Of Pukes & Poops

Well, judging from the title I'll bet you can guess we didn't have the healthiest weekend. When I say "we" I mainly mean little Miss Payson. She was fine until Friday night when, after her bedtime nursing, I stood up to put her in her crib and she threw up all over me, several times (sorry to get graphic, but upon washing out our clothes when P and I were in the shower, Matt had to wash vomit out of my socks!). It was a LOT of vomit; I was covered from neck to ankles. Yuck.

So, I tried to nurse her back to sleep after our shower and she threw up all over me... again. So, it was off to the shower again and then to bed, late, with an empty tummy. She was up at night to nurse but it not for too long or too many times, and no more vomiting, thank goodness. Saturday she had a low grade fever, cresting 100 only once, and Sunday she didn't have a fever except at bedtime (99).

The worst part about all of this is that the poor thing isn't eating. It's during times like these, which luckily haven't been too many, that I am so happy I am still nursing Payson. She wouldn't eat anything practically all weekend, and didn't drink much either. Luckily she was very interested in nursing as I know dehydration could be a concern.

However, the exclusive nursing caused poor Matt to revisit the newborn days of poop and blowouts. I went skiing as Matt put Payson down for a nap. As they were reading, Payson had a humungous blow out - up to her armpits. Poor Matt had to strip her down and give her a bath and get her to take her nap, which after all that excitement she wasn't too thrilled about. Good timing on my part! Apparently this all happened about 10 minutes after I left. I felt so badly!

Perhaps as some of you are reading this you are shaking your head in disbelief that I am still nursing Payson. Yes, she's almost 16 months old! Before becoming a (breastfeeding) mom, I never really thought I'd nurse Payson past a year. Not that I was opposed to it, but I just thought I'd nurse to a year and then it would somehow mysteriously stop. But, as life has a way of doing, things have just kind of worked out on their own and here we are, still nursing. Typically, when Payson's healthy, she's only nursing 2 times a day. I am STILL pumping once a day at work, 4 days a week. God, I hate pumping. I'm still doing it because Payson still requests a nursing session after her nap during the weekends, so I feel I need to keep my supply up. I was going to try and distract her this weekend so I could stop pumping and really only nurse 2 times a day, all week, but then she got sick. We'll see for next weekend.

Since I am only nursing so infrequently, my supply has really dwindled. It's really neat that when Payson needs it, my supply bounces right back. In general, it's odd to have a smaller supply because with so many other things in life we're always used to producing more and better - and to have it go down is kind of counterintuitive. But it's natural, and it's really cool that our bodies are designed to do this.

Enough about nursing for now. I will just end by saying I've loved the experience but I am ambivalent about stopping - I am excited to regain some freedom, but also sad about the closeness that will be lost. Payson's not the cuddliest kiddo, so it's nice to have that time together. And it's also great nutrition for the little skinny peanut (and a nice balance for my weight, too!).

Here's the part you really are coming to this blog for - the pictures. As you can see, even though Payson was sick, she certainly wasn't acting like it! We still managed to have a fun weekend, and luckily we didn't have many plans. We did miss out on a playdate with our friends the Kramers but we didn't think it would be best to infect them and little Leah. Hopefully we can reschedule soon.

I was able to meet my exercising goals this week, which I was very excited about! I try to get out 2 out of my 4 working days, and I went on two 40 minute runs this week, a walk on Sat. (my belly was feeling a little weird so I didn't push it), and a 50 min. cross country ski today in gorgeous 40 degree weather. I'm looking forward to running tomorrow with P & Z and to attending my 2nd yoga class!

We have to fit a lot of laundry in on the weekends - Payson helps by wearing it...



..and riding in it! She LOVES riding in the basket!

We took a walk on Saturday - doesn't she looked thrilled?

Good thing Matt has long arms!

Zoe's favorite swimming spot in warmer weather.

These boots were made for walking...

Helping me make corn bread! It actually turned out to be the best I've made. Perhaps it was Payson's skills, or perhaps it was the whole milk (we usually use low fat).

Sunday morning Payson didn't get enough sleep & took an unprecedented nap on the couch while Matt read up on climbing & rigging.

We put some old toys away and brought up some new stuff, like this chair.

This kid loves to be outside, climb stairs, play in the mud, & swing! Can't wait for more warm weather!

We wore poor Matt out. Phew! Dad, are you still alive?

This last picture is of our family quit square that all the families made for daycare this week. We were pretty pleased with how it came out!

Easter Weekend

As you can see, I've changed the look of this blog. It probably won't be the last time as I'm struggling to find a template I like and that I can change the colors of the elements I'd like to. Bear with me as I'm sure I'll change it again soon. Grrrr...

We had a busy but really, really fun weekend! After our walk with Jami, Braydon, and the doggies on the Libby Hill Trails (see my last post), we headed home for Payson's standard post-lunch nap and then got ready to go to Mimi & Papa's for an "Easter Eve" dinner. I've captured some of Payson's newest pasttimes below!

