let's do this {seven quick takes}

Tweet

1. For my first week back at work ~ people have been asking: How are you doing?
As best as it can be for a mom of 5. We are trying to get into a routine. But this routine will change once the children are back in school. Mornings are usually the most stressful. Kids are staying at home right now while I am at work but that will change once hubs drops them off before going to work... and when I have to drop the older 3 to school.

I like my job. I like seeing patients. I am thankful I have a supportive staff and amazing colleagues. It makes missing the babies worth it.

I also like it that I am home part of the time. I get to be a doctor some days of the week. Then some days, I am home changing diapers, sweeping the floor, feeding hungry children, clothing and chasing children who don't want to be clothed.


2. Lucas is not loving the bottle. He made it to 9 hours of crying until he gave in and took 5 oz. The successful person who gave him the bottle was ---------> ate Isabel. She felt so empowered and happy that she was a big helper!





3. Boy scouts camp ~ my eldest enjoyed his week at BSA camp. He hit a bullseye during archery and the BB gun station. They created a toolbox, made candles, cooked pigs in a blanket. They kayaked. They also swam everyday.

woe of a breastfeeding mom

Tweet

disclaimer: as the title implies, I will be talking about bodily fluids, nursing, breastfeeding, plugged ducts etc etc. if that's not your thing (and that's fine) feel free to skip this post... hasta luego!

This post should have been -- the more problems I have with pumping, the more depressing my day seem to be, the more I take selfies!

similar pink dresses, so cute!

rest of outfit details: 

necklace from my sister
similar booties for less than $50!
similar pink dress
polka dot tights
lipstick 

I was in a bad mood all day.... you know why? I kind of hinted that on my title... I battled my first plugged duct for this nursing season. I had a lot of them with sebastian because of my fast let-down and his latch.I have been fortunate that it took 4 months of nursing Lucy before ducts issues started.

again.. i think it's her latch. she wants to see everything that is going on around her. I have to feed her in a quiet place. sometimes I cannot do that though. I have to watch Sebastian and have to help the older children with their homework.

I bookmarked some websites that help me get through plugged ducts.
Even more so, I utilize the lactation consultants hotline. I am lucky our hospital has LC's available. If you're a new mom with nursing probs or questions, ask the hospital where you delivered and you might be lucky and find an LC who can help you troubleshoot.

so back to the websites:

I read this site a lot! i found it very helpful.
and LLL also has a page for plugged ducts.
I have tried this feeding method that I first heard from Katrina. But she must have deleted the post from her blog... because I could not find it!!!

I have seen posts about lecithin. I have not tried it... if you are thinking of using it, consult your doctor and your baby's pediatrician first.


Since I am pro-breastfeeding, I wrote this post a couple of years ago....

So I guess that's it for this one...
enough talk about boobs.
insert monkey with hands over mouth emoji.



Linking up with Holly, Sarah, Doranda, Morgan, Leanne, Elizabeth, Elena,  Madeline,  Jaymie,  Sydney, Danielle, Grace, Brooke.

---

Thank you for reading! I can be found on:

Facebook ::::::  Bloglovin' :::::: Twitter :::::: Instagram :::::: Shop My Closet

Thoughts on Lent, half-birthdays, breastfeeding and more {7qt}

Tweet

It's Friday, friends! Lucky Jen back in warm Austin, TX after encounter with the polar vortex in the midwest. See her quick takes about recording her book!

1. Sebastian




^^My little Lumberjack in his overalls^^

I blogged about my baby turning 6 months which reminds me of this poem.


2. Goodbye

After 34 months of use, I am saying goodbye to my pump. Yes, I complained a lot that it was pretty much an extra appendage during those 30 hour call days… But you never know what you have till it’s gone, eh?

After 3 babies, it’s a bittersweet ending. I complained that it was loud… but truly, it’s portable.
I am a grateful for insurance. Because of the affordable care act, rental pumps or personal pumps are covered. Did you know that?



3. Lent Family and personal goals



~~Found this site for reflections on daily Gospel. Rachel Balducci is contributing.

~~See our Lenten calendar

~~Pray a decade of the rosary with my children every Thursday. I praise all those families who can pray the entire rosary especially with toddlers. We pray before meals, before school and bedtime... but those are 5 minute prayer TOPS... a full rosary can be 15-20 minutes. Will we survive?



