I know that I've been a terrible blogger lately (among other things) so here's a quick update on the last week. Let's see... I'll start with last Tuesday when Allie and I went to the Botannical Gardens with Aunt Re for the first time. I forgot the camera, so unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the blooming irises or roses. I guess that's an excuse to go back! It's actually pretty affordable, too. Only $4 per ticket, but I've batted around the idea of getting a membership for $65. It includes two adult admissions per visit, so it would pay for itself in 9 visits. We'll see... Afterwards, we did a little shopping and ended up in Brentwood. Since we were right there, I decided to pop into my old place of employment, Archetypes. I hadn't been to their new location and was quite surprised to see the owner working! At first he didn't recognize me after 4 years, but after jogging his memory a bit, we chatted for a few minutes. It was a little awkward, but I guess that was to be expected. I had a lot of good times while working there with Sarah, but that was a lifetime ago!
I have to say I honestly cannot remember what we did on Wednesday, but on Thursday Matt had the day off so we finished the veggie garden. We bought seedlings at the Sappington Farmer's Market and were able to pick up a larger variety of plants than last year. If everything turns out, we'll have two varieties of tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, yellow and zucchini squash, bush beans, and cantelope (I think our lettuce is already scorched from the heat).
Then on Friday, my mom came over and we took Allison to our favorite Greek restaurant for lunch. Afterwards, she came back to the house and we played with the baby and discussed plans for my cousin's baby shower in a couple weeks. I'm very excited to have my family over to see our home (many for the first time) and also for everyone to meet Allison! I have ambitious ideas of projects I want to complete before then, but am having a very difficult time getting motivated. So if anyone wants to get together and go fabric shopping or have a sewing play date, I'm all for it!!
Saturday we had plans to go to the Greek festival in Des Peres with Anne Marie, Morgan, and Julie, but it turned into a not so good day. I've been having more and more problems with the Crohn's lately and Saturday I had to make the difficult decision to give up breastfeeding and switch to stronger meds. I know that I'm no good to her sick, but it was still really hard to finally throw in the towel. I know that I did the best I could and the breast milk she received for the first 9 weeks was certainly beneficial even if it did come in the form of a bottle. So, I've been weaning my pumping for the last few days and my milk seems to be stopping pretty quickly. (Granted my production wasn't great to start with...) But I do have to say that I'm much more content feeding her without the stress of trying to get her to latch or the constant thought of needing to pump again.
This blog turned into a longer entry than I anticipated, so I'll end with Memorial Day! Lynn and Mike had invited a few people over for a BBQ, so Allison and I headed over to see everyone while Matt was still at work. He did join us after he got off and we ended up staying til 10pm! I was exhausted by the long day, (I had attempted to go the Gypsy Caravan that morning but cancelled due to the rain and ended up damaging two tires on my way home... whoops.) but was very excited to see everyone. Alright, I'm stopping now.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
2 months!
I really can't believe it's only been 2 months, but our little baby is growing big! We went to the doctor on Monday for a check up and shots (yuk), but Allison was a champ despite already having a rough day throwing up a couple bottles. I figured she had put on at least 1 1/2lbs in the previous 3 weeks, but I was a little off. She is up to 7lbs 14oz, which is the 3rd percentile for her cronilogical age and the 30th for her adjusted gestational age. The doctor is very pleased with her development and said that she is following the growth curve very well. She has developed a flat spot on the right side of her head, so I'm trying to position her more on the left, but it's more something that she'll just grow out of.
Developmentally, she has started giving me what I think are "real" smiles although they are still hard to distinguish from gas smiles. Her visual skills are also improving as she tries to find us when she hears our voices and is also able to focus a little better. Her head control is getting really good as she can hold it up 45 degrees during tummy time and support it briefly when we are holding her on our shoulder. And I know this is a little silly, but I think it's neat that she's trying to roll over... I know that's months away, but she tries so hard to kick that little leg over! I know this is all normal for most babies, but it's really reassuring that her prematurity isn't holding her back at this point. Yeah, Allie!!
We are also still trying to breastfeed despite my frequent discouragement. On Mother's Day, Allison latched on really well, however, it was incredibly uncomfortable for me. We attended a La Leche League meeting on Wednesday and the lactation consultant was very helpful. Since then, Allison has successfully nursed about 1/3 of her feedings. It's still rather tough on me, but I don't think I'm ready to quit yet.
