A Day in the Life...

I did one of these posts almost eight months ago, and I wanted to do another so I can look back and compare how different life is now.

This post won't contain as many pictures as my last "Day in the Life" post because I'm not that on top of things now with two kids. Ha! So I'll just post some random photos of the kids that I have on my phone, instead.



Kevin's job requires him to work really long hours so I take care of most of the kid and home stuff on my own. He helps when he can, though.

4:45-5:30am: Snooze my alarm and then hop in the shower.

5:50: Put my makeup on while I pump.

6:20: Get my lunch bag together, get Landon's bottle bag together, get my pump bag together. So many BAGS!

6:30: Wake Landon up, change him, dress him, feed him a bottle. Put him down in his crib to play or in the swing. If Kevin happens to not have to go into work early, he'll do this.

7:00: Get myself dressed, finish my hair, brush my teeth put ALL THE BAGS in the car. Put the dogs in the garage, get them food and water for the day and turn the space heater on for them (they are spoiled little pups).

7:15: Wake Preslie up. Get her changed, dressed, do her hair and brush her teeth, then take her straight to the car. I turn the car on so it'll warm up, lock the doors, go inside to get Landon and turn on the house alarm.

7:35: On the road to take the kids to Miss Kara's.

8:10: Get to work. Thank goodness my job is super flexible with my schedule.



11:00-11:30: Pump and read.

12:00pm: Eat lunch at my desk.

1:00: Go down to our little workout room in the office building and exercise for about 45min-1hr. Shower and change and back to work at 2:00.

4:00: Leave work and pick up the kids.



4:30/4:45: Get home, unload the car of children and BAGS. Get things settled in the house and immediately change out of my work clothes into comfy clothes. Get Preslie a snack.

5:00: Feed the dogs and nurse Landon.

5:45: Start dinner if I'm cooking. Otherwise, Kevin will make dinner or we do leftovers.

6:00: Preslie eats, or waits until our dinner is done to eat. Kevin gets home.



6:45: Kids get a bath. Kevin will usually bathe them while I get the kids' jammies out and diaper bag ready for the next day. I'll get Landon ready for bed, nurse him and put him down. Kevin will get Preslie ready for bed, read to her and put her down. After, Kevin will usually clean the kitchen.

8:00-9:30: Race to get something done before I have to go to bed. Whether it be a load of laundry, bills, write a blog post, clean a bathroom, unpack from a trip the weekend before. There's always something that needs to be done. Wash Landon's bottles and fill them for the next day. Make Landon's baby food for the next day. Get ALL THE BAGS together for the next day.

9:30: Pump and read.

10:00: Bed (if I'm lucky) and start all over the next day.

THE END.

Landon at Five Months

This post is waaay late...

Landon turned five months old on Sunday, March 1st.

 

Measurements
I have no clue what he weighs. He feels heavy to me and he seems to be going through a growth spurt at the moment (back in the beginning of March), so if I were to guess I'd say probably 16 pounds?
He has his next well-check appointment on the 26th so I'll know for certain then.

Appearance
~His hair is growing but is very fine like Preslie's was/is.
~Light gray eyes but they're getting some green in them.

~He gets really pink cheeks when he nurses.

~The back of his head is kind of flat. He spends most of his time on his tummy, but he sleeps flat on his back at night and during naps and it's not helping matters. Hopefully, it'll round out as he gets older.


Sizes
~He's just about outgrown his six month clothes. Six month pants are getting snug around his belly and kind of short. Some of his six month jammies are getting too small. He's definitely out of 3-6 month clothes. I'll be moving him up to 6-9 month and nine month clothes soon!

 ^ Love that booty! 

~Still size three Honest Co. diapers.
~Size NB/0 shoes.

Personality
~He loves to laugh! He will laugh at anyone and anything and I LOVE it!

~He is a big flirt.
~He very rarely cries at all.
~He's started to throw little fits if something is taken away from him; like his Sophie. Yikes!
~He gets easily distracted while he eats or nurses. Kind of frustrating, but it comes with starting to be aware more of things around him. Sometimes, I need to nurse him in his room with the sound machine on so I can get him to focus. Ha!
~The kid never stops moving!

Likes
~He loves his Sophie and gnaws on it all the time.

~He loves to roll over! He's always doing it. I don't like it so much because it means he's growing up, and he also spits up whenever he's on his tummy.
~He idolizes his sister!

Dislikes
~There's not much he dislikes. He's a pretty laid back baby.
~He sometimes doesn't like to be worn in the ERGO, but we're working on it.

Eating
~He just tried his first solid (rice cereal) right before he turned five months. He wasn't all that thrilled with it. He didn't hate it, but I don't think he really cared either way. He ate it all but it seemed like he was kind of "meh" about it. His sister was all about food at his age, so it's a little different this time around. I may not focus so much on pureed baby food if he doesn't seem to care for it and may lean more towards baby-led weaning if it works better for him.

