Dakota's Newborn Portraits

Photos taken by Serena.I love them!








         




           

Amon Carter Cool Spot & Black Bean Brownies

You know how I said I wanted to get out of the house this week? Well we've been staying busy every day this week. Did you know, Amon Carter Museum has storytime every week, this summer? I took the girls. Cheyenne walked and I carried Dakota in a sling.

It was wall to wall packed! I guess nobody wants to do anything outdoors in this heat. I can't blame them.

At the end of storytime, there was refreshments and crafts. This was the craft area.

Check out Cheyenne's amazing flower pot. we'll be going again, if anyone wants to join us, just let me know! We'd probably have to arrange a meeting spot because there are so many people, you can easily get lost in the crowd.

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This is Nice!
You know what I'm enjoying? I'm enjoying our church family bringing my family dinner three nights a week. Earlier this week, the pastor from our church and his wife stopped by and brought us BBQ. Mmmm, comfort food...

Black Bean Brownies? Say, what? 
I've been wanting something sweet, but you know healthy--ish. Check out this recipe I found on Twitter from Dr. Oz. It's called fudgy black bean brownies.

My cousin, Raquel, who has lost over 50 pounds, was in town visiting with me yesterday...She tried a brownie and just about threw a fit. She was raving about them. Eaten alone, they are a B-, but with some coffee I'd give them a B+.

If you are trying to watch your sugar intake, this is a recipe for you.

Nursing a Baby, The Second Time Around

First, a Little History
I had my ups and downs when it came to breastfeeding Cheyenne. At first, I didn't have any problems, but while we were in the hospital, her oxygen level dropped and she was transferred to NICU. While she was there her jaundice spiked. So, when I was separated from her, I pumped at home and I would bottle feed and nurse her, but she was also recieving a bottle or two of formula a day. The purpose of the formula was to help flush out the bilirubin.

When I finally had Cheyenne at home, I had the hardest time getting her to latch onto my breasts. It was the most frustrating experience of my life. I cried, she cried and my breast were engorged. I was too stubborn to give up. Looking back,  I think the main reason why she didn't want to latch on is because she got use to eating from a bottle. I ended up working with a lactation consultant and she helped us work through it. I successfully breastfed Chey for 13 months with no supplementing, other than her NICU visit.

I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out for Dakota and I. Honestly, I was nervous. I remember when I was nursing Chey and all the pain I felt, when my milk finally came in. I woke up one morning and my breasts had swelled to balloon size jugs. I looked ridiculous. I also recall waking up leaking milk in the early weeks of nursing. Oh, and not to mention the pain when Chey would latch on. I don't even want to talk about the smell...

This Time Around....
To my surprise, this time around has been easy??? Well, easier. -- almost, too good to be true. When my milk finally came in, I didn't jump 10 bra sizes in one day, nor was it painful. I don't smell like spoiled milk, I'm not leaking, my boobs are not rock hard or engorged.  I CAN SLEEP ON MY STOMACH! For the first 10 days, I did experience a stinging pain when Dakota would latch on, but now the sting is diminishing more and more, everyday.

I'm extremely thankful, Dakota is a good eater. She's fast too. Most of her day feedings, she'll only nurse on one breast for 5 - 10 minutes. At night, I try to make her nurse longer and on both sides, just so she'll sleep longer. Also, Dakota has a great latch so it's easy to feed her in public or around company.

What does Chey think? 
The first time she saw me nurse Dakota, she asked, "Is she drinking momma's milk? I drink cow's milk, not momma's." The other day, I was feeding Dakota and Chey had her baby doll and lifted her shirt and pretended to feed it. Here is the picture. Oh, Cheyenne.

A Similar Post From Dec. 2, 2008
Asking for Help is Okay

We Bought a Truck

For several months, Trey and I have been saving money for a new pick-up truck. Every side job that we've done, we've been putting it in savings. You don't know how many times I wanted to take the money and go on a nice vacation, but we stuck with our plan to hoard it until Trey found a truck.

This is our new (to us) '07 F-150 Fx4, that we paid for in cash money...no car payment. Good -- since we already have one of those.



Now that we bought a truck, we can get back on track with our 2012 financial goals.

Trey was working on a family truck. It was a '86 F-150.

He put a brand new engine in it and did a lot of body work to it. Since he bought a new truck, he sold the '86 F-150 to his Dad. Trey still has a few more things to finish up on it before he sends it off to Abilene. 

My Week in Photos

A few years ago, my mom made me a nursing shaw. I was really looking forward to using it again, but apparently I misplaced it. Well, my mom was nice enough to make me another one. I like to call the shaw my bib or my hooter hider.


Thanks, mom it's perfect! 

Dakota is doing great. Last night, she had her longest stretch between feedings. She slept for 7 hours before she was ready to eat agin.
   
This little girl has been a little bored....

When I told her we had plans to go to the library, she was all excited. She checked out several books and a movie.

Speaking of movies. Lately, all my spare change has been going to RedBox. Last night, we ate frozen pizza and once the girls were in bed, Trey and I watched This Means War. It's been a while since a movie has made me laugh that much.

