Sunday, February 27, 2011
A beautiful day in Carolina!
Wow! Today was absolutely b-e-a-utiful! Mimi came over and helped me go through all of Owen's clothes while he took a nap. We filled two large storage containers of clothes that he has out-grown, patiently waiting for baby number 2! Then we spent some time rocking on the front porch enjoying the sunshine, getting some fresh air, and listening to the wind chimes, while daddy played golf. What a great way to wrap up our weekend!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Week of the sick
This past week, since we left you on Saturday, all three of us have had some kind of sickness. It all started on Saturday when Owen got an eye infection. He woke up with his eye crusted shut. I knew it wasn't pink eye but I decided to call the nurse anyway. She diagnosed him over the phone with an eye infection. Not a big deal, just apply eye drops four times a day. Usually one of us distracts him with a toy while the other squirts the drops in his eye.
Early in the week I started feeling bad but just assumed it was a cold (being back at work I have picked up LOTS of germs). I took cold medicine for 3 straight days and still had all of my symptoms- runny nose, congestion, etc. So I figured maybe it was my allergies. On Wednesday, I finally felt better.
Then Pat started feeling bad. Same symptoms, same medicine.
In the meantime, as I was feeding Owen one night, I happened to look under his neck and noticed it was really wet and bright red. Great. I immediately thought the eye drops rolled under his chin and burned his skin. Being a first time mom, I apparently have a lot to learn! I dried it off and didn't think anything else about it. Until the next morning- it was still wet and red, and there was green puss. I freaked out. We called the nurse again and they told us he probably developed a yeast infection under his neck from the constant wetness (milk and drool). She told us to apply some yeast infection cream and corn starch powder and call back if it wasn't better by Friday (this was Tuesday) or if we noticed bumps with it. Of course, on Wednesday we noticed bumps. To make a long story short, Pat took him to the doc Thursday and they said it was completely normal and for us to continue to keep his neck dry and apply the cream. When we gave him a bath this morning we noticed he now has the same infection on his bottom (which the doc said might happen). Poor baby.
I decided to end the week with a bang. Thursday night as I went to bed I started feeling terrible. Sore throat, swollen glands, ear pressure, and a slight headache. Around 3:00 when I woke up to feed Owen, I was shivering and sweating at the same time. I knew I had a fever. I took my temp and it was 100.4. Work wasn't an option because my co-teacher already had the day off. I knew I had to be there. When I woke up for good at 6:00 I took my temp again and it was normal but I still felt terrible. When I arrived at school several parents commented on my squeaky voice and not-so-good-looking appearance. A bit embarrassing I might add. Around 11:30 I finally told my boss I had to leave. I felt terrible and everyone could tell. I headed straight to the doc for them to tell me I had a viral infection. Just to be confirm, they went ahead and did a blood test. Well, well, the results of the blood test showed my white blood cell count was high, meaning I had some sort of bacterial infection. When breastfeeding you can only take certain medications so the doc wanted to make sure she got the right diagnosis. She decided to do a strep test even though my symptoms didn't sound like strep. Ta da- it was positive. I came home and vegged out on the couch with Owen while Pat got the script filled. While he was gone I started feeling worse. My fever went from 101.7 to 102.4 in 30 minutes. I began shivering uncontrollably. Thankfully Pat arrived shortly thereafter with all the meds and ready to take care of Owen.
Hopefully this week will be a healthier one for all of us!
Early in the week I started feeling bad but just assumed it was a cold (being back at work I have picked up LOTS of germs). I took cold medicine for 3 straight days and still had all of my symptoms- runny nose, congestion, etc. So I figured maybe it was my allergies. On Wednesday, I finally felt better.
Then Pat started feeling bad. Same symptoms, same medicine.
In the meantime, as I was feeding Owen one night, I happened to look under his neck and noticed it was really wet and bright red. Great. I immediately thought the eye drops rolled under his chin and burned his skin. Being a first time mom, I apparently have a lot to learn! I dried it off and didn't think anything else about it. Until the next morning- it was still wet and red, and there was green puss. I freaked out. We called the nurse again and they told us he probably developed a yeast infection under his neck from the constant wetness (milk and drool). She told us to apply some yeast infection cream and corn starch powder and call back if it wasn't better by Friday (this was Tuesday) or if we noticed bumps with it. Of course, on Wednesday we noticed bumps. To make a long story short, Pat took him to the doc Thursday and they said it was completely normal and for us to continue to keep his neck dry and apply the cream. When we gave him a bath this morning we noticed he now has the same infection on his bottom (which the doc said might happen). Poor baby.