~He takes anywhere between 6-7 ounces by breast or bottle four times a day. Sometimes he "snacks" (nurses) at 5pm.
~So far he's had rice cereal, breast milk and pears.

Sleep
~He's been sleeping great. Landon's been waking up sometimes around 5:30am some mornings, but he'll usually talk himself back to sleep.

~He still likes to take short naps. It's rare if he takes over an hour-long nap.

  
Schedule
~His schedule has changed this month. He seems to be doing a lot better with this schedule than the last schedule.

7am: Wakes up and gets a bottle or nurses
8am: Baby food
9am: Nap
11am: Bottle or nurses
12pm: Baby food
1pm: Nap
3pm: Bottle
5pm: Nurses (if it's a week day, if it's the weekend he'll get baby food)
6:30pm: Bath
7pm: Bottle or nurses
7:30pm: Bed

Milestones
~Landon started rolling over from his back to his tummy at 4 1/2 months and he does it non-stop.
~He's discovered his tongue and blows raspberries. Spit everywhere! It's real fun when he's drinking a bottle. Ha!
~When he's on his tummy he pulls his legs up underneath him, so I have a feeling crawling will be coming in the next couple months.

~He will mimic us if we shake our head side-to-side like we're saying "No." It's so cute!
~He's strong enough with his core body strength that he can be held on your hip which is so convenient.
~He reaches for our faces when we talk to him. Love his little hands!
~He sits in a highchair now.

New Experiences
~We've started putting Landon in his exersaucer. He's not quite strong enough to hold himself up all the way so he's in it for short periods of time for now.

~He attended his first Superbowl party! He wasn't a fan of all the loud cheering.
~He got pink eye this month - ugh! Miraculously no one else in our house got it, thank goodness! We were able to catch it on the first day and get drops right away so the symptoms of it only lasted a day.

~He went to Miss Kara's full time this month since Mama went back to work (on February 9th). He's been doing great there and all the kids love him.
~Landon got to celebrate his first Valentine's Day!

~He went to the Sacramento Train Museum and got to meet his cousin Carter, Cindy, Les and his great aunts Judy and Cindy.

~Landon experienced his first full weekend away from Mama. Papa took such good care of him (and his sister) while I was gone. It was nice to get away but much nicer to get back to my babies!

Every day our little boy is changing and he is so much fun! He's such a joy in our lives.

Landon at Four Months

Landon turned four months old on Sunday, February 1st.

Measurements

Weight: 14 pounds, 13 ounces (42nd percentile)

Height: 25" (51st percentile)

Head circumference: 16.5" (65th percentile)

 Appearance

~Still the most handsome boy (in our humble opinion - ha!)!

~His eyes have remained light gray. 

~His hair is getting a little darker but it hasn't really grown much.

~He has a birthmark on his left cheek. It's very faint and not really noticeable, but I notice it.

Nicknames

~Kevin is someone who likes to give everyone a nickname. So Landon's nickname soon became Buggy. My dad used to - and still does - call me Bug, so it's kind of neat Landon has kind of the same one.

~We call him Buggy, Bug, Buggy-Boo, and even sometimes my dad and Kevin will call him Smeagol. Isn't that awful!? Ha! 

^It's the eyes! 

Sizes

~Landon is in 3-6 month and 6 month clothes.

~Size 3 Honest Co. diapers.

~He doesn't really wear shoes, but if he does they're size 0/NB.

Personality

~He is a dream baby. He hardly ever cries and he is so smiley and loves to laugh and giggle!

~If he does cry, he'll stick out his bottom lip before he cries and its the most pathetic thing I've ever seen (and it breaks my heart).  

Likes

~He is still a big fan of his play mat.

~Landon likes to always be facing outwards if he's being held.

 ^Watching TV with Papa.

 

~He loves to suck on his pointer finger and middle finger of his right hand.

~He likes to always have his hands in his mouth, or anything in his mouth for that matter.

~Landon likes to place his hand on his cheek while he's nursing. I'll spare you a photo, but it's really cute. :)

~He adores his Sissy!

Dislikes

~If he can't wiggle around, he gets unhappy. So if he's in his car seat or stroller and it's not moving he's not having it. 

Eating

~He takes approximately six ounces at each feeding.

~He eats five times a day. Since I'm back to work now, I'll usually try and nurse him two times a day, sometimes three times if I can get up early enough to nurse him in the morning before we leave.

~I might start him on some rice cereal by spoon next month, but I don't know yet.

Sleep

~Baby boy slept 11 1/2 hours straight on January 26th! Since then he has been consistently sleeping through the night.

