The Must-Haves for Outings With Two Under Two

For every mommy I'm sure there are things that you would never leave the house without, so some of the things that I list or don't list may be relatable to you. I'm just going with what have been the MUST-HAVE items that have worked for us.

1. The most important thing that makes outings possible is our double stroller. The one we use is Chicco brand because our orignial travel system that we got is Chicco brand and the infant carrier just snaps right in. This stroller is a beast! I'm not going to lie. At first I thought it was more of a pain in the butt than helpful, but after taking the boys out in it a couple of times it's a LIFESAVER!
2. Extra clothes. Now when your child has a blowout your go to may be a whole new outfit. I'm busy and quick and easy is my way to go. My extra change of clothes for the boys is always jammies. I figure if they have to get changed why not be comfy the rest of the time. Heck if I could run around in footie jammies I would.
3. Diapers and wipes. This is a no brainer! I feel like I'm packing half our diaper stash but we all know how newborns can be and how easily they can blowout or how often they need those cute little booties changed.
4. The cow print bag would be a wet bag. This is where all the soiled items go, wheter it be poopy clothes, wet bibs, or drooly burp cloths. The mess stays contained and doesn't get all over the inside of my diaper bag.
5. Sophie. Oh Sophie. I honestly don't know what I would do without you. Yes this crazy little giraffe can be expensive, but she has been great for Allen when he is cutting teeth. She is always nearby.
6. Nursing cover. I'm currently breastfeeding Abram and if I have to nurse in public this is a great cover. It's huge and covers the ta-tas without a sneak peek showing.
7. Burp cloths. I have found that the best burp cloths by far are actually prefolds meant to be cloth diapers. So absorbant and work really well for cleaning up any sort of mess.
8. Nuby sippy cups. These fit perfectly into any one of my diaper bags and Allen loves them. No need to change something that he likes.

These have currently been the must haves in our household when making an outing. These are also the essentials that I always take with me when I wander out on my own with the boys. I'm sure our go to items is bound to change but this is what makes outings a little less stressful for us.

First Outing With the Boys by Myself

Abram has super sensitive skin. A lot more sensitive than Allen. Well on Thursday I noticed a rash forming and it looked more than just baby acne. Allen didn't have rashes when he was little. So my mind starts running through the options of what it could be. I immediately texted my sister-in-law who is a pharmacist and started asking questions. She stopped by that evening and gave me a couple options of what it might be. I was more calm after talking to her and just kept an eye on it. On Monday the rash seemed to be going away, and then it seemed to come back with a vengeance. I called and made a doctor's appointment for the following morning. Then I started to slightly freak out. One Abram has a rash and I don't know where it's coming from and two the appointment was in the early morning which meant I would be taking both boys out by myself! I got up early and started to prepare for D-day. I was able to make it out of the house with both boys and make it to the office early! I then went into mommy mode and played it cool. I pulled out the double stroller which is an absolute life saver!! Got the boys strapped in and away we went. I told the nurse what had been going on and we then proceeded to get Abram all checked in. Well the little stinker decided it would be a great time to have a blowout. No worries I was prepared. I usually always have one extra outfit for each of the boys on hand. Changed and unhappy Abram was weighed and he comes in at 9 lbs 10oz. Way to go buddy. Shortly after the doctor comes in and tells me that it's a heat rash and just dry, irritated skin. Way to go Aubrey for thinking that your child has something awful. I honestly felt pretty silly, but on the other hand I now know what it looks like and I can be less freaked out. Made it home and our normal routine continued. I have to admit that getting the boys out by myself took some extra work, but nothing out of the ordinary. It takes a lot of work in general to look after my two under two. I'm pretty proud at how smoothly the day had gone.
Abram seems un-phased by his heat rash that comes and goes. I'm extremely happy with his weight gain. He's such a good eater and overall a good baby. Allen is falling so well into the big brother role and is amazing with Abram. God has truly blessed our family.

