Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Hmmm...

Random thought...

It's no wonder I have run out of room for pictures here. When I get out the camera, I don't just settle for one quick snap. No, no, I take like 10, hoping that one will be just perfect. I mean with either Kinley or Tobie it already is perfect but you know, how you envision a perfect little shot? Just for one month alone, I loaded 700 pictures to pilfer through and decide to print.Why don't I just delete the bad ones? The blurry ones? The ones that look almost identical? I guess I feel like someday Kinley would miss out on that *one* picture. Maybe my goal should be to narrow the pictures I do have down to only the best.

Or maybe I should learn how to really use my camera so that I get better shots the first time. There's an idea to run with! Put that one on my bucket list. In the mean time, I guess I will just keep clicking away on the camera!

And, I read a blog off of another blog about a mom that got behind on monthly posts. She said it didn't really matter because it was obvious that her child was loved. True that, stranger. My Kinley girl is loved beyond measure and I hope she always feels that regardless of my lack of updates. {though I do want to be better because i want to always remember her sweet little baby days}.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

6 months

Holy Moly!!! Where has the time gone?!? I am really far behind (on your monthly updates but we already knew that) on planning your first birthday!! If I follow suit of others out there, I should have begun planning like 6 months ago!

Your six month check up was on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I enjoy that I am out of school but the doctors are still a workin'! (There was a change of plans. See, I think you know when you are supposed to go back but you decide you want to go back a little sooner. Enter deep cough and we take you in earlier) You weigh 13 lbs 11 oz and are 26 inches tall! You didn't gain a whole bunch of weight since your four month appointment but you grew three inches, according to their semi crappy way of measuring but I'll take it!

The doctor and nurses still cooed over you. One said, "it seems like yesterday, she was two days old coming in where!" Please, nurse lady, tell me something I don't know!!! We were fortunate that they could squeeze you in on that Thursday to get your cough checked out. Dr. M said, " we just had to get that baby in today." Friday morning, dad took you in for another chest X-ray. The doctor wanted to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. Turns I out, it was the beginning of pneumonia so more medicine it is for Little Miss.

She is wearing size 2 diapers. I think it is safe to say she has officially outgrown newborn clothes. She can still wear some of her three month pants and shirts but we re slowly working our way into six month clothing.

Kinley is still a rock star sleeper at night. Generally, we put her to bed around 10:30-11:00 and wake her up around 6:45. As far as I know, she doesn't nap much at Baby Ruth's. Her eating habits are to eat 6 ounces every 4ish hours. She is much better about keeping her food contained in her belly. I think she has finally realized that we won't let her go hungry!

Currently some of Kinley's favorites include chewing on her hands, playing with and chewing in her feet, sitting up and watching all that is going on around her, pulling Tobie's hair (if she stays close by long enough for her to grab it), and hanging with her Dad. I mean, of course she loves her time with me too. :)

Some of her not so favorites are laying on her belly, being stretched out to receive her 6 month shots, and taking breaks while eating. She knows how to roll over but isn't a huge fan of it even though it would get her off of her belly.

For her half birthday, we ventured into rice cereal, a sippy cup and pedialyte (per doctors orders)... All which she took pretty well. My friends told me that the rice cereal experience would be funny but she really didn't seem to mind it, which was a little disappointing for the video camera. She was more miffed about sitting in the high chair and having her bottle taken away momentarily (remember the breaks she isn't a fan of?!). Preston's cousin recommended introducing the sippy cup mainly to get her familiar with it and attempting to use it. Use it she does! The change didn't seem to phase her. I was also warned that she may not drink the pedialyte. She did that too. She spit some of it up a little later but she drank it!



