3 weeks

This time is going by too fast. I cannot believe that three weeks have passed. I don't want any of it to end. I need time to stand still. The sleepless nights, the extra laundry, and the constant feedings are all 100% worth it. I am loving the newborn, the faces they make, the noises that come from them, the way their body still holds itself the way it was in the womb, and the cuddliness oh the cuddle time we share is like a drug.
Today I had a weight check with Bee-bo and I am so excited to announce that God answered our prayers! He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 13 ounces. I just read that most breastfed babies gain around 6 ounces a week, Bee-bo doubled this. All my efforts have been worth it and I couldn't be happier that I can give him what he needs. That is so fulfilling as a mom. There were many times that I wanted to quit this week, but my loving husband kept me going not because he wanted this for Bee-bo, but because he knew how badly I wanted it. He didn't let me quit and from that support I learned a ton more about our marriage. I couldn't have done it without him. What a wonderful day it has been. Bee-bo has another weight check in two weeks to see if he continues to gain well. I am confident that he will. Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Can you tell what I've been doing with all my time? If you can't tell that is a boppy on his lap :) Not much has been going on around our house except constant nursing. Monk is being a good sport about it. I don't like getting up lots in the middle of the night, but it does allow me to blog, read other blogs, and get some things done on the computer. I just have to do it all with one hand.

I just can't get enough...

...pictures of my boys together.

I am loving this

2 Week Appointment

Well Bee-bo had his two week appointment and I am glad to say that he looks good except for his weight. When the scale finally stopped at 9 pounds 1 ounce my heart sank and hit the floor. I tried as hard as I could to hold them back, but despite my efforts the tears began to fall. I put my heart and soul into nursing not only Bee-bo, but Monk as well. I feel like I deserve to have this go well and out of all the people that choose not to or can't nurse, I probably want this more than anyone. The doctor is giving me one more week to see if he can gain more weight on my milk. I didn't have this chance with Monk. I had to start supplementing him at this point. I struggled with what was right for Bee-bo and with talking with Fisherman decided that we would go another week feeding Bee-bo whenever he wanted and keeping with it as long as he was happy and content. PLEASE everyone pray that he gains weight and that my body produces enough milk for this baby.

P.S. On a lighter note isn't Bee-bo rollin' with the hommies in the outfit in this picture?

For big brothers only

This fall we found this train table on e-bay. It was a good find and went along with some Thomas stuff that Monk had gotten as gifts so we thought that it would make an excellent big brother gift(and be a good entertainment while mama nurses). Monk will have to have some friends over to play with his trains soon.
If anyone deserves a big brother gift like this it's Monk. He has had his moments don't get me wrong, but he has been pretty wonderful and understanding. Having Bee-bo has made me fall in love all over with Monk. As Monk grew, I lost the miracle of having kids, but having a new born around the house again, I am reminded everyday how much of a miracle they really are. Each time I look at Monk or watch him play, I am reminded how lucky I am to have a cute healthy boy. I just love him to pieces
and nothing gives me more joy than to see him enjoying something that we picked out with him in mind.

He even got a birthday Thomas for his 2nd birthday this year

and of coarse playing with trains would not be complete without FROG BOOTS! Yes it has been a week straight that he has been sportin' these things. I love them and think they are cute, but I like to go bare foot and when your toes are getting stepped on all the time it is not so fun :).

In a nut shell

This picture sums up Monk in the last week or so. First there are the jammies. They weren't his choosing, but the reason he wore jammies all day long is because this was the forth day in a row that he wore frog boots ALL day long and he had chafing on his calves so we needed to have pants that could tuck into the boots. Second the reason that the frog boots are off here is because he has been taking his shoes/boots off to pick the fuzzies out of his toes. This cracks us up because he pulls his toes apart so far to make sure he gets the fuzzies all out. Third he has been seen with his nuk in his mouth a ton because of the new baby and from being sick. I am so glad that we didn't make him give it up before Bee-bo. It gives him the comfort he needs when we can't. I love you buddy!
I am a mama who is not the biggest fan of television. It is easy on the weekends when Fisherman is home not to have Monk watch tv, but when I am here by myself I am always looking for new things to keep him busy. Here is a cool idea I heard from one mama to put some sort of dry bean in a tub with some little things to play with. This was cheap and the first time he played with it he played for a good 40 minutes. Does anyone have some other fun little activity ideas?

