Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hiatus
Monday, June 20, 2011
1st Daddy's Day
Yesterday was Mr. Cob's first father's day. We went to brunch with my parents (can't forget to celebrate my own daddy!) and then we just spent the rest of the day as a family. It was a great day. So much has changed in a year. Last year Mr. Cob was just a daddy-to-be and now he's an amazing father to our cheerful little boy. I love both my guys more than I can say.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Good Vibe Karma
So it's been bugging me all day since I made my last post. I feel like all it did was send bad Debbie Downer-esque vibes into cyberspce which can't be good for the whole of humanity. So here are some pictures to make you smile.
I can't help it. At my heart I'm an optomist. Well, except for the years of 1996 until 1999. I think I utilized every pessimistic bone in my body those years. I'm better now. Thanks for asking.
I can't help it. At my heart I'm an optomist. Well, except for the years of 1996 until 1999. I think I utilized every pessimistic bone in my body those years. I'm better now. Thanks for asking.
Easy is Not the name of the game
It's been a rough week. As I told a friend, it's not been rough in the "grand scheme of life is pretty good and a lot of people have it a lot worse than me so I really should be thankful and not complain" but it has been rough in my little spec of the universe. I know, woe is me.
But I think its important to post about the bumps in the road and not just post the cute pictures of my baby. Because life isn't all sunshine all the time. And I'd be doing a disservice to other mommas out there if I failed to write about the issues I have. And there's no lack of issues.
I'm ridiculously busy at work. What a lot of you may not know is that I work at a fairly large law firm with over 400 attorneys. Our office only has about 20, so I get the small firm feel with the big firm perks. But the past two weeks I've felt like a true big firm lawyer. I'm billing an average of 11 hours a day, which is over my norm of 8ish hours a day. What this has meant is getting to work earlier than normal and working for a few hours at night once Lukas has gone to bed. Mr. Cob has stepped in and been doing the dropping off and picking up from day care a lot lately. I'm also putting in anywhere from 2-6 hours each day during the weekend. And with all this "extra" work, it means I have less time for Mr. Cob and Lukas. There have been tears shed about this. There will likely be more to come. It's hard being pulled in all three directions of lawyer, mom and wife and feel like you're never quite fully present with any of them, or when you are, you're neglecting the others. And then there's the guilt. I'm struggling with the guilt for sure. So there's that.
Lukas had his first bout of sickness last week. Fever of almost 103 and a bad rash. And he hasn't been sleeping well, probably because of the sickness. So I haven't been sleeping well. He seems to be better, but still hasn't yet started sleeping through the night again.
And we have had some family stuff going on. Mr. Cob and I are fine and happy, but there's been a lot of other things on our minds lately as far as our siblings, parents and grandparents go and I think we both wish we lived closer to all our family. I wish I could hug my brother and play with Stuart this weekend. But I can't because they live on the other side of the country. And as amazing as Skype is, it's just not the same. So there's that.
I know this will all pass and life will be rosy again soon. I'm trying to take it one day at a time and not overdramatize my life. But the truth is, in my small ity bity world, I've been struggling this week. I just keep telling myself to breathe.
But I think its important to post about the bumps in the road and not just post the cute pictures of my baby. Because life isn't all sunshine all the time. And I'd be doing a disservice to other mommas out there if I failed to write about the issues I have. And there's no lack of issues.
I'm ridiculously busy at work. What a lot of you may not know is that I work at a fairly large law firm with over 400 attorneys. Our office only has about 20, so I get the small firm feel with the big firm perks. But the past two weeks I've felt like a true big firm lawyer. I'm billing an average of 11 hours a day, which is over my norm of 8ish hours a day. What this has meant is getting to work earlier than normal and working for a few hours at night once Lukas has gone to bed. Mr. Cob has stepped in and been doing the dropping off and picking up from day care a lot lately. I'm also putting in anywhere from 2-6 hours each day during the weekend. And with all this "extra" work, it means I have less time for Mr. Cob and Lukas. There have been tears shed about this. There will likely be more to come. It's hard being pulled in all three directions of lawyer, mom and wife and feel like you're never quite fully present with any of them, or when you are, you're neglecting the others. And then there's the guilt. I'm struggling with the guilt for sure. So there's that.
Lukas had his first bout of sickness last week. Fever of almost 103 and a bad rash. And he hasn't been sleeping well, probably because of the sickness. So I haven't been sleeping well. He seems to be better, but still hasn't yet started sleeping through the night again.
And we have had some family stuff going on. Mr. Cob and I are fine and happy, but there's been a lot of other things on our minds lately as far as our siblings, parents and grandparents go and I think we both wish we lived closer to all our family. I wish I could hug my brother and play with Stuart this weekend. But I can't because they live on the other side of the country. And as amazing as Skype is, it's just not the same. So there's that.