Every day I feel so blessed to be her Mom!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Pet Project

Back in December, I went with two of my girls to do another painting at Pinot's Palette. Courtney and I did a painting back in April. It was called Tulips in Blue but I made mine pink.You may remember here... http://snowdinn.blogspot.com/2012/05/pinots-palette.html?m=0

Anyways, they have been doing one called Pet Project that I had been eyeing for quite some time. They would help you paint your own pet! I was always curious and finally looked further into it. You send them a picture, they photoshop it, cut your pet out and put it on the canvas. Then when you arrive at class, they give pointers on how to make it come to life.

What else do you do when you want to do paint a fun picture but call your girls up that love their dogs as much as you love yours! We made a night of the three hour class and all left with pretty good paintings!

The picture shows the first phase (Tobie's cute face on the canvas), the fished painting (I chose an outside background since Tobie loves to hang in the yard), All o Gus with our finished paintings, and my model next to her portrait.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Milk Math Mayhem

So... my math is way off or the milk we are sending packs a punch to their scale. The last box we shipped had 503 ounces instead of the 402 I estimated.

Just for laughs, I'll go ahead and guesstimate our third shipment, which is going out tomorrow, at 288 ounces. We packed 48- 6 ounce bags.

Currently, we (Hubby helps pack it and drags the box to work for FedEx to pick up) have donated 758 ounces with the potential of being 1,046 depending on my calculations. AND, we still have more we can send. I mean, I knew there was a lot of milk but DANG! I didn't realize how it adds up. I am fortunate to be able to feed my own baby and help out other families too.

I know the last posts have been milk related but I promise I am going to post one real soon about Kinley. It's on the iPad so there will be at least one picture on it. Girl is 6 months old and I haven't posted an update since 3! I am behind but it is due to lack of picture loading. I may be biased but she is too cute not to include. I have something in the works for a post relating to Big Sister Tobie too! 

Oh my! MUST. GET. PHOTOS. FIGURED. OUT.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

More Milk!

Tonight we packed up our second donation of milk. 67- 6 ounce bags were packed. That is approximately 402 ounces.

In the last post, I failed to mention where the donated milk goes. all of my donations are made through teh Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT) was established for the purpose of improving the survivability and enhancing the development of premature and critically ill infants in the North Texas area by providing human milk nutrition. MMBNT was founded in 2003 by local neonatologist, Susan Sward-Comunelli, MD.

The principle function of the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas is to collect human milk from screened donors.  The milk is tested, processed and then dispensed on a prescription basis to infants without acces to their own mother's milk.

The use of human milk has been proven to enhance the survivability and decrease complications of premature infants.  Often, mothers of premature infants cannot provide their own milk for a variety of reasons; including prematue delivery, illness or medication use.

Pasteurization began in September 2004, with approximately 1,000 ounces dispensed.  Each month since has seen an increase in ounces processed and dispensed. Currently, MMBNT has an average of 15,000 ounces dispensed per month.
According to their website:

Milk is dispensed by prescription only. The highest priority recipients are premature and ill hospitalized infants.
Nutritional Uses:
  • Prematurity
  • Infants recovering from NEC
  • Failure to thrive
  • Malabsorption syndromes
  • Short-gut syndrome
  • Renal Failure
  • Inborn errors of metabolism
  • Post-surgical nutrition
  • Cardiac problems
  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
  • Pediatric burn patients
  • Medical/Therapeutic Uses:
  • Treatment for infectious disease (intractable diarrhea, gastroenteritis, infantile botulism, sepsis, pneumonia, hemorrhagic conjunctivitis)
  • Post-surgical healing (omphalocele, gastroschisis, intestinal obstruction, bowel fistula, colostomy repair)
  • Immunodeficiency diseases (severe allergies, IgA deficiencies)
  • Organ transplants
  • Non-infectious intestinal disorders (ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome)


There are not any hospitals in Oklahoma that will take donated breast milk so my milk is shipped via overnight Fed Ex to Fort Worth, Texas.I could drop the milk off in Oklahoma City at the OU Medical Center but it is a little bit out of the way. The milk bank sends me a pre-paid shipping box. We wrap the bags of milk in paper towels to help prevent any bags rubbing together and tearing. Arrange for FedEx to pick up the package and then it will leave Sand Springs on Tuesday and arrive in Texas on Wednesday. Within a day or two, I will receive a confirmation email that they received my milk. Last time it said I sent 250 ounces!

