This Week

We went back to the lactation specialist on Tuesday, and our problem seems to be solved.  Graesen gained over 4 oz in 4 days.  He weighed in at 16lbs 8.8 oz  That means that he is over double his birth weight!  He's not even four months old yet!  And, just to make sure I didn't think he was starving, Graesen ate a ton all week.  He has a cold, and I have started to get it too, so I decided that we should stay home and rest.  Graesen loved this idea, because it meant he could eat almost non-stop.  He thought that eating would cure his cold.

So full...

Too full to sit up...

Why did I eat so much?

Does my belly look bigger to you?

 

Show Us Your Life-Costumes

I decided to participate in Kelly's Korner Show Us You Life this week.  The theme is costumes, and I think I have the cutest lion ever!  I've already posted these pictures, so just read my new post if you are bored with my excessive Graesen as a lion pictures.  :)

My Little Pumpkin

We carved pumpkins today!

 

 

 

Goodbye to Grandpa

Today my grandpa died (my dad's dad).  We knew it was coming, but it is still sad to know that we will be unable to see until the day we enter heaven.  My grandpa was a wonderful man.  He fought in WWII, took care of his family, and ALWAYS showed love to those around him.  He was a gentle, caring, and humble man.

Graesen is getting sick today. The poor kid is all stuffy, has spit up a bunch, is having bright green poops (maybe an upser stomach?), and acting rather uncomfortable at times.  How my son has managed to get sick three times within three and a half months is beyond me.  When are those antibodies in breastmilk going to kick in?!

Before Graesen started to get really sick, he had his pictures taken this morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

What does a mom have to do to feed her child?!

Today Graesen and I visited the lactation specialist again.  The last couple of weeks I have noticed that when pumping at night I have ended up with less and less milk.  The last few days it was almost nothing.  Plus, I have been having a hard time pumping enough on days that I teach.  Yesterday, Graesen ate 15 ounces while I was teaching.  I was able to pump a total of 8 ounces yesterday.  While I do have milk from the past couple months in the freezer, I am pulling that milk out way faster than I put milk in.  I called the lactation office yesterday afternoon and talked to a different nurse than I ever had before.  When I got off the phone I was SO disappointed.  She said I either needed to start giving Graesen some formula or cut back on work.  I was not satisfied with this answer, so I asked to make an appointment with my regular lactation nurse.  We weighed Graesen today and he was 16 lbs 4 oz.  While he has gained weight, it is really slowing down.  Then when I nursed him, he only got 3 oz at first.  We tried again and got close to another 2 oz.  Graesen normally eats 5 to 7 oz per feeding, and now I can barely give him the minimum of what he needs.  So what am I doing now?  I am currently power pumping (10 min on, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, and 10 on).  I am also taking herbs.  I really hope that this works.  I DO NOT want Graesen on formula.  I will go to a weigh in next Tuesday and that will let us know if this is working.  Poor Graesen was NOT happy today when he didn't get as much as he wanted at multiple feedings.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day?

Here are some cute Graesen pics I took the last couple of days:

He wanted to eat, not get his picture taken first!

 

 

I HATE Leaving My Boy

I HATE leaving Graesen to go to work.  I have wonderful people to take care of him, but I still dread leaving him.  It feels so unnatural to go about my day without Graesen there.  I feel that since I am his mother I should be the one to spend my days forming him into a wonderful, loving human being.  Tonight it is just getting to me how awful it feels to no longer be able to spend all my time with Graesen.  I have to work to pay my bills, but I wonder if there is a better option.  Is there a way for me to make enough money AND minimize my time spent without Graesen?

Here is the sweet boy trying out his cousin Phoebe's Johnny Jump Up.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday.  She is the most wonderful mom and grandma.  She has been there for me through everything, and has never failed to give me her support.  I constantly pray that I can be as good of a mom to Graesen as she has been to me.  I love you, Mom! (and Graesen does too)
Here is my mom with Graesen right after he was born.  My mom was by my side through the entire long delivery! (She also made that adorable hat)

Graesen has grown so much that he had to upgrade to a larger tub:

Other cute Graesen pictures:

 

 

 

Surgery

So Graesen is going to have to get surgery in the next few months.  He has an undescended testicle (sorry to those of you who think that is too much information.  I come from a family who talks about EVERYTHING).  It's up in his stomach, so it will have to be cut out and then placed where it belongs.  If we don't take care of it now it can lead to infertility and a higher risk for undetected cancer later in life.  So, take care of it we will.  I am not looking forward to having my son under anesthesia, though.  I seriously think I will cry when they wheel him off to surgery.  My poor boy :(
In other news, Graesen learned to grab toys this week.  He is pretty excited about it.  He went to his baby sitter's house twice this week while I worked.  I worked full days, so it was a bit hard to not see him for that long.  It was also a BIG pain to pump while subbing.  Schools no longer give subs keys anymore, so I was unable to lock the door and pump in the room during breaks.  Instead I had to pump in the bathroom with a door that locked.  So there I was pumping standing up, and attempting to keep the pump parts from touching anything in there.  Then, some students started pounding on the door, and since they are middle school students they think it is funny to keep on pounding for five minutes straight!  Ugh!  Our society makes it very hard to be a breastfeeding mom.

Some cute pictures of Graesen!

Graesen also practiced floating on his back in the bathtub.

3 months

Graesen turned 3 months old yesterday. Here is his 3 month picture:

And his newborn picture:

See how much my boy has grown! I weighed Graesen last Wednesday at our mom/baby group (4 days before he turned 3 months). He weighed 15 lbs 10.8 oz! He started out life at 8 lbs 3 oz, so he is already almost double his weight! I also measured him that day. He was 25.75 in long. That puts him at the 89.5% for weight and the 94.6% for height. I have a VERY BIG boy on my hands! Now that he is 3 months old, here are some things Graesen is doing:

• Rolling over from front to back.
• Laughing and screaming.
• Holding his held steady when I pull him up by his hands.
• Holding/grabbing onto toys.
• Sleeping 7-9 hours straight most nights.
• Holding head steady while sitting.
• "Talking" a lot.

In other news, my sister visited this weekend. My grandpa has been very ill and we were told he had less than 2 weeks. He has rebounded a bit, so it looks like it will be longer, but my sister decided to come visit him just in case it is the last time she can.
While Rachae was here with her husband and kids, we spent a bunch of time hanging out as a family at my parents' house and up at greenbluff. Here are some cute pictures of Graesen from the weekend:

Getting ready for church.

Bundled up at the farm.


Being a very cute and ferocious lion!


Graesen and Phoebe


Being a cute pumpkin at my mom's house and practicing sitting.

Fall is here!

I have loved bundling Graesen up in his cute, warm clothes this week. It's like a whole new wardrobe to dress him in.


Wearing babylegs.
Trying or on our Halloween gear. My mom made the hat and booties. Evan's mom bought the pumpkin shirt.

Super sweet knit outfit that my mom made.

My mom went to visit her friend, Vicki, in Kansas, and came back with the CUTEST hand-me-downs from Vicki's grandson.

Here are some pictures from a trip up to greenbluff with Evan's parents, Jan and Dave.

He was soooo tired at the end of the day.