I am hoping for a prayerful, meditative time. Not one where my blood pressure shoots up to 150s systolic or higher. So for now, hubs agrees that a decade is a good goal to introduce praying the rosary with our kids.... wish us luck!

~~Calendar for grown-ups from the USCCB



4. Song

I am behind what's cool and hip as usual. Tell me who is not crazy about this song? If I was getting married this spring or summer, I will convince Derrick if we could have this as our first dance! totally.

**disclaimer: I googled the video, yikes! don't do it.** What I have linked above is the Grammy's version.


5. Money vs Time

I am enjoying this time away from work. It gives me time to think... Time to pray. Time to plan meals and cook which I love doing for my family. Time to read for fun. Time to just call my husband during the day to tell him I am thinking of him, without talking about finances, kid stuff etc. Working part-time means less money. But it's a paycut I am willing to take. I could ALWAYS work on being a good steward of what the Lord has given me.

How about you? How do you make good use of your time? How do you fight procrastination? How are you saying no to "retail therapy"?




6. Prayer request

My grandma is scheduled for knee replacement surgery 3/8 around noon in the Philippines (midnight 3/8 EST). She’s scared. I am scared. But I am trying to be brave for her.


7. Picture I am sharing



D: can I rub it off now?

---

Keep in touch

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Sebastian's half birthday

Tweet

Babies don't keep...



My sweet, sweet boy turned 6 months last Tuesday. He is slowly showing us his personality. He is still an “easy” baby. Feed him, he’s fine. Change him, he’s fine. Pick him up and cuddle, he’s fine.

One thing hubs and I have noticed is that his cries are LOUDER. This boy has lungs just like his sister. He even gets to the point that he will choke on his own saliva. Poor baby! He hates being placed back in his carseat around 7p or later because that's cuddle time with mummy already.

We haven’t started solids yet. He is interested with what we have on our plates though. It’s definitely the ORAL stage. He puts toys, books, blankets, sissy’s hair (yikes!), blocks, reward cards in his mouth.



^^ice cream on Mardi Gras, half birthday celebration for Bastian.

Sebastian’s schedule:
6:30-6:45a Last breastfeeding session before I go to work
7:30a He is awake and ready to leave the house
8-9:30 nap
9:30-10a first bottle
10a-12:30 play, play, play
12:30p second bottle
12:45p-2:30p second nap
Then up until about 4-4:30p
4:30p last bottle ~ which per my FIL and husband: he does not really eat much. Bastian is telling them he is ready to see his mama.
6p reunited with mummy! And feeding!
Play some more till about 7:30p, then he is pretty much ready for bed.
8:00 feed, then sleep
11:00p feed again
Throughout the night ~~ here’s my momma confession, I still wake up to feed him. But it’s pretty much very easy. He wakes up, I give in and nurse him then he goes back to sleep. Call this crazy. I call it my sacrifice so that I don’t have to go crazy pumping 16 oz or more during the day. {All my three kids have reverse cycle feeding}


Some of our goals these next months:

~obviously introduce solids. Let him discover foods. let him “play” and touch his foods {my heart rate is already rising just thinking of the mess…. But I will calm down}

~start introducing baby signs: we used the 3 most used signs with our babies. MILK, MORE, ALL DONE. My husband introduces/uses EAT, CHANGE. but the first 3 are the most used in our house.

~keep working on Sebastian's latch. I have had issues with plugged ducts and mastitis but that’s because I am less vigilant watching him with his latch. This means: NO browsing on Instagram when I nurse!!!


Half birthday for Isabel
Half birthday for Daniel

---

Keep in touch

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Life lately {7qt}

Tweet

1. Leader in me
If there is something worth being late for: it's seeing my firstborn receive a leadership certificate! granted, we were already late for the morning bell. The assistant teacher approached me: "Daniel is our leader of the week. If you want to stay for it. He does not know about it."

Wow.....
I thought he would be embarrassed and have a hard time going to the front of the assembly. He surprised me! He heard his name and gave me a quick 1-2 second look of disbelief. Then he turned around and went to the front!



