Wednesday, August 31, 2011

breasts during and after pregnancy

Being a mom for the second time brings about several questions from friends and family. One topic that seems to pop up often is regarding breast changes before and after child birth. During both of my pregnancies, I have to say my breasts did not change all that much. Yes, they did get larger but I did not experience any stretch marks, itching, or soreness that seem to be common during pregnancy. Once in a while, I experienced swollen breasts but I was lucky because it would go away after a day or two. I do have to say that I did have some serious veins under the skin that were extremely noticeable.

My breasts after pregnancy are a different story. Both pregnancies brought about breasts that were swollen, lumpy, throbbing, and sometimes even a sharp burning sensation occurred. I am not going to sugar coat anything - as soon as my milk arrived, my breasts became extremely engorged, and my nipples became larger. It felt like my breasts had been filled with cement! Seeing as how my breasts felt like they weighed an extra 20 pounds, I started to experience back pain because they were weighing me down. I have decided to breastfeed again with this pregnancy and both times I have experienced sore nipples. I have now got into a routine and my breasts are feeling a bit better.

I love love love cabbage, as I use it all the time! If you are experiencing engorged breasts, hit up your local grocery store and purchase a head of cabbage. Throw it into the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then apply to your breasts. I also pump at least once a day or will express milk by hand when I am in the shower - it helps relieve the engorgement, and reduce lumps. As for my cracked and chapped nipples I apply my favourite nipple cream. You may remember me talking about it before in this post. I do have to say there is one upside to engorged breasts, for a little while at least, I have the look of implants without going under the knife.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

sleep

Dear Sleep Fairy,

Please feel free to stop by my house anytime!

From, 
One tired momma

Monday, August 29, 2011

weekend catch-up

This weekend was full of family time. I love love loved every minute of it. Little Miss L. is still adjusting to life as a big sister and baby D is changing each day. Baby D has mastered the skill of smiling and I am loving every minute of it. Here are a few things that happened this weekend...
There have been a lot of tears since her little brother has arrived. Still adjusting to sharing mommy and daddy's attention.
We all know who the big kid is!
Baby D's first trip to the park.
There is the happy little girl I am used to seeing.
Building a castle with daddy.
This is what happens when you let Little Miss L. eat yogourt by herself.
It's official, my little girl can say the alphabet off by heart.
Our little man love love loves to sleep...
even through diaper changes.
I love these little toes.
Someone has had a little bit of an attitude lately.
My little guy sleeping again.
My grandparents celebrating 60 years of marriage!
Good ol' family gathering.
That's right folks - when you have been married that long, you deserve a message from the Queen!

Friday, August 26, 2011

guest post with jaime

Hey everyone. Today I have a guest post that I am super excited to share with all of you! As you all know, I love love love connecting with other moms - it is nice to have others to share our experiences. Today, I am joined by Jamie who I have known for many years. She is a great mother to two handsome little guys who are only 18 months apart. Jaime was kind enough to share with us her experience as a mother of two, some helpful tips to help prepare your little one for a new arrival and what you can do once you are home.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your two boys.
I am a mother of two boys Mr. J who will be 4 in August and Mr. L who is two years old. My boys are eighteen months apart and I wouldn’t change it for the world. They couldn’t be more different but yet so alike. J was born with blonde hair, blue eyes and was a long long labour with many difficulties (we were 15 minutes away from having a C section) while L has brown hair, brown eyes and is a little more easy going than his older brother - his labour was very short and out in two pushes! Even though they are so different, they play so well together and will stand up for each other.

What was your initial reaction when you found out you were going to have two children so close together?
All parents have a fear when it comes to bringing home that second child... I sure did with only eighteen months between them. J was potty training and we knew he loved babies, but weren't sure how he would react when we brought someone else home.

How did you try to prepare Little J for being a big brother?
We tried our best to get him ready by making up social stories and reading books about being a big brother. When the big day came, we had J take his time with L, letting him touch, hold, kiss him and wear the Big Brother t-shirt we made together.

Once home, how did you handle the situation?
The first couple days home were very easy as J would sit and read a book, or have snack while I was feeding L (I breast fed). I would ask J to help with diapers, and during bath time, I would have J in the bath and L beside the bath in his tub on the floor so they would bathe together - J loved this.

Did Mr. J ever get jealous or upset?
I do remember J asking a few months in as to when L was going back because he didn’t want him anymore. This only lasted a few days as I started spending more and more time with J (I think he was missing that and I felt bad). A fear of not spending enough time with older child hit me hard and I learned different ways to make sure he did not feel left out. I still spend quality time with each one alone, but it is a little different now for J. Also, they have learned to share mommys lap.

What are some of the reasons you like having your children so close in age?
The things I like about them being so close in age are: first, they can fit in the same clothes; second, they are able to share in the same experiences (movies, toys, games, and sport activities - less running around); third, if one doesn't want to cuddle, the other one does; and last, having children in diapers or potty training only lasts three years for me (both boys were trained at the age of two).