Breastfeeding Ain't For the Faint of Heart

I got 6 wonderful months of breastfeeding with Allen. Due to working full time and an inconsistent schedule allowed to breastfeed him my supply ran dry. He was on formula for 6 months and turned out just fine. This time around I am a stay at home mommy and started thinking about what would be different this time around. I would like to accomplish my goal and breastfeed for a full year. Things thus far look like this could happen, but could things change I'm sure they might. I guess I thought that the second time around in my breastfeeding journey that things would go super smooth. I've done this once, things should be fine. Ha when they say that every pregnancy is different, they mean it and every baby is different too.
With Allen I had to use a shield, and before you put your judgement in I had to use one due to having somewhat flat nipples. This helped with his latch greatly and he self weaned himself from the shield within a couple months. Was the shield a pain in the butt, you better believe it. I feel like there are a lot of people out there that are anti-shield and I can't really understand why. What's the negative to using one?? Well I found some negatives when using one with Abram.
Again when we were in the hospital I really struggled getting Abram to latch. I was the first one to jump at having a lactation consultant come and help. Of course the second she walked in he would latch and she would say we were doing great. Thanks Abram. I did go on to tell her that I was having problems with him latching. She suggested that I could borrow a hand pump to help pull the nipple out for him to get a better latch, or she said that since I had used a shield before that I could get one to see if it might help. That night after Abram had really worked himself up I requested a shield and he latched.
Now what negatives did I find? Well I didn't find them until we went home and within a few days of being home it seemed as if Abram would choke every time he would nurse. That will put a mommy on high alert when the best thing for your child is to nurse and now all of the sudden he's choking and in my gut I feel like things are going well. The next day I wrote off the shield. I had figured in out that the excess breastmilk was sitting in the shield and when Abram wasn't sucking the milk was still running down his throat causing him to choke. Since about day 2 or 3 we haven't used the shield and it takes a bit for him to latch, but we get a good solid latch and away he goes.
I got a little confirmation that breastfeeding is going well at Abram's 2 week checkup where he weighed in at 7 lbs 7oz. The doctor was impressed. He has surprassed his birthweight and I was told to keep up the good work.
Abram is a different eater than Allen and that took me for a loop. I'm pretty good about catching onto his hunger signs way before he's waking himself up, but once I get him in a good position to nurse he gets overexcited searching for the breast that I have to slow him down. He also seems like the baby that wants to do it on his own, which seems insane since yes he is only 12 days old. When I'm trying to calm him down he sometimes stiffens and restrains his neck and makes it difficult for me to help him. Lastly, he's a lazy eater. When he gets a somewhat full belly the boy is knocked out! And when I mean knocked out I mean it. The only thing that Adam and I have found that works to wake this boy up is cold. So we have on mulitple occassions put him down on our cold bedsheets as a method to wake him up so he can get a full feed in so he can get some good sleep. He's an awesome sleeper which I'm not complaining about one bit. Which means I have been pumping as well and that is going way better than what I thought it would. My turnout from pumping has been way more than what I thought I would get and slowly but surely I will have a full freezer and Daddy will be able to help feed.
Adam has been the greatest support system along with the mama's that I have been questioning constantly. I couldn't ask for better friends and a better husband to help me along this journey because it definitely isn't easy, but it's something I want to do for Abram. A really good friend of mine suggested the book The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding which is a book I had never heard of. It is by the La Leche League which I have heard some things about them. I will be looking more into this. They also have a facebook page which could be very helpful. I'm going to be looking more into this and see if I can grab any helpful tips from it. I'm sure things are going to come up that I haven't experienced and things will get easier. I have had frustration, crying moments, and fed through exhaustion, but in the end I'm still breastfeeding and I'm happy that I'm continuing.

