Fenugreek

My sister told me about this product and since I have a quickly growing young baby who eats alot I decided to see if it would work. It's supposed to increase your milk supply. I've been taking it for a week now. It tastes like Maple syrup. I've heard that when my sweat and pee begin to smell like maple syrup then the herb is in my system and should be beginning it's goal of giving me a larger milk supply.

I do not yet smell like a pancake breakfast but I think my milk supply has increased. Or maybe I just think my milk supply has increased.
Anyone have any other tips? Have you used this stuff??

Sleep Deprived Ramblings

That post about getting lots of sleep? I must have jinxed it by posting that because it has not returned! Last night I got 2 and 1/2 hours of sleep. I drank coffee today to deal with it and those of you who know me know I NEVER drink coffee! It helps a little bit, but not much. I'm scared for when I have to add working back into this crazy equation!
Last week we went on a little vacation to Lake Tahoe, we had planned to go to Oklahoma City and show Erik to family but because of the blood clots in my lungs the Dr. said I couldn't travel that far.....I thought he was a bit crazy until we were driving up the mountains into Lake Tahoe when I realized I was having a very hard time breathing and it was then that I was grateful that we hadn't gone on a long trip. It took me a few hours to get used to the altitude and then I was OK.

He only sleeps in this so it had to be packed!
Packing for this trip was a new adventure in parenting. Babies need alot of stuff!! I usually take two bags, one for my shoes and one for my clothes. This trip required baby stuff so Mike and I had to SHARE (and that's hard for a girl) a bag. I had to choose carefully what I would wear for our 4 day trip and there was no excess allowed. It really taught me that I usually pack too damn much! We even had room in the bag for a few toys!
We stayed at the Marriott Timber Lodge which I HIGHLY recommend. The rooms are little one bedroom apartments and it really made a difference to have our own kitchen, living room and bedroom. I seriously enjoyed the hot tub which I sat in twice a day making up for the 9 months I never sat in one at all!! We even took Erik on his first trip to the pool which he hated. You can see the video of it here. I'm not thrilled to have my big self on video for all the world to see - but Mike wouldn't get in so a Mama's got to do what a Mama's got to do!

My first suit
Mike said he had a new found respect for how much I get up every night. It was nice to have him there to run and get bottles and pacifiers.
It was a nice little vacation - Erik traveled in the car very well for such a long trip. He even went to Reno with us where we were promptly asked to leave a couple casino's because of him. We were just making our way through the casino to the diner for lunch (with a very short stop at a couple slot machines). You aren't allowed to do that. I can remember when I was little going on vacation with my parents to Vegas and my Dad sitting us at a bar in some casino, ordering Shirley Temples all around while he and Mom played the slots - and I will never forgot the look on his face when Casino security asked if he had 5,000 and he said why? 1,000 for each child under 21 and there the 5 of us sat! We were quickly ushered out of there....nice to know things haven't changed.



Next month we look forward to spending a few days at the Beach House with my Dad and introducing this little boy to his Great Grandmother who turned 96 this week!

The baby is growing quickly - he smiles and coos now but has a very bad case of colic so definitely has his crying moments. It breaks my heart to see his little tummy hurting and there is nothing I can do about it except hold him. Which is all he wants. All in all he's the new love of my life (Mike I still adore you too!), it amazes me how anyone could get mad at an infant. Even last night when he didn't go to sleep until midnight and was awake at 2:30 for the rest of the day I still could do nothing but cover him in kisses and just hold him. He is our little miracle and we feel grateful for him every day. Which reminds me - the night before last when I actually got 3 hours of sleep I dreamed that we were having a family reunion and there was a children's table set up with art's and crafts and all my nieces and nephews were there having a grand time creating things and I noticed my Maternal grandmother (who passed away when I was about 23) sitting at the end of the table watching the children. But no one was interacting with her - and even though I could see her I knew she was only there in spirit. I even asked "Grandma can anyone else see you?" and she said No. When I asked what she was doing she said she was just watching her great grandchildren and she was so proud to see them all. It really touched my heart and I woke up so grateful that I had her for a few years and knowing that she still watches over us, especially my child made me feel very happy. When I was trying for so many years I used to pray to my Grandma to find and send me a child....I think this dream was letting me know that she heard those many prayers and followed through!
Life is good - now if I could just figure out how to get back to singing with my chorus that I am missing so much without it costing a fortune life would be perfect. Someday I'll sing with them again - for now I will just have to be satisfied with watching them from the audience and cheering them on!
Fall arrived today in that blustery way that fall arrives and I love it! There is nothing more cozy than a windy fall day and a bald baby to hold!

Becky

Sleep

Sleep - I haven't had much of it in the last 6 weeks. That old advice "sleep when the baby sleeps" is CRAP when the baby only sleeps during the day! I can't sleep at 2:00pm for 20 minutes..again, any pregnant moms out there that advice is CRAP.

We are finally getting to a point where he sleeps more than an hour and a half. In fact yesterday he slept ALL day except for a couple hours and I was very fearful for the night...but here is it 3:30am and he slept from 10-2, 4 hours! 4 Hours! 4 Hours! Did you see it was 4 hours?

I slept that whole time too and was shocked to wake up and see that I had slept 4 hours IN A ROW. Well, again - it's 3:30 am - Baby is back asleep, I however have so much energy from all that four hours that I have pumped, cleaned the kitchen (including UNDER the kitchen sink), played on facebook, written a new blog post and now have nothing else to do. I guess I could dig into that 4th Twillight book that I so need to finish - or I could just sit and look at this gorgeous angel sleep.......or wake him up to hug? No...sleep.

Goodnight!

