Working and pumping

I feel so incredibly fortunate to work in an environment where not only is breastfeeding and pumping normal, but it's encouraged and celebrated. Being a nurse we are allotted two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch on our 12 hour shift. I unfortunately am not a fast pumper. It usually takes me anywhere from 25-35 minutes to get the 8 ounces I need every pump to feed the LPs. And usually I only get 7 ounces and have to hand express an additional ounce. Luckily, I explained this to my supervisors and they have been willing to work with me. It's a horrible feeling to know there is work to be done and people who are pulling my weight when I'm pumping. I feel guilty, but on the other hand, I feel more guilty if I'm not getting my babies everything they need. They are my number one priority. I will say it again- I am SO BLESSED to work where I work and with the people I work with. 

Here are some essentials for me for pumping at work:

1.  H2O - I cannot explain how thirsty I get or how important water is for hydration while breastfeeding. I've also noticed that if I'm not producing as much as I'd like, drinking - ok gulping in my case - some water usually leads to another letdown which equals MORE MILK!

2. My hands free pumping bra. What would I do without this bad boy!?!??  It frees up my hands so I can catch up on work emails and charting. 

3. Medela Pump and Style Breast Pump. I was able to get mine free through my insurance company and I highly recommend that everyone look into this. Not all insurances will do it but take advantage of it if they will! We use medela pumps at the hospital and I am currently renting a hospital grade pump at the house. Their products are the only ones I've used so I cannot base how well other products work - I just know I'm happy with what I've used thus far! Their parts are easily replaceable and you can even find their replacement parts on amazon!

4. Lancinoh breast storage bags. These are what I use to store my breastmilk. We have a breast milk refrigerator and this makes it easy to label my milk with my name and time I pumped in order to keep it separate from the other nursing mamas. 

5. Snacks! I always eat a snack while pumping. Sometimes it's hard to get a bite in at work because we are busy. Having a snack on hand helps me feels satiated and helps keep my supply up. 

6. Speaking of supply.... My supply definitely went down when returning to work. I was started on reglan to help bring it back up. I've noticed some small changes which I appreciate. I make exactly what the LPs eat. Not going to complain about that. 

7. Medela Sanitizing Steam bags. I just toss my bottles and parts in one if these bad boys, add some water, and pop it in the microwave for three minutes and whala! Sterile parts for the next session!

8.  Freezer size ziplock bags. If I'm running low on time, I don't worry about sanitizing my parts. Instead, I lock them in my Baggie and stick em in the fridge. It keeps bacteria from growing and I can use them for my next pumping session without an issue! So glad I found that tip on Pinterest. 

9. Pinterest brings me to my next item. My phone! If I'm done charting and done checking my email, then my iPhone enters the picture. I can look at pics of the LPs which helps me make more milk and allows me to have a little time to myself to play on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook. Ah, modern technology!

10. Last but not least, a nursing tank. This makes putting my hands free bra on a lot easier. I just pull down my tank and pull up my hands free bra. Easy as pie! You're set to pump. 

Is there anything you absolutely can't live without while pumping??? Let me know!

All pics are courtesy of a google search! If they are yours, thank you!!!! Please let everyone know. Still working on how to figure out tagging people on here and giving them credit. :)

Wide world of sports

What a disappointing football weekend for the Jobs! Sunday morning we got up and fed the boys. Nick rested some more while I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee. That is rare. Normally by the time I get a sip, it's either old or been reheated 3+ times! Anyway, after the LPs second feed, I asked if we could watch church. Our church streams live from their main campus every Sunday morning. Nick hooked us up through my iPad and our Apple TV. 

Church was good. The pastor is doing a new series called #50shadesofthey. He tends to do spinoffs on whatever is currently popular and brings them to us in a biblical way and makes them relatable. The "they" he is referring to are all the people in our lives. Are we surrounding ourselves with a good group of "they"? People who lift us up and don't bring us down, people who are Christ followers. Who are the they in your life and do you need to reevaluate who you surround yourself with?  It was a great sermon and made me think. 

Our good friends Jeff and Whitney (G) invited us over to watch the Cowboys game.  They were having some people over and smoking some ribs and salmon. We had a great time. The boys loved being around everyone and of course everyone adored the LPs. 

