3 Weeks!

 This little guy is now 3 weeks! So here's the update!

 A friend of mine told me that having a baby is easier the second time around- and I'm definitely agreeing so far! With Alex, I knew nothing and was always worried and panicky about every little thing. Now? Not so much! Of course I worry, but it's not obsessive. I'd say my biggest challenge is having a newborn AND a two-year old who is still adjusting. When Gabe starts initially crying, Alex tries to soothe him by holding his hand or giving him a toy or blanket. After awhile with no avail, he gets mad and wails along side him, then says firmly, "stop crying!" It's cute.

This kid eats a lot, though it took some time for him to get back to his birth weight. I was really excited about nursing this time around and was basically on a high for the first week. I didn't feel exhausted and I really enjoyed sitting in bed all day binge watching Parenthood while nursing. My milk came in early on the second day, and everything seemed fine. Then, the trouble started.

I knew I would be sore, but suddenly nursing became excruciating. I had TONS of milk that came in and was all over the place. No problem, I knew it would eventually balance out. However, I knew something else was off with his latch. Anyway, his 2 week appointment rolled around, and we discovered he had not reached his birth weight. No big deal, sometimes that happens. A few days later, there was another weight check and he still hadn't improved. The doctor started recommending supplementing on the side- just a little bit until his weight went up. He noticed a minor tongue-tie and referred me to an ENT, whom we visited the next day. The tongue was clipped, yet the unbearable pain continued. I knew it would take some time for his latch to improve from it, but I was still living on painkillers and pretty much crying every session because it hurt SO BAD. Finally, a couple of days before his 3 week weight check, I contacted a lactation consultant to come to my home.

The first thing she immediately noticed was how badly his upper lip was tied. He couldn't do the "fish lip" with it, like they're supposed to, meaning he was actually chomping down on me- hard. Plus, because of it, he was using his jaw to suck instead of his mouth. By now it was discovered I had some pretty bad nerve damage because of it, thus the continuing agony even after feeding. It was also discovered he was not able to draw out much milk because of it, meaning I couldn't fill him up. So, the triple feed was recommended (nurse, pump, give pumped milk). Exhausting, yes. However, on his 3 week, he still hadn't reached his birth weight, so the doctor became serious about the supplementing with formula. So, every time he gets formula, I pump to keep up my supply.

Today he had his visit with the pediatric dentist to release the tie via laser. He's sore, but I'm looking forward to finally seeing an improvement. It can take up to 10 days to have a noticeable improvement, so the triple feed will continue until his latch improves and I can go back to breastfeeding exclusively. It was pretty depressing and upsetting to discover I was having breastfeeding issues with this guy too, but I reminded myself how healthy Alex is, who also supplemented. I also told myself when he was a baby that I wasn't going to stress about it with another baby. So, I had to suck it up and tell myself not to get so worked up. If it doesn't work out, then okay.

The good news is today he has caught up and surpassed his birth weight, so we're on a good path! I'm still working with my consultant too, so I'm optimistic!

Besides that, everything is going pretty well. Alex has been naturally acting out more, but I try not to let it get to me. I do my best to spend as much time as I can with him. The guilt can be SO BAD sometimes, and I've found myself crying several times over it, but I know they will be best buddies someday.

Speaking of Alex, he turned 2 on Sunday! But that will be another post.

Gabe himself is doing well though! He sleeps on my chest at night, but it's the only way we can both really sleep. He'll do great in his Rock N Play, but I hate being woken up by him squirming and crying. At least on my chest, his rooting and movements wake me up, so I can quickly feed him and go back to sleep. Love this guy!

I love this post-feeding face of his! Lol!

Cute boys!

Seriously can't get enough of this!

Pretty much how it always is!

Gabriel John

Born: May 6th, 2016
Time: 8:41am
Stats: 8 lbs. 3.3 oz. 20 inches long

     Baby Gabriel is such a wonderful blessing and we love him so much!

     My official due date was May 8th. Throughout my pregnancy checkups, Gabe continued to measure 2-3 weeks ahead. While I was nearing the end of my due date, my doctor was concerned he would be too big and didn't want to risk having a c-section. So, she scheduled an induction to start the evening of May 5th. I was hesitant at first, but decided for it.

     Thursday night I was given a little cream to soften up my cervix. The plan was to start the actual Pictocin Friday morning. Well, come 3-4am Friday morning, my water broke on its own. Labor officially started from there as the contractions immediately kicked in. A few hours later, I opted to get an epidural. However, the only effect it had was numbing my left leg. I felt the contractions continue, but tried to rest anyway, telling myself it would eventually do a better job. A couple of hours had passed, the contractions continuing. My doctor popped in to check on me, said I was a four, then said she had a c-section to perform and she'd be right back. Suddenly the contractions were so intense I was shaking through them.