We made it through Day 1 and 2

Yep, you read that right. The boys are still breathing and I'm not in the corner sucking my thumb. And by I mean we made it, I mean day 1 and 2 of stay-at-home-mommy by myself with a newborn and a toddler and a zoo and everything went swimmingly!
Abram is trying to still get on a consistent schedule and I need to keep reminding myself that he isn't even 10 days old. I think since I'm feeling so great I tend to forget the little things and I know that giving him some time to get into a groove is all it's going to take. A breastfeeding post is going to be soon to follow. To all my friends that I have been prying your brain apart with all my questions, I apologize, and thank you so much for being supportive and responding. All you ladies know who you are.
Today I was able to get all of our laundry done. I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment because it just reminds me that yes, things have drastically changed, but I am able to still maintain somewhat of a normal schedule like before.
Again, Allen is falling into the big brother role so well. He is such a helper, and has turned into a snuggler again which mommy is not complaining about one bit.
On a complete side note I am not one to complain about the cold, but geesh I have a toddler tornado who is going stir crazy thanks to being stuck inside. The highlight of some of his days is getting out of the house to run a quick errand with me. The super cold weather that came in this week has kept up most definitely stuck inside until Adam comes home. I figure with mommy and daddy we can get the babies in and out more quickly than if it were just me by myself. So basically come on spring! I can't wait to see how the rest of the week plays out, but thus far it has been great.

It's a BOY...Abram's Birth Story

I have to start with a picture of Mr. Handsome. He looks just like his brother.
I know my last post was my 36 week update so I will do a little back tracking up to Abram's birth.

Shortly after we found out we were pregnant and found out the estimated due date I had a gut feeling that I was pregnant with a girl and I had a feeling that I would have a Valentine's Day baby. So as my pregnancy progressed and things went further along, and my OB put me into the waiting game my thoughts of having a Valentine's Day baby were getting closer to happening. I had a doctor's appointment on the 13th and I was 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced and my water could break at any moment were my doctor's words. Now I'm getting excited maybe my feeling was right.
Valentine's Day was NOT a good day for me. I woke up very excited hoping this was going to be the day. When no constant contractions happened and I didn't feel a sudden gush (as in my water breaking) I took things into my own hands. I decided to walk up and down the set of stairs in our house as much as I could. I can tell you after this experience that there are 12 stairs. I also deicded that when Allen went down for a nap that I was getting on the treadmill and going to walk until I could walk no more! I did jumping jacks, I pumped (very weird), I jumped up and down, and then I had a dance party in the living room with Allen bouncing on my belly. He absolutely loved this. Still no contractions, still no gush! I went to bed that night rather disappointed.
Side note I had been asking friends and family to pray for us and to pray specifically for me with patience. I was being tested in my patience that is for sure.
I went to bed and the last thing I remember thinking is I should go upstairs and eat a bowl of cereal. This had become my nightly routine because in the middle of the night I would wake up with terrible headaches because I was hungry.
I woke up at 12:50 with a contraction, I laid in bed until I had another one and realized that they were pretty close together. I went on to track my contractions and they were 5 minutes apart. I woke Adam up and told him what was going on. He was very sleepy and asked what time it was and when I told him it was a little after one, his response was "in the afternoon" I told him "no in the morning, now get your butt out of bed." We woke Nana up and let her know what was going on, grabbed our stuff and out the door we went. We tracked my contractions on the way to the hospital and they were at a constant 4-5 minutes apart. Walked into the ER let them know what was going on and was wheeled up to L & D shortly after. I was taken to a room by my soon to be nurse and went through the initial check in. My contractions spaced out and Michelle (the nurse) was trying to talk to convince me that more than likely these weren't consistent contractions and my adrenaline was playing a factor. She reassured me that she would vaginally check me just to double check before I was sent home. I was checked and was a loose 4 almost 5 cm and 80% effaced and my water was bulging. I was told I wasn't going anywhere and I was going to have a baby sometime today.

