In Case of Emergency

    I am preparing to go back to work next week. As tough as this is, I am ever so grateful that my sister-in-law will be coming to stay with Lucas through the end of the year. This will give him a few more months to grow before I have to place him in child care outside of the home (now THAT is going to be painful) I may have to bribe my SIL to continue to watch him. If only she didn't live an hour away, she would probably be happy to watch him full time. That's what I get for moving away from her.

   Anyway, I am putting together an Emergency Contact List and am perusing websites looking for ideas of what I should include. The below is an example. While a bit cluttered, it is what I will be basing mine on. I have a binder where she will be logging his eating and sleeping and in the sleeve on the back of the binder, I will include the Emergency Contact Info.

   

What kind of Emergency Contact List do you have? Where is it posted?

2 Months (09/14/11)

Lucas,

     You are two months old today

Stats:

Height - 22 inches (25th percentile)

Weight - 9 lbs 9.5 oz (10th percentile)

Head Circumference -14.5

Food:

Nursing exclusively. We have given you a bottle once or twice. As great as it would be for dad to share in the joy of feeding you, I am feeding you all the time and loving every minute of it. I am pumping daily b/c over the next few weeks, we will start to give you bottles every so often as I prepare to return to work. Based on the bottles Dad has given you thus far, it  seems like you will have no problem. You are just a great eater.

Clothes:

It looks like you are starting to grow out of your newborn clothes. I'm sure it will be time to pack them up within the next week or so. You are growing up so quickly

Diapers:

You have been in size 0 newborn diapers, but it looks like it may be about time to move you up to size 1. Over the past week I have had to put you in size 1's at night because the newborn diapers just weren't enough as you started waking up soaking wet every morning. I can't believe you are getting so big so quickly, but it just means that you are a very healthy baby

Milestones:

You are smiling more frequently which always brightens my day. You are becoming a happier baby in the evening which means smiles for dad when he gets home which makes him melt. You are such a strong baby and since you sleep on your tummy you have started scooting quite a bit in the crib. I always find you on the opposite side of the crib/co-sleeper when you wake up in the morning or from a nap. In fact once I put you on your play mat and you were so upset that the added energy helped you to flip over to your back which surprised us both. You are still eating every 3 hrs. Instead of waking you up from your naps, I now let you sleep and simply feed you once you wake-up. This seems to have helped us with the evening as you are now allowing us to put you down earlier in the evenings (between 9-11). I'm guessing you were so tired that you couldn't sleep

You still love to be held. Once you hit 8 lbs, I was finally able to start using the Baby Bjorn. This is great for shopping trips as you still are not a fan of the car seat. I still love the K'Tan as it keeps you close and snuggled against me (I think you really like it too b/c it always relaxes you) but it doesn't truly allow me to be hands free as it does not provide the best head support. I do always hold you in the K'Tan at Mass b/c you are less likely to cry and more easily soothed which always warms my heart (although I know Gran would prefer to be holding you:)

Sleeping:
You are ready for a nap 1 1/2 hrs after waking up from the previous nap. At that moment, you start to whimper and start to bury your head in my chest. All it takes is for me to cradle you and give you a paci and you are usually asleep within minutes. You typically take 2 1 hr naps (8:30,11:30) and a longer 2-3 hr nap later in the afternoon (3:30).

The past two months have flown by. Your dad and I have been so blessed to have you in our lives we just couldn't imagine it any other way. We can't wait to see what the future holds.


Love,


Mom and Dad

Congratulations Lucas Edward !!!

     On Saturday, September 3, Lucas was welcomed into the Catholic Church by our wonderful friends and family. Talk about a very special day. When celebrating such special events I am always reminded how much I miss my dad. Especially with the birth of my first child I am constantly reminded about my dad's dying wish... he wanted his bambinos. While in the hospital, a couple of years before passing away, he made it loud and clear to both Meg and Me that he wanted to live to see his bambinos. Of course neither of us were married at the time to which we replied that we could provide but he new what that meant. He would shrug, say "well...." and then start laughing. We knew as well as he did that one day we could provide him with bambinos, but we couldn't be certain he would be present to touch them and hold them in his arms.