Developmentally, she has started giving me what I think are "real" smiles although they are still hard to distinguish from gas smiles. Her visual skills are also improving as she tries to find us when she hears our voices and is also able to focus a little better. Her head control is getting really good as she can hold it up 45 degrees during tummy time and support it briefly when we are holding her on our shoulder. And I know this is a little silly, but I think it's neat that she's trying to roll over... I know that's months away, but she tries so hard to kick that little leg over! I know this is all normal for most babies, but it's really reassuring that her prematurity isn't holding her back at this point. Yeah, Allie!!
We are also still trying to breastfeed despite my frequent discouragement. On Mother's Day, Allison latched on really well, however, it was incredibly uncomfortable for me. We attended a La Leche League meeting on Wednesday and the lactation consultant was very helpful. Since then, Allison has successfully nursed about 1/3 of her feedings. It's still rather tough on me, but I don't think I'm ready to quit yet.
Monkeying Around
Wow, am I behind in blogging... So, I'll start on a last Friday with our first trip to the Zoo! I met Joe and Jenn with the kids and we had a great time seeing all the animals, riding the train, and spinning around on the carousel! Of course, Allie slept through most of it, but she definitely gets a lot of benefit from being out and about. She sleeps much better at night after a busy day and it helps her keep her days and nights straight. The exercise is good for me too. Just in the last week I went from not being able to pull up my pre-preggers khakis past my thighs, to fitting them up to my waist. (not buttoned, mind you, but still progress!)
Then on Saturday, we put on our best dresses and attended the wedding of Matt's old LSI boss, Justin to his lady, Cynthia. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Japanese Garden at the Botannical Gardens and the reception was out at the Links at Dardienne in St. Charles. We had a great time showing Allie off at the wedding and then we dropped her off at Grandma and Grandpa's for an adult's night out. It was a great reception and it was wonderful to catch up with people that Matt hadn't seen since last July.
Since some of the people in attendance were in town from KC, we made plans with one of Matt's old co-workers to head to the zoo (again). We got a lot of pleasure out of our family outing, eventhough Allison slept through the entire excursion again! We made a point to visit the giraffes and take our picture since Allison was in the giraffe pod at the NICU. I enjoyed being able to see the habitats that I missed on Friday since the boys began to melt halfway through. Afterwards, we met up with AnneMarie and Morgan for dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Pueblo Solis. It was a very busy weekend, but we had a great time!
Then on Saturday, we put on our best dresses and attended the wedding of Matt's old LSI boss, Justin to his lady, Cynthia. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Japanese Garden at the Botannical Gardens and the reception was out at the Links at Dardienne in St. Charles. We had a great time showing Allie off at the wedding and then we dropped her off at Grandma and Grandpa's for an adult's night out. It was a great reception and it was wonderful to catch up with people that Matt hadn't seen since last July.
Since some of the people in attendance were in town from KC, we made plans with one of Matt's old co-workers to head to the zoo (again). We got a lot of pleasure out of our family outing, eventhough Allison slept through the entire excursion again! We made a point to visit the giraffes and take our picture since Allison was in the giraffe pod at the NICU. I enjoyed being able to see the habitats that I missed on Friday since the boys began to melt halfway through. Afterwards, we met up with AnneMarie and Morgan for dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Pueblo Solis. It was a very busy weekend, but we had a great time!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Mother's Day
After much debate, Matt and I decided that we were going to spend my first mother's day at home. (Much of that was due to my mom being sick and Barb entertaining the Justingers that were still in town.) Originally, I had planned on staying in bed most of the day with Allison, however, we got a bit of an ambitious streak and decided to work in the yard. I mowed the lawn while Matt cleared and tilled the garden, then we headed up to Lowe's to buy the plants. Well, it turns out they didn't have any veggie seedlings, so we purchased new plants for the front yard to replace those demolished by the back hoe last October. I did get a couple of good deals on the $0.25 cart... two honeysuckle bushes and a rhubarb plant for less than a $1! Hopefully they aren't duds, but I figured if they don't make it, it's not like we're out a lot of moolah. We've still got mulching to do out front and the vegetable garden to plant, but we made a good start!
Visitors
After a few days off, we jumped right back into our busy schedule with lots of visitors this past weekend! After lunch with Susan, Sean, Tracy, and Shelby on Thursday, Allie and I rushed home to tidy up for Joe and Jenn to come over with the kids. Joe hadn't seen Allison since the hospital and was finally able to hold her for the first time. I had to laugh because he couldn't believe how tiny she was compared to big 'old Emily! They were kind enough to bring dinner out, then afterwards we played in the backyard with the kids.
