Today was a pretty fun day. It started out a little slowly. Since Noah has a rehash of lower GI issues, I opted not to go to yoga since they have a tendency to pull you out of class if the little ones have episodes like that. I prepared breakfast and fed the pets, then I started getting ready for our play date.
One of my mom friends came over today and I used her and her little one as guinea pigs in my cooking attempts. I made for today, chicken, cheese, and spinach enchiladas which turned out pretty well. I think next time, I have to tweak it a little bit, maybe a lower temp for a bit longer so the edges of the tortillas aren't crispy. they did taste good though.
Noah nursed after they headed out and we both took a pretty good afternoon nap. Dinner was leftovers and the rest of the evening was pretty typical. All in all, it was not a terribly hectic day, but we had fun. Here's to days like this!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Party!
Yesterday was a pretty fun day. We had a relaxing morning and then got ready for the main event for the day, a birthday party! The past month has been full of them and there seem to be more to come as the moms that seemed to start out the mommy group I'm in celebrate their babies turning 1. There seems to be an age gap and many new moms are joining the group, but we are getting way crowded in the little meeting room so the group will be breaking up this week and crawlers and up will meet on a separate day. I'm a little sad, because I want to see the new group of little babies as they grow and learn, not to mention, the new moms can't really ask questions at the meetings about issues that we've already been through. It makes it kinda sad, but there really isn't another option and we still have the Facebook group where we can troubleshoot and discuss. Ok, that was quite a tangent...
So, we skipped the regular Saturday mommy meeting because the party was scheduled to start at 11. I had wrapped up the small gift I had picked up the night before so we were good to go. I loaded Noah up in the car and started to punch in the address in my handy dandy GPS. Except, the GPS couldn't find the street. Uh oh... After trying a few other things like punching in different city names (since all of the suburbs seem to blend together here and it's hard to define where one stops and the other starts) I gave up, hopped out of the car, leaving the A/C running for Noah and ran in to check Google. I printed the directions and we were off. I was already running a bit late and this hiccup meant that I was heading out about 5 minutes before the party was about to start. I kept may navigation system on to see why it couldn't find the address and Google helped me find my way, kinda. Apparently, there are several streets in the neighborhood we were going to that had one name on one end and another on the other end or around the corner. Google did not warn me of this and when I didn't see the correct street name on that first turn it told me to take, I kept going. So, I was driving around the neighborhood a bit and finally found it thanks to seeing the area map on my GPS even though Google told me to turn on a street with a completely different name. Sigh...
So we made it, about 20 minutes late, which was better than I had expected. There were a ton of babies at the party. It appears the mom knows many more moms with little ones than just those in our mommy group. Leads me to believe I have a very small social circle, kinda depressing actually. They had a nice sandwich spread with a veggie tray and fruit tray. I didn't get to see the cake. It was in the kitchen and by the time I saw it, they had already taken the smash cake off of the top and let the birthday boy have at it and they were cutting the big cake. I hope I get to see pictures. I bet it was cute. It did taste good. =) Noah seemed to have a blast playing with all the toys of the birthday boy. Which I thought had tired him sufficiently for a nice little nap. I was only partially right.
When we got back home, I put him down to bed (he had napped most of the way in the car after all), but he wanted to be topped off, so I nursed him and finally got him to bed. I tried to take a nap too, but before I got to sleep Taran called. I chatted with him a bit and then we hung up so I could go back to trying to take a nap. It didn't work. By that time, I was up. I grabbed a snack and before too long, Noah was up again.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, Noah and I had a quiet dinner, well, he ate, I wasn't hungry from my snack earlier - must plan better. It took a while to get Noah down for the night. My guess is that we aren't done with these teeth that are coming in. He's been cranky and all about nursing all day long. Poor little man.
If more happens today, I'll write again, but for now, I'm thinking it'll be a lazy day.
So, we skipped the regular Saturday mommy meeting because the party was scheduled to start at 11. I had wrapped up the small gift I had picked up the night before so we were good to go. I loaded Noah up in the car and started to punch in the address in my handy dandy GPS. Except, the GPS couldn't find the street. Uh oh... After trying a few other things like punching in different city names (since all of the suburbs seem to blend together here and it's hard to define where one stops and the other starts) I gave up, hopped out of the car, leaving the A/C running for Noah and ran in to check Google. I printed the directions and we were off. I was already running a bit late and this hiccup meant that I was heading out about 5 minutes before the party was about to start. I kept may navigation system on to see why it couldn't find the address and Google helped me find my way, kinda. Apparently, there are several streets in the neighborhood we were going to that had one name on one end and another on the other end or around the corner. Google did not warn me of this and when I didn't see the correct street name on that first turn it told me to take, I kept going. So, I was driving around the neighborhood a bit and finally found it thanks to seeing the area map on my GPS even though Google told me to turn on a street with a completely different name. Sigh...
So we made it, about 20 minutes late, which was better than I had expected. There were a ton of babies at the party. It appears the mom knows many more moms with little ones than just those in our mommy group. Leads me to believe I have a very small social circle, kinda depressing actually. They had a nice sandwich spread with a veggie tray and fruit tray. I didn't get to see the cake. It was in the kitchen and by the time I saw it, they had already taken the smash cake off of the top and let the birthday boy have at it and they were cutting the big cake. I hope I get to see pictures. I bet it was cute. It did taste good. =) Noah seemed to have a blast playing with all the toys of the birthday boy. Which I thought had tired him sufficiently for a nice little nap. I was only partially right.
When we got back home, I put him down to bed (he had napped most of the way in the car after all), but he wanted to be topped off, so I nursed him and finally got him to bed. I tried to take a nap too, but before I got to sleep Taran called. I chatted with him a bit and then we hung up so I could go back to trying to take a nap. It didn't work. By that time, I was up. I grabbed a snack and before too long, Noah was up again.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, Noah and I had a quiet dinner, well, he ate, I wasn't hungry from my snack earlier - must plan better. It took a while to get Noah down for the night. My guess is that we aren't done with these teeth that are coming in. He's been cranky and all about nursing all day long. Poor little man.
If more happens today, I'll write again, but for now, I'm thinking it'll be a lazy day.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Adventures in gardening
I've always wanted a vegetable garden. I see so many success stories and I want to have some home grown veggies. Unfortunately, my imagination is a bit more advanced than my gardening skills.
Now, I'm sure a large part of it is lack of space and every time I've grown vegetable plants, they've been potted. It's not like this is a foreign or unsuccessful idea, but I choose bad pots. Usually shallow box planters that are probably better suited for flowers.
Several years ago, when I was living in College Station the first time, I received some banana pepper and sweet purple pepper plants. One of the vets I worked with at the time took pity on these pepper plants at the nursery and purchased them - I think they were on sale or clearance, or something like that. Either way, she brought several small plants to the pet hospital and these are the ones that I selected. The plants did quite well and even survived my move to Austin. I grew several banana peppers and I think only one or two small purple peppers.
The following year, after saving seeds from the plants I'd grown, I planted some more peppers. Again, I was successful in cultivating several banana peppers. I think some of the others grew, but I don't remember eating them. They probably died on the plant or something. I can't really remember that far back.
I kept seeds, including some from peppers I'd purchased with high hopes of growing bell peppers (especially since red, yellow, and orange ones are usually so expensive). Although, I didn't try to grow vegetables for several years after that, I decided this year I'd try again.
I was inspired to do so because on day when soaking some black eyed peas for dinner, I noticed that several of them had sprouted. I left the sprouted ones in water and cooked up the rest. Many of the bean developed leaves and I decided it'd be fun to plant them and see what happened. So, I planted six of the little plants in one planter box, and I planted some banana peppers and bell peppers in the other box. One bean plant survived, and one pepper plant grew. A bit disappointing I think.
My bean plant has done fairly well though. So far it has produced about 10 black-eyed peas from 3 different pods. Ok, sure, it doesn't make a dinner, but give me a break, I have one plant! More are on the way though. There are two or three pods on the plant now.
My pepper plant looks impressive. I have no clue which type of pepper that I planted actually grew. I was hoping to find out based on fruit it produced. This is the largest pepper plant I've grown. It remains barren however. Several flowers have bloomed, but no peppers have developed. I don't know why. More flower buds are on the plant, so we'll see if I get some peppers, but who knows.
I hope next year to continue with peppers and black-eyed peas. With any luck, I can get more than one plant to actually grow. I do need either an actual garden or deeper pots though, so that's something to look forward to. I'll try to get some pictures to post of my poor little plants so I can show off my green thumb, which is apparently a bit yellow. At least my house plants look good for the most part.
Now, I'm sure a large part of it is lack of space and every time I've grown vegetable plants, they've been potted. It's not like this is a foreign or unsuccessful idea, but I choose bad pots. Usually shallow box planters that are probably better suited for flowers.
Several years ago, when I was living in College Station the first time, I received some banana pepper and sweet purple pepper plants. One of the vets I worked with at the time took pity on these pepper plants at the nursery and purchased them - I think they were on sale or clearance, or something like that. Either way, she brought several small plants to the pet hospital and these are the ones that I selected. The plants did quite well and even survived my move to Austin. I grew several banana peppers and I think only one or two small purple peppers.
The following year, after saving seeds from the plants I'd grown, I planted some more peppers. Again, I was successful in cultivating several banana peppers. I think some of the others grew, but I don't remember eating them. They probably died on the plant or something. I can't really remember that far back.