I decided to end the week with a bang. Thursday night as I went to bed I started feeling terrible. Sore throat, swollen glands, ear pressure, and a slight headache. Around 3:00 when I woke up to feed Owen, I was shivering and sweating at the same time. I knew I had a fever. I took my temp and it was 100.4. Work wasn't an option because my co-teacher already had the day off. I knew I had to be there. When I woke up for good at 6:00 I took my temp again and it was normal but I still felt terrible. When I arrived at school several parents commented on my squeaky voice and not-so-good-looking appearance. A bit embarrassing I might add. Around 11:30 I finally told my boss I had to leave. I felt terrible and everyone could tell. I headed straight to the doc for them to tell me I had a viral infection. Just to be confirm, they went ahead and did a blood test. Well, well, the results of the blood test showed my white blood cell count was high, meaning I had some sort of bacterial infection. When breastfeeding you can only take certain medications so the doc wanted to make sure she got the right diagnosis. She decided to do a strep test even though my symptoms didn't sound like strep. Ta da- it was positive. I came home and vegged out on the couch with Owen while Pat got the script filled. While he was gone I started feeling worse. My fever went from 101.7 to 102.4 in 30 minutes. I began shivering uncontrollably. Thankfully Pat arrived shortly thereafter with all the meds and ready to take care of Owen.
Hopefully this week will be a healthier one for all of us!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
On Saturday we took Owen to his first baseball game. We went to Burlington to watch the Pack play Elon. Unfortunately, State lost, but Owen enjoyed just being outside. I think he is like his mommy- he loves to people watch!
When we first got there:
He finally woke up:
Maybe this will mark the beginning of his baseball career...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
$aving money- one dollar at a time
A few years ago, when Pat was "experimenting" with different jobs, we sat down and looked at our finances and discussed ways we could save money. One of the first things that we did was start cutting out coupons.
I will be the first to admit- I've become a sucker for coupons and deals of the day. I have an addiction! It all started by using coupons at Harris Teeter. We would cut them out of the Sunday paper and see how much money we could save. When we first started we didn't really know what we were doing and we only saved several dollars here and there. Now we have a system: keep a coupon "stash", organize them by category (until we figure out what we need then we organize them by the layout of the grocery store), use tons of coupons at once, and sort them based on their value (Harris Teeter has limitations on doubling). We definitely have room for improvement, but we have come a long way, and saved a lot over the last year or so. There are a few things we are still working out. For instance, we typically end up buying more than we need, but we don't have to go to the store as often. Now we look at it like a game: how many coupons can we use, how much money can we save, and how far can we stretch our dollar. Sometimes we only buy what we have coupons for. At first, I was the only one interested in this. Now, Pat has jumped on the bandwagon! He only wants to buy things we have coupons for- including restaurants and clothing stores. Side note: I have also converted Pat to shopping on eBay!
My next venture is to learn the secret to couponing at CVS...I hear it's a little confusing, but worth it when they start paying you to shop there!
Here are a few websites that I visit for daily deals:
www.shnoop.com
www.groupon.com
www.livingsocial.com
www.eversave.com
*Some of these sites are based on your location
*This week I bought a natural mani/pedi with polish and sugar scrub, and a glass of wine, coffee, or tea ($34 reg. $70 ) and a voucher for shopzoolu.com ($20 reg. $50)
Mom/baby sites:
www.mamabargains.com
www.bumpbargains.com
www.babysteals.com
www.zulily.com
Coupon websites/blogs:
www.southernsavers.com
www.freebies4mom.com
www.babygoodbuys.com
Interested in local kids consignment sales?
www.consignmentmommies.com
Happy shopping!