{My son's school utilizes the Leader in Me process}

2. Cuddle time
My middle child (oh I hate that term) loves her cuddle time. She gets at least a cuddle time in the couch with me ~ without the baby. She also gets a "pick-me-up" and carry me time at least once a day. And it can be while I am cooking or cleaning or working out, literally ANYTIME.

Any of you moms/parents, having the same experience with their baby girl once they become an older sister?







Isn't she adorable?
Her mama thinks so!

ootd: Hello Kitty raincoat and rainboots ~ from Auntie Feli {thanks a bunch!}

3. Potty training
It is a battle. Definitely not one of my fave things of parenting. I saw this post by Stephanie and utilized quite a few tips. We used a timer. I ask her to go to the potty when I go (Sorry TMI). She goes to the potty right after waking up, getting up from a nap after breakfast and lunch. But I still seem to miss her potty time! What?!?!?! and of course, there's the "I don't want to, mummy."

I take the blame! Because when my husband is around, he is more proactive. When I am alone at home, I have the baby to feed/change and then food to prep, laundry to do etc etc distracting me. So I take all the blame that Isabel is still not 100% potty trained.




4. Temperamental boobas
Skip this take if bodily fluids and breasts make you feel uncomfortable.
I have had issues with plugged ducts with Isabel. This third time around is not any different. I had mastitis this past Christmas break. And since I have been part-time for 3 weeks, I have had plugged ducts from either breast at least 3-4 times!

Sebastian eats just an hour late from his usual feeding or skips one breast before I go to work and voila, expect a plugged duct!
oh what to do?
I used to think that oversupply is great! It takes off the pressure of meeting Sebastian's goals for pumped milk when I am at work. But when we are together, I make more than he can eat and this happens.

Two days after unplugging the plugged duct, the pain still persisted. next day, I have a fever without any other symptoms. No cough, cold, diarrhea, vomiting to blame. That's when I knew my fever and chills could only be because of the painful breast. OUCH.


I warned ya.

5. Spring is here!!!
Temps in the 50s-60s Mon-Fri. wow. I never thought this week will come.

But wait! Snow moving in tonight! Ugh.

6. Roof dam
High temps means melting ice and snow. We had a roof dam above our bay window and had a leak. Our pillows got wet. About two feet of the carpet in the family room was wet. The children's toys were also wet. I am worried about the ceiling of the bay window. Hubs said it won't happen again unless there's another roof dam.... I am not sure. I have to do more research.




Anybody with experience with such things? I am worried about mold.

7. Picture I am sharing
This week marks my first official week of clinical work.
Here's my little guy reading his first EEG. He did a great job!



Joining Jen @conversiondiary for my weekly 7 quick takes. head over to her site to view more quick takes. Happy weekend!

---

Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Instagram
• Facebook

Frigid temps, 365 photos, flu season, breastfeeding and Colts blue {7qt}

Tweet

1. unintentional blogging break.
There are tons of reasons why I haven't blogged since NYE. My blogpress app is acting up; I went back to work ; and the kids and I were sick for a few days. I worked on the three wisemen post for a few days ~ finally gave up when I realized the blogpress app won't cooperate. someday, someday I will post the wisemen's journey.

2. storm ion
8-13 inches of snow
air temps below 0
wind chills -30 to -55
What is going on???




I am fortunate I don't have to work this weekend when the blizzard plows through the midwest. Unfortunately the frigid air comes Monday. And yes, I have to cover the hospital.

Both our hospital and university already issued weather preparedness alerts and emails.
My plan to stay warm as a I travel to work:
~wear layers of loose clothing
~wear my astronaut looking snow shoes
~long johns and snow pants (over kill?)
~tank/cami, longsleeve shirt, cardigan/hoodie, down jacket (again? too much)
~I will bring extra blanket and clothes, at least 2 bottles of water, another pair of socks and undies (If I get stuck at work) and snacks
~ scarf, mittens, hat, gloves

3. 365 photos
My sister took 365 photos in 2012. She encouraged me to do it in 2013 but I did not commit until 11:58pm Dec 31, 2013 that I will do it this year.

Follow me on instagram where I will be posting my daily photos.
I wish to place my photos in a photo book once I've accomplished this challenge. It will be a fun photo diary, don't you think?