     About half an hour later, I decided I needed to call the nurse as I could feel Gabriel begin to work his way down. I told Gary he was coming NOW. Seconds later, the nurse popped in and I told her I felt the baby coming out and I had a strong urge to push. She immediately paged the doctor and checked me. Sure enough, he was coming out. Winded, the doctor ran in, and within 5 minutes our little boy had entered this world. He almost didn't fit because his shoulders were too wide, but I switched positions and he came out rather quickly from there. Considering the meds hadn't been properly working, I felt everything. However, pushing was actually a relief and it was really neat to experience and feel it.

    He has been such an amazing blessing. He has a big appetite and nurses about every 1-2 hours, except for evening time when he cluster feeds and won't leave my side. The nights are actually pretty good, as he wakes up 2-3 times to feed, then goes back to sleep. I've been truly blessed to have such a supportive husband who has taken over everything else while I've been a milk factory. I'm also trying to do my best to spend quality time with little Alex as well, who has taken everything like a champ. He gets upset when baby cries and tries to comfort him by handing him a toy or a blanket. He gives him kisses as well. But, for the most part, he just ignores him really. I'm sure it will take some time for him to get used to it all.

    Anyway, my heart is so insanely full! Some random pictures:

Getting in some Alex cuddles

At church the Sunday before

How he watches his baby music videos

Getting ready and feeling HUGE!

Our cute boy

Brothers meeting for the first time

     Welcome to the world, Gabriel!

   

Spring is Here!

     We've sure been busy here and I've been behind on blogging.

     Spring is here and I'm so happy it is! I really don't like the winter. Well, we were told this was actually a very warm winter in Austin, so it wasn't too bad, but still! I hope this doesn't mean the summer is too hot. But we'll see I guess.

    With spring comes all of the beautiful wildflowers. It seemed to be the trend here in the area to do photo shoots with our little ones in the flowers. So, I decided to jump on board and get some pictures of my little dude.

     He kept running around saying "flowers!" and really had a good time. The weather was really great, too. Love him!

     This spring was also great as my family came to visit! My mom and dad, as well as my brother Quinn and my family's exchange student, Gabriela, from Moldova. It was so nice to have family here! I can't believe it's been almost 10 months since we've moved here! Crazy, huh? The last time they saw little Alex was on his first birthday, and now his second is just around the corner.

     I took them mostly around Austin, and not too much Round Rock. Next time for sure. ;)

Visiting the state capitol. Alex with daddy and papa. 

Alex with Papa (his favorite) at Tortuga Flats 

After a nice BBQ meal at County Line on Lake Travis

All of us at the state capitol

Dyeing Easter eggs with Nana

Me and my mommy on the top of Mt. Bonnell

     Now I just need to convince everyone to move here with us ;).

     As for everything else, we're doing great. About 5 weeks to go before little brother arrives, which we're looking forward to! Everything is great and healthy with this little dude too.

   A small update, but that's about it for now!

Mom Life in Texas

     One of the many great advantages of moving to Round Rock is the wonderful family atmosphere. It is SO family friendly here and I love it. There are kid places everywhere, playgrounds, parks, zoos, nature and animal centers, and many places to explore. Alex has play dates at least twice each week with other kids too.

     We were at Mt. Playmore (indoor playground) a couple of weeks ago, when another mom approached me and started chatting. She invited me to be a part of a network of moms in the Austin area. Well, of course! Mom friends are always great! I realized there are a few thousand moms involved in this, and it's divided into regions (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Austin, North Austin, South Austin, Georgetown, etc). Since joining, Alex and I have gone to so many events, and last night I was able to go my first mom's night out event! It was great going out to dinner with other ladies. They do these nights out often, so I'm excited.  Alex and I always have things to do, and it's nice for me to get out! They even do childcare swaps, so I think it will be helpful when little brother comes along this spring. Always need that extra support when family isn't close!  I also love how active our Relief Society is too, so I'm always able to get free sitters when I have doctors appointments and such.

     Anyway, here are some pictures of our adventures! 

Just had to throw this in there. Wily just loves Alex!

Town Lake Boardwalk on Lake Austin- one of our favorite walking places!

Ball pit at Little Land Play Gym

Austin Duck Adventures! It was actually really fun. We did a tour on a bus around downtown- and then the bus drove straight into Lake Austin, where we had a boat tour! It was COLD though, and I really wish I had  put his coat on. It's definitely colder here than California, as we have lots of wind chill from the north.