~He still has naps that can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour-and-a-half. They're not really consistent in length of time. 

~He takes three naps a day (8:30am, 12pm and 3pm). He dropped his evening cat nap that he would usually have around 6pm.

Schedule

~Same schedule as last month. 

Milestones

~Landon will purposely grab for toys hanging above him or toys that are laying on his chest.

~He reaches for your fingers if they're nearby.

~He can roll from his back to his side and he's very close to rolling from his back to his tummy.

~He scoots around on his back using his legs.

~Little man can sit in his Bumbo with his head unassisted now.

~He happened to discover he has feet for the very first time while I was taking his four month photos!

New Experiences

~Not many new experiences this month because everyone in our house has been sick, so we've been laying low.

~We went to Salinas to spend some time with Bacca (aka Grampy) for his birthday while Omi (aka Grammy) was out of town.

~Omi and Bacca came to visit us for a weekend.

~Buggy got to come with us wine tasting and he did excellent! He hung out in the Bjorn for a bit, and then once he got hungry and tired he hung out in the stroller the rest of the time.

We just think this kid is the greatest!

Motherhood and my maternity leave - all the emotions!

With only four days left of maternity leave, I want to take some time and document how life was while I was off work.

One word.

CRAZY.

I think it started with Landon arriving earlier than planned. I didn't feel quite ready. There were things around the house I wasn't able to get done before his arrival, and from that point on I've felt behind on everything ever since. Such is life.

I'm not going to sugar-coat this post. I want it to be as real as these past four months have felt. The first two months after Landon arrived were touch-and-go. That's the only way I know how to describe it. I felt so discombobulated every minute of every day.

To be honest, I suffered from a bit of postpartum depression. There were days I felt like my kids deserved a better mother than what I was being. I didn't feel happy and I was anxious all the time. I felt like I was never doing enough, I never had enough patience with the toddler, or never enough time in a friggin' day! Just never enough of anything.

And the guilt! Oh, the guilt. I would feel guilty over everything. I'd feel guilty for sending Preslie to Miss Kara's 3-4 days a week. I'd feel guilty for wanting a day to myself. I'd feel guilty for having so much time off. I'd feel guilty for wanting to go back to work. I'd feel guilty for not being happy. I'd feel guilty for feeling guilty!!!

Throughout those first two months I would keep telling myself "you need to make the most of this time because you'll never have it again and you don't want to look back with any regrets." But you know what? Those first couple months were life. I don't regret the days Preslie may or may not have sat in front of the TV all day while I fed Landon for (what felt like) hours on end. I don't regret the day(s) I may or may not have gone without a shower. It was all part of our life at that time and I cherish being able to experience everything; the ups and the downs.

^ Yes, we had her slide in the living room. 

It was survival mode this day.

There was one moment when I think Landon may have been three weeks old. For the first time since he was born, I attempted to make a nice, home cooked meal and have it ready by the time Kevin got home from work. The kids had a different plan. Landon didn't want to be put down and Preslie didn't want me to hold Landon. At one point they were both screaming and all I could do was record the moment and laugh. All my life I had wanted to be a mother, and there it was. I was mothering. It was everything I'd hoped it would be (sarcastic font). ;) Needless to say, dinner didn't get made that night. (Video below)

On a different day I was determined to take the kids to the park. Preslie loves to play outside and we all needed to get out of the house. I never got a shower that day, and Preslie never actually played at the park (she chose to play in dirt that was stuck in a crack on the sidewalk) but that was a small accomplishment that I felt good about.

I look back now and I know I did the best I could. Everyone survived. My kids are healthy and thriving. My marriage is still intact. My extended family and friends are still by my side and willing to help whenever I need it. And for all of that, I'm so thankful.

I think motherhood is different for everyone. There are mothers who may thrive on the chaos and can take it in stride. There are mothers who do a hell of a job at having fun activities planned each day for their toddler. There are mothers who just barely survive a day with one, two, three or more of their kids. Either way, it's not the same for everyone. The only way I was finally able to feel okay with how I was doing as a mother with "two under two," was I stopped comparing myself to what other mothers were doing.

The first couple of months I couldn't wait to go back to work. But now that my return date is staring me in the face...I don't wanna! Within the past month we've found a good groove in our family. Landon is on a good schedule, I'm getting dinner on the table more nights than not, I've so enjoyed seeing the little person that Preslie is becoming. I am really going to have a tough time come February 4th, when I'm supposed to show up for my job. It'll all work out, though. It always does.

Landon at Three Months

Landon turned three months old on Thursday, January 1st.

Measurements
Weight: 14 pounds, 7 ounces

The kid gained close to three pounds within one month! 