I kept seeds, including some from peppers I'd purchased with high hopes of growing bell peppers (especially since red, yellow, and orange ones are usually so expensive). Although, I didn't try to grow vegetables for several years after that, I decided this year I'd try again.
I was inspired to do so because on day when soaking some black eyed peas for dinner, I noticed that several of them had sprouted. I left the sprouted ones in water and cooked up the rest. Many of the bean developed leaves and I decided it'd be fun to plant them and see what happened. So, I planted six of the little plants in one planter box, and I planted some banana peppers and bell peppers in the other box. One bean plant survived, and one pepper plant grew. A bit disappointing I think.
My bean plant has done fairly well though. So far it has produced about 10 black-eyed peas from 3 different pods. Ok, sure, it doesn't make a dinner, but give me a break, I have one plant! More are on the way though. There are two or three pods on the plant now.
My pepper plant looks impressive. I have no clue which type of pepper that I planted actually grew. I was hoping to find out based on fruit it produced. This is the largest pepper plant I've grown. It remains barren however. Several flowers have bloomed, but no peppers have developed. I don't know why. More flower buds are on the plant, so we'll see if I get some peppers, but who knows.
I hope next year to continue with peppers and black-eyed peas. With any luck, I can get more than one plant to actually grow. I do need either an actual garden or deeper pots though, so that's something to look forward to. I'll try to get some pictures to post of my poor little plants so I can show off my green thumb, which is apparently a bit yellow. At least my house plants look good for the most part.
A week of lonely
So, this morning Taran headed out to his regular engineering meeting that he attends once a month. Only, this one, they made mandatory. Usually he gets to pick one of two meetings to attend based on what his schedule is. He has to drive about 5 hours to get to the meeting and often he will leave the night before since he has to be there at about 8 in the morning. This time, however, he got up in the wee hours of the morning and headed out. Next week, he has training Monday-Thursday. I think he said it was somewhere in Mississippi. So, he decided since the meeting location is on the way to his training, he figured rather than drive to the meeting, drive back, then drive all the way to training all in a matter of a couple of days, it made more sense to hang out over the weekend in a hotel. This means including the travel day it'll take him to get back, he'll be gone for a week.
I know in theory, I should be used to it. When he goes out on rigs, he's gone 14-16 days if you include travel days, but it never gets easier to see him go. Not to mention, now I have Noah double time. Now, normally, I have him full time, but when Taran comes home from work, he is able to save me from a cranky baby at least for a little while if I need to get some things done. This allows me at least a bit of time to relax or scoop the litter box without the baby picking up the clumps. =)
Here's hoping the baby decides to have a good week. Otherwise, we'll have one cranky mama on our hands.
I know in theory, I should be used to it. When he goes out on rigs, he's gone 14-16 days if you include travel days, but it never gets easier to see him go. Not to mention, now I have Noah double time. Now, normally, I have him full time, but when Taran comes home from work, he is able to save me from a cranky baby at least for a little while if I need to get some things done. This allows me at least a bit of time to relax or scoop the litter box without the baby picking up the clumps. =)
Here's hoping the baby decides to have a good week. Otherwise, we'll have one cranky mama on our hands.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Blogs, blogs, blogs...
I think I may be becoming obsessed. Ok, not really. Well, maybe...
Ok, so tonight I started my fourth blog. That's right, my fourth. And the funny thing is that long ago I had a Live Journal account (I probably still have it, I just haven't updated it in years) which is basically a blog. I found it odd that people would post about their day to day lives, but I found that it is kind of fun and also a great way to keep up with people, and allow them to keep up with you. When I first started my first blog (this one) I did really well with keeping it up, then I slacked off, but I've gotten better again.
So, why did I end up with so many? Well, there are a number of reasons which are tailored to each specific blog.
The second blog, My Mommy Blog was started because even though I have a mommy group I talk to on a regular basis, I felt that many things baby related could be posted to possibly help moms that weren't in the mom group. Aside from that, I could post pictures of items I use and give explanations of things we talked about, then I could just refer people to that blog. The other thing that I have found to be a benefit is sharing bits about my style of parenting. When I learn or read about some important information on safety (like car seat recommendations) or good development (like wearing appropriate foot wear for developing walkers), I can share it. Moms or expectant moms can check it out and learn about what I've learned. Tricks I've figured out (like how to pin wriggly arms while medicating) can also be described to help moms as well. Recently, I've added a labels list so you can search particular topics and read related posts. I just need to reach more followers....
The third blog, Pet Nutrition Solutions is intended to educate people on pet nutrition using scientifically based reasoning. Unfortunately, I only have to one post on there (at this point). I've run into a problem when it comes to that. Pet nutrition is my passion and something that I've become very educated on. I'm still learning on the topic. I see so much bad information spouted on forums that I feel the need to get accurate information out there. At the same time, I eventually want to develop a career as a pet nutrition consultant, so, if I eventually plan to charge for the information/education I give to others, I have to limit what I put on the internet for anyone to see. So, this blog has kinda been pushed to the side, for now.
The fourth blog I started is for my "home business" Beth's Baby Boutique. I started out making diaper cakes after I received a couple of them and have continued to make them and other projects (many pics have been posted here). I've started making more and more and now that I'm feeling like I'm pretty adept at it, I'd like to move into making them more and more for sale. Several months ago, I developed a brochure and more recently I put together a product catalog so I'm really trying to move forward. By putting together a blog, it provides me one more outlet for getting the word out about what I do. I've posted two posts today, and over the next several days, I hope to put up information about all of the cakes and other baby gifts I've made. In theory, I can then continue to add posts when I make new cakes. Also, I recently received my very first diaper cake order, so a blog is just the next step! Yay! (Insert girly squeal here)
So, yeah, I guess I'm hooked. Or crazy. Or both. Either way, I'm going to try to stick with it. And follow the half a dozen or so I've set myself up to follow. Don't know where I'm going to get the time, but I'll worry about that later. =)
Ok, so tonight I started my fourth blog. That's right, my fourth. And the funny thing is that long ago I had a Live Journal account (I probably still have it, I just haven't updated it in years) which is basically a blog. I found it odd that people would post about their day to day lives, but I found that it is kind of fun and also a great way to keep up with people, and allow them to keep up with you. When I first started my first blog (this one) I did really well with keeping it up, then I slacked off, but I've gotten better again.
So, why did I end up with so many? Well, there are a number of reasons which are tailored to each specific blog.
The second blog, My Mommy Blog was started because even though I have a mommy group I talk to on a regular basis, I felt that many things baby related could be posted to possibly help moms that weren't in the mom group. Aside from that, I could post pictures of items I use and give explanations of things we talked about, then I could just refer people to that blog. The other thing that I have found to be a benefit is sharing bits about my style of parenting. When I learn or read about some important information on safety (like car seat recommendations) or good development (like wearing appropriate foot wear for developing walkers), I can share it. Moms or expectant moms can check it out and learn about what I've learned. Tricks I've figured out (like how to pin wriggly arms while medicating) can also be described to help moms as well. Recently, I've added a labels list so you can search particular topics and read related posts. I just need to reach more followers....
The third blog, Pet Nutrition Solutions is intended to educate people on pet nutrition using scientifically based reasoning. Unfortunately, I only have to one post on there (at this point). I've run into a problem when it comes to that. Pet nutrition is my passion and something that I've become very educated on. I'm still learning on the topic. I see so much bad information spouted on forums that I feel the need to get accurate information out there. At the same time, I eventually want to develop a career as a pet nutrition consultant, so, if I eventually plan to charge for the information/education I give to others, I have to limit what I put on the internet for anyone to see. So, this blog has kinda been pushed to the side, for now.
The fourth blog I started is for my "home business" Beth's Baby Boutique. I started out making diaper cakes after I received a couple of them and have continued to make them and other projects (many pics have been posted here). I've started making more and more and now that I'm feeling like I'm pretty adept at it, I'd like to move into making them more and more for sale. Several months ago, I developed a brochure and more recently I put together a product catalog so I'm really trying to move forward. By putting together a blog, it provides me one more outlet for getting the word out about what I do. I've posted two posts today, and over the next several days, I hope to put up information about all of the cakes and other baby gifts I've made. In theory, I can then continue to add posts when I make new cakes. Also, I recently received my very first diaper cake order, so a blog is just the next step! Yay! (Insert girly squeal here)
So, yeah, I guess I'm hooked. Or crazy. Or both. Either way, I'm going to try to stick with it. And follow the half a dozen or so I've set myself up to follow. Don't know where I'm going to get the time, but I'll worry about that later. =)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Where is time going?
Wow, so I can't believe that I didn't post this weekends events and already, we are two days down in the week, too. So, here goes....
Saturday started out pretty typical, we slept in a bit, not much, but a bit. I prepared for a hectic day, since I had several things on my plate for the day. First up, was the standard mommy meeting. I actually was a little bit late because I was working on the label for the shower gift that I was presenting later. I was a bit disappointed by the meeting because there was only one other mom there along with the meeting leader. Of course I like the other mom and the leader, but I was expecting there to be more people and more kids for Noah to play with. The other mom left a bit early and I left not too much later after that. I decided I'd need to go back home before the baby shower because I had forgotten to grab the addresses I needed for the day. I also figured that I could have lunch with Taran before being gone for the rest of the day.
I called Taran on my way home to let him know I was coming back. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of something that couldn't be interrupted for us to go to lunch, so I stopped by Whataburger to grab lunch for us and brought it home. We ate and I got Noah and myself ready to head out again.