Any advice you would like to give our readers?
Remember that they are two different personalities and that comparing them just doesn’t fit. I am a mother that is learning, my two boys are learning as well, and they work together to get task done such as cleaning, playing or getting into trouble. These two boys seem to be growing fast, L more so then J because L is trying to keep up with his older brother, but I wouldn’t change it!
As moms, we do not know everything, but with having friends, family or support from random people we can make it through anything. Listening to other people's ideas and trying them, they may or may not work, but at least we are trying and our children are happy. I love being a mom to two very busy, outgoing little boys!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

planning to be a daddy... again

Today's post is a guest post by the hubby. I wanted to share this post with all of you before baby D was born but with his timing it didn't happen. Better late than never...right? I seem to be saying that a lot lately...

Now that I have been blessed with expecting a second child, I have been on the receiving end of a lot of questions. In the final days of wait, I thought I would write a post to share my reflections about the second time around compared to the first pregnancy, how it feels to be expecting my first son, and what was I thinking having two kids so close together (i.e. baby bunching)?

How does the second time around compare to the first pregnancy?
Compared to the first pregnancy, I am certainly less anxious this time around.  I have (likely unfounded) confidence that having been a parent to Little Miss L. makes me an expert. It also helps that I've watched my wife become a first class mom. The first go, I read several parenting books, combed the blogosphere and interrogated every parent I came across - I could not be prepared enough.  For pregnancy two, the extent of my prep work included skimming through one of the books I had previously read to refresh my memory.  I can only hope that our daily parenting practice with Little Miss L justifies my lax approach to what will surely be an equally life-altering event.

What it is like expecting my first son?
The stereotype is that men want sons and fear daughters. I fit this stereotype until about halfway through the first pregnancy when I had a vivid dream about how amazing my life would become as the father to a daughter.  Forgive the cliché, but since then, Little Miss L. has made that dream come true. When I learned that we were expecting a second child, I sincerely only cared about their health and did not have any gender preference... or so I thought. When we found out it was a boy, my initial reaction surprised me - it took me a little while to wrap my head around having a boy. With only days left, I'm now very excited to be expecting a son. Other than purchasing and painting all things blue and stocking up on pee-pee teepees, the fact that the baby is a "he" has had little impact on the preparations.

What was I thinking having two kids so close together? (i.e. baby bunching)
Sometimes I wonder what was going through our mind in deciding to have two children so close in age. This might sound contradictory to what I wrote above about my lax approach to this pregnancy, but I didn't say that pregnancy number two was without stress! Those following this blog know that we have gone though many changes as a family over the past year: we moved from another continent, purchased our first residence, and now... expecting a second child.  Although this seems and sometimes feels overwhelming, I take solace in the fact that we made the decision together and for what we feel are good reasons.

Having these questions and others thrown at me gave me further reason to prepare myself mentally in what is now the eleventh hour. Whether I'm comparing the two pregnancies, fathering a boy vs. a girl, or panicking about having two under two, one thing is certain... life is about to change.  I don't know exactly what the future holds for our young family, but I know I wouldn't want to go through this with anyone other than my loving wife.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

t-shirt fun

Little Miss L. has finally become a big sister. The hubby and I had been looking for ways to  prepare our 21 month old, only child for a new sibling. Together with her, we have talked about it, read about it, and even practiced with baby dolls. I was so happy to receive an e-mail a few weeks back from a mother of two and a friend of mine - Jaime so kindly gave us some pointers on a few activities her family had done to prepare for their second child. I love love love one of the ideas Jaime shared with us... she had her young son make a t-shirt to wear once his little brother arrived. I love a good craft project and this was just what I was looking for. It gave the hubby and I chance to explain once again to Little Miss L., she would be a big sister soon and when the special day arrived she would be able to wear something she made especially for that moment. This is a great activity to open up conversation and explore their artistic side; thanks again Jaime!
Picked up an inexpensive plain t-shirt and fabric paint...
Little Miss L. loved the idea...
It did get a little messy...
The finished product!

Little Miss L. is so proud to wear her new shirt...
P.S. I will have a special guest post with Jaime later this week with great tips and feedback on being a parent of two.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

weekend catch-up

Better late than never, right? Well, with a crying baby and a toddler who is happy one minute and then sad the next, my weekend blog is a little late. We enjoyed the first weekend at home, and we can't thank our friends and families enough for the well wishes, beautiful gifts, and delicious food they have so kindly brought our family. Here are a few of our weekend highlights...
I finally open my eyes.
Watch out big sister, I can scream too!
Baby D got to meet all three of his great-grandmas...
Lots of cuddle time with big sis.
I can't get enough of those cheeks!
Four generations.
Meeting cousin Katie for the first time.
Nona and Gump throw Baby D a birthday party.
My little angel.
The yummy food we dined on.
Baby D's birthday cake.
Of course, Little Miss L. stepped right in to help her brother blow the candles out.

Friday, August 19, 2011

baby d is finally here!

We are so happy to welcome baby D to our family. He quickly made his entrance on August 17, 2011 at 12:50pm. We are happy to report baby and mommy are doing great, and big sister has been such a big helper - she is in love with her baby brother, and gives him a million kisses a day. I can't wait to share baby D's birth story and all the exciting things that have been happening since. Until then, I hope you enjoy a few pictures from a truly amazing day...
Hello, I am finally here!
Momma's first kiss.
I am so in love.
Around 20 minutes old.
First photo with Mommy and Daddy.
Big sister finally meets her little brother.
There was nothing but smiles and kisses.
Nona and Uncle Brady meet baby D.
My babies.
Not even home for a full day and he has already taken over our bed.