Friday, June 4, 2010

Overwhelmed

This has been the week from hell. All of my frustrations have to do with the new sleeping arrangements we have for our kids. Almost 2 weeks ago we moved Dani into a toddler bed upstairs to share a room with her big brother. Dani has always been a great sleeper, but 2 weeks ago she decided to climb out of her crib. We knew it was time to make the transition to a toddler bed. I've been worried about her sharing a room with her brother for a long time. Carter is a rambuctious boy and I hadn't roomed them together earlier because I was afraid something would happen to her. Since she wouldn't stay in her crib, she left me no choice.

The first week went rather well. They went to sleep just fine at night. In fact, it always got quiet in their room after just a few minutes of us putting them down to sleep. Naptime, on the other hand, is a struggle. Dani wants to nap and Carter just wants to horse around. A few occasions he has actually woke her up from her nap. She was not pleased.
That leads us to week #2 which has been a total nightmare. Not only is naptime still a struggle, but bedtime is being dragged out as well. Carter does not want to settle himself down! It's not like I'm putting him to bed at an unreasonably early hour either. I wouldn't call 9 p.m. early by any means for a toddler. Plus, Carter is now having potty training regression because of all this. On several occasions I have put him to nap or bed only to have to go in there 30 minutes later because he pooped in his pull-up. It's so frustrating! Apparently, it is completely normal, especially if they are dealing with a major change or stress of any kind. I'm supposed to act like it's no big deal (which I haven't been doing - Ooops!). I'm hoping this is short-lived and he gets back in the swing of things soon.

I'm just so tired. This is such a great stage for them, but at the same time it is SOOO challenging to me. I've got Carter CONSTANTLY getting into mischief and Dani CONSTANTLY attached to me like super glue. She always wants me to hold her. I normally love this, but it poses a problem when I actually try to do something for myself like go to the bathroom or even *gasp* housework.

Sorry if I'm complaining a bit much tonight. I just needed to vent.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Preoccupied

For the past few days you could say I've been a bit preoccupied. . . . by my boobs. As you may know, I stopped breastfeeding Danielle just last week. I thought my biggest obstacle was the emotional aspect of losing that closeness with her. I guess I was wrong. Weaning is also tough physically. I've been experiencing a lot of soreness and pain, which is a normal part of weaning. In an effort to dry up my milk and relieve some of the discomfort, I have been reading up on all the old wives tales and suggestions various websites offer. Here are some of the fun things I've been doing: putting cabbage leaves in my bra, drinking sage tea (pretty gross), and taking Sudafed. My lactation consultant also suggested shredding up a potato and putting that in a bag inside my bra twice a day. Fun stuff! Not quite, but I'm hoping to get some relief here soon. I was in so much pain yesterday that I tried to get Danielle to breastfeed so it would feel better, but she didn't want anything to do with my boobs. Lol! I guess I'm on my own now. I'm afraid to exercise for fear all the movement will bring me to tears. Let's just say, I can't wait for this all to be over with.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Another Milestone. . .a bittersweet one

Danielle, now almost 13 months old, has officially weaned herself from breastfeeding! Last week was the last time I nursed her. She did it all on her own and it went so smoothly. The only person having a hard time with it is me. :-( For the last few days I have been extremely sad. I know it sounds crazy, but it almost feels like I lost a baby I'm THAT sad. I feel very proud to have nursed her as long as I had. I never in a million years thought I'd make it past 3 months, let alone a whole year! She made it easy for me. She's a good baby.
The last few months I felt ready to wean her, emotionally and physically. It was getting hard to position her because she was getting so big and all those teeth in her mouth were a bit terrifying to say the least. It's nice to have my body back, and my boobs. :-P I just hope this feeling of sadness goes away soon.