I allowed an extra half hour to get to the baby shower (the trip takes about an hour). I figured since I had made a centerpiece for the shower, I should be there bit early so it could be put in place before other guests arrived. The extra time I thought I allowed wasn't enough. There was construction on two of the highways I took on the way to the shower. I arrived about 15 minutes late. The good news was that I was among the early arrivals. The bad news is that there appeared to be no room for the centerpiece aside from being a centerpiece for the gift table. Oh well. Upon seeing that there were only a few other guests that had arrived at the time, I concluded that there was no way I'd be able to make it to the birthday party we had later in the day. I should have known that would be the case, the times overlapped and the shower was at least an hour away. I'm sad to have missed the party, but the shower allowed me to see some college friends that I haven't seen in a while, so that was nice. The shower broke up after food and gifts and I headed home before Noah got too cranky. They were actually going to be having a birthday party for the expectant mom and dad, but again, Noah needed to nap, so we headed home. All of the construction resulted in a two hour drive home. I was cranky by that point.
On Sunday, we drove down to visit my brother and his family. It had been about a month since we last saw them. It was nice to visit. Grace, my sister-in-law had also made me a small diaper bag - just perfect to hold a few diapers, wipes and a disposable pad - all you need for a quick trip - no need to take the whole diaper bag into the restaurant, store, etc. So, we got to hang out with them, Grace and I talked sewing and she found a pattern to make baby shoes so I can try to make some soft soled shoes for Noah - yay! We had dinner with them and then headed out so we could return home and get Noah to bed and feed the critters.
Monday, Noah and I slept in. Aside from not having my workout clothes clean, Noah was still suffering some diarrhea issues from his illness last week and they are prone to pulling you out of class if they see that in a diaper of one of the kids. It is better to just wait until he is back to normal. I spent the morning working on a catalog for my baby boutique. I'm super excited to get it worked out. That way I have something to show people with descriptions of the items I can put together. Noah seemed to be cranky for most of the morning. He wasn't bad, just cranky - he'd fuss for apparently no reason. I figured it was related to teeth he has that have been threatening to break through.
I met a one of the moms from my mommy group, Allison, for lunch. She wanted to discuss some diaper cakes she wanted me to make for a sip and see she has coming up. It was awesome to have the catalog there so we could plan. So, I have my first official order which makes me ecstatic!
Later in the evening after wondering why Noah wouldn't go down to bed, I discovered that he was actually working on a new tooth. The tooth that has been warning us of its arrival for the past couple of months finally had reared its ugly face and had started pushing through. No wonder he was miserable. A dose of Tylenol did the trick to help him sleep better. Finally.
Today, again, we slept in. Noah seemed to really want to stay in bed nursing for a while, so I let him. We had a lazy early part to the morning and then we headed out for a play date with Laura and her son Robert. Noah and Robert played more along side each other, rather than with each other, with the exception of the times they stole toys from each other or Noah deciding to treat Robert like our cat (patting him on the back and pulling him toward him trying to hug him). After several hours of letting the babies play and having some good conversation, Noah and Robert both looked ready for a nap, so we headed out. Noah did go down for a nap when we returned home which was great. I'd have liked for him to stay down longer, but he wanted to nurse some more - I'm guessing it's all related to comfort because of the tooth pushing through. Taran came home and we've had a nice relaxed evening at home.
I don't think I have much else planned for the rest of the week other than the mommy meeting tomorrow and a birthday party on Saturday. I'll probably go shopping to browse and see what is available that I may be able to use for the diaper cake order I have. We'll see. With any luck, Noah will start feeling better too. =)
Saturday started out pretty typical, we slept in a bit, not much, but a bit. I prepared for a hectic day, since I had several things on my plate for the day. First up, was the standard mommy meeting. I actually was a little bit late because I was working on the label for the shower gift that I was presenting later. I was a bit disappointed by the meeting because there was only one other mom there along with the meeting leader. Of course I like the other mom and the leader, but I was expecting there to be more people and more kids for Noah to play with. The other mom left a bit early and I left not too much later after that. I decided I'd need to go back home before the baby shower because I had forgotten to grab the addresses I needed for the day. I also figured that I could have lunch with Taran before being gone for the rest of the day.
I called Taran on my way home to let him know I was coming back. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of something that couldn't be interrupted for us to go to lunch, so I stopped by Whataburger to grab lunch for us and brought it home. We ate and I got Noah and myself ready to head out again.
I allowed an extra half hour to get to the baby shower (the trip takes about an hour). I figured since I had made a centerpiece for the shower, I should be there bit early so it could be put in place before other guests arrived. The extra time I thought I allowed wasn't enough. There was construction on two of the highways I took on the way to the shower. I arrived about 15 minutes late. The good news was that I was among the early arrivals. The bad news is that there appeared to be no room for the centerpiece aside from being a centerpiece for the gift table. Oh well. Upon seeing that there were only a few other guests that had arrived at the time, I concluded that there was no way I'd be able to make it to the birthday party we had later in the day. I should have known that would be the case, the times overlapped and the shower was at least an hour away. I'm sad to have missed the party, but the shower allowed me to see some college friends that I haven't seen in a while, so that was nice. The shower broke up after food and gifts and I headed home before Noah got too cranky. They were actually going to be having a birthday party for the expectant mom and dad, but again, Noah needed to nap, so we headed home. All of the construction resulted in a two hour drive home. I was cranky by that point.On Sunday, we drove down to visit my brother and his family. It had been about a month since we last saw them. It was nice to visit. Grace, my sister-in-law had also made me a small diaper bag - just perfect to hold a few diapers, wipes and a disposable pad - all you need for a quick trip - no need to take the whole diaper bag into the restaurant, store, etc. So, we got to hang out with them, Grace and I talked sewing and she found a pattern to make baby shoes so I can try to make some soft soled shoes for Noah - yay! We had dinner with them and then headed out so we could return home and get Noah to bed and feed the critters.
Monday, Noah and I slept in. Aside from not having my workout clothes clean, Noah was still suffering some diarrhea issues from his illness last week and they are prone to pulling you out of class if they see that in a diaper of one of the kids. It is better to just wait until he is back to normal. I spent the morning working on a catalog for my baby boutique. I'm super excited to get it worked out. That way I have something to show people with descriptions of the items I can put together. Noah seemed to be cranky for most of the morning. He wasn't bad, just cranky - he'd fuss for apparently no reason. I figured it was related to teeth he has that have been threatening to break through.
I met a one of the moms from my mommy group, Allison, for lunch. She wanted to discuss some diaper cakes she wanted me to make for a sip and see she has coming up. It was awesome to have the catalog there so we could plan. So, I have my first official order which makes me ecstatic!
Later in the evening after wondering why Noah wouldn't go down to bed, I discovered that he was actually working on a new tooth. The tooth that has been warning us of its arrival for the past couple of months finally had reared its ugly face and had started pushing through. No wonder he was miserable. A dose of Tylenol did the trick to help him sleep better. Finally.
Today, again, we slept in. Noah seemed to really want to stay in bed nursing for a while, so I let him. We had a lazy early part to the morning and then we headed out for a play date with Laura and her son Robert. Noah and Robert played more along side each other, rather than with each other, with the exception of the times they stole toys from each other or Noah deciding to treat Robert like our cat (patting him on the back and pulling him toward him trying to hug him). After several hours of letting the babies play and having some good conversation, Noah and Robert both looked ready for a nap, so we headed out. Noah did go down for a nap when we returned home which was great. I'd have liked for him to stay down longer, but he wanted to nurse some more - I'm guessing it's all related to comfort because of the tooth pushing through. Taran came home and we've had a nice relaxed evening at home.
I don't think I have much else planned for the rest of the week other than the mommy meeting tomorrow and a birthday party on Saturday. I'll probably go shopping to browse and see what is available that I may be able to use for the diaper cake order I have. We'll see. With any luck, Noah will start feeling better too. =)
Friday, August 20, 2010
End of the week
Well, we still have the weekend, but it's been an interesting end of the work week.
Wednesday night, Taran told me he thought he was coming down with what Noah had on Tuesday. In the wee hours, it seemed to hit him full force and he was up. I got up to help him out super early on Thursday bringing him whatever he needed. I called his boss to let him know that Taran was not going to be able to come in. He slept most of the day, which was good. I tried to take it easy while I watched Noah play most of the day, in hopes of storing up energy in case I got sick too.
My friend Cassidy had canceled her sewing day on Thursday to help her brother move (he asked her kinda last minute) and she said she'd have felt really guilty if she didn't help him. It was just as well. I figured it was better for Noah to have another day at home (even though he was feeling better) and it worked out with Taran getting sick so I was able to stay with him as well.
I awakened today achy and fatigued, but otherwise okay and still stressing about whether or not I was going to get "the bug" too. Taran was feeling better, though not fully himself - luckily, his boss had told him to stay home today as well and just come in on Monday. We laid around most of the morning while Noah played and we took turns removing him from things he shouldn't have been getting in to. Around lunch time we were both feeling a bit better so we took a trip to Chick-fil-a to get lunch. I then had my eye doctor appointment (which I had rescheduled from yesterday). Apparently I have astigmatism. Not bad in either eye, but bad enough in my right eye to correct for it. Yay. That's sarcasm by the way.
