It's officially been 9 days since the start of potty training, and, I'm sure you've heard (read) me mention it several times, but LO has done a fantastic job! She's been accident-free for 7 straight days! I think she's got this potty training thing in the bag. So each time she goes potty, she gets a candy (M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Hershey's Kisses -- whatever we have lying around leftover from recent holidays) AND she also gets a sticker. I don't know what I was thinking offering BOTH candy and stickers with each successful potty trip. Obviously I figured in the beginning that she'd need some good motivation to get things going, and I'm realizing now I went a tad bit overboard. This is evidenced by the massive amount of stickers All. Over. The. House. It's crazy where I keep finding these durn stickers! My pants. The couch. Her beanbag. Her clothes. Her stomach. Our bed. Her bed. The swing. The bouncy seat. The ottoman. The coffee table. The bookshelf. The TV. The entertainment center. A saute pan in the cupboard. These stickers are literally everywhere! And we learned (the hard way) that these stickers don't peel off the hardwood floors very well. There are little white splotches of sticker remains all over the hardwood floors. Sheesh! So I've decided to do away with the stickers as a potty reward. And I figure if she puts up a big stink I'll just double the candy. That should go over just fine!
So other than sticker madness, things here at home are the same as usual. Chase is doing really great! He has an appointment tomorrow morning with his pediatric cardiologist, and this visit will include an echo. It gives me such peace of mind to see him every other week and have a monthly echo. My biggest fear is the biggest risk for Chase between now and his next surgery: his shunt becoming occluded. It helps that his shunt is checked monthly and so far it has been clear. Once he has his second surgery, this will no longer be a risk as the shunt is removed. Chase has been putting on weight (he's almost 13 pounds!) and eating great. I still feel like he's not getting enough breastmilk from me because after I feed him, I'll offer him 2 ounces of milk in a bottle and he'll take it like he hasn't eaten in days! I don't know why but supplementing him makes me feel like a complete failure! I've been pumping for 20 minutes after all of his feeds for almost a week and haven't seen any significant increase. It kills me to know that I've exhausted all my options and have done everything under the sun that I could do to increase my supply. I just don't want to give up completely. I nursed LO 'til she was 7 months old (finally had to give up due to supply issues with her, too), and was hoping to nurse Chase just as long if not longer. My biggest goal is to get him through his next surgery. Breastmilk is just so much better for him, especially when he's recovering from another heart surgery! ((sigh))
On a random note, I'm a bit torn when it comes to blogging these days. See, you all know we're stuck in a bubble here at home. There's only so much "exciting" that can happen in this sort of environment. So basically, there's not much to blog about. But at the same time, I hate not updating the blog for several days in a row. But I don't want to post about boring ol' stay-at-home mom type stuff. So what do you think? Keep posting about whatever? Or let several days (or weeks) go by in between posts?
I love hearing about what's going on with your little ones. Keep posting away :)
ReplyDeleteNo way, don't let several weeks go by without posting! I love hearing about all that's going on there, even if its just a good 'ol poop story. And naturally, the videos and pictures are my favorite :)
ReplyDeleteDon't stop! I may not comment often but I read every post. And I, for one, love the stay at home mom stuff.
ReplyDeletekeep posting, it's my only way of knowing what y'all are up to and how everyone is doing, I read it every day after dinner and feel closer even though we're not....love ya bunches
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know I stopped by today and I am thrilled with how well your little man is doing! Great news. I hear you on the breastmilk thing... you are very blessed to be able to nurse. Don't give up, and know you are not a failure if you need to supplement! I would not listen to the lactation consultant who told you that you could not take supplements. I talked to two different lactation specialists who work in our children's hospital ICU. They told me (along with our cardiologist and our pediatrician) that there is no evidence of anything passing into the milk if you were to drink mother's milk tea or take a supplement. I have been doing it for the last 3 months with no problems, so you might go with your gut to keep your supply up....and DRINK a ton!! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAlli
mom to Grant
I say keep up the blog. Even if you think it is just boring, routine things, your way of talking about it always puts a smile on my face. Also, I remember the days when Chase was in Charleston and we were all looking forward to reading a normal, routine blog from you.
ReplyDeleteYou can always try out a new recipe and let us know about it. Your pictures were always great when you did that!