I have found that, no matter what is going on or what the day has been like, when Claire laughs it is like a magic wand wiping away all the frustrations/sorrows of the day. Since her laugh is so rejuvinating I thought I would share it with you. Here is a video, that Jared took, of Claire laughing*:
*Disclaimer: Laughter can be contagious.
The things that happen to our family and how I feel about them.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Claire's Photo Session
A few weeks ago a long time acquaintance of mine (who happens to be a fantastic photographer) was going to be in town shooting a wedding. She agreed to meet with our little family and take some photos of us/Claire. If you ever have a baby and need to hire a photographer I strongly recommend Rachel Blackwell (http://rachelblackwellphotography.com/).
I probably spent more hours than I should have trying to figure out what we were all going to wear--I wanted us to coordinate, but not be matchy, matchy--but we ended up having a great time getting our pictures taken. Rachel made the shoot so much fun and we just really enjoyed the moment. Claire was such a good sport and pretty much went along with anything we or Rachel wanted her to do.
We got some great photos out of the day and we had a really great time while capturing those memories. Here is a link to Rachel's blog post about our photo session (it includes several images from the shoot):
I probably spent more hours than I should have trying to figure out what we were all going to wear--I wanted us to coordinate, but not be matchy, matchy--but we ended up having a great time getting our pictures taken. Rachel made the shoot so much fun and we just really enjoyed the moment. Claire was such a good sport and pretty much went along with anything we or Rachel wanted her to do.
We got some great photos out of the day and we had a really great time while capturing those memories. Here is a link to Rachel's blog post about our photo session (it includes several images from the shoot):
There are so many great shots that it is going to be really tough to pick favorites to order. It is so hard to believe how quickly Claire is growing and changing. I am so glad that we got to capture this moment in time of her.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Big Poop
(Yes this blog post is about poop - if you are uneasy, stop reading right now)
I worked as a certified nurse's assistant for six years in high school and through college. I am not a reserved person when it comes to stories about bodily functions. Keep that in mind and let me also warn you that motherhood does nothing to discourage/reduce discussions about poop, pee, vomit, and the like.
Claire has never had issues with digestion. She has always been a very good pooper. She always wets the appropriate amount of diapers and such. (You keep track of the strangest things when you have a baby, or work in a hospital). About the middle of last week Claire started to become a little fussy. I chalked it up to teething, or a developmental, or cognitive milestone...at first. About the third day I started to brainstorm all of the things that could be wrong with and/or bothering her. I started to think about naps - was she sleepy, skills - was she doing something new, and then I started to think about her bowels.
Claire normally has a nice soft poop (or two) every two or three days, so I hadn't really thought about when she had last pooped until she had been fussy for a couple of days. The longer I thought about it the more worried I became. I couldn't remember the last time she had pooped. I don't change every diaper, so I waited until I talked to Jared. He hadn't seen a poopy diaper in a few days either. Then I started to fret about constipation. I "Googled" constipation in infants. I read at least two articles all about poop consistency and regularity and settled on the fact that Claire was probably constipated.
I have an acquaintance (we went to high school together and both recently had babies) who recently dealt with a constipated infant and after reading her blog post about suppositories I started to get a little nervous. I looked at causes and suggested treatments and decided to start with the things I could do at home by myself before getting too worked up.
Claire has just recently started eating solid foods on a more regular basis and some of those are definitely culprits in the constipation game, so I decided to try less rice cereal and more fruits and veggies. I even made some applesauce (it is supposed to help loosen bowels--is it gross that I know this). I started giving Claire some water in addition to her breastmilk, applesauce, oatmeal, peas, green beans, etc. (You are supposed to encourage extra fluids).
I had also read something about applying pressure to the abdomen about three finger-widths below the belly button, so I tried it. Claire made some faces and grunting noises, so I checked her diaper. (You should probably know that I had been checking her diaper every ten minutes since feeding her the applesauce and water.) She had pooped! Unfortunately it confirmed my suspicions. It was the tiniest, hardest little poop I had ever seen (come out of Claire, I worked at a hospital remember!). Poor Claire.
Now I knew what was bothering her and I wasn't sure what else to do to alleviate her suffering. Luckily I didn't have to worry for too long because pretty soon there was more grunting and more strained facial expressions. Claire and I took a trip to the changing table and she had the biggest, craziest looking poop I have seen in a good long while (I am trying to resist the urge of explicitly describing every aspect of the poop). Let's just say Claire had to feel better after getting all of that out of her system.
I cannot believe how invested I am in the bowel movements of such a tiny human. It is weird...yes, but it is motherhood. Claire didn't poop today - the giant poop happened a day ago. I am anxiously awaiting a regular poop tomorrow, so I can quit worrying about her bowels (temporarily)...wish us luck.