Payson LOVES to play in "her drawers," which typically works out well for us as well if we're getting ready in the bathroom. However, she's getting more skilled now at taking caps on and off, pulling floss, etc. so I don't know how much longer this will last. Then what will we do? (Oh yeah, you can also check out our recently tiled bathroom, courtesy of Matt & Ray! I think it looks GREAT!)

Oh yes, and here's proof that Payson is really walking nowadays. (See the floss? At least she's into oral hygiene.)

Looking cute with dad before we left.

Under dad's legs with some eggs Mimi & Papa dyed. Little did we all know they'd turn Payson's hands blue and green for a couple days!

Practicing crouching skills, eggs still in hands, ears on head. Quite the talents.

Not only is Zoe no longer the center of attention, but we still make her do stupid stuff like wear these bunny ears. She's thrilled, as you can see!

A cute picture of Mimi, Papa, & Payson.

To start off our Easter morning, as I was folding laundry Payson insisted I put several pairs of socks on her feet, pajamas and all. Her personality continues to shine through and it's quite funny! She must know how much Matt and I loved the '80s.

We headed to Merrifield Farm in Gorham for Maine Maple Sunday. We were joined by Nanie and Grampy Plummer and we had a great time! Payson especially loved looking at all the animals, and Nanie was happy to take her back and forth between the bulls, calf, and the pigs. It was freezing, but we managed to choke down ice cream topped with maple syrup. Yum!

Matt & Payson in the sugar shack.

Payson and I hopped on a cart pulled by 2 bulls. I'm pretty sure it was not OSHA approved as we almost fell off the back going up this steep hill. Payson loved it though; she mooed at the bulls and squealed as we bumped along the frozen road.

After that eventful morning, we went home for the lunch/nap routine and then went over to our friends the Heslers for Easter dinner and play time. Christine and TJ have 2 little girls, Delaney who is almost 4 and Allie who is 2. They had a blast playing together!

The fabric tube was a huge hit (Allie left, Delaney right). I would love to get one!

Payson really enjoyed it!

... and Christine and I had fun, too, although we couldn't fit in the tube together!

The Easter Bunny brought the Hesler girls a new ATWagon!

The Easter Bunny didn't really bring Payson anything. In fact, we didn't really have the "Easter spirit" until the weekend started. I guess we should start getting into these holidays as Payson's starting to (kind of?) "get" what's going on. I'll have to deal with religion, too, I suppose, because I personally feel like we should know what the holiday actually signifies and not just celebrate it for the candy, icons, etc. But that's a subject for another time.

I am really enjoying blogging, although I am getting a little obsessed. Maybe it will wear off once I find a layout I like! Poor Matt, he thinks I'm nuts. He's actually asleep now as I type this. Guess I should head to bed, too.

As an aside, I like to report on my exercising accomplishments in this blog as it's a good way to keep me motivated. I went to my first of 6 yoga classes with Jami last night through Windham Adult Ed. Stacy is signed up, too, but poor Alison was sick again and Stacy couldn't make it. It felt really great, but wasn't a great workout per se. I still enjoyed it tremendously. After work today Zoe and I went on a 35 minute run. For some reason Zoe lags behind me on road runs, which drives me NUTS as I'm running down the road dragging this hunting dog with supposed amazing endurance behind me. If I get her on the trails, she's fine. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the road salt and sand irritating her paws. Maybe she's just rather be on the trails.

Anyways, I'm off to bed. Love any comments, either on the blog or via email. Let me know what you like and what you don't!

Life in the Pack

As you know, Payson enjoys spending part of her weekends in her backpack. Last Sunday (3-16) we snowshoed with the Smiths near home to a spot on the Presumpscot River I had never been before called Devil's Den. Apparently the River is quite deep in this spot, allowing for an amazing rope swing system I hope to make use of this summer! If you follow a nearby tributary upstream a little ways, there's a really cool gorge... amazing that all of this is about a mile from home.

The Presumpscot River at Devil's Den

The gang, minus me and Milo

Trekking up the trib to the gorge

Payson is helping to keep Matt's back nice and strong

The gorge

We had a busy week! No theme days at Daycare, but we all attended my work's Annual Meeting at work on Thursday. Now that Payson's walking well, she can finally wear dresses (it was a challenge with crawling as she'd get stuck on the hem). This was a great one for the first day of spring! She did pretty well at the Meeting, except for once when she let out a really loud screech during the presentation of awards. Matt took her outside for awhile until that portion ended. Oops!

Matt's responsible for this silly 'do on bath night. Pretty cute! It's really becoming a challenge to take good pictures of little miss P. She's all over the place, all the time, and is not interested in sitting/standing still and smiling!

