Two month check up

Fiona had her two-month well baby check up today. She is 12lbs 9oz! That's more than three pounds since birth! WOW!
We met Dr Merrill for the first time today and I like him. He offers his opinion but said "you're a pro at this by now". He applauded the fact that she was breast fed and chunky. He was happy about our breastfeeding goals - at least one year, up to two. He didn't bash us for co-sleeping for part of the night, but gave us information on how to help get Fi to sleep in her own bed and for longer. He made mention of moving her crib out of our room for better sleep when she was about 6 months old but we'll get to that when we get to it and that we need to be careful that we don't squish her and use common sense. I don't like the idea of moving her at the moment but we'll see in 4 more months. I find that I am more paranoid with her than I was with the other girls. A lot of the decisions I never consciously made - it was just how we did it. Now that I feel I have the choice I find that my decisions have not changed. I'm not sure why I am so much more worried about her than I was the others. Maybe now that I have less personal stuff to worry about I transfer that to my children. I find I worry more about all of them more now. Maybe we're just faced with more to worry about than a decade ago.
Fiona got her first shots today. I forgot how gut wrenching it can be to have to hold your little one while they get hurt. When we were talking to Dr. Merrill he asked us if she had received the Hep B vaccine in the hospital. I told him that we had not and didn't find it necessary right now. For the most part I agree with the vaccines but I think we can skip the one for the STD. Thankfully he was supportive and just said "you'll probably have to sign a waiver for school" but that was it. It was really nice to have a doctor that supported my position as a mom!
Well, she's finally quiet. We've got the "I-got-shots-today-cranky" going on. I'm going to try to sneak in a bath before the next meltdown.

YAY

I just booked our tickets for our trip to California in February! I couldn't be more excited. I was just about devastated when Doug was laid off and it looked like we wouldn't be able to make it. We had been planning on taking a few extra days and driving down with the kids but that has been the only change. We will be coming home at different times. Fi and I will be staying an extra day. It just worked out that way with the flights. Thankfully we were able to fly on flight miles and so the airfare didn't cost us anything!
Now all I have to do is make arrangements for Al and JF for the night we leave and we're all set. Krysty will be spending the night with her BFF so we're covered there and Gr and Gr Strange will be picking up the girls the next day after school.
I'm just so damn excited! It's been a long time since I've been back to California to visit and unfortunately the last time was not under happy circumstances. I'm really looking forward to celebrating and visiting with everyone!!!

We went to Allie's science fair last night and I took my camera with every intention of taking her picture next to her project. But, the moment we walked through the doors she took off with friends. I thought the above picture was most fitting to describe what it was like at the science fair. Allie did a great job on her project and we were really proud of here. There were some pretty cool projects there, unlike the one at Jane's school. I do understand the difference between the middle school science fair and the elementary school science fair. They should have had one row for Which Candle Burns the Slowest/Fastest, one for Which Paper Towel is the Most Absorbent (Allie did this one last year), and and one for Which Soda/Mentos Combination Makes the Highest Fountain.
We were impressed with some of the project ideas - some of which were pretty funny! Like, Who Will Get Better Scores on a 5th Grade Standard Test. The people tested were a 5th grader, a 6th grader, an adult without a college education and one with a college education - complete with pictures of each. According to the student's findings, the adult without the college education did the worst, while the 6th grader did the best. Here's the part that amused us - the pictures! It was probably the student's parents and sibling judging by the pictures. Here it is posted in the hallway for the science fair, for all of the sixth graders and their parents and their siblings to see. All I could think of was walking past the guy in the hall and thinking "Hey! You're the guy from So-and-So's science project. Man, tough break!". Maybe it was a pop-quiz, there was no time to study. Could've been a long day. Ran out of coffee? Didn't eat his Wheaties? Guess we'll never know. Something tells me that project is not one that will be saved for all time. No sense in reminding Gramps he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed!

No FAIR!

