Wonder Boobies!

This may go on a bit, so forgive me...

When Luke was born, breastfeeding was more of a chore than anything else. I didn't know it at the time, but I had a pretty nasty case of thrush which made my nips feel like his mouth was full of razor blades. Instead of finding the time while he was feeding calming and bonding, I held my breath for much of it, watching the clock and praying he'd be finished soon. In the course of two months I cracked, I bled and I gave up. I was young, inexperienced and exhausted, and just didn't have the heart or the drive at the time to do what it took to right the problem and keep on breastfeeding. Though I know it didn't affect our bonding, I think the switch may have impacted his health and for that I will always feel a little guilty. It seemed like he was sick ALL the time when he was a baby. It was like a constant revolving round of croup, ear infections, colds and colic. My poor baby...

It's probably the largest reason I was so determined to breastfeed Miss Brooklyn. I actually got thrush again this time, but after a round of anti-fungal medication (that sounds fun huh?!)we were back up and running again. She's been a champ through the entire learning process and gave me the breastfeeding experience I was hoping to have. That said, I'm going to do my damnedest to give her breast milk for at least a year. I'm not sure if we'll be able to do the actual breastfeeding thing for that long (my pump and I are going to be the beast of friends), but I'm determined to express enough to keep it as the staple of her diet until her first birthday. I've got about 300 ounces chillin' in the deep freeze and if I can double that in the next few months, I may be able to stop feeding/pumping a few months early and still be able to finish out my 1 year commitment. By the way, I've been sneaking breastmilk into the Duke's cereal every once in a while, to help his tummy since he just finished a round of antibiotics for the latest ear infection. Maybe it can help him fight off getting sick... We'll see!

Boobie Pump Down for the Count

This is what I get for buying a "gently used" breast pump online... Yeah, I bet you only used it a few times, or a few years, which ever! But at least I got a screamin' deal on my new Medel.a Pump in Style Advanced, and it comes in a super cute messenger bag...About $100 off the regular price to be exact!!!!

Maybe I'll finally have enough space in that thing to bring to sets of parts so I don't have to wash the same set 3 times a day in the bathroom sink.

3 Months Old

I can't believe my little girl is 3 months old... Has it really been that long? Wow, that went bye far too quickly.

We survived our first week (well, 3 days to be exact) back at work and daycare and I can't even begin to describe how overwhelmed I felt. My job is such that even an absence of a few days can reek havoc on the old skill set, so you can imagine what 3 months did... There are new faces, and some of the old faces are missing, but all in all, I think I'll get my swagger back pretty quickly. At least I can find relief in the fact that I work with an awesome group of women who have my back and are gracious enough to help me when I need it, like say my 3 pumping breaks during the day! I wonder if they realize how much I appreciate the fact that they are willing to help a sista' out? If not, bribery by Starbuck.s will have to do!!!

Back to my doll... She already seems so different, so much older. She's laughing and cooing all the time and can hold her head up when I carry her against my shoulder or in the Bjo.rn, and in a way I'm both thrilled and a little sad. With every milestone she reaches and overcomes, she becomes less and less baby, and more toddler, more "big girl."

What a fragile and breakable little thing she was just 12 weeks ago... So different already... Ah, the joys of being the mommy...

I think I can, I think I can

By my watch, I'm about half way through my first day back at work and I haven't sobbed yet. I have gotten quite close though, while sitting in the arctic quiet room at my office pumping. Having to wash all of the parts after every pumping session ( I'm pumping 3 times a day) looks like it's going to be a hassle, but I think I'm doing quite well. I do feel pretty useless though, things have changed a lot in the 3 months that I was gone from work, so I'm having to ask the girls on pretty much anything I venture on trying to do. They've been amazing, just like I thought...

Oh yeah, my poor feet are KILLING me. It's been 3 months since I've worn anything other than flip flops and I can definitely feel it. Easy dinner planned for tonight and then off to bed early.

Photo Shoot

So, we had our "BIG" photo shoot with Persia (Uncle Justin's wife & amazing photographer) this weekend to take some beautiful pictures of Miss Brooklyn. She took some amazing photos of Luke when he was about weeks old so we made sure to get some of Brooklyn so we can compare the 2 squirts... It all pretty much went off without a hitch, other than being surrounded by screaming kids, but that's to be expected! She set up a few backdrops in her living room and then we did our damnedest to get a few good shots before her babies Ava and Dylan, and my baby Capt. Duke, made their way out of Ava's room and in to crash the party. I can't wait to get the pictures back... She really should take family/baby photos for a living. I'll be sure to post them as soon as I get them from Persia.

Rainy and yucky here for the next few days so I think I'm going to get to work on cleaning/organizing the house (all of the things I normally don't have time to do while I'm working full time) and figuring out the whole pumping thing. I'm about half way through my maternity leave and need to master pumping now so I'm a pro once I return to work. This first 6 weeks has flown by so quickly... Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we weighed Miss Brook a few days ago and it looks like she's almost 11 pounds right now!!! Breastfeeding is obviously working!