Climbing at Little Land

My little climber at Mt. Bonnell

Outdoor fun at Red Bud Isle dog park

Having his first pony ride at Kiddie Acres

One of the absolute coolest indoor playground we've been to. It's called Catch Air. It's an underwater themed toddler playground. You know how many indoor play areas have a closed off area for toddlers? Well, this ENTIRE indoor playscape is just for toddlers. This picture is only a small portion of it. It's seriously amazing, and he could spend all day in there!

     Everything else is going great too! Gary's loving the new job, I'm pushing through school (I've written 4 papers just this week- insanity!), and the puppy is still being a puppy, LOL. Luckily the potty training thing is down for the most part though, and Alex has warmed up to her. She just has a lot of energy, but I make sure we play outside regularly and go to dog parks to socialize her. Her training is going great though. She's very smart- just has a short attention span. But I love her! She's very loyal and sweet.

    Little brother is doing great too! This trimester is definitely a lot more fun with the wiggles, kicks, and movements. He's sure busy in there! I've noticed more aches and pains with this one than with Alex, but I guess that's pretty normal. Thankfully Gary's been really good with back and hip massages to help :).

   That's the update! 

A Puppy!

   First, I want to mention we lost a very special family member last week.

     A few months back, Gary and I learned Lila had mammary cancer. Because she had been spayed in the past, this was a much more aggressive form than if she hadn't been (lack of proper hormones can make it worse). We knew she didn't have much time left in her sweet little life, so we did the best we could to make her last weeks with us special.

     Last week, we noticed she wasn't eating anymore, and spent most of her time on the bed sleeping or resting. She had been starting to lose weight and wasn't as active and playful anymore. Not wanting her to starve or drag on, we took her to the vet. The young veterinarian examined her and told us there wasn't much else to do. Cats not eating is way more worrisome than dogs not eating. Plus, it had spread to her lungs and her breathing wasn't as great anymore. We knew what this meant. So, that afternoon, we said our goodbyes to our sweet girl and set her free.

     Lila was our first pet, and had been with us the longest. Her health was never fantastic, as she had been a stray before we rescued her years ago. However, she was the sweetest, most cuddly cat. She never clawed, bit, or showed aggression. We could pick her up, hug her, and set her in our laps, and she'd be content. She slept between us on the bed every night, going back and forth bumping her head into our arms until one of us gave in and pet her, no matter the hour. Then she'd purr her little heart out. We will miss our little girl, but we are happy she is no longer suffering. Plus, she and Dexter are now reunited and are probably playing right now as we speak.

   The drive home was a little sad, though we knew it was going to happen. We had been prepared, compared to Dexter who had died suddenly due to heart failure. We knew she was older and sick, but we still couldn't help feeling heartbroken when we let her go.

  While in the car, I suddenly felt overwhelmed and inspired to go to the nearest animal shelter. Normally we wouldn't jump to getting a new pet, and had even discussed waiting. However, I couldn't ignore this prompting and brought it up to Gary, who agreed we should take a look. So, we drove to Georgetown and stopped at their shelter. We browsed the dogs, and when an employee asked us how we were doing, we explained we were just looking, and mentioned our situation. She then said, "I know what you need. Come with me." She led us into the "small dog" area, which I realized was not just small dogs, but puppies. You can't not look at puppies and feel your heart swell and melt. She reached in a kennel and pulled out a small, 2 month old brown and black puppy, with the cutest floppy ears. She wagged her little tail as Gary held her. It only took a matter of minutes before we looked at each other and knew.

     An hour later, she was with us on our drive home.

    So, this is Kara. She was listed as a doberman/catahoula mix, meaning she is going to be BIG. I had never heard of a catahoula before, so I had to do a little research. They are American bred and very popular in the south, as they are the state dog of Louisiana. They are herding dogs, and were bred to hunt wild hog. However, they are known as wonderful family dogs and great with children. 

My little study buddy

     We are in the process of potty training, which means she mostly stays in her playpen, but we love having her around. A puppy is exhausting stuff for sure! She just LOVES Alex and constantly wants to play with him, but sadly he is afraid of her. For now anyway. I foresee them to be best friends in the future.

Little Baby and Other Updates

Maybe I'm just too tired, but I never started a pregnancy blog like I did with Alex! So, I'll do a few updates here, then probably get that started. I want some memories with this one too!