I will be the first to admit- I've become a sucker for coupons and deals of the day. I have an addiction! It all started by using coupons at Harris Teeter. We would cut them out of the Sunday paper and see how much money we could save. When we first started we didn't really know what we were doing and we only saved several dollars here and there. Now we have a system: keep a coupon "stash", organize them by category (until we figure out what we need then we organize them by the layout of the grocery store), use tons of coupons at once, and sort them based on their value (Harris Teeter has limitations on doubling). We definitely have room for improvement, but we have come a long way, and saved a lot over the last year or so. There are a few things we are still working out. For instance, we typically end up buying more than we need, but we don't have to go to the store as often. Now we look at it like a game: how many coupons can we use, how much money can we save, and how far can we stretch our dollar. Sometimes we only buy what we have coupons for. At first, I was the only one interested in this. Now, Pat has jumped on the bandwagon! He only wants to buy things we have coupons for- including restaurants and clothing stores. Side note: I have also converted Pat to shopping on eBay!
My next venture is to learn the secret to couponing at CVS...I hear it's a little confusing, but worth it when they start paying you to shop there!
Here are a few websites that I visit for daily deals:
www.shnoop.com
www.groupon.com
www.livingsocial.com
www.eversave.com
*Some of these sites are based on your location
*This week I bought a natural mani/pedi with polish and sugar scrub, and a glass of wine, coffee, or tea ($34 reg. $70 ) and a voucher for shopzoolu.com ($20 reg. $50)
Mom/baby sites:
www.mamabargains.com
www.bumpbargains.com
www.babysteals.com
www.zulily.com
Coupon websites/blogs:
www.southernsavers.com
www.freebies4mom.com
www.babygoodbuys.com
Interested in local kids consignment sales?
www.consignmentmommies.com
Happy shopping!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Ice cream!
Warm weather brings Spring fever for many people. It was so nice this weekend that Pat and I decided to bust out our ice cream maker and make some homemade ice cream. It was easy to make and delicious too! Here is the recipe we used:
-2 cups whole milk
-2 cups heavy cream
-1 cup white sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacture's directions.
*We added chocolate syrup and chopped Reese's to top it off...yum-o!
-2 cups whole milk
-2 cups heavy cream
-1 cup white sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a large bowl, combine the milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacture's directions.
*We added chocolate syrup and chopped Reese's to top it off...yum-o!
Owen's 3 month birthday
On February 10th, Owen turned 3 months old! He is no longer a "newborn" anymore! He amazes us everyday with his new discoveries and abilities. He likes to put his hands in his mouth, watch TV, read/look at books, sing songs, grab his plastic rings, and coo! He is also working hard on trying to roll over. Owen is currently 15 pounds, wearing 6 mon. clothing, eating 6 ounces every 4 hours, drooling non-stop,and waking up once in the night to eat. Overall, Owen is a really happy baby and the light of our life!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
rolling, rolling, rolling
Owen is trying SO hard to roll over. It's hilarious to watch him hike his leg up and get momentum to try to roll over. If only his shoulder would cooperate! Not too much longer!
The day I've dreaded since I found out I was pregnant.
Today. Going back to work.
It sucked.
Ok, let me rewind. Owen is perfect. He is honestly a happy baby. I know every mom says that about her child, but Owen is truly amazing. Last night I made sure bags were ready, lunches were packed, and clothes were laid out. I fed Owen at 11:00 and put him to bed. I went to bed shortly thereafter. A few hours later I woke up to wet sheets. For those of you that don't know, when breastfeeding, your body gets on a schedule and knows when it's time for your little one to eat. So I knew it had to be past 3:30/4:00. To my surprise, when I looked at the clock, it was 5:30! No wonder my sheets were soaked! Owen decided he was really tired and didn't want to wake up for his middle of the night snack. Unfortunately, I had to get up and pump because I had gone so long in between feedings. While I was up, Owen started fussing a little and rolling around in his crib. To be on top of things, I went ahead and warmed the bottle. I pumped for 15 minutes and Owen was still asleep. I went back to bed. My alarm went off at 6:30. Still not a peep from Owen. I took a shower, got ready, and ate breakfast. Still not a peep from Owen. Finally at 7:30 I had to wake him up. We were leaving the house at 7:45 so we needed to get on the ball. Owen had already been asleep for 8 1/2 hours! He has never done this before! So I woke him up at 7:30, got him dressed, and fed him then we were on our way. Of course, since it was his first day of "school" I arrived early anticipating how the drop-off would go. It wasn't too bad. He fell asleep on the way there, but as soon as I put his seat down inside he was wide awake, staring a precious little girl in the face! I knew from then on this was the best thing for both of us. He needs socialization and so do I.
