Potty Time!!

Wow. Lucas is once again blowing my mind! We came home from Maryland on Monday and started talking about potty training, bought m&ms and undies on Tuesday, and started using the m&ms on Wednesday. He wore his undies yesterday and today and has kept them dry so far! Each time he pees on the potty he gets 2 m&ms and poop gets him 3. We went to a birthday party yesterday and church this morning and he kept the undies dry through both! I am so proud of him! We'll see how it goes from here, but I can't believe how well he has done so far!

Breastfeeding

I am so happy that I'm breastfeeding again. The first week was really hard and painful. I mean curling my toes in pain kind of painful. But once I got past that, ithas been great. Juliana is a fast eater, only takes about 5 minutes to nurse each side. Some feedings she wants to eat on both sides and sometimes just one. Which means that feedings are between 5 to 10 minutes long. That is super helpful since I don't have time to be sitting nursing her for half an hour or more. Lucas sometimes gets annoyed that I can't help him right away, but it's never too long until I can. 

This morning we were at the park and Juliana decided she was hungry. I just sat down and fed her. Didn't have to stop Lucas's fun and go home. Didn't have to go make a bottle. Just covered up with her blanket and fed her. That is my favorite thing about breastfeeding. It can really give you so much freedom. I don't have to be scared to go out and about. I can feed my baby wherever I go. 

I was interested to see how Lucas would react to me nursing his sister, since he stopped nursing at one, he has no memory of it. He asked me what I was doing the first time he saw me and I explained it to him and that was it. I told him this is how mommies feed their babies and it is called breastfeeding. End of discussion. He was satisfied with my answer and hasn't been concerned since. Although when Juliana cries he will tell me I need to feed her. 

Here is a picture of us at the park! Is she eating or no? You can't tell! :)

First night home

Well we are officially a family of four! I will post the crazy birth story soon, but for now I can say we are all in love with our little Juliana Elise. She is so sweet and cuddly, but also very content (so far!) I just finished a feeding and we are getting a better latch so that is awesome. This one wasn't actually painful enough to curl my toes! Haha yay for breastfeeding! But I know once we get it down it will be so much better than the alternative.

Lucas has been amazing with his new sister. He calls her His baby. And always wants to know where she is, but prefers it when he can touch her or kiss her and snuggle her. It just about burst my heart open yesterday when she was fussing whistle getting her diaper changed. He walked over to her and put his head near hers and whispered "It's ok Juliana. It's ok!".

And now I'm crying. Ugh the hormones have arrived!! I remember this from last time, so it's not quite as upsetting to me but it's still weird to cry over everything. Good, bad, neutral, whatever. I cry randomly.

Ben has really helped this transition be as easy as possible. He and Lucas have been spending Daddy/ bubba time together, which Lucas loves. Ben also got up twice last night to rock Juliana so mommy could sleep :) He is also so adorable with her, just like he is with Lucas, I love watching him be my kids' daddy.

Well, I am going to see if I can catch a few snoozes before everyone is ready to start the day! More to come, I don't want to forget this beautiful stage in our family.

Almost Done!

How can I possibly be full term?? I wrote out a longer post about the end of this pregnancy on the computer, but I also wanted to put up this picture from my phone. 9 months of growing a baby will certainly change your figure! I am so thankful that everything has gone so smoothly this far. Hopefully we won't have anything crazy happen now!

Being pregnant isn't always fun, but it is totally worth it! I have a constant reminder with me- Lucas! :)

Lucas says the Darndest Things

Our little guy has been talking for awhile now, but recently he has been saying the funniest things! Here are a few I want to remember:

- Lucas was jumping on the mattress on the floor in the guest room (redecorating and moving rooms right now) and the down comforter was covering part of the mattress. He moved it to the foot of the bed and said "That's much better!"

- After jumping the 6 inches from the seat of his Mickey car to the ground he looked at me and said "That's a piece or cake!"

