On breastfeeding

Best thing I could have ever done for my kids....

Thru the pain of the first month with James which then led to 18 blissful months of comfort.
Thru a week in the NICU and pumping every 2 hours so Nathan wouldn't 'need' the formula (he got some and I did my best not to let it bring me down)
Thru teething with James and middle of the night after he turned 1
Thru James' I want to be mobile and not sit still and nurse


Now I am sad to say Nathan and I are weaning. Have been sort of at it for the last couple of months for various reasons (my own health foremost, but his lack of interest plays a big part). If I don't offer he doesn't necessarily ask...about once a day he will suck on my shoulder out of his want to nurse but then nurses for 5 minutes tops and begins chewing. James never did this and can I say OW!

So, the times between keep getting longer and longer. I'd like for to have the option to nurse in another month (we'll be in the air) to help with travel but I don't know if we will make it. As he becomes more aware of his surroundings he more and more wants to be doing what his brother does. He drink out of straws, steals James' sippy cups when he is not looking, etc. Cute but he is growing up so fast already!

Ah well, all good things do come to an end and they open up the door for other things to happen.

Bikes

So James is reluctant to actually peddle the Trike in the blog entry below but we recently got one of these:and he is crazy good at peddling and loves picking out the cars to drive and horns to honk and steering....LOVES IT! (Nate wants to do this too but once again, his feet don't reach the peddles)

So, there is hope he WILL learn to ride a bike, maybe the trike just isn't his thing...

Houston, we have a problem...

Trike-ing it

hmm, not a trike...

CRASH!
(it wasn't so hard and Nate wasn't even on the bike)

* Poor Nate

Nate gets a turn but his feet don't touch the ground yet, precious

Little brother to big brother : Must do everything he does. I can do it I can do it

Nate and Little A cut a rug :)

More Park shots

Some happy photos to all of you for a happy weekend!

giggling on the swings!

Whoa, 3's a crowd!

James and Little A...what a cutie!

Yes, he climbed up here on his own :)

The boys turn!

Food, dieting, health

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/afraid-to-eat-why-we-fear-food-how-to-stop.html

This article describes me.....well, mostly. I go thru waves with this. The need to count, add, avoid, be very watchful of everything that goes in my mouth to a point that I get sick of it and then stop...and the pattern goes on.

Anywho, here is the second page, 6 ways to relax and be able to enjoy what you are eating:

1. Confront your fears. It’s not the food you fear, it’s the potential effect of that food. Write down what really scares you, and carry it to the worst possible outcome. It may look like this: “I’m afraid if I indulge my sweet tooth, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll gain a lot of weight until I’m morbidly obese. My husband won’t love me anymore, and he’ll leave me for a thinner woman.” Or maybe it’s as simple as “I won’t look good for my high school reunion, and my old friends will judge me.” And I’m not making these examples up. Whatever your fear, when it’s on paper, it’s easier to then decide if it’s reasonable, or out of hand.

2. Get to know your food. When you’re eating, just eat. Don’t watch TV, work on your computer, read a book, drive, whatever. Look at the food on your plate, chew it slowly, really taste it. Be fully present, enjoy what you’re eating, and then move on to the next thing. You’ll soon find that even “off-limits” foods aren’t really that scary. And notice what that food feels like in your body. Do you feel lousy after eating it? Maybe it won’t be your first choice next time.

3.Choose foods for the benefit. Rather than saying “no” to what you don’t want, say “yes” to what you do want. If you feel like coffee makes you jittery and upsets your stomach, choose to drink tea. Instead of saying “I can’t drink coffee because it makes me jittery and makes my skin look bad,” try saying “I choose to drink green tea because it’s calming and makes my skin look healthier.”

4. Eat for quality. There’s a lot of nasty food out there, and it’s reasonable to be careful. But if you choose foods for quality, you’ll eliminate many of the justifiable concerns, like agricultural chemicals, trans fats, sugar and so forth. If you enjoy cheese, choose organic varieties, and pay attention to how much you’re eating. If you like sweets, go for raw, unfiltered honey, instead of high-fructose corn syrup. And if you shop for foods without labels–whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried beans–it’s hard to go wrong.

5. Banish “forbidden foods.” The concept, that is, not the food. Unless you have an overriding health concern–you’re diabetic, or allergic to nuts, for example–it’s really not necessary to outlaw any one food. When you make a food off-limits, you only increase the cravings. So if you love potato chips, but you avoid them because they’re fried and high in sodium, have a few potato chips when you crave them.

6. Trust yourself. Speaking of potato chips, are you afraid you’ll eat the whole bag? It’s a common fear. When we fear food, it’s not really the food we’re afraid of. It’s our uncontrolled reaction to it. A spoonful of ice cream turns into a quart, a few cookies turns into a whole bag. That may happen at first. But in my experience, when people allow themselves to remove the labels and indulge in a “forbidden” food, it soon loses its appeal. Once you see it as just another food, you’re on your way to being free.

** better note that last night I ate almost an entire bag of tortilla chips. Am I ashamed of this? Sorta. Chips and salsa has been a downfall for me and I have the feeling I've been classifying it "Forbidden" and that should not be the case. I need to rethink how I think of food....and watch for mindless munching.

Decisions

I have never, and I do mean never, been very good at making decisions. Right down to the dressing I put on my salad...for years I told servers "whatever you have the most of" or " Whatever your favorite/recommend". lol.

but, this is not always a good trait and I find myself in places (more emotionally then anything else) that I don't want to be but if I had been able to just make a decision about X I would not have ended up there...does that make sense?