I started my period this morning. Damn it. Not because I was hoping or expecting to be pregnant but because I was hoping to put off fertility for a few more months. For some women (apparently not me) exclusively breast feeding can prevent fertility for the entire time you're doing it. It's kind of nature's way of giving your body time to heal and enjoy your new baby. I guess Mother Nature feels I've had enough time and pregnancy prevention is now my problem. Well, damn.

OK - Doug's laughing at me. I guess my annoyance at this perfectly normal, natural, part-of-being-a-girl thing amuses him.

This does explain why I've been such a cranky bitch lately. And my uncontrollable urge for chocolate yesterday.

Pictures

I was going through my pictures and I thought I'd share a few.

Freddy looking pathetic! Any time his bowl is empty he likes to carry it around the house. Little kids have a blanket or a pacifier - Fred has his bowl. Just because it's empty and just because he's carrying it around doesn't mean he's hungry. Most of the time there is a full bowl of food in the dining room! Pathetic dog!

Jane at Allie's concert. If you look closely you can see the mess that seems to gravitate to Jane's face! She had some hot cocoa from Starbuck's and of course is now covered in it. I'm not sure how she manages it, but it's just part of being Jane! I wish Grandma was still alive to watch her name-sake grow. I often wonder how much alike they might be.

Showering the baby! Check out those fat rolls!

Here's Fi and the wonderful Dr. Fassler. He's restored my faith in OB's and helped us have a wonderful birth experience. Next time I think we'll go with the midwife and a home birth, it's nice to know that we have a doctor like this in our corner.
And yes, I think Fi has more hair than he does!

Just chillin' in the stroller! Her cute little fleece jacket from Aunt Reggie & Uncle Rocky is still a bit big but she looks so darn cute!

Allie reading a book and cuddling with Fi and Ninja. Sometimes a little quiet with those you love is all you really need.

Fi, Papa and the Fat Cat. It's these moments that make the whole world seem just a little better.

Playing with stuff

I thought I'd see how difficult it was to put a video up here. Apparently pretty easy!
This is Allie's first band concert! Boy, we could have fun with this!

Papa gets a turn!

Doug tried his hand at giving Fiona a bottle of breast milk. I was only able to pump about 1oz. I had to feed her a bit first so that she wasn't quite so hungry so she would take the bottle at all. She ate about 1/2oz before she wasn't happy with it any more. This is pretty normal for a baby that has been exclusively breast fed for the last two months. Once I have a good store of milk we'll try to let her have a bottle every now and again. We'll have to get her used to taking food from someone other than me. When she realized that there was food in what Papa was trying to give her she looked pretty surprised! We'll try again soon. I think Doug enjoyed it more than she did.

New Bestest Friends!

Noelle and Jean-Michel Christopher came over with their daughter Amelia the other day. She is 3 weeks younger than Fiona and we've decided they are the best of friends already.
The difference between the girls is amazing. Amelia is so much smaller than Fi! While they're not too aware of each other now, they will be. It's great to have a friend!

Recession hits home

Well it seems as if the crappy economy they keep talking about has finally hit home. Up to this point I have been enjoying the chance to do a little more shopping because things were on clearance, food prices were down and it didn't require a mortgage to fill up the gas tank. We were taking a financial breather with Doug's recently increased salary giving us a little extra wiggle room and an actual end date to one of our bills. We were starting to make plans again. All of that came to a halt Friday when Doug was laid off from his job. Sales are down, payroll needs to be cut and he was the last manager hired. So there we go.
We'll cut costs where we need to and as much as we can. He'll file for unemployment and I'll work more hours and we'll figure out the rest. Does it strike a little fear in my heart? A tad. But I know that we can make it work and we have each other to rely on. Faith doesn't pay the bills or put food on the table, but it keeps us together while we figure out what does. Thankfully this came just after a payday and at the end of a pay period so we have some to work with. Rent's covered, the groceries are bought and so now we just buckle down and figure it all out.
Today we are grateful for each other. For the girls. We will make the little changes that make the big differences.
We'll get through this difficult piece together.

