Yearly Update

    Okay, like a month and a half, but close enough.

    Lots of changes going on here! Baby Gabey will be 11 months in a couple of days. ELEVEN MONTHS! Who/why/how/where/when did this happen?! This is much too fast.

   So, Gabe:

• Eats everything. Seriously, this kid LOVES to eat! There is nothing he will turn down.
• Is adorably chunky (probably due to the above)
• Loves to clap his hands, follow his brother everywhere, and climb
• Cruises on everything and gets into pretty much everything
• Loves to babble and "talk". Dada, Nana, Baba
• Is such a cuddle monkey (my favorite)!!! He is so affectionate and sweet and will give you kisses all day if you let him. Melt!

  Alex:

• Will be 3 soon!! But I'm in denial
• Discovered Thomas and Friends and anything train related is pretty much his favorite thing ever. He'll put his train in front and line up all cars and other trains behind it
• Still sleeps with his blankie
• Talks SO MUCH still
• Is getting into imaginative play
• Can spend all day outside if you let him
• Adores his dad and always wants to play with him
• Is also ridiculously and adorably cuddly

   Gary and I are doing well too! Gary is doing great with his job and enjoys doing a carpool now instead of public transportation (to save gas/mileage). I too got a job teaching PreK at a private preschool-kindergarten program. It was a hard decision because I LOVE staying at home. And though we don't really need the extra money, I think I mostly did it for me. Being home for 3 years made me kinda itchy to get back into working. I decided to apply for jobs, but every night when I'd go to bed, I'd laugh at myself for even considering it. However, interviews happened and things got real. So, I decided to go for it. I get to take Alex and Gabe with me, and they're just down the hall. Alex has a lot of fun with his class and often cries when it's time to leave (that's also due to being exhausted). Gabe knows now when I put him in his classroom that I will be leaving him, so naturally he cries. However, his teachers are great at redirection and he's instantly having fun. Best part is I get to see them and visit them regularly. Many of the staff members (including the owners and director) have their kids there too, so they all understand!

     I think the hardest part isn't necessarily me working and doing more each day, but the guilt of no longer staying home. Often times I wonder if this really was a good choice for the boys. If staying home is what was best. But I remind myself that I have to take care of myself too. They get to come with me and I get to see them regularly and checkup on their progress. I'm literally RIGHT THERE, so that makes it a bit easier. Anyway, I have a crazy/rowdy class, but it will eventually simmer down when I'm there a little longer. They're just being extra testy because I'm new, which is expected.

Well, that be the update!

Growths and Changes

     As mentioned in the previous post, Gary has started his new job. So far he is loving it. He enjoys having his own office and co-workers he gets along with. The commute was a little hard at first, but after he found a carpool that leaves from our area straight down to his job, it has been much smoother.

      Gabe is 9 months old now and all over the place. Crawling, standing, and getting into everything he can. I really love this age, though it definitely keeps me on my feet. At his 9 month checkup, we discovered he is now in the 28th percentile for weight (18.7 lbs.), which is great considering he was off the charts completely at 4 months. He is only nursed twice each day now, and that's starting to fade as well. I thought I'd be more together about it all, but it's been harder than expected to end the nursing relationship. The guilt hits no matter what. But I know he is going to be just fine. As for his appetite, he is a good eater! He will eat anything given to him. Table food, baby food, snacks, etc.. He LOVES food. I don't remember Alex being this obsessed with food, ever. So, that has been awesome. As for his occupational therapy, he is doing so well, it's about time to fade and end services. Their goal is to get to a year old, and during that time, help transition him to a sippy cup. However, we were told he is now pretty typical and may not requalify for services after we stop since he basically has no more issues with his mouth. What's interesting, though, is my mom sent a picture of me as a baby, and I had the same thing going on with my tongue! It was just slightly larger than normal, but as I grew, it fit better in my mouth. I never had feeding issues, though, or long term problems except I had to have 4 braces when I was a child (which also could have been because I sucked my thumb until 4th grade). My grandmother on my mom's side had the same thing as a baby. So weird! But normal and nothing to worry about.

     Alex is doing well too. I can't believe he's going to be three soon. He still talks all the time and constantly wants us to repeat what he's saying. It can get exhausting, but I know it's his way of learning how to say things correctly, so we go with it. He's also getting a little more defiant and stubborn, but of course that's expected at this age. However, he is so much fun to play with. He's starting to get into imaginative play, and is also starting to play with his brother. They don't always get along, but he has his sweet big brother moments. I love seeing them both in his room, and Alex sharing his toys and trying to talk to him. He also loves being outside and going places, and especially is obsessed with one on one time with either me or Gary. We always try and each have our own time with him without Gabe in the way, just to give him that attention he needs. Often times I feel guilty at the end of the day and wonder if I was a good enough mom to him. If I paid enough attention. I always feel bad when he says things like, "mommy Alex time," or "no more phone, mommy," or, "bye, Baby Gabe." Breaks my heart. He's still my little first baby.