If you are interested you can click to see the milk pasteurizing process.

Here is Kinley in the box of milk. It's helps you see how big the box is that we are shipping in.


Monday, January 14, 2013

Kindergarten Crack Ups

Here are a few funnies from my kindergarten friends....

Have you ever heard the word fret? You probably think that you know what it means, don't you? I thought so too...until I learned a new definition for it. According to a kindergarten friend, fret is when you are scared and you fart. I guess this is similar to a shart (when you think you have to fart but a little shit comes out)?!

Friday, a friend told me she was going to get married when she was 18. "I'm getting married when I am 18 but I'm only going to marry a Christian." Another friend suggests a boy in our class so I watch her go ask him, "are you a Christian?" He said, "a what?" {I had already started thinking this was a bad idea and that response just confirmed it a little more}. She then says, "a Christian. You know you believe in Jesus. Do you?" I didn't hear his answer but I told her, "if you marry _ when you are 18 or when you get older, you better invite me to the wedding." We assured me she will so I'll wait by my mailbox in 15 or so years.

I have one friend that has flexed for me a few times to show me his muscles. He even gives a grunt with the flex.

One friend also wears a snarf. It is simply a scarf but I don't know where she came up with the word snarf. It's cute though!

It's hard to believe the year is half way over! I guess it flies by when I I've only been there for 9 weeks.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Adventures in Breast Feeding

**this post may contain too much information for some viewers. proceed with caution as you read about some of my experiences with breast feeding**

Before Kinley was born, I knew I wanted to attempt breast feeding. I had heard many facts and stories, good and horror, about it. We even took a class to learn about it (you can read again here if you'd like) because, obviously, neither one of us had experience with it. I was nervous about the whole thing. Would she latch on and would I make enough milk were two of my worries. Neither one that I can control so all I did was pray that whatever was best for our little family would happen.

Ever since Kinley was born I have been amazed with breast feeding. It is amazing that this body of mine is what is providing nourishment for my sweet baby. It also amazes me that she knew exactly what to do. She was used to food through her bellybutton but came out and within an hour knew exactly what to do. She didn't have some class to teach her... God just made her that way! The way milk can come shooting out is impressive. The way my body knows how much to make is amazing! It really is quite something! God really made a woman's body to be something special!

Without tooting my own horn (too much), I must say I am quite the milk maker. When you open our freezer, it looks like the only thing we can afford is breast milk. We even bought a new freezer to house milk. We have since out grown that freezer. I think it is safe to say there are 100 6-ounce bags in our new freezer. Currently, that is enough milk to feed Kinley 150 times. [i would say this has at least doubled since I first started this post 2months ago. the feeding amount maybe not since she eats more now but the amount of bags in our freezer? definitely. it still looks like we are poor and can only afford breast milk.]

While breastfeeding is amazing... I have found some downfalls along the way.
{keep in mind that these are personal downfalls, which are just things that I have found to be a nuisance every now and then. I still feel fortunate to be able to do it but just sometimes I feel annoyed.}
+I miss the days of falling asleep on the couch at 10pm and waking up at 7 a.m. the next morning. I mean I could do that but I would wake up feeling like I couldn't move in fear of feeling like I would explode. It is quite uncomfortable.
+Tender body parts
+I miss the days of lounging around without a bra on.
+I miss waking up in the morning and getting straight in the shower
+Long gone are the days of waking up, showering, etc and being out the door in 30 minutes (being that it takes 20 minutes to pump it up)
+Having plan time at school to do things around my class? Nope, not right now.
+Tender body parts
+Packing up an extra bag for a day out (pump bag)
+Excusing myself or just disappearing for 20 minutes {at home when there are guests, at school, visiting my my grandparents, really anywhere that there are lots of people}
+Did I mention tender body parts?

