The sound of silence

Ok, so it isn't all that quieter around the house. But I want to shout from the rooftop, "I haven't pumped in a week!" YES! (Oh my, what shoud I do with the extra two hours I have now?!)
So, the little (but annoying) hum of the pump is gone. I took it back on Tuesday. Owen has been strictly BF since Friday of last week. He eats a lot more often, and his poop is rather interesting, but overall nights are a lot easier....ok, the co-sleeping has begun. I am too tired to get in and outta bed all night, so he is usually in our bed most of the time.

Mind you, this is an executive decision. He is supposed to be on thickener and formula (to add calories)...I will cross that hurtle with the Dr. when we get to it. *eek* Right now I am not too worried about it, he is eating like crazy, and still moving the fluids if you know what I mean!

He is a BFing champ! (and I was worried)....(even though all my kids were BFing champs)

Be Aggressive! Be Be Aggressive! *cheer*

Ok, no really. I have a problem. Apparently Jaxen is being "aggressive" at school. I thought it might be adjusting to Owen being home, but we don't have problems here, and the problems at school just started. So, not sure what to do. He has been getting up earlier lately because he says his bed is too cold. Maybe he is just tired?

We are going to try grounding him from video games (he doesn't play that much anyway) and movies that aren't rated G (before you call all crazy, we mean like Spiderman and Transformers, not rated R movies, movies that we have allowed him to watch before, but that have fighting in them.) Shaunton will talk to his teacher each day as he picks him up, if he hit or did anything else aggressive, he is going to have to take a nap when he gets home after lunch.

He will be grounded from said items for one week, if he hits or something during that time, it starts all over at a week.

I really don't know what else to do, or where this is stemming from. Hopefully things start to setting down and he is that same fun loving little boy we know and love.

Turkey Chase

So, like every year, we went up north for Thanksgiving. Originally, it was going to just be Shaun and the kids. But, after much contemplation, I decided to go with Owen. We planned on staying one night. Here is a run down on what can (and did) happen in one weekend.

1. We stop for BK before heading out. Get toward the interstate when Jaxen says he doesn't have his nuggets in the bag. So, we turn around and go back. I walk into the restaraunt and explain the story. The guy reaches into the bag and pull out the chicken nuggets. *cringe* Don't I feel stupid. I guess I should have looked, but to Jaxen's credit it was dark and they were covered with his french fries. Tack off 10 minutes dealing with that.

We get there and go to sleep. Waking up bright and early the next morning is Ember, ready to herd sheep. After trying to get her to stay, we decided to see how she would do. Her and daddy herded sheep for about 2 and a half hours. She did great for her first time! It was really cold, but she was bundled up and ready.


Owen and Grandma meet for the first time.

2. One the second day, we get suckered into staying another night....ok, it wasn't that bad (and I was willing because Owen was doing well and I packed extra).

3. On the second night, Ember falls against the stove (it is an old fashion wood burning stove) and burns her hand pretty bad.

4. On the way back, 50 ft from the paved interstate, we get passed up by some car whose wheel throws up a rock and breaks our window. I am just thankful that it didn't go through the window and hit Ember. We must have been a sight driving from Pinon into Flagstaff with a sheet jimmied over the window. Once we got to Flag we were able to get the usual cardboard with tape so we could look like people that can't afford a new window.

A 5 hour trip took 9. We got home, took a shower, and went to bed.

Then...the adventure starts anew.

Jaxen (from the bathroom) ..."mooommm, something broke!" What could it be? The towel bar (for the third time) from him hanging on it (for the third time). *sigh* It never ends!

Why you shouldn't eavesdrop...

So, Shaun is taking a quick shower with the kids. We are getting ready to go over the SIL's house to have Thanksgiving dinner. I get ready to poke my head in to tell them to hurry up when I overhear this conversation between Jaxen and his Dad.

J: Ewwww dad, your penis is gross!
S: What?
J: I said your penis is gross!
S: Why? You have a penis too you know.
J: Yeah...but yours has hair on it! (How is Shaun calm? I am totally cracking up already)
S: Well, you'll have hair on yours too when you get older.
J: But not right now, when I grow bigger.
S: Yes, when you get get bigger.

Ok, um....I was totally cracking up. Kids, they are so observant and honest...and apparently grossed out by the adult physique....if they only knew...they are headed that way too! Scary, huh?

Lunch Time Conversation

So, Shaun just got home with Jaxen and while eating lunch had a conversation that went something like this.

S: So Davi (sounds like Davie) is a weird name for a girl.
J: Davi's not weird.
S: She seems like "one of the boys", she must be pretty cool.
J: ....Girls can't be cool dad.
S: Why not? Your mom is cool.
J: No she's not....she's great action!

Great action is some weird phrase we coined....means a lot of things like (but not limited to): That is so great, that is so neat, YES, and other situations that would call for that sort of response.

Kinda like my blog is "great action". There, I have used it in a sentence for you, so you should be able to easily incorporate it into your own jargon.

How many ounces in a gallon?

The answer is 128.

Why such the random question? Well, it really isn't that random. I cleaned out my deep freezer today...because I had no room for food (we don't have any room in our side freezer for that matter)! Is it full of food already? Nope, it was full of milk....breast milk. Seriously, the only food in the deep freezer was: 1 pack of bacon, 1 half salmon, about 10 corndogs, and a box of push ups buried somewhere on the bottom.

