tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18178763262828214732024-02-20T21:10:45.292-05:00Fernwehan ache for the distanceJennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-21433300160798786832012-03-07T11:20:00.000-05:002012-03-07T11:20:50.836-05:00Travel with Baby, Part 1.So plane travel with a baby was not as difficult as I expected. Sure we had a lot more luggage than we normally travel with but Tyler was a seller passenger, considering. <br />
<br />
<br />
Babies under 2 years old fly for free if they sit on your lap.
We wanted to take full advantage of this deal. And it meant that we did
not have to haul a car seat on the plane, we just rented one through
the car rental. <br /><br />
<br />
None of the hotels could guarantee us a crib (we do not co-sleep), so we brought our own pack-n-play. I was so proud of myself to find a cheap piece of luggage that fit this monster piece of furniture plus some wiggle room for more clothes. I also brought lots of toys, the one thing that my wise traveling friend said not to skimp. She turned out to be right.<br />
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The day before we left we noticed Tyler pulling on his ear and acting more fussy than normal so I ran him to his doctor and sure enough he had a mild ear infection. She gave me a prescription for ear drops and an antibiotic and said to use it only as needed if he screams like a banshee on the plane. <br />
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My doctor also recommended that because of his stuffy ears I should give him a small dose of liquid benedryl before we get on the plane. This will help with congestion in his ears and make him sleepy, she said, but with a disclaimer that "some" babies are made hyper by this seemingly harmless common over-the-counter drug.<br />
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Tyler fell into the category of "some" babies that are made hyper by benedryl. So for the first hour of the flight we had a (happy) bouncing baby on our laps. It wasn't until the last 10 minutes that he fell asleep breastfeeding. Yeah for num-nums. Tom said he would never travel alone with Tyler because of my magic.<br />
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<br />Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-18836266978790104732012-02-06T22:05:00.001-05:002012-02-07T22:19:52.896-05:00Busy Monday<div>So today was a busy day of firsts for Tyler. He decided to climb out of the exersaucer. Then he pulled up by himself for the first time. Then he decided to climb out of the baby tub so we switched to the big tub. </div> <div> </div> <div>When he pulled up it was close to his nap time and he was feeling cranky. So when he could not get down he got a little upset.</div> <div> </div> <div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="<a href="http://www.youtube.com/embed/skQ1uhg1ivQ">http://www.youtube.com/embed/skQ1uhg1ivQ</a>" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-80599794357704308762012-02-06T21:10:00.001-05:002012-02-06T21:33:38.388-05:009 Month CheckupSo here are the results from Tyler's most recent checkup at the doctor's office. He measured at 29 3/4" inches long (90%) and 8 1/2 pounds (18%). Dr. L. was happy with his progress. She looked in his ears and noticed one of his eardrums was a little red. The possibility of him having an ear infection was a complete surprise to me and Tom because Tyler has not been sick or even pulling on his ear. Dr. L. decided to postpone his vaccinations and check on him in two weeks. Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-27703635857838445142012-01-27T07:52:00.000-05:002012-01-27T07:52:32.768-05:00I am blessed with a wonderful baby.<br />
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I am blessed with a baby who sleeps through the night.<br />
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I am blessed with a baby who wakes every morning at 6 a.m.<br />
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That last one I am struggling with a bit. At least he is consistent.<br />
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I am not a morning person. Most babies are morning creatures. My preferred sleep time is midnight to 8. Now I try to be asleep by 10 pm and try to convince hubby to come to bed early too. If I am really tired Tom will get up with Tyler after I feed him and I go back to sleep.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-76698263007467234632012-01-25T16:04:00.000-05:002012-01-25T16:04:24.069-05:00Nine MonthsTyler turned 9 months old a few weeks ago, and I am just now getting around to his update! He has a doctor visit tomorrow so I will give you the official stats then, but he is about 18 pounds and about 29 inches long. His growth has slowed considerably compared to his first 6 months, but this is normal. Instead of going through outfits every month, he wears them for 2 or 3 months now. He also seems to shoot up in length and then fill out, and then repeat. Currently he is filling out more and not growing in length as much. <br />
<br />