 You know how I was feeling pretty good for awhile? Turns out I was just getting a break. While I'm not even close to being as sick as I was, I still get nauseous, and it was a little less than a week ago I was throwing up my dinner. You'd think at 15 weeks it would be done, right? While the morning sickness still lingers, I have my energy back for the most part and the nausea is now a mild, only triggered by certain smells type of nausea- whereas before, just being awake was enough to get me living over the toilet. But for the most part I am feeling MUCH better and I'm not nearly as fatigued. I am getting regular headaches though, like I did with Alex. It's like I'm always upside down and feel like the blood is always rushing to my head. I'm also feeling movements way earlier too! I can actually feel kicks and movements, whereas I didn't feel Alex until 20 something weeks. Pretty neat! Also, the recent ultrasound showed the baby is 5 days ahead in growth (same due date though). So far so good!

Also, school is going well. As mentioned, I went back to school full time this fall. This semester I have college-level math (alegebra-geometry), English composition, foundational perspectives of education, and US Government and the constitution. Luckily I was able to transfer over a good chunk of credits from my college days in Bakersfield, so that will help later. I probably spend a good 3-4 hours per day studying, which typically happens during Alex's naps and after he goes to sleep.

Anyway, all is well here. We got a new family member, but she'll be in a different post all together. That's pretty much it for our family!

Hello, Fall. Family Updates Too!

  That Texas summer was something! Growing up in SOCal, I'm used to the heat. The difference is, this is heat plus humidity- and it doesn't get as cool and breezy in the evening as the dry heat in California. So, thankfully our temperatures are dropping and summer is officially leaving! Time for our first fall in Texas.

The rains have come back and will be here through next week. Though humidity usually rises a bit with the rain, the overall weather is cooler, and there's always a nice wind. Plus, these thunderstorms are neat. Didn't get big storms in California (regularly, that is). So, we're enjoying it all. I'd say the only downside to so much rain is all the bugs and critters it brings. We don't have the cute little brown crickets here. We have the large black crickets, beetles, bright spiders, and other friends who love to visit. Thankfully I've been able to (for the most part) keep them out of our home. Every now and then I'll see a cricket, and toss it outside (yes, I'm nice. Beetles die though. Every time). The problem with beetles is they infest. They lay their eggs in furniture, carpet, and other fabrics. However, by keeping the floors clean, the issue can be prevented. I've only found a few inside over the summer and I've been crazy-lady cleaning the floors since. Apparently Texas has a major cricket issue, and it's been very obvious! After rainfalls, the streets, shopping centers, and other areas are just flooded with those things.

Onto human matters. A couple of days ago I woke up for the first time in weeks without nausea! I didn't want to get too excited and get my hopes up, but around my normal "crash" hours (2-3pm), when I feel I can't go on, I had tons of energy. I made Gary take us out when we got home just because I could breathe! Then, the next morning, same deal. So, though I still get tired, it seems the worst of it has finally come to an end. Onto the second trimester! I was sick with Alex until about 14 weeks, but this one seemed to end around 12. However, though it was shorter, it was definitely worse. Now I can actually feel excited about growing another child, LOL.

Gary's job is going well. He really likes Golfsmith and gets along really well with his team. It's a huge IT department, and they all work together really well. He also loves how he can wear jeans everyday (last job was a suit), and he can hit the driving range during his lunch break. It's therapeutic for him to hit tons of golf balls during breaks. He's becoming a pretty good golfer!

Alex is being crazy, goofy Alex. I just love him. He's SO toddler and it's fun, even if he has his moments. That boy can SCREAM! Seriously. Neighbors probably wonder what the heck goes on in here. Diaper change? Ear-shattering scream! Time to come inside? SCREAM! Want something he can't have? Super scream! Bored and why the heck not? Scream! His screaming isn't always related to tantrums. Kid just likes his voice. I'm surprised my ears are still working. Apparently I liked my voice too when I was his age. Besides that, he can:

Count to three (loves stacking his blocks while counting)
Identify most of his toys when I ask him to grab something
Understands "play, outside, time to eat, fruit snacks, milk, juice", etc. He hears all!
Holds our finger everywhere we go. If we're walking down the street, walking through the mall, walking through the store, he walks with either me or Gary and just holds our finger the whole time without running off. Gary taught him that one!
        He says so many words! Besides the typical mama and dada, he says: hi, bye, kiss (shish), shoes (shoosh), Elmo (eh-mo), ducky, touch (ta-ch), nice touch (ni ta-ch), kitty, doggie (gaw-gee), boobie (yep, and grabs or smacks my boob), baby, play (pay), so much more, and mimics our yawns by sighing.
        Alex also can identify and say out loud objects in his books (moon, bee, nest, squirrel (skl), etc.). I can't believe how much this boy can talk! It's amazing to see him grow and develop like this. I'm pretty sure babies and toddlers learn much more quickly than adults. He also is a total bookworm and LOVES reading, even to himself.

Anyway, that's the long update for now! Pictures will come later!