Yes, I was attached...didn't want to get rid of it...and for good reason. As mentioned in my previous post I spend 2 hours each day working for that stuff...not to mention the time it takes to prep and clean up afterward!

Long story short...I pump still (see previous post) and what I pump in a day is used fresh for Owen's bottles the next day. So I haven't been freezing BM for the past few days and haven't used any out of the freezer. Yes, I know I am a milk making machine!

Here was the debate: Buy a new bigger freezer....or *cringe* get rid of some milk. We were leaning toward the freezer, but decide that in the long run the freezer we have is big enough for our family --- sans the BM.

So I went through it today and tossed out all the milk dated prior to 9/20. Here is where the random question becomes useful.

Here is the grand total of what was tossed (yes...I know what you are thinking, it was a lot so I did sit down and count it all out, LOL):

81 bags of milk = 620 ounces = 4.8 gallons

WOW. *sigh* It was hard to let those precious bags go. But, I can't donate it (due to blood transfusion) and going without food is not an option. So *gulp* the deed is done, no going back now.

On another note, my deep freezer is still half full of milk, so I still have "a bit" to work with....and my side freezer is BM free!!!! YEAH. Maybe now we can actually buy some food and not try to fit it into the freezer like TETRIS pieces!

What's Eating Mommy Monique

So, here is a short list of what is driving me absolultely crazy at the present:

1. Pumping - I cannot stand it. It is amazing....I just calculated that I spend 2 hours a day on pumping alone!

2. Bottle feeding - This is not a bash to those that bottle feed, but seriously, it is so much easier to whip out a boob. Poor Owen's crys...they go from a soft cry to a scream because I can't heat up the stupid bottle fast enough. You aren't supposed to use a microwave (I don't, but have known several people who did), I use a bottle warmer, and that few minutes it takes to heat up seems like eternity....especually in the middle of the night!

3. Regression - Ember. Enough said. She has started having "accidents" (not everyday or anything, but every once in a while). It is hard not to get upset at her because she has been potty trained since she was two!

4. Sickness - I feel like such a bad mom, I am constantly nagging at Ember to get out of Owen's face, get away from him, don't touch him, don't touch his stuff, blah blah. I just really don't want him to get sick...and she just doesn't want to listen. Dad has been sick to...and I nag him as well...but he listens a little better.

5. Germs - I am now officially a germaphob. I have to wash my hands before and after EVERYTHING. I am constantly walking around disinfecting door knobs, light switches, phones, remotes, computers...you name it and I have probably disinfected it....or tried to. It is driving me crazy, and my husband....ok, probably my kids too....since I am constantly following around and giving them purell, and telling them to wash their hands, etc. (Makes for good bathroom habits though).

Could anything else make the list? Probably, but it isn't coming to me at the moment.

So, I leave you on this note: Multi-task is my new middle name.

1. I can write a blog while pumping, (and occasionally eat while doing aforementioned)
2. I can wake up at night and feed Owen while pumping, and
3. the kids favorite, I can read and pump at the same time!

Sorry, I don't do parties and I can't teach you the tricks of my trade.

2 kids + trampoline + hose attachment = a staple

Makes no sense right? Let me break it down for you. Not only do I care for 3 children, one of which doesn't allow much sleep at night, but I also manage to cook and clean in my "spare time". It was during this spare time that the incident occurred.

I was cooking dinner and loading the dishwasher while the kids played in the backyard. I had the door open so I could hear them, and the little boy from next door was over. All is well. All of a sudden Ember bursts into the house saying Jaxen has "blood on him". So I go out to see what is going on. His face is covered with blood and his shirt is drenched. Lucky (ok, unlucky) for me, I have experienced a head laceration (same kid, different addition problem) before so I knew they can bleed something nasty. I manage to carry him inside and wipe him down to see a pretty nasty gash. I call Shaun and let him know he needs to come home....because I AM NOT taking Owen to an emergency room. (Bad enough to take your kids there when they need to go and expose them to all that "stuff")

Four hours later, two staples (a whole 'nother story) and we have a staple in our sons head. He sure was the talk of the town in school today. And, he has decided, next year he wants to be a mummy for Halloween (his whole head was wrapped in gauze to keep the patch over it).

Oh, by the way...what happened? They were playing a dinosaur game they made up on the trampoline and Ember hit him on the head with the hose attachment we use to water the garden. NICE....yes, anything can be turned into a weapon.

Funny to note, as I am cleaning him up, Jaxen goes on to tell me. "I knew we shouldn't have played that game, I'm not going to anymore."

Mom, it's time to pump

So, I have posted about how Ember likes to do the same things for her baby that I do for Owen. Here is another little snip-it of what she is willing to do for her babies! (Obviously I am not going to post one of myself as a milk making machine! LOL)

I have a weed

Since Owen's release on Sunday we have had two appt's. He was released from the hospital at 5 lbs 14 oz....in the past week he has gained weight....he now weighs 6 lbs 9 oz. Almost a pound in a week. It is amazing how well they do when they are fed when they are hungry (and not every 3 hours on the dot) and how much they want to eat, as well as BFing every other feed and all the loving and cuddling a little boy could ask for.

We are so blessed to finally have him home with us, and we are excited for the day that we get to show him off....until then, we are tucked away....letting him get bigger and stronger before he makes his big debut!