Tyler still breastfeeds about 4 times a day. The morning and night feedings are the only 'full' feedings, the other two, before each nap, are 'half' feedings. For about a month now we have really increased the solid foods. Some of the fresh and home made food he eats include avocados, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yogurt, pears, and bananas. I also feed him some commercially prepared foods including puffs (kind of like cheerios), instant oatmeal, and jarred combination meals that have a nice variety (beef, poultry, beans, fruits, veggies). Tyler will eat everything I give him, but definitely shows a preference for the sweet fruits, which I try to 'dilute' with pumped milk and oatmeal.<br />
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I used to pump every night before I went to bed but I stopped this about 2 weeks ago because I was not getting much and I don't wake engorged any more. I now go to bed no later than 10 pm, earlier if I can because Tyler wakes at 6 am or earlier every morning. But I cannot complain too much about this early wake up time because he goes to bed at 6-7 pm and does not wake until 6 am. And considering he has been sleeping 10-12 hours at night, I consider myself pretty lucky in the sleep department.<br />
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Tyler started belly-crawling at 8 months old. Since then he has gotten a little faster but he does not crawl on all fours. Sometimes he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks like he is trying to figure it out. When he first started crawling on his belly he really dragged on his stomach and his little pants slid off his little butt. Cute at first but it got annoying, so now I dress him in one-piece outfits.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-42599497043055140232011-12-24T14:28:00.002-05:002011-12-24T14:30:31.142-05:00Merry Christmas from the Schultz FamilyI hope this Christmas "card" finds you well. Things have been pretty busy here! The year 2011 has been a memorable one for us. Here is a quick recap. <br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="288" height="192" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fvtmechie%2Falbumid%2F5689769832512891713%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-11846693599090995012011-12-18T13:09:00.000-05:002011-12-18T13:09:53.965-05:00This morning Tyler said "Mama" to me when I came in his room. And then he blew a big raspberry at me. <br />
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On another note, his naps have been pretty short or non-existent ever since he started crawling. And this has made night sleep hard for us too, with him waking up crying every hour or so from 7pm to midnight. Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-5958338193008121652011-12-09T16:54:00.010-05:002011-12-09T21:42:26.392-05:00Yup. He's mobile.Tyler started crawling. Well, he's not really crawling, he is dragging himself with his arms. He's slow and gets tired out quickly but it's a start. And he only goes after something he knows he's not allowed to have, like my laptop. We've got one room babyproofed, but we have a lot more work to do around the rest of the house!<br />
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Happy 8 months, Tyler!<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=xzBM89rLvXA" target="_blank">See my youtube page</a><br />
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<object style="height: 200px; width: 400px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzBM89rLvXA?version=3&feature=player_profilepage"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xzBM89rLvXA?version=3&feature=player_profilepage" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="320" height="180"></object>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-19921619898044207222011-12-08T18:54:00.004-05:002011-12-09T21:40:21.401-05:00Wave Hi!Tyler just learned how to wave "hello" and he has been sitting up without propping on this hands for about a week. <br />
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H1GCwczQ0aR1wsHWlbiVN9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSoBOBPo0I_A9zt942P46wVS0ASU2Ng8B8dDt5klnNCQ9uB1qNbmEMedlzt_aCYWHZGfzAIVgXUfRzfUMn3zZnCF32oiJ7DXuypKRvI2BMgZzrN1l3uV0dyOjdfWI8NBU6FcCp8JPXRoG/s400/DSC_4057.JPG" height="400" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/Tyler69Months?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Tyler 6-9 Months</a></td></tr></table><br />
<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/Tyler69Months?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4xgt9HqAgR8/TsSExZTw_AE/AAAAAAAAkf8/s2kGZ9pCS7w/s160-c/Tyler69Months.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/Tyler69Months?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Tyler 6-9 Months</a></td></tr></table>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-52915690511446864472011-11-27T15:53:00.000-05:002011-11-27T15:53:25.081-05:00(Almost) 8 Month UpdateWow! Tyler is almost 8 months old. He is a joy and I feel like this is a really fun age. He is always happy and sleep problems are minimal. And no, he is not crawling yet, which seems the be the most common question I get right now. But he can sit without using his hands to prop himself at least for a few seconds before toppling over. While playing he enjoys laying on his stomach and can scoot around and reach for toys. And when he sees something he really wants he can roll towards it. So he seems pretty content with his physical abilities. I don't think he will be crawling by Christmas but I have been told that things can change quickly.