Surviving

My first day alone with all three kids went well! Better than I expected in fact. I fell back into my old pattern easily, and William fit in fine. It helped that he had a 3.5 hour nap in the afternoon and it even overlapped with the kids 'rest' time. Awesome. I even did a load of laundry and cleaned out part of K's closet! Coming out of that first day I am feeling quite confident in my abilities to make this work.

Besides surviving and the above mentioned chores, we also went for a visit in the morning to K's daycare to pick up paperwork and to introduce William. I am sooo very happy that K is looking forward to going back to little school. She starts on the 16th and will be going Thursdays. I have her on the wait list for Tuesdays as well. Not sure if she will need it, or if I will want her gone 2 days, but want to have the option when it arises, especially this winter.

We also played about an hour of hide-and-seek in the house, played Alphabet bingo, built a train, played with K's castle, watched half of The Little Mermaid and played with the K'Nex dog building set. Whew!

Today is going well too. William was up early, but I got a shower after he passed out again for 45 minutes. Everyone was up by 7. We watched a new Barbie Movie while eating breakfast, and then Shaun's mom and little Abby came for a visit. We all walked to the park and came back for snack. Then Sherry, Patrick's previous therapist came for a visit which was wonderful. She's such a nice person and we'd missed her. She stayed for 45 minutes and then we had lunch - it was 12:30 at this point. After lunch, P&K went up for their rest-time and William had a fussy time. Actually, he's been fussy all morning but I'm dealing with it. Sometimes he has to wait. Thats part of being a family. I'm also getting really good at eating meals standing up while bouncing him since that is what settles him best. So far, no spillage or choaking!

Now William is napping in the swing and Patrick just got up and is playing in the living room. K will probably sleep until 2:30 and then there is talk of a visit from Shaun's sister, her hubby, Abby and Grandma for a dip in the pool!! If not I may be brave and take all 3 to the grocery store. Their carts accomodate all 3 kiddos at once with a bit of space for groceries too. See? I'm even feeling confident!

Right now I am cooking pasta for supper. I bought some rice pasta for myself and I'll have it with the beef (Shaun is making spaghetti) and mix it with beef bullion and green beans. Should be yummy - and its different than just regular rice.

If William lets me, I'm going to quickly vacuum the basement and maybe do the dishes!

Petrified

Tomorrow is my first day alone with all three kids and I am feeling very anxious!!!!

I know I've been very lucky/spoiled to have another adult or two around every day since William's birth, and I am very very thankful for the help as William is very needy right now. But I really wish this day wasn't coming so fast!!

We do have plans for every day/morning this week so that will help. But I will be on my own with all three kids from when they get up until suppertime.

Next week I will have another adult every day as Monday is labour day and Shaun is off, and my parents are coming Tues-Thurs and then Shaun likely will be home on Friday as well. I am really looking forward to that.

So I just have to survive this week. Hopefully we'll fall into a nice rhythm. Hopefully I'll re-find my grove of being a stay-at-home-mom.

Wish me luck!!

This Wednesday night, I finally get the results from the blood test that I had done thru the Naturopath.

Before I get the results, I wanted to write a quick blog to reflect on the past weeks on this restrictive diet. I've mentioned it before, but I've cut out all dairy, all wheat and gluten, whole eggs, corn, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, chocolate and I'm also avoiding corn and soy products as well as spices.

It hasn't been easy. At first I felt really restricted. But the longer you're at it, the more products and foods you find that are 'safe'. And you get into a rhythm and although its kinda bland and boring its food... and you eat to live, not visa versa.

William's tummy is so much better now, and that alone is worth sticking it out for. As an added bonus I've also lost weight. All 30 of my pregnancy pounds are gone as well as an additional 4 from previous. As a long term goal, I'm going to get back to my wedding weight at which point I'm going to have my eyes corrected with laser surgery so I won't have to wear glasses. I only have 26 lbs to go. But I'm not in a hurry and I'm not actively dieting as it could wreck my milk supply. Just trying to make better choices and drink lots of water... which is surprisingly easy considering I'm not drinking much else.

I'm getting a bit excited at the possibility of adding things (slowly) back into my diet. Its crazy the things that make your mouth water when you can't have them. Recently, when I was visiting my parents, my Dad made toast for breakfast and that had me just salivating. I see people with Tim Hortons bagels and want them, even though they weren't something I wanted before. Cheese is a biggie - I really miss cheese. And muffins. And cereal beyond rice krispies. And milk on my rice krispies for that matter. Rice milk is OK, but its not the same. I could go on but I won't torture myself.

Wednesday will be here before I know it. I think above anything else I'm just curious to know. Will post an update after my visit when I can.

I just posted a couple of entries that happened before the visit with Great Grandpa (below) so scroll down to find them!
~ Deb

Took all 3 kiddos, along with my parents, to visit my Grandfather today. We had a nice time as there was a volunteer there playing a guitar and leading a sing-along.

We managed to get a few snapshots as well:

It was a quick visit as William was starting to ask for his supper.

