Back to Reality...

Well, it has been 12 weeks since we brought Gavin home from the hospital. In late July, October seemed a lifetime away. And I have to say, I have really enjoyed my time off with the kids, with the exception of the complications I suffered and the extra surgery I had. But once that was behind me, I was able to get out and enjoy my time with them. And the bonus from the discomfort of that is that I got some vacation time back because I had to file a new short-term disability claim, so instead of going back to work with 1 day of vacation, I will have 11 days left when I return. While I considered extending my leave into November, I have always had it in my mind that I had to return on October 24th, so I arranged it with my boss that I would return for 1 full week of work, and then use my remaining vacation to work short weeks the rest of the year. Because of the holidays, it works perfectly, and I will even be able to take the week between Christmas and New Years off as well. So with the exception of this week and the week of November 7th, I will be taking every Friday off. And I have to say, that lessens to harsh feelings I was having about going back to work full-time.

Once that was settled, I focused on spending as much time as possible with my kids. Last Thursday, we went with my mom, sister, and nephews to Pigeon Roost Farms, which is a pumpkin patch and all-around Autumn playground. We didn't bring any pumpkins home (I am hoping we can get back there with Duane to do that), but Rachel had so much fun playing in the fun center with her cousins. It was a chilly day, perfect autumn weather, and I just had a blast watching her romp around.
Saturday Gavin and I went to my cousin's wedding, so Rachel had a sleepover at cousin Caden's. Judging by her crankiness when I picked her up on Sunday, she had fun. I enjoyed spending time with my family, and they were very helpful with Gavin so I even got to dance with my dad and brother.
Sunday, we attended Nolan's 1st birthday party! His mom did a Halloween theme (I don't know what she would have done if she had a kid that wasn't born around a holiday), so I made a pumpkin cake (actual pumpkin cake decorated like a pumpkin) and smash cake. Seriously, check out the video on Kim's blog. I have never seen a kid have that much fun with a smash cake.
Tuesday was my last real day of maternity leave with both kids, so I tried to get outside and spend some quality time with Rachel. I hadn't been able to do a lot of that, and I regret it, but we spent an hour outside blowing and chasing bubbles, playing in her car, and just generally running around.

Wednesday, Duane, Gavin, and I dropped Rachel off with the sitter and headed to Florida for Lori's wedding. I wish we could have taken Rachel with us, but I knew two kids would be a lot to handle for both of us, let alone the times when I had to do wedding things and couldn't be around to help. And because I am nursing Gavin, I didn't want to be away from him that long. So Rachel got to spend some days with Grandma and Hoppa, and we headed to Boca Raton.

The vacation was really fabulous, even though we didn't get to do much. Gavin could not have been better on the airplane. He fell asleep every time the engines kicked on. When we got there, we picked up our rental (a mini-van, much to Duane's chagrin) and drove up the coast from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Boca Raton. It was gorgeous. There were so many yachts and mansions lit up in the night. Duane was instantly in love. Apparently we arrived during a beautiful pocket of nice weather too. It was 70s and sunny every day! Not even humid!

Our hotel was situated right on the beach, and I splurged on the ocean view room with a balcony, so we spent every morning sitting on the balcony just staring out at the ocean. I drank my coffee, and Duane just stared. We left the door open and listened to the waves crashing on the beach as often as possible. This was the view from out balcony.
And the wedding was probably the most beautiful wedding ceremony I have ever seen. Lori was gorgeous. I hope she doesn't mind if I post this picture.She is beautiful under the worst conditions, but as a bride, she was simply stunning.

She and Mike were married at a private club, in front of a pool with a fountain. As she came down the staircase, Mike started to cry, and I almost lost it too. The night could only have been more perfect if Duane and Gavin had been able to be there, but Gavin was extremely fussy and Duane sacrificed his evening so that I could spend mine with my friends. Everything was amazing. I am so happy I could share the experience with them.