Appearance
~Landon's eyes are kind of a grey color right now. They are still kind of light so I'm thinking he may have the same color eyes as his sister (hazel).
~He has the biggest eyes! Just like his Mama. :)

~His hair has thinned out a lot. It doesn't look like he has any hair, but there is some light hair when you're up close to him.
~The poor kid has a big head! I'm hoping he'll grow into it eventually.

~His little earlobes still stick out like they did when he was a newborn.
~Landon seems to have a long torso.

Sizes
~I think I was in denial that he was growing so fast and trying to squeeze him into 3 month clothes as long as I could. But he's definitely in 3-6 month and 6 month clothes now. There's no denying it!
~He wears a size two Target brand diaper. But I'm switching him to Honest Co. diapers and he'll be wearing size 3 in those.

Personality
~This little guy is such a smiley, happy baby! It was like the three month mark came, and he turned into such a good baby!

~He hardly cries. When he does cry he cries hard and loud and he gets mad. That's usually if he's super tired.
~It seems like he's ticklish everywhere!
~He loves to giggle and he's working on belly laughs.

Likes
~His play mat. He spends a lot of time on there just playing and playing.
~The bouncer.
~Landon likes to be talked to.
~If he has a Lovey in his hands (Kevin said we can't call it a "Lovey," so I think we'll call it a "Buddy") he likes to snuggle with it.

Dislikes
~Tummy time. He hates it.

~He has a love-hate relationship with the swaddle. He loves it if he's super tired, but most of the time he hates it. I'm slowly weaning him of the swaddle now.

^When he's not swaddled, he sleeps flat on his back with his arms up.

I don't think he'll be a tummy sleeper. 

~The car seat and the stroller if they aren't moving. As soon as movement stops he gets mad.
~He doesn't really like to take the paci so much anymore.

Eating
~I think we've finally hit our stride with nursing and I'm so relieved. I didn't have the best time nursing Preslie, and since Landon is our last baby I really wanted to make it work. Luckily, he's doing great with nursing now.
~If he takes a bottle, it's usually if he's at Kara's for a day or if Kevin feeds him before bed. He won't take a bottle from me, though.

~He eats every three, to three-and-a-half hours.
~He drinks only breast milk.

Sleep
~Ohhh sleep...it has been hit or miss. Some days he does great and takes good, solid naps. Other days he does not. His naps tend to last about 45 minutes at a time.

~Some nights he sleeps through the night, and other nights he doesn't. The frustrating part now is trying to figure out what worked on the days & nights he sleeps well so we can repeat it and make it a consistent thing.

Schedule
7am - Wakes up, eats & plays
8:30am - Nap
10:30am - Eats & plays
12pm - Nap
2pm - Eats & plays
3pm - Nap
5pm - Eats & plays
6pm - Catnap
7:15/7:30pm - Bath, bottle & bed by 8pm

Milestones
~He's getting better at holding his head up, but hates tummy time so dang much that it's hard to work on it. He spends time on his tummy propped up on the Boppy which he tolerates, some.

~He coos and giggles and talks all the time. He's rather loud!

 ^Talking to cousin Nate on Christmas Eve.

~He turns toward Kevin or me as soon as he hears us talk. He seeks us out immediately. I love it!

^He looks super frightened. Ha!

~We're still working on sitting up in the Bumbo. Again, he doesn't like it (I think because his belly gets in the way), but we practice each day.
~He can roll from tummy to back.

~Landon is starting to put his hands in his mouth more often. I don't think he'll be a thumb-sucker, but he may be a finger-sucker.

New Experiences
~We spent a nice, long trip visiting Grammy and Grampy the beginning of the month.

~He got a lot of good snuggles in with Mama.

 

 

~He spent his first night away from Mama when Grandma watched him and Sissy while Mama and Papa went to Papa's work Christmas party.

~He visited Santa for the first time!

~He experienced his first Christmas Eve and Christmas!

 ^Hanging out with Bacca (aka Grampy, my dad) on Christmas Eve in his Christmas jammies!

~He helped celebrate Mama's 32nd birthday!
~Landon also experienced his first New Year's celebration!

^ So handsome!

~Landon came down with Bronchiolitis this month. It was just pitiful. Luckily, it wasn't anything more serious. He had a breathing treatment at the hospital, we waited in line at the pharmacy for two hours (luckily, he slept the whole time) and then we were sent home with an inhaler. He's still on the mend.

 

^Getting a breathing treatment at the hospital. 

He was not a fan.

 

 ^He fell asleep immediately after his breathing treatment. 

After all the screaming and crying, he was exhausted. 

Look at his flushed cheekers. Poor little guy. :(

We are just crazy about our little guy! We love to see his personality develop and how different he is from his sister. The next month will be an adjustment for the whole family as I go back to work after almost five months of maternity leave. I'm not sure I'm ready!