As for eating, Payson is still pretty messy. We don't really care; it's all part of her learning. I care a lot less than I thought I would, which is great (& a relief - things can get pretty wild & sticky!). She's been weilding a spoon for awhile now, and just started with a fork a couple weeks ago. This pic is from this morning. I am totally fixated on protein for breakfast, so I was happy she was going hog wild with this cottage cheese. I am also fixated on fruit for breakfast. Well, to be honest, I would like Payson to eat a grain, fruit/veggie, and protein at every meal. Who knows if this is right? I think I need to take a class on nutrition. All I know is that when she eats a ton of cheese, she needs to eat some prunes, too. I have found I really enjoy prunes! Who knew they'd be so tasty?
We called my friend Jami and headed to the Libby Hill Trails in Gray for a nice spring walk (in winter weather). Payson was thrilled to be back in the pack after a nice protein-rich breakfast. The doggies loved it. Jami's 8 month old son, Braydon, seemed to enjoy it too - his first venture in his pack!

I went on a 40 min. run during Payson's nap today, which I was pretty pleased about. It was great weather for a run. We went to Shirley & Ray's for a pre-Easter dinner and I have some cute pictures from that, but I'm pretty tired so I'll try to post them tomorrow or Monday. We are looking forward to joining Vern & Jane for Maine Maple Sunday tomorrow at Merrifield Farms, and then we're going to Christine & TJ's for an Easter Dinner! A busy but really fun weekend!

Eggstravagant

This week at Daycare we had yet another theme day - barnyard animals. Payson was a pig; again her hair came in very handy in enhancing her costume. Some day I'll figure out how to put videos on here - her piggy noise is the best. She snorts as opposed to saying "oink."

Today we went to the Easter Eggstravaganza in Old Orchard Beach with our favorite partners in crime, the Smiths. I was a little concerned there wouldn't be age-appopriate activites for Alison and Payson, but it turned out there were! It's so exciting that Payson's finally getting old enough to actually DO stuff like this. Here are some pictures of the day! It was a ton of fun.

Pictures with the elusive Mr. Easter Bunny himself!

The Easter Egg "Hunt"

A tub with rubber ducks - Payson's favorite.

She splashed around so much she got her face wet!

Otherwise, things here are status quo - busy but good. I registered for Beach to Beacon today, which is a very popular 10K road race held each August (registration for 5,700 entrants opened at 9 am today and as of 7 pm only 1,400 spots were left!). I think this will be my 8th year running the race. I have had a fairly good winter exercise-wise, getting out on my skis and running a decent amount. I actually did my FIRST road bike ride of the season on Friday afternoon, 3/14, and then went skiing in a couple inches of new snow this morning! It's always a strange switch over period when I can both ski and bike. It means spring's around the corner!

I will do my best to update this blog weekly. Let me know what you think in the comments! Have a great week! We are looking forward to Maine Maple Sunday next week, and to an Easter Dinner (of roast beef) at Shirley & Ray's on Saturday afternoon.

Catching Up

Although it would make most sense to start with the present, I've got to share some of February's highlights. We'll start with Payson's Theme Week at Apple Blossom Daycare, which occured mid-February. Good thing I can explain these - otherwise they'd be a little confusing! Matt and I had a great time pulling her costumes together. We picked up many of the supplies at our (my) favorite store, Goodwill. There's nothing like a good bargain!

The first day was Story Book Character Day. Payson was Maisy (a mouse, for those of you not in-the know). Her hair comes in handy, as she removes most hats.

The next day was Sports Day. Payson decided on her own to follow in mom's footsteps. We're so proud, and she looks great in running tights, diaper and all.

The last day Payson attended was Disco Day. I don't know who came up with this idea, but it generated some pretty funny costumes. I hope they do 80's day next year! I even sewed this week. Motherhood makes you realize talents you didn't know you had. I'm not sure fashion is one of mine, but oh well.

My mom came to visit the weekend after Theme Week. She was a little surprized by the sequin tank top (Payson's Disco dress) lying around the kitchen; I assured her I hadn't recently incorporated slinky sequin tops into my wardrobe.

We went to the Sebago Lake Ice Fishing Derby on Saturday. The snow and ice carvings were very impressive! Payson got to view the Derby and activities from her favorite spot, the backpack. She's been spending a lot of time in it this winter.

Mom, or Nana Dori, as she is known around these parts, and Payson spent some QT together reading. This picture is really cute.

The next week at Daycare we had yet another theme day for preschool - Occupations Day. Guess who Payson wanted to be? The Education Coordinator at her local Soil & Water Conservation District? No, she opted for the more exciting occupation in her household. Matt made the saddle out of nothing but the finest tree climbing equipment - duct tape. I had a hard time putting it on over her Carhartts, so if it looks twisted it's because it is. And yes, that's Payson's very own chainsaw. It is ANSI approved. Don't forget your bottle of breastmilk when you're climbing trees. It is very strenuous work!

Other than all of this, we have been having a ton of fun outside in the record amounts of snow we've received this winter. Our plow berm at the end of our driveway is a great sledding hill. Payson also enjoys crawling around in the snow (which surprised me - it looks pretty tough!) and even crawled up the steep plow berm. Hmmmm. I sense a little dare devil!

She also enjoys doing some yoga poses while simoltaneously hydrating. Needless to say I am laughing a lot these days.


I'm so thankful Payson loves being outside as much as I do. I'm looking forward to warmer weather, but the winter's been pretty fun!