No More Po-- bye bye

No More Po

Bye Bye

On June 12th after a morning full of whining whining whining for his beloved po I made a spontaneous decision to get rid of Brayden's po. I had had it with the constant nagging for his po when it wasn't bed time or nap time. 

It was hard to hear him cry and mourn the loss of his po. I hoped I would have the energy and the strength to not back down. The first night he came out of bed a few times crying and the next morning he was up super early and wanted comfort from his po. I snuggled him and rubbed his head while he drifted back to sleep. The only time he cried after that was at nap and bed time. I simply stated po po was bye bye. He in return would try to convince me po was not bye bye-- but I stood strong and by the next day-- he didn't ask for it. 

It's almost been a week and I think he's doing really well. He's much happier during the day and rarely mentions his po. If he does, he's content with me stating it's all gone. 

Good job Brayden boy!! 

Life with Three

Life With Three ...

Everybody told me transitioning from two kids to three was the toughest-- for the first time, the parents are outnumbered. As my pregnancy was nearing an end I started to prepare for the worst ... And then, Marshall James was born and well-- life became even more wonderful. I just love being a mom to these three amazing kids. Each of them so different and yet- so similar. Even through the tongue-tied issues and having him sleep on when he was on my chest-- life was precious and I found myself wanting to pause life and just soak everything in. Already Marshall James is two months old and his personality is starting to come out and it's just going way to fast. Slow down!!

The month of May was a spectacular month. So many wonderful things happened:

• Marshall's tongue-tie issue was taken care of
• Brayden became a HUGE fan of cars and I love watching him line up his cars each and every day
• Shannon and Tommy Frey's son Joel David was born
• MY FIRST NIECE -- Eleanor Grace arrived on May 23rd 
• Katie and Esli got married and Ruthie and I were a part of the special day!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Here are some other great shots:
  
  
  
   (Jon and I at Wes and Steph's wedding)
  
   (Ruthie and I)
  
  The Family at Chris and Laura's Wedding

Two Month Old

Two Months Old

11 lbs 14 oz (43%)
23 inches (49%)

At two months Marshall is:

• Nursing every other feeding 
• Taking a 4 oz bottle
• Sleeping 6+ hours at night
• On a pretty regular 3 hour schedule
• Sleeping on his belly which has been amazing. And so easy to transfer from my arms to the crib!
• Holding his head up high and my 1st to love belly time!
• Smiling (especially at his big brother and sister) He smiled at mommy first right around 1 month old
• Follows big brother and sister around the room and coo's when the squeal at him!
• Love's his po- but I can still see him being a thumb sucker- he every so often gets his thumb in his mouth and is so happy and content.
• Wearing size 1 diapers (almost time to move to size 2)
• Wearing size 0-3 month to 3 month clothing
• Is a mommy's boy!

Marshall,

We all love you so much! You put a smile on each of our faces. Ruthie and Brayden love to sing to you and touch you constantly. I'm sure in a few months you are going to find it frustrating when they grab your hands and don't let go- but right now- you smile. Here is the sweetest video of you and your big brother Brayden. In the video-- Brayden says "hi Marshall James" "not up in the ceiling, not up in the ceiling Marshall James" This is such a silly thing to say, but when we first brought you home, Ruthie was trying to get you to look at her but your eyes were focused up somewhere towards the ceiling-- and so it started-- "not up in the ceiling, not up in the ceiling Marshall James". I wonder how long these adorable words will stick? Will we still be saying this phrase when your in kindergarden? Probably not! But for now- I love hearing Ruthie and Brayden  talk to you. 

Pictures By Hilary Kline

Pictures By Hilary Kline--

One Month Old!!

One Month Old

Marshall James

9 lbs 5 oz

I cannot believe Marshall is already one month old and even more, I can't believe he's not back up to birth weight yet. If you were here 24/7 you'd know how often Marshall nurses and would find it puzzling to know he's not gaining weight. So-- after a frightening appointment last week (Marshall was dehydrated and had crystals in his urine) I scheduled to meet with a lactation consultant. 

On Friday, I met with Karen Foard the local lactation consultant and she quickly diagnosed him with being tongue-tied. This was a bit frustrating because I had asked our pediatrician and he said he was fine. Karen Foard told me about a local pediatrician who specializes in tongue-tie issues and who would get him clipped quickly and easily and said that after that-- we would see huge improvements. 

Monday afternoon after Marshall's 4 week check-up we met with Doctor Klinke who very quickly agreed with Karen Foard that he was tongue-tied and needed clipped. She believes 100% that Marshall will not need to be supplemented with formula after we get his tongue working properly. She would have done the procedure that afternoon-- but because I have a history of Von Wildebrands, she felt it was best to meet with hematology first. I left the appointment in tears because I just want to get my little man better and nursing effectively and give me relief and a break. We're still waiting to get everything lined up.

ONE MONTH LATER....

I had to stop writing my post because the last month was very frustrating. It took Marshall two more weeks after I started writing this post to get my little man clipped and by that point- I was only nursing him once a week. I started taking Fenugreek to help boost my milk supply but at 6 weeks old- he was used to the bottle and uninterested in nursing. I was so disappointed in the my doctors at Geisinger who delayed the Von Wildebrands test and then it took a week to get the test results in to find that he does NOT have Von Wildebrands (yay!).

 Doctor Klinke clippped him Monday, May 20th. At his appointment he weighed 10 lbs 14 oz. It was hard to sit and listen to him cry- but the entire time I knew he was crying out of frustration and not out of hurt. The first night he was in a lot of pain and nursed like a champ. I was so excited and hopeful. Day #2-- he wanted nothing to do with nursing and only wanted the bottle. Bummed. The rest of the week I gave in to only nursing him twice a day when he was too tired to fight and then supplement afterwards.

TWO MONTHS OLD-- Marshall James is nursing every other feeding. I'm feeling more at peace that he's going to continue to nurse and continue to improve my milk supply and yet-- will still need to take formula and that's okay. That's truly okay. I am so thankful for every opportunity I have to nurse my beautiful boy and I want to slow down how quickly he's growing. At one month old I thought I was finished nursing-- and two months old-- I know that each day is a blessing and who knows- maybe by month three he'll be nursing every feeding?!?