The Giles Files

You want me to do what with this bottle?
Can't I just play with it and squeeze it instead?

The month began with anticipation of an upcoming concert that Briant and I were planning to attend.
To drive to, eat and attend the concert meant that we would have to leave BOTH kids for about 8 hours. This made me a little anxious because it had never been done before, at least not with Callie. I decided it was time to figure out how to teach her to drink from someone but me and all the logistics behind that. As all you nursing mothers out there know this can be really hard or really easy. I say easy because if you have already consistently been giving them a bottle in whatever form (supplementing formula, pumped milk etc) than the transition will be a piece of cake. The earlier age you started this probably the easier. But, that was not my case. I had pumped for Callie a handful of times when she was younger, but haven't really done so again since she was about 4 months or so. Why? Because it was just easier, and I never really needed to. I never needed to go back to work, and I can usually fit the things I need to do by myself in between nursing (or I just held off on it for a while). But now that I had a reason, I knew I needed to prepare her, and give everyone the best outcome for the night.

So, I started out trying to pump. But, it was hard. I didn't have a storage so I had to pump just before she would normally nurse (otherwise I wouldn't get much-- she is only nursing 3-4 times a day now) and that was difficult to time just right (hard to know exactly when she will wake up and it's very difficult to do right before a meal or when she is awake and toddling around-- since you kinda need to be left undisturbed). So I thought, why not? I'll try to give her formula so I can at least get ahead pumping. SHE HATED IT. She would spit it right out.

After worrying and stewing about it for a week or so, I got thinking. Why not get her started early with cow's milk. When we go to the concert it will be 2 weeks before she turns one. I called her pediatricians nurse and asked if this was ok. She said it would be fine. And it worked out very well too. She loved cows milk. The weeks leading up to the concert I gave her a sippy with cow's milk during dinner, than I nursed her like normal after the meal. I gave her milk after her afternoon nap (which really helped me have more for her after dinner), and let her have more and more milk as the weeks went on. But really, it was all up to her. The week before we went to the concert, I gave her straight milk in her bottle sippy:

This think is awesome, It replaces the nipple, and is more
like a non spill sippy, but they still have to suck and it's
flexable. This was great because she was already used to
a sippy cup and really didn't do great with bottles anymore.

Then after she was asleep for the night, I pumped. Then every night I would give her what I pumped from the night before (which I warmed up in hot water first -- she didn't like it straight cold from the fridge but was ok with it just lukewarm), and pump again for the next day. It worked! She did great while we were gone. WOW! It really is a science for every kid, knowing what will work best for them and figuring out ways to get them to like it. I'm SO glad this is over. Sorry I know I explained in detail, but it was for me to remember for future reasons if need be.

This is what we did to prepare for General Conference.
Apostle Memory-- and it was a hit!

Callie crawling around while Andrew hated soccer.

I put Andrew in Soccer Shots. I thought it would be good for him. I thought he would like it. I was wrong. By about the 4th week it was starting to be VERY unpleasant. I was begging Andrew to play. I was trying to convince him it was what he needed to do. I was the only mom, who's kid cried at soccer EVERY week. I'm not proud of the yelling and crying and badgering I did because he wouldn't play. He would cry, and tell me he wanted to go home. I tried to reason and teach him the lesson I thought he needed to learn. I didn't want him to give up, I had good intentions of helping him learn that we give everything a fair chance (especially when we pay for it), and that meant sticking it out. But in the end, he taught me the lesson I need in parenting. I was being much too strict for such a little boy. This needs to be a time for him to have fun while he explores the many fun things in this world. He is too young to understand what giving up really is. Pushing and pressuring don't work for Andrew. He needs time to think about it and ultimately he needs to make the choice. He made that choice after 4 weeks. Soccer is not for him right now. I learned that you don't have to focus on what they aren't doing and that it isn't like everyone else. Parents need to focus on their kids strengths. Andrew is SMART, and he can do so many other things. But I have learned a lot about him in the past couple months. He doesn't like to perform (for anyone but those he is closest to). He doesn't learn very well in a group setting (yet). He hates it when people give him any sort of attention in a crowd-- cheering etc. And the biggest thing I've learned is that this is OK! He is still young and there is plenty of time for things like this later. Who said your kid had to succeed in sports at an early age to be successful. For now, we will focus on other strengths and one on one time.

Picnic afterwords.

Andrew got the stomach bug. Bleh! Not fun.

She loved helping me take notes... or really just playing with
everything I was trying to use.

Wait mom, don't we know that girl.
She dances to MOTAB BTW.

Organizing sticker labels

Friends b-day party! He does love these a lot.

Woah! What hair you have!

Green!

Preschool friends!

Baby! She loved touching it's face.

Andrew's first time dying eggs! He LOVED it!

Look really close, you can see Andrew wrote his name without
tracing.

I let her rip up a Kleenex this particular morning so I could do piggies!

These kids are ready for summer!

Enjoying sunshine after grocery shopping!

Swinging smiles.

She really loves to just play in the bark.

Mom, I really like being on this side of the door.

She loves her brother's dump truck.

Love this one.

Loving on daddy before work.

Reluctant to do any sort of hands it cheer.
It was really cold this week.

Warming up after soccer.

One good thing that came from soccer. He got a stamp and
now he likes temporary tattoos.

He's got some great funny faces!

Handsome boy after a haircut.

I love these off center part piggies!

Ahhh! This tree is coming to life and it is so good for my soul.

Crawling at the park

This is the week Callie started walking.

She loves playing in the dirt! White pants are no
longer an option.

Andrew never tires from playing in the dirt either.

Helping Daddy read family scriptures.

Hello old jumping friend. You will help me
get fit this summer right?

She loves the fire truck.

They discovered the cat door on our unit's bathroom door.
Which is good, because it keeps them distracted while
I am using the facilities.

Walking everywhere!

11 Months!

Practice makes perfect. Love her jellys.

Mama has a hairstyle now. And highlights
for the first time in 6 years.

She practices Yoga in her sleep.

She loves to dance to any kind of music on the TV.
This day it was MoTab again.

Oh those lovely bonks that come with wobbly steps.

I guess I can't let her play with my necklaces anymore.

These are back on the "I will eat" list. And it's a
good thing too. They are great on the go food (especially
now that she has learned to suck and not squeeze for the most
part), and she is finally getting more veggies!