I worked as a certified nurse's assistant for six years in high school and through college. I am not a reserved person when it comes to stories about bodily functions. Keep that in mind and let me also warn you that motherhood does nothing to discourage/reduce discussions about poop, pee, vomit, and the like.
Claire has never had issues with digestion. She has always been a very good pooper. She always wets the appropriate amount of diapers and such. (You keep track of the strangest things when you have a baby, or work in a hospital). About the middle of last week Claire started to become a little fussy. I chalked it up to teething, or a developmental, or cognitive milestone...at first. About the third day I started to brainstorm all of the things that could be wrong with and/or bothering her. I started to think about naps - was she sleepy, skills - was she doing something new, and then I started to think about her bowels.
Claire normally has a nice soft poop (or two) every two or three days, so I hadn't really thought about when she had last pooped until she had been fussy for a couple of days. The longer I thought about it the more worried I became. I couldn't remember the last time she had pooped. I don't change every diaper, so I waited until I talked to Jared. He hadn't seen a poopy diaper in a few days either. Then I started to fret about constipation. I "Googled" constipation in infants. I read at least two articles all about poop consistency and regularity and settled on the fact that Claire was probably constipated.
I have an acquaintance (we went to high school together and both recently had babies) who recently dealt with a constipated infant and after reading her blog post about suppositories I started to get a little nervous. I looked at causes and suggested treatments and decided to start with the things I could do at home by myself before getting too worked up.
Claire has just recently started eating solid foods on a more regular basis and some of those are definitely culprits in the constipation game, so I decided to try less rice cereal and more fruits and veggies. I even made some applesauce (it is supposed to help loosen bowels--is it gross that I know this). I started giving Claire some water in addition to her breastmilk, applesauce, oatmeal, peas, green beans, etc. (You are supposed to encourage extra fluids).
I had also read something about applying pressure to the abdomen about three finger-widths below the belly button, so I tried it. Claire made some faces and grunting noises, so I checked her diaper. (You should probably know that I had been checking her diaper every ten minutes since feeding her the applesauce and water.) She had pooped! Unfortunately it confirmed my suspicions. It was the tiniest, hardest little poop I had ever seen (come out of Claire, I worked at a hospital remember!). Poor Claire.
Now I knew what was bothering her and I wasn't sure what else to do to alleviate her suffering. Luckily I didn't have to worry for too long because pretty soon there was more grunting and more strained facial expressions. Claire and I took a trip to the changing table and she had the biggest, craziest looking poop I have seen in a good long while (I am trying to resist the urge of explicitly describing every aspect of the poop). Let's just say Claire had to feel better after getting all of that out of her system.
I cannot believe how invested I am in the bowel movements of such a tiny human. It is weird...yes, but it is motherhood. Claire didn't poop today - the giant poop happened a day ago. I am anxiously awaiting a regular poop tomorrow, so I can quit worrying about her bowels (temporarily)...wish us luck.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Austin Road Trip
Over Labor Day weekend we decided to drive down to Austin to visit my brother David and his wife Ashley (my other sister Dorothy was going to be there too). On the way there we stopped at my Uncle Grey Horse's and Aunt Sissy's house. Joyce Norman (Sissy) is my dad's sister. They live right outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was a nice way to start our trip to Austin and a great short little drive that we could accomplish in the evening after Jared got off work.
They loved getting to see/play with Claire. It was a really good, short little visit.
On Saturday morning we packed up early and hit the road. The ride down to Austin was pretty uneventful. Traffic wasn't too bad until we got past Waco, TX. However, we made it in to Austin right about the time we thought we would and David and Ashely were preparing a delicious feast for us at their house. They have the cutest house and they have done such an amazing job decorating it and making it home. In fact, I loved it so much that I have now enlisted Ashley to start a Pinterest board dedicated to redecorating my house. : )
On Sunday we got up and had some breakfast tacos (which were pretty yummy) and then headed to David and Ashley's church. Their pastor teaches at a different campus, so they stream video of him in onto this huge screen - he is literally life-sized and digital. I spent most of the service out in the hallways trying to get Claire to fall asleep, so I missed most of the preaching, but it was a neat little church. From what I can tell it is really missions-oriented.
After church we had lunch with Ashley's mom and one of her sisters at Tres Amigos. Jared and I had fajitas that were pretty delicious. Also, Claire got loved on by everybody there.
Next we relaxed at David and Ashley's for a little bit before packing up and heading out to the Sutton's ranch. It is called Loma Grande and is in Llano, TX (right outside of Austin). On the drive to the ranch we saw a huge plume of white/gray smoke. Texas has had a horrible hot/dry summer (I think one of the worst since the 1800's) and they have a fire ban and water restrictions going on. There are wildfires breaking out all over the state and this was a new one that had just started. It was nuts. In fact on the way back in to Austin we had to turn around and take a detour that was about half an our out of the way to avoid a road that was closed due to smoke (making visibility poor).
