Has anyone seen the milk man?

I'm trying to track down the milk man this week, because we are running low on milk in this household, and I am not talking white or chocolate, I'm talking breast milk.

Earlier this week, PC and I took E for his 4 month check-up and to get his needles. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was having trouble feeding him last week... and so going into the appointment I wanted to ask the family doctor a few questions, but we were barely in the office door before he had a few questions for me.

We discovered at this appointment that E has gained just shy of a pound since his 2 month check-up... and while I knew he wasn't a big gainer or a super chubby baby, I wasn't overly concerned because he has been such a happy little guy, and doing everything a 4 month old baby should be doing.

However... we stripped him down and weighed him and the eyebrows were raised by the nurse, the medical student, and the doc himself.

They went from raised eyebrows... straight to the percentile graph, and of course, E's most recent weigh-in (of a whopping 10 pounds) doesn't even register on this holy graph they use.

A serious of detailed questions about his eating habits ensued, and their advice was to put him on formula and FAST - feeding him as much as he will take and often. The doc went as far to say we have to start waking E up in the night for a feeding - to which I gave him a blank stare and the invisible middle finger shot up for emphasis. I am NOT waking up a baby that sleeps through the night - sorry.

In the meantime they were sending us to see a pediatrician to see if it might be more then being 'undernourished' as the family doctor so delicately put it. I was thinking we would see a ped in a week's time, but NO, we were called later on Monday afternoon for an appointment the following day - thus making me feel that this low-weight gain issue was an EMERGENCY.

We left the family doctor's office, and I managed to keep my emotions under control until we hit the car. I was a mess... I took it personally what he said about E being undernourished... and while I know everyone can tell me its not my fault, I do take the blame and the responsibility as I am his mother, and I am the one who feeds him on a daily basis, and I am suppose to know my baby. I think what upset me even more is that because of this whole 'weight' issue, they decided to hold off on giving E his 4 month shots... until the ped weighed in on the case (no pun intended) - so while the goal of the appointment was to get the shots, we left without them, and that made me mad.

So.... Tuesday we were off to the pediatrician, and to my surprise she was extremely nice and informative, and overall I adored her approach. She had read E's file previous to me arriving, so I didn't have to repeat my life history, and she was very easy to relate to, like a woman who has 'been there' with her own experiences - I quite liked that.

Her basic analysis was that E has outgrown my milk supply... meaning that I have enough milk to meet his needs and sustain his current weight, but not enough milk to exceed his expectations, thus allowing him to gain weight. This explains why feeding him later in the day is such a challenge because according to her, there is barely anything there as the day wears on and he is frustrated by that.

While she flat out said, she doesn't recommend/promote using formula, in this case, its necessary to supplement with formula (in addition to breastfeeding) and work on getting my milk supply up (by drinking more fluids, EVEN the occasional beer)!

So... we left her office, with an armful of formula, and an appointment to see her in a week. She fully believes that E will gain weight with the top up, and that it won't be long before he is back on the charts and everyone is happy.

Once Tuesday was over... I was relieved. We have a plan - AND its not the end of the world. I am happy to go back and see the ped again next week, and I hope that the results will show on the scale for E.

If all goes well I will chalk this up to an emotional Mommy hiccup on my part... if not - you'll definitely hear about it!

I think I already mentioned this earlier in the week, but 'oh... the joys of motherhood'!

Fed-Up with Feedings!

It's Sunday night and I feel like I have had a rough day in the feeding department. E is an all around pretty good baby, but this last week has been quite the challenge when it comes to feeding time, especially in the evening.

I am not sure if he can read my mind... but I have been thinking about and reading about starting to close out breast-feeding altogether. I said that I would do it for a minimum of 3 months, and a max of six months. We are in month 4 right now and it has been going well, but I can see how not breast-feeding would give me more independence on my part, and I can see that E doesn't really care one way or another whether he is eating from a boob or a bottle.

My ideal time line is to be done breast-feeding by the end of April (but at the rate we are going this week, it might be the end of February)!