Family Resemblance

OK - I know this child really looks like Mike - BUT he also looks like a Maguire. Check out his cousin Mykaela at 2 months and him.....oh and here's a picture of me at the same age. I am now convinced he looks like BOTH Mike and I. Whew! for a minute there I was beginning to think I didn't have much to do in the creation of this one!

6 years and counting!

Daddy and Erik window shopping

Erik at the table (notice his entree of milk!)

Becky and Mike!

Yesterday was Mike and I's 6th wedding anniversary. I must say the years have flown by! We've survived moves, job changes, pregnancy loss and fertility woes...and this year we have survived the birth of our first child...finally!

As I was remembering this day 6 years ago it was a non-stressful wonderful day. Mike and I had been planning our wedding for quite sometime. First it was to be in Tahoe in June - but that wasn't convenient for someone, so we changed it to the fall in Half Moon Bay but that wasn't convenient with those starting school, so then we changed it to December, but that wasn't convenient because of the holidays and it seemed like no date or time we picked made people happy. We had already booked our honeymoon in September since that was the easiest time for both of us to get off work. A week of that trip was at the beach house, and another week we thought would be fun to go to Vegas. By the time we got to Vegas we were so sick of trying to please everyone else's schedule that we just went ahead and got married while we were there! It was non stressful - no wedding dress, no flowers, nothing but the two of us, (and Shanan and Martin as witnesses). The justice of the peace was lovely and made us promise to cherish the little things each day and not sweat the small stuff!
We were married at 6:20pm and then went to some old casino for dinner. I wish we had stopped there with all the wedding craziness. We went ahead and had the big white wedding in December with all the stress, flowers and last minute going's wrongs (the wrong color cake, music that wouldn't work etc) of any weddings and I remember as I was walking down the aisle that I was thinking - it's ok, it doesn't matter we've already been married for 3 months. The big wedding wasn't necessary (I thought that for YEARS as we tried to pay it off), I tell anyone these days it's not the big ceremony that makes a difference - it's just the two of you that count. You can get married in a box as long as you're both there and take those vows seriously. The decorations, how much money you spent, none of it matters 6, 10 or 20 years down the road. It only matters that you're still together!

We went to Half Moon Bay today (the three of us!) and had a lovely walk around the little shops on Main Street and then a yummy lunch at Sam's Chowder House.

I can't believe that 6 years has gone by so quickly and now we start a new chapter - Parenthood!

Sometimes the nights are hard trying to figure out things like why is this baby crying when he should be happy? Worrying about his poop/pee and if he goes enough, or too little? Why does he bend his neck that way? Why does he sound like he is going to choke when he's drinking? Why Why Why? Whatever the answer - we'll figure them out together!

Here's some pictures of our day in Half Moon Bay!

Life With Baby

Mamma and Me!

I do this alot, it looks like I'm going to give kisses! Mommy thinks it's so cute!

Being cool in my sunglasses - which don't fit my itty bitty head!

In the car seat

Sleeping peacefully

Hanging out with my Dad!

Boomer Sooner! Ready for the first game (which they lost ;( of the season!

Life with baby has been a whirlwind. He's a beautiful, gorgeous boy who makes it impossible for me to sleep, do homework, clean my house or anything that doesn't involve holding him.....and all of you who want to yell at me that I'm spoiling him by holding him can save your breath. It took me 5 years to get this baby - I'll hold him all I want.

My house looks like a tornado came through and deposited baby items EVERYWHERE. He has 3 swings! Why? Because he doesn't like 2 and I do have to pee and take a shower at some point each day and he has to be put down for a little while - he hates two of them - and loves one. He sleeps in it at night and plays in it during the day. It has saved my sanity.

We have entered the baby world of Colic. Yesterday we took him to the Dr. (oh and his insurance hasn't kicked in yet so the appointment cost us 100.00 and the meds cost 180.00!) who showed us the "5 magic ways to burp a baby" - and in all my years in childcare I thought I knew all the ways to burp a baby - nope she had 2 that shocked even me!

She decided he has reflux so he's now on a regimen of soy formula (and I'm watching what I eat - no caffeine and no dairy) and Baby Tagament - who knew there was liquid Baby Tagament...which is peppermint flavored and he hates it! Why would you make something peppermint flavored for a baby???

Anyway - I finally had a minute to post something so thought I would catch you up on what we're doing. Here's my daily schedule

5:00 am - Feed Baby

5:30 am - Change Baby

6:00 am - Pump Boobies (oh...they finally came in! woo hoo )

6:30am - Rock Baby to sleep in arms - try to take a snooze while he sleeps

8:30am - Feeding

9;00am Changing

10:00am - Pumping

10:30am - Sleeping (this is when I dash around like mad to get stuff done because I have exactly 2 hours before he wakes up and before my boobies explode - and I don't want to be running errands when that happens)

12:30 - Feeding and Pumping

1:00 PLAYING!!! This lasts for all of 20 minutes but it's fun!

1:30 Rocking

2:00 Feeding

2:30 Sleeping

3:00 Pumping

3:00-5:00 Another 2 hours to accomplish something

5:00 - 7:00 Woo Hoo Dad's home and I can finally take a shower! Give Baby to Dad and pretend I don't hear the "Becky...Becky" that signals he may need help. Oh..he does it to me too, you know he does!

7:00-9:00 Baby is awake and not hungry, or dirty just awake and needing to look at us and be held - so we trade off the holding.

9:00 another feeding, another pumping and off to bed.

If we are lucky we get to sleep until midnight, then we are up until 1:00. Then up again at 3:00 - back to sleep and up for the day at 5:00.........oh and there's two pumping's in the middle of the night as well.

ACK!!!! But so totally worth the prize.....seriously how do people find the time to have more than ONE? I can't even imagine. At some point I will need to carve out some homework time!