While those are minor little set backs that annoy me every now and then, I know that doing it for Kinley far outweighs the nuisances of it and saves a lot of money in not having to buy formula.

Another positive thing is that I have decided to become a breast milk donor. Since we have outgrown three freezers, I do not feel like Kinley will go hungry and she will start getting a little real food in the near future so why not help out some other little babies along the way?! When getting ready to go back to school, I was nervous about making this commitment. I wanted to see how my body took to going back to work and keeping up with Kinley's demand. Clearly, it has done fine... so on with the donation process! There are no donation sites in the Tulsa area so we have to ship my mild to Fort Worth, Texas. The  milk bank sent me a Styrofoam cooler inside a box with a pre-paid FedEx label so when my blood work is complete and my doctor and Kinley's doctor sign off, I should be good to go. Luckily, I have not been incarcerated for longer than 72 hours, shared my drug needles with others or recently gotten a tattoo so I was able to easily pass the phone screening.

During my breast feeding and pumping adventures, I had some inquiring questions, mainly from men like my dad or grandpa's friend [awkward, but I guess that happens when you have to whip it out to feed your baby] while nursing or pumping.
-so when she is breast feeding, how do you know when she is full?
-does that (the pump) suck or work like Kinley works on a bottle?
I also experienced what it was like for women before work places where required to provide a private space to pump while pumping in the bathroom to avoid answering any questions a five year old may have about what I am doing. I just don't find that is my job to explain until I am explaining it to my own child so lock myself in the bathroom it is!

While it is a lot of work, I wouldn't change making the decision to do it or sticking to it even when the days come that I feel like quitting or I am asked "so how long do you have to do that (when having to go someplace other than my classroom for 'nutrition' time at school)?".

***As of this post, we have shipped off our first donation! We sent 35- 6 ounce bags of milk. If you are like me and slow at math that is 210 ounces of milk. One of the 'requirements' is to commit to donating 100 ounces in a year. I could call it quits if I wanted to but we could still stand to clear out a little more in the freezer(s)... so they are sending another box.

Since I finished up this post on our iPad, I was able to take pictures of our freezers:

freezer in our house

'beer fridge' freezer in the garage

our new chest freezer


Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Serenade

While visiting over Christmas, Claire was so sweet when Kinley got sleepy. She would sing her lullabies or Christmas songs. This video was taken while we were gliding (so that is the swish you hear... who knew you could hear it?) in the dark in Kinley's room. You may have to turn the volume up since I secretly recorded this. :) 


Pretty precious, right?! 

I have to give her props for knowing the whole song too! I had to look up they words.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

I'm still here!

I started this yesterday but didn't save it.... :( so I will try again.

I really do miss blogging. I feel like a big slacker on Kinley's monthly updates. She is 5 months old now but the last one posted is from 3 months. She is growing and changing so much everyday. She is such a big girl now.

We have been quite busy over my Christmas break. School got out Friday, December 21, my dad came over Saturday, Brother and Claire flew in on Christmas Eve, we all traveled to Enid, Christmas Day happened, came back home, had Kinley baptized at church and hosted a small gathering for lunch, and sent Brother and Claire back off to Ohio and my dad back to Enid.... All in one week!

I am hoping the last week of break will be a little more relaxing and can have some time to explore photobucket so I can really blog like I like to again. And if I get that time.... Oh boy! There have been so many times that I want to blog about something but then remember I can't add pictures.

Since last posting, we have further joined the technological era with our Black Friday purchase of an iPad, which is where this post is being typed from. It is nice to have it to dink around on the Internet from the couch but that is really all we use it for. Since buying it, we have only charged it 3 times...that is how much or how little we actually use it.

Until next time....