Month: May 2013

Categories
Babies

Lucy: Twelve Months

Twelve months. 52 weeks. 365 days. Lucy girl, you’re one year old! {Plus a day since it’s taken me a few days to write this post.}

Thanks to a stomach bug that hit you pretty hard, we spent the night before for birthday fairly similarly to how we were the previous year: on a hospital bed. This time you were wearing the {tiny, cute, but not so soft} gown as we were there due to mild dehydration. Thankfully you didn’t need an IV & were able to go home to Daddy & Zach after some Zofran & nursing with Mommy. We were all relieved you started your birthday {very early} am with a pee & more nursing. We are home together again for the third day thanks to more vom this morning as your Daddy was attempting to take you to daycare. But you’re keeping down your little bottles & I’m hopeful you’re on the mend as we have a big weekend ahead of us.

This past month has been so fun! Your long tongue has been put to work as you wiggle & wag it all around. You’ve learned to make fishy lips & to click your tongue & make funny noises by motor boating your lips & putting your finger over them. We think it’s just as funny as you do!

Your drooling is out of control! It’s a good thing Mommy & Cici have found cute teething bibs for you! You cut your 6th {top left} tooth this month. I didn’t even know it til one morning I saw it popped through!

Thanks to all the teeth, you’re an eating champ. You love all fruit- kiwi, strawberries, melon, pineapple, berry purees, applesauce & your favorite, bananas. You are more & more willing to try new things like deli turkey & ham & cheese, & you discovered Cici’s mashed cauliflower casserole & her four beans dish are delicious!

You’re getting 3 {on the best days} half breast milk/half formula bottles at daycare & the rest of the time you’re nursing still with Mommy. You *love* that {kicking your legs in excitement when you know what’s about to happen} & have been slightly jealous of Mommy nursing Brother & pumping in front of you while you’re getting little bottles the last few days.

I think you’ll keep us on our toes with your toddler meltdowns. We see silly glimpses of them when you take a tumble or don’t get to keep the toy your stole from Brother. For now, they make us smile & are fixed with a hug or a different toy.

Lucy, Mommy has been putting you in a few of her favorite 9 month clothes this past week before she packs them up for good. You’re 99% ready to be in all the cute summery 12 month clothes we’ve bought for you. I love your dresses & little bubble shorts & am glad you seem to too. Cici discovered some of Mommy’s dresses & brought them down for you. You’re going to {hopefully} love them. I can’t wait to see you in your swim suits at the beach this weekend!

At our 12 month appointment on your birthday you weighed 19 lbs 8 oz naked while you weighed 9.1 kg {just over 20 lbs} in too tight but clean lightweight pjs & a disposable diaper at the ER. I think before you got sick, you were around the 20 lb mark for sure. According to your doctor, you’re in the 50th percentile for weight, but at 28.5 inches tall just the 20th percentile for height. That surprised me a little as you seem pretty tall to me. Either way, we think you’re the perfect size.

You like people but you’re cautious. You hold back your awesome smiles until you’re sure about someone. This cracks me up in stores. You recognize & get so excited to see Mommy & Dada at the end of the day at daycare. You smile quick to Cici, Pops & aunt Sue when they come over & warm up to other family & friends pretty quick too. The joy across your face when you see your brother warms my heart every time.

You love your Dada & that’s still your favorite & most enunciated ‘word’. You throw mama mamas & blah blahs & gaga gagas together too but you haven’t yet called me by ‘name’.

Over the last month, you’ve gotten in a sleeping routine of going down around 9, waking up around 5 to nurse in bed with Mommy & will roll over & cuddle with us until we all get up around 7. You’ll sneak in a few 30 min cat naps as well as a two hour nap in the middle of the day.

You’re not walking or independently standing just yet. But you’re close cruising around. For now, you’ve discovered speed crawling will get you into everything the quickest & you’re sticking with that.

Happy {day late} birthday, sweet girl!

{Photo to come}

Categories
Babies Family/Travel Food

First Birthday Celebration

Happy 1st birthday to Zach & Lucy today! Due to a stomach bug that’s attacked Lucy, posts are delayed this week. I’m taking us back to Saturday when we had the pleasure that afternoon to gather with close friends at our house to celebrate Zach & Lucy.

