. He had stirred and woken me up after three hours, but I decided to wait for him to be a little more restless before I fed him and I guess we both fell asleep for a little longer. Tonight will be the last night he sleeps in the cradle in our room, and then tomorrow night he's in the crib in his own room. A little more inconvenient for me as I'm spoiled having him right beside me (or in my bed with me!), but I'm hoping that if I don't wake up to his little stirs, then maybe we can start getting some longer stretches at night. We know he definitely doesn't need the extra feed!
Nathan is my chubby boy. I love it. He has outgrown almost all of his three month sleepers and comfortably is fitting into his six month ones. He is quickly outgrowing his three month clothes now too, so I finally sorted through his six month clothes and organized every type of clothing from smallest to largest so I know which ones to try first (that's my type A personality for you!).
Nathan is very strong. His neck strength/control is amazing - it's hard to believe he's only one month old. Tummy time is a breeze for him! He's starting to occasionally put weight on his legs.
Nathan is pretty generous with his smiles, especially to Jon. I feel like he'll smile quicker to Jon than to me.
Nathan has pretty regular bowel movements, usually one in the afternoon and maybe one during the night. He's not very discrete about it, grunting away until he is done. If it's during the middle of a feed then he starts drinking very messily because apparently he can't do two things at once.
It seems like Nathan may be settling into a routine of having a three to four hour long afternoon nap and then being up until bed time (whenever I go to bed)...but we'll see if that continues.
He likes his soother, but seldom does he actually use it for a long period of time. If he doesn't want it then there is no way you can make him take it.
Nathan loves his morning bath and loves car rides.
Despite our rocky second week when we realized that Nathan was not gaining weight, but instead losing weight, we have made huge strides. Nathan now weighs 12 lb 14 oz - meaning he is gaining a pound a week right now. And as he should! He's eating three to four ounces every two to three hours (three if we're lucky!). Last night he actually went almost four hours for the first time. He had stirred and woken me up after three hours, but I decided to wait for him to be a little more restless before I fed him and I guess we both fell asleep for a little longer. Tonight will be the last night he sleeps in the cradle in our room, and then tomorrow night he's in the crib in his own room. A little more inconvenient for me as I'm spoiled having him right beside me (or in my bed with me!), but I'm hoping that if I don't wake up to his little stirs, then maybe we can start getting some longer stretches at night. We know he definitely doesn't need the extra feed!
Nathan is my chubby boy. I love it. He has outgrown almost all of his three month sleepers and comfortably is fitting into his six month ones. He is quickly outgrowing his three month clothes now too, so I finally sorted through his six month clothes and organized every type of clothing from smallest to largest so I know which ones to try first (that's my type A personality for you!).
Nathan is very strong. His neck strength/control is amazing - it's hard to believe he's only one month old. Tummy time is a breeze for him! He's starting to occasionally put weight on his legs.
Nathan is pretty generous with his smiles, especially to Jon. I feel like he'll smile quicker to Jon than to me.
Nathan has pretty regular bowel movements, usually one in the afternoon and maybe one during the night. He's not very discrete about it, grunting away until he is done. If it's during the middle of a feed then he starts drinking very messily because apparently he can't do two things at once.
It seems like Nathan may be settling into a routine of having a three to four hour long afternoon nap and then being up until bed time (whenever I go to bed)...but we'll see if that continues.
He likes his soother, but seldom does he actually use it for a long period of time. If he doesn't want it then there is no way you can make him take it.
Nathan loves his morning bath and loves car rides.
32 Months Old
Matthew:
- Weighs 27 lb 2 oz
- Can count "One, Two, Free, Four, Se-en, Eight, Nine, Ten!"
- Learned how to blow bubbles in the bathtub tonight
- Marches to the beat of his own drum, especially when it comes to eating. It is SO frustrating. He likes almost every food (he still struggles with ground beef and rice), but if he doesn't feel like eating, he eats SO SLOW. It's painful. He's often left at the table all by himself because he still hasn't finished eating.
- As soon as Nathan makes a peep, Matthew is off looking for his bottle or soother. He does not like it when Nathan is crying.
- Loves it when Nathan is awake. "Eyes open, Mom!"