Now, I am not just thinking for myself anymore and maybe that is why I feel this need to become more organized and together. I am ALWAYS running late, and am more often then not untogether and I am beginning to really detest the feeling.

I want to be able to meal plan for my family and actually stick to it.
I want to be able to find time to exercise for more then 10 minutes a day.
I want to be able to give my kids ALL the outlets they need for creativity and learning.....

but I don't. As I keep telling James, it's not always what you 'Want' that you get....a lot of times it is what you need.

Ironically we just watched Disney's Princess and the Frog this weekend (Wonderful movie!) and this premise is all over the place in. Need vs. Want...gotta dig a little deeper to figure it all out.

So, look for changes in me (I hope) over time. Need to dig and discover and .... this could take a while but at least I am thinking about it.

Hard Labor

I've learned how to use an ax....and I successfully know hot to wield a chainsaw and bush trimmer. Next? A Machete (yes, one is on order and I look forward to learning).

Now, what exactly have I been up to? Why, tearing, chopping, digging, pulling, etc (right, you figured that part out already) in the flower beds around the house, misc bushes that don't need to be there, around the shed, by ALL the trees, along the fence, other random spots.

Why? do you ask? Well...when we were inspecting the home prior to buying the inspector recommended re-grading all around the outside of the house to help with water issues and just in general that he felt that bushes/plants right up against the house didn't make sense. Dan and I have since talked about concreting over to make a wrap-around type thing for the kids....I've mentioned enclosed patio :) Etc.

So, we have indeed had water issues and have since installed a french drain system in the basement to alleviate pressure. This was done over a year ago and well...I wanted to see what kinds of plants would sprout up around the house since the previous owner had such a green thumb....but the weeds started to over-take and leaves that never got raked up in the fall began to accumulate and well...

It was after the quarterly exterminator inspection that I became dead set to really get outside and start doing more yard type stuff. We found out we have carpenter ants making a home right outside of my wee boys room. They are not living 'in' our house, but they are finding ways in. There is a stump of a blue spruce right outside their room that we cut down when we first moved in and have since neglected. I am now armed with stump away and good ax to tend to this mess.

I think I am finally getting some energy back, thank god, and realizing that this house is mine and I have to make it what I want it to be! So far I have been rather destructive but I hope to be more giving as time goes by.

So, we have the box right outside the boys room cleaned out and sprayed down with 'kill all' making that area dead for the next 6-12 months at which time we will have a plan ready and know what to do with the space. Maybe I will develop more gardening love and get better at keeping the weeds at bay....maybe not.

I did not grow up working the land but I do know I come from a line of them and I feel like perhaps I could be better at it....I get a lot out of it when I do. I need someone to teach me the basics of planting seeds though...I have no clue, and would love to try planting trees but know that in the past the trees I have planted from Earth Day type stuff never made it....

I've killed cactus plants before....so, I'm in the market for easy-care type plants for our yards and where best to plant them. I'd like to give back to the land I am ravaging...any suggestions?

Swings!

Big swing....

So cute

Nate's kinda heavy....

much easier!

:)

Spring!!

Yea! Warm weather and all the lovely flowers and trees. Makes me feel good :)

Looking forward to getting outside with the kids more. Nathan is a fulltime walker now, though he still loves to be held. James can't wait to get outside and run around, drive his truck...you name it. He is one active kid and will thrive in this warm weather!

Now, on to some fun health updates.

Both boys had check-ups a couple weeks back and are doing marvelous!!

James
40 inches tall
40 lbs
All caught up on vaccines and looking good. Talking well, singing, just, right on target. Very tall, very skinny, very active, very much a 3 year old by ALL rights :)

Nathan
29 inches tall
23 lbs
Whew, eats everything and has had some success with sippy cups. We are still nursing some but I really can't guage for how much longer. Cross that bridge when we come to it. Walking strong for over a week now and trying out words here and there. Oh, and he loves to Dance! Standing up little bobble thing with arms swinging. I promise to try and take a video to post real soon. It is adorable! Music starts, he starts, music stops, he stops, lol.

Me
Up 3 pounds from a month ago but with all the birthdays and stresses...that ain't bad
Waist has stayed the same
My arms and legs have gotten smaller. I've taken to doing gymnastic type activities with kids. I'll be lying on my back on the ground and I pick them up with my arms, legs, etc....much fun and a good workout for all.
My hips keep shrinking too...meaning my butt is smaller, lol. Just got to get this waist of mine down to size....eventually.
I did go to the gym last night for the first time in 4 months...I rode a stationary bike for 10 minutes and broke out in a sweat....Oie Vey! I am soooo out of shape!

Ah well. Um, what else?
Puppy has a new home...one month ago we put out the word we just couldn't keep her anymore. it was honestly just to stressful for me. She is officially in a new home, one week now, and thriving with an older dog to show her the ropes and 2 lovely little girls to play with. Good stuff

We are still awaiting news for Dan and the new position he applied for...should know soon. Otherwise he is spending his free time playing computer games and working on his truck. Soon we will be taking turns mowing the grass and doing yard work. We have a lot of clean-up from the Winter Season that we have not gotten to yet.

So much to do and never enough time. Here's to National Gardening month! I hope to plant a tree...or at least a flower, we'll see.