It seems that come the 6pm feeding, he will eat for about 5 to 10 minutes and then be so disinterested in eating that he 'freaks out'. All week, I have tried multiple approaches... from giving him a break then going back to the breast, changing his diaper and going back to the breast, and finally closing up shop altogether and giving him a bottle of formula. All week it has ended with him having a bottle and being a happy camper, and me feeling like a failure.

I don't have any problem with him having a bottle, its actually easier that way... but I can't help but feel like I'm letting E down in the breast-feeding department when this happens. I don't know what it is... but my emotions say that I 'should' be breast-feeding... so when E actually rejects the breast, I think I take it personally or something.

It sounds rather stupid... but its the truth. Part of me thinks that I feel this way based on the numerous resources I've read that stress how important breast-feeding is. Its almost to the point where the books and experts are saying 'if not breast-feeding, your not a good mother'. I really hate that.

E goes to the doc tomorrow for his 4 month shots... and I have a laundry list of questions for him, at which feeding is at the top of the list. I guess what I need more than anything is just reassurance that if I decide to stop breast-feeding that it doesn't put me in the running for the 'worst mother of the year' award, because that is how I am feeling this week.

Oh the joys of motherhood!

The Olympic Glass

A few weeks ago I was getting gas at a Petro Canada and noticed this advertisement to the left of the pump. During my entire fill up, I studied the glass and thought that it was a pretty nice piece.

I paid at the pump but after getting my receipt I decided to venture into the store and check these glasses out in person. They were indeed as nice in person as I had dreamed about them outside. I decided to purchase 2 for the small fee of $3.99 each.

I secretly love the inukshuk and the fact that it is part of the 2010 Olympic logo, I am all over it. After purchasing the glasses... I took them home to PC, washed them up and we enjoyed a lovely glass of H20 in them together over dinner. We both agreed that an entire set would be worth it, and so yesterday, PC came home with 6 more!

I am so happy to have them... I think they are the perfect size!

I have to laugh at myself as I had an 'aging' moment after I put them in my cupboard. I recalled the set of olympic wine glasses my parents have from the 1988 Olympics (which also came from Petro, I believe from Jack Gregory's gas station/garage in Thessalon)... they had that tacky (probably not at the time) gold Olympic torch logo on them. I believe they released a few different sets of these glasses (wine, beer, small & large sized drinking glasses). My dad still uses one of the few large wine glasses they have left, for a nice cold beer every once and a while day.

Do you recall:The gold torch has considerably worn off after probably 5500 dishwasher cycles, but the glass itself is still in good shape. This recollection made me feel pretty good about our purchase. The 2010 version has no gold on it, so its not likely to show its age in 20 years, which is fantastic... as I am looking forward using our drinking glasses for many years to come!

Shedding ...

I am not sure if its the time of year, or my post-pregnancy hormones catching up with me, but I am shedding hair everywhere these days.

Last month, I decided to go and get my hair cut, after cleaning up about 5,000 stray hairs off the bathroom floor. I think in my head, I thought it was the evidence that I needed to remind myself how badly I needed a hair cut. I figured, I would get it cut, and the stray hairs would be eliminate themselves.

Boy, was I wrong.

I think the hair that is falling out has doubled... its everywhere. I clean my brush every day and it looks like I have combined a golden retriever at least 50 times. It covers the bathroom mats, I find it all over my pillow, on the blankets, on E's blankets, and probably most notably as I was cleaning E's dirty bum this morning, a stray hair trapped in the poop - groooooooooooss!

I don't know what to do... I have a read a few things about hair loss, and that it is natural. I have thick hair and I've always considered it to be healthy, but the amount of hair I am losing these days leads me to wonder how healthy I really am in the hair department.

I know during pregnancy, I lost practically no hair at all... I didn't see much change in my hair then, but now its everywhere. PC couldn't be more annoyed about it either. He is constantly telling me to clean the drain in the shower (and he means it too)... he's pretty disgusted by the whole thing, and to be honest I am getting pretty sick of it too. I am just wondering how much longer this massive shed is gonna go on for?

Any ideas?

My BEST Valentine Yet!

Happy Valentine's Day

Helping out a fellow Blogger!