I know this will all pass and life will be rosy again soon. I'm trying to take it one day at a time and not overdramatize my life. But the truth is, in my small ity bity world, I've been struggling this week. I just keep telling myself to breathe.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
It's Nice to Know You're Loved
Since I've been back to work after maternity leave, the best part of my day is when I go to pick Lukas up from daycare. Not just because I get to hug and snuggle with my baby boy after a long day of working, but because of the initial reaction I get from him. A huge smile comes across his face and he gets really excited when he sees me. He is genuinely excited that mommy is there.
[Imagine how much happier this world would be if we all greeted each other with such excitement...just a thought.]
And it's not just me. Lukas does this for his daddy too.
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| Daddy, where are you?!? |
And daddy was gone all weekend, so Lukas was especially excited to see him Sunday night when he got home.
And mommy was there capturing it all on tape for you.
Breastfeeding & Working Tips
So by the title of this post you can guess what it's going to be about. MILK! Specifically, some tips on continuing to make milk after you've gone back to work. I know that most of you will just skip this post altogether. That's fine. But maybe you know someone who has had a baby or is about to have a baby or you will one day have a baby and you want to breastfeed said baby and after a while you want to, gasp, go back to work and, double gasp, continue to breastfeed said baby. In that event, I think there are some tips that are definitely helpful in this arena and I wanted to share those.
Lukas turned 7 months a week ago and we're still going strong on the nursing front. My goal of nursing for a full year is looking attainable at the moment and I may even continue beyond that a bit (more on that later and yes I do see all of you rolling your eyes at me thinking I'm becoming one of "those" mothers, and I'm OK with that. Does it help if I mention that part of the desire to keep nursing is to continue having big boobs? No? Ok, forget I said that then. It's just a thought at this point anyway.)
So here are some tips to continuing to nurse and be a working momma.
In order to continue to nurse after you've gone back to work, you'll need to become good friends with your breast pump. As such, you need to buy a good one. A double, electric pump is a MUST. I'm a fan of the Medela pump-in-style, but to be honest its the only one I've tried and for all I know the others could be just as great. The key is DOUBLE and ELECTRIC. And pumps aren't cheap, but it is worth it in the end. Supposedly you save something like a $1000 if you breastfeed instead of buying formula, so take out the $300 for the pump and consider yourself to have saved $700ish. However, I would not recommend spending the extra money on the the Medela "hands free" pump, as I've heard its just really complicated and not worth the extra money. Instead, buy a hands free bra that allows you to pump hands free so you can type or do whatever with your hands while you pump. I'm pretty sure having that bra is one of the reasons I've stuck with it the past four months.
Another "mechanical" tip as far as pumping and working is to buy extra parts. I pump 3 times at the office so I have three sets of parts (breast shields, valves, etc.). This way you don't have to wash the parts at the office and can just wash everything at one time at night. And as far as that goes, I throw everything in the dishwasher in little dishwasher caddies. You only need the 4 bottles to pump three times at work - use two during session 1, use the other two during session 2 and then combine all that milk into just two bottles so you have 2 empty bottles for your third session. This has always worked for me, but in the event that I should have a huge output day, I keep freezer bags in my pump bag just in case.
I think the other biggest tip is to pump when the baby eats and try to stick as close to the baby's feeding schedule as possible. If the baby drinks three bottles at daycare or with the nanny, then you should pump three times during the day. It's how you'll keep your supply up. Also, don't skimp on the pumping session and try to get it over with quickly. I'm sure everyone is different, but I personally get more milk if I pump for 15 full minutes as opposed to stopping at say 12. I also do not get more milk if I stretch out the time between sessions and pump for longer. My supply simply goes down the longer I go between pumping sessions. I've also found it helpful to nurse Lukas as much as he wants to when I'm home and on the weekends. I try not to stick to any schedule on the weekends or at night and just allow the baby to set the schedule. I've read that if you keep a rigid schedule as far as actual nursing goes, your supply might go down. So don't worry if the baby just ate 30 minutes ago, if he seems hungry, feed him!
Breast milk or formula is supposed to be the baby's primary nutrient source until they are a year old. But of course they start eating some food way before that. Once your little one starts eating "solids" your supply may go down. I was very concerned about this and then I read something somewhere that has helped me. Always breastfeed your baby BEFORE you give them solids. This way they are filling up on milk rather than food and your supply will stay up. Eventually the solids will become the main source of food and the milk will just be extra, but until then, making sure the baby gets as much milk as possible is OK. (But I'm not a doctor, so talk to yours if you have concerns about this. This is just what's working for me.)
