9 Month Update - Ava

October 27, 2016

Little Ava is already 9 months! This is my favorite age. She interacts with people, sits up, laughs, eats and so on. My baby is getting so big!

Stats:
Height: 2 ft 3.5 inches (45%)
Weight: 15 lb 5 oz (8%)
Head: 44 cm (55%)
  • She loves food. She's grabbing at everything in her sight. She's like a ninja, grabbing things off the table so fast!
  • She sits up on her own now.
  • Not crawling yet.
  • She loves standing and bouncing.
  • She throws her body around when we're holding her now. We need to be careful and hold on to her tightly, otherwise she'll try to jump out of our arms.
  • She has terrible constipation. It's actually really sad. Poor thing is eating more solids now, but she's getting more constipated too. Started giving her water in a sippy cup during meals.
  • She has two teeth (bottom). I think the top two are coming soon.
  • Her sleeping has been a little up and down, but its getting back to normal and she's sleeping better at night. Her naps have always been good.
  • She just learned about splashing water. Bath time can get quite messy.
  • She enjoys clapping her hands and waving.
  • She has this goofy crooked smile.
  • She sweats easily (just like Dad).
  • She likes swatting at your face, grabbing your lips and pulling your hair.
Ava is such a character. She's sweet, impatient and goofy. She loves being around people and watching everything around her. She smiles at anyone and anything. She gets so excited when she sees something she wants or likes and she has this goofy little smile. She wants to be around Erin all the time. It's pretty darn cute. I love that she hugs me, reaches for me and lays her head on my shoulder intentionally. She doesn't cry much, but yells quite often. Changing her diaper is a HUGE task now because girl won't stay still anymore. She's eating all sorts of things now: beef, rice, breads, yogurt, all sorts of fruits and veggies, and etc. She LOVES all foods but strangely doesn't gain weight.


Pumping while Traveling

October 21, 2016

I took my very first trip away from the kids! Flew out to New Orleans for a weekend. It was only for 3 days, but it was a pretty big deal considering it was my first time away and I was still nursing my 9 month old. Since I was still nursing, I had to pump throughout the trip. I had never done that before. There was so much to consider and think about before leaving for my trip. What to pack? Will the airport allow this? Where will I pump? Is there a fridge? Should I freeze or refrigerate the milk? and so on.

The pump I'm currently using is really compact and it can be battery operated, which is perfect for traveling! You won't always have an outlet to plug into. I use the Lansinoh Signature Pro Double Pump.

Here's what I packed for my trip:
  1. Breast pump
  2. Large cooler bag (I purchased the black one shown below. Simple, big and inexpensive)
  3. Small cooler bag (gel lined) (This small one was to use in case I was out long and needed to pump and store the milk immediately)
  4. Ice Packs (3)
  5. Milk bags (25)
  6. Milk containers (4)
  7. Pump/Accessory wipes
  8. Bottle soap
  9. Ziploc bags (large and small) 
  10. Nursing cover
  11. Tote bag
  12. Extra pump parts
  13. Nursing pads 
  14. Extra Batteries

Apple Picking 2016

October 12, 2016

We visited Oak Glen last weekend to check out the apple orchards. It was the first time for all of us.  I've always wanted to go apple picking and since we live pretty east now, it only look us a little over an hour to get there. Not bad at all. Both girls ended up sleeping on the ride there and back. There are several orchards in Oak Glen, but we chose to visit Willowbrook Apple Farm. I could tell it was one of the smaller orchards, but it got really good reviews for that reason. We got there just before the orchard opened so we were able to get prime parking and didn't have to wait to do anything.
  • We made apple cider first. It was SO sweet and it was 100% apples. So yummy. It took a million apples to make just a gallon though.
  • We picked apples next. Erin had a blast.
  • We then headed over to Snow-Line Orchard to try their famous mini apple cider donuts. They were pretty yummy (had to wait 30 minutes for them though). We ate a quick lunch there and headed back home.
I could tell Erin enjoyed her time at the apple farm. I think Erin was just old enough to appreciate it. Ava sat in the stroller for most of the time, but she was content just watching us while sucking on a baby apple. Glad we got to check it out. Next stop, the apple farms in Julian!