DSC_0029

Due to {unrelated to us} sicknesses & life’s busyness, our small party was smaller than expected, but Lucy & Zach didn’t mind. They loved the cuddles, attention, decorations & friends.

I went with a monkey theme & kept things fairly simple. Invites, cupcake decorations & food tents were ordered off etsy & printed by Walmart & by my Dad. We found monkey boy & girl balloons at Party City & monkey paper goods at Walmart.

monkey party decor

For food, I had help last weekend with my parents & Friday night from my aunt & friend Kelly. Mom & I baked mini banana bread loaves for adult goodie bags {kids also received monkey stickers & bubbles}.

Kelly & I made ‘monkey tails’ aka pretzel rods dipped in milk chocolate & green sprinkles. Sue used my mom’s idea of ‘monkey caps’ – toothpick sized kabobs of tomato, basil & mozzarella which I drizzled with balsamic glaze minutes before guests arrived. Friday night, we also created a mix of kiddo puffs, melts & Cheerios for the littles.

monkey food

I made my favorite banana pudding in cups for easy serving & enjoying. I picked up a tropical trail mix at Walmart. I sat out ‘monkey crunches’ {chips, carrots & tomatoes with ranch dip} too. And we had my {& now Zach’s beloved} Gigi’s cupcakes for dessert. I ordered mini cupcakes for us & two regular ones for Lucy & Zach.

monkey food 2

So I expected Lucy to love her cupcake because she loves fruit & sweet pouches. I wasn’t sure about Zach. Y’all! They drove in before we even had time to sing or think of putting in the ‘1’ candle. Zach made a mess! It was awesome. Lucy took a little encouragement from me but she ended up liking it too.

lucy cupcake

Zach birthday cake
After cleaning up Lucy & giving Zach a quick bath & outfit changes, it was time to bring out their gift from us {a coupe that their friend Reagan also enjoyed}.

Zach & Lucy birthday party giftsThen we opened gifts from our sweet friends. Lucy & Zach received wiggly giggly balls, birthday books & boon snack/bowls. The books are our current favorites on rotation!

Two babies means cause for two celebrations! Up this weekend is the family birthday/baptism beach weekend party!

Categories
Babies Motherhood

One Year Ago

Today, last year, I wrote two posts. One on being {making it!} 34 weeks & another a reflection on potentially my last pregnant day. Turns out, I had one more day before Zach & Lucy would make their grand entrances. But I didn’t know that & so many others things that morning.

As I sit today, our small friends birthday party behind us {post to come!}, one year photos taking place later this morning, I could easily let the busyness get in the way of being present.

But I’m hitting the pause button on life frequently these days. Taking in the last snuggles before my babies become toddlers. Kissing necks & tickling toes. And reflecting.

The me of 52 weeks ago was as prepared as she possibly could be. I’d read multiple multiples books, spoke with LCs & the head of the NICU, read blogs of & chatted with multi momma & preemie momma friends. I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to immediately hold my tiny babies. I was just praying they’d arrive okay. That I’d be able to handle it all.

And y’all, with the help of family & friends who showed up, cleaned, cooked, held Zach & Lucy & gave tiny pumped bottles so I could sleep, I’ve handled it. Don’t get me wrong, there were & are bumping patches: where raised voices & dark under eye circles occurred more often than sweet words to my spouse & time for make-up applications.

But together my little family battled through a CPAP machine, IVs, dual days of jaundice, feeding tubes & sucking/breastfeeding struggles & that was just the first 10 days. We’ve learned so much from each other. And grown so much as a foursome since.

I can’t wait to see how far we’ll come in the next year.

Categories
Everything Else

Jury Duty

In 31 years, I’d never received a certain piece of mail. A jury duty summons. Until about a month ago. Honestly, I laughed when I got it. I tweeted & was assured as a nursing/pumping working mom, I’d easily get out of it. I threw May 13th jury duty on my work calendar & kinda forgot about it.

Until last Friday afternoon when I called the jury duty line & heard my juror number was one of the ones who had to report to the courthouse at 830a. I {still laughing} told my boss I’d be in late & left my desk as is at 5p.

When I arrived at Wake Co courthouse Monday morning, I told the jury clerk I needed to pump {& that my 11 mo old was throwing up}. She said {nicely} sorry your son’s sick & let me know when you need to pump as my office/copy room is also the pump room. So much for quickly & easily escaping my civil service.