My friend and former co-worker Dani over at Postcards from the Mothership, is one of the main reasons I got into blogging. She started blogging after she returned from the mat. leave of her first son, Tristan, and I have followed her from the get-go through the birth of her second son Simon, and most recently Lucas!

She is a such a great writer.... down-to-earth, funny, and not afraid to put anything out there in the blogosphere, and I love that. Now that I am a Mom, I relate to her posts even more so than in the past. I have her on the highest of high bloggy pedistals, and I would like it to stay that way with your help!

Ahem... to the point... she is a finalist in a contest that will send her to the 2009 BlogHer Conference IN CHICAGO if she receives the winning number of votes for her post on why blogging means so much to her, and I really want to see her go, so I am asking you, all of my faithful readers, to get the heck over to Mabel's Label blog and VOTE for her entry:

Dani@Postcards from the Mothership
'The one in which she counts her bloggy blessings'

It's mid-way down the list, and it would mean so much to her if she won - trust me, Mabel could not be sending a better candidate if Dani actually wins!

You have until February 23rd to do so, and just as a side note you can vote more than once before they cut you off!

So as a favour to me... please get over there and VOTE VOTE VOTE!
THANK YOU!

Ready for V-Day!

You may recall back in January, I decided to participate in a Valentine's Day swap that Claire over at Life of a Southern Belle was hosting.

I was matched up with Claire herself... and I received her package in the mail this week. It did not disappoint. It was a HUGE box... and I was so pumped to open it.

Inside was a nice little letter from Claire explaining the contents....
As I dug through the packaging ... I was loving each individually wrapped white bag sealed with a heart sticker on it.... there were 5 in total.
I had so much fun unwrapping each bag of goodies... in addition to the bags, there was also a bubble wrapped heart-shaped plate, a food magazine, and some organic Hershey's milk chocolate. After I was done opening everything, I felt like I had hit the Valentine's jackpot.

Here is a pic of my loot....I am loving everything, but especially the heart-shaped ice cube tray... my fav!

Thanks so much Claire for organizing such a fun swap, and for putting together a great package. Thanks to you, I am officially prepared for V-Day on Saturday.

25 Random Things About Me

This meme has been going around Facebook and I have been tagged a couple of times... so I thought instead of following suit of FB, I would bring it over here, as I know some of my faithful readers don't always have access to FB, AND, I needed a blog post for today!

So here we go....

The rules state: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

For the record I am not tagging anyone... but if you want to play along, leave me a comment and link to your blog and so I can head on over and read more about you!

Ahem... onto the randomness!

1. I heart my MACBOOK - seriously, best. purchase. ever!

2. I could watch Jon and Kate plus 8 forever - I hope they never stop filming that show.

3. I have never pulled my stove out from the wall... so I can only imagine what is under there - YUCK!

4. I think a hot vacation every year is mandatory and should be subsidized by the government.

5. I have a new found addiction to hot banana peppers... on everything I eat.

6. I think my husband is a fantastic Dad.

7. I wish I was more creative in the kitchen during the winter... every meal seems so blah lately.

8. Being a Mom is changing my life... for the better.

9. I happen to think my little boy is the CUTEST boy to ever grace the planet!

10. I wish a Good Life gym would open up in downtown Embrun.

11. I loved my wedding day... I look back on it and smile.

12. I wish blog writing was a profession that made 100K!

13. When I was in younger I had a tumor on my tongue. The doctor did surgery and cut it off, and my tongue grew back in a week's time.

14. I miss my grandparents and wish they were still alive today.

15. I love a glass of red wine... followed by another glass and another glass and another glass!

16. The worst purchase I ever made was this ti-dyed belly shirt and matching spandex shorts in Florida when I was 11 - I begged my Mom to get the outfit for me, and I hated it the minute we got home but knew I had to wear it because I put up such a stink about getting it. Talk about buyers remorse!

17. I will never make my kids 'clean their plate', I think its wrong.

18. I am wondering when my obsession with polka dots will fade... like Winnie the Pooh and Flip-Flops have done so in the past.