- He will say "guess what?" And then tell you something. His favorite thing to tell you is that he rode a choo choo. (At the mall)

-He says please, thank you, bless you, excuse me, and sorry all in the appropriate dialog. Most of the time you don't have to remind him. If he burps, he says excuse me!

In the City

We decided to do a little trip to Oklahoma City this holiday weekend so we could get a few of the big items we need for the baby in the oven. It's about an hour and a half drive to the city, and always a struggle to figure out how to get down there and back and manage a nap around 1:00. So I decided to book a hotel for Friday night. We drove down Friday morning, did all our big shopping (futon - check, nursing chair- check), had lunch, went to the hotel and let Lucas take his nap. He woke up and we went swimming at the hotel pool. Then Texas Roadhouse for dinner, and back to the hotel for the night.

Saturday morning we went to the Science museum. It was really cool! They had a whole kids section that Lucas was able to run around in for awhile. It had an amazing water table with boats, a tractor to get into, and all kinds of activities. A lot of them were way over Lucas's head, but he still enjoyed everything. I'm pretty sure Ben had as much fun as Lucas. He is a science geek at heart, and loved showing Lucas all the exhibits, especially those related to his degree in physics. We didn't even get to the second floor of the museum because there was so much to do! Definitely worth the time going, and I think we will be back!

The trip was a successful shopping trip, and a fun family mini vacation. Just getting out and doing something different is needed sometimes!

On the Road Again...

Is it really May already? This year is flying by with alarming speed. But I'm so excited because Lucas and I are flying to visit my parents on Friday! We will be with them for two weeks. It stinks leaving Ben behind, but he is really busy with a new class right now, and will hopefully get lots of flying hours in while we're gone.

I was thinking back on how travelling with Lucas has gone since he was born, and realized just how many trips he has gone on. He has been on six roundtrip flights, and two cartrips over 9 hours each way. That's a lot in less than two years! I guess that is the way it goes with a military family. I'm glad that I have had the opportunities to travel with Lucas since he was three months old because it made it easier for me. I never stopped doing what I wanted to do because I didnt think I could handle it with him. There have been difficult flights, and cranky car rides, and moments of embarrassment and despair. But there have been weeks full of fun, laughter, family, and new adventures. I wouldn't trade those times for a few bumps in the road.

So I decided to write out a few tips for travelling with babies and toddlers. These have helped me thus far, and maybe they can help other mamas!

All Ages

• Gate check your stroller and carseat. There are several reasons to do this. One, it keeps everything mobile as long as possible. You aren't lugging around your baby, diaper bag, and carry on. It can all go in the stroller until you are almost ON the plane. Two, I'm scared of how... exhuberant? the luggage handlers are. If they drop it, throw it, or smash your carseat too hard, it no longer keeps my baby safe in an accident. Same reason you can't use a carseat after an accident. They can only take so much force. Last reason to gate check, on Southwest, you can ask if it is a full flight. If it isn't, you can bring the carseat on the plane and your baby has their own seat! Even though you didn't purchase a seperate ticket. Obviously there are no guarantees, but it's worth a try! We fly Southwest a lot and Lucas has gotten his own seat 3 or 4 times without buying one!

Infants (0-7 ? months)

• Get used to nursing in public as soon as possible! I bit the bullet when Lucas was less than a month old and never looked back. It is scarier in your head than in reality!
• Try to nurse on take off, but if the timing doesn't work out, don't stress it. One time, Lucas was hungry and cranky 10 minutes before boarding. I was like Really? Can't you just wait and do it on the plane? But for some reason, my infant didn't understand the whole "wait for it" concept. A fussy baby is never a good travel companion. Feed them if they are hungry.
• Let them sleep. Enjoy these months when they will happily snooze through anything.
• Accept help from strangers. I cannot tell you how thankful I have been towards helpful strangers going through security lines with me. I have travelled a lot with Lucas by myself and it is always a struggle in security. Random men and women have lifted my empty carseat onto the conveyor, helped with my stroller, and just told me that if I needed anything to let them know. This is beyond helpful. I hate being the annoying person taking a long time in a security line, and for other people to show that they understand and are willing to help means makes me feel so much better.