So now that you have an awesome pump (and the necessary hands free bra), extra parts, and pumping often, the final and possibly most important tip is this: change your attitude. It is ALL about your attitude. Don't think of yourself as a cow having to be hooked up to a machine "milking" you multiple times a day. Though admittedly, from a technical stance, that is what's going on. Well, not the you being a cow part. Think of this as something you are doing for your child. A sacrifice, if you will. And pumping is a means to an end. You have to pump during the day to continue to be able to nurse your precious baby when you are together with him/her. Nursing is my bonding time with the baby and is something I really have enjoyed. If I didn't pump, then I'd have to give up this bonding and special time. I'm just not ready to do that yet. So make peace with your pump. It's necessary.
As a side note, especially to anyone on the fence about nursing in general - I was really against breastfeeding when I was pregnant. It just did not appeal to me in any way, shape or form. But Mr. Cob convinced me to give it a shot, and I am SO glad that I did. Its hard to explain, but there's just an amazing bond I feel with the little man when he's nursing. I'm sure mommas who choose not to breastfeed bond with their babies in many other ways too, but for me, nursing has been amazing.
I also think people are a little shy to talk about breastfeeding and the questions they may have. One reason I know I've had success with continuing to nurse and work is that I have a very supportive boss and have had some friends give me tips along the way. Most of those tips are above. So I want to pass along the info! As always, feel free to ask if there are any other nursing questions you have!
Being a working momma is hard. Being a momma is hard. But you can be a working, breastfeeding momma if you want! Unless you're a dude. In which case you're shit out of luck.
Lukas turned 7 months a week ago and we're still going strong on the nursing front. My goal of nursing for a full year is looking attainable at the moment and I may even continue beyond that a bit (more on that later and yes I do see all of you rolling your eyes at me thinking I'm becoming one of "those" mothers, and I'm OK with that. Does it help if I mention that part of the desire to keep nursing is to continue having big boobs? No? Ok, forget I said that then. It's just a thought at this point anyway.)
So here are some tips to continuing to nurse and be a working momma.
In order to continue to nurse after you've gone back to work, you'll need to become good friends with your breast pump. As such, you need to buy a good one. A double, electric pump is a MUST. I'm a fan of the Medela pump-in-style, but to be honest its the only one I've tried and for all I know the others could be just as great. The key is DOUBLE and ELECTRIC. And pumps aren't cheap, but it is worth it in the end. Supposedly you save something like a $1000 if you breastfeed instead of buying formula, so take out the $300 for the pump and consider yourself to have saved $700ish. However, I would not recommend spending the extra money on the the Medela "hands free" pump, as I've heard its just really complicated and not worth the extra money. Instead, buy a hands free bra that allows you to pump hands free so you can type or do whatever with your hands while you pump. I'm pretty sure having that bra is one of the reasons I've stuck with it the past four months.
Another "mechanical" tip as far as pumping and working is to buy extra parts. I pump 3 times at the office so I have three sets of parts (breast shields, valves, etc.). This way you don't have to wash the parts at the office and can just wash everything at one time at night. And as far as that goes, I throw everything in the dishwasher in little dishwasher caddies. You only need the 4 bottles to pump three times at work - use two during session 1, use the other two during session 2 and then combine all that milk into just two bottles so you have 2 empty bottles for your third session. This has always worked for me, but in the event that I should have a huge output day, I keep freezer bags in my pump bag just in case.
I think the other biggest tip is to pump when the baby eats and try to stick as close to the baby's feeding schedule as possible. If the baby drinks three bottles at daycare or with the nanny, then you should pump three times during the day. It's how you'll keep your supply up. Also, don't skimp on the pumping session and try to get it over with quickly. I'm sure everyone is different, but I personally get more milk if I pump for 15 full minutes as opposed to stopping at say 12. I also do not get more milk if I stretch out the time between sessions and pump for longer. My supply simply goes down the longer I go between pumping sessions. I've also found it helpful to nurse Lukas as much as he wants to when I'm home and on the weekends. I try not to stick to any schedule on the weekends or at night and just allow the baby to set the schedule. I've read that if you keep a rigid schedule as far as actual nursing goes, your supply might go down. So don't worry if the baby just ate 30 minutes ago, if he seems hungry, feed him!
Breast milk or formula is supposed to be the baby's primary nutrient source until they are a year old. But of course they start eating some food way before that. Once your little one starts eating "solids" your supply may go down. I was very concerned about this and then I read something somewhere that has helped me. Always breastfeed your baby BEFORE you give them solids. This way they are filling up on milk rather than food and your supply will stay up. Eventually the solids will become the main source of food and the milk will just be extra, but until then, making sure the baby gets as much milk as possible is OK. (But I'm not a doctor, so talk to yours if you have concerns about this. This is just what's working for me.)