So amazing that we really didn't want to leave on Saturday when the time came. I had scheduled a late afternoon/early evening flight to give us time to putz around on Saturday, and putz we did. Duane tried to convince me to go get Rachel and bring her back...permanently. He is already job hunting down there.

For now, we are just planning next year's vacation. I got some great tips from the woman who did my hair for the wedding. So I hope we can spend several nights in Boca and a couple in Orlando visiting a giant mouse and his friends. Until then, we may have to buy Duane a CD of ocean waves, crashing on the beach, to get him to sleep well at night...

Two Months!

In ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was posting that Gavin was 2 weeks old, and in other ways, it feels like it has been 2 years. He has developed strong preferences, much like his sister had at his age. Duane says we let them do that -- and he might be right.

Although Gavin doesn't have the reflux problems Rachel had when she was an infant, he is very particular about how he sleeps and eats. Try as I might, he doesn't sleep well unless he is sleeping next to me or on his boppy. I have been trying to slowly break him of his boppy habit, but when I lay him to sleep on his back with nothing around him, he wakes within minutes. And I figure that him getting sleep is more important than whether or not he sleeps with his boppy. His neck muscles are strong enough to lift his head now, so I am not so worried about him suffocating, and I figure that eventually, he will be able to roll over and sleep however he wants. (I used to find Rachel like this in her crib!)
He has also definitely decided he doesn't care for formula when I am within smelling distance from him. I have attempted to give him formula at points recently when we have been out and about, and he will only take the liquid kind that comes in 2-ounce bottles. No powder for him! This only concerns me because we are heading to Florida next week for Lori's wedding, and we are taking Gavin because of the nursing, but if he is fussy about sleeping and/or eating with Duane while I am taking care of wedding obligations, it could cause issues.

In other sleeping developments, Gavin has been experiencing nightmares every few days. I can tell they are nightmares, because he will be in a deep sleep, and suddenly he begins to cry, with no wimpering or whining leading up to it. And when I lift him, he doesn't immediately wake up, as though he is stuck in the bad dream. It is so sad to see him experience that, because he is upset for several minutes after. I always wonder what babies dream about -- and apparently whatever he is dreaming about isn't good!

So other than the sleep situation, Gavin is doing well. We had his 2-month doctor appointment last Friday. He did really well. Unfortunately, at the 2-month appointment, he had to have 3 shots! He didn't care for those much. He was very fussy the rest of the day. But his measurements were all wonderful. He weighed in at a hefty 13 lbs 9 oz and was 24.5 inches long. That is 90th and 96th in percentiles, respectively. So I guess I am making enough milk!

I get lots of smiles and coos, and that is always nice to see. I am hoping that when Gavin starts daycare in a couple of weeks, he will settle into a routine, which should also help Duane settle in with him too. Soon after that, we should start solids, and I remember that helping Rachel sleep better and be a little less fussy about her eating. Here's hoping.
Until then, I am trying to enjoy my remaining time at home with the kids.

Where Did September Go??

I know it is cliche, but I honestly feel like I just brought Gavin home from the hospital, and it is already October -- the month when I have to go back to work. I still have 3 weeks of maternity leave remaining, but at this point with Rachel, I was back to work. Twelve weeks just seemed like an eternity when I was anticipating leaving work, and now I am already building up to the dread of going back. :( I always have lofty plans for what I will do while I am off work. This time, I accomplished more of those plans, but definitely not all of them.

So what did I do with my September? I trekked down to Kentucky/Cincinnati on Labor Day weekend to celebrate my friend Lori at a bridal shower and bachelorette party.

Then I rushed back to Columbus to celebrate my brother's-in-law graduation from college. The following weekend, I made my first wedding cake! I normally wouldn't commit to making a cake for such a momentous occasion, but it was for a friend, and the wedding was small enough that I decided I could handle the pressure.