I was excited about the news that we were staying!
This is when the busy bee effect went into play. I had a tech setting up all the materials for baby, I had a nurse on my arm setting up my IV, I had Michelle (the other nurse) finishing up my admittance. A little bit of chaos ensued due to the team finding out how quickly my first labor went. My first question after everything was when can I start to walk. Shortly after I was given the go to walk. And so walk we did. I made 3 laps up and down the L & D wing and wanted to go back to my room. I swayed through a contraction in the middle of my room and then felt a drip down my leg. I instantly looked at Adam, told him what I felt and went on to say "no I did NOT just pee myself..I think my water just broke." I continued to have my normal sense of humor throughout this process because I felt that in the midst of what was going on it was a time to be happy and cheerful. I was hooked back up to the monitors checked again and my water did in fact break. My mother-in-love (it's in-love not in-law that's what we call it anyways) aka Mom showed up shortly after this and we filled her in on everything that was going on. My contractions were getting stronger and more intense and laying in bed was not helping. I wanted to stand, but wanted something to lean on at the same time. The bed was too low, and too squishy. I felt a little like Goldilocks (too squishy, too hard, just right) you get my drift. As soon as the bed was raised I tried leaning on it and it was still to squishy. Where my IV was in my wrist/lower arm when I leaned it was bending my IV line and it hurt. I turned around and looked at the sink counter and walked right over to it. This is where I went through most of my strong contractions. A little glimpse into my room I had Michelle at my side, Adam on my other side, the tech in the back, the baby nurse was paged, my doctor was hanging out by the bed because no other women were in active labor, and my Mom on the other side of the bed. There were a lot of people. Michelle must have had a gut instinct to ask me what I was feeling in the middle of a strong contraction because my reply was "I feel..." basically no response at all. She then told me that I needed to get back into bed and I told her I don't want to. At this point Michelle grabbed one arm and Adam grabbed the other and I was gently pushed backwards into bed. I sat on the edge of the bed finished my contraction and was instantly checked and told I needed to push. The tech and nurse were frantically breaking my bed apart and I was told to push on my next contraction. Two pushes in and baby was crowning. At this point the doctor told me if I tell you to stop, I need you to stop. I nodded in approval. By my third push the head was out and the doctor was doing what she had just pre-warned me about and told me to stop. I was somewhat loudly telling her I can't. My Mom was in my ear at this point telling me to breathe, you don't want to tear, you can stop, just breathe. So, I somewhat stopped and in my last push made it past baby's shoulders. Baby came out with its legs crossed so I'm in hopes and hanging on every word as to what the sex is. The doctor finally got the legs open and I was able to see it was a boy!!! Abram was instantly put onto my chest and the baby nurse was right there. I had instant tears and so did Adam. I couldn't believe we had another boy!
Abram Thomas Jamerson was born at 6:42 AM weighing in at 7 pounds 2 ounces, measuring 20 inches long, after just shy of 6 hours of labor and only pushing for 13 minutes!!! No drugs and no epidural. My L & D couldn't not have gone smoother!
Man was my gut wrong. Boy and a day after Valentine's. Michelle had joked with me shortly after I was admitted that I should have this baby before the shift change because she wanted to know what I was having. Well she got her wish.
Within the hour I was up and getting cleaned and changed and moving rooms. I was moved down to the Mommy and Baby rooms. Shortly after getting settled I recieved this picture.

Allen is happy to be a big brother.
We were discharged from the hospital the next day and by mid afternoon we were getting adjusted to being a family of four.
Allen is becoming a great big brother. He is so helpful and so sweet. He's very curious as to what Abram is eating when he's nursing. It's cute to see Allen try and figure it out.

This picture was taken yesterday, day 5 and I think it shows how well we all are getting adjusted. I love being a mommy and things couldn't be going any smoother