That evening at the ranch we got settled in our rooms (this ranch is palatial) and then went out on an electric cart to tour one side of the property. This was the side with free-range deer, cattle, and wild pigs. Claire got to go strapped in to a front carrier and she LOVED it. She giggled every time we hit a bump or the wind blew her hair. That evening we had a late dinner of Opey's bar-b-q and salad.
The next morning we were up bright and early, so we went to see the deer operation. They have a really neat handling facility and all of the does are sectioned off and penned with their fawns by sire. There was also a pen with the young bucks. They are trying to determine which to use as breeding bucks and which to release into the free-range parts of the property. It was really neat to see and the baby deer were so cute.
After that we relaxed at ranch house dos for a while (yes there is more than one house at the ranch and an enormous barn). Then we went to the rifle range and shot at some targets for a little while and then drove up a big hill to the top of the property where there are some amazing views of the surrounding area.
We headed down, had lunch, and then headed back to Austin (which took longer than anticipated due to the smoke mentioned previously). Dorothy needed to head back to Dallas, so she took off at this point, but the rest of us headed to downtown Austin to see the famous bats of Austin. Apparently, it is the largest colony of bats in North America and they take flight daily around dusk. It took a little longer than we though, but they did eventually take off and it was a sight to see. I have never seen so many bats at one time. As they flew out from under the bridge they looked like giant swarms of insects. We got some video, but the bats are so small that it doesn't really do it justice. I recommend that if you are ever in Austin you go to the Congress Street bridge and see the bats.
On the way home we grabbed some burgers and shakes at Hopdoddy's (an local restaurant - Keep Austin Weird) and then called it a night. Jared and I got up early the next morning, packed, said our goodbyes, and headed out. It was a really great trip and I am so glad that we got a chance to visit David, Ashley, and Dorothy in Austin.
They loved getting to see/play with Claire. It was a really good, short little visit.
On Saturday morning we packed up early and hit the road. The ride down to Austin was pretty uneventful. Traffic wasn't too bad until we got past Waco, TX. However, we made it in to Austin right about the time we thought we would and David and Ashely were preparing a delicious feast for us at their house. They have the cutest house and they have done such an amazing job decorating it and making it home. In fact, I loved it so much that I have now enlisted Ashley to start a Pinterest board dedicated to redecorating my house. : )
On Sunday we got up and had some breakfast tacos (which were pretty yummy) and then headed to David and Ashley's church. Their pastor teaches at a different campus, so they stream video of him in onto this huge screen - he is literally life-sized and digital. I spent most of the service out in the hallways trying to get Claire to fall asleep, so I missed most of the preaching, but it was a neat little church. From what I can tell it is really missions-oriented.
After church we had lunch with Ashley's mom and one of her sisters at Tres Amigos. Jared and I had fajitas that were pretty delicious. Also, Claire got loved on by everybody there.
Next we relaxed at David and Ashley's for a little bit before packing up and heading out to the Sutton's ranch. It is called Loma Grande and is in Llano, TX (right outside of Austin). On the drive to the ranch we saw a huge plume of white/gray smoke. Texas has had a horrible hot/dry summer (I think one of the worst since the 1800's) and they have a fire ban and water restrictions going on. There are wildfires breaking out all over the state and this was a new one that had just started. It was nuts. In fact on the way back in to Austin we had to turn around and take a detour that was about half an our out of the way to avoid a road that was closed due to smoke (making visibility poor).
 |
| Swarms of bats |
 |
| The haze is the smoke from all of the wildfires. |
On the way home we grabbed some burgers and shakes at Hopdoddy's (an local restaurant - Keep Austin Weird) and then called it a night. Jared and I got up early the next morning, packed, said our goodbyes, and headed out. It was a really great trip and I am so glad that we got a chance to visit David, Ashley, and Dorothy in Austin.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Upcoming blog entries...
I don't have time to blog about everything that has been going on, but as a teaser for you (and a reminder for me) I am going to list some of the future posts that I hope to make.
1.Why am I pumping again? The story of Claire's nursing strike.
2.Our photo session with Rachel 'Kitchen' Blackwell
3.Claire hates vegetables...I have the stains to prove it
4.Sewing some shorts
5.Austin Road Trip
11-4-11, I can't believe I finally got to writing about all of these topics (frankly, I wasn't sure it was going to happen.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
11-4-11, I can't believe I finally got to writing about all of these topics (frankly, I wasn't sure it was going to happen.)
Orlando Vacation: Installment #5
I cannot believe it has taken me over a month write about our Disney trip...I will probably never get caught up with what is going on...