- Is the leader between him and Kayla when it comes to social interaction. He's always the first to make a connection with a visitor/guest, and can genuinely laugh when he is having a good time.
- Is really starting to catch up to Kayla with talking. He still has his own 'lingo' (i.e. putting an 'a' before 'F' and 'S' words), but is stringing more words together each day.
- Asks to hold or feed Nathan once a day.
- Asks every day if his outfit is from Lincoln.
- Favourite cartoons are: Super Why, Bernstein Bears, and Little Bear.
- Loves singing the clean up song followed by praising himself and clapping: "Dean up ev'rybud. Good dob, Ma!"
Kayla:
- Weighs 29 lb 11 oz
- Is starting to learn how to sing her 'ABCs'
- Loves singing in the car, particularly the 'Pink Purple' song she made up ("Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Pink Purple!") and the 'Kayla' song she made up ("Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Kayla!")
- Calls Matthew 'Ma' 50% of the time, and 'Mah-yew' the other 50% of the time.
- Is a follower between her and Matthew when it comes to social interaction. She always copies what Matthew is doing if he is laughing hard or getting a big response from the visitor/guest, and because she is only copying, she has a fake laugh.
- Learned how to properly ride her balance bike this past month, and has actually now passed Matthew in ability. She even did the 'hill' in Phase 1 at the greenhouses under her own initiative.
- Is talking so incredibly well. She talks all the time in settings she is comfortable in (i.e. at home or at my parents'). The words she uses sometimes are just baffling, and I just wonder how she even learned the word!
- Asks to hold or feed Nathan once a day.
- Is very stubborn when it comes to going to the washroom. She typically only goes three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening), so every three or four weeks she'll have an accident because she'll be too stubborn or too busy to take the time to go. And when she has an accident (like she did today), she cries because she knows it was 'wrong'.
- Asks every day if her outfit is from Annika...and if I say yes, then sometimes she asks if there is 'A.H.' written on the tag (which is how I distinguish Annika's clothes from my own).
- Favourite cartoons are: Super Why, Bernstein Bears, and Little Bear.
- Has become really good at colouring (almost) in the lines.
- Loves dressing and undressing dolls/Barbies.
- Often takes off her socks because her 'feet are warm'
- If she's throwing a fit/crying she'll demand a 'booger cloth' (old receiving blankets we use for blowing their nose when they have colds).
- Weighs 27 lb 2 oz
- Can count "One, Two, Free, Four, Se-en, Eight, Nine, Ten!"
- Learned how to blow bubbles in the bathtub tonight
- Marches to the beat of his own drum, especially when it comes to eating. It is SO frustrating. He likes almost every food (he still struggles with ground beef and rice), but if he doesn't feel like eating, he eats SO SLOW. It's painful. He's often left at the table all by himself because he still hasn't finished eating.
- As soon as Nathan makes a peep, Matthew is off looking for his bottle or soother. He does not like it when Nathan is crying.
- Loves it when Nathan is awake. "Eyes open, Mom!"
- Is the leader between him and Kayla when it comes to social interaction. He's always the first to make a connection with a visitor/guest, and can genuinely laugh when he is having a good time.
- Is really starting to catch up to Kayla with talking. He still has his own 'lingo' (i.e. putting an 'a' before 'F' and 'S' words), but is stringing more words together each day.
- Asks to hold or feed Nathan once a day.
- Asks every day if his outfit is from Lincoln.
- Favourite cartoons are: Super Why, Bernstein Bears, and Little Bear.
- Loves singing the clean up song followed by praising himself and clapping: "Dean up ev'rybud. Good dob, Ma!"
Kayla:
- Weighs 29 lb 11 oz
- Is starting to learn how to sing her 'ABCs'
- Loves singing in the car, particularly the 'Pink Purple' song she made up ("Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Pink Purple!") and the 'Kayla' song she made up ("Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Kayla!")
- Calls Matthew 'Ma' 50% of the time, and 'Mah-yew' the other 50% of the time.
- Is a follower between her and Matthew when it comes to social interaction. She always copies what Matthew is doing if he is laughing hard or getting a big response from the visitor/guest, and because she is only copying, she has a fake laugh.
