An Outing

Sophia getting her dance on
Massimo joins Sophia in a very exuberant dance party

he's all skin and bones!

so serious!

Do you think mom minds if I use Brother as an arm rest?

This is more like it!

I'm trying to set some goals to get out more! Thanks to Julie we had a very fun outing/play date this morning. We went to see the Dino O'Dell concert at Pottery Barn Kids and then back to their house for lunch and play time. All the kids had fun, Leo slept through the entire ordeal, and I felt like a normal person for a few hours...woo hoo! We're looking forward to another busy day tomorrow! Stay tuned for more spooky (okay, maybe not so spooky) looks!

Pumpkin Carving

Whoa!
Sophia's Jack-o-Lantern

Charlie carving his masterpiece

the Frank-o-Lantern

It's so fun to start more new traditions! Sophia wasn't too into the whole process really, just the end product! We couldn't get her to touch the inside of the pumpkin at all! We asked her which shape she wanted the eyes and nose and whether or not the mouth should have teeth, how many, etc. This gave her some ownership over her pumpkin, but of course we didn't trust her with any sharp carving instruments just yet!

Here's what will greet Trick-or-Treaters at our door this weekend...

Check-Up Time

Leo is one month old! I would say time flies, but strangely, in some ways, this month has dragged on! I think it's because we're both so sleep deprived and it's not like we have the time to catch up on it like we did with Sophia. Additionally, Leo usually has a feeding right in the middle of Sophia's nap time, so I can't really utilize this time to nap either. Plus, our lives do go on...with rugby, family events, and me trying to set goals to actually leave the house, we're just trying to make things work!

Leo looks great, however, so I guess maybe we're doing something right! ;) He is 11 lbs 4 oz and 22 3/4 in tall. That puts him in the 90th % for both, no surprise there! I have a feeling we're going to have a big boy on our hands!

My main concern during this check-up was the scary breathing that I mentioned in a previous post. I was also reminded that one of Jill's girls also experienced the same thing, so even before talking to the doc, I was a little more relieved. I didn't figure it was a huge cause of concern, but it is scary sounding and basically, he backed that up. He said that basically his esophagus was immature and it sort of wiggled when he breathed causing that sound. He said that it will not cause him to choke or anything of that nature, so although it sounds awful, there is really nothing to worry about. The unfortunate part is that he said it could last for a few months. So, with this news I am considering putting him in his crib during the night now. I fear however that I've spoiled him with my constant night cuddling. Truthfully, it has been the only way that the two of us (Leo and myself) have been able to get any sleep. He loves to cuddle and I'm apparently too happy to oblige, especially if it means I get to sleep for an hour or two as well! When we cuddle, he sleeps and does not lie awake fussing...I know, I know, I'm creating a monster, but I'm so tired!

The other question I had was about his gas issue. He assured me again that he didn't think Leo was a colicky baby (well I don't think so either, but I'm more worried he could turn into one!) but gave us some things to try. He gave us some samples of a new formula that is designed for gas and fussiness and mentioned that he could also prescribe him a higher strength gas drop than the Mylicon drops you can buy at the store. I had not heard of this, so that kind of intrigued me and I'm happy we have that as a back-up if we need it. We're going to finish the can of formula that we have open before we try the new stuff and he told us to give it 2 weeks before we say whether or not it helped. Keep your fingers crossed!

Lastly, I asked about whether or not we should be worried about him contracting the Swine Flu, or any other sickness, for that matter. It really came up because Sophia has been a bit under the weather the past few days, and although I really don't think she has H1N1, I of course worry. I truly think it's just a cold, but you know how your mind wanders! Anyway, he reminded me that the antibodies that pass from the placenta to the baby are super strong and illness fighting so it was likely he was not going to contract much of anything within the first 4 months of life. He said he'd be more worried if he were 6 months old going into cold/flu season, but his status right now is pretty good. Obviously, we're still going to be vigilant hand washers/sanitizers, but at least it can alleviate a little fear.

Overall, we're plugging along as our new family of 4!

More Visitors

Sophia and Aunt Ellyn bonded over blocks, books, and songs!

