Hallelujah

Owen has only been crawling for a month, but he is already a speed demon! His favorite toys currently are the floor vents and the curtains - he loves to bang his toys on the vents and hear the sounds they make. He is chasing his ball and cars all around the kitchen and before you know it, finding something fun to get into! When we say 'Yay, Owen' and cheer him on, he will stop what he is doing and clap, then wave his hands in the air. A little hallelujah praise or maybe some old school raise the roof?

Hangin' Out at Achieve

Owen in 'his' room at Achieve, pre-toy explosion

Being back to work full time has been a bit chaotic, but we are adjusting as a family. The toughest thing for me has been the second pump time that I had to add now that I am not home to feed Owen at 1:00. No matter what I do, I cannot get more than 3 oz the second pump time and so, over the past 3 weeks, our freezer milk supply has slowly dwindled (so annoying that my body doesn't respond to the pump, because if I nurse Owen at those same times, he always gets enough to eat - weird little quirk that happens sometimes according to my lactation consultant). We tried to add some formula to the breast milk bottles, but Owen had allergic reactions to milk, lactose free, and soy. Our last options - hypoallergic Alimentum, Nutramigen, or Elecare - aka partially digested formula (and it smells like it's partially digested, trust me, it's nasty). We started small with 5 1/2 oz breast milk to 1/2 oz Alimentum and Owen took the bottle, but only drank 4 oz (always takes at least 6). When Todd tried 5 to 1, he refused the bottle. As Todd ran out to the freezer to get more milk, he called me to say he was using the last 5 oz of my supply and he would be at the office at 1:00 so I could feed Owen. And, so now, with a little schedule rearranging and one of the clinic rooms an "Owen" room, Todd and Owen are at the clinic from 10 to 1, so instead of pumping I feed him at 10, he naps, plays, eats at 1, then heads back home. Again, I am so grateful to have Todd home with Owen so we can make this work. If this would have happened and he was in daycare I am not sure what we would have done. We are so blessed!