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-38428375302430769162011-10-21T14:31:00.000-04:002011-10-21T14:31:14.769-04:00Home!After a full week of missing, Miley is back at home safe and sound. At 8 this morning a neighbor come by and said she saw her, and we searched for over an hour. Then around 11 am, another neighbor called. He almost had Miley coming to her but another neighbor's law service just turned on their mowers and scared her into the 12" drain pipe that runs under the driveway. So he stayed on one side and I built a rock gate to block the other side and ran to get the small animal trap that I borrowed from a friend. I set up the trap with food in front of the pipe and eventually after a few minutes after the mowers left, she walked into the trap. Then I just carried her home in the trap. Good thing for the trap and the pipe because it would have been very hard to catch her by hand because she was so afraid and would not come to me while in the pipe.<br />
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Now she is home and seems just fine and healthy. She lost a few ounces but that is all. Billy did not recognize her at first but is fine with her now. After some food and water, she is back in her favorite place sleeping like nothing ever happened.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixs88opJn4nMTtUxCiPwpCnmewMi6WMC2WWXUpLjCnhBp8brLYZywutipBJrcmEDyj0bJRSZe0mj4rfPAbDzYr06wiEmBCx-jzVyQnUu_Lf9H6BLrEh3OgmarR4u_JXCWo730MUnYM7P-g/s1600/DSC_3706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixs88opJn4nMTtUxCiPwpCnmewMi6WMC2WWXUpLjCnhBp8brLYZywutipBJrcmEDyj0bJRSZe0mj4rfPAbDzYr06wiEmBCx-jzVyQnUu_Lf9H6BLrEh3OgmarR4u_JXCWo730MUnYM7P-g/s320/DSC_3706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-55964270093645561442011-10-18T16:23:00.000-04:002011-10-18T16:23:28.850-04:00MissingMiley has been missing for 4 days now. It is really getting me down. We have gone from looking in our little sub-division, to the whole neighborhood. Under decks, up in trees. Lots of flyers. Yesterday we got one call from a resident in an adjoining neighborhood, which is not all that far if you cut through the woods. Luckily the weather is good for kitty-hunting. I am a bit shy, so it has been hard for me to just walk up to strangers, hand them my flyer, and tell them my predicament. The kids in the neighborhood have been heartwarming, searching all around, and through them the word has been spreading faster than we can pass out flyers. <br />
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My biggest fear is that we never get her back. My next biggest fear is that we get her back and she is injured or has contracted a disease. She is really shy so she must be terrified. I feel terrible because her escape was my fault.<br />
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<table style="width: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tztxAjQpuK5nGPpBmJFYvA?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOIIDQj9ncDPZCBegp-V413puIpTAVEueECGVB2NBTaxaTrNII6hyphenhyphen4R15Q98J0-asbZYSNtoWwNovjnAV04xnM50fLRksZkWd336HisZEJhJZVAccrxs7iu4eT6eAPtxgo81tM8IrWRPQ/s288/DSCN0853.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/KittensGrowingUpSchultz?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">Kittens: Growing Up Schultz</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-72983000565731431112011-10-09T23:13:00.000-04:002011-10-09T23:13:34.037-04:006 months!Happy half-year birthday, Tyler! You have brought so much joy into our lives. I feel like we have gotten well past the difficult stage and the fun is just beginning.<br />
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Tyler as almost always happy, especially in the mornings. When we makes noises for him he breaks out into a big laugh. If he misses a nap he gets a little crabby, but it's not too bad. He sleeps 10-12 hours at night, and well, I can't ask for anything better than that.<br />
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Tummy time is getting better too. He used to get upset after just a few seconds on his stomach but now he will spend 5-10 minutes playing this way. He practices pushing up and sometimes he flips his legs under himself like he wants to crawl. He does not roll over often but he can in both directions. He can also sit up by himself if you prop him up on his arms like a tripod.<br />