Disney Day #4: Hollywood Studios
This park is a lot like the Universal Parks. It has a couple of big roller coasters and my favorite ride in the Disney Family - The Tower of Terror. It is a lot more crowded and hectic feeling than some of the other Disney parks - which makes it less enjoyable for me. We had another lunch reservation in order to get tickets/seating for the Fantasmic show they have at Hollywood studios (which is probably a really nice show, but I didn't get to enjoy any of).
I was still doing my "run to the baby center and pump" routine, so I didn't get to do a lot, but we did manage to ride Toy Story Mania. A very fun ride that a friend of ours helped program. (Thanks Edmund.) And I got to ride Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster.
I needed to pump before the Fantasmic show, but we also had to be there a certain amount of time early to get in and get our seats, so we had to go find the ticket taker (an older gentleman) and explain to him/ask if it was okay for me to come in late because I needed to pump (I think he started blushing).
We got the okay, so Jared and I took off for the baby center and left our sleeping baby in the care of our parents and siblings. They rode a few more rides and then headed into the Fantasmic show stadium.
When we arrived the nice older man let us in with a smile and we made our way up the road to the where the show is performed. At the second entrance we found my parents with a screaming baby Claire. She was hot and tired and some strange man who was yelling at his wife had woken her up. Poor baby - I think this was her hint that she was pretty much all Disney-ed out. We did manage to calm her a little, but she cried and fussed through the entire 30 minute Fantasmic show - hence the me not enjoying the show much. I stood at the back pacing with her and trying to get her to go to sleep unsuccessfully. The show was so loud and it was so hot. She couldn't sleep and we were both pretty frazzled by the end of it all. As soon as the show ended and Jared took her she fell asleep instantly. Suffice it to say I felt pretty inadequate as a mother. I had drug my poor infant all over Orlando and Disney for an entire week in the heat, I couldn't get her to sleep and stop crying. Thankfully we were going home the next day, so my guilt trip didn't have to continue for too much longer.
It was such a busy day that I don't have a single picture from Hollywood Studios. Sorry.
I know it was a long, hard week because Claire and I were both sick the three or four days following our "vacation." It was a really great trip though and I am so glad we got to take both our families on it. I am know everyone had a really great time. I will say that vacationing is a whole different ballgame with a baby.
To cap off all of my Orlando vacation posts I want to send a big shout out and thank you to Judy Allen for planning such an exciting and fun-filled trip. (Hopefully next time we go somewhere I won't have to worry about pumping.) : )
Disney Day #4: Hollywood Studios
This park is a lot like the Universal Parks. It has a couple of big roller coasters and my favorite ride in the Disney Family - The Tower of Terror. It is a lot more crowded and hectic feeling than some of the other Disney parks - which makes it less enjoyable for me. We had another lunch reservation in order to get tickets/seating for the Fantasmic show they have at Hollywood studios (which is probably a really nice show, but I didn't get to enjoy any of).
I was still doing my "run to the baby center and pump" routine, so I didn't get to do a lot, but we did manage to ride Toy Story Mania. A very fun ride that a friend of ours helped program. (Thanks Edmund.) And I got to ride Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster.
I needed to pump before the Fantasmic show, but we also had to be there a certain amount of time early to get in and get our seats, so we had to go find the ticket taker (an older gentleman) and explain to him/ask if it was okay for me to come in late because I needed to pump (I think he started blushing).
We got the okay, so Jared and I took off for the baby center and left our sleeping baby in the care of our parents and siblings. They rode a few more rides and then headed into the Fantasmic show stadium.
When we arrived the nice older man let us in with a smile and we made our way up the road to the where the show is performed. At the second entrance we found my parents with a screaming baby Claire. She was hot and tired and some strange man who was yelling at his wife had woken her up. Poor baby - I think this was her hint that she was pretty much all Disney-ed out. We did manage to calm her a little, but she cried and fussed through the entire 30 minute Fantasmic show - hence the me not enjoying the show much. I stood at the back pacing with her and trying to get her to go to sleep unsuccessfully. The show was so loud and it was so hot. She couldn't sleep and we were both pretty frazzled by the end of it all. As soon as the show ended and Jared took her she fell asleep instantly. Suffice it to say I felt pretty inadequate as a mother. I had drug my poor infant all over Orlando and Disney for an entire week in the heat, I couldn't get her to sleep and stop crying. Thankfully we were going home the next day, so my guilt trip didn't have to continue for too much longer.
It was such a busy day that I don't have a single picture from Hollywood Studios. Sorry.
I know it was a long, hard week because Claire and I were both sick the three or four days following our "vacation." It was a really great trip though and I am so glad we got to take both our families on it. I am know everyone had a really great time. I will say that vacationing is a whole different ballgame with a baby.
To cap off all of my Orlando vacation posts I want to send a big shout out and thank you to Judy Allen for planning such an exciting and fun-filled trip. (Hopefully next time we go somewhere I won't have to worry about pumping.) : )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)