7 month updates!

There is a light at the end of this miserable snow tunnel. It's supposed to hit 50 degrees at the end of the week! It's inspired me to write!

1) NE Winters Suck:
The snow's been awful here. The ceilings in our kitchen, dining room and 2 bedrooms leaked due to ice dams. The bedroom ceilings are destroyed. It didn't matter what we did, there was no way to get through the 6+ inches of ice on the roof without putting a chainsaw to it. Hopefully, with the help of our homeowners' insurance, it will be a distant memory soon.
2) A questionable number 2:
Nickie and I are on a message board for the sperm bank we used. We got wind that they were shutting down for "reorganization". Some said it was bankruptcy, some think it's an FDA investigation. We do know that orders abruptly stopped. We called and emailed to have our 4 stored vials of Dillon's donor shipped here to store locally, but never heard back. Our next child (who we aren't planning on bringing to fruition for a while) is in genetic limbo. We're not sure what to do next. I guess we'll see how the story evolves for a few more weeks.
3) Coming to a catalog near you?
I brought Dillon to an open call for a modeling agency last month. I brought her to the call on Saturday and they accepted her on Monday morning. We went back and forth about whether she should really do it for a while. We worried the pressure to get her ready- the call alone was a bit stressful to get her up and out by 8am. We worried about the distance we'd have to go- the agency represents publications from Maine to NJ. We worried about the cost- There's an upfront investment of $175. We have to pay this once to have her photos edited every 2 months until she's 3.
In the end, we did it. We figure if a job works for us and our schedules, great. If not, we'll just turn it down. It would be kind of cool to see her in a catalog or ad and I think she'll actually enjoy it. She loves attention and new people. Obviously, if we have a bad experience, we'll just stop.
4) Defattening:
We're getting there. Nickie and I have been dieting since new years. It's been slow, but we're both losing and feeling a lot better. Hooray for not being fat moms!

Here's some photos we took this week.

Dillon came to visit me at work!

Tutu pics!

We hope everyone's staying warm!

-Ros

Rolling along

I can't believe it's been almost 7 months that we've had Dillon in our lives, minus the time she made my uterus her residence. It's amazing that in 7 short months our lives would be changed in so many ways. How do you love something so much in such a short amount of time? I guess it's just one of those mysteries of motherhood.

Dillon is doing great. Eating, babbling (favorite word being da da), and almost crawling, oh my. Currently she has her own way of getting places which is army rolling all over the place. It's really cute and she gets really far. She always looks so proud of herself when she gets somewhere out of sight and then we find her, her face lights up. She can get on her hands and knees and lift her belly off the floor then rock (hump) back and forth. Sometimes she gets up on her tippy toes and hands, then falls back to the ground. I'm nervous that full-on crawling is right around the corner because mommies have some serious baby-proofing to do. Another one of her current obsessions is her jumperoo. She sees it and starts making jumping motions, she loves it. A bonus is that it can usually hold her attention for about 15-20 minutes, just long enough for me to pump.

As far as our breastfeeding goes, not so good lately. Dillon is just not that interested (patient) in the boob anymore. We nurse once a day in the morning but that's usually it. Other times of the day, she is just too distracted and prefers the mobility of the bottle. I'm not that sad about it, as we've had our problems from the beginning. I pump as much as I can so she can still get some breast milk, but we also have been supplementing with formula. We found a formula that Dillon loves, Baby's Only. I feel good about supplementing with it as I did a lot of research beforehand and think it's the best we can give her besides my milk. I have to say I can see why people throw in the towel early on the breastfeeding, formula is WAY easier. But I still believe that breast milk is best.

Dillon is doing great on her solids. She loves oatmeal, apples, bananas, pears, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and prunes. She is not a fan of meat (but if you saw what I made you'd probably not be a fan either) or avocados. I can't wait til she starts putting pieces in her mouth. It will be too cute.




Sitting pretty during her 6 month photo shoot. It's proving to be very difficult to get a good shot now that she is so mobile.


I just like this one. Looking like a cave baby in the morning.
-Nickie

Kids make you fat.

It's true. I'm blaming the baby for me getting fat. Even though I'm a non-bio mom, I gained about 15lb since she was born. And Nickie hadn't lost anything since walking out of the hospital in July. Is it the lack of sleep? Stress? Lack of energy? The fact the we eat anything that can go in a microwave or pick up in a drive though? Probably a combo. Regardless, Nickie and I put an end to it on New Years.

Nickie and I decided we didn't want to be fat moms. We don't want to be on the sidelines when we could be playing too. Deep down I worry that Dillon will be stigmatized for having 2 moms already. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we were fit, attractive moms instead of lumpy, dumpy moms. We were definitely going down the lumpy, dumpy path; I wore the same fat jeans for most of the holidays and we had both transitioned to sweats by Dec 30.