Oh, and this is the new frozen pizza I tried (see picture below). My favorite frozen pizza is Kashi. My grocery store use to sell it for $5.49, but they stopped carrying it. BOOO! Now, the only place I can buy it is from a health food store for $7.49. This pizza, was alright.

Grateful for this Meal Calendar & Besides Being Awesome, This is All I Do

Special thanks to our church family who will be providing meals for us over the course of the next few weeks. You have no idea how much this will help. Also, a big thank you to Krista for organizing the meal calendar. If you are reading and would like to provide a meal for our family, leave a comment with your email and I'll send you the info. We'd love for you to stay and have dinner with us too. 

Last night, we had our first meal delivered to us. SOOOO MUCH FOOD.

Trey said, I hit the jack pot because it was everything I love. Meat, veggies, carbs, and cheesecake (not pictured).

After dinner, Trey and I enjoyed a Redbox movie, Chronicles. Trey had already seen it. Did you know he goes to the movies more than me? He goes by himself or with co-workers, while I'm at work, or he'll take Cheyenne. I think it's great, but whenever we go to rent a movie and we're trying to pick one, he'll be like, SEEN IT! SEEN THAT ONE TOO. BASICALLY,  I'VE SEEN EVERYTHING.


Besides being awesome, ALL I DO
When I'm not taking care of Dakota and Cheyenne, this is what I've been doing at home....

-Enjoying the down time. Laughing, relaxing, sitting still...
- Napping and when I can't nap, I just rest in bed for at least an hour.
- Watching hours of Netlix and Hulu.
  Do we have any 90210 fans? The original not the new one? I use to watch the original series, so I started watching the new series. It's actually embarrassingly good. Don't tell anyone else I'm watching this show, it's a guilty pleasure.

As Soon as Next Week 
- I plan on getting out of the house. Park, library, mall, grocery store....anywhere. Mother's out there you know what I'm talking about. All of us could use the fresh air and different scenery. I think I'll also get with some friends and plan some outings.

I Have a Problem with This....

But first cute baby stuff

Good News:
The baby jogger fits in the Focus.
The Bad New:
I'm not sure I can get it out.
I'm kidding, kind of....I managed to shove the jogger in the trunk, but it took some choice words and lots of sweat. I need to practice or see if it's possible to take the front wheel off or something, but I'm not sure if this jogger has that option. Suggestions are welcome. If this stroller won't work with this vehicle, I think I might cry. 
Today, the girls and I ventured out of the house. This was my first outing, driving them around. We went shopping for a few essentials and then met Trey for lunch.

If you are ever in the Hudson Oaks area, you've got to try Big Burger. It's a great place to eat. I recommend the chef salad or the bunless bacon burger.

Dakota did great, while we were out. She actually stayed snuggled under a blanket while in her carseat and slept the entire time, so nobody got to see her cute outfit. So, I had to take a photo of her pink ruffly polka dotted cuteness. The world must see...Haha! And there is my baby trying to eat her hand. I promise, I feed her.

One more photo of her feet, just because they are adorable.
P.S. Last night was a good night. Feeding/Changing Times: 11 pm, 4:30 am, and 7:15 am. Not bad for a baby less than 2 weeks old. Not bad at all!
 

I Spy with My Little Eye, a Smile

Sisters & Our Third Wheel

All Cheyenne wants to do is hold her little sister.

I have to remind her, "Dakota is floppy, so you have to support her head."

Yesterday, Trey and I went on a dinner date to Chili's and we had a third wheel.....
Luckily, our third wheel slept the entire time. While we were on our date, Cheyenne spent time with Trey's mom. She's in town helping me out the next few days. She's been a great help with chores around the house and entertaining Cheyenne. I'm hoping to get out of the house next week. I'm not use to being at home all the time.

I Woke Up in Pain

It's been a week and one day, since I gave birth to Dakota. I heard afterbirth pain could be intense and severe the first few days after giving birth. By now, I was hoping the cramping of my uterus would taper off, but I was mistaken. I woke up at 7 am feeling like my stomach was in knots. The only pain I can adequately compare it to is, contractions.

Afterbirth pain in general is typically not painful for first time mom's, however after a second deliver it can be uncomfortable and painful and then it usually gets worse with each successive pregnancy. Breastfeeding can heighten the pain and I'm exclusively nursing, so there you go. OUCH. Tylenol, helped take the edge off and now I'm feeling better.

Did you know the afterbirth contractions are actually a good thing? It helps reduce postpartum bleeding and helps shrink the uterus back to it's original size. So, bring on the pain??????

You can see how much the uterus stretches pre pregnancy versus postparrtum.

After I gave birth, I still looked 20 weeks pregnant. This picture is of my 20 week pregnancy snapshot, but you get the picture...

Today, I can tell my uterus has shrunk significantly, compared to a week ago. I know these things take time, so I'm not going to be unrealistic in my timeframe of expectation. Nature will do it's thing and I'll be back to pre-pregnancy tummy before too long.

Here are some pictures of Dakota after bath time.

that face....

Cheyenne loves to touch her, but we always have to remind her to sanitize her hands before she touches Dakota. Chey's favorite thing about Dakota is her feet. She is always saying, "they are so cute!!!" -- in her high pitch voice.

Last night, was another good one. Feeding/Changing times were 10 pm, 2 am, and 5 am.