Breastfeeding fashion, DIYs, and maternity snafus...

SO EXCITED!  Today I ordered 3 teething necklaces and I cant wait for them to arrive! Kaylee has been grabbing my necklace lately while she is nursing and I thought it would be good to get something a little softer for her to grab. I got them from Koukku (Etsy) and they are super cute.  I ordered one in black, grey, and white. The lady I bought them from was incredibly nice and the price was reasonable.  I'll post pictures once they arrive!

I know I mentioned that we've been doing sign language for milk with Kaylee... Tim and I SWEAR she's actually doing it. When you do the sign for milk it looks like you are milking an invisible cow udder. Kaylee will do this thing where she stops moving except for her hand and its making the motion for milk.  When she stops like that it seems she's concentrating REALLY hard. :) I've also started using the sign for change diaper.  For a full dictionary of baby sign language shown my My Smart Hands click here.

I also have been busy!  I saw this cute headband holder on Pinterest and decided to make it for Kaylee.  I added the link to the pin but it seems the page with the directions is no longer available.  It seemed easy enough to make.  I love repurposing things... recycle, reuse, reduce.. and this headband holder involved repurposing an oatmeal can.  I just covered the oatmeal can with paper and added some decoration.  Here are some pictures... I love how it turned out! On a side note: I am OBSESSED with headbands!

We are still working with Dominic on night time potty training and we are seeing fruits of our labor.  The other night Tim and I were watching a movie and at about midnight we hear Dominic wake himself up and go to the potty.  This is the first time he has done this by himself... without us waking him up first.  Tim and I looked at each other and were so incredibly proud.  So we made a trip to the Lego store for Friday.   Dominic ended up getting some small Lego figurines and a $7.99 small bucket of Legos.  I am ever impressed by Dominic's growth this year and are pleased with his academic experience in Kindergarten.  Every night we read a book before bedtime and a few nights ago he read to me the entire book Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss (aside from about 3 words he didn't know, such as 'skate').  The book is almost written entirely with sight words and each week at school Dominic learns a new sight word.

An update on my Disability saga... I previously posted about what a nightmare I was having with filing a Disability claim and issues with my OB's office submitting their portion of the Disability claim... well, I finally got a hold of someone and CA EDD office and the person I talked to said that he looked up my claim and it is currently with an examiner but will likely be disqualified because the medical provider submitted their portion past the 49 day deadline. I should be getting the notice in the mail in about 2 weeks.  When I explained that my OB's office reported they faxed it within the time limit I was told I could appeal and when I got the notice of the disqualification it would state how to appeal... this is ridiculous   At this rate I won't get my first Disability check until I return to work!  RIDICULOUS!

I'm still working on New Year's Resolution #2: Be less squishy and continue to walk to pick up Dominic from school.  Sometimes Tim is working when Kaylee and I walk to pick up Dominic, if he isn't Tim usually walks with us.  On Friday, Kaylee and I also went hiking with a neighbor friend and it was nice to be out.. it was a good beginner hike and the view was lovely.  It would be great to take Dominic on the weekend as the area has cows so I think D would get a kick out of that!  After the hike, however, I dropped my cell phone in the gravel parking lot and my cell phone shattered... Blech!  So now I have a loaner cell phone and Best Buy is ordering me a new one... glad we bought their protection plan.

Here are some pictures of Kaylee..

My sweet girl and her giraffe.

Nap time.  Busted out of the
swaddle.

See you next week... should be an exciting week... Kaylee is getting her ears pierced tomorrow so I will post pics!

Teething Hell and Nighttime Potty Training...

This past week has been busy with milestones for both Kaylee and Dominic...

Kaylee is usually a mellow baby, hardly ever crying... but last week Thursday night Kaylee became this little hellion just crying and screaming... and while she was crying I noticed this little white tooth just below the surface of her gums!  Holy crap this is early!  I remember with Dominic he was "teething" and I put in quotes because parents who have gone through it know that "teething" is actually going through perpetual teething-symptom-hell without seeing any actual teeth for MONTHS.  Not for Kaylee, she literally started the drooling water works only about two weeks ago... and now you can already see a tooth!  I think Dominic's first tooth came when he was six months old... and Kaylee isn't even 3 months yet!  The only way I could calm her down was putting her in the Moby Wrap carrier and bouncing her.  She finally fell asleep.  So out goes Tim the next day to the store for some teething meds!  We have entered teething hell because now EVERY SINGLE NIGHT at about 6-9p the crying starts... hopefully this will pass soon! Funny thing is Tim got her some baby OraGel and that stuff is like baby crack... as soon as I rub it on her gums she's happy as a clam. Lucky for us Kaylee is still sleeping well through the night (5-7 hours stretches) despite the teething issue.

My first tooth! Front bottom left.

Smiles!

Kaylee has also really started talking A LOT.  She will actually have a conversation with you, responding as you respond to her.  It's funny but I kinda think she sounds like Chewbacca from Star Wars when she makes her little noises.

We've also started Dominic on a nighttime potty training program called 3 Day Potty Training that seems to be working but boy is it intensive.  For the last few nights I have been sleeping on the floor in his room (as according to the program) and checking in with him often about his need to potty.  My back and hips are killing me from sleeping on the hard floor.  But on the second night when I asked him if he had to go potty he said yes, got up, and went to the potty.  Unfortunately, in the morning he peed in the bed. Last night he got up twice to pee, once in the middle of the night and once in the early morning, but was completely dry!  The test will be when I am no longer in his room and if he actually goes on his own.

This is us at the park...

Relaxing as Mommy and brother play in the sand.

Playingin the sand.