Thursday Updates...

We are still dog-sitting for Chuck and Kim's golden-doodle named Chloe. Her and Cocoa are great friends. They play constantly until they are exhausted -- then they conk out and take a nap together -- and then they repeat the entire process. It is pretty funny. :) Here is a picture of the "conk out" part that happened yesterday after our long walk...

I have to include another picture of Evelyn, too. I just think she is so cute these days!! Don't mind the shorts up to her armpits -- they are a bit big still, and Travis thinks it is funny to pull them up to make her look like a little "Poindexter" (that is what he calls it).

feeling like a cow & other aspects of breastfeeding...

I've been thinking a lot lately about how much longer I want to breastfeed... I am not sure what to do though. Here is my situation:

From the beginning, Evelyn has been a pretty easy baby to breastfeed -- no feeding issues, she knows how to latch on, I have a plentiful supply, etc... but it is a lot of work. Especially since I went back to work!

I find myself having to pump at least 2 times during my work day. Since I am a sales rep, I don't have an office (just my office at home) -- and I basically live in my vehicle from 9AM until at least 3-4PM (some days are longer than others). So that means being forced to pump in very strange places. Most days I end up pumping in the backseat of my Explorer. Not a huge problem -- the windows are tinted, and I also wear a fabric nursing cover so that even if someone could see in, they wouldn't see anything. Some days though I have other people riding along with me during the day. Take yesterday for example... I had my boss with me all day. Since he was in my vehicle all day, I was forced to pump in a supermarket restroom (where else was I going to stop and pump??) YUCK! Not exactly the cleanest place in the world. Not a real "feel-good" experience. I mean, not only do I feel like a cow being milked --- but I am a cow being milked while reading the graffiti on the stall walls, trying not to touch anything, etc..

And -- I am not the type of person who can nurse in public. A lot of people that breastfeed think it is convenient because they can nurse anywhere and don't have to worry about bottles, etc... Not me. I always carry a breastmilk bottle with me when we go out. Part of the problem is that I am self-conscious about doing it in public. Another reason is because Evelyn doesn't latch on and stay latched on. She is constantly moving around, looking around, etc. She doesn't like to be covered up by a nursing cover. She likes to be able to see me and look around. It would be almost impossible to do it privately. So, when we go out as a family -- we take a bottle with us and the breastpump.

So the inconvenience of pumping is one issue. Another issue I have is just the fact that my boobs are constantly changing sizes. At any point in the day they are completely blown up and porn-star-ish, completely empty and deflated, or somewhere in between. It doesn't make it easy to fit into clothing properly these days. Forget the cute tailored button down shirts that I used to wear to work... those are not even an option.

The other issue I am sick of is having to wear nursing bras. Especially since it is getting to be summer --- I don't want to be restricted to wearing these ugly bras and the nursing pads, too. Now that it is getting to be tank top season --- I want to be able to wear strapless bras and the other cute bras that have been tucked away for about the past year now.

But -- after saying all of this, I almost feel a bit selfish for wanting to quit breastfeeding. I know it is good for Evelyn, it is cheap (FREE) -- and it does allow for some extra bonding time. But that is really all the positive things that I can think of... Is that enough to keep doing it?

Any input is appreciated. I am really debating trying to wean her in the next month or so. I don't know...

5 Months Old

Evelyn is 5 months old today. So -- we made a sign again, got out the teddy bear and started taking pictures. She was being her happy/smiley self :) Thought I would share the pics...


She also was laughing today for the first time with Travis. She has giggled before --- but not as much of a full laugh like she was doing with him today. He was absolutely thrilled!! It was neat to see him so excited about it. He was changing her diaper -- and the next thing I know they were both cracking up. It was adorable!!

Travis returns...

So -- Travis is finally coming home tonight. He has been gone since Wednesday the 16th. He has definitely been missed (not only by me -- Cocoa and Evelyn have been missing their daddy, too).

I tend to get a bit crabby when Travis has to travel for work though. He travels once in a while for long periods like this --- and doesn't get to come home over the weekend. In my opinion, his employer should give him some "comp time" or something since he is giving up his weekends. He doesn't get any additional time off... and he only has 2 weeks of vacation every year. Grrr...

