There is so much I wanted to write so I am sure this will be a long entry, that's nothin' new huh?
Emma is now 2 months old, Ben is 2 1/2 years old, and I am TOO tired!!! Emma is still sleeping on my chest and wakes up a few times a night for feedings. This along with Ben waking up sometimes during the night, stripping his bed, and waiting for us to come back and put him back down. Sometimes he does this for 2 1/2 hours which can be very trying when you try to sit down and get Emma back to sleep and he gets up every 10 to 15 minutes. I am hoping this stage ends soon because it's very unpredictible and very disturbing and frustrating.
I have been having some growing issues with Emma's feedings. A few weeks ago, Jared and I just happen to mention how Emma has not thrown up like Ben used to do. The next day, it all started and got worse over time. Her spitting up and vomiting full meals was getting harder and more frequent for her, she was wanting to eat all the time, and fussing. She is a pretty happy baby and doesn't fuss much except after a meal. When we got back from up north last weekend, I had had enough and wanted to get in to the doctor. I took her in that day and the doc told me quickly that she had reflux, that was a given, medication for that. Then she checked her stool and said that she had blood in the stool which meant that she had a milk protein allergy which means if I continue to breastfeed, no more dairy for me! Anyone who knows me well knows that that is impossible for me. Everything I eat has dairy in it in some form or another. So I was given Previcid for her reflux and given samples of a formula to try for 3 days that was specific for cow's milk protein allergies. I went home and started the formula right away. She did not really like it but ended up taking a few ounces. The next day, she only took less of it instead of more and still was vomiting. I called the doctor wanting to know more about cutting the dairy out. The nurse was not very helpful but with a little research and alot of thinking, I was not convinced that she had the allergy or if she did, that I would have to cut out dair completely. All of my research showed that she had every symptom of reflux and it also mentioned that blood in the stool could be because of reflux too. The symptoms for the allergy never even mentioned the blood in the stool and the only symptom of it that she did have, was also a symptom of reflux. I am not saying that the doctor is wrong but I don't know if she is 100% correct. After a day of stressing about it, I decided to do one thing at a time and not give up on the breastfeeding right away and try out the reflux medicine with limiting my dairy intake and not cutting it out. I am not drinking straight milk, eating ice cream, chocolate, yogurt, or large amounts of butter. I am only eating things that might have traces of dairy but not significant amounts. Can you believe I have gone a week now with no chocolate!!! I usually barely go 8 hours without chocolate!! After I had Emma, I really craved it and would snack on M&M's daily. So, we are about a week into this change and she has not vomited once but still has small doses of spit up at least once a day. She still gets fussy after some feeds and ends up pooping and feels better but Ben did that too. We have another doc appointment tomorrow and I will see what she says about MY way of doing things. I would definitely not be able to ever completely cut out dairy or I would not eat at all but I do not want to formula feed her and still pump in hopes of trying to breastfeed again in 4 months. Anyway, they also weighed Emma and at 8 weeks, she weighed 14 pounds!!!! Must have been the M&M's!! Sorry Emma. Ben was the same though, he weighed 14 pounds at like 6 weeks! With this, Emma has already grown out of 0-3 month clothes and even some 3-6 don't fit her. Thank goodness I have so many wonderful hand-me-downs!!!
Emma is now 2 months old, Ben is 2 1/2 years old, and I am TOO tired!!! Emma is still sleeping on my chest and wakes up a few times a night for feedings. This along with Ben waking up sometimes during the night, stripping his bed, and waiting for us to come back and put him back down. Sometimes he does this for 2 1/2 hours which can be very trying when you try to sit down and get Emma back to sleep and he gets up every 10 to 15 minutes. I am hoping this stage ends soon because it's very unpredictible and very disturbing and frustrating.