- Learned how to properly ride her balance bike this past month, and has actually now passed Matthew in ability. She even did the 'hill' in Phase 1 at the greenhouses under her own initiative.
- Is talking so incredibly well. She talks all the time in settings she is comfortable in (i.e. at home or at my parents'). The words she uses sometimes are just baffling, and I just wonder how she even learned the word!
- Asks to hold or feed Nathan once a day.
- Is very stubborn when it comes to going to the washroom. She typically only goes three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening), so every three or four weeks she'll have an accident because she'll be too stubborn or too busy to take the time to go. And when she has an accident (like she did today), she cries because she knows it was 'wrong'.
- Asks every day if her outfit is from Annika...and if I say yes, then sometimes she asks if there is 'A.H.' written on the tag (which is how I distinguish Annika's clothes from my own).
- Favourite cartoons are: Super Why, Bernstein Bears, and Little Bear.
- Has become really good at colouring (almost) in the lines.
- Loves dressing and undressing dolls/Barbies.
- Often takes off her socks because her 'feet are warm'
- If she's throwing a fit/crying she'll demand a 'booger cloth' (old receiving blankets we use for blowing their nose when they have colds).
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
New Pictures of Matthew and Kayla
We had some time to spare at home before we had to leave for church for Nathan's baptism, so I quickly took a few pictures of Matthew and Kayla in their Sunday best. I thought they had turned out better than what they had...but not bad for only spending a few minutes on it!
Yet ANOTHER Doctor's Appointment for Nathan
Nathan weighed in today at 12 lb 8 oz (with his diaper on...so they figure about 12 lb 2 oz without it)! YAY! Dr. Shah was pleased with this weight gain, and rightly so because Nathan gained two pounds in eight days. At this rate, he's going to be ginormous. Any time he wants to drop one of his middle-of-the-night feeds is fine by me! We're now done seeing Dr. Shah in regards to Nathan's weight. I'll be weighing Nathan again on Monday at the public health unit for his one-month weigh in. Yes, almost one month already. *Tears*
Monday, November 4, 2013
Another Doctor's Appointment for Nathan
Since our last doctor's appointment on Thursday, I've been pumping for Nathan and then supplementing him with formula, and feeding him every 2-3 hours during the day, and on his own schedule during the night (which is about the same, every 3-ish hours).
Today, we had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Shah so that Nathan could get re-weighed. He weighed in at 10 lb 8 oz today, so back up to his birth weight! I was quite pleased with this as it means he gained 14 ounces in 4 days. Dr. Shah was pleased with his weight gain as well, but still wants to see him in one week for a final weigh-in, before leaving us alone :).
I've been tracking exactly how much Nathan has been eating every day and how much I've been pumping, so I should be able to see if the domperidone works at all by increasing my supply. I'm hoping it will! If I can consistently pump as much in a sitting as Nathan typically eats in one sitting then hopefully I can transition to only breastfeeding. *Fingers crossed*. As much as I love bottle feeding, it's definitely more restricting/annoying to always have to consider my pumping schedule. It's even more annoying when I realize as we're driving home from my parents that I left my pump at their house. It's not quite as easy to pump and visit them when I don't live next door! I used to just run home to pump...now I have to pack the entire pump up and bring it along, and then remember to bring it home again!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Dr. Shah was Right
I wish it weren't so...but he's right - my milk supply is LOW. It's so strange to me, as I never had any issues with a low supply with Matthew and Kayla. I'm pumping every three hours right now, and I'm lucky if I pump 3 ounces. I used to be able to pump 24 ounces in a sitting with Matthew and Kayla! Thank goodness I have a stash of free samples of formula because that's helping keep Nathan fed right now. I'm hoping that my frequent pumping in addition to the domperidone which I started this evening will increase my supply...and if it does, maybe I can go back to nursing again?
Nathan's First Smile
My mom, Jon, and I have all been competing to see who could get Nathan's first smile...and in order to 'win' you have to have a witness.
I'm proud to say that I've won....Nathan gave me a bunch of smiles just after feeding him, and they were witnessed by my Mom.
I'm proud to say that I've won....Nathan gave me a bunch of smiles just after feeding him, and they were witnessed by my Mom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)