Speaking of crabbiness --- I am definitely crabby today. I went yesterday to get "minor surgery" on my back. Long story short, I had a mole removed that was "moderately suspicious", after getting the test results back my dermatologist wanted to go back and remove all the skin surrounding the mole to prevent it from becoming cancerous. So, she cut a chunk out of my back and then pulled my skin together and stitched me back up. It didn't hurt at the time -- but I have been in a ton of pain ever since!! I couldn't shower this morning -- I need to keep the stitches dry -- so I shampooed my hair in the tub this morning (leaned over upside-down under the spout). I gave myself a quick wash with a wet washcloth -- and added deodorant -- hopefully I won't get too stinky today... :)

We don't have much planned for the weekend. I am thinking we might go to the Folklife Festival going on in Seattle this weekend. We went 2 years ago, and it was a lot of fun. It is free admission (donations welcome) -- and it is a fun way to spend an afternoon. It is a festival full of crunchy/granola/hippie people -- it is definitely a fun place to people-watch. There will be bands performing, food tents, beer tents, arts & crafts for sale (lots of hemp & tie-dye).... an all-around good time. :)

We are also dog-sitting this weekend (and all next week) for Chuck and Kim's golden-doodle (Chloe). Chloe is really good -- and Cocoa loves when she comes over -- but the two dogs together tend to wear me out!! They play and play and play until they are exhausted, and then they take a nap --- only to wake up and play some more.

Quick question for those of you that breast-fed... How long did you do it for?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Travis-less Weekend

Not much going on here... Evelyn just went to bed for the night. We had a pretty laid-back weekend. I managed to catch a picture of her smiling a little today. She is smiling non-stop these days... but she tends to get shy or distracted when I try to take a picture or get video of her smiling.

Travis is still out of town. He is in Arkansas for work. He left this past Wednesday. Cocoa, Evelyn and I have been missing him since he has been gone. We hope he is able to come home soon. He is helping with a new installation and start-up for one of his customers -- so it will depend on how smoothly everything goes. At the latest, he will be back this Friday. I am hoping it is sooner than that!!

I'm getting excited for our trip back to Michigan for the 4th. My mom came up with the idea of heading to Mackinac Island while we are around. I guess we might stay at a family friend's cabin up by the bridge for a night or two. It will be fun -- I haven't been to Mackinac Island in a long time. It'll be neat to take Travis there and for him to see the bridge for the first time.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Kara, Josh & the girls again! We are planning on spending a day together while we are in town.

That's all for now. Time for some vegging in front of the tv. :)

Travis the Babysitter

This past Saturday I had the goal of getting a laundry list of things accomplished (cleaning, organizing closets, etc). Travis was hanging with Evie and Cocoa all morning. This is how they started out the day: After a while, they moved from our bonus room/playroom to the living room couch. Evelyn and Cocoa took another nap together in the afternoon, and this is a little bit of what happened:


Apparently Cocoa decided to stretch out a bit, and in doing so she covered Evie's face with her foot. Travis, instead of moving Cocoa, thought this was really funny and decided to take pictures. He is such a laid back guy -- I guess I should've known that would be his reaction.

Evelyn was wearing her "P-dog" outfit on Saturday (that is what Travis and I call the Detroit Pistons). She received a Pistons outfit from her Uncle Gary, because she is such a big fan already. :) In my family we all root for the Pistons. I actually named a dog after Isiah Thomas growing up -- his nickname was "Zeke" -- and that became our new puppy's name. They are doing great so far in the playoffs -- Keep it up P-dogs!!

4 Months!

Evelyn had her 4 month check-up yesterday. She did great! She weighed in at 11lbs -- but she had a HUGE dirty diaper right before they weighed her -- I think she would have been at least 11lbs 2 oz... :) She was measured to be 23 1/4 inches long. The pediatrician was very happy with her progress. She is still only 5-10% for weight -- but at least she is on the chart!! Considering that she started out at 4lbs 13oz, she seems huge now!! Evie is a great eater -- she loves her milk!
Below are some pictures of her progress. I decided to take a picture of her every month with the same teddy bear (a gift brought to the hospital from our friends Sarah and Boris).
One Month:

Two Months:

Three Months:
Four Months:
Not much else going on... I had a GREAT workout tonight! I went to a spinning class at the gym. It felt so nice to work hard and sweat a lot. I used to go to the gym at least 4-5 days a week, but since the little peanut was born, it has been a lot more sporadic. I have a hard time going in the evenings until after Evelyn is asleep. I figure that since I am working and only get a few hours with her every day, I need to take advantage of that time. When I do go to the gym, it isn't until 8 or 9PM -- and there are no classes that late at night. I still do cardio and lift a little -- but I don't always push myself as hard as I do in a class. I think it is because I am pretty competitive. I picture myself in spinning class cycling away and leaving everyone in my dust!! Hahaha!! I swear, working out is like a drug for me. Other people can have their "uppers" and their various vices -- just give me a pair of running shoes and my mp3 player and I am good to go. :)