Pat and I both picked him up at 1:15. Apparently, he was great for "Nana". Thank God. I prayed and prayed he would be fine (ok, I prayed and prayed I would be fine!). At least the hardest part is over...
Now we are looking forward to August when he can come to school with me!
It sucked.
Ok, let me rewind. Owen is perfect. He is honestly a happy baby. I know every mom says that about her child, but Owen is truly amazing. Last night I made sure bags were ready, lunches were packed, and clothes were laid out. I fed Owen at 11:00 and put him to bed. I went to bed shortly thereafter. A few hours later I woke up to wet sheets. For those of you that don't know, when breastfeeding, your body gets on a schedule and knows when it's time for your little one to eat. So I knew it had to be past 3:30/4:00. To my surprise, when I looked at the clock, it was 5:30! No wonder my sheets were soaked! Owen decided he was really tired and didn't want to wake up for his middle of the night snack. Unfortunately, I had to get up and pump because I had gone so long in between feedings. While I was up, Owen started fussing a little and rolling around in his crib. To be on top of things, I went ahead and warmed the bottle. I pumped for 15 minutes and Owen was still asleep. I went back to bed. My alarm went off at 6:30. Still not a peep from Owen. I took a shower, got ready, and ate breakfast. Still not a peep from Owen. Finally at 7:30 I had to wake him up. We were leaving the house at 7:45 so we needed to get on the ball. Owen had already been asleep for 8 1/2 hours! He has never done this before! So I woke him up at 7:30, got him dressed, and fed him then we were on our way. Of course, since it was his first day of "school" I arrived early anticipating how the drop-off would go. It wasn't too bad. He fell asleep on the way there, but as soon as I put his seat down inside he was wide awake, staring a precious little girl in the face! I knew from then on this was the best thing for both of us. He needs socialization and so do I.
Pat and I both picked him up at 1:15. Apparently, he was great for "Nana". Thank God. I prayed and prayed he would be fine (ok, I prayed and prayed I would be fine!). At least the hardest part is over...
Now we are looking forward to August when he can come to school with me!
Baby Yoga...Or Not
A few weeks ago a news reporter came to our mom and baby yoga class. She showed us a video of a lady in Russia doing what she called "yoga" with a 2 month old child. The news reporter wanted to get our initial reactions and see what really happens in mom and baby yoga.
You can watch the video here.
My heart stopped when I saw this. Sadly enough, someone else will actually try this with their child.
You can watch the video here.
My heart stopped when I saw this. Sadly enough, someone else will actually try this with their child.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Owen learns to read!
Owen loves books. He loves to be read to, he loves to look at the pages, and he loves to practice "reading" along! Luckily, I had my camera close by when reading his favorite book: I Love You Through and Through.
A busy Sunday
Sunday was a beautiful day. We decided to take advantage of it. We started our day off at church. This was Owen's first time attending church. We were a little nervous about how he would do. We decided to keep him with us during the service (once he starts childcare then we will take him to the nursery). He absolutely loved the music/singing! During Pastor Don's message, Owen passed out. So needless to say, he did great!
After church we went to Pita Delite for a quick lunch. Then Kathryn and Lamar came over and we all piled in the car and went to the Natural Science Center to see the Bodies Revealed exhibit. It was amazing! Strollers weren't allowed in the exhibit so we had to take turns carrying Owen around...all 15 pounds of him! Talk about a workout...
Since we had to pay admission to the Science Center to see the exhibit, we decided to walk around and check things out. Owen's favorite thing was definitely the big kodiak bear. His eyes were HUGE as he carefully examined it. I wish I would have taken a pic. It's so cool to watch him these days, as he is much more observant.
As we left, there were people everywhere. Everyone had the same idea because it was so pretty outside.
After church we went to Pita Delite for a quick lunch. Then Kathryn and Lamar came over and we all piled in the car and went to the Natural Science Center to see the Bodies Revealed exhibit. It was amazing! Strollers weren't allowed in the exhibit so we had to take turns carrying Owen around...all 15 pounds of him! Talk about a workout...
Since we had to pay admission to the Science Center to see the exhibit, we decided to walk around and check things out. Owen's favorite thing was definitely the big kodiak bear. His eyes were HUGE as he carefully examined it. I wish I would have taken a pic. It's so cool to watch him these days, as he is much more observant.
As we left, there were people everywhere. Everyone had the same idea because it was so pretty outside.
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