Sayonara Bottles!

Over the weekend we finally finally weaned Jude off bottles.  We have been putting it off and putting it off even though at our 12 month check up our pediatrician was pretty clear that it needed to happen very soon.  And as we have our 15 month check up next week, it was time.  Before weaning off bottles Jude was drinking on average two a day, one 4-6 ounce bottle (of organic whole milk) first thing in the morning and one 4-6 ounce bottle before bed.  But we were on weekends when he was home with us all day probably giving him one more bottle at some point during the day.  There is just something about having a bottle that calms him down in a way few things do.  So that combined with the fact that we didn’t really understand why he couldn’t/shouldn’t have bottles anymore kept us from fulling weaning.  I did some research online and based on how Jude chugs the bottles down in one sitting and isn’t drinking on them all day, it didn’t seem like too big of a deal.  The main problem with kids having bottles long term seems to be the rotted teeth they get from the constant sugar on their teeth from drinking milk all day long.  And from what I read, sippy cups arn’t any better for this, it’s whats in the bottle/sippy cup that is the problem.  Plus they need to learn to drink from cups, which Jude totally does all day long, just mostly he drinks water out of them.  But the problem that we did have that is a factor is that toddlers who still drink bottles end up drinking too much milk and then don’t eat as well.  And if you read this blog regularly at all you know that Jude isn’t a big eater.  So, bye bye bottles it was.

And it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be.  On Saturday morning instead of giving him a bottle I gave him a sippy cup of milk and turned on Sesame Street.  And he drank about half of the milk before he realized he had been tricked.  And even though he spent all weekend signing that he was wanting a bottle, we kept firm despite a few fits that if he wanted milk it was in a sippy cup only. So now, on Tuesday after a few days of this I think he is starting to get the message and while he doesn’t wake up and get a bottle and pretty much refuses the sippy cup of milk, he does get up and eat breakfast and has generally been a happy camper.  I worry that he isn’t drinking enough now in general and I worry that he isn’t getting as much milk as he needs (he has probably averaged about 6 ounces total a day between multiple sippy cups through the day), I know it will all even out.  Today so far he has been doing a great job drinking water out of his sippy cup and he loves yogurt, yogurt smoothies and cheese sticks, so surly he is getting enough dairy.  I’m so glad we have made this progress before his big appointment.  Sayonara bottles!
-Liz

The Sweetest Kisses

Every night we have the same bedtime routine with Jude, at 8:00 we settle into our bed with a bottle (which we are going to try to wean off of this weekend, ugh) and a big pile of books.  And we read and read until Jude is either no longer interested or we run out of books.  Then he plays crazy bounce on the bed time with S while I cheer and tickle him at opportune moments.  After we get all of the sillies out he brushes his teeth, gives me a kiss and then S takes him into his room that is all ready for bed, sings him three songs and off he goes.

Last night we did our normal routine and then while S was singing him songs he kept blowing kisses and pointing at the door.  She put him down to see what he wanted and he ran right into our room, got hoisted onto the bed where I was laying and got himself snuggled into my arms wanting more kisses.  It was the sweetest thing he has ever done.  I must have kissed his little face ten thousand times right then and he giggled and smiled through it all, then went off happily to bed.  I went to bed with such a happy, full heart.  This is the magic of parenting that makes everything so worth it.  
-Liz

Being 31 Is Lovely

I am a bad blogger these days.  I have so much time on my hands right now to blog and at the same time nothing to say.  There just isn’t much going on of interest without my little Jude here.  But this last weekend was a great one.  My birthday fell on Mother’s day this year which won’t happen again until 2019.  And so we celebrated all weekend long.  On Saturday we got up and went to the downtown mecca Whole Foods for breakfast tacos and to pick out a birthday cake for me.  I love wandering around Whole Foods, which started in Austin, so the downtown store is pretty amazing.  Of course we went for just breakfast and cake but ended up spending too much money, grabbing fancy chocolate bars, the best organic strawberries I have ever had in my life, fresh raspberries which Jude loves putting on the tips of his fingers before eating them, fresh cherries and a few other goodies.  Then that night one of my best friends Lauren threw me a garden birthday party.  It was so much fun, hanging in the backyard, playing games, eating yummy food, a fire when it got dark and of course lovely drinks.  And a friend I hadn’t seen since high school was randomly in town and came over along with her darling little boy who is 4 and had a blast playing with Jude.

The lovely Lauren and I 

Jude being a little explorer

On Sunday S got up and made us breakfast, scrambled eggs, croissants, brown sugar bacon and mimosas.  And when Jude went down for a nap a friend came over and babysat while we went to the movies.  We went and saw The Great and Powerful Oz, which I really enjoyed but S did not.  But it was so nice to go do something just the two of us, between a lack of babysitters and my general inability to go do things when the pain was bad, we hadn’t been out together since Christmas.  

Last year for my birthday I posted 30 Things I didn’t Know When I was 20.  And that was fun but I don’t think that being 31 has lead to many new insights.  It feels the same as 30.  But it is super lovely.  So instead, 31 things that I love:

1. My new Micheal Kors purse

2. Fresh cherries

3. When I manage to look nice in a picture

4. Wearing a size smaller clothing than I did last year

5. Having a toddler who (mostly) sleeps through the night

6.  Having a wonderful wife

7.  Being such good friend with my mom

8. Our Roku 

9. Steak

10. Swimming

11. Dark chocolate with sea salt

12. Pandora , specifically my Madonna station

13. Pedicures

14. Fresh herbs- basil and cilantro are my favorites these days

15. All of my wonderful best friends.  Not many people have as many best friends as I do.  So lucky.

16. My kindle , especially now that I have it set up to get free ebooks from the library.  Genius.

17. Just Jude in general

18. Prairie Artisan Ales

19. The Bloggess

20.  Young House Love

21.  My Pinterest Boards 

22. Going to the movies

23. Buffalo Wings

24. Being able to take a shower again

25. Life after surgery

26. My Keurig

27. Barton Springs Pool

28. Jude saying Mama

29. Bacon

30. Being a SAHM and getting my Jude back soon!

31. Shopping at Target

A random list, but still fun.