Aside from that, today was relatively uneventful. We tried to take it easy. Noah took a late nap so he was up late. I need to get better at not letting him sleep late in the afternoon/evening. It only keeps him up later. He had just fallen asleep nursing and I was so exhausted I fell asleep too. I need to not do that. =)
This weekend is going to be pretty busy. Saturday especially. I'm going to the normal mommy meeting and then it's off to a baby shower. The shower is about an hour away. I will probably leave the shower early to attend a first birthday party of one of the babies in the mommy group, but that all depends on timing (an hour traveling between events is not the most fun) and how Noah is doing.
Sunday, my sister-in-law is going to come up to bring me a diaper bag she made for me. It is a small bag that fits wipes a couple of diapers and a disposable changing pad. When she first gave me one, I thought I may not use it much, but it really comes in handy for those quick trips into the store or a restaurant so you aren't toting a big bag with you. The original one she gave me was one of her early ones and it only fits one diaper, so she was going to make me a larger one that will fit 2-3 now that she has the pattern down better. In any case, she is going to bring it to me Sunday afternoon. It'll be great to see her again and maybe she'll be bringing the rest of the family too for a visit.
With any luck, I'll keep up my momentum and report on the weekend in the next couple of days.
Wednesday night, Taran told me he thought he was coming down with what Noah had on Tuesday. In the wee hours, it seemed to hit him full force and he was up. I got up to help him out super early on Thursday bringing him whatever he needed. I called his boss to let him know that Taran was not going to be able to come in. He slept most of the day, which was good. I tried to take it easy while I watched Noah play most of the day, in hopes of storing up energy in case I got sick too.
My friend Cassidy had canceled her sewing day on Thursday to help her brother move (he asked her kinda last minute) and she said she'd have felt really guilty if she didn't help him. It was just as well. I figured it was better for Noah to have another day at home (even though he was feeling better) and it worked out with Taran getting sick so I was able to stay with him as well.
I awakened today achy and fatigued, but otherwise okay and still stressing about whether or not I was going to get "the bug" too. Taran was feeling better, though not fully himself - luckily, his boss had told him to stay home today as well and just come in on Monday. We laid around most of the morning while Noah played and we took turns removing him from things he shouldn't have been getting in to. Around lunch time we were both feeling a bit better so we took a trip to Chick-fil-a to get lunch. I then had my eye doctor appointment (which I had rescheduled from yesterday). Apparently I have astigmatism. Not bad in either eye, but bad enough in my right eye to correct for it. Yay. That's sarcasm by the way.
Aside from that, today was relatively uneventful. We tried to take it easy. Noah took a late nap so he was up late. I need to get better at not letting him sleep late in the afternoon/evening. It only keeps him up later. He had just fallen asleep nursing and I was so exhausted I fell asleep too. I need to not do that. =)
This weekend is going to be pretty busy. Saturday especially. I'm going to the normal mommy meeting and then it's off to a baby shower. The shower is about an hour away. I will probably leave the shower early to attend a first birthday party of one of the babies in the mommy group, but that all depends on timing (an hour traveling between events is not the most fun) and how Noah is doing.
Sunday, my sister-in-law is going to come up to bring me a diaper bag she made for me. It is a small bag that fits wipes a couple of diapers and a disposable changing pad. When she first gave me one, I thought I may not use it much, but it really comes in handy for those quick trips into the store or a restaurant so you aren't toting a big bag with you. The original one she gave me was one of her early ones and it only fits one diaper, so she was going to make me a larger one that will fit 2-3 now that she has the pattern down better. In any case, she is going to bring it to me Sunday afternoon. It'll be great to see her again and maybe she'll be bringing the rest of the family too for a visit.
With any luck, I'll keep up my momentum and report on the weekend in the next couple of days.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Just when I think things are looking up...
The poor baby! The past couple of days have been pretty rough. Monday, everything seemed pretty normal. Not too productive of a day, but no biggie. Yesterday, things weren't so good.
It started out early in the morning. Taran was getting ready for work an in a half asleep stupor, I heard what I thought was Noah spitting up. I cleaned it up with a handy spit rag and went back to sleep. When it was time for me to get up for my yoga class, I got up and started getting dressed. I heard a weird sound of spitting up, but not quite and went to find Noah, not spitting up, but throwing up. As in projectile. Poor little man. I handed him over to Taran briefly so that I could clean up the mess, then cleaned up the baby. Noah was looking pale and his lips a bit blue. Luckily, his color returned. Taran had to head to work and I figured I'd be skipping yoga that morning. The next couple of hours seemed uneventful, Noah was playing while I ate breakfast and tried to get laundry going cleaning the sheets and whatnot. I set Noah in his bouncy seat and hopped in the shower. Just as I was finishing up, he started vomiting again. Poor little guy. Looked pale again.
A few hours go by and nothing really exciting happened. I worked on cleaning up the house some and continued running laundry. Amanda texted me to make sure that it was still ok for her to come over to work on the diaper cake she was making. She wanted to head over after lunch, after he little one woke up from his nap. Since Noah seemed to be doing fine, a bit less active than normal, but otherwise fine, I told her it was ok. More of the same for the next several hours. Noah seemed to be holding down the few nursings that he had in the morning.
Amanda arrived and we got to work. We checked out a few examples of diaper cakes I had made, some from the web, and some from someone she knew for inspiration. Then we got to work. It took us a few tries to figure out what size we were going for and how many diapers we were going to use. After we had the main structure up (3 tiers) we started decorating. She had a few Longhorn items (I told her after seeing that I shouldn't be supporting this endeavor), some pacifiers, and some booties. It took us a bit to figure out how to incorporate the ribbon she had with the items and create a put together look, but we worked it out. She asked if it typically takes me that long to figure out how I'm going to get it all put together. I let her know it does, but that I try to get inspiration from the baby registry and that really helps me to come up with an overall idea even if I'm not able to incorporate some registry items. As we worked, the little ones were having fun. Amanda's one-year old Joshua was having a blast with the dog and the dog food bowl. Noah and Joshua enjoyed playing with each other or by each other. For the most part, they were able to keep themselves occupied while we worked. We managed to get the diaper cake mostly done. It needed a few finishing touches. Amanda was going to go pick up the extra items and finish it all before the shower this weekend. I wish I had gotten pictures, but I was afraid I'd be taking credit, so I just left it alone.
She headed out and I was able to nurse Noah to sleep and he went down for a nap. I got a call from my friend George, just catching up and we chatted for a while. Taran came home and I got dinner ready. Noah awakened in time to eat with us. I prepared for him some boiled chicken and rice hoping it would be easy on his stomach. He didn't seem to eat much, but that didn't really surprise me.
On our walk to the get the mail, Noah seemed almost like himself. He wanted to explore and watch the neighbor kids shoot hoops. We headed back home stopping to talk to a neighbor who was out walking his dogs and he told me his wife is pregnant with twins! How exciting! Our visit was cut a bit short as Noah threw up a small amount. I thought it was over, but apparently, I was wrong.We went to bed early for us, but a bit late for Noah. At around quarter to one, I was awakened by Noah throwing up again, copious amounts this time. he made a big mess all over. I cleaned it up, changed him, and we settled back into bed. This morning he awakened again around 6:30 and vomited some more, not as much this time.
I took him in to the pediatrician today. Our regular doctor was at another office so we saw a new doctor. He suspects that Noah has viral gastroenteritis, meaning nothing can really be done. He told me normally these things pass in 2-4 days. I just need to make sure that Noah stays hydrated.
So that has been our past couple of days. Noah hasn't vomited any more today. I hope he continues to do better. Tomorrow, another mom friend, Cassidy is having a sewing day at her house. I'm just hoping that Noah continues to get back to his normal self so we can go. Until then, I'll just be tending to him, trying to make him feel better.
It started out early in the morning. Taran was getting ready for work an in a half asleep stupor, I heard what I thought was Noah spitting up. I cleaned it up with a handy spit rag and went back to sleep. When it was time for me to get up for my yoga class, I got up and started getting dressed. I heard a weird sound of spitting up, but not quite and went to find Noah, not spitting up, but throwing up. As in projectile. Poor little man. I handed him over to Taran briefly so that I could clean up the mess, then cleaned up the baby. Noah was looking pale and his lips a bit blue. Luckily, his color returned. Taran had to head to work and I figured I'd be skipping yoga that morning. The next couple of hours seemed uneventful, Noah was playing while I ate breakfast and tried to get laundry going cleaning the sheets and whatnot. I set Noah in his bouncy seat and hopped in the shower. Just as I was finishing up, he started vomiting again. Poor little guy. Looked pale again.
A few hours go by and nothing really exciting happened. I worked on cleaning up the house some and continued running laundry. Amanda texted me to make sure that it was still ok for her to come over to work on the diaper cake she was making. She wanted to head over after lunch, after he little one woke up from his nap. Since Noah seemed to be doing fine, a bit less active than normal, but otherwise fine, I told her it was ok. More of the same for the next several hours. Noah seemed to be holding down the few nursings that he had in the morning.
