As 2008 Comes To An End....

2008 has been quite a year for us.
-The Huz found out he would be starting his new Job at his first choice location.
-He graduated from College and started his career.
-We moved while I was 8 months pregnant. Ugh!!
-Alec turned 1.
-I carried a human life.
-I gave birth to a perfect baby boy.
-Alec entered the terrible two's stage..lol!
-My Mom got remarried.
-My Dad found out he had skin cancer, but is was successfully removed and he is a healthy man!!
- The Huz and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary.
-We've met new people and made new friends.

So many things have happened and our lives have changed so much in just one year. There have been lots of ups and downs. But in our family of 4 there have been many great things. It has been a wonderful year for us.

Happy New Year!! I hope your 2009 starts out wonderful!

On The Road Again...

Driving for the Holidays? We are, and I am not looking forward to it! Tomorrow the Huz is getting off work early (thank goodness) and we will be driving about 3 hours to my uncles. And it will probably take us longer than 3 hours! Then on Wednesday after Church, dinner and present time we will be driving about hour and 15mins, we probably won't leave until after 10pm. The next day no driving at all!! Then sometime on Friday we will be driving home. The Huz has to work Sat. and Sun. boo!! I really am looking forward to seeing so much of our family, but the driving won't be fun, especially since we have 2 under 2!

Happy Holidays everyone! And to everyone else out there driving, drive safely!

'Tis the Season

This year I have found myself really feeling the holiday spirit. Most years I am annoyed by all the holiday cheer that comes WAY to early! Usually I am not ready for Christmas or in the Christmas spirit until about a week before Christmas. But this year! I was ready to put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. I found myself wandering down all the holiday decoration isles in the stores wanting to fill my cart up with new ornaments and decorations. Thankfully I was well in control and not buying in impulse (something I tend to do). Our home is decorated, our tree is sparkling and I find myself humming Christmas tunes.

I can't put my finger on why I am so excited and in the spirit this year. Maybe its because of my boys. This year is Damon's 1st Christmas and Alec's 2nd. They are not at the age where they understand Christmas or Santa...I can't imagine how excited I will be when they do understand! It is always fun though to remember and celebrate a baby's first Christmas. There is also the excitement of seeing family from far away. My family that lives in Kansas and Missouri will be here for Christmas this year and I cannot wait to see them. I don't get to see them often enough through the year.

We have almost all our presents bought and wrapped. Usually I just want to get the wrapping done and over with. But this year I enjoyed it! I took my time with the wrapping and decorated each package with colorful ribbons, they look so pretty!

I am finding myself feeling lucky about where I live in the US. Most areas are so affected by the economy, but where I live it isn't even as close to as bad as most of the US. Sure it has affected us here, but only slightly. And some more than others I am sure. (I don't want to say we arn't affected at all because we are.)

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope the time with your friends and family is wonderful!

MASTITIS

One word....holy flipping hell this hurts!! Okay, so that was more than one word. But you got the point that something hurts right? (Beware! Breast and nipple talk ahead!)



This last week the nipple on my right breast had started getting a bit sore and tender and then proceeded to be down right painful! I went 48 and just pumped breast milk and did not let Damon nurse on that side at all. But today I was still in excruciating pain. It feels like someone is slowly peeling the skin of my nipple and pouring alcohol down it too. It has a horrible burning sensation 24/7. This is the most pain I have ever been in in my entire life. I would rather be in labor without an epidural!



Today I decided to go and see the doctor. I was thinking that I had thrush, but it turns out I have Mastitis. I always thought that mastitis was just an infection of the milk ducts, but my ducts are totally fine! I just have the infection on my nipple. So now I am on a really powerful dose of antibiotics 4 times a day. Yay. I have my self a big tub of yogurt so I help prevent getting thrush. I would probably cry if I end up getting thrush after all this.



I would never wish the pain that I am in on anyone, it is just horrible.

Black

Black. All I seem to be wearing lately is black, people are going to think I am going through a goth phase or something! Well no, its just that I have some extra baby fat to lose! Ugh!

I hate dieting! I am doing weight watchers and it is a great 'diet' for me to follow. I make healthy choices, but I can still have the sweet treat that I always seem to be craving. I wasn't very good during my pregnancy controlling how often I had that sweet treat.. and now here I am at 3 months postpartum with 20lbs to lose. So I wear black. And when I buy something new, its probably black. Well I guess I did buy to blue shirts the other day, but they hide my tummy.

I have been pretty good about exercising. I also spend about 30mins to an hour every day dancing like a goof with Alec. And that gets my heart rate up! Its easy to exercise when you are having fun and goofing off with one of the cutest little boys in the world! Alec's favorite thing to watch and dance to? The Wiggles!! Luckily for me they aren't too annoying, because Alec LOVES them.

I really wish that I could just do a crash diet and starve myself for a little while just to get the weight off. I am good at managing a weight, I just have to get there first. But that is completely out of the question. I am breastfeeding Damon and that would be really unhealthy for both of us. And I do not want to risk losing my milk supply.

So I am just putsing away losing about a pound a week. I guess thats not too bad.

Any one have any heathy snack suggestions for me?

Thankfulness and Sadness

My Thanksgiving post, just a little late. ; )

We had a really nice Thanksgiving this year we saw lots of family and thats always fun, especially when its family you don't see very often. And I got to show off my boys, what mother doesn't love doing that?

Thanksgiving tends to be a bit hard on me, I feel pulled two different ways emotionally. I know I should be thankful and happy for many things, including a wonderful husband who loves me dearly and my two happy and healthy little boys. But I also have feelings of mourning and sadness. And part of me wants to just mope around and be sad on Thanksgiving and the days following.

Four years ago the day after Thanksgiving I found out that my baby in utero had lost his heart beat and I went to the hospital to start the induction. It is something that I had been trying to prepare myself for, but none the less it was still a horrible and extremely hard thing to go through. But I was able to have a normally and easy delivery but emotionally very hard and I got to see my son hold him, cuddle him and kiss him. But all the while knowing that I would never be able to again. If he was here living with us today he would be 4 years old. For some reason it feels longer than 4 years.

So on Thanksgiving I am mourning the loss of my first born child, and the live I never got to have with him. But it makes me even more thankful for the two beautiful healthy boys I have here with me today.