Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #17

I guess during the holidays you can just expect all my posts to be belated!

Up:

• Thanksgiving was a great time! Mike's Mom (Pinkie) came into town and is staying through the 1st and Mike's brother Pat was also here for the holiday weekend. Mike smoked a turkey breast and it was YUMMY! Our friends Heather and Brent Warren also came for dinner and brought potatoes and stuffing, so all I had to make was Green Bean Casserole, Broccoli & Rice Casserole and the pies. It was a essentially stress free getting everything ready for the meal.
• Shopping! Pinkie and I decided to brave the shopping on Black Friday. We didn't do the crazy stay up all night specials, we just went into town in the afternoon. It was a mistake to go into Boise, but the outlet mall wasn't busy at all and had tons of great deals. Jackson and Kennedy's Christmas gifts are totally taken care of and I was able to get some good deals on clothes for me too!
• I absolutely love decorating for Christmas! It's great having Pinkie here to help decorate and to help with the kids so I can actually get some stuff accomplished. We had my DVD fireplace going, the Christmas tree candle burning, and of course the holiday music playing while we decorated. Jackson woke up from his nap to find the Christmas tree and he LOVED it! He's been singing Jingle Bells and saying, "HoHoHo....Merry Christmas!"

Down:

• Mike left this morning for a two week TDY. This is the first time he's been away from home since he returned from the deployment. I'm already super depressed that he isn't here and hope Jackson doesn't go crazy without Daddy here.
• Christmas is less than a month away and my shopping is only half way complete. I have so much to do, but seriously NO ideas for certain family members this year. I think it gets harder and harder to think of great gift ideas each year. 

Pics from the week:

Mike and Pat braved the extreme cold to go golfing. Pat beat Mike - definitely one for the record books!

Kennedy getting ready for her Black Friday shopping trip!

Pinkie & Pa gave Jackson the Little People Nativity. Apparently he's altered the Christmas story to include cars and trucks!

Pinkie with the kids!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #16

I did it again! Really needing sleep this week though!

Up:

• My baby girl turned one month old on Saturday! Though she wasn't super cooperative during her pictures, she is usually a very good baby. Kennedy is still very newborn in that she continues to sleep most of the time. I know I shouldn't be in a hurry for her to grow up, but I can't wait to interact with her and learn her unique personality traits. 

• I am now down to only 10 pounds to lose until I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight (more than that to be at my 'desirable' weight). These holidays are falling at the complete wrong time though. I doubt I'll get there by Christmas, but if I could at least wear some of my old clothes that would be a plus.
• Jackson has always had a really large vocabulary and annunciates words very well. He's been combining two words together more and more which my Mom (a speech therapist) will tell you is a two year old trait! His favorite combos this week were, "Go Tech" and "Daddy Home!" What I am most proud of though is that he now says thank you all the time without being prompted. It is a great feeling knowing that despite some of his recent behavior, he is learning some good manners! He still has to be prompted with please, but I'll take what I can get.

Down:

  Usually I have a hard time coming up with downs or I don't have very many, but this week is a different story. As they say, "when it rains, it pours."

• Jackson has been sick with a virus since Tuesday and had a fever of 103.8 when I took him to the pediatrician. Poor fella was NOT feeling good and it showed. The doctor just said that it was a virus and to treat the fever with Advil and Tylenol. No sore throat or ear infection and lungs were clear; just a runny nose and very high fever. Thankfully Kennedy cooperated in letting me take care of JP and giving him more TLC than normal. Jackson is much better now, just congested.
• Mike's work schedule was awful this past week. Every day he'd tell me when he would be home, but show up 2-3 hours later due to things that 'came up' as the day went on. Plus he had to go into work this weekend too. It wouldn't have been so bad, but taking care of a sick toddler and a newborn is hard to do. I just didn't have enough hands to meet everyone's needs when they needed to be met. There was a span of 45 minutes where both children were screaming and crying hysterically. We managed to make it through though!
• Sickness aside, Jackson has been very defiant recently. He specifically does things you tell him not to do, he's been throwing tantrums, and his behavior in Mass has been downright embarrassing. As of yesterday, we are cracking down and sternly enforcing 'time-out'. Hopefully that will get his attention. The terrible two's have definitely set in!