Thankfully I’d brought a book {Defending Jacob which will have it’s own post soon} & I spent from 830-11a reading surrounded by 198 others in slightly comfy chairs. At 11, she called out 44 names to report to a courtroom needing a jury. Mine was called. I texted the husband who was home taking care of sick Zach that I wouldn’t be home soon but would be in touch.

As our elevator got off on the 3rd floor & I read that was the criminal courtrooms, I got a little nervous. Then we filed in & the judge advised us potential jurors that this was a first degree murder trial with media coverage {I wasn’t familiar with the 2 year old crime} & I got more nervous.

From here on, I received a lesson in jury selection as done by the NC court system. Twelve potential jurors were called up, interviewed individually & as a group & dismissed by either the DA or the defense attorney. After jurors were dismissed, at random, those of us remaining in the pews were called. My name continued to not be called Monday & since the selection wasn’t complete at 5p, I had to report back to the courthouse Tues morning.

Tuesday was more of the same, sitting in a wooden bench with knots in my stomach waiting to be called. I was unsure whether or not I wanted to hear my name. If I did, I could {finally} tell them I was a nursing mom who needed to pump more often than the 930a & 2p that I did Monday & hopefully be let go. If I never did, I’d be dismissed once all parties were satisfied with the jury. The latter is what finally happened Tuesday around lunch time.

I left downtown with a sigh of relief, a lot more knowledge & respect for our court system, & knowing they’ll be a $32 check for my two days coming soon. And knowing I can’t be called upon to serve again for two years.

Any of y’all had jury duty?

Categories
Everything Else Food

PackIt Love {giveaway}

I discovered PackIt through a friend a little of a year ago. I won a blog giveaway for their original Personal Cooler. When they heard I was expecting two babies, they graciously also included two of their smaller sized mini coolers too.

I use the Personal Cooler as a lunch bag for myself or as the bag to take Zach & Lucy’s 6 daycare bottles & food in. At 8″ x 10″ x 5″, it’s big enough while still fitting in our {giant} diaper bag along with their cloth diaper wet bags.

The Mini Cooler has become my go to so much that I asked for {& received!} a third as a Christmas gift. I take one every day to bring home my pumped bottles. Three 9oz tall Gerber bottles fit perfectly in the 8″ x 8″ x 3″ bag. I store the bag & bottles in my work mini fridge door through out the day then know my milk will stay cold while running errands & on the drive home in my PackIt. The mini will also hold three daycare bottles & a couple small baby food containers, so when we don’t use another PackIt cooler for daycare, we use two minis. I pack the Packits the night before so I rotate between the different sized bags.

I chatted again recently with PackIt as they just launched a couple new bags. My babies big bottles & ever increasing solids containers for daycare means we’ve started almost outgrowing our smaller PackIts. Just in time, PackIt sent me the Social Cooler. This bag is like my others that its gel lined so the bag itself goes right in the freezer then keeps bottles {or whatever you want} cool for up to 10 hours. But the social cooler is big! It’s a roomie 12″ x 13″ x 5″. Perfect for six bottles, four containers of baby food & room to spare. It’d also be great for a day at the beach or a family picnic lunch.

PackIt
My PackIt freezer shelf, the social cooler: front, back & all ready for daycare.

PackIt is willing to generously offer you, my awesome readers, a PackIt bag of your choice. Do you want a wine bag {or two!} for your BYOB girls’ nights? Or is a double baby bottle bag more your speed right now? Check out the different bags & leave a comment letting me know what you’d choose & why as your giveaway entry.

As a second entry, follow me {@suzstreats} & PackIt {@packitcool} on twitter & tweet something like “Enter to win a @packitcool cooler #giveaway of your choice with @suzstreats http://suzstreats.com/packit-love-giveaway/”. Leave a link to your tweet in another comment, please.

Feel free to also like PackIt on facebook & instagram.

I’ll leave the giveaway open until next Friday May 24th at midnight. I’ll draw a winner using random.org & let the winner know by Memorial Day Monday May 27th. Good luck!

I won three PackIts in a long ago giveaway. I was sent the social cooler for purpose of this review but I was not compensated in any other way. Nor did their generosity sway my honest opinion on their awesome product.