     As for me, I'm doing well for the most part. I really dislike this time of year, as I get seasonal depression in February. So, it's always a rough month for me, and it's been rough this year too. Once spring rolls around I usually do much better. I purchased a rower I now use to workout on so I don't overdo my joints with running. I'm also trying to eat better, as I really need to lose weight. I'm also still putting in about 20 hours each week of study for my school, and I feel like I can't brain in some of my courses, including math. I feel like since I've had Gabe, I just can't get anything to work upstairs. It's so frustrating at times. I've been working with an endocrinologist to help level out my hormones, especially my thyroid. I'm tired of feeling like my brain is broken and I'm fighting everyday just to get a clear thought. Thankfully I have a ton of support, including my educational mentors, and of course from Gary who is always willing to help me when I need it. I still have a lot of good in my life, and I need to focus on that. I also need to better focus on letting go of constant mom guilt and learn to take care of myself and my needs.

   Anyway, that's our personal updates. The weather has already been warming up, so I've been taking the boys to parks, and we still go to our regular playdates just to get out and socialize while enjoying the warmer temps.

Playing in the backyard

Hiking at Walnut Creek Metropolitan park

Playing at Old Settler's park

Collecting sticks on a hike

Doing what he does best (getting into things)

Strapped on during a hike

Playing in his Pack n Play outside

Woodchips!

Me and my little dude in the morning

Alex playing with the dogs at Red Bud Isle park

Family Updates (New Job, Gabe Evaluation, Etc.)

 So, this cute little dude is now ALMOST crawling. He does an army crawl, but every now and then will toss some knees in there. But anyway, he is all over the place! Sometimes I forget how fast he is, and I have to remind myself to make sure the floor is clear from anything he can choke on. I can't believe we're already getting to this phase. It just doesn't make sense! He's still my tiny baby.

Alex is still being a little chatterbox. Sometimes I wonder when the actual "terrible threes" kick in, because lately it seems he's been more defiant as usual. Plus, more screaming and tantrums. He can definitely be a handful at times! Nap time is on and off. He knows it's quiet time in his room, so he'll actually say, "bye, Mom" if I peek in there. Sometimes he'll fall asleep, but mostly doesn't. This means he is mega crabby by dinner time. Let's just say bedtime can't come any faster some days! Besides that, I LOVE playing with this kid. He is getting into imaginative play and loves to build and construct things. He's really starting to get into the "boy-ish" things like cars, trucks, everything space related, and dinosaurs. 

As for me, I've been busy too! When we moved into our house, we unpacked a lot of things, but still had a lot of things stored away. It got kind of ridiculous, so the past 3-4 days, I've been completely organizing. Our walk-in closet is finally walkable and spacious, and both of the boys' closets are finally organized and cleared out. I also organized the walk-in pantry, laundry room, and the rest of the house. It feels SO good to finally have those things done. Now Gary just wants to reorganize the garage and get his tools in better order. He has shelving, but everything needs to be better organized. 

Speaking of Gary, he has accepted a new position! Some months ago, Golfsmith filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. To add, they were very hush about what was going to happen to people. Then suddenly they closed over 30 stores and had a lot of people laid off. Gary works at the headquarters, but there was still a lot of uncertainty.  Finally it was news that Dick's Sporting Goods bought them.  Gary had no choice but to put out his resume to be safe. Then, he was offered a retention bonus if he stayed until June, although they could lay him off anytime before that. We stopped the job search for a bit, but fasted and prayed last Sunday we would know what to do. The following day, he received a few calls, wanting an interview. The week was busy, but on Friday he accepted a new position as a senior developer for Texas Association of Counties. Not only will he be getting his own office, he gets the county pension, which is a pretty amazing deal. The benefits are what really motivated him to accept (besides a higher pay). So, he is excited about this new job! Prayer works!