4. influenza season
I see a lot of influenza cases at work. And they are the worst of the worst. The flu A strain must not have been covered well in this year's vaccine. I know a few people who got it. And sadly, the ones who end up at the hospital are the ones who are immunocompromised (pregnant women, those with asthma, those with congenital disorders)
My children and I battled some viral illness. The children mainly had the cough. Derrick and I got the sore throat, headaches and myalgias (muscle aches)

5. Rough start
It was a rough end of 2013 and start of 2014 -- for me physically. Since Sebastian was sick, he was not latching well. He was nursing less. I had a plugged duct that did not go away. This progressed to full-blown mastitis. OUCH. Fevers and chills and bedridden for a couple of days equal NOT Awesome. I am happy to say I am way much improved. Thanks to antibiotics.

My take-home message for nursing moms:
i know it is hard to stop, rest and listen to your bodies -- but take a break. If there's a plugged duct, the best thing besides nurse, nurse, nurse is REST. I did not rest at all because it was the holidays. I felt a need that Christmas won't be Christmas if I don't continue our tradition. We did have a good Christmas. The after Christmas sickness was rough.

6. Blue weekend
It was a paint the town blue week here in Indy as the Colts host the Kansas City Chiefs for the wild card play off weekend.
I wore my blue all week. I just did not take photos of my outift! bummm.... but I took a pict of my tribal blue leggings!



7. Picture I am sharing

The loves of my life supporting our indianapolis colts!



Linking up my first 2014 post with Jen and the quick takers of the blog world!

---

Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Instagram
• Facebook

Blue and breastfeeding friendly {wiws}

Tweet

We must be the sign of "Immanuel" to the world. Instead of God nowhere, change the space to God now here. ~ from our pastor for this last Sunday of advent.





I am glad I found this dress on Old Navy when I was pregnant with Sebastian. It's a nursing dress. Wearing dresses when I am breastfeeding is always a tricky thing. I have a lot of dresses on hibernation because they are not breastfeeding friendly. I'd like to share the link here, but I cannot find it anymore.


dress: old navy // cardi: Gap (old) also seen here // coat: Jcrew factory (old) // crossbody: Burberry // tights: Kohls // suede ankle booties: Mia Soho limited.

My husband asked today while I was trailing behind with a toddler in my arms: Can you even run in those?



First: I have a toddler on my hip. that's why I am sloooowww.
Second: these ankle booties are actually comfy.
Third: I am a lady. I should not be running around ie not chasing kids... {which moms know that is not true. Job description of moms include "chase kids"}






link it up: FL&P
the pleated poppy blog
Thanks for hosting ladies!
Have a happy rest of Advent.

---

Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Instagram
• Facebook

Sky high

Tweet

Traveling with young children will either bring the best or worst out of a parent. I was not at my best behavior when I traveled with my almost 2 year old and 7.5 week old baby. Derrick is the sweetest and most helpful husband but I still found ways to raise my voice (swallowing the humility pill here and admitting my crankiness).

Low on sleep, waking up at 4:30a, no coffee yet, we were dropped off at the airport by my FIL to travel 792 miles.

My kids actually did pretty amazing. I was not given a hassle for traveling with frozen breast milk. My pump free in style which fits on the palm of my hand, looking suspiciously like an object that starts with a "B" cruised through the xray screening without problems. I was most impressed with my baby boy. Sebastian, while being held by Derrick, fell asleep while we were going through security! really!!!

Isabel had a mini tantrum after going through the metal detector. This was at 6am so I understand her moodiness. I called it a mini because she did not have her full blown crying tantrum. She did slide down from the stroller (she wasn't strapped yet) and whined. She was such a big girl walking down the plane -- all the way to the back! All 32 rows down. (why do families get placed at the back? oh yeah because kids cry!)

anyway, she needed tons and tons of encourgement while walking down the aisle. I could not pick her up because I have the baby bag, the drinks and the diaper clutch (we did not have time to stuff it back in the baby bag oops). She received compliments from the passengers: "Oh she's so cute." " look how adorable she is." One man said: "I don't blame her" when I whispered, "awesome job Isabel, go all the way down the back row"

As soon as the hum of the engines started, the two babies passed out sleeping. Lucky parents, we are! all 2.5 hours of sky high time, our Isabel and Sebastian were asleep. Sebastian woke up once to feed but went back to sleep again. He loved being cuddled by his mummy! we also got lucky that we did not have a third person at the back (who would have been the unlucky person to sit next to the D-crew! bless his/her heart!) so Isabel was able to sit on her OWN Seat!. how cool.