Life with Two Kids

September 28, 2016

"Let's go!", "Hurry up!", "Can you please put your shoes on..now?", "Please walk faster", "If you don't eat now, you're going to be hungry later", "Did I forget something??"...That's what my mornings sound like now..Chaos I tell you.

Currently, our M-F looks something like this:
  • 6:00am - Wake Erin up. Ken probably just got back from the gym and it's possible I'm already awake.
  • 6:30am - Ken and I have been switching off making breakfast and making Erin's lunch. Lately though, we've just been sending Erin to school with a smoothie and fruit bar for breakfast.
  • 7:00am - Drop off Erin and Ava (Ken and I carpool now. It's awesome..because I'm not the one driving).
  • 8:00am - Arrive at work.
  • 4:30pm - End Work.
  • 5:30pm - Pick up Erin and Ava.
  • 5:45pm - Make dinner and eat.
  • 6:30pm - Erin will play and/or do other random things. I'll nurse Ava.
  • 8:00pm - I'll start getting Ava ready for bed. I'll nurse her a final time and she'll go down anywhere from 8:00-8:30pm. Ken will get Erin ready for bed.
  • 8:30-9:00pm - Erin will go to bed around this time.
  • 8:45pm - I wash Ava's bottles and get tomorrow's milk baggies ready.
  • 9:15pm - I'll shower and start winding down. Ken tends to sleep a little later than me, but we're usually in bed around 10pm.
It's been 8 months now since we became a family of four.  There is definitely more to juggle now and the girls are keeping us quite busy. M-F is pretty routine. We've got a nice little schedule down, but it doesn't leave Mom/Dad with a lot of free time. Erin started Pre-K and is learning SO much. There's never a dull moment with this girl...the things she says now. But, that also means she requires a lot of attention and she's constantly needing to be occupied by something and/or someone. She's actually becoming more independent, meaning she wants to do everything herself, which means she's going to do things much slower...and that also means we need to watch her more carefully (if it involves climbing something, carrying something, putting on her clothes, etc.). Ava has been keeping me busy these last few weeks and has been waking up 2-4 times at night (very unusual!). I had a feeling it had to do with teething and sure enough, her two bottom teeth have cut through her gums. Baby girl has teeth now, hooray (not so hooray for my boobs)! But besides the bad sleeping, Ava has been real easy thus far! She's almost always sleeping through all the chaos in the mornings and has been real easy going down each night. The girl rarely cries and just wants to eat all the time. Hah. But I'm sure once she's a little older, she'll become more of a handful, especially when she becomes mobile.

In the midst of this new busy life, I've sort of hit a slump of laziness. I've been so tired lately and I've found myself with less energy. I've been wanting to squeeze in a run before or after dinner, but it has yet to happen. Lame, right? When I do find myself with some spare time, I just want to sit and do nothing. It's been so much harder this time around to find the energy to do things.  I'm always finding some excuse.."I'll do it tomorrow," "It's too hot to run," "It's too far," "I'm too tired,"...etc. I gave myself a year grace period. Hah (till Ava turns 1). So we'll just have to see where I am in the next few months. Hopefully I'm in a nice groove, with more energy and actually getting things done. I'm also hoping that once Ava is off the boob and my body becomes my own again, I'll be more active and dare I say..actually running! I'm pretty sure I've lost all my muscle mass!

Being lazy has its perks though. I get to sit and hang with the girls/Ken. Sometimes we all just veg out on the couch..watching TV and/or reading books. The girls are the cutest together and it's been such a joy watching these two interact and "play" together. Erin is so sweet towards Ava and Ava is busy watching Erin's every move. Must treasure these moments. Soon enough they'll be making each other cry and annoying one another. Hah.



Currently

September 9, 2016

  • Erin is pretty much potty trained...finally. Hooray! 
  • Ava is an eating machine! She sure loves food.
  • Erin got a bed upgrade. She's in a bunk bed now. 
  • Our house is finally starting to feel like home. I'll share pictures soon.
  • Football season started. I know what Ken will be doing every Thursday, Sunday and Monday. 
  • Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! Can't believe its the last quarter of the year already. This year seriously flew by.
  • In just a little over a month, I leave for my very first trip away from the kids! 
  • Three is not my favorite age. Erin has been quite a challenge these days.  




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