And for the final update, we finally got some answers about Gabe. Although his weight has gone up and he's been great, we still had an appointment with ECI (Early Childhood Intervention). They did a full evaluation and he scored high on everything but eating. We were told he eats like a 3 month old and works really hard for his milk, using his jaw. Because of this, he qualifies for OT services, which will be happening twice each month. So, my lactation consultant was right when she concluded his latch was just weak, which is why he couldn't draw enough milk from me. It's likely they were due to the ties he had in his mouth. I'm also taking him to get a CST session to help his muscles as well, and getting his tongue re-assessed, just in case it's still tied in some way. Whew, what a journey though. Hopefully with enough therapy, we will get this fixed. A speech therapist may be in the future, but for now, we're just doing the OT.

Well, that's about it for now! Time to get these kids down for a nap!

Six Months and Family Updates

I used to be so good at this blogging thing, but not so much lately!

Fall is finally here in Texas as the weather has now dropped to the 70's. We have been getting thunderstorms for over a week now, so lots of rain as usual! For Halloween (thankfully no rain that night), Gabe and I handed out candy while Gary took Alex trick-or-treating for his first time! He had a blast. Of course, after his pumpkin filled up, Gary just had to whip out a garbage bag for more candy. Um, he got A LOT. Thankfully, Gary took a ton of it to work to spread among his co-workers (or himself, I don't know), so I didn't eat a whole lot. Okay, I did. But, well, not THAT much. Maybe. Anyway, our neighborhood was huge on Halloween. I noticed a lot of the neighbors actually sat on their porch and/or driveway instead of being inside for people to knock on the door. Gary said he did knock on a few doors, but mostly everyone was out. So, I followed the tradition and Gabe and I sat outside in the nice weather to hand out candy. That's friendly Texas for you.

"Helping" me hand out candy. More like being cute to attract more people!

Little Ninja Turtle

There was a regional LWB (Ladies with Babies) Halloween party, so this is where we're at!

This kid melts me

My cute Leonardo!

Besides Halloween and the 1,000 festivities that went on around here, we have been enjoying this time of year. I have been teaching piano in our home during the evenings when Gary is home. I don't go later than 7:15, so at I have time to get the boys into bed. It actually works out great because Gary takes the boys into their bedrooms and plays with them. Alex LOVES having that time with his dad. It's a great way for him to spend time with the boys and he's loving it. I'm also loving teaching as well. I had always wanted to teach piano from home, but I just needed the home part. Teaching from a keyboard in an apartment just didn't seem to appeal to me. Plus, with the small space, there would've been nowhere for the boys to go.  But this works out really well.

Well, a milestone has been reached here too! Gabe turned 6 months old! I'm still in disbelief this year has been FLYING by. Alex's first year felt like foreeeverrr. Probably because I was new to everything. Plus, I went from working full-time to staying at home, AND I felt more isolated. That was kind of a hard year for me. I didn't really have a close connection of friends/moms in the area, so I spent a lot of time at home. When Alex got a little older, we were able to go out more and it really starting getting easier close to a year old. But this time around, I have such a big connection of friends and support; plus, having a 2 year old makes the days go by pretty quickly with the baby.

6 Months!

Pretty much how the crib sleeping is!

Scooting around after his toys!

So, about Gabe. Two weeks ago he fell off the growth chart. He went from the 20th percentile to completely off. We had already doubled our supplementation, but now we had to triple. I still really am not certain why he's never been able to get enough milk from me, but my primary goal was to get him to gain weight, even if it meant even more formula. He had another weight check yesterday (2 week gap), and he gained an entire pound. So we're finally getting back on track. I nurse him first for about 10 minutes, then give him a bottle until he's filled up, which is about 5 ounces. I felt a little bummed at first, but reminded myself it doesn't always have to be all or nothing. According to my lactation consultant, it could be possible my supply is fine, but he may have low muscle tone in his face. He still leaks from a bottle, and he's on level 1 nipples, so it's entirely possible. I'm going to have him evaluated by a specialist to see if there's anything we need to do. Otherwise, it's likely it is my supply after all and my hypothyroidism is very likely behind it (studies show that even treated hypothyroidism leads to low milk because we don't produce enough oxytocin).

Besides all that, he's doing great! He's all smiles and LOVES to play. He sleeps 12 hours at night and naps 1-2 times each day, depending on what's going on in the mornings. He can scoot forward with his knees, but no sign of crawling or sitting up just yet. He's not super early like his brother was!

Anyway, Alex's checkup is in a few weeks, so we'll see how he's doing from there! Alex talks SO MUCH. I mean, a lot. Like, seriously kid, give it a break. But I love it. The only headache-worthy stuff is when he wants me to repeat things. He will not quit until I repeat what he says, no matter what or where I am. But he knows his ABC's, colors, shapes, letters, and can count to 40. He sings a lot, and drags his Cookie Monster around everywhere like it's his "baby". Feeds him, grooms him, runs with him, you name it. Love this fun kid.