Amanda arrived and we got to work. We checked out a few examples of diaper cakes I had made, some from the web, and some from someone she knew for inspiration. Then we got to work. It took us a few tries to figure out what size we were going for and how many diapers we were going to use. After we had the main structure up (3 tiers) we started decorating. She had a few Longhorn items (I told her after seeing that I shouldn't be supporting this endeavor), some pacifiers, and some booties. It took us a bit to figure out how to incorporate the ribbon she had with the items and create a put together look, but we worked it out. She asked if it typically takes me that long to figure out how I'm going to get it all put together. I let her know it does, but that I try to get inspiration from the baby registry and that really helps me to come up with an overall idea even if I'm not able to incorporate some registry items. As we worked, the little ones were having fun. Amanda's one-year old Joshua was having a blast with the dog and the dog food bowl. Noah and Joshua enjoyed playing with each other or by each other. For the most part, they were able to keep themselves occupied while we worked. We managed to get the diaper cake mostly done. It needed a few finishing touches. Amanda was going to go pick up the extra items and finish it all before the shower this weekend. I wish I had gotten pictures, but I was afraid I'd be taking credit, so I just left it alone.
She headed out and I was able to nurse Noah to sleep and he went down for a nap. I got a call from my friend George, just catching up and we chatted for a while. Taran came home and I got dinner ready. Noah awakened in time to eat with us. I prepared for him some boiled chicken and rice hoping it would be easy on his stomach. He didn't seem to eat much, but that didn't really surprise me.
On our walk to the get the mail, Noah seemed almost like himself. He wanted to explore and watch the neighbor kids shoot hoops. We headed back home stopping to talk to a neighbor who was out walking his dogs and he told me his wife is pregnant with twins! How exciting! Our visit was cut a bit short as Noah threw up a small amount. I thought it was over, but apparently, I was wrong.We went to bed early for us, but a bit late for Noah. At around quarter to one, I was awakened by Noah throwing up again, copious amounts this time. he made a big mess all over. I cleaned it up, changed him, and we settled back into bed. This morning he awakened again around 6:30 and vomited some more, not as much this time.
I took him in to the pediatrician today. Our regular doctor was at another office so we saw a new doctor. He suspects that Noah has viral gastroenteritis, meaning nothing can really be done. He told me normally these things pass in 2-4 days. I just need to make sure that Noah stays hydrated.
So that has been our past couple of days. Noah hasn't vomited any more today. I hope he continues to do better. Tomorrow, another mom friend, Cassidy is having a sewing day at her house. I'm just hoping that Noah continues to get back to his normal self so we can go. Until then, I'll just be tending to him, trying to make him feel better.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Yep, it's Monday.
Today was definitely a Monday, starting as all Mondays do - with an overwhelming desire to stay in bed. Noah experienced it too. In fact, I actually had to wake him up. Normally, he makes sure that I get up on time. Today, however, I was up, dressed, had fed the dog and cat, and had let the dog out and put the cat up all before he awakened. I actually had to make sure he got up. We headed to yoga and did a little grocery shopping afterward. With the extra trip to the store, Noah was tuckered out enough to take a nap when we returned.
Laundry and cleaning took up most of my afternoon. It is sad to say that today was not that busy or interesting. Tomorrow one of the moms is supposed to come over so I can help her make a diaper cake for a baby shower she's going to, but she e-mailed me and let me know she may not be able to come. We'll see. I just want to make sure that the house isn't in a horribly embarrassing condition if she is able to make it.
I did make cookies this evening. Noah was simply adorable during the process. He was very interested in what I was doing. Whenever I turned on the oven light to check on the cookies, he'd bend down and peer into the oven to see what I was looking at. I think he was fascinated with the light in there.
In other Noah news. He had another tooth break through today. The tooth that has been working its way in for over a month now finally decided to show up. It's a molar, so all of it has not broken through the gum, but it is a start. Add that to the four teeth that broke through last week and he's having a rough time. He's handling it like a champ and hasn't been terribly cranky the past couple of weeks. Yes, a little, but hey, can you blame him? I've been giving him some pain medication just before going to bed just to help take edge off so he can sleep and it seems to help. It's a big improvement from several days ago when he kept waking up every hour and a half to two hours because he was uncomfortable. I'm just wondering how soon the next three teeth will come in that are peeking out just below the surface.
Ok, so, yoga tomorrow, and hopefully diaper cake making. Until then, it's time for sleeping!
Laundry and cleaning took up most of my afternoon. It is sad to say that today was not that busy or interesting. Tomorrow one of the moms is supposed to come over so I can help her make a diaper cake for a baby shower she's going to, but she e-mailed me and let me know she may not be able to come. We'll see. I just want to make sure that the house isn't in a horribly embarrassing condition if she is able to make it.
I did make cookies this evening. Noah was simply adorable during the process. He was very interested in what I was doing. Whenever I turned on the oven light to check on the cookies, he'd bend down and peer into the oven to see what I was looking at. I think he was fascinated with the light in there.
In other Noah news. He had another tooth break through today. The tooth that has been working its way in for over a month now finally decided to show up. It's a molar, so all of it has not broken through the gum, but it is a start. Add that to the four teeth that broke through last week and he's having a rough time. He's handling it like a champ and hasn't been terribly cranky the past couple of weeks. Yes, a little, but hey, can you blame him? I've been giving him some pain medication just before going to bed just to help take edge off so he can sleep and it seems to help. It's a big improvement from several days ago when he kept waking up every hour and a half to two hours because he was uncomfortable. I'm just wondering how soon the next three teeth will come in that are peeking out just below the surface.
Ok, so, yoga tomorrow, and hopefully diaper cake making. Until then, it's time for sleeping!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Busy, busy, busy...
Well, this weekend, I can definitely say was not boring. We certainly kept moving and shaking. Ok, well, moving anyway.
Saturday, as I mentioned in my post yesterday (was it only yesterday? It seems so long ago...) that Noah awakened very early. I finally got up and dawdled around some. We then got ready to attend the Saturday Smart Mommy meeting. It was a good meeting. Suzanne, the shop owner and Lactation Consultant was there leading the meeting which is a rare treat. I learned quite a bit through discussions we had and she even taught me a new way to wrap my Moby wrap for carrying Noah in a configuration that will put his weight on my waist rather than my shoulder and still be able to hold him on my hip! I am so excited about this hold because while I like the front carry on the Moby, Noah is a bit big and can get in the way while shopping or doing similar activities. I've added the pic, so you can get an idea. It was taken several months ago, but you can see how much of my front he takes up!
After the meeting we went to the first birthday party for Robert, one of the babies in my mommy group. They had a frog theme and super cute frog cupcakes! Robert really understood the concept of a smash cake and destroyed it as soon as it was put in front of him. He had no interest in eating the cake and decided before too much time went by that the really would rather not be covered in icing. It was too cute! The babies from the mommy group spent most of the time charming the adults that were at the party and playing will Robert's toys. They had a blast. Noah was playing and walking around non-stop which lead to a nap in the car and continued napping when we arrived back home. I was able to start a load of diapers (I had gotten too far behind) and ran some errands after Noah awakened to pick up dog food, some more pain meds for Noah (since he's teething like crazy lately) and Chick-fil-a for Taran and me to eat for dinner. It was a super long day! I even ended up staying up late working on getting Noah's diapers all washed and dried so he could have enough liners to last all night without wetting the bed.
Today, we were able to relax a little bit. Taran had to go into the office and work on a project they have him doing. He intended to stay all afternoon, but he got a good portion done and ended up with a headache so he decided to come home. Noah napped while Taran was as work and I was able to finish my monthly report for Purina. This evening, Taran and I went to meet up with some friends, Stephanie and Brian, that we haven't seen in months (I think I mentioned this in my last post). Brian was on call for work so we met closer to down town so he was nearby if they paged him.We got to meet their new baby, Eleanor (about 10 weeks old), who is cute as can be and seems to be a very content baby. I was finally able to give Stephanie the diaper cake I made for her back when I found out she was pregnant in April. It matched the colors she picked for Eleanor's room and she noticed it too, which meant I was successful in matching it! We got ice cream after dinner (great finish for the Chinese food dinner we had - Taran's been on a Chinese kick lately) and visited just a bit longer before parting ways. It was such a wonderful visit. I really hope we get to see them again soon.
So, now the weekend is at an end. More laundry is running now. I really need to do a better job keeping up with it, but I've put it off quite a bit this week. This next upcoming week is starting to book up with activity. I hope I can keep up with blog posts, then maybe I can give the false impression that I am so busy and active all the time! Of course, I've now kinda given away the truth...
Saturday, as I mentioned in my post yesterday (was it only yesterday? It seems so long ago...) that Noah awakened very early. I finally got up and dawdled around some. We then got ready to attend the Saturday Smart Mommy meeting. It was a good meeting. Suzanne, the shop owner and Lactation Consultant was there leading the meeting which is a rare treat. I learned quite a bit through discussions we had and she even taught me a new way to wrap my Moby wrap for carrying Noah in a configuration that will put his weight on my waist rather than my shoulder and still be able to hold him on my hip! I am so excited about this hold because while I like the front carry on the Moby, Noah is a bit big and can get in the way while shopping or doing similar activities. I've added the pic, so you can get an idea. It was taken several months ago, but you can see how much of my front he takes up!After the meeting we went to the first birthday party for Robert, one of the babies in my mommy group. They had a frog theme and super cute frog cupcakes! Robert really understood the concept of a smash cake and destroyed it as soon as it was put in front of him. He had no interest in eating the cake and decided before too much time went by that the really would rather not be covered in icing. It was too cute! The babies from the mommy group spent most of the time charming the adults that were at the party and playing will Robert's toys. They had a blast. Noah was playing and walking around non-stop which lead to a nap in the car and continued napping when we arrived back home. I was able to start a load of diapers (I had gotten too far behind) and ran some errands after Noah awakened to pick up dog food, some more pain meds for Noah (since he's teething like crazy lately) and Chick-fil-a for Taran and me to eat for dinner. It was a super long day! I even ended up staying up late working on getting Noah's diapers all washed and dried so he could have enough liners to last all night without wetting the bed.
