Mini Project

I love little projects.

They are fast, easy, and cheap. This one is for Lorelai. She has a small table that she sits at to color, use play-doh, eat snacks, etc. It's from Ikea; it's great.

While I think it is already versatile, I thought I could enhance it slightly by adding another element to this cute little set.

Chalkboard paint is popular right now, and I know Lorelai loves to use chalk. So my thought was to make the table top a chalkboard. The thing is, it's messy and irreversible. It would put her table out of use for a bit; and seeing as I have never used chalkboard paint, I was unsure of the process of application.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I found an awesome replacement.

Chalkboard vinyl contact paper. Available at Hobby Lobby for less than $10, you get a whole roll, which is easy to apply and easy to remove. 

I disassembled the table and placed the perfect-fitting vinyl on. It took less than 10 minutes from removing the table top to replacing the last screw.

Now Lorelai can play with chalk without sitting on the driveway, and I get to have a little crafty fun...not to mention I have a lot of the chalkboard roll left to place for fun later. My goal is to paint the wood at some point to finish it off. It will help hide all the crayon marks too. :)

M.LEWIS

Nap Time, Rashes, and Nursing...Can You Tell I'm a Mom?

Lorelai rejecting nap time, suspicious rash on Adalaide's chest, and sudden decrease in breast milk supply...this pretty much sums up my day yesterday.

Lorelai seems to have a cycle. She usually naps/sleeps really well. No fussing, no fighting; but lately she has been exhibiting the opposite of these. For no rhyme or reason, she will abruptly break from her usual pattern and be a little stinker about naptime. Yesterday was one of those days. Sunday was another one of those days. This streak usually last about a week or so and then she returns to her norm. Let's hope that comes soon.

Adalaide was also restless. This doesn't worry me, though she does have a subtle rash on her chest. I noticed it Monday night when I gave her a bath. I thought her skin might be irritated by a new shirt she was wearing, but hours after I bathed and changed her, the rash was still there. I did a fair amount of research and I believe she may have heat rash. She does like to be swaddled to sleep, and held...so perhaps her sensitive skin couldn't take her sweating a bit? I noticed her feet being damp a couple days ago, I think she may be a sweaty little thing and the extra layers are just too much for her. I am now putting her in lighter clothing and not wrapping her up as much. If the rash does not clear up, or if it spreads, worsens, or is accompanied by a fever, I will call her Dr...and here I was all excited I didn't have any appointments planned this week.
Update: her rash does seem to be fading rather swiftly. Yay! Poor baby sweets.

These two events have made my day interesting, but so has another frustrating occurrence: my breast milk supply has dropped off significantly. I keep reading different things on the internet and in books; my conclusion: it's a crapshoot. I will keep drinking ungodly amounts of water and I will keep nursing every time she is hungry, but other than that, I don't want to consume my life with trying home remedies and herbal supplements. I believe my supply will improve if I just stick to this. One of these days I am hoping I can go somewhere or start a task that doesn't have to come to an end so quickly. Nursing every 3 hours would be better than every 1.5-2...but I suppose my wants are not nearly as important as Addy's needs.

I fear this entry might sound to grumpy, so I will make sure to end on a happier note.

Lorelai's new favorite activity is to slip on some socks and go "skating" on the kitchen floor. I am not sure where she learned this, but it's pretty darn cute either way...especially when she has pigtails. ;)


M.LEWIS

Spring Planting Take 2

Spring should be here to stay; and since the last cold snap killed half of my previous bought/planted flowers, we went back to Lowe's today and had some fun. ;) Here are our results...now to smother with miracle grow to get awesome results asap.

Raised flower beds in the deck

Rose bushes along the fence

By the front door

Tilt your head to the left...pot by the front door

Front flower bed

Ground cover around the front tree

I hope it swallows the tree bed

Some spaces are still lacking, but overall I feel accomplished and satisfied. I do hope things really take root and help our yard look beautiful soon...more flowers may be in our future once we see how things go. ;)

M.LEWIS

Keeping Busy

The next couple weeks are shaping up to be a bit busy.

We had family visit our house last night. My aunt and one of my cousins were in town and asked to see Miss A, so we had them over along with my family. My parents graciously provided dinner and we served dessert. Not a bad deal. Lorelai loved the company, and went to bed nice and exhausted. Adalaide, I'm sure, enjoyed it as well, and showed it by being contently passed around then sleeping pretty well over night.