Helping mommy exercise! Well, Cookie Monster is exercising too. 

Okay, time to end this. Until next time!

Home!

     When our family first moved to Texas, we knew we wanted to buy a house sometime down the road. I contacted my uncle, who works real estate, and asked for some hookups. He found us a local agent, by invitation only, who contacted us. We had been pretty early in our apartment lease, so we told her it would be almost a year before we needed to move further.

    Well, the year FLEW by, and as if on cue, she and our lender contacted us and asked if we were still interested. We honestly at that point decided we were going to just rent, since we didn't quite have the down payment we wanted. However, our lender was absolutely fantastic with making it happen. The home buying process for us was a breeze! We honestly had a really great team.

    There were a few areas on our mind, and the house hunting officially began. Linda showed us a selection of homes one day, and then a couple the next. Gary and I discussed which ones we liked best. We were also sent links to homes that fit our criteria. One afternoon, I browsed a couple of homes she sent us, picked a couple of favorites, and sent them over to Gary. He knew immediately which one he liked, and that afternoon, we went to check it out. We knew then we wanted to make an offer. The homes go so quickly!

    That evening, we received word our offer was accepted!

  So, here we are! We closed on the day we wanted to close, and moved in that week, which was a month ago. We still have some boxes that need to be unpacked, but we're settled for the most part. We're in a beautiful community in Hutto, Texas. Hutto is the countryside Northeast of Austin. This is where you see farmlands and stretches of beautiful, green land. There are fields behind our backyard, so we do see bunnies and other critters, but we immediately hired pest control services too, you know, since we don't want critters inside our property. We love how green and quiet it is here, and also love how we can see the stars so well at night.

   We currently have been working hard to get our lawn and grass taken care of. The bachelor living here before us didn't seem to do regular lawn maintenance. I don't think he actually lived here that often. We had water coming out of our a/c unit the day after we moved in, only to learn he hadn't done regular maintenance on that either. Thankfully after a few Youtube videos, Gary was able to fix and take care of it. Besides that, we were told our house was the cleanest walk-through that had been done in a long time, which was good news for us. As for the lawn, Gary's been working hard to de-thatch the grass while I've been working on the landscaping. I've mulched and and landscaped the trees planted in our front yard and have been working on the hedges as well. We have nothing in the backyard, so once the grass is greener and looking better, I'll start the gardening and landscaping back there as well. I still like the open space for the kids and dog though, so I won't go too crazy.

Anyway, we love it here. It's so quiet, our neighbors are super friendly, and our ward is great. As a mom of two littles, I often found it hard in an apartment to keep things clean and organized all the time. I feel I can do a better job here in our home with more space. Sure, it's never going to be perfect because, well, I like to find that balance between housework and spending time with the children, but it's really great to care of something that we OWN now.

The family is doing well too. I find it easier now that Gabe's getting a little bigger, so I can keep him entertained on his play mat and/or his exersaucer, and Alex has more room to run around and play. They're both healthy too. Alex is still tiny at 22-23 lbs and has a checkup soon. They might mention his weight, but I don't know how to make him eat more since he's ridiculously picky. I do my best! Little Gabe has gained almost 3 pounds in the last month (he's 14 lbs now). He had a moment where he wasn't gaining, so after finding the right amount of supplementation plus adding in a couple of dream feeds at night, he's jumped up. He's about 95 percent breastfed now and the rest is supplement. That balance seems to work just fine. And now that he's older, he's more efficient at nursing, so our sessions are 10-15 minutes now instead of 45 minutes or so.

Anyway, that's our update for now! Boys are asleep so it's ME time!!

My handsome kid!!

These two can spend all day in the backyard

We have a BEAUTIFUL view from our backyard and kitchen. These are some wicked storm clouds.

Here's a shot of our house in the rain

Alex received this gift from his uncle Devonn and aunt Carla on his first birthday. He finally gets to use it!

This is a great way to keep him entertained and cool when he wants to play outside

My sleeping baby

Hanging out

Just finished mulching- now to add flowers!

On our drive this morning to the grocery store. The big Texas sky! It takes about 15-20 minutes to drive to town or to the grocery store.

My blue-eyed beauty. He and his brother definitely do NOT look alike!

Updates

 So, a few updates!

 We are all doing well and hanging in there! We have some cool news, but we'll talk about that later. For now, here's how things have been going!