The Cowboys lost. It was an unfortunate thing because they should have won in my opinion. They had a bad call that cost them the game. I can't help but think sometimes these things are rigged. Anyway, we headed home to watch the Broncos play. It was a terrible game. All around - no excuses. In fact, I can't talk about it it makes me so mad. On the flip side, my main squeezes looked adorable!

Monday I spent the day loving on the nuggets. We all got adjusted and I spent most of the day breastfeeding. It was a great day !!!!

Presidential day!

My mom and our friends Sue and Lori drove up from San Antonio Thursday night to hang out with us. After I got off work Thursday, Nick, the boys and all the ladies went to Matts- a very kid friendly Mexican restaurant. The LPs were angels and slept through our whole dinner!

Friday, the ladies came over and we went to brunch at the original Breadwinners ( can you tell this place is a favorite?!?!) it was freezing outside and the boys were rocking their bear suits! 

After breadwinners we headed to the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Talk about an amazing place! I cannot wait to go back. Mostly because my LPs were a little on the feisty side while we were there so I missed out on the tour. It's ok though! We will go back!

The LPs were hungry - bordering on HANGRY!  I fed P first and he did great. I then fed K. There was nothing there for me to be able to heat up their bottles and Knox doesn't keep cold milk down very well as we soon discovered. Knox more than christened the floors of the library. Thankfully everyone was more than sweet to us and they LOVED that we named the boys after former Presidents. The staff knew who we were and were calling the boys "the little presidents."   It was heart warming! 

They "met" the Bush twins. 

In the Oval Office

We ordered Fireside Pies that Nick picked up, along with my moms favorite custard from Wild About Harry's. We had quite the feast!!!

This morning we got up and met the ladies for brunch at the Hyatt where they were staying. It was a fun weekend and it's not even over yet! 

Ladies men!

Love!

Me time

There hasn't been a whole lot of "me time" since the boys arrived. I'm not complaining though. When I do have any time to myself, all I want to do is get home because I miss my LPs so much!

Since returning to work, there had been zero time for me to take care of myself. I need highlights desperately ( I'm so thankful I choose the ombré route!) My cuticles are a mess and my nails haven't been done in over 5 weeks. My toenails are talon like and getting stuck on my socks ( gross) and my eyebrows are Brooke Shields esq circa 1980. It's bad people. Really bad. 

I asked Nick this past weekend if I could have Lena come for a few hours so I could take care of business. He was all for it. I'm sure he's tired of my snagglie  nails, bushy eyebrows and greasy mommy hair. So Lena was notified and on board with coming over. 

Lena arrived around 9 and I hurriedly tried to get out of the house. I had things to do!!!

First stop, the post office. My Aunt had sent a package that was supposed to be delivered but it bypassed the house and went straight to the post office. We weren't even notified. Thankfully my aunt had insured it and was able to track it down. 

Second stop ( insert angels singing hallelujah here) Starbucks followed by nails. Starbucks has my absolute FAVORITE coffee right now. It usually comes out in February but is out early this year. It's called Casi Cielo and is from Guatemala. It's the perfect combo of lemon and dark chocolate and it's the one brew I hoard. I keep a bag or two in my freezer to hold me over throughout the year and "just in case of an emergency". If you've never tried it - hurry and get your booty to Starbucks before I buy them all out! ;)

Getting my nails done is one of my favorite things to do. Angela was the lady who did my tootsies and she did an amazing job. I opted for shellac on my toes since it lasts longer and who knows when I'll get the opportunity for another "me day"! Unfortunately, getting a mani/pedi ate away at a lot of my time. But it was worth it!

I stopped by Wells Fargo and got money out for Lena. The drive thru is conveniently located next to a walgreens drive thru. I was able to kill two birds with one stone by picking up the boys Zantac.  Score! #winning

Next stop, Cafe of Life! They moved to a new house pretty close to where we live.  I had not been adjusted since before the holidays and it felt incredible. I love the old building and was having a hard time with the thought of going somewhere else but this place has the same aura and I felt so at peace waiting for my turn. 

I was limited on time after that and ran into Wal Mart to grab a few things - top of my list : DIAPERS! Then bananas for Lena. I noticed it's about the only thing she eats and we were out!