     I am thrilled to finally be able to answer that wish and I know that he has front row seats in heaven as he watches down on us, getting to see every tear and smile not only from Lucas, but from his parents too;) Knowing he is looking down on us brings great joy to my heart, but knowing Lucas will not get to meet his Grandad Hamlet brings tears to my eyes. He will, however, always carry his grandfathers' name, Edward.  His absence is always greatly felt, especially at these events, but I couldn't be luckier to have my dad's brother, my uncle, as a Priest, present to represent my dad. How fortunate am I to have my dad's brother not only concelebrate at my own wedding, but also to Baptize my son, his brothers' grandson. I cannot imagine a greater gift.

     Thank you to everyone who helped us to make this a very special day!!

Meal Planning Monday

Sun - Lunch - Cheddars; Dinner - sandwiches

Mon - Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Tues - Chicken Pot Pie

Wed - Dinner @ RCYC

Thurs - Turkey sandwiches on Toasted French bread

Fri - Crock Pot Stew

Sat - Kitchen is closed

Meal Planning Monday

Sun - Lasagna, Salad, and Garlic Bread (Homemade and frozen)

Mon - Grilled Chicken and Penne Pasta with Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, and Basil

Tues - Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes (Crock Pot)

Wed - Dinner at RCYC

Thurs - Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings

Fri - Date Night (Hopefully)

Saturday - Lunch - Cookout with Irving Crew @ Home
                 Dinner - Leftovers

Where To Find Fridays

Sleeve Scrunchies !!

This week's edition came about as a result of last week's search for a paci leash. My good friend, Sarah, sent me a link to her friends' Facebook fan page, BAM's Fab Creations, where she had purchased a paci leash in the past. While perusing the page I noticed other items that this girl makes. One of the items that she makes are t-shirt sleeve bands (aka sleeve scrunchy). For years I have wondered where to find these. Call me strange, but when I am running/working out I cannot stand my t-shirt sleeves touching my arms. If I'm not wearing a sleeveless top I spend my workouts continuously rolling up my sleeves. I knew these things existed but I just never knew where to find them. What better place to purchase them then through a local boutique . I will be purchasing a set of my own in the coming days.

When you get a few minutes go peruse her page...maybe you'll find something you like too.

Meal Planning Monday

Sun - Homemade chicken noodle soup

Mon - Grilled chicken/ spinach Salad

Tues - Seasoned turkey sub w/ chips

Wed -Tuna Tettrazini

Thurs -BBQ Baked Pork Chops, Applesauce, Steamed Broccoli

Fri - Grilled Steaks, veggies (Brother/Sister-in-law are coming for dinner)

Sat - Lasagna w/ Garlic Bread and salad

Where to Find Fridays

Now that I am a mom, I am learning a lot about what is useful vs what is not useful in terms of caring for my baby. Just as with anything else it's the little things that matter.

Before giving birth, I was determined NOT to give my child a pacifier until he was at least 1 month old. Well, we quickly learned that Lucas has a strong desire to suck so within the second week around 2am and 4 hours of "nursing" I caved. Since that night we have gone through several different brands, shapes and sizes of pacifiers to find one that not only fit his tiny mouth and face, but one that he liked. We have since identified his favorite:

The Soothie

In the process I have been left with 2 questions:

1) Why must the paci manufacturers make a paci leash designed for only their pacifiers? Knowing of course they want you to buy their "leash". Not to mention that these leashes are poorly designed.

2) Why can't I find a leash for "The Soothie"?

I finally found it on my most favorite website...AMAZON

The Booginhead PaciGrip Pacifier Holder

Now, I'm sure there are other brands, but I liked the designs of this brand the best AND it will work on pretty much any pacifier. So far I like it. It just arrived yesterday and it's great! My only complaint is that I need more b/c now whenever I need a paci I walk around looking for the one attached to the leash ;)

(Editors' Note: Did you know that you can get free Amazon Prime 2 day shipping if you are a subscribe/save member? I order all of my diapers here and get 30% off each order which also gets me free shipping)

Meal Planning Monday

Sun - Leftovers from party
Mon - Grilled Steaks, Asparagus, Baked Potatoes
Tues -Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
Wed - Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad
Thurs - Grilled Chicken and spinach salad
Fri - TBD
Sat - Lasagna, salad, garlic bread