36 Week Checkup

I'm on weekly appointments now to check and see how munchkin is doing. Today was a normal checkup and I was scheduled for an ultrasound to check the growth of baby. As the week went on I became more and more nervous. I don't know exactly why. This isn't my first pregnancy. I guess I was a mix of emotions more than just nervous.
When I was pregnant with Allen I never got this ultrasound, and I was already having complications this late in the game with Allen.
Everything seems so new this time around. Weird how same mama, different pregnancies/babies and things are all of the sudden so different. I was also nervous because as many know we are not finding out the sex of our baby, but every time an ultrasound gets brought up I play the mind game with myself of, do we find out this time??? Adam and I from the get go have NOT wanted to know the sex of our children. We decided it's the one last surprise in life as an adult. Ask me why I still question whether or not to find out every single time, I will probably never have an answer for you. It's probably just the curiosity.
I was also a mix of emotions because at my last appointment my BP was elevated. I had a deep gut feeling that history was repeating itself and at my appointments to come it would stay elevated and I would be induced again. I'm ok with induction. My L & D with Allen after being induced was not bad and it actually couldn't have gone better. Six hours of labor and 40 minutes of pushing and I was able to meet my son.
So I'm sure as you're reading you want me to get to how the appointment actually went. Ok, Ok sorry for the delay. Went and got my ultrasound and baby is STUBBORN. I have one picture and it's a picture looking up munchkin's nose. The technician tried and tried to get a profile or anything other than a nose and lips and baby was not having it. Hmmm, based on this any predictions of the sex? I'm still thinking stubborn girl. I was put into an exam room and was told the doctor would look over the pictures that were taken (the measurements of the baby, since actual pictures were out of the question) and she would be right in to see me. My due date has not changed it still stands at February 19, my BP is normal, and baby is weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds 9 ounces. The doctor said that the baby can gain up to a half pound a week but he or she is averaging small. I will be lucky to have a baby weighing more than 7 pounds. She joked and said that he or she should just fall out. I laughed, but say what an itty bitty. I thought Allen was small at 7 lbs 4 oz and my doctor is telling me I'm most likely going to have smaller!!! She then went on to tell me that this is now a waiting game. Ya, okay now the joke is on me right??? You mean I get to be one of the normal functioning pregnant women that just waits for when her baby decides it wants to come. I don't know how to do that? Yep I will admit it right here and now...I'm impatient! I know it is truly God's plan of when I will actually be going into labor, but I get to wait. Oh geesh.
I see in my near future me trying all the crazy ways to induce labor: jumping jacks, standing on my head, hot sauce, spicy food. You name it I bet I will be willing to try it.
I'm still quite shell shocked that my BP is normal, my pregnancy is going normal, and I get to play the waiting game.
Next doctor appointment is scheduled for the 30th. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Baby Jamerson #2

This is how we announced the news to close family members by letting them know that Allen was going to be a big brother.

Here I am with the positive test confirming that my gut instinct was right and we were in fact pregnant.

After the shock wore off of finding out that we were expecting baby number two sooner than we had planned I got everything set up to see the doctor. This pregnancy everything was different. Different insurance, different health network which meant a new OB. I was not thrilled to say the least. I picked an OB through word of mouth and went to 3 appointments. He was so rude and him and I did not mesh well! I picked a new doctor and loved her. Everything was right on track. My due date was discovered to be February 19, 2014. Nothing like having a baby due right before your birthday...
The end of the year was quickly coming upon us. Adam was offered a job back in Rockford and the whirlwind began.
Adam moved back the weekend of the 14th, I finished up work and moved the weekend of the 27th. Adam's new job meant new insurance and that meant another insurance, different network, and another new OB. Are you seeing a pattern this pregnancy?? So now the true test finding a doctor that will accept me as a patient this far along. I'm into my third trimester and I need a doctor yesterday. After numerous phone calls and suggestions from friends I found a doctor on the second try!
So today was my first appointment with my new doctor. I absolutely love her and the team that she works with.
I'm currently 35 and 2 days
I'm measuring exactly at 35 weeks
Baby's FHR was 156
I've gained a total of 25 pounds
My cervix is shortening and soft, I'm 50% effaced and a half centimeter dilated. The doctor goes on to tell me that I'm two weeks away from being full term. Say whhhhaaat?? She then goes on to tell me to get my last minute stuff in order and get my bag packed. OK I'm switching to full out freak out mode. I guess I forgot how close to my due date and having another baby is literally right around the corner. Oh, and my body seems to like to repeat history as my BP was slightly elevated. Doctor is going to keep an eye on me and we will go from there. I'm on weekly appointments and I am scheduled to have an ultrasound to see how baby is measuring before my normal checkup. Munchkin be prepared I get to see you next Thursday. You have been warned.
Here are some pictures that we have taken through the pregnancy

Baby at 12 weeks

We had a little fun with the baby bump and Halloween. We used Allen's hands

Side by side comparison from my pregnancy with Allen and my pregnancy now. I can't believe how truly different my pregnancies have been.

And this is me currently happy and content at 35 weeks.

Well, well, well

Well I never finished the diaper bag series which is just plain sad. Truly my life has been in fast-forward and can anyone tell me where the pause or at least slow down button is.