I quickly made my way home to snuggle with my sweet LPs. Daddy was able to get off early which meant I got to have coffee with my dear friend, Whitney (G). 

Whit and I don't get to get together near as much as I would like. She is such a sweet friend and I love her presence. She's so positive and her love for Jesus is blatantly apparent. She's the type of person who exudes His spirit. Love that girl. We even did a little shopping at one of my favorite boutiques. Scratch that- I did a little shopping ;)

This "me day" was much needed and although I didn't get everything I wanted to get done, done, I felt human again and was rejuvenated having had adult conversation. Thanks Nick-o. This mommy really needed this day. Love you.

 

Mommy and me

We went to our first "mommy and me" lunch yesterday at Northpark's Breadwinners. It was so much fun! My sweet friend Kelly ventured out with her little boy, Jackson to join us. 

I recognized a lot of the girls because most of us go to the same chiropractors at Cafe of Life. It was exciting to get out and meet new people. Plus, it's always nice when there are people who want to help feed babies!

The LPs did fabulous! Much better than Sunday! I swear their little bear outfits are their favorite. Two of my favorite doulas, Melissa and Laura ( the hostesses) helped feed the nuggets. I then bundled then up in their bear outfits and within 5 minutes, both boys were out. They slept through Kelly and I pumping, Kelly feeding Jackson, and doing a lap around the mall. They didn't even flinch when we got home so I left them in their car seats asleep while I finished up laundry, washed their bottles and picked up the house a little. 

I had to wake them up! I was afraid they wouldn't sleep at night if I didn't!!! I breastfed them for about an hour and enjoyed every second of it. I know I've said this before, but I absolutely adore looking down and watching their sweet faces as they eagerly eat. My letdown is so fast and they quickly slow down their pulls.  I love hearing them suck and swallow. I especially enjoy watching them come to a stop, pull away, and smile while they are still attached but not yet ready to be finished. 

After eating they sat in their bumbos. As long as they can see me, they do really well. They sat in the kitchen while I made bottles and then I brought them into the bathroom so I could shower. They did better than ever. Mommy showered and dried and curled her hair before a total meltdown ensued by P man! Only solution when he gets like that - wear him! The second I strapped him on, he was O-U-T!

Nick got home and took over while I went to Kelly's to watch The Bachelor. This is our third season watching it together and I was really looking forward to it. While I was there, I got this text from Nick:

He is so awesome and I appreciate him so much. I needed a night to hang out with the girls!!! I'm hoping it becomes a regular Monday night thing. Usually he had guys night on Mondays so I am hoping we can take turns :) it's all about compromise right!?!?!

Word

Last year, I chose a word that was going to be my word of the year. It was hope. I hoped that I would become a mommy. I hoped I would get pregnant. I hoped that I would carry a baby (babies) to term. I hoped that what I desired was in God's plan. I hoped to be a better wife, friend and above all, a better Christ follower. My hope was guided by prayer. And He answered my prayers beyond my hopes. 

This year my word is joy. I pray I find joy in the day to day things. From enjoying 5 minutes of quiet time with The Lord every morning, to enjoying 5 minutes of a fresh cup of coffee. I pray I find joy when my kiddos are having a difficult day, as well as when they meet new milestones and we have so much to celebrate. I pray I find joy daily at simple tasks such as making bottle and doing laundry. I pray my attitude is one of joy each and every time I assist in bringing new life into the world. I pray I find the joy in every thing that I do. 

What is your word of the year? What are you striving for as we embark on another 365 days???

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

From our family to yours, Happy New Year!!! I am looking forward to whatever 2015 has in store for us.  In all honesty I was completely unprepared for what God had planned last year.  Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting here writing this post with two little nuggets by my side.  I am looking forward to watching the boys continue to grow and learn.  It's such a rewarding experience, yet time seems to be passing by at record speed.  I feel like just yesterday I was on Antepartum counting the days until I was 35 weeks and now the LPs are already 15 weeks old!

We spent the day snuggling and enjoying each other's  company. It's cold and rainy out so we are cozy in the house! It's a far cry from the hangover we all had last year and I am thankful for that!!! Happy New Year everyone. Make it the best year yet!

Happy New Year Everyone!