Movers (8- 12 months)

• This was a TRICKY stage of travel for us. Lucas was old enough that he didn't want to be held or constrained for a long time, but too young to engage in a lot of books, shows on my iPad, coloring, etc.
• I found that short flights, with a hour or two layover, worked better than a nonstop flight at this point. In the past, I would always take the nonstop option. But the chance to get off the plane and let Lucas move and explore was much more convenient than a longer direct flight.
• Bring distractions. New toys, books, snacks, etc. But in the end, do whatever works. Lucas once sat and lifted and lowered my armrest on the plane for half an hour. Whatever keeps them occupied!

Toddlers (12 months and beyond!)

• Use the iPad. Lucas is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I usually let him watch two to three episodes a day, each are about 25 minutes long. I lost count of how many times we watched MMCH when we were driving to Syracuse this Christmas. 12 hours in the car. Divided by 25 minutes. You do the math, I don't want to know. My brother in law, who was in the car with us, could quote the show by the end of the trip. But Lucas was happy so we all were happy!
• TRY to work around naps, but embrace the inevitable. I try very hard to keep Lucas's nap schedule. He only takes one nap a day, normally from 12:30 or 1 to 3 or 4. That is a big chunk of a travel day. So if it works out that we can travel in the morning and let him nap in the car on the way from the airport, wonderful. If not, we work it out. It's just one day. If the nap doesn't happen, or is short, oh well! Life goes on!
• Sit near other families with kids, if you have seat options. They can entertain each other, and the parents won't be as upset if your kid is throwing a fit. But on the other hand, try to avoid small babies. I once sat infront of a toddler when Lucas was an infant. I wanted to duct tape that kid's mouth by the end of the flight. :) Let's hope karma doesn't catch up with me and my toddler for my trip on Friday!

Fishy!

I have been thinking about getting Lucas a fish for awhile. He loves seeing them at the zoo, other people's houses, Disney world, and where ever else he sees them. So on Monday morning we went on a fish finding trip. This is what we came home with! A white betta fish, as yet unnamed. Possible names include Sheldon, Bazinga, and Bubbles. We will keep you updated.

Lucas loves his fish! Each morning he wakes up and runs to the "fish house" to say hi. He goes to check on it throughout the day and loves feeding it. He says "night night fish!" Before naps and bed. It is adorable watching him with the fish. The best part? No potty training or taking the fish for walks! Haha.

Bad Blogger! And Pregnancy Update

Sooo... Confession time. I am a bad blogger. I have the best intentions, often thinking of things I want to make sure I write about. And then, Lucas goes down for his nap, I finish eating my lunch, clean up, and start reading a book. Or watching a show on my iPad. And then I fall asleep. At least I can blame my exhaustion on my pregnancy! I am 16 weeks now. Good grief, I can't even believe I'm that far already.

When I announced I was pregnant, people told me that this one would fly by. At the time I was just trying to keep whatever I had managed to eat from making an appearance, so I could only hope that they were right. I'm still dealing with nausea, but it is much more manageable. It's crazy how different this pregnancy is than my first. When I was pregnant with Lucas I threw up maybe five times. Total. I felt nauseated a lot, but couldn't actually get sick. This time, I wake up and run to the toilet at least 5 times a week. And that has been going on since about week 8. I've learned that I would much rather get sick on an empty stomach than a full one. So I normally get sick, take my magical Zofran, and then wait about half an hour to see if that will do the trick. Some mornings I feel fine after that. Sometimes I get sick again and start the cycle over. Good times.

I was hesitant to ask my doctor to prescribe Zofran, or any medication for nausea. I didn't need anything when I was pregnant with Lucas, so I didn't think I would need anything this time. In fact, I didn't take anything but Tylenol, Tums, and Pepcid the entire first pregnancy. After a 12 hour span when I got sick around 15 times (I lost count, but that's a good estimate) I knew I needed something. Anything. I do not have the luxury of being out of commission for days at a time. My little guy doesn't just stop and not require my time and attention because I'm throwing up. Luckily, the few times that he has actually seen me get sick, he thinks it's funny. Whatever, I'm just glad he isn't traumatized and scared.