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Tyler's handy work has really advanced. He can transfer a toy from one hand to the other and will shake a rattle. Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-24906100235747153172011-09-30T23:48:00.000-04:002011-09-30T23:48:05.753-04:00Strike Update 2I am still having a hard time with Tyler. See my recent blog post on the strike. Well, since then we have really taken it easy and not gone out too much. He has been doing well but still very distracted. I can only feed him in his dark room with the white noise. I am feeling very isolated because we can't go anywhere because he will not feed anywhere but at home. And I don't want to give him any bottles because I feel that was a big part of the strike. Tom has been away for the past two days on a business trip. So Tyler and I were out several hours yesterday and today and it did not go well at all. He will nap at my friends' houses but not breastfeed ?!?! This is very hard. And now Tom is going to be out all day tomorrow. This is crazy. I just can't stay home all day every day. Gosh, I wish our society was more home-centric. I wish my work, family and friends all lived next door... So far the hardest part about being a say-at-home mom has been the isolation.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-47642970071991752822011-09-20T22:13:00.000-04:002011-09-20T22:13:42.677-04:00Where did the weekend go?So let's see. Friday the weather was terrible. Windy, rainy, cold. We packed the van, hung out with the family, spent some time in the hot tub. <br />
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Saturday I was up at 5 A.M for Tyler, and checkout was at 9 A.M. (early for rental house standards). The cleaning crew showed up at 9:07 A.M. Gee wiz.<br />
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Then we stopped at my parents again for a quick visit, pick up the cats, and on our way again. Rain and wind for most of the drive. I was exhaused and pumped constantly (what else is there to do just sitting in the car?). Tyler was very good and slept most of the way.<br />
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Sunday the weather was nice and cool so we took Tyler on his first hiking trip. Pictures and blog post of this to come.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-85553911840028180902011-09-18T21:32:00.001-04:002011-10-09T22:15:17.206-04:00Tyler's First HikeToday we took Tyler on his first hike. We went to Preddy Creek Park and walked about 2 miles. He rode on Tom's back in the soft carrier. Tyler seemed to get uncomfortable by the end so I carried him in my arms for the last few minutes.<br />
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This was our first time to this park too. It is pretty nice and big and close to home. We did not get too deep into the park but there were no good hills to climb. There is a nice stream and an interesting old house that is mostly fallen down surrounded by a rusty car and discarded tires.<br />
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<table style="width: 194px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" style="background: url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left; height: 194px;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/TylerSFirstHikePreddyCreek?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2eodG139_ziQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img height="160" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XxM6Jdsu1Bw/Toev7udSBdE/AAAAAAAAkJw/MnhnN0YqEUw/s160-c/TylerSFirstHikePreddyCreek.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/vtmechie/TylerSFirstHikePreddyCreek?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK2eodG139_ziQE&feat=embedwebsite" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Tyler's First Hike - Preddy Creek</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-52180512805276054462011-09-15T23:03:00.002-04:002011-09-15T23:31:46.560-04:00Strike UpdateToday was our first bottle-free day in a long time. I can safely say that Tyler's breastfeeding strike is over. Beginning about a week ago, Tyler would not breastfeed, even when he was clearly hungry. He would only breastfeed at night when he was asleep.<br />
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I believe the strike was from a combination of stress leaving for this trip, vaccines last Tuesday, and some stomach and nasal upset. That is a lot going on for a little guy! He just wanted the bottle. I got very frustrated with him. My milk supply dropped considerably and I had trouble pumping enough to keep up with him. Luckily I have plenty of milk in the freezer.<br />
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I had several bad thoughts go through my mind, such as he would never breastfeed again and my milk was going to dry up. We have worked so hard to establish and maintain this breastfeeding relationship, it was breaking my heart to think that it might be coming to an end.<br />
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I was ready to call off the trip I was so worried but I decided so go and do the best we could. I pumped every 2-3 hours on Saturday while we were traveling to help get my milk supply back up. Tyler was really thrown off by his new surroundings but still napped at least once a day and slept through the night. Gradually he took less and less bottles and let me breastfeed him while awake. At times the only way he would nap would be to nurse the whole time while in bed but that was ok with me.<br />
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I talked to my LC who has been helping me since Tyler's birth. She assured me that this is common, it will soon end, and that one's milk supply is resilient and will return. Her words really helped me feel better and push on and not give up. <br />