 It's definitely been hot and humid here in Texas. I can tell there are heat waves going on in California too! Whew. Because of a new baby, we've mostly been inside. However, a few times I've taken Alex to splash pads with his friends just so he can get out and move! And play in water, of course. We've also had some playdates at the homes of other moms. Anything I can do to get this kid out, or else he dismantles the place. Seriously. It's so hard to spend time feeding the baby while Alex practically destroys everything in site- and he knows I can't immediately jump up and do anything about it. Little stinker. He has gotten better at accepting Gabe is here though, but it's still a big adjustment for him.

Wouldn't nap in his room, so we gave up and brought him out. Moments later...

Loves splash pads!

Little Gabe himself is doing great too! He's finally doing stretches at night. Well, one stretch, usually between 5-6 hours, which is pretty sweet. It's my only chance to get a stretch of sleep myself, so I try to go sleep as soon as he's down for the night. After that, he's up every couple of hours- and we can be up for almost an hour each time, giving me just about an hour to sleep at at time. So mornings can be hard, but we're making it through! Mornings in general can be pretty hard. He won't nap or sleep unless I'm with him or holding him. Baby wearing isn't always an option either (chasing a 2 year old), so I do the best I can. And as I mentioned, this is Alex's time to destroy everything in site. Sigh. I gave up on trying to keep things clean around here, Lol.

He's doing real smiles!!

His typical sleep face, LOL

As for myself, I'm doing well. I'm tired, of course, but it is picking up and getting better. I'm taking a break this semester and will get back into the swing of things next month.  Like I said, mornings can be rough, but it all gets better and easier by the end of the day. I absolutely love staying home with my sweet boys though. They are such a blessing, and I know someday I'm going to look back and totally miss these days and moments. I was browsing pictures of Alex when he was in his first year and it totally made me miss his crawling, giggling days. It was so much fun watching him reach his milestones, and I'm excited to do it all over again with Gabe. Gabe is bigger than Alex was at this age and will likely be bigger in general, so we'll see how and when he reaches those mobile milestones! Love my boys.

Also, I mentioned in a couple of posts back we had a rough start with nursing due to the ties in his mouth. Well, a few days after his procedure, I had complete relief! No pain! It's been pain-free since and awesome. I still have to tweak and adjust his latch often since he spent most of his little life learning one way, but he's getting there. A week after that, I had the lactation consultant come back and do another weighed feed, and it was discovered my supply had more than doubled since last time. So, thankfully it's been uphill. He still gets a bottle every now and then though, especially when I need a break from nursing or things are crazy and it's just easier that way. Like I said, I'm not going to stress over it this time around. Full is full. Full= happy baby which = happy mommy.

Anyway, we are doing well. Gary's still enjoying his job, and his co-workers are awesome. I forgot to mention they threw me a baby shower before Gabe was born, and it was great! Gary's been such a great help and dad. I love when I come out of hibernation to notice the dishes and kitchen clean, and Gary playing with Alex. Seriously love. He's been so patient with me, and will ask if he can help in the night if he hears the baby crying (or me getting stressed if we've been up for a couple of hours, knowing I have to get Alex up soon). Love my man!

My TWO Year Old!

Last Sunday, this cute dude turned 2!! Where has the time gone (seriously, where?)?? He is just loads of fun and I enjoy every moment with him!

Milestones:

Weight: 22 lbs. (still little!)
Height: 33"

Doctor says he's long and lean! His BMI is normal, despite how little he weighs. May be tall someday!

He can count to 10
He knows all his ABCs
He LOVES to sing nursery rhymes. He sings them all day long. Twinkle Twinkle, Rain Rain Go Away, Wind the Bobbin Up, an Ice cream song he loves...the list goes on. He'll even sing himself to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, we transitioned him to a toddler bed a month or so before little brother was born. Where does he sleep? The floor. By the door. With his blankie, stuffed animals, and a collection of pillows. Well, at least he's sleeping, right?

Alex still loves the outdoors, running laps, getting into anything messy (dirt, mud, etc.), loves collecting rocks, and is just complete boy. He's also fascinated with space. Stars, moon, sun, galaxies, etc. He's the best! He's also adjusting okay to little brother. It's been hard, I'll admit, especially when he starts crying because I can't immediately play with him. From there, he will do ANYthing to get my attention; good or bad! Ugh. Thankfully baby is sleeping more though, so I do my best to carve out anytime I can with him.

Anyway, we didn't have a big party for him this year, but we did have our own little celebration at home with a Ninja Turtles cake (he loves TMNT). We probably carved that one into him with all his action figures he still can't play with ;).

I love this boy with all my heart!!