Jackson sharing some sugar with Kennedy!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #15

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later! I missed posting on Sunday; I chose sleep instead and I'm pretty sure you would have done the same if you were in my shoes :)

Up:

• Finally we join the smart phone revolution! I've been trying to convince Mike for months to get me a smart phone. His reply is always no: too expensive, monthly plan doubles, you have a computer at home and a camera that you can carry in your purse, and so on. Of course we are also talking about a guy that didn't get his first cell phone until after he graduated college. So, when he asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said - a smart phone - and he agreed! On Friday not only did I get an iphone, but Mike did as well! He claims it is because it was only $10 more per month, but judging by the amount of time he has spent on the phone since Friday, I think otherwise! Feel free to text, call, send pictures, etc. because I now have unlimited everything!
• Veterans Day - It was so great having Mike with us for an extra day this weekend and we had a great time in Boise taking advantage of all the sales and deals. We are so proud of him and all those that have and are serving our country.

Down:

All in all it has really been a good week, not much to complain about. There is the 'to be expected' lack of sleep, but that could be on my list of downs for awhile!

• If I had to pick down for the week it would be Texas Tech's devastating loss to Oklahoma State. It was pretty obvious that Tech wasn't going to be fabulous this year, but their performance the past three weeks (especially this weekend) was below all expectations. Mike, who is seriously the most die hard football fan you will ever meet, is contemplating boycotting the rest of the season and that is BIG. Hopefully they'll pull it together and at least put up a fight in the remaining games.

I didn't take too many pics this week, but here is my beautiful daughter before Mass on Sunday:

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #14

Up:

• Jackson had a blast with Halloween this year! He dressed up as a pumpkin (my nephew, Carson's old costume). MiMi had given him some Halloween books, so we studied up on pumpkins and trick or treating. I think he had a great time going around the neighborhood with Daddy and he has definitely enjoyed eating his candy. We can't get him to eat actual food, but when it comes to candy, he'll try it all! Kennedy and I stayed at the house and handed out candy, she dressed up as a ladybug!

My little pumpkin and ladybug! 

Jackson checking out his costume in the mirror - he had to wave at himself of course!

Off to get some treats!

Kennedy and I getting ready to hand out candy.

Prettiest little ladybug!

Jackson and Daddy carving a pumpkin.

• Kennedy had a great two week check-up on Thursday! She is already up to 8 lbs. 9 oz. and still growing! She loves to cuddle and curls up like a little frog on your chest. She is rarely fussy and sleeps well. All in all she is a wonderful baby!
• Breastfeeding is successfully OVER! After following all the weird remedies, I am completely finished and it feels great. My hats off to all ladies who are successful breastfeeders; you truly have a gift and I admire you all!

Down:

• The wind in Mountain Home is insane. All you West Texans may think I'm crazy for saying winds could be worse than back home, but it's true. The only difference is there isn't any dust blowing here. With the colder temperatures and high winds, we are confined to the indoors which means Jackson has way more energy than he should!
• Jackson has decided to be an 'empathy crier' now. Anytime Kennedy is upset or crying, Jackson feels the need to cry too. I really hope this phase doesn't last long. We've just been telling him that he is not a baby and he doesn't have any reason to cry. It's not just with Kennedy either, he was a mess in church today because the little girls behind us were fussing, so of course he had to join in with them.

Jackson sporting his new TTU cap from Pinkie - too bad it didn't help Tech pull off a win or even a decent game for that matter. He sure looks cute in his Tech gear anyway!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #13

Up:

• I have the best husband ever. You'll see that a lot has been going on with me from the 'downs' and I've had to rely a lot on Mike to take over the parenting role this weekend. He let me get a full night's rest, went grocery shopping, bathed and bedded Jackson, and took Jackson to church this morning. That is a lot for Mike when it is a college football weekend! Anyway, he is the greatest!
• Our little girl is growing so much! Kennedy is already outgrowing her newborn outfits. She must be growing a lot because she is still sleeping a lot. I'm not complaining though; she is a more peaceful, relaxed baby than Jackson was. I think it's true what they say - the Lord only gives you what you can handle. She isn't even two weeks old though, so I may be speaking up too soon! 
• My parents flew home on Friday, but I seriously couldn't have made it the past couple of weeks without their help. They cooked meals, took care of both children while I rested, ran a bunch of my errands, let Mike and I go out to a movie...the list is endless. I appreciate their help so much as we transitioned from a family of three to four!

