9 Months Old! (9 days late)

I'm getting better at taking her photos on her actual birth-date each month, but getting horrible at posting them! These were taken on her birth-date (20th). It's really fun to go back to look at each month and see how much she's changed, but how much she still looks the same!

She's getting increasingly harder to photograph lately, and with the increased demands of having 3 childre, a husband, two rotten cats and a house to (try) to take care of... this is the best we could pull off this month!

Although.... I'm possibly going to have some really great photos taken pretty soon with me and Natalie. Very exciting! Stay tuned!!!

Growing so big

It seems that everytime I turn around, Natalie is growing by leaps and bounds. Rather than being sad that my baby is growing up, I'm reveling in this time of her life. It's so exciting to see her grow and change and discover new things. I'm just so proud of her!



Her newest trick made it's debut at yesterday's La Leche meeting. Mike has been working with her for about a week on clapping, and yesterday she did it by herself! She's been doing it a lot since. It's so amazing to see her start showing individuality and choosing to do things on her own, like clapping.

At one point this morning, she was walking across the family room, saying "Ba, ba, ba" and clapping her hands all at the same time. I about exploded!

A Welcome Distraction

I came home from work tonight, obviously upset, and Natalie gave me no choice but to smile.



Her onesie is unsnapped because I just changed her and was on my way to give her a bath (me being lazy....)

Grampie John

My grandfather, Grampie John, is in the hospital this morning after breaking a hip on Friday afternoon. He's been suffering from Alzheimer's for a few years, and has been miserable since my Grandmother died about 5 years ago (from complications brought on after a broken hip).

He had surgery on Sunday morning and has been having complications ever since. His systems are shutting down and he's in a great deal of pain. They don't expect him to live much longer.

Please keep him in your prayers. Please pray that he starts to feel relief from the pain, pray that he is able to recognize the loved-ones around him and feel comforted and loved by their presence. And please pray that he is able to pass without fear and without pain.

Thank you,
-d

Update - 9/23/08
Grampie John has passed away. He was in a lot of pain for a days, but he was comfortable when he passed. I'll miss you Grampie.

I received a very touching email from a dear friend.... I hope he doesn't mind me putting it here.

"I will always remember Grampie John because he gave me hope about growing older. You bunch of girls all went shopping at the mall. Myself and Grampie John sat on a bench while the hens all went inside the foo foo store. I asked Grampie John if he ever gets bored going "out shopping" with this group and looking at stupid stuff. He says in his old man voice.. "Naw.. I sit out here on the bench and look at the pretty YOUNG girls walk by... like that one.." Grampie motioned to a twenty year old hottie dressed to thrill...

He stared at her like an old toothless junkyard dog stares at a raw steak. I know his mind was snapping and firing and his blood was moving.

I thought to myself.. Hmm so the zest for Life, Love and Lust will live on even when I am an old man sitting on the bench in the mall wearing baby blue pants, a lime green shirt and black socks with sandals.

Somehow that made growing old a little less scary to me that day."

Please Tell Me I'm Not the Only One...

... to be this anal retentive



... and I most certainly don't eat them by color so I have the same amount of each color left.

That would just be crazy.

I mean, if I were to do that, then obviously, blue would be first since there's more of that color than any other. Then, it would be a wild toss-up between blue, yellow and brown, since they all have 3 each (one more than orange, green and red). Once blue, yellow and brown all have two, making all colors have equal numbers, then logically, it would be one of each color until there's only one left of each color. Then you can get wild and crazy and eat in any order.

IF I did that sort of thing.

Walk this Way!

Are you Ready For Some Football?

Natalie's ready for the season... Can you guess who she's rooting for?

Seven Wordless Wednesdays

Pastor Ryan is having a Sevens Challenge today. Being lazy and Wednesday, I've done a Wordless Wednesday with some random favorite pics. Enjoy!










Post your own Sevens blog post too! Come on... you know you want to!

Ooh... Did She Just Say the "F" Word?

For weeks, nay, months, I've been having milk supply issues due mostly to the fact that Natalie is constantly on the go. She's never been a really hearty nurser, mainly when she's tired or in the middle of the night. I've been keeping up good with my pumping at work, but slacking off at home. Now that she's not nursing hardly at all at home, it's really catching up to me. She's still taking approximately 16 ounces at daycare, plus eating two meals of solids there. She shouldn't be that hungry! My daycare provider says she has a huge appetite during the day and screams when it's time to eat.

At home on the weekends, she doesn't nurse much - certainly not the equivalent of 16 ounces, and does ok on her solids. She seems filled and contented. I just can't figure how she's eating so much during the week! In the evenings, she's not all that interested in dinner, and doesn't nurse until LATE evening, sometimes midnight. I try to nurse her when I get home and throughout the evening. She'll take a few drinks then wiggles away to play.

I started taking Domperidone a few months ago and stopped taking it once my supply came back up. Lately I started taking it agin when my period returned last month and stopped once my supply rebounded to a sufficient level. Now it's in the toilet again. It seems like my supply is slowly stepping down - it will decrease and I'll get it back up to an acceptable level where it will plateau for a bit, only to decrease some more.

Now the situation is getting dire. I'm pumping maybe 8 ounces a day. I tried pumping this morning after all night of not nursing (she slept from midnight through morning). I got 1-1/2 ounces per breast.

I'm defeated (and deflated). I've been fighting this for months and the stress has gotten worse and worse. We're so close to 12 months and being able to start her on whole milk...

I'm starting to think I need to think about getting some formula to feed her these last 3 months.

*sigh*

Baby Wearin' Daddy

I was cooking dinner tonight when Mike came around the corner like this. I chuckled with glee, then ran to grab my camera and ushered him outside to take his photo.

He figured out how to put the sling on all by himself. Can you tell? hehe...

What a good Daddy!

This is Nucking Futs

Really?

Ok... seriously... this is getting to be a bit much.

Hush a Bye

Natalie's movement alarm went off about 15 minutes after I put her in her crib. It will often do this if she's way off on the edge of the mattress (it just doesn't seem to pick up way over there).

This is what I found when I rushed in there (yes, she was fine). My child is too funny.

"Natalie"

On her prescription, it says:

“Give ‘Natalie’ one teaspoonful by mouth.”

"Natalie”?

Why the quotation marks? Like someone thought we were joking? Like, “Nataliiieeeee” right. “‘Natalie,’ I get it. Wink, wink.”

"No one would name their kid that. That’s definitely a pseudonym. Put it in quotes.”