I have lots of updates but the quick to the minute ones will be:
~I'm not going to go months and months without making a post regardless of if I have readers or not, I think this is somewhere that I can share what I'm feeling and share about my life.
~I should be able to make somewhat constant posts because I'm officially a stay-at-home-mommy
~Allen is a year old and is due to be a big brother here in February
~We moved

Since that all came out basically like word vomit within the next day or two I will catch everyone up what has been going on with the A-team and where all these changes have come from...stay tuned

What's in Your Diaper Bag, Chelsey?

Here is my first feature that the bestie and I came up with. After posting about my own diaper bag I have to feature Chelsey next of course. That's just how it works. So here are her answers to the questions.

Your name: Chelsey Felda
Blog: Lifes Little Souvenirs
Child/ren name and age: 1 daughter,  Ava, 8 months old

1.  What bag do you use? Do you love it/hate it?

I mostly use my Thirty-One Retro Metro Tote in Party Punch, but occasionally switch to my Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack.
I love both of my bags, but have found myself using the tote more often as Ava gets older and requires more (I.E. food and more toys to keep her entertained while away) I love that the PPB has a detachable changing pad so I am able to use it with the tote as well. Oh, and the prints are ADORABLE on both bags.

2. The goods...what's inside your bag?

1. Face wipes because let's face it, babies are messy. ;)

2. A pen, Wet Ones, and Pacifier/Toy Cleaning Wipes: I keep a pen in the bag because I always need one when I don't have one in it, the Wet Ones are for those dirty high chairs and carts, and the wipes are pretty much self explanatory. 

3. Baby food, travel spoon, formula/formula dispenser, baby juice, and my Thirty-One thermal pouch to keep it all in.

4. Baby Mum Mum's, a granola bar for Mommy (or Daddy!), spare/emergency formula, and baby snacks (teether biscuits and puffs).

5. Wet bag and cloth diapers.

6. Bottles and a sippy cup. 

7. Teether toys!! I would DIE without these!!

8. Wipes holder with cloth wipes inside, diaper creams, and hand sanitizer.

9. Mommy's wristlet, Kleenex, and chap stick: the Kleenex because it is allergy season and the chap stick because Brian is always asking me for some. 

10. Pacifiers (always carry a spare!).

11. The "Med" Bag: in it we have things like gas drops, Tylenol, baby chap stick, teething gel, amber beads, etc. 

12. A big and a burp cloth because Ava always seems to spit up when we don't have them.

13. Spare clothes in their own wet bag.

14. Some crazy light up spinner Cinderella toy...not sure why that is in there...

3.What must you always, always, always have in your bag?

What must I always have in my bag?? That is a tough one since without one thing we almost always need it; which is why I carry so much! I would have to say that right now the one thing I must ALWAYS have in the bag is a pacifier and the wet bag...without the pacifier I can't distract her from her hunger in the even that I forgot the bottle, formula, or BOTH; which has been done before. And without the wet bag, well, let's just say we have one STINKY diaper bag without it.

4. What's the most random item in your bag?

The most random thing in my bag is definitely that Cinderella toy...I think I stuffed it in her bag when we were traveling to Georgia a few weekends ago...not sure why...

5. Dirty Secret...

My dirty secret is that I am guilty of having forgotten to take the dirty diapers out of the wet bag...oopsy! I should also swap out the spare clothes since I am almost positive they are from two months ago...guess that means we are lucky for not ever needing them! Now watch, we will need them and the clothes will be waaaaaaay too small! Ha! 

Diaper Bag Series

My best friend and I came up with the idea to feature some of our friends that are mommas and what they have in their diaper bag. To start the series off I figured I could give you a look into what in my diaper bag and a look at the questions I will be asking my friends.

What is in your diaper bag?

Take a photo of your diaper bag and what's inside your bag

Name:
Blog:
Child(ren) name and age:

1. What bag do you use? Do you love it/hate it?
2. The goods...what's inside your bag?
3. What must you always, always, always have in your bag?
4. What's the most random item in your diaper bag?
5. Dirty secret...