I have been having some growing issues with Emma's feedings. A few weeks ago, Jared and I just happen to mention how Emma has not thrown up like Ben used to do. The next day, it all started and got worse over time. Her spitting up and vomiting full meals was getting harder and more frequent for her, she was wanting to eat all the time, and fussing. She is a pretty happy baby and doesn't fuss much except after a meal. When we got back from up north last weekend, I had had enough and wanted to get in to the doctor. I took her in that day and the doc told me quickly that she had reflux, that was a given, medication for that. Then she checked her stool and said that she had blood in the stool which meant that she had a milk protein allergy which means if I continue to breastfeed, no more dairy for me! Anyone who knows me well knows that that is impossible for me. Everything I eat has dairy in it in some form or another. So I was given Previcid for her reflux and given samples of a formula to try for 3 days that was specific for cow's milk protein allergies. I went home and started the formula right away. She did not really like it but ended up taking a few ounces. The next day, she only took less of it instead of more and still was vomiting. I called the doctor wanting to know more about cutting the dairy out. The nurse was not very helpful but with a little research and alot of thinking, I was not convinced that she had the allergy or if she did, that I would have to cut out dair completely. All of my research showed that she had every symptom of reflux and it also mentioned that blood in the stool could be because of reflux too. The symptoms for the allergy never even mentioned the blood in the stool and the only symptom of it that she did have, was also a symptom of reflux. I am not saying that the doctor is wrong but I don't know if she is 100% correct. After a day of stressing about it, I decided to do one thing at a time and not give up on the breastfeeding right away and try out the reflux medicine with limiting my dairy intake and not cutting it out. I am not drinking straight milk, eating ice cream, chocolate, yogurt, or large amounts of butter. I am only eating things that might have traces of dairy but not significant amounts. Can you believe I have gone a week now with no chocolate!!! I usually barely go 8 hours without chocolate!! After I had Emma, I really craved it and would snack on M&M's daily. So, we are about a week into this change and she has not vomited once but still has small doses of spit up at least once a day. She still gets fussy after some feeds and ends up pooping and feels better but Ben did that too. We have another doc appointment tomorrow and I will see what she says about MY way of doing things. I would definitely not be able to ever completely cut out dairy or I would not eat at all but I do not want to formula feed her and still pump in hopes of trying to breastfeed again in 4 months. Anyway, they also weighed Emma and at 8 weeks, she weighed 14 pounds!!!! Must have been the M&M's!! Sorry Emma. Ben was the same though, he weighed 14 pounds at like 6 weeks! With this, Emma has already grown out of 0-3 month clothes and even some 3-6 don't fit her. Thank goodness I have so many wonderful hand-me-downs!!!
(Just went for Emma's 2 month appointment today and she is 14.12 pounds and 24 1/2 inches. The doc said her percentiles are off the charts for height and weight! Their charts go up to 95th% and she is beyond both!!)
Ben is warming up a little to his new little sister. He says "Baby sister" or "Baby sister cry" all day. He loves to keep an eye on her when she starts crying and if her blanket falls off of her, he says "Uh Oh" and rushes over to grab it and tells me to put it back on her. Today Jared noticed as he was playing with all of the washed baby dishes that Ben grabbed my breast pump accessories and put two of them up to his chest/nipple area and said "Mommy...baby sister"!! He is very aware and interested when I feed her and when I pumped for the two days that I tried formula, he stood right in front of me and took it all in. He is such a character.
I am anxiously awaiting the point when Ben stops testing us, does it ever stop? My days alone with both kids are very rough because Ben is very jealous of my time with Emma and seems to wait until I hold her or breastfeeding her to do things that he is not supposed to when he knows I can't get to him. I will say that in this past week, I have started spanking. I hate to do it because the look on his face is heartbreaking and he immediately wants to be held but some of the things he repeatedly does needs to be stopped. For about a week, when he was frustrated, his anger was pointed at Emma. Now, when he doesn't get his way, he will hit, throw, or bite. The other day when I brought him into the house against his will, he shook Emma's car seat that was on the floor with her still in it and when I picked it up to take it away from him, he bit me in the tummy and I had marks for hours! He is a good kid but his tantrums when he doesn't get his way need to be handled. He still seems to be the ruler of the house and it needs to stop.
On the flip side, he loves to give hugs and kisses all around the house, including to inanimate objects. He randomly comes up to me and hugs me and says, "Oh, mama". He is such a lover but he has a temper (just like mommy) and is very stubborn (just like mommy). I rarely leave the house by myself with both kids in fear of a breakdown or of him running off into the street so we are home most days.
We were able to head up north last weekend but it was a very stressful "vacation!" It was a very hot weekend, I think it got to be about 91 degrees or more. Less than an hour into our trip, I noticed that the air conditioning would feel warm sometimes. After that, the air was not cold, just cool and did not have much pressure. Our air had gone out. It was a 4 hour trip up and 4 hours back with no air but the hot air coming from the windows being down. The kids were such troopers, I don't know how they survived in the back in those hot car seats but they did it. Emma slept almost the whole trip with one feed each way and Ben just watched his movies with no complaints. We also had a difficult time with him getting up at night up north. Jared was back and forth putting him down over and over from 2:30am to 5:00am one night! I slept in the basement in a papasan chair with Emma so I could sit up with her and for 2 1/2 hours I could hear Jared walking back and forth to the bedroom. Needless to say, no one got much sleep due to Mr. Sassypants!! He did get a chance to show Grandma and Grandpa Nehmer his temper on day 2. It's even more frustrating when your child acts out in front of other people when you feel like you have no control. I know everyone understands but I apologize to anyone he tantrums in front of. Hmm, just a couple months ago I was commenting on Facebook about how much I loved age 2, boy did I bite my words!!
Despite this, Ben's cheesy smile will warm your heart and make you forget about all of his craziness. And Emma smiles and coos more and more every day and I am enjoying babyhood all over again! It's funny how differently you do things with a second child versus the first one. With Ben I researched everything for months before I had him and I wrote down every feeding with information about it and with Emma, I just feed her when she seems hungry and if I happen to feed her from the same breast, no big deal. I am just kind of going with the flow with Emma but it is still Ben who keeps me grounded.