Isabel did not stop exploring her world. She truly enjoyed her first day of her mini vacation. She touched and pushed every single button in the hotel room. She turned on the TV and the alarm clock radio within minutes of us stepping inside the room. They gave us two Full size beds so Isabel had her own bed. She happily jumped up to one full size bed (I let her pick which one she wanted). She picked the one closest to the TV. Smart girl. She picked up the phone and started talking. She pushed all the buttons of the safe {!!!} and opened every single drawer in the room. I just love her curiosity. She reminded me to stay curious and exploring.







^^yep. Caught in the act Isabel!^^

Stay tuned for more Picts of our big D trip. {warning: more iPhone pix to come... And they're mostly underexposed, overexposed and selfies}

I'm in need of a nice camera.
And a tutorial for pic tap go from my sister.

Stay at home mom {my maternity leave}

Tweet

I like lists. I could have made a table to compare and contrast but I don't want to turn on my super old laptop to create an excel spreadsheet. So let's stick with bullet points and dashes as I write my experience as a stay-at-home mom aka maternity leave.

It's amazing {and funny!} when I explain to employers why I'm finishing in January 2014 instead of July 2013. It's taking me 5 1/2 years to finish my child neurology training instead of 5 years because of 3(!!!) maternity leaves. Derrick and I knew we wanted to start our family while I'm in training. But THREE kids during residency (whoo!) we didn't plan that. Just shows that even though I'm a planner, God is still in control!


D = Daniel, I = Isabel , S = Sebastian




Weeks of leave
D ~ 14 (!) weeks
The Peds chiefs couldn't find a rotation for me that I can come back mid- month so they asked if I'm ok extending my leave. And I said yesssss! We did not have kids in daycare then, plus we had savings so we were able to afford only one income and 8 unpaid weeks. Yikes.
I ~ 10 weeks
S ~ looking like it will be 9 weeks. Plan was to come back at 8 weeks but with interviews lined up, looking like 9 weeks this time.

Season
D ~ summer
I ~ winter
S ~ autumn
{do I hear spring baby next?!}

Sahm vs wohm?
D ~ sahm! I did not want to go back to work! At all!
I ~ wohm..... Isabel was a little fussy baby. I was about to loose my mind with cabin fever because of the winter cold. I could not wait to go back to work.
S ~ enjoying sahm experience. My baby is 3 weeks old and I'm loving my leave. Let's just see by 9 weeks if I'm ready to be a wohm.

**sahm = stay at home mom; wohm = work outside of home mom

Mood
D ~ summer sun does wonders. I had the baby blues early on but not postpartum depression till I went back to work! I missed Daniel so so much. It was also the h1N1 season then and visitors weren't allowed to the hospital. I was a mess because I could not see Daniel when i was on call. My first day back at work I was also on call - brutal! I was a MESS! I was away from Daniel for 30 hours :(
I ~ depressed. The wintertime is not good for postpartum moms, at least not the season for me. Isabel and I were stuck inside. No trips to the library, mall or store. It was cold!
S ~ so far so good. Summer/fall temps are nice to us.

Paternity leave
D ~ 4 weeks. We were first time parents. I did not know what i was doing. So thankful derrick stayed for a month with me and Daniel.
I ~ 2 weeks
S ~ 1.5 week


Exercise
D ~ walking at a week, mild Zumba (is there such a thing?) at 2-3 weeks. Yup, i was a go-getter then.
I ~ no walks! no Zumba. No nothing. My fault for not having the happy hormones during winter time.
S ~ walking at a week and half. So far, almost daily walks with Sebastian and Isabel. I'm thinking of starting this workout at 4 weeks.