Here's my answers

Aubrey 

Allen who is 6 months old

1. Vera Bradley's Make A Change Baby Bag in Baroque print and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my diaper bag. I love that a diaper pad is included with my bag and it's detachable

2. Diapers, wipes, creams, change of clothes, wetbag, bib, bottle(s), blanket, monkey toy, paci, hand sanitizer, diaper pad, face wipes, and my wristlet 

3. Diapers and a change of clothes. I feel like Allen has blowouts like it's his dayjob

4. A Bible for church on Sundays

5. I have forgotten a full bottle of formula a time or two and forgot that it was in my diaper bag for a couple days. Ooopsie 

I have a 6 month old Monster

Okay yet again I feel like I'm saying it, but seriously where does the time go?! I have an almost 6 month old??? This can't be happening. He giggles, chews on his toes, and is almost fully sitting up on his own. And let me say again he has turned into a monster! He's going through a growth spurt and on top of that as if it's not enough on its own he's teething. I'm so ready for this one tooth to break through. It has been such a pain in my rear that I can't even begin to explain. Thank you teething tablets and Tylenol for taking some of the edge off of my monster's swelling gums. Allen has also decided that he's now big enough to put himself to sleep. Oh no he does not want to be snuggled, loved or rocked. Oh hell no, is this real life? He can't be big enough to do this. It's great because I get to laugh at him and what I see in his baby monitor while he puts himself to sleep, but come on give your mama a break and at least let her hold on to one part of you being little and needing me to go to sleep. Ha ha guess not.
Other than a growth spurt and teeth turning the Jamerson household into a complete shitshow things have been okay...not great, not awful just okay.
I'm a Thirty-One consultant and went to my first C & C meeting. What is that you ask. I got to learn about all the new summer awesome'ness that will be coming out next month. Be excited!!! I know I am. Well at this meeting guess what happened to meeeee. I ate gluten. Oh ya, you read that right. Not on purpose of course I accidentally consumed gluten and man oh man am I ready for it to get the f out of my system. Job wise things are good for me. I got a promotion and I'm an assistant director (director designee) at work. Job wise for Adam still currently looking. New leads still coming in and hopefully will be doing a post very shortly about what Adam does get for a job. Until then off to research if all the business that's going on with my monster is normal...

Easter is here and March is almost gone...

First time that I have had Good Friday off in a long time. Per usual spring weather came rolling in and it was so nice to let some fresh air into the house. Don't get me wrong I'm one of those crazies that LOVES LOVES LOVES snow/winter but I was ready to say goodbye winter and hello spring. With the nice spring air rolling through the house Adam and I decided some deep spring cleaning was needed. Since the house is beyond small and most days it feels like a funny farm rather than a house, we decided to clean three rooms yesterday and three today. Well yesterday it was more like two and a half versus three but hey we tried and we still have all of today. The warm weather called is outside and the four of us (Adam, Allen, Ace, and i) decided a bike ride couldn't be turned down! Also in the festive'ness of Easter we took plastic Easter eggs strung some fishing line through them and hung them on our tree outside. Ta da festive tree. Wow that was way more easy than I thought it would be. The in-laws are coming over tomorrow after church of course to hang out with us (mostly Allen of course) and to have a yummy dinner. We're not big ham fans so turkey it is. Mom is bringing dessert. I'm very curious to see what she decides to bring. It will be GF of course. Yumo!!
Allen went in for his 4 moth checkup and he is currently 14.5 pounds, 26.7 inches long and doing great. Adam had to take Allen since I couldn't take off work. Adam's exact words were he loves Allen's doctor and is very pleased. Boogie but had to get four shots and apparently did great! Woo hoo. He's currently still eating rice cereal and bottles and per doctor advice will be starting food food after he turns 6 months. Bring on my baby bullet and the crazy baby food extravaganza. I'm super excited to start making baby food. I'm thinking his first meal will be peas. Hopefully he likes them. Maybe I can follow in his footsteps and I might just like them...maybe.
Well my butt has to get back to cleaning.

Momma Time

Ok so seriously where does the time in the day go? I am a full time working mommy and when I get home I feel like there is no time left in the day and of course my blog is the last thing on my mind. It's been almost a month since my last post and of course I feel like I could write a novel about all the baby and mommy things that have been going on. Tomorrow is Allen and mommy day so hopefully while boogie butt is sleeping I can get some more updates in.