It feels so good to have Tyler nursing again and without a fuss. He is still very distracted and must feed in a dim room with a noisemaker. But he feeds well and continues to flourish.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqRCjDKwxumK_IH_-_tekt7B9Sp-YMq8Bht2rFhxqs_3ddA-5TnJ5zr24ngrwY0e19HH5zyMKByfdaNGk5wzuZchGlyTvY-bdpCAf4iQv4BSBvjREh14P6L6pH1aaDeCB41Y2k7obG-je/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqRCjDKwxumK_IH_-_tekt7B9Sp-YMq8Bht2rFhxqs_3ddA-5TnJ5zr24ngrwY0e19HH5zyMKByfdaNGk5wzuZchGlyTvY-bdpCAf4iQv4BSBvjREh14P6L6pH1aaDeCB41Y2k7obG-je/s320/IMG_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here is an old picture I just re-discoverd on my ipod from when Tyler was 4 days old.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-25540955887661655032011-09-15T22:01:00.000-04:002011-09-15T22:01:10.191-04:00OBX 6Thursday, Sept. 15.<br />
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My back feels much better and Tyler slept until 7 A.M.! The family watched Tyler while Tom and I went swimming on the beach. The waves were a little higher today but I did not learn my lesson from the other day. I did some boogie-boarding and learned that if I stay in from the inital crash of the waves, the ride is not as good but there is less of a chance of getting flipped over and hurt.<br />
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Tyler skipped his evening nap and went to bed an hour early without much fuss. Breastfeeding has been going well.<br />
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For the first time in our visit we can't see the moon and the beach is very dark here at night. A storm is blowing in from the northwest and the wind has really picked up. We lucked out on the weather so far: sunny and mid-80s every day. Tomorrow will be cooler and raining but that's ok because we have to spend at least half the day packing and getting ready to leave because the checkout time is 9 A.M. Saturday morning.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-25492113930708099292011-09-14T12:55:00.048-04:002011-09-15T20:49:57.545-04:00OBX 5 - SightseeingWednesday, Sept 14.<br />
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Up at 1 A.M. My back hurts so much it is hard to pick up Tyler. I put him in bed with me and nursed him on and off for most of the night. Around sunrise I poked Tom to put Tyler back in his crib in the other room. The bed is a firm king-size so it works well for co-sleeping. It was nice to sleep with him and I managed to get some good sleep.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM9wZaLYWVQW-V2VymZE5K2yjW2E34ZDSBs_uBbft8R0HTLBgsc2zZ53VrL8BpAAeC8clab6q6tZ8QmQIjcI42CuIIOG04uTueyFkXb4iKUi1fMiDHPvxq2wNhO9-m4ofWz7hTwjxHZq_/s1600/290490_2370010177481_1467291927_4295596_1222296624_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIM9wZaLYWVQW-V2VymZE5K2yjW2E34ZDSBs_uBbft8R0HTLBgsc2zZ53VrL8BpAAeC8clab6q6tZ8QmQIjcI42CuIIOG04uTueyFkXb4iKUi1fMiDHPvxq2wNhO9-m4ofWz7hTwjxHZq_/s200/290490_2370010177481_1467291927_4295596_1222296624_o.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was a little grumpy in the morning so I slept in. Then Tom and I headed out for some sightseeing with Tyler. First we went to the Bodie Island Lighthouse, part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, near South Nags Head. The visitor center was closed due to flooding from the recent hurricane. The boardwalk through the marsh was nice but a little buggy. Tom pushed Tyler in the stroller.<br />
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Then we headed out to Fort Raleigh National Historic Sigh and toured the museum of artifacts for the lost colony of Roanoke Island. I wanted to see the remains of the fort, but again the mosquitoes were really bad so we headed back to the house. I can't imagine what the colonist went through living here without bug spray or even nets to protect you while you sleep.<br />
The highlight of the day was going out to dinner with just Tom while my mother-in-law graciously babysat Tyler and put him to bed for the night. I believe this was only our second time out for dinner together since he was born. We even got to stop a few times on the way home and shop. Afterwards we went for a walk on the beach. The harvest moon over the water was beautiful and lit our way. But alas, the mosquitoes, even on the slightly breezy beach, drove us inside.<br />
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We heard from the locals that the mosquitoes were very bad because of the hurricane and planes were used last week to spray the area.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-73213249152595837122011-09-14T12:34:00.001-04:002011-09-14T12:43:41.890-04:00OBX 4 - Mom Gets to BoogieDay 4 - Tuesday, Sept 13.<br />
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Up at 5:30 A.M. Nursing strike progress is flat. Sleepy nursing is ok but daytime is not good at all. <br />
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Tom and I too Tyler for a short shopping trip to the outdoor outlet mall. Tyler did well and took a short nap in the stroller. The mall did not have many deals, but it was nice to walk around with views of Roanoke Sound.<br />