Daily routine (where I talk about bodily fluids)
D ~ he ate every 1.5-2 hours! Hungry baby! He took his lovely time too. He had stools with every single feeding.
I ~ she's my barracuda feeder. She's efficient and nursed for 5-7 minutes per breast. She stooled every 5-7 days!
S ~ he nursed a lot even at day 1 of life. He stretches his feedings to every 3-4 hours but when he eats, he nurses for 1-2 hours, switching side to side to side. he cluster feeds but then will give me a stretch of 3 hours of sleep.


Trips
D ~ I remember going to the mall with Daniel. He was crying in the stroller while I was trying on shorts at banana rep. I was one of those nursing in public ~ with a nursing cover! We also went to weekly breastfeeding support groups and mother connection group (mommy and me group).
I ~ nope, nada. No trips.
S ~ we went for sushi after his one week well child check. But no trips to the mall yet. Just at target times three. If we are lucky and stars align, maybe Costco this weekend.

Borrow a DVD
D ~ Criminal minds. I watched all 3 seasons.
I ~ Bones. Watched almost all 5(?) seasons.
S ~ Rookie blue. Done with season one. Season two waiting for me at the library.

I've got a thing for gory, bloody shows and cops postpartum apparently. David boreanaz? Hello?

Anything special
D ~ we went to a friend's wedding at 6 weeks. It was an intimate table of 8 and I remember nursing Daniel all night long.
I ~ we went to the Super Bowl village a week before going back to work. I guess we did venture outside.
S ~ depending on the schedule, we are going for interviews with possible plane rides.

---

Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Instagram
• Facebook

Kids' faves {Five favorites}

Tweet

Here's what my kids are loving these days.

1. Books
I'm so thankful my firstborn loves {loves!} books! His love for books rubs off on his little sister. Here's what they're enjoying right now.

Dinosaurumpus:
Book from the transitional kindergarten book list. Derrick raps/sings the words of the book.



Anything Dora



via

2. These Popsicles from Costco.
Daniel asks for the strawberry. Isabel asks for the lime {yes, lime}. I get the pineapple.



Source

3. Light saber
Thanks to my dear friend SJ {same initials as baby d3}. It's Daniel's bday present.
It makes a buzzing sound. It lights up, red in this case. It makes a sound and lights flicker when touched or hit. Like a "real" light saber. Real as in the movies.







Source

4. Baby Stella
We gave Isabel this doll as her Christmas present. She carries her around and takes care of her ~~ like how I take care and feed Sebastian.



Via

5. My newborn's fave
Besides snuggles and kisses, mummy's milk is at the very top of Sebastian's fave things as a newborn!
To prepare practicing with the bottle, I pumped already last week. He slept for 4 hours {!!!} and I was getting uncomfortable. So I expressed milk!
I freeze my breast milk and save them using these bags from lansinoh. They've worked well for my other two.

Shout out to my mom who gave us her stand alone freezer. When I'm pumping, my milk bank usually lakes over 1/2 of our freezer in our kitchen. Where am I gonna put our freezer meals and Popsicles and ice cream? Solution: extra freezer. We are officially a big Filipino family. Extra freezer in the D-house!





Source

---

Linking up: five faves @ Hallie's.
Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Instagram

Facebook

Five Favorites {Newborn edition}

Tweet

Joining grace who is guest hosting the link up for my five faves this week.

I have a newborn. He's a week old today. It's no surprise this is the newborn edition.

1. My newborn Sebastian James. I'm in love with this little guy. Cameo appearance of big sis, Isabel.


2. Bouncer
Ours was a hand me down from a friend.Daniel loved it and so far Bastian loves his daytime naps on his bouncer.

Via

3. Sleep sack
My boy loves to be swaddled. We got ours from babies R us. But for better prices, check out the Riley safety store. They sell them for $8-12! Awesome deal!

Via

4. Boppy
I love it for breastfeeding. Since Sebastian is still very tiny, I still have to prop the boppy with tons of pillows.

Via

5. iBaby Log
Free app for recording nursing sessions, diaper changes, pumping times, activity, growth, milestones. Right now, I'm only using the breastfeeding and diaper logs. Another cool thing about it -- info can be synced with multiple devices and even shared with other caregivers.

---

Let's keep in touch:

• Twitter


• Facebook
• Bloglovin'


• Instagram