Well, we hope you are all having a wonderful summer and had a wonderful 4th. We didn't do any fireworks or sparklers, I was afraid Ben would start something on fire!!
I ask for prayers and well wishes for my grandma Bum Bum who had a stroke a couple weeks ago. She is out of the ICU and is now in rehab for a few weeks. And for my little cousin Ian who severed a finger at home and had to be rushed to surgery. As well as ongoing prayers for Ian's older brother Evan who is surviving Leukemia.
My love to you all! Enjoy the pics!
Ben is warming up a little to his new little sister. He says "Baby sister" or "Baby sister cry" all day. He loves to keep an eye on her when she starts crying and if her blanket falls off of her, he says "Uh Oh" and rushes over to grab it and tells me to put it back on her. Today Jared noticed as he was playing with all of the washed baby dishes that Ben grabbed my breast pump accessories and put two of them up to his chest/nipple area and said "Mommy...baby sister"!! He is very aware and interested when I feed her and when I pumped for the two days that I tried formula, he stood right in front of me and took it all in. He is such a character.
I am anxiously awaiting the point when Ben stops testing us, does it ever stop? My days alone with both kids are very rough because Ben is very jealous of my time with Emma and seems to wait until I hold her or breastfeeding her to do things that he is not supposed to when he knows I can't get to him. I will say that in this past week, I have started spanking. I hate to do it because the look on his face is heartbreaking and he immediately wants to be held but some of the things he repeatedly does needs to be stopped. For about a week, when he was frustrated, his anger was pointed at Emma. Now, when he doesn't get his way, he will hit, throw, or bite. The other day when I brought him into the house against his will, he shook Emma's car seat that was on the floor with her still in it and when I picked it up to take it away from him, he bit me in the tummy and I had marks for hours! He is a good kid but his tantrums when he doesn't get his way need to be handled. He still seems to be the ruler of the house and it needs to stop.
On the flip side, he loves to give hugs and kisses all around the house, including to inanimate objects. He randomly comes up to me and hugs me and says, "Oh, mama". He is such a lover but he has a temper (just like mommy) and is very stubborn (just like mommy). I rarely leave the house by myself with both kids in fear of a breakdown or of him running off into the street so we are home most days.
We were able to head up north last weekend but it was a very stressful "vacation!" It was a very hot weekend, I think it got to be about 91 degrees or more. Less than an hour into our trip, I noticed that the air conditioning would feel warm sometimes. After that, the air was not cold, just cool and did not have much pressure. Our air had gone out. It was a 4 hour trip up and 4 hours back with no air but the hot air coming from the windows being down. The kids were such troopers, I don't know how they survived in the back in those hot car seats but they did it. Emma slept almost the whole trip with one feed each way and Ben just watched his movies with no complaints. We also had a difficult time with him getting up at night up north. Jared was back and forth putting him down over and over from 2:30am to 5:00am one night! I slept in the basement in a papasan chair with Emma so I could sit up with her and for 2 1/2 hours I could hear Jared walking back and forth to the bedroom. Needless to say, no one got much sleep due to Mr. Sassypants!! He did get a chance to show Grandma and Grandpa Nehmer his temper on day 2. It's even more frustrating when your child acts out in front of other people when you feel like you have no control. I know everyone understands but I apologize to anyone he tantrums in front of. Hmm, just a couple months ago I was commenting on Facebook about how much I loved age 2, boy did I bite my words!!
Despite this, Ben's cheesy smile will warm your heart and make you forget about all of his craziness. And Emma smiles and coos more and more every day and I am enjoying babyhood all over again! It's funny how differently you do things with a second child versus the first one. With Ben I researched everything for months before I had him and I wrote down every feeding with information about it and with Emma, I just feed her when she seems hungry and if I happen to feed her from the same breast, no big deal. I am just kind of going with the flow with Emma but it is still Ben who keeps me grounded.
Well, we hope you are all having a wonderful summer and had a wonderful 4th. We didn't do any fireworks or sparklers, I was afraid Ben would start something on fire!!
I ask for prayers and well wishes for my grandma Bum Bum who had a stroke a couple weeks ago. She is out of the ICU and is now in rehab for a few weeks. And for my little cousin Ian who severed a finger at home and had to be rushed to surgery. As well as ongoing prayers for Ian's older brother Evan who is surviving Leukemia.
My love to you all! Enjoy the pics!
No more pictures! Feed me!!
Baby Emma!
Ben and Emma watching TV.
Ben on his new 4-wheeler from Grandma and Grandpa Nehmer!
Doesn't everyone bathe with their beads?
Everyone's wiped out from the weekend!
Handsome boy!
4th of July baby!
Big cousin Alaina and Emma!
Ben likes to hang around!
Laying around!
Playing with Uncle Jason.
Pretty in purple.
Testing the waters of Lake Michigan!
Enjoying a chocolate chip cookie!
This is what a 2 year old can do to a laptop!