Our friends were in the area while we were visiting in Orangeville and they brought their sweet baby (5 months old) so we could meet her.

She seemed to really like William! She's giving him kisses!

Two cuties!

It was really nice to see them as we don't get to be together very often! Hopefully we can get together again soon.

First bath in the big tub! He really enjoyed splashing and kicking!

I finally got William's room set up the way I wanted! I know its 2 months later, but when we were setting up his room I was still in a lot of pain and we just got the basics done. Now it is 'finished'!

My mom made this blanket! In fact, she made ALL the fabric linnens for Williams room as she has done for all her grandkids.

I modified Patrick's mobile again for Williams teddy-bear theme. I found those 3 little guys at the dollar store and attached them with ribbon. William really likes his mobile.
My Dad rug-hooked the bears scene on the wall! William likes to look at it while I burping him.

Yes, there is a twin matress in the nursery. Its where I sleep when my parents are visiting! Its not very elegant, but definetly useful and necessary.

My friend Anna made that bib hanging under the William letters. So authentic to Star Trek! She is super tallented.

Another shot of the crib. I just love the alphabet over his crib and he seems to also.

And of course the closet. I love my kids' closets! They are all door-less so no pinched fingers or 'scary monsters'.

I am happy with how it (finally!) turned out!

Patrick was in a William-holdin' type of mood today! He just loves his little brother. And our first HAPPY KIDS picture!! Love it!

And a happy William with Grandpa!

Kathryn and I had a barbie fashion show! Personally, I love the way Ken is dressed best (he's in the middle)
His pink shirt, and pink skirt are great with the striped socks. I especially like that his shirt says "lets cuddle" :)

WOOHOO!! Free nursing wear? Yes please!

Bumble Wee Nursing Wear

Check it out!

William Smiles! And laughs too!

There is always lots of fun and games when Grandma and Grandpa come to stay!

Patrick and Grandpa build lots of train layouts together.


And UNO is often played multiple times

Grandma and Kathryn read TONS of books together.

And so do Grandpa and Kathryn:

We had a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa!! Looking forward to doing it again in 4 sleeps at their house for a week!

Shaun took Patrick, Kathryn and my Dad to Inglis Falls for a hike while my mom and I hung out with little William.
They did a great job hiking and manouvering over the rough terrain. And posing for pictures.

I can't believe Kathryn navigated this (with help). What a big girl!

Kathryn loves to pose for pictures!

Gorgeous! Maybe next year I can tag along with William in a back-pack carrier!

HAPPY 2 MONTH BIRTHDAY WILLIAM!!!

He's still not a fan of getting his picture taken in the chair.
But he really likes his reclining 'elephant' chair!

Love those smiles!!

He had his 2 month check up and he is 13 lbs 13 oz and 24.5 inches long.

He also got his first round of immunizations and was quite upset for most of the day.

Days and Nights

William now seems to have days and nights figured out. He knows nights are for sleeping which is lovely! He was going down for the night between 9 and 10 but last night it was 8.... so I guess we're still not set there. But when he does wake at night to eat he goes right back to sleep, often sleeping thru his diaper change. He doesn't get up too early yet, which is great!

Days are another story. We have no consistency. He sleeps when he's tired and eats when he's hungry without much pattern. Its a bit frustrating, but we're trying to remember that nights are good so we can deal with not-so-great days. It wouldn't be so bad except we aren't sure what he wants and he's often difficult to settle and fusses a lot. I know this will come eventually but living it is difficult. Thankgoodness nights seem to be going OK!

From July 29th: Bath time fun!

Sleeping beauty

Natropathic Doctor Visit
William and I saw Stephanie Jennings about his gas issues and what parts of my diet may be affecting it. It was a very long session (over an hour!) and she took an extensive history about his belly issues, rash, delivery, gestation and overall being. I liked that she was so indepth about the history as to get a clearer picture about what may be bothering him.

She recommended several homeopathic remidies (including chamomile tea) but the only one I purchased was a probiotic powder that I can give him by bottle mixed with my own breastmilk. It was quite expensive and requires refridgeration but I know probiotics will help to balance the good bacteria in his belly, which should decrease his gas output. I plan to use this for a week before even considering adding anything else to his belly.

She also recommended 2 healing balms for his diaper rash. The rash itself is down to a very small ring around his anus that you can barely see unless you know its there. Trusting her knowledge, I agreed to try one of the ointments and see how his skin reacts.

As you can see, I'm very cautious about introducing new things to William. I understand she thinks these things are necessary, but I'm not convinced. Again, I am willing to try things but only one at a time with sufficient space between introductions.

She also did a bit of an adjustment (she called it Bowen Therapy) which definetly had results later in the day. William was incredibly fussy and gassy and filling a lot of diapers. So i guess it worked? He slept awesome last night (9:30 - 3:30 and easily back down till 6:30). He is still a bit fussy today, however, Shaun and I agree we would prefer that to happen during the day instead of at night!!

She also talked to me about my diet and suggested that perhaps limiting myself to just those things was a bit much and would deny my body of proper nutrition She suggested I follow the Type-O Blood Type Diet to help heal my own body and in turn help to heal William's. She did agree that he likely has a milk-protein sensitivity as well as likely a wheat one.