Down:

• Breastfeeding makes it's appearance for the second week in a row. If there are any male readers, you may want to skip over this! So things were going fairly well right after Kennedy was born, but then she decided to feed every hour (which is really like every half hour since you count from the beginning of the feeding). Anyway, my nipples became raw and blistered and I decided I couldn't do this again, I was just going to pump. Once I began pumping, I realized why she was feeding so often. My damaged breast (from a breast abscess I developed with Jackson) was only producing at most an ounce, so she wasn't getting enough to eat. That's when I decided to switch to formula and just pump to wean my breastmilk production. Wouldn't you know that early Friday morning I developed mastitis. I went to the doctor and had a 103.1 fever and a heart rate of 129. The doctor also noticed a place on the damaged breast in a different area that is at risk for developing an abscess - seriously! They gave me IV fluids to get my heart rate down and sent me home with Motrin and Antibiotics along with a slew of home remedies to dry up my milk supply. Since then I've been drinking this AWFUL sage tea every 6 hours, constantly keeping cold cabbage leaf compresses on my breast, B6 for engorgement, and pumping. It is exhausting, but I am starting to feel better and hopefully by this time next week it will only be a memory.

Jackson riding in his wagon to get the mail with MiMi & PaPa.

Kennedy relaxing in her swing.

Boo! Happy Halloween!

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #12

Up:

• Kennedy Olivia Hefferly is here! She arrived at 7:44am on October 19th weighing in at 7lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long. She is such a peaceful baby thus far. She likes to sleep and can already sleep through much of her big brother's shenanigans. Hopefully that will continue!

• We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! From encouraging words to food and gifts you are all so generous. A special thanks to my parents for helping out so much with Jackson during all of this. They took him to the pumpkin patch right after Kennedy was born with his Mother's Day Out class!

Down:

• Breastfeeding! Not sure if this should be in the ups as well. As many of you know last time I had a huge struggle with breastfeeding Jackson. After only a month I switched to formula and had to have emergency surgery for a breast abscess that I had developed. Luckily this time around is going better. It is still a struggle getting Kennedy latched on the side I had surgery on, but it's getting better. Plus I just forgot how much it hurts in the beginning. Hopefully all that will subside and we will have a much better experience this go round.
• Recovering from surgery. This time has been SO much easier to recover from than last time. My only issue this time is not being able to pick up Jackson. It's so hard not to just scoop him up and squeeze him. It's been just he and I for so long over these past months and now Daddy is home and we have Kennedy. I just want him to know that he is still super special to me. Hopefully I'll be able to resume normal activity soon.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - #11

Up:

• Three Days before we meet our beautiful baby girl! I keep saying that I am ready and I am ready not to be pregnant anymore and to meet our sweet little girl. The part I'm not ready for is how tasking it is to have a new baby much less having a newborn with an 18 month old. Here's hoping I can adjust quickly! Good thing is my parents will be here on Tuesday to help out and Mike will get some time off work!
• Watching Jackson and Mike play together just makes my heart melt. Earlier this week Mike was golfing in the backyard and Jackson immediately picked up a club and tried to do everything Daddy was doing! It's so great that he has a male role model back in his life to show him the things that I cannot. Today we went bowling since it was raining outside. Jackson is in LOVE with bowling and did not want to go home!

Down:

• Jackson has been exceptionally whiny this week. I don't know it if was because Mike had to go back to work, the change in sleep schedule over the weekend, or the weather not permitting as much playtime outside. Whatever it is, I hope it self corrects by tomorrow morning and I can have my happy, go lucky, little guy back!