Ingenue Mom

Nursing: I had some issues with nursing this week. I had mentioned last week that I wanted to start pumping more to build a milk supply. Well, I tried that, but it didn't work. Because I nurse from one side at a time, when I pumped in the morning, it just basically took what I had and it hadn't fully replenished by the time she would eat next. So I tried feeding her from both sides all day, but she never seemed to have enough & she wouldn't sleep well & would be fussy all day. I tried it for 2 days & decided it just wasn't that worth it to build a pumped milk supply. I went back to just feeding her in the morning & doing one side at a time all day. As soon as she starts sleeping 12 hours consistently, I can pump at 10:00 before I go to bed to get a bottle.    I'm also going to just pump when I'm at school when I go back to work & just have that. This means I'll have to supplement with formula, but I knew I would have to do that

       Pictures taken by Sara Corman Photography Also, a note about the pictures - they don't necessarily follow with what his writing may be saying at that point, but I wanted everyone to see these pictures of Lewis. I feel like so many times the focus is on the mother during labor (understandably), but Lewis is so active and involved throughout labor that these pictures are really special to both of us. Also, you can read my version of Lux's birth here . - Cameron It’s difficult to start this story as it’s so different than I remembered from the first time.   First, I must admit that though I had spent many hours in research, watched dozens of births on YouTube and had lots of classroom hours before Isis’s birth , I was not prepared to be a father before her.   My story of those events were completely colored with my overwhelming anxiety about what to do afterwards.   Fast forward almost 3 years, lots of lessons, many difficult nights and conversations later.

Establishing some form of consistency... Nursing: Nursing is going great. She is still doing 1 side at a time for the most part, but I did have an issue this week where I pumped first thing in the morning after I fed her & then my supply seemed weird all day & I had to feed from both sides several times so she would have enough. I've decided that I'm going to start trying to pump after every feeding to build up a supply before I go back to school and I'm also going to try feeding her from both sides every time if I can. I just know I need to start pumping more, so I'll see if that changes anything. Burping: She still burps after most feedings, but not all. I don't burp her in the middle of the night. That's still going fine. Reflux: She's been spitting up occasionally, but not every time. It's not excessive or anything, just a little here & there. She'll do more if she has a really big feeding or eats really fast at firs

I love the Currently posts on Sometimes Sweet . I also found a good one on Cailyn . I thought it'd be fun to try one! Watching: The main thing I am watching lately is Vampire Diaries because Lewis finally agreed to start at Season 1 with me. We've been doing it since Lux was born & we are almost done with Season 3! I love when we get into a show together! I also just this week started watching Nashville . I caught up on Hulu and then watched this week's episode on DVR! It is really fabulous. I love Connie Britton & I really don't love Hayden Panettiere, but after watching the show, I can totally deal with Hayden & I love all the stories & the scandal & the relationships! I'm also really loving Partners ! It's great to see Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill and Michael Urie from Ugly Betty back on tv! Reading: Lately I've just been reading my Bible Study and then lots of blog posts. I'm doing the Beth Moore study, John the

This week, I had my first day at home alone with both girls! Election day was Tuesday and Isis' babysitter only watches kids on a teacher's schedule (which is fabulous for me because it means we don't pay for spring break or fall break of Christmas break, etc.), so Isis was at home with me & Lux while Lewis was at work. I was less nervous about this than I was about doing bedtime by myself , but it still feels like a big deal to be outnumbered by 2 little ones that need your help! Happy to say, it went really well! My friend Emily & her 2 kids Reese & Aiden came over in the morning, so Isis got to play with Reese & I got to talk to a friend! Lux napped like a champ all day, so I also got some great alone time with Isis & then when their naps overlapped for an hour, I got a little bit of time to myself!  I also got to go vote when Lewis got home & Isis got to go with me! That was exciting for her to see that even at a young age. I hope she

Dear Isis,  Mommy made a mistake today. A bad parenting choice. One that made you and mommy both very upset. And although we had a conversation about it and I explained why I was wrong, I don't think you fully understood. But what I hope that you do understand is that I am honest and open with you about my mistakes. I recognize them. I own them. I confess them. I ask forgiveness for them. Maybe not right away, but thankfully we serve an amazing, loving and forgiving God who is also very able to guide us in wisdom to our bad choices so that we can seek change. He doesn't let me go very long before He points out my bad choices. I am thankful for that. I wish I could tell you that I will always be the perfect example to look to for life choices. But the truth is that some of my life choices will be more of an example of what not to do. I will not hide those choices from you and one day we will discuss the choices, both good and bad, in my past. I pray that it helps you disc

Time for the sleep issues... Gas: Still no issues! I may stop discussing this unless it becomes an issue. Nursing: She's still nursing like a champ. She usually does 1 side a time still for about 12-20 minutes, but there have been a few times that she's done both sides. She may have had a growth spurt early this week, but it wasn't as pronounced as it was when Isis has a growth spurt. Lux seems to just eat a lot either way and we've gone to the doctor once a week basically since she was born and she's been gaining a pound a week!! She is now at 9lb 11oz as of 3 weeks exactly. So she's clearly getting whatever she needs from her breastfeeding! Burping: She will usually burp once after a feeding. I only occasionally burp her in the middle of the night. She's usually been so tired while she was nursing & completely asleep afterwards in the middle of the night that I just don't even bother. Reflux: She did have a day or 2 where ref

Amazing post . Amazing song. Cute new blog for children's books that I found! Thinking about going back to the gym soon & this Post-Baby Bootcamp series seems interesting - and really hard!! 116 things I need to throw away while I'm home on maternity leave. Sometimes Sweet reminds me that it's ok to be an adult now. Looking for more books to read & What She Saw has a great book list !

Because I didn't capture any pics of my Fearless Friday escapades, here's a cute pic of my 2 ballerinas from Halloween on Wednesday! Isis was Angelina Ballerina, but she refused to wear the ears or the tail.   I read a post on Rookie Mom about how we should observe Fearless Fridays. Her blog is for rookie moms, which I am now not one anymore, but I am embarking on a new stage of motherhood with 2 kids. You can be as prepared as possible & adding a child to the mix is still going to throw you for a loop. So I think it'll be fun to try to do something each week that scares me in terms of motherhood! I may not always do it on Friday, but I'll post about it on Friday. This week my Fearless Friday activity happened on Thursday. During the day, I took Lux out for our first shopping trip alone to Target & then we met a couple of women for lunch. I was nervous about both, only because you never know if your child is going to cry throughout the shopping trip