We went carb-free. I've always been a Weight Watchers girl, but my mom has had great results with South Beach, so we're giving it a shot. So far, it hasn't been too bad. All the protein is filling. Meat and cheese is still allowed. There's no counting points or calories. There's a lot of sugar-free alternatives to things we like, like popsicles, fudgicles and even chocolate milk. Instead of having a carb with meals, we're just doubling up on veggies.

Don't get me wrong; Bread, pasta, rice, sweets, cereal, potatoes and fruit have been sorely missed. The cravings were bad for a few days and seeing McD's commercials are plain painful. There have been some moments that have required restraint, for sure.

I'm down 5lbs since last Saturday, so it's definitely working. Nickie's down too, but she's more patient than me and hasn't weighed herself to get a number. The first 2 weeks, South Beachers are expected to lose 8-13lbs, then a few unrefined carbs can be introduced (yay!).

Dillon has been fighting our diet. She's had some wretched nights. 2 of the 3 mornings I planned to go to the gym were squashed from Dill only letting us sleep 3-5 hours a night. We're going to read the Ferber book and we'll hopefully "Ferberize" her in the next few weeks to get her to sleep through the night. Nickie and I were warned that we'll be up for a few nights until Dillon gets in the groove, so we're working on scheduling a few marathon nights where we won't have to function during the day.

Here are a few photos from the last week. Dillon and I are doing a swimming class together. She LOVES water. She did a great job!

Nickie tried out our new (used) backpack after it snowed. Dillon seemed to like it (much more than her face portrays). We found another enjoyable activity! And, I just like the last photo. =)

-Ros

Happy New Year!

We just wanted to say Happy Holiday and Happy New Year! From, Ros, Nickie and Dillon

Where are the brakes?!

(AM Dillon, before the hair battle =))

Every day, Dillon's a little different: a little older. She's ripping through her milestones. Rolling, grabbing, playing, sitting up, teeth, food and now she can move on her belly. Granted, she goes backwards, but I don't think forward is far off. When she sits on your lap, she moves around like she wants to get down. She can't stay still.

I thought we had more time with our little stationary baby?! She's only 5 months old for pete sake! I hope she slows down a bit because we can't keep up!

She's got SUCH a personality. She's a ham for crowds. If she wants something, she lets you know. She's starting to know to smile when the camera comes out. She's chatty and seems convinced she's an active participant in conversations.

Where did out little, yellow, feeble, knobby kneed newborn go?!

Thankful

Sitting pretty with mamas and Nanny.

I'm thankful for Dillon. I'm not only thankful for myself, but for the joy she has brought so many in the 4 months she's been here. Especially for my family, which has endured some pretty upsetting Thanksgiving holidays over the past couple of years.


2 years ago today my grandfather, my jiddo, choked on a piece of bread that led him to pass away a week later. That was the worst Thanksgiving ever. Seeing him in the ER, intubated and posturing, knowing that it would have been better if he wouldn't have been resucitated, was heartbreaking.


Last thanksgiving my mother was in the hospital dying of cancer, refusing blood transfusions because she was worried she would get AIDS. That Thanksgiving sucked too.

But this Thanksgiving practically erased all of those bad memories because Dillon has come into our lives. She is all my family ever talks about. They live about an hour away so they cherish each visit we make. I'm so greatful that I have been able to bring this joy to them.

I'm thankful that Dillon's 2 great grandmothers are around to enjoy her. It's so cute watching her sit on their lap and laugh at them. Dillon loves old people.

And that is what I'm thankful for. -Nickie

With Sit Sit (great grandmother) and Auntie Rachael

Community Lost

After 122 years, my childhood church held its last sermon. Because of finances and lack of membership, it could no longer stay a float; a story like many other churches. I went there from ages 3 to 22'ish. My mom was the secretary there for many years. My best friend went there. It was a place I spent my Sundays in Sunday School and in sermon. My summers were spent at Vacation Bible School and church camp. I have fond memories of potluck lunches, singing and end of the year bbq's. The members were a pseudo-family to me. I have exponential memories there that I hadn't thought much about for a long time. Now that my memories are surfacing, I'm at a loss.

I went to the farwell dinner last week and the last sermon today. I brought Dillon. It felt like I had never left. Even when I hadn't been around for years, people still knew a lot of what I was doing. I saw adults that I cared for when they were in diapers. I saw people who cared for me the same way. Everyone adored Dillon and held her like their own. I was hugged tight and long. I was home again.

I have feelings of grief, guilt and many others. One of my feelings is about Dillon. I wish she has what I had. I want her to have a sense of community. I want her to experience people who have a common cause and investment in eachother. I want her to have plentiful interactions beyond electronic. I worry that she'll miss out. I worry that she will lack the positive influences that I had.

Nickie and I have talked about it quite a few times and have both felt that religion is just not important in our lives at this point. I don't know where to go from here with this, but I want to do something.