On Friday, we entertained Matt's Wisconsin family. Grandma Justinger was so excited to meet Allie and was reluctant to pass her off to Barb's sisters Fran and Chris! However, the baby made the rounds and slept most of the time! (Funny, since she doesn't like to sleep when it's just the two of us at home!) It was great to spend some time getting to know Matt's family a little better since we don't get the opportunity to see them much.
Saturday was also a very busy day beginning bright and early with Allison's first trip to the farmer's market in Tower Grove Park. This is a bit of a tradition for Julie and I and I was very excited to introduce Allison to the routine, not to mention to do something that I had done "pre-baby." Afterwards we broke tradition a bit and had lunch at Schlafly Bottleworks. Unfortunately I had to rush home, however, I was greeted by an excited group ready to go see the Star Trek movie. I had offered to stay behind and watch Allison and Shelby. The kiddos napped for most of the time, but we did get in a little play time. Without any other plans for the evening, people stuck around for a bit to hang out in the city.
After such a busy few days, I was definitely looking forward to a lazy Sunday! (*again, I have some pics, but I'm lazy and don't want to go upstairs to get the camera... check back soon!)
On Friday, we entertained Matt's Wisconsin family. Grandma Justinger was so excited to meet Allie and was reluctant to pass her off to Barb's sisters Fran and Chris! However, the baby made the rounds and slept most of the time! (Funny, since she doesn't like to sleep when it's just the two of us at home!) It was great to spend some time getting to know Matt's family a little better since we don't get the opportunity to see them much.
Saturday was also a very busy day beginning bright and early with Allison's first trip to the farmer's market in Tower Grove Park. This is a bit of a tradition for Julie and I and I was very excited to introduce Allison to the routine, not to mention to do something that I had done "pre-baby." Afterwards we broke tradition a bit and had lunch at Schlafly Bottleworks. Unfortunately I had to rush home, however, I was greeted by an excited group ready to go see the Star Trek movie. I had offered to stay behind and watch Allison and Shelby. The kiddos napped for most of the time, but we did get in a little play time. Without any other plans for the evening, people stuck around for a bit to hang out in the city.
After such a busy few days, I was definitely looking forward to a lazy Sunday! (*again, I have some pics, but I'm lazy and don't want to go upstairs to get the camera... check back soon!)
Monday, May 4, 2009
So much to blog, so little time...
I know I haven't been the best at updating lately, so here's a little catch up from the past week! Our busy week started on Monday with a trip out to St. Charles to see Matt's Grandma Binning. Steve and Barb had picked her up on their way home from West Bend to visit for the week. She was extremely excited to meet Allison and had come bearing lots of gifts for her as well. One of my favorites is a Porcelain doll that was Matt's great grandmother's. She also got lots of clothes and baby necessities from his Aunt Karen, Aunt Fran, and a baby blanket that was handmade by Grandma Justinger.
Great great grandma Eleanor's doll is as big as Allison!
4 generations of Binnings
Tuesday was spent running around doing errands and then Lynn, Mike, Katie, and Ian brought over dinner. It was nice to relax and catch up, since it feels like we haven't hardly seen anyone since Allie was born. (Although I know that's far from true!) I see a need for a game night in the near future!!Then Wednesday brought more visitors as Matt's family came out to visit with Grandma. We picked up take out from Pueblo Solis (yummy!) and played with the baby for a bit before getting a game of Mario Cart going!
Thursday was the busiest day of the week by far because both Allison and I had appointments at St. John's. She had a hip ultrasound in the morning (standard for breech babies) and I had my post-partum check up in the afternoon. In between appointments, we went up to Kangaroo Kids for a little lactation assistance (unfortunately, Allie wouldn't really wake up to participate) and then out to my sister-in-law's house to visit with my mom and the kids while she babysat. By the time we got home, we were pooped. It's funny how worn out Allie gets from just being out. I guess it's hard to sleep well when you are being pulled in and out of the car repeatedly.
Allie and big cuz, EmilyThen to wrap up the week, we went back out to Joe and Jenn's house on Saturday to "help" with their garage sale, but we didn't end up arriving until after noon when she was about to shut down. Regardless, we stayed and played with the kids for awhile before getting a text from Tracy regarding a BBQ that night. We felt up to it, so headed back to the house to regroup and head out to Wentzville. We had a great time and it was nice to get back into our old social routine a bit, however, Allison was exhausted and was very lethargic on Sunday. I think we just pushed it a bit too far. So hopefully after a couple days rest, she'll be raring to go for another busy few days!
All the cousins!
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