Holy GEEEZ where to start??

Now looking back that my last post was in 2012 I really need to get my butt in gear and get some updates put up. Holy geez did life get crazy ever since Allen has been born. My last post was about Allen being born. Man oh man where do I start....?

We have had a lot of firsts to say the least...First Halloween, First Thanksgiving, First Christmas, First New Year, First Valentine's Day.  

Now let's see if I can get all of these pictures put in here as well. There have also been a lot of other firsts other than holidays. First smile, first giggle, first taste of rice cereal. I seriously cannot believe how quickly time flies. It is seriously gone in the blink of an eye. 

First Halloween

 

 First Doctor's Appt

 

First Boo Lip

First Chirstmas

First Valentine's Day

First taste of rice cereal

First time wearing bibs

First bath in a big boy tub

Way way behind

I for some reason keep doing this. I am way too far behind on posts. I did have the blogger app installed on my phone and went and started some posts and then realized that on the app version you can't save the posts. Boo!

So where to begin...Allen is one month and 3 days old. I have no idea where the time goes. He's a little chunk munk now and I love his little chubby cheeks.

Now to back track. Allen wasn't even a week old and I got a call from our nurse practitioner that his newborn screening results came back and he tested abnormal on one of them. He tested abnormal on the cystic fibrosis test. I immediately went numb. She went on to tell me that we would go to have tests done and if I had any questions. I was in shock and didn't not know what to say. It almost seemed like I couldn't form words. We were referred to the children's hospital in Milwaukee. I called and made our appointment. As soon as I hung up the phone I started bawling. It was so hard to hear that my son who wasn't even a week old could potentially have something wrong with him. How was this possible? I look at him and he seems perfect...now also mind you this all happened on Adam's first day back to work. Talk about a whirlwind.

The following Tuesday we headed up to Milwaukee. Allen was to have a sweat test. Individuals with cystic fibrosis have more salt in their sweat than individuals who don't have it. The test started out with putting electrodes on his arms with a gel underneath to stimulate the skin to sweat. Now anyone that knows my child knows that he loves to move his arms and have his hands by his face. The nurse and I had to hold his arms down, so of course Allen screamed the whole five minutes he had to wear the electrodes. I almost started crying right then and there. Then sterilized gauze got put on his arms to collect the sweat. And the wait started. During our wait period a genetics specialist came and talked with us. She said that in Allen's newborn screen he did test abnormal and they looked at his blood work. They were able to find one mutated gene. This test could come out one of three ways. Positive which means he does have cystic fibrosis and he would get put on medicine immediately, negative which means he is just the carrier for it, or borderline which can be very frustrating. If it came back borderline they would take a blood sample and go and look through the blood work more in depth to see if they could find another mutated gene. They would also bring us back to take another sweat test. A person that has cystic fibrosis has two recessive mutated genes. Since Allen for sure has the one he is at least a carrier for it which means when he is older, gets married and decides to have babies of his own he has to be aware of if his wife is a carrier because their children will have the possibility of having it. So, 30 minutes later the gauze was taken off along with the tape and everything else. We dressed Allen and walked passed the lab to find out if he did sweat enough to run the tests. We found out that he did not sweat enough. My heart sunk. This meant that we would have to come back and retest. So I still have no answer to whether he has it or not. We were told to come back in a month and get retested since he would be bigger then. I have to call and make his appointment.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a long holiday weekend for Allen and I and we were definitely happy to get back home. After about a day of being home Allen seemed to be getting sick. I took him to the doctor and he has a cold. So hard to see when your baby is so little and there's not much you can do for them. Hopefully he gets better soon. Of course I'm sick too! I think this is the first cold I have had in a very long time. I'm hoping it stays a cold and doesn't turn into something worse. I'm starting to get a bad cough and let's see where this goes.

I officially have a new job. It is at a local daycare in the area and Allen will be going to work with me. I'm so excited about this center and all the great things to come. I'm hoping to be starting December 10th which is right around the corner.

Next post to come will be about the lifesavers for us in the first month and any changes that have come.