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I went swimming in the surf. Taught myself how to boogie board and did pretty good until I caught a wave wrong and sprained by back. So now I am going to take it easy in the water.<br />
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An old friend of Tom's dad who lives in the area came for dinner, which was served in the middle of Tyler's bedtime routine.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-12666741437673788442011-09-13T22:50:00.005-04:002011-09-14T12:47:17.026-04:00OBX 3- Tyler's First Ocean SwimDay 3 - Monday, Sept 12.<br />
Up at 4 A.M. and again at 9. Watched dolphins swim by. <br />
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Tyler's first day in the ocean. There are little pools knee deep created by a sand shelf so the waves are not to strong, so I took him in the water and he seemed interested. I would not say he enjoyed but but he did not hate it either. I tried to get him to nap in the beach tent but that was not happening so we headed back to the house. He got a bath in the the kitchen sink and after a good nursing session he took a nice long nap. <br />
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Non-sleepy nursing is still a no-go. Bedtime ritual is taking two hours every night. Tom starts out with giving him a few ounces from the bottle, then rocking and singing to him to get him to calm down. Then I come in after he is drowsy and nurse him to sleep. He then wakes up an hour later and I nurse him back to sleep on the other side.<br />
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Before bed Tom and I went in the hot tub. But we had to spray our heads and necks because of the mosquitoes. <br />
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The sleep deprivation is starting to catch up with me. I must take a nap during the day.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-3047654344279821702011-09-12T16:48:00.001-04:002011-09-12T16:49:27.387-04:00OBX 2Day 2 - Sunday, Sept 11, First full day of vacation.<br />
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I fed Tyler at 5am when he woke up and I had trouble getting him to go back to sleep so Tom helped out. I watched the sun rise over the Atlantic from the house windows. Later in the day I took Tyler for a walk on the beach in the carrier. He was fascinated by the new sights and sounds. <br />
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The mosquitoes are ferocious here. There has been a lot of rain so they are abundant any time of the day, especially when the wind is calm. It's a pain to go the the car or the extra frig outside because they swarm you the second you walk outside and follow you back into the house.<br />
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I went shopping for a new bathing suit since I forgot mine. I got a bikini for the first time. Maybe bold since I just had a baby, but I am feeling comfortable in my new figure.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-36022427346133986812011-09-12T16:40:00.002-04:002011-09-14T12:44:24.192-04:00OBX 1 - Travel and Set UpDay 1 - Saturday, Sept 10, Drive from Cville to Nags Head, Stopping at Hampton<br />
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This is our first trip with our new minivan. Tom packed it the night before and all we had to do was add a few extra things and Tyler and the cats and we were on our way by 9am. It was stressful the day before getting everything packed and Tom did most of the work. <br />
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We stopped in Hampton to drop off the cats at my parents house and have lunch. My mom's friends Joan and Anne stopped by to meet Tyler. It was nice to stop there because I could change and feed Tyler at the house instead of a rest area. At a spur of the moment decision, I cooked a sweet potato and fed it to him. He seemed to really like it. It was his first taste of food besides breastmilk. <br />
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We made it to the rental house by 5pm, set up Tyler's room and had him down to sleep by 7:30. He napped some in the van but seemed very tired. The house is a bit noisy and he wakes once before sleeping through the night.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-4338394304663452782011-09-11T11:40:00.000-04:002011-09-11T11:40:49.545-04:00Strike UpdateIt turns out Tyler may be a little sick. He has a stuffy nose and diarrhea. This combined with the travel may have caused the nursing strike. We are going to take it easy for the next few days and see how it goes.Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1817876326282821473.post-88969327372676321872011-09-10T23:32:00.000-04:002011-09-10T23:32:49.076-04:00Strike!Tyler is on a breastfeeding strike. He won't breastfeed during the day, but will feed a little in the middle of the night when he is too sleepy to remember to protest. So now I am pumping and bottle feeding. I am told it will pass soon, but it sure is frustrating. Jennifer S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04263317405732136613noreply@blogger.com1