2 months old.....already?!

Baby Bella is already 2 months old. Can you believe it? I simply can't. Where have those last 2 months gone? She is just the sweetest thing ever. When I went in for my 6 week check up, the dr asked me if I was having any post partum depression, or crying, or feeling sad, and I had to say that I have never felt happier. Even at 2:00 a.m. when I get up to feed her, I'm still so happy and oddly enough, happy to be up because I get to hug her and kiss her and snuggle her a little more. There's just something about the innocence of a baby that makes me smile and become a little happier!

Here are some pics I took of her at about 1 month old.

I think Connor has the same feelings about her as I do. I told him the other day, "Connor, how come I don't get any kisses from you anymore. You give all your kisses to Bella." And this is so true. The second he gets up he has to find her and kiss and hug her, and this continues all day long. He told me the other day after school that he was sad becuase he misses Bella when he is at school. Doesn't that just break your heart, well it did mine.

And here are so me more recent pictures.
I think she is about 7 weeks in these pictures.

She's figured out how to smile and it is just precious. She loves when you sit and talk to her. She'll talk back and get all smiley.

Daddy count down. 3.5 days (81 hours)

Happy Birthday

I just wanted to say a quick Happy Birthday to Grandma Sandy today.

And also a Happy Sweet 16th Birthday to my sister Hailey (last Thursday, the 17th). She also got her driver's license. Congrats!

Adventures in Breastfeeding

So this time around I have been determined to breastfeed, but let me tell you, it has been to easy ride. With Connor, we really had no chance. My nipples are pretty flat and Connor had a severe tongue tied tongue(the tip of his tongue was attached to the underside so he wasn't able to stick out his tongue). I nursed him for about 4 days, but my nipples hurt so bad, and he had a hard time latching on. So I started pumping and never went back. I did pump for about 7/8 months so he still got the breastmilk. But this time, I wanted to be able to do it.



In order for me to get my nipples to come out more I started wearing breastshells a few months before Bella was born. I'd wear them for a few hours everyday to help pull my nipples out. This seemed to be working. So when she was born I continued to wear them. The only problem with this is that they make you leak milk like a steady flow! I had built up so much milk because of this that I also had to pump all the time so I didn't get engorged. I remember going to Wal Mart one day to buy some nursing pads, and since the breastshells collect milk in them if you don't have pads in them, the milk can come out when you bend over. I didn't realize that there was already so much milk collected in them that when I bent over to get the nursing pads(the exact thing that would prevent this problem) milk leaked everywhere. Thank goodness I had a black shirt on that day, but it still didn't matter, I had 2 round wet circles in front of my boobs! Needless to say, I was done shopping then.



Now when Bella was born, she also did a great job nursing for the first few days. Then when she was a week old she had to have an ultrasound of her stomach because she was projectile vomiting all the time. But during this ultrasound she had to drink from a bottle. Well here was another obstacle in breastfeeding that we had to overcome. Since the nipple on a bottle and my nipples are so different, she started not wanting to nurse again.nnBut I tried sticking to it, I am so determined. So she would then go a couple days nursing great and a couple just terrible. In the meantime, I also stopped using a nuk.

Another problem was clogged milk ducts. Sucky sucky. This hurts really bad, you get a huge lump on you boob and it gets really hot and engorged and the last thing you want to do is nurse on that side, but the cure for the problem is just that, so it is very painful. On top of that there was also the cracked bleeding painful nipples.

So after the last 8 weeks of all these problems I could have gave up and just pumped many times. And the thought crossed my mind numerous times a day. But I was too stubborn and determined to let this happen. I knew that it had to get better, I knew that she could get used to it and master it, and I knew that the pain would eventually go away.

Now I can say today that is has been a whole week without a single problem. She has been nursing like a champ. I'm hesitant to say, but will chance it anyway, I think we have finally got it figured out! And I am so happy that I don't have to worry and get frustrated about it anymore. Hopefully that will be the end of the problems, but wouldn't be surprised if another comes about.

On another good note, Ben will be home in 4.5 days (106 hours)!

Dane & Sarahs Wedding Weekend

Dane (Ben's brother) and Sarah celebrated their marriage on September 5th. Here are some picture from the weekend.

Pictures from the rehersal dinner at the Pizzeria.

Dane & Sarah (Groom & Bride)

Grandma Sandy and Connor

The Boys (Don't they look happy:)

The Girls

The Wedding Day! (September 5th, 2009)

Sarah putting on her dress

Sarah and Caleigh in the limo on the way to the church.

Holly and I on the way to the church

Sarah's garter
Connor in the limo. He was so excited he got to ride to the church with boys in it. But was so very mad when he couldn't ride with us all after the ceremony.

After the ceremony on the way to the reception.