Lovely Cold and Flu Season

Now it wouldn't be cold and flu season in this wonderful state we live in if we didn't ALL share the same cold in this family. I had it during labor, in the hospital, and a little while after we came home. Monk has had it for two weeks now, but it is slowly making it's way out. The Daddy of this house thinks that it is making it's way to him AND the worst news of all is that Bee-bo has it. This is the part where my heart breaks in a thousand pieces. Bee-bo has been such a kind little soul and I hate seeing him like this. He is all snotty, but I can't suck it out so he has a rough time sleeping. His left eye is all matted shut and the tiny sneezes and coughs that make their way out of his body could make any mama tear. So far it is just a small cold, we hope that it doesn't develop into anything more. No one and a half week old baby should have to go through this. It is no wonder though because his big brother loves him so much. He is always bringing him his nuk and touching the nipple part and LOVES to give him hugs and kisses. Hopefully since I am nursing it will last only a short time and we can all be healthy soon!

One week Old

Here we are about 75 diapers, 75 feedings, and one week later. I cannot believe how much my love can grow in just 7 days.

We have a man down

This boy is sick and from what I've been hearing he's not the only one. I took him to the doctor yesterday because he was acting very unlike himself. I know he is going through a big change, but this was bad. He ended up having an ear infection and possibly a sinus infection. We hope he gets better soon and that baby Bee-bo doesn't catch anything. Today was a better day as you can tell from the frog boots and play-doh. Get better soon buddy.

Update

Things are going good. We are enjoying be a family of four and learning how to make things work with this little person that likes to eat. However, Fisherman is going back to work on Tuesday and I am sure that I will have to relearn how to make things work without his help. If both parents could stay home I would have no problem raising 5 children.
Monk is a GREAT big brother so far. It was like he was born to be one. We have been having some trouble with temper tantrums, but other than that he has been good. He loves baby Bee-bo and has to know where he is at all times. He brings Bee-bi his pacifier, blankets, and helps change his diaper. When Monk wakes up he is not wanting to greet his parents, but asking where baby Bee-bo is. I know that there are some challenging days to come, but I think these two just might be buddies someday. Sorry for the short post, I just wanted to give you an update, but this mama needs a shower.

Brothers

Bee-bo 9 lbs. 10 oz. February 6, 2008 12:58 pm.

Can't Wait to Meet You!

Well we are in the home stretch of meeting the new baby T. I am going to be induced on Wednesday February 6, 2008. I will be going in on Tuesday night to soften my cervix and on Wednesday morning the pitocin drip will be setup as well as the epidural :). I had a doctor's appointment today and I jumped hugely in my measurements so the doc is thinking that the baby is on the large side, about the size Monk was when he was born and that was 9 lbs. 5 oz. So if we were to wait a week until the induction the baby would be pushing 10 pounds, eeeee that just made my crotch hurt. Please say a little prayer for the Tripp tent that things will go smoothly and that the outcome will be a healthy chubby little bean. According to the poll we took a long time ago the people that are left in the running are Robin, Heather H., and Beth as they all guessed the 7th. I will let you know who the winner was after the little one arrives. I am so looking forward to finally being able to hold this little one in my arms, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Kindermusik

For Monk's birthday/Christmas we enrolled him in a kindermusik class.
He was being shy at first, but after about 15 minutes he was joining in the fun. It was so much fun for us to see a smile on his face and to see him enjoying life, not caring what others around him thought. I am so glad we decided to do this. We weren't sure at first if it would be something that would be beneficial, but from only one class I saw many ways in which it could help Monk. I think it will help him to get out of his shell a bit because he is a shy little man when it comes to things he doesn't know. He is also going to be able to spend some one on one time with mom or dad after the new baby. And thirdly it is teaching him to love music.