This evening my friends Maggie and Jeremy are coming over to meet our newest girly. It has been way too long since I have seen Maggie, and even longer since we've seen Jeremy. They are some of the most genuine and kind people I have the pleasure of knowing, I very much look forward to catching up with them!

Tuesday should be a good day to breathe and to do our own thing, free of plans.

Wednesday I go to my doctor for my 4 week postpartum check. I believe I will try to leave both girlies at my mom's while I do this. I am still on the fence about leaving A, simply for nursing reasons; but hopefully I can work out her feeding around the appointment...as long as I get seen on time! We'll see. Oh, and the weather is supposed to be "super fun" that morning, yay. :\

Thursday we get to see Jen and Ava! Jen and I used to see each other daily due to our jobs, and therefore, we became pretty good buds. She, and her daughter, Ava, moved out of the area a bit, so sadly we don't get to hang out with these awesome girls too often; but Thursday should be a blast! I do hope our kids become pals, they are too cute together.

Friday has been my grocery day the past couple weeks, but I think I will try to postpone this to Saturday when I have Chris available to help (one way or another).

Next Monday we have an appointment at the pediatrician's office for a vaccination shot for A, but I think after that, we should have a lull on events for awhile.

--Side note: Chris' father has undergone some pretty serious heart surgery today; he is now in recovery and is doing well, but please keep him in your prayers and thoughts and wish for a swift recovery!


M.LEWIS

"Is Today Over Yet?"

Adalaide is 3 weeks old today, and sleep deprivation is catching up with me. She is going through a growth spurt...or at least a feeding spurt. It became obvious last night. She wants to eat about every 1.5 hours; and when it takes 1 hour to feed/change/get her back to sleep, that leaves me with a grand half hour to sleep. By 5:30am, I was spent. She had all I had to offer and had left me no time to regenerate the supply.
Crying, fidgety, and impatient, she made it clear there was only one option left - formula. I am okay with this. I was doing all I could, and I know from LEL that my body doesn't understand this whole "supply & demand" theory. My body seems to consistently supply only a certain amount for my babes, despite their growing appetites. I think LEL was supplementing every day by 1.5 months. Addy is a little ahead of that schedule, but I am still holding out for a bit more to come in on a regular basis. If not, I can deal with it...you can only control so much, ya know?

Anyway, due to this schedule, I have been pretty tired. I get second/third/forth winds and I drink a fair amount of coffee, but this morning was comical on how out-of-it I was.

I woke up with a start at 7:15am to the sound of the garage door opening and Chris' car starting up. He was leaving for work; though, that didn't compute. Instead, I thought I was waking up from an afternoon nap and the 7:15 on the clock meant it was night and I had slept past dinner...and so did my girls. "Oh my gosh, Lorelai is still sleeping?! Something must be wrong with her." After my mini panic attack, it quickly sunk in that it was indeed morning, and 3 hours of sleep was going to kick my butt today.
I later tried to diaper Addy with LEL's diaper, then I was going to try and wash my hair even though I did it about 12 hours ago, and then I looked for my coffee cup for about 5 solid minutes before I remembered I was holding it. I do think there were a couple more moments that illustrated my exhaustion, but who can remember...definitely not me.

Lorelai has "helped" by throwing a few tantrums today, and Adalaide has continued her eating pattern complete with screaming and crying. I was trying to put LEL down for a nap and decided it was bottle-time again. I turned on the hot water and a brown-tinged spitting, spurting mess came pouring out of the faucet. Luckily, I just needed the heat to warm up a already-made bottle, but it was still gross and concerning. I tried multiple faucets, and yes, all were doing the same nonsense. Great. The problem wasn't on my end, but it still affected me. I do believe the issue has resolved itself now, but I am thankful for the bottled water in the pantry just in case.

Chris is still at work at this point and I do ask myself that familiar question: "Is today over yet?" ...not that it matters too much, tomorrow could go very similarly, but I am hopeful for a more restful night and a quieter tomorrow. With all this frustration, I am grateful that both my girls are healthy and safe; no matter how fussy they get, I still keep this in mind. ;)


M.LEWIS