So now that you have an awesome pump (and the necessary hands free bra), extra parts, and pumping often, the final and possibly most important tip is this: change your attitude. It is ALL about your attitude. Don't think of yourself as a cow having to be hooked up to a machine "milking" you multiple times a day. Though admittedly, from a technical stance, that is what's going on. Well, not the you being a cow part. Think of this as something you are doing for your child. A sacrifice, if you will. And pumping is a means to an end. You have to pump during the day to continue to be able to nurse your precious baby when you are together with him/her. Nursing is my bonding time with the baby and is something I really have enjoyed. If I didn't pump, then I'd have to give up this bonding and special time. I'm just not ready to do that yet. So make peace with your pump. It's necessary.
As a side note, especially to anyone on the fence about nursing in general - I was really against breastfeeding when I was pregnant. It just did not appeal to me in any way, shape or form. But Mr. Cob convinced me to give it a shot, and I am SO glad that I did. Its hard to explain, but there's just an amazing bond I feel with the little man when he's nursing. I'm sure mommas who choose not to breastfeed bond with their babies in many other ways too, but for me, nursing has been amazing.
I also think people are a little shy to talk about breastfeeding and the questions they may have. One reason I know I've had success with continuing to nurse and work is that I have a very supportive boss and have had some friends give me tips along the way. Most of those tips are above. So I want to pass along the info! As always, feel free to ask if there are any other nursing questions you have!
Being a working momma is hard. Being a momma is hard. But you can be a working, breastfeeding momma if you want! Unless you're a dude. In which case you're shit out of luck.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Simple Things
It doesn't take much to brighten someone's day. A smile. A "how are you doing?" Or a quick message. It just takes a minute.
My momma just sent me and my big brother this email:
"Good Morning punkins'.......it's a great day to feel good!!!!!!!!!"
And I smiled immediately. I'm having a busy and emotionally tough week. This simple message was what I needed to hear this morning.
So how about you? Who can you reach out to today. They just might need to hear from you.
My momma just sent me and my big brother this email:
"Good Morning punkins'.......it's a great day to feel good!!!!!!!!!"
And I smiled immediately. I'm having a busy and emotionally tough week. This simple message was what I needed to hear this morning.
So how about you? Who can you reach out to today. They just might need to hear from you.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Kate's Wedding Post #2
So I was just sent more pictures from Katie & Ben's wedding weekend, aka the wedding of 2011. These pictures make me smile and I had to share!
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| Mr. Cob and I at the rehearsal dinner - this is how every first picture we take goes: Me: Smiling and trying to look pretty Mr. Cob: Completely silly |
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| The Bride and some of her maids |
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| The UGA Law School crew (minus a few) |
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| The UGA Law bridesmaid's speech. Erin is the only one who loves to talk in front of a room full of people, but we love Kate more than we hate public speaking, so we wrote a poem, drank some wine and spoke about our dear friend. |
Here was our poem:
The once was a girl named Katie J
Who went to Athens to attend UGA
She spent many hours studying the law
and laughing and partying with us all
After four years we all parted ways
And to the big city Katie would stay
Not even Baxter or Rosie could have known then
That her one true love, would turn out to be Ben
Seven years after their very first date
A message on Facebook would seal their fate
Tarheel games they never did miss
Eventually Ben got the nerve to give her a kiss
After two years they took a trip to Italy,
And at Cirque Terre, Ben got down on one knee.
Now we're all here to witness you say your "I do's"
And wish you love and happiness your whole life through.
Who went to Athens to attend UGA
She spent many hours studying the law
and laughing and partying with us all
After four years we all parted ways
And to the big city Katie would stay
Not even Baxter or Rosie could have known then
That her one true love, would turn out to be Ben
Seven years after their very first date
A message on Facebook would seal their fate
Tarheel games they never did miss
Eventually Ben got the nerve to give her a kiss
After two years they took a trip to Italy,
And at Cirque Terre, Ben got down on one knee.
Now we're all here to witness you say your "I do's"
And wish you love and happiness your whole life through.
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| Kate before the walk down the aisle. Simply gorgeous. |
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| Such a happy bride |
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| I love my girls!! |
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| And this just makes me smile and laugh!b |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Baby Tuxedos
I just got back some of the pictures from this past weekend. I think they speak for themselves, but since I'm here I'll speak for them too.
The bride is stunning!
Lukas. In. a. tuxedo. Adorable.
Mr. Cob looks pretty good too!
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