Today, we were able to relax a little bit. Taran had to go into the office and work on a project they have him doing. He intended to stay all afternoon, but he got a good portion done and ended up with a headache so he decided to come home. Noah napped while Taran was as work and I was able to finish my monthly report for Purina. This evening, Taran and I went to meet up with some friends, Stephanie and Brian, that we haven't seen in months (I think I mentioned this in my last post). Brian was on call for work so we met closer to down town so he was nearby if they paged him.We got to meet their new baby, Eleanor (about 10 weeks old), who is cute as can be and seems to be a very content baby. I was finally able to give Stephanie the diaper cake I made for her back when I found out she was pregnant in April. It matched the colors she picked for Eleanor's room and she noticed it too, which meant I was successful in matching it! We got ice cream after dinner (great finish for the Chinese food dinner we had - Taran's been on a Chinese kick lately) and visited just a bit longer before parting ways. It was such a wonderful visit. I really hope we get to see them again soon.So, now the weekend is at an end. More laundry is running now. I really need to do a better job keeping up with it, but I've put it off quite a bit this week. This next upcoming week is starting to book up with activity. I hope I can keep up with blog posts, then maybe I can give the false impression that I am so busy and active all the time! Of course, I've now kinda given away the truth...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Here's to busy weekends
As I have recently been coming down with mild but chronic case of cabin fever, I feel this weekend will be the cure. We have many activities planned and it could have been busier if we had allowed it. I do have to pace myself though. Our lives typically move at the speed of molasses so having multiple things going on in a short time span is out of the norm and can lead to a cranky baby. Maybe this is a hint that we ought to get out more in general so it becomes more of the norm...
In any case, yesterday was relatively uneventful. I had my regular yoga class with the irregular instructor. No, really, she's great and I'm sure I'll be sore today, but she tends to be a bit eccentric and her class seems to only slightly resemble an actual yoga class. I figure that is good though, changing from the normal exercise routine can only help. Noah took a nap, although it was late in the afternoon, but the good news is with the help of a little Tylenol to ease his teething pain, he went to bed at a normal time and seemed to sleep normally. Unfortunately, that meant that he awakened early and ready to go this morning... I mean, fortunately, I think. I still could use the sleep...
Yesterday we also saw the arrival of our new hiking carrier pack. It is super spiffy and has all kinds of bells and whistles. Taran had wanted a big structured carrier pack like that for Noah, despite the extreme limit of outdoor activities we actually do. With any luck, actually having the pack may encourage us to go out and do something outdoorsy. A friend had recently invited me to go to a nearby park where she wanted to do some hiking for an hour or so, now, I may be able to since I have more appropriate accommodations for Noah! Taran and I both tried the pack on to see how it felt and I was amazed that I don't feel Noah's weight at all. It is not heavy and it seriously doesn't feel like I'm carrying a twenty-six pound kid on my back. I'll have to see if I feel the same after some more extended hiking/walking that takes me further and in worse terrain than a walk down the sidewalk to the end of the street to get our mail. I added more information and a mini "review" on My Mommy Blog if you want to know more about the pack itself.
So today we had an early start, Noah was up before 7. I was hoping to sleep until after 8. He didn't get the memo. My husband says I forgot to e-mail it to him. Later we have my mommy meeting and then a birthday party. Tomorrow we have plans to hang out with some friends whom we haven't seen for more than 8 months or so. It is kinda sad since they live in the Houston area. But then, they both are doctors with a new baby and their lives can't exactly be boring. They are always busy with work, family, or the new baby. I still have their baby gift which I've had since I learned she was pregnant. I'll post pics after I give it to her. I try not to put up pics of my baby gifts until the person receives them so they are surprised. After that, I can then make a business page on Facebook for my baby boutique and post a link to my web page that I've been working on. At some point in the next couple of days I'll need to run to PetSmart since the dog is quickly running out of food.
I'll probably post later today and/or tomorrow with updates of how everything went. Maybe I'll be productive and take pics as well!
In any case, yesterday was relatively uneventful. I had my regular yoga class with the irregular instructor. No, really, she's great and I'm sure I'll be sore today, but she tends to be a bit eccentric and her class seems to only slightly resemble an actual yoga class. I figure that is good though, changing from the normal exercise routine can only help. Noah took a nap, although it was late in the afternoon, but the good news is with the help of a little Tylenol to ease his teething pain, he went to bed at a normal time and seemed to sleep normally. Unfortunately, that meant that he awakened early and ready to go this morning... I mean, fortunately, I think. I still could use the sleep...
So today we had an early start, Noah was up before 7. I was hoping to sleep until after 8. He didn't get the memo. My husband says I forgot to e-mail it to him. Later we have my mommy meeting and then a birthday party. Tomorrow we have plans to hang out with some friends whom we haven't seen for more than 8 months or so. It is kinda sad since they live in the Houston area. But then, they both are doctors with a new baby and their lives can't exactly be boring. They are always busy with work, family, or the new baby. I still have their baby gift which I've had since I learned she was pregnant. I'll post pics after I give it to her. I try not to put up pics of my baby gifts until the person receives them so they are surprised. After that, I can then make a business page on Facebook for my baby boutique and post a link to my web page that I've been working on. At some point in the next couple of days I'll need to run to PetSmart since the dog is quickly running out of food.
I'll probably post later today and/or tomorrow with updates of how everything went. Maybe I'll be productive and take pics as well!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A good report
Today Noah had his recheck appointment at the ENT. It basically was the main activity of the day and it was over before it was supposed to begin. Good news all around, everything looks good and assuming things stay the same, we won't have to go back for another 6 months.
In other news, Noah officially has 4 more teeth. Yep, that's right. All at the same time. He did not read the manual when it comes to growing teeth. I noticed a few days ago that you could see a bit of white under his gums on the top and today I took a peek in his mouth to see how they were progressing and what do you know two upper molars (the 15 month molars) and two upper canines (or cuspids, or eye teeth) had broken through the gingiva. Now, they aren't all the way in and the molars still have some of their surface covered with gingiva, but they are well on their way through. On the bottom, the matching four are working their way out (you can see them right under the gumline), but they are taking their sweet little time, considering the location of the left side molar has been large and swollen for about 5-6 weeks now.
I did somehow find time to complete a small little project. My first diaper cake made with cloth diapers! I had a couple of the moms in my mommy group ask me about making them with cloth diapers and I wasn't too sure about it. I figured it would work, but due to the differences in sizes (cloth is bulkier) I wasn't sure how many I'd need. I used some of Noah's burp rags that are basically re-purposed prefold cloth diapers and rolled them like I would the disposables. I then used another burp rag of his to wrap around and then applied a duck and teethers for decoration. I did the whole decorative ribbon thing because even though I was just seeing how it would work, I figured I could take a pic and get the full effect. Also, that way, I can add it to my website. Though I obviously can't sell it, what with used materials, it gave me and idea of how it would work out. The biggest problem with doing this type of cake is that the bigger they get, the more cost prohibitive they can be. A disposable diaper costs about $.15 whereas a cloth diaper can cost $1-$2 depending on size. In a multiple tier cake, it would make sense to have each layer a different size of diaper (since a cloth diapering mom will reuse and therefore not need as many of each size). The overall cost could potentially skyrocket if the diapers aren't purchased for a really low discount rate. There is still detail to figure out, but a cloth diaper diaper cake has every potential to turn out just as cute and be just as usable as a regular one!
Aside from that, our day was long and eventful. Yoga this morning was not very challenging. Noah spent most of the day playing. He didn't nap. It was bad. At least he didn't get terribly cranky until this evening and by that time, no way was I going to put him down. I'd wait until bed time.
For the first time in four days, he went down at a normal time. His naps were in the afternoons this week, none in the morning, and for some reason, he wouldn't go down at his bed time. He'd act all tired and even fall asleep, but as soon as he was put down, he was up and wouldn't go down for another hour to hour and a half. It was so frustrating. I'm not sure if it's the teething that has him all off, that is the most likely scenario, but I'm glad he's gone to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. I have no expectations for tomorrow. My life can't be that easy.
In other news, Noah officially has 4 more teeth. Yep, that's right. All at the same time. He did not read the manual when it comes to growing teeth. I noticed a few days ago that you could see a bit of white under his gums on the top and today I took a peek in his mouth to see how they were progressing and what do you know two upper molars (the 15 month molars) and two upper canines (or cuspids, or eye teeth) had broken through the gingiva. Now, they aren't all the way in and the molars still have some of their surface covered with gingiva, but they are well on their way through. On the bottom, the matching four are working their way out (you can see them right under the gumline), but they are taking their sweet little time, considering the location of the left side molar has been large and swollen for about 5-6 weeks now.