19. I have a strong dislike for stuffed animals... I think they are dust collectors and really hope E doesn't become a stuffed animal lover like I was when I was younger.

20. I would rather spend $100 on 'cool' baby clothes, than $20 on myself.

21. I look in the mirror often and wonder if I look my age... I have hard time thinking that I really look 29 - do I?

22. I was soooo pissed off when I was 15, that I started the car (without a license), backed straight out of the driveway, and then got scared shitless, drove straight back in, shut the car off and cried for 5 minutes.

23. The thought of a second pregnancy right now scares the shit out of me... I don't want the preggo hormones to come back.

24. I would love to go back to NYC & Boston, and I want to go to Chicago too.

25. I admit, someone told me that the nipple cream for breastfeeding was good for your lips, I tried it, it is, and I use it faithfully these days.

Now that was fun... if you want to play along, tag yourself in the comment section and I will be over to read about you in no time!

What a great weekend!

I don't have much time to compose a post today, but I did have a really great weekend. My BFF Kristy came to town for a much needed visit... and we treated ourselves and my other BFF Clapper to a really relaxing pedi at the Day Spa in Kanata on Saturday.

I loved every. single. minute. of it! We took our time, and then followed it up with a lovely afternoon lunch at Moxi's complete with a savoury glass of red wine. Afterwards we shopped around a little bit... and I finally pooled my Christmas and birthday presents to purchase the ipod touch (I love it). PC kept E for the whoooooooole day and I think it was the first day I have ever been out of the house for 6.5 hours ... without my smiling boy.

It was a really great afternoon, and what made it even better is that E was a very well behaved for his Daddy!

The following day, Kristy and I lounged around in the morning, made some delicious crepes for breaky... then went for a walk with E in the 'brisk' wind to the smoothie shop. We got caught up on each other's lives in the past couple of months... and the rumour mill from back home.

It was just an all around great weekend for me... and the best part is I now have lovely toes to look at while I am changing diapers, doing laundry, and singing 'three blind mice'!

Here's a few pics from the weekend!

4 months ...

Today marks E's 4th month on the planet! And he's doing great.

I swear he gets cuter and cuter everyday... but I guess that's just my humble opinion (and PC's too). We love him to death.... its really amazing how much love you can feel for one tiny little being, he really is the center of my world, and everything else just seems to pale in comparison.

This past month E came down with his first cold... but he was a trooper through it all. It started out with a little cough, and then a runny nose... and then came the congestion. But I got schooled up on 'how to care for an infant's cold' and we were spittin' nickles in no time.

I was sorta relieved to see his first cold come and go... I wasn't expecting him to go cold free for the entire year, so I am happy to see that it has finally come and gone and we all lived to tell about it.

Lately, most of our days seem to mesh together... but it couldn't be a better routine. E is comfortably sleeping through the night, he even is putting himself to sleep these days which is making my life much easier, and in the day time he is going a bit longer between feedings too, so we have more down time to get some things done at home. When he is up and about, he is one happy guy... smiles all around, and is always seeking attention (wonder where he gets that from!). I think he and I sometimes spend a little too much time together, as I notice he puts up a little fuss when I am not around - but I guess you can't blame him - we do spend 24-7 together. I think next month I am going to try and get out a bit more with him and also without him to help him ease the transition of being with other people.

This week I booked flights for us to go to Florida in April... and I am so excited. It will be our first family vacation together ... so for the next few months I will be preparing for that, and figuring out just how to travel with a 6 month old!

As per tradition, here is the results of 4-month photo shoot, and a few others taken during the last month.

Enjoy!

Cloud of Doom and Gloom

Lately, it seems like every time I pick up the phone or talk to someone it is evidently some form of bad news.

So and so is in the hospital
So and so has been diagnosed with X
So and so's mother/father/grandparent passed away
So and so are splitting up
So and so lost their job
So and so was in a bad accident

It's not a good start to the month of February, that's for sure - thank god its a short month. Hopefully this cloud of doom and gloom that is hanging over us will move out long before the month's end.... but nonetheless, right now is seems be delivering quite the storm.

Anyone else feel the same way?