Jen & Carly

At Auggies for a shot and a picture

Missy & I :)

Awww

Jammin in the limo

Randi & Grace, Bella & Me, Grandma Nae & Connor @ Reception

(Bedtime for the kids) I thought Connor was going to want to stay all night long, but after a few hours of running around outside with all the other kids, he was pooped and came and told me he was ready for bed.

Ben and I danced to just about every song that night. We had such a blast. We took tons of video of everybody dancing and the fun times we had in the limo. When Ben gets home from ND, i'll try to download some video (he has the video camera with him)....But after a long day and tons of dancing we got home and Ben was pooped. This is him passed out on the couch. Sandy and Jed were staying over that night and the 3 of us were laughing so loud at him, and he didnt even flinch once. Please look very carefully at his eyes, they are open. It's so creepy, he sleeps like this all the time and so does Connor.

Sunday after the wedding we headed up to Sarahs parents cabin for lunch and to say goodbye to all her family from Canada. Then we headed to Rooney Lake for some swimming, tubing and more family time. Connor had an absolute blast in the water. Ben took him for a few rides on the tube behind the boat and he loved it again.....until the fell off. But he soon forgot about it and wanted to go again.

Ben and Connor made a pretty neat sand castle. There was even a slide where the water could run down. The picture below is the Brown version of Where's Waldo....It's called Where's Bella? She is in the picture. Can you find her?

We had an absolute great weekend. It was even better because Ben was home from ND for the weekend. But Monday came and he had to leave once again. He'll be back home the last weekend in the month and is hoping his boss will let him stay home for a week before he has to go back again. So if anybody out there is looking for something to do, you are welcome to come visit me. The days/week gets pretty long with nobody but a 4 year old and an infant to talk to. It sucks that he's gone all the time, but are thankful that he has some work to do. Hopefully his company will find some work around here soon!

What happened to my baby?.....he's so BIG!

September 1st, 2009. I just got back from dropping my baby, now big boy, off at his first day of school.

When he woke up this morning I told him that he got to go to school today and was so excited for him. But he had a different plan for the day. He told me, "Mom, I don't want to go to school" well actually he yelled it at me. And followed it by running into his room, slamming the door, and layed in bed with his blankets over his head. I broke into his room with a bobby pin, and talked to him about going to school, and how much fun he was going to have, and all the new toys he was going to be able to play with. But he was still determined that he wasn't going to go to school. I had a feeling this was going to happen, because all summer long he was saying he didn't want to go to school. But then I had a glimmer of hope yesterday when we went to his open house, met his teachers, and played in his classroom for awhile, and he had fun, did so good, and was excited to come back. So I don't know what happened over night to make him change his mind, but I didn't know what to do to get him excited about going to school. I tried bribing him with ice cream, picnics, toys, and candy, and he said he didn't want it.

Luckily, Ben's dad Greg had planned on coming over in the morning before Connor left for school. When Greg got here he asked Connor if he was excited for school and amazing he said YES. What??? Two minutes ago he was locked in his room, yelling at me that he was NOT going to school. Now when grandpa asks him he says he is excited. Then he goes on to ask when we are leaving, and he says "Come on mom I gotta go to school." So we got up and went to school. Brought him to his classroom and found him some trucks to play with. I was still bracing myself for him to tell me not to leave. So I finally asked him for a hug and kiss and he gave me one and said goodbye. Just like that he was fine and I had to leave. Tear:( My baby didn't need me anymore and I had left him at school. But I am so happy that he finally was excited and felt comfortable enough for me to leave. So I had to say a huge thank you to Greg for helping Connor get to school. If he wouldn't have come over, I bet Connor would still be in his bed right now, not wanting to go to school. Below are some pics of the first day.

Connor in his school clothes with his backpack on his way to the first day of school.

In the car and EXCITED to go to school!

Ben is in North Dakota for work for a month so he called Connor when we were on his way to school. The pic is of Connor talking to Ben about going to school

Walking to the school with his new packers backpack.

Outside the front door of his school.

4 years old!

August 25th, Connor turned 4 years old. Wow where has the time gone. I can't believe he is already 4 years old. He's grown up so much in the last year.

Pictures from his birthday party.

On his actual birthday I took Connor and Bella to Fawn Doe Rosa. Connor absolutly loved it. We went through the park twice because he had so much fun and didn't want to leave. He especially loved trying to feed the bunnies and the geese.

He had no problem letting the does eat from his hand, but this was all the closer he wanted to get to the buck, and then he just threw the food in front of him.

So Sweet!

What a handsome little man!

Later that day we went to New Richmond to visit my parents and we saw the ice cream truck in the neighborhood. (The cutest thing, they have an ice cream truck that drives through the neighborhoods, plays music, and stops when the kids come running for some ice cream.) Connor got a watermelon bomb pop and it was the biggest popsicle I've ever seen. In the picture he had already eaten some of it.