I did somehow find time to complete a small little project. My first diaper cake made with cloth diapers! I had a couple of the moms in my mommy group ask me about making them with cloth diapers and I wasn't too sure about it. I figured it would work, but due to the differences in sizes (cloth is bulkier) I wasn't sure how many I'd need. I used some of Noah's burp rags that are basically re-purposed prefold cloth diapers and rolled them like I would the disposables. I then used another burp rag of his to wrap around and then applied a duck and teethers for decoration. I did the whole decorative ribbon thing because even though I was just seeing how it would work, I figured I could take a pic and get the full effect. Also, that way, I can add it to my website. Though I obviously can't sell it, what with used materials, it gave me and idea of how it would work out. The biggest problem with doing this type of cake is that the bigger they get, the more cost prohibitive they can be. A disposable diaper costs about $.15 whereas a cloth diaper can cost $1-$2 depending on size. In a multiple tier cake, it would make sense to have each layer a different size of diaper (since a cloth diapering mom will reuse and therefore not need as many of each size). The overall cost could potentially skyrocket if the diapers aren't purchased for a really low discount rate. There is still detail to figure out, but a cloth diaper diaper cake has every potential to turn out just as cute and be just as usable as a regular one!
Aside from that, our day was long and eventful. Yoga this morning was not very challenging. Noah spent most of the day playing. He didn't nap. It was bad. At least he didn't get terribly cranky until this evening and by that time, no way was I going to put him down. I'd wait until bed time.For the first time in four days, he went down at a normal time. His naps were in the afternoons this week, none in the morning, and for some reason, he wouldn't go down at his bed time. He'd act all tired and even fall asleep, but as soon as he was put down, he was up and wouldn't go down for another hour to hour and a half. It was so frustrating. I'm not sure if it's the teething that has him all off, that is the most likely scenario, but I'm glad he's gone to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. I have no expectations for tomorrow. My life can't be that easy.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
It's morning again...
It is definitely morning again. I'm sitting here at my computer procrastinating and trying to ignore the child while at the same time making sure he isn't getting into anything he shouldn't be. It's been two days since his procedure and he's definitely back to normal. Same old tricks. Getting into things and looking adorable. And of course, like any other child, the screaming and tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants or he has a "toy" like my phone taken away from him.
Speaking of phones, one of the first thing he did today was find my phone tucked under my pillow (I keep it there when I sleep so it is close by in case it rings or the alarm goes off so I can address it before disturbing the hubby or sleeping baby - not that the baby sleeps much...). I was in a half awake state when Taran's phone goes off. I awaken and there my baby is pushing buttons on mine. I quickly take it, back out of the main menu and close the phone. Right then, Taran asked me if I sent him a blank message and that is when I realize that Noah had apparently gotten into the text function. Nice. We go back to resting our eyes because that is all you can do when you have a 12 month old crawling all over you, pulling your hair and stepping on your face. I then get a text from my sister, "Did you text me the time?" "No, Noah got a hold of my phone, I'm so sorry" It's about quarter to eight in the morning at this point, so hopefully it wasn't super early for her, but it probably was, especially on a Saturday. I then proceed to check my other sent texts to make sure that Noah hadn't sent anyone else a surprise. Luckily, he hadn't, it was just the one text that got sent to my hubby and sister. Ah, children...
So now, I'm checking my Facebook and procrastinating after picking up baby toys. I need to vacuum desperately. I also have a mommy meeting today. I guess I've got to get going. Until next time...
Speaking of phones, one of the first thing he did today was find my phone tucked under my pillow (I keep it there when I sleep so it is close by in case it rings or the alarm goes off so I can address it before disturbing the hubby or sleeping baby - not that the baby sleeps much...). I was in a half awake state when Taran's phone goes off. I awaken and there my baby is pushing buttons on mine. I quickly take it, back out of the main menu and close the phone. Right then, Taran asked me if I sent him a blank message and that is when I realize that Noah had apparently gotten into the text function. Nice. We go back to resting our eyes because that is all you can do when you have a 12 month old crawling all over you, pulling your hair and stepping on your face. I then get a text from my sister, "Did you text me the time?" "No, Noah got a hold of my phone, I'm so sorry" It's about quarter to eight in the morning at this point, so hopefully it wasn't super early for her, but it probably was, especially on a Saturday. I then proceed to check my other sent texts to make sure that Noah hadn't sent anyone else a surprise. Luckily, he hadn't, it was just the one text that got sent to my hubby and sister. Ah, children...
So now, I'm checking my Facebook and procrastinating after picking up baby toys. I need to vacuum desperately. I also have a mommy meeting today. I guess I've got to get going. Until next time...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Post Op
Baby Noah had his tube surgery today, aka a bilateral myringotomy. He did phenomenally well.
The day started out a bit rocky. We were mostly worried about him getting enough sleep since he likes to nurse a lot during the night. He kept waking up after we put him down last night too which seemed to make it worse. He wasn't allowed to have anything after midnight, so when he fell asleep nursing right around that time, he was cut off.
He awakened around 3:15 wanting to nurse, but unfortunately he wasn't allowed. He flopped around a bit, kinda tired and groggy, but finally decided he was awake and wanted to nurse and he was not happy that he was being denied. Taran took him to the living room and let him play a little bit since he was up, and finally got him to go back to sleep laying on Taran's chest in a chair at about 4:45.
I got up at about 5:15 and joined them in the living room. I was happy to see that Noah had been able to go back to sleep. Taran however, had not. I showered and got ready, fed the cat and dog, then took the baby to get him changed and ready while Taran also got ready. We headed out to the surgical center at about 5:45 am.
We arrived at the surgical center around 6 am (right on time!) and signed in. We finished up some last minute paperwork then took a seat in the waiting room. Noah was in a surprisingly good mood. He was fascinated with everything around and wanted to explore. He caught the attention of everyone else in the waiting room too. He got so many comments about how cute he was. I have to say I agree!
They called us back shortly thereafter and took us to the surgical prep area. One of the nurses weighed him, then took his blood pressure and checked his oxygen. I was surprised at how well he did. He sat still while she attached the cuff and pulse/ox probe. I expected he'd want to pull them off and play with them, but he left them alone for the most part and she was able to get her readings without much difficulty (although, she did have to move the blood pressure cuff off of his arm and onto his leg). The nurse then attached his hospital bands to his leg/ankle (which had to be replaced because two of them slipped right off over his foot) and gave me a matching one as well. We then sat and waited for the anesthesiologist to come talk to us. Waiting is not ideal for a 12 mo old, so Taran held him just outside the curtain to our "staging area" so he could watch the activity going on with other patients and at the nurses' station.
Soon the anesthesiologist came to speak with us and described how the anesthesia would go. Another nurse came and gave him a sedative. The nurse for his procedure came in and introduced herself and let us know the doctor would be there shortly. We waited a bit more. Still no fun for a baby, especially one that felt he should have been given his breakfast by now. He was starting to get a bit more irritable, but Taran was able to keep him calm with watching the activity going on around us and playing peek-a-boo with the privacy curtain.
The doctor came in to speak with us briefly and go over the procedure with us and the nurse soon came with the anesthesiologist to gather him up. He was a bit groggy from the sedative so he didn't seem to mind leaving us, but then, he hasn't hit the separation anxiety phase yet. We were directed to the waiting room to sit it out.
We both grabbed some coffee and settled in at a nearby table to chat, watch the news, and wait for the procedure to finish. About 15 minutes later, we were called back into a small little meeting room and told the doctor would be in to see us. Before the doctor even came in, the aid returned because Noah was awake, but the doctor hadn't even been in yet! He arrived right about then and discussed the procedure with us. The left ear had quite a bit of exudate as well as extra skin on the ear drum, which is not unusual considering that was the ear that had been draining when infected, so aside from a bit extra to clean up, everything went normally. The doctor then went over discharge instructions and care instructions for Noah's ears. He then escorted us to the recovery area where he said Noah was screaming, but apparently he had settled down as soon as the nurse picked him up.
I was able to nurse him right away which kept him calm. I was surprised that he didn't gulp down from being so hungry, but he seemed more interested in the comfort of his mama, so that was okay by me. The nurse gave us some final discharge instructions and had Taran sign the discharge papers. And we were able to leave.
They had told us that Noah would be groggy and sleepy most of the day, but he didn't get that memo. He played with his toy phone all the way home (which isn't really that long of a trip) and was wide awake when we returned. He was still calmed by the sedative, but he was wide awake and after another nursing session, Noah decided he was ready to play. Walking proved to be a bit difficult as his balance was a bit compromised by drugs, but crawling worked just fine! He played with toys and finally figured out walking again, though it was a bit unsteady.
Two hours after the procedure, he seemed to be back to his old tricks of getting into things and wanting to climb around. He has been a bit more sedate, but otherwise, it appears he's pulled through with flying colors. I am one happy mama. I was so worried because I know the risks of anesthesia and he'd never been exposed to it before, but I'm able to relax a bit now. We'll go back to see the doctor for a recheck in about a week. Until then, hopefully we are in for fewer ear infections and that can never be a bad thing!
The day started out a bit rocky. We were mostly worried about him getting enough sleep since he likes to nurse a lot during the night. He kept waking up after we put him down last night too which seemed to make it worse. He wasn't allowed to have anything after midnight, so when he fell asleep nursing right around that time, he was cut off.
He awakened around 3:15 wanting to nurse, but unfortunately he wasn't allowed. He flopped around a bit, kinda tired and groggy, but finally decided he was awake and wanted to nurse and he was not happy that he was being denied. Taran took him to the living room and let him play a little bit since he was up, and finally got him to go back to sleep laying on Taran's chest in a chair at about 4:45.
I got up at about 5:15 and joined them in the living room. I was happy to see that Noah had been able to go back to sleep. Taran however, had not. I showered and got ready, fed the cat and dog, then took the baby to get him changed and ready while Taran also got ready. We headed out to the surgical center at about 5:45 am.