Now, I remember the blood type diet from earlier in my life. I remember looking at a book for it and thinking "this is crazy". However, since she gave me the diet suggestions, I am willing to give it some thought and research. Afterall, it probably won't hurt as long as I keep cutting out dairy and wheat as well as the other things I am certain set him off (whole eggs, strawberries, tomatoes, chocolate) and keeping my diet fairly neutral and bland.

For interest sake, I put "blood type diet" into my google search and came up with all sorts of links.
wickipedia gives a good impartial overview
D'adamo is a link directly to the homeopathic doctor who founded the diet
The Diet Channel gives an overview and questions the science that it is founded in
Toroto Vegetarian Association also questions the diet and is critical of it
Everydiet.org had a fairly negative view of it as well
Skeptic.com was very negative of it.

Personally I am skeptic of it as well. And in all honesty, when I highlight the neutral and beneficial foods that I like it resembles a diet I might put myself on for health or weight loss.

Mostly I went to the Naturopath to get the food-sensitivity blood test. That is what I most want to find out and I will in about 4 weeks.

Children conspire to give mom a good and bad night.

Last night was the best W night since he was born. He went to bed happily at 9:30 and was up at 2 to nurse, settling easy even thru a diaper change, and then slept on till 5:30. Yay!

At precisely 9:30 last night, Patrick came out of his room to announce he had pulled out his loose tooth! Hurrah! We were so happy for him. However, he didn't know where he had put it. He insisted it was in the bed. After careful examination of the sheets, behind the bed, on the headboard, it was apparent it wasn't there. Shaun found it on the beige carpet. Ever try to find a baby tooth in a sea of beige? Daddy is a hero!

Around 1ish, Kathryn woke me up by calling from her bed. She said she'd had a nightmare and needed to sleep with me. I knew this would be a disasterous arrangement for me to get decent sleep so I tried to console her and convince her to stay in her room. No dice. So Ms. K ended up on Shaun's side of the bed since Shaun is still sleeping on the living room floor (on another note, his CPAP RX is in so he should be back in our bedroom this week!).

It started off ok, we were separated but still touching - which is what she wanted. But as the night progressed she schooched closer and closer until I was sure I was sleeping both ontop of and under her. She woke me about every half hour by smacking me or kicking me. It was brutal. I finally gave up and left for her bed which is darn comfortable! Currently she is sleeping, star-fish position, in the middle of my bed.

William nursed and changed at 5:30, and then played in his crib watching his mobile until 6:10. at that point I figured he was up for a while so we came down to recant the nights events to a sleepy Daddy. William insisted on nursing again and then passed out so he's currently sleeping in the swing. I suppose I should grab this moment and go back up to Kathryn's bed for another hour or so.

What a night!

Elimination (Starvation?) Diet

I've decided to try a breastfeeding elmination diet. I'm starting today.

I dedcided last night that I was going to give it a try after W was so full of gas and couldn't settle. Its so hard to listen to him cry and at the same time so frustrating because it only happens at night.

Last night was particulary difficult.

So, my friend Melanie sent me a document with the breastfeeding elimination diet. Basically you eat nothing by 6 foods. I am modifying it a bit because I know certain things don't bother him. But I will be completely cutting out dairy (still) as well as corn and wheat.

These are the biggest offenders (known as the nasty 9)
-Dairy
-Wheat
-Shellfish (don't eat that!)
-Soy
-Egg Whites
-Tree Nuts
-Peanuts
-Corn
-Tomatoes

And this is how the diet is supposed to be:
- Turkey
- Lamb
- Potatoes (white and sweet)
- Squash
- Rice
- Pears (or pear juice)

So, until I get the results from the blood test (I go to see her on Tuesday) I'll only be eating rice and rice products, potatoes (white and sweet), and chicken. Mostly I'll be drinking water (and rice milk). The diet actually says to use Turkey, but I'm fairly certain that W is OK with plain chicken.

Yes. This is going to be very difficult. But if it means we can have peaceful nights, I'm willing to give it a try. As Shaun said, if he's still full of gas after I've done this for a week then I'll know its not my diet.

I went this morning to Walmart to get a few more rice products and a bag of poatoes and discovered that all but plain rice cakes have corn in them as the 2nd ingredient. Crazy! There is corn in just about everything we eat!!

Here's what I've come up with for foods. Feel free to suggest others.

Rice krispies and rice milk
mashed potatoes (made with a bit of olive oil and salt)
sweet potatoes
rice made with chicken broth
golden chicken (rice cooked in chicken broth with sweet potatoes)
plain rice cakes
plain potato chips (in moderation of course, since they are deep fried)
shredded potato fried in a bit of olive oil and salt for taste
Baked chicken/BBQ chicken.

I can also have pears (forgot about that). I'll have to pick some up.

So, stay tuned to listen to me whine about my diet or rave about great nights. We'll just have to see how this all turns out.

And now for a snack of rice krispies and rice milk. Yum.