-Liz

Ear Infections for Everyone!

Jude and S both have slight ear infections right now.  Poor things.  S woke up this morning super dizzy to the point of throwing up and Jude has been a snotty, congested, coughing mess for the last two days. I think he has a cold/allergies (S and I are both going crazy right now with allergies) and he keeps messing with his ear so they both went to the doctor today.  S for sure has an ear infection and got some meds and Jude is possibly getting one, so we are going to just keep an eye on it and see which way it goes.  I hope he doesn’t end up getting one, he already feels bad enough as it is.  This will be his 3rd sickness in 4 weeks.  I hate it when my babies arn’t feeling good!

Surprisingly enough though Jude has been in such a good mood.  This last week or so has felt like having my boy back.  He seems so much happier and has started wanting to sit on my lap and hug me and be with me, where before he was really only interested in and clung to S.  So me being more and more involved has been good for all of us.  Yesterday and most of today he was home with me (I had help, still can’t pick him up for another two weeks) and though it was tiring even with help, it was so nice to have him here.  I miss him and I can’t wait to take him back.  I was looking at a calendar this week and because his nanny has an appointment for her son out of town on the 21st, that will be the first full day I will have him back all by myself  but he will be back at the nanny’s for the rest of the week.  Then the following week I will take him back full time with the exception of the 2-3 times a week I do physical therapy, but that will only put him back at her house for about two hours each time.  I can’t wait.  Though after almost two days in a row with him and him being sick so he was a bit of extra work, I am looking forward to spending tomorrow relaxing!
-Liz

Texas Bluebonnets

Around here a flower called a bluebonnet blooms up and down the side of the highways and in fields and all sorts of random places.  And it is a Texas parenting tradition to take your kid out into the flowers and take pictures.  We look some great ones last year and managed to get some good ones again this year.

Isn’t he the cutest?

If feels like a long time since we were last able to get a smiling picture of Jude.  Things have been better since S’s last post though.  That post came after two weeks in a row of Jude being sick.  First he got Roseola two weeks ago and then last week he got Mouth, Hand, and Foot disease, which has been a real doozy.  Combine that with my issues, my surgery, and everything else have led to some instability, all while he wasn’t feeling good.  And we appreciate everyone’s comments.  It is so nice to know that Jude isn’t the only kid going crazy like this, though I do have to point out that he is only 14 months, not 2 or 3 years old.  So he is young for this type of behavior and also I think a bit young for really understanding any sort of punishment.  We have started doing 1 minute time outs in his crib when he is really throwing a fit or doing something naughty like hitting.  And now our nanny is doing this with him as well.  I don’t know if it is helping or if it is me being much more involved this week, but he is doing better.  We will get through this and he is going to be just fine.  He is at home with me today with my friend Tara helping me (because I still can’t pick him up) and he is being great.  Hopefully I can get some more smiling pictures today :)
-Liz

frustrated

I am starting to think I am not cut out to be a mom.  I know, crazy statement to say, but I fear it might be true.  a little late to figure it out.

Liz is still 4 weeks away from really being able to take care of Jude.  She cannot lift him for 4 more weeks and the kid is clingy.  He is crazy fit throwing and clingy.  He screams like someone is hurting him when you change his diaper and spends the whole time thrashing, kicking, and trying to turn over. He screams and throws himself to the floor when he does not get his way or when he just feels like it.  He thinks it’s funny when you tell him to not do something and he does it and either gets a kick out of the rebellion or throws a crazy fit.  He was fun yesterday.  That was the only day I can remember in a LONG time that he was fun.

I don’t really know what all this means as I am at my wits end with him.  I have started saying things like, “quit being such a jerk” to him.  Not appropriate.  All he wants to do it watch TV and drink milk.  2 things I would really like for him to get away from, but the only things that seem to make him happy.  He will not eat much other than bottles.

At the nannies, he is a whole different kid most of the time.  He eats, smiles, plays and does not go crazy every few seconds.  I think he is different and behaves better for Liz too.  I am starting to really think he acts crazy around me mostly.  And he makes me NUTS!  Totally, insanely NUTS!  I do not have the patients for him.  I don’t know when he is going to quit acting like such a maniac.  If ever.  I miss my cuddly, sweet, smiling boy.  Where did he go?  Is he coming back?  Ever?

So very frustrated and confused.
-S

It’s Getting Better All the Time

Today I graduated out of Pain Management.  It is so amazing after all that I have been through for the last six months to no longer need it.  I feel like a new person.  An easily tired person, but a new person. In the last week I have had friends over, cooked dinner, went shopping, cleaned, showered and done all sorts of things that I physically couldn’t do before surgery. What a life saver that surgery was.

In Jude news, he is doing really well over at his nanny’s house.  He is learning to sign as she has a deaf son two months older than him and that has been really good for him.  So far he seems to know hungry, more, done, and want.  He doesn’t seem to hate us anymore and is back to his semi happy semi moody ways.  I miss him so much during the day but I don’t have the energy or the physical capability of taking care of him yet.  I can’t even pick him up yet.  I see my surgeon on Thursday and hopefully can start physical therapy soon and get on the path back to having him home with me again.  I hope it is soon but at the same time I’m really nervous about hurting myself, so we are taking it very slow.

Not really anything else going on.  Hopefully I will make something crafty this week to share, it has been too long since I’ve been working in my studio!

-Liz