We arrived at the surgical center around 6 am (right on time!) and signed in. We finished up some last minute paperwork then took a seat in the waiting room. Noah was in a surprisingly good mood. He was fascinated with everything around and wanted to explore. He caught the attention of everyone else in the waiting room too. He got so many comments about how cute he was. I have to say I agree! 
They called us back shortly thereafter and took us to the surgical prep area. One of the nurses weighed him, then took his blood pressure and checked his oxygen. I was surprised at how well he did. He sat still while she attached the cuff and pulse/ox probe. I expected he'd want to pull them off and play with them, but he left them alone for the most part and she was able to get her readings without much difficulty (although, she did have to move the blood pressure cuff off of his arm and onto his leg). The nurse then attached his hospital bands to his leg/ankle (which had to be replaced because two of them slipped right off over his foot) and gave me a matching one as well. We then sat and waited for the anesthesiologist to come talk to us. Waiting is not ideal for a 12 mo old, so Taran held him just outside the curtain to our "staging area" so he could watch the activity going on with other patients and at the nurses' station. Soon the anesthesiologist came to speak with us and described how the anesthesia would go. Another nurse came and gave him a sedative. The nurse for his procedure came in and introduced herself and let us know the doctor would be there shortly. We waited a bit more. Still no fun for a baby, especially one that felt he should have been given his breakfast by now. He was starting to get a bit more irritable, but Taran was able to keep him calm with watching the activity going on around us and playing peek-a-boo with the privacy curtain.
The doctor came in to speak with us briefly and go over the procedure with us and the nurse soon came with the anesthesiologist to gather him up. He was a bit groggy from the sedative so he didn't seem to mind leaving us, but then, he hasn't hit the separation anxiety phase yet. We were directed to the waiting room to sit it out.
We both grabbed some coffee and settled in at a nearby table to chat, watch the news, and wait for the procedure to finish. About 15 minutes later, we were called back into a small little meeting room and told the doctor would be in to see us. Before the doctor even came in, the aid returned because Noah was awake, but the doctor hadn't even been in yet! He arrived right about then and discussed the procedure with us. The left ear had quite a bit of exudate as well as extra skin on the ear drum, which is not unusual considering that was the ear that had been draining when infected, so aside from a bit extra to clean up, everything went normally. The doctor then went over discharge instructions and care instructions for Noah's ears. He then escorted us to the recovery area where he said Noah was screaming, but apparently he had settled down as soon as the nurse picked him up.
I was able to nurse him right away which kept him calm. I was surprised that he didn't gulp down from being so hungry, but he seemed more interested in the comfort of his mama, so that was okay by me. The nurse gave us some final discharge instructions and had Taran sign the discharge papers. And we were able to leave.
They had told us that Noah would be groggy and sleepy most of the day, but he didn't get that memo. He played with his toy phone all the way home (which isn't really that long of a trip) and was wide awake when we returned. He was still calmed by the sedative, but he was wide awake and after another nursing session, Noah decided he was ready to play. Walking proved to be a bit difficult as his balance was a bit compromised by drugs, but crawling worked just fine! He played with toys and finally figured out walking again, though it was a bit unsteady.Two hours after the procedure, he seemed to be back to his old tricks of getting into things and wanting to climb around. He has been a bit more sedate, but otherwise, it appears he's pulled through with flying colors. I am one happy mama. I was so worried because I know the risks of anesthesia and he'd never been exposed to it before, but I'm able to relax a bit now. We'll go back to see the doctor for a recheck in about a week. Until then, hopefully we are in for fewer ear infections and that can never be a bad thing!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
And stuff...
So, I've continued to keep busy even though I feel like I don't do anything.
Last week ended as soon as it started. Thursday and Friday Noah seemed a bit off. He actually spiked a fever Friday afternoon and we took a nap. I got up about 3.5 hours later and he stayed asleep. He nursed a few times during the night but pretty much stayed down. Luckily by the next morning he was his old self again. I had been so afraid that he'd come down with another ear infection before his tube procedure, but he seemed to recover with no other problems.
Saturday, Taran and I took a trip to College Station. We had lunch with some of our college friends which was nice to get to see them. I attended a baby shower in the afternoon where I presented the seventh diaper cake I've made.
I think this one is super cute. It is the second 2-tier cake I've made and I think I'm getting better at the ribbons and decorations. This cake has actually been sitting in my office for about three months right along side the one I made just before it. I'm glad I can finally post pictures. I try not to put them up before I actually give the gift so that I don't spoil the surprise!
That evening, we had dinner with some other friends from the church we used to attend there, Connie and Owen. It was so nice to see them again. I miss having them around. I feel bad that there are several other people there that I was unable to visit. We really could only go for the day. With any luck, the next time we plan a trip we can see more friends or maybe different ones to share the love. =)
This week we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week! For me, that means not a whole lot more than any other week, but I did change my Facebook profile pic in honor of it. The moms and I in my Smart Mommy group had discussed doing something, but I don't think there is time. We may start a project to offer breastfeeding support kits to new moms at the hospital kinda like they get formula samples, but that project will likely be for more than just this week since we want to encourage and support breastfeeding at all times and not just one week a year.
The past couple of days have been pretty normal for me. Yoga in the morning, then Noah goes down for a nap. I have some sewing projects to work on. Repair projects, really, so it is hard to get motivated. Not to mention Noah's naps are only so long. I finished a print project for Bob, my Purina "boss" and got that sent off to him. I also put together a comparison of some new updates they have in one of the product lines to help differentiate between the new formulas and the original ones. I threw that one in as a pro-bono project since I took so long with the print out. I put a lot of effort into it. Luckily, Noah was half napping/half nursing while I worked on it, so I was able to do a really good job on it.
Last night and tonight I put shoes on Noah to see what would happen. His grandma, Taran's mom, gave him some really cute Texas A&M sneakers that have squeakers in them. Noah had a blast walking around and making the shoes squeak. He did get tripped up a lot because he never wears shoes (this was his first time walking in them). He probably won't wear them much, but I wanted to see what he would do. Eventually, I'm going to get him a pair like Robeez. These shoes do have a flexible sole, but not enough for me to be comfortable letting him wear them a lot. He went to and from the mailbox, not without distraction of course, and then we came home.
In two days, Noah will have his tube procedure. I'm trying not to get freaked out about it. I was around animals under anesthesia all the time, but it is different when it is your baby. Everyone that I talk to has one story or another about tubes in ears, but not a single person mentions it in a kid so young. It is a bit scary. I'm hoping I can be strong for my little one.
For now though, a little sleep is in order.
Last week ended as soon as it started. Thursday and Friday Noah seemed a bit off. He actually spiked a fever Friday afternoon and we took a nap. I got up about 3.5 hours later and he stayed asleep. He nursed a few times during the night but pretty much stayed down. Luckily by the next morning he was his old self again. I had been so afraid that he'd come down with another ear infection before his tube procedure, but he seemed to recover with no other problems.
Saturday, Taran and I took a trip to College Station. We had lunch with some of our college friends which was nice to get to see them. I attended a baby shower in the afternoon where I presented the seventh diaper cake I've made.
I think this one is super cute. It is the second 2-tier cake I've made and I think I'm getting better at the ribbons and decorations. This cake has actually been sitting in my office for about three months right along side the one I made just before it. I'm glad I can finally post pictures. I try not to put them up before I actually give the gift so that I don't spoil the surprise! That evening, we had dinner with some other friends from the church we used to attend there, Connie and Owen. It was so nice to see them again. I miss having them around. I feel bad that there are several other people there that I was unable to visit. We really could only go for the day. With any luck, the next time we plan a trip we can see more friends or maybe different ones to share the love. =)
This week we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week! For me, that means not a whole lot more than any other week, but I did change my Facebook profile pic in honor of it. The moms and I in my Smart Mommy group had discussed doing something, but I don't think there is time. We may start a project to offer breastfeeding support kits to new moms at the hospital kinda like they get formula samples, but that project will likely be for more than just this week since we want to encourage and support breastfeeding at all times and not just one week a year.
The past couple of days have been pretty normal for me. Yoga in the morning, then Noah goes down for a nap. I have some sewing projects to work on. Repair projects, really, so it is hard to get motivated. Not to mention Noah's naps are only so long. I finished a print project for Bob, my Purina "boss" and got that sent off to him. I also put together a comparison of some new updates they have in one of the product lines to help differentiate between the new formulas and the original ones. I threw that one in as a pro-bono project since I took so long with the print out. I put a lot of effort into it. Luckily, Noah was half napping/half nursing while I worked on it, so I was able to do a really good job on it.
Last night and tonight I put shoes on Noah to see what would happen. His grandma, Taran's mom, gave him some really cute Texas A&M sneakers that have squeakers in them. Noah had a blast walking around and making the shoes squeak. He did get tripped up a lot because he never wears shoes (this was his first time walking in them). He probably won't wear them much, but I wanted to see what he would do. Eventually, I'm going to get him a pair like Robeez. These shoes do have a flexible sole, but not enough for me to be comfortable letting him wear them a lot. He went to and from the mailbox, not without distraction of course, and then we came home.
In two days, Noah will have his tube procedure. I'm trying not to get freaked out about it. I was around animals under anesthesia all the time, but it is different when it is your baby. Everyone that I talk to has one story or another about tubes in ears, but not a single person mentions it in a kid so young. It is a bit scary. I'm hoping I can be strong for my little one.
For now though, a little sleep is in order.
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