My Aunt Ellyn traveled into town this weekend from Minnesota and we were so happy to have her! I've been missing Dad is a big way lately. A lot of it is obviously because of Leo...I really would have liked it if Dad could have met this precious little boy. I know that he'd be just in love with him! Another, of course, is the anniversary of his death is just around the corner. Last year was difficult being the first year, but this year is difficult in it's own way. Because I just gave birth to Leo, and because 2 years ago Sophia was exactly as old as Leo is now, it puts me right back in the place of remembering Dad and having a tiny baby and all my emotions come swirling back in a very surreal way. But, I digress...my point here is this. It really meant a lot to me to have Ellyn here in his place. If I can't have dad, I guess his sister is a good second! :) She agreed with me, which of course I always appreciate, that Leo looks a lot like dad! In fact, she brought some pictures of Dad and of her son David and Leo's newborn picture and David's newborn picture are almost identical! It's crazy! I'll try and do some fancy scanning so that I can post pictures of both, but last time I scanned something it seriously took me two days to figure it out! LOL! During her visit, we kept her on her toes with lots of family time, errands, cooking, story reading, baby feeding and just general fun! This post is mostly just random snapshots from our busy, busy weekend.

Sophia making sure that Leo is properly entertained by the swing

Cody at his 21st birthday celebration (21?! Ack!)


Aunt Bess and Mr. Leo

Daddy and daughter

Aunt Annie with Sophia and Angela at Oktoberfest!

Aunt Ellyn feeding Leo

Sophia getting her Oktoberfest dance on!

Pumpkin Picking!

a happy fall family

3 pumpkins tall

coordinating outfits specially picked out for a day of pumpkins and fun!

Sophia kept saying that Leo was wearing "spookies"...cute!

mommy's big pumpkin

mommy's little pumpkin

navigating the hay castle

trying to feed goats

just look at that face of determination!

finding a good one!

celebrating our hard work with some cider donuts

We loaded up in Marsha and headed out the pumpkin patch/cider mill. As a kid, we used to go to Louisburg Cider Mill every year, at least once a year! They make good cider and even better donuts! This year I bought a bag of apples and have already made a fairly delicious apple cake and am looking at ways to use the rest before the spoil! The pumpkin patch was still quite full of good pumpkins, in all sizes, and we picked up 3 of them. Our goal is to carve them tonight so we can enjoy them before the weekend! I haven't carved a pumpkin in many, many years so I have to admit, I'm almost nervous! Check back soon for pics of our masterpieces!

Congratulations!

Oh dear, this post is overdue, but we had to send our congratulations to Kathleen, Carl, and Lily who welcomed little William Oscar Deetz on Thursday afternoon! He missed sharing a birthday with me by only a few measly hours, but we're happy for him anyway! William weighed in at 9lbs 2 oz and 22" long...wow! He and Leo can be bruisers together!


We can't wait to meet him! Good luck and lots of love, Deetz Family!

Sleepless Nights

Although I'm pretty sure it's a bad idea, Leo is still sleeping in our room at night. In some ways I'm happy about it, and other ways I think it's past time for him to move into the crib. I will add, however, that I did finally move my pumping equipment out of our room and into the nursery. It was high time. It is definitely more comfortable to pump in the rocking chair than the bed and Charlie claims he was disturbed through the night by it, but I'm pretty sure his snores told a different story! ;) And...let's be honest pumping with access to a television can really mess up your life. I have watched far too much Duggar family and Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader..I mean I really hate that show, but you just get sucked in!

Anyway, Leo still seems to have his days and nights mixed up but this week has shown some improvement in that area. I think the main reason I still want him sleeping with me is that he makes these very scary wheezing noises after he eats and it truly freaks me out! This poor boy is sooooo gassy (and I'm not so sure there isn't colic in our future), that we're pretty sure that's the reason for these sounds, but honestly, if you heard them, you'd be convinced he was choking and about to die! So, naturally I'd rather just peer over the side of the bassinet than go running into his room each time. He usually eats around 12-1 am so I have been staying awake to feed him, because by the time we get Sophia to bed, feed him at 9ish, get cleaned up, actually communicate with my husband, etc. it's at least 11 o'clock anyway, so I figure why not just stay awake! At this time, I'd really like him to last 4 hours (as opposed to his normal 3) before eating again so I can at least pretend to sleep...mind you I'm not really sleeping because I keep peering over the bassinet to make sure he's alive, and this is where you can refer to the first sentence of this post! He will usually make it four hours...if I'm holding him that is...yet another notion that is probably horrible! He is a major cuddler, this kid! If he's warm and cozy in my arms he barely fusses and sleeps forever, plus it's so much easier to check if he's breathing when I'm holding him! Well, all you mothers out there know that you can only half sleep while holding a baby b/c eventually you will fall into deep sleep only to be awakened by your psyche telling you that you possibly just rolled onto your baby, dropped your baby, or smothered him with either your engorged breast or a pillow, both are very similar and equally dangerous.