I had a little bit of a health issue this month. It is too personal to detail here, but it was the result of complication from laboring with Gavin, and after repeated trips to the doctor, it was determined I would need surgery to correct the issue. Now let me say, I have gone through childbirth twice now, including the recovery from childbirth. And I was a BIG BABY about the build-up to this surgery. It was outpatient surgery, but the doctor couldn't really predict what it would do to me or how long it would wipe me out. And having two kids around, I was worried about how to care for them. The surgery also required anesthesia, and that meant no nursing Gavin for 24 hours. And as much as I fretted about nursing Gavin in the early weeks of his life, the boy has definitely grown to love the boob. So he wasn't exactly pleased when I came home from the hospital and he didn't get to nurse. I had to pump-and-dump, which stinks -- breastmilk is like GOLD! But the upside of the surgery is that I had a lot of support from family and friends through the whole thing. Duane's job took him out of town all week, but my in-laws came through big time. They took me to and from the hospital and helped a bunch with the kids. My mom came to spend the night with me the night of the surgery, and things went very well. Then my mom and my sister both came over the next day to make sure I was doing okay. I just realized again how lucky I am to have so much support.

I have also been trying to get out of the house more this month. A couple weeks ago, I took Rachel to sign up for her first library card! She didn't understand the library, but she has enjoyed looking at the books. I am planning to take her to storytime one day this week, if I feel up to getting out. Two Wednesdays ago, I took Rachel to see her first movie in a real movie theater. My in-laws came up to sit with Gavin, and Rachel and I went to see an early showing of The Lion King. She was hesitant to go in the theater, but once she sat down and started eating popcorn, she was sold on the experience. I have never seen a kid who loves popcorn like that (my mother would be so proud!). I think she even ate a piece off the floor.

Then two Fridays ago, Mom and I took both kids to the Zoo. It was a bleak and rainy day, but Rachel had been looking forward to the visit all week, so we decided to brave the weather conditions. I am glad we did -- she enjoyed seeing the elephants and other animals. But more than anything, she loves riding the carousel at the Zoo. I hope we can make a trip back up there before I go back to work. Also on the agenda is a trip to the pumpkin patch!

And the kid just has so much personality now. She has figured out how to use the camera on my phone -- here is one of her self-portraits and just another example of her personality:
Gavin has turned on the personality lately too. He has grown like a weed this month. I had to reschedule his 2-month doctors appointment because of my surgery, so I don't know how much he weighs or his stats, but he seems twice the size that he was when he came out. I slightly miss the tiny fingers, hands, feet, etc. But I love all the things that come with his getting a bit older -- like the smiles! He smiles at me ALL THE TIME now. And there is no question that he knows who I am. He is carrying on a love affair with one of the lamps in our family room -- cooing, smiling, laughing at it. Duane was holding him yesterday, and it astounds me how much he has grown to look like his daddy. A lot of the dark hair he had when he was born has fallen out or faded, so he doesn't have much more than Rachel had at this age.

My kids are so wonderful and yet so frustrating all at once. I have days where I want to pull out my hair and days where I can't imagine not being around them like this all the time. They love each other -- that is quite obvious. Rachel always wants her "Baby Gavin" (because she won't call him just Gavin) with her at all times. She is one of the few people he recognizes and he smiles at her too.

And now the weather has turned cold, my football is in full blast (though my Buckeyes are definitely having a down year), and I am looking forward to Halloween for the first time in a long time. I don't think Rachel understands it, so I need to record some of the cartoons about it so she can get the idea a bit better. And I have two weddings to attend in October, one which will require traveling to Florida!

I signed up for Weight Watchers Online the last week of August because I am sick of feeling frumpy. So far, without exercising at all, I have lost 3 pounds. Granted, that is with some health issues, and I intend to start a serious exercise routine tomorrow to try to trim another 7 pounds in the next 2 weeks. But I feel better about what I am eating now. I tend to go crazy with my eating in the first few weeks of nursing, because I am ALWAYS hungry, and I am up all hours of the night. So I got it in check now, and I have a personal goal of getting back to my pre-Gavin weight by Christmas. :)

Sigh...now I am back to my leave. I need to experience every day to the fullest! I have a haircut slated for this week. I was trying to grow it out, but it has become too much of a pain every day. I need something easy!