Friends

Last night while sitting in bed feeding Fiona I had a little visitor. Ninja decided she needed a little attention too! It was really cute. She layed with us for about 20 minutes.
And a little closer.Are you being friendly or waiting in line?

Signature

I spend a lot of time online since I work from home. I also spend a lot of time on hold and have time to read and participate in quite a few message boards. Most people have signatures that somehow express a little of who they are. I came across one this morning that I had to share. I just thought it was too damn funny!

I breastfeed - because I'm lazy, cheap and love to cuddle

I respect my husband - because he may not be Mr. Romance and Sensitivity but I'm not Jenna Jamieson or Martha Stewart either

Into the New Year

So here we go officially into the new year. So far, so good.
Krystyne came home from WI on December 29th and spent the holiday with her friends. While she enjoyed her visit she was happy to be home. Doug and I spent our first New Year's Eve awake (we've managed to fall asleep the last two years!) and were actually able to have a New Year's kiss. Granted Fiona had a lot to do with our being awake but that's not important. :) Allie and Jane came home on New Year's Day and were glad to be home, too. As much as they enjoy their trips, they enjoy coming home and being with what is most familiar.
I'm so happy to have the girls home. The break is nice, but having them home is better. We had a good family-based weekend. I really love it when we get a chance to break away from the normal every day stuff that can get so routine. Without the occasional change of pace it's easy to find yourselves in a rut that is difficult to get out of. You stop appreciating those you are closest to.
Saturday morning we all got up and went to breakfast. Not an easy feat when you are trying to get 6 people functioning and dressed before noon! It really was a lot of fun. I caught myself laughing often and thought how wonderful it is that we can have this kind of fun together. Everyone was joking and teasing each other. We even slipped a couple "parent moments" in there that might have actually been listened to! When you have the chance to reach them it's best to grab it. It was great to see Krystyne and Allie interacting so well too. They've been rather adversarial lately. All part of the life of a middle school girl. Your sister is some sort of alien disease at this point. Doug had to pop into work for a few hours and the girls and I ran errands. We had our first family dinner of the New Year and the friendly tone of the day seemed to carry through the whole night.
Today the girls and I headed off to find a new church home. The girls have asked for some time now if we could find a church to go to. I've searched online and tried out a couple and haven't been able to find something that I've enjoyed as much as Seattle Unity. However, an hour drive (each way) is a little much every week and we needed to find something closer to home. We went to Tacoma Center for Spiritual Living and I think we'll be going back. I really enjoyed the service. There was a lot of music and singing and a great message for the week. The girls really enjoyed the kids portion of it. I'm glad this is something that they've expressed an interest in. We'll see how it goes. After the service we picked up Doug and went to see Bolt in 3-D. It was a little more expensive than the regular version but the kids really enjoyed it. We thought it was pretty funny, too. And Doug got a kick out of being able to tease me for crying at a Disney movie. But it was SAD! LOL We decided to take the girls to the buffet place for dinner. They always like going to buffet restaurants. Doug says that the way the girls behave in a buffet restaurant shows how good of a mom I am. Since they always go for the good food and veggies before trying to go for dessert. I think they just like to choose what they get for dinner. I was just amazed at the fact that they were all still getting along and laughing. It's been a long day and Fiona had reached her limit for being out and about but it was so fun to spend all this time with my "little" family. Since we've been home everyone seems to have gone their different directions. Krystyne's been in her room, Allie and Jane have been either on the computer or the Wii and now it's time for bed. Jane even went without her normal 5 trips for something to drink, to pee and just-one-more-hug. We go back to our normal schedules in the morning. I think the girls are ready for it. I know I am.
So here we start out the year with a wonderful family weekend. Spending time together and just enjoying each other's presence as a family. As we head back in to our routine I am content. Most of the laundry is done (Thank you my darling husband), the kitchen is mostly clean (thank you my darling children) and all is well.
What a great start to what will be a great year.