So through all this you can see why my nights are still so sleepless---because I'm crazy! I tell myself during daylight hours that tonight will be the night...but night time comes and things change. I mean, seriously, he has survived each night up until now and his wheezing continues, so I should probably just bite the bullet and put him in his room, it's not like I don't need the rest, but will those sounds only be amplified and more scary through the baby monitor?! Such decisions!

And, for those of you keeping score, here's a quick update on my breastfeeding status. I'm not. I decided to just go to pumping every time I feed him in lieu of actually getting him on the breast. It's working out fine and I think it's a little easier for me and frees me up a bit more, at least in some ways. I am tied to the house a lot more because of this decision. The pump is portable, but it's not like take it to the mall portable..ya know, whereas I could easily breastfeed at the mall if I so desired. But, I'm okay with it for now. With Sophia I pumped for 4 months, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to last as long this time. My supply isn't great either and I may take up the Fenugreek once again. We are mixing breast milk and formula to make the milk last longer and I'm trying to build up a supply in the freezer so that I can stop pumping sooner.

Babies were made cute so that all of this stuff doesn't really matter when you look at these precious little faces...

squeaky clean!

so alert!

hmmmm, not quite right, but getting there!

at least Sophia looks happy!

The Doctor in IN

Sophia using her "scope" to make sure everyone is healthy

I'm fairly certain Barney transmits subliminal messages

another one sucked in to the 'magic' of Barney

gotta love cooperation!

all tuckered out!

Anne brought over Julie and Angela to play on Saturday. The girls had a great time and Leo was surrounded by so much estrogen he just didn't know what to do with himself! Both sides of the family has wanted a boy for so long, but the problem is the other boys are so much older by now! Poor Leo...I see ponies and tu-tus in his future! Sophia was absolutely thrilled to use her doctor kit and check every one's heart and temperature. She's been carrying it around for 3 days now! She even tried to check on Walter but we had to put a stop to it when we heard her saying over and over again..."close your eye!" She was trying to give him a shot...uh no, don't think so.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Sophia and her baby, Snoopy

Snoopy is so wiggly in the stroller...be careful!

Sophia's favorite walk stop...the bridge

This is what Leo thought of the walk

chalk fun!

Sophia's Jack-o-Lantern masterpiece!

such a happy girl now that Mommy finally took her outside!

Oh, if I knew things would be this hard on the outside...I would have stayed inside!

So I finally got my little (or not so little) tushie outside and on a walk yesterday. It really took all my will-power to get motivated, but I'm glad we did it! Sophia always loves a good walk and was very eager to be pushing her baby in her stroller right alongside Mommy and Leo. It was pretty darn precious. It wasn't quite as chilly as I was anticipating, so that made me happy. It is unseasonably cool here and let me tell you that doesn't help in the Tori Motivation category! When we returned from our walk I figured that since I was already outside I should try and get Sophia to take full advantage of it! We busted out the chalk and had a gay old time drawing Halloween themed pictures. (we're trying to get in the mood for putting on a costume and learning about trick-or-treating!) Sophia even made her own Jack-o-lantern, which is shown in the picture. If you look closely you can see an orange circle and a green "stem". Pretty good work, actually. The rest of the jack-o-lanterns consisted mostly of blue scribbles, but hey it's all about creating a creative outlet! ;) I'm considering some sort of an outing this afternoon, but it all depends upon how long she sleeps. I am actually conflicted...I want her to sleep as long as possible to give me a little down time, but then again, I want her to wake up so we can meet some friends...ooh the quarrels of motherhood!