Lucas is a toddler now. Not just because he is 19 (NINETEEN?! how did that happen?) months old, but beacuse of what he can do now. He is talking. Talks alllll the time. He narrates what he is doing.

Bubba run. Momma down. Go outside. Sandbox? Popsicle? OK! Yeah, sure. Dada fly airplane in sky!

Yesterday we went to the mall and he got to ride the little train in the middle. He is still telling anyone who will listen (me, Ben, my mom on FaceTime, his buddy Tanner) "Bubba ride choo choo!"
His vocabulary grows all the time, and he continues to connect words. He will say sentences, but he is also learning adjectives.
"Big choo choo" "Big shovel" "purple star"
He even identified his emotions the other day, which FLOORED me. We saw a train go by really close at the Wakomis park. The nice conductor saw us waving and blew the whistle. Scared Lucas to death. He clung to my mom until he spotted me, and then transfered his barnacle grip to me. Later he told us "Bubba see choo choo. Bubba scared." !! What? He is 19 months old. We talked about how it's ok to be scared, and that sometimes when things are loud they startle us. But we aren't scared anymore and they won't hurt us. He isn't my little baby anymore. He is growing up so fast!

Well, I will try to update this more often. I know I am already forgetting things about this pregnancy and Lucas right now that I want to remember!

Lucas at 16 Months

OK, so I know I said this a month ago, but I can't get over how fast everything is going by! It has been a very busy month again. We traveled to Maryland to spend Christmas and New Years with Ben's whole family. We stayed with his family for the first time ever, since we had always stayed with my family before. My mom and dad moved to Augusta, Georgia earlier this year. It was really fun getting to spend time with Ben's brothers and mom and dad. Lucas got to spend a ton of time with them, which they loved.  Lucas and I got to visit with a few of my friends from home, and even got to meet my friend Alyssa's brand new baby, Henry! He was 9 weeks old when we saw him and so cute. Lucas did not like Mommy holding another baby. haha.

We were also able to drive up to Syracuse, NY and see all four of Ben's grandparents, his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Ben's grandparents aren't able to travel anymore due to health issues, so we were really excited to be able to bring Lucas to them. My mom and dad drove up to Maryland for New Years, so we got to see them a little bit too. Lucas was so excited to see his MiMi. His whole face lit up. I can't wait to see them this Saturday in Disney!

Lucas continues to surprise us in all that he is capable of, already. He is talking more, interacting more, and able to do more. For example, his first time using two words together was January 8th. I was sitting in my chair, finishing my dinner, and he wanted me to come help with his bath. Ben does bath time, but Lucas wanted me to join. So he said, "Mama, down!" He says "down" whenever he wants to get out of anything. His high chair, a swing, your arms, etc. He also gave me a high five the other day, then held out his fist and said "pound." We had taught him how to "Pound it" a while ago. He told Ben to "sit." next to him at his new playtable, which he loves. He is really starting to be able to understand what we are telling him and respond. It is so much fun watching him learn and be excited by the world!

We have met a few new friends that moved onto our street this past week. Two little boys who are both just about to turn two. The funny part is that Lucas looks the same size as them, even though they are 8 months older. He is so tall!

Lucas still loves snuggling, and I still rock him before his naps and bedtime. But he normally doesn't fall asleep until I put him in his crib. He just relaxes and winds down while I rock him. I enjoy that time with him because I know there will be a day in the future when he doesn't need or want me to rock him! He is growing up and acting like a big boy, but he is still my little baby.

My favorite thing that Lucas does now is give kisses. He blows kisses whenever he tells anyone goodbye, which is funny when it is the cashier at WalMart. But he gives us kisses on the lip with a big smack of his lips now. Yesterday, I had a headache and asked Lucas to kiss my head so it would feel better. He leaned over and gave my forehead a kiss! He is too cute.