A moment in time

Sometime I just want to freeze time!  My baby is already 9 months old!  My big baby is 2!  I already miss that cuddly newborn stage.  I am starting to forget that little baby smell.  Kenny is already turning into a stinky, smelly boy.  Loralei is looking older every day.  I find it impossible to capture everything that I want to remember (Kenny is starting to hate his picture taken more and more)!  I want to capture everything!  I wish we had a way to bottle all those sweet baby smells and capture all the coos and  giggles.

She is always sucking on her fingers!

Those big blue eyes!

I love that she is getting enough hair to have "bed head"

The way her smile lights up her entire face!

Those chubby wrists!  My uncle says
they have rubber bands around them

The way he looks so shy sometimes!

His tantrums still make him look like my baby!

This face that just cracks me up!

That smile and those eyes!  Slay me!

His idea of a selfie!

The Magic Mansion

That is what the Magic House has become!  That place is huge!  I have only been there for Field Trips recently, so we were only in one small part of the Magic House.
We met my good friend Jennifer and her sister in law and her kids.  Jenn lives in Florida now, so I don't get to see her as often as I would like! 

Kenny got to meet Sid the Science Kid!

Future Supreme Court Justice?

Future President!

Future Rams Player?

These 2

I absolutely love watching the 2 of them together!  Kenny just loves his baby!  He wants to do everything with her and I just love it!  I hope they are always close!

Mommyhood =/= sisterhood

It always amazes me how judgmental other moms are.  I am not talking about making suggestions on products or sharing the latest studies.  I am talking about judging, as in " you didn't start solids until 6 months!" or "Why didn't you cloth diaper" to " I can't believe you are breastfeeding in public!"  "You breastfed for how long?!?"  I always thought strangers would be the ones to make those comments, but that isn't always the case.  Here is a news flash....

Mom's know their kids best!  Mom's also know their own abilities best. 


Cloth diapering was something I looked in to. Then I remembered my horrible gag reflex.  Not going to work in this house. 

I exclusively breastfeed until 6 months.  I have done my research and it is what I felt was best for my babies!  You say you started at 4 months, or 3 months, or 8 months?  Then that must have been what was best for your baby.

I breastfed Kenny until he was almost 18 months old.  I breastfed through my entire pregnancy!  I would be tandem breastfeeding right now but Kenny self weaned about 3 weeks before Loralei was born.  My goal was 2 years or until he self weaned.  We met that goal.  Again, it is what I thought was best for my child.  You breastfed for a week, month, 6 months, year?  Great!  You formula fed?  Great.  It must have been what worked best for your family.  This was probably the thing I received the most criticism from.  Family, friends, coworkers, strangers, you name it!  The US is one of a few countries that doesn't extend breastfeed.  Just a little info.

I made my own baby food.  It was usually cheaper.  But if there was an awesome sale on the jar stuff, I bought it!   Again, it is what worked best!

Now, that is not to say that advice isn't appreciated it.  I know that I am guilty of advice, even unsolicited advice.  Sometimes it is because I am really excited about a product or discovery I made.  Sometimes it just comes out.  I also think that advice and suggestions done out of love and respect for the other mom are completely different than judging that mom. I also know that we are all guilt of judgment of others.  I know I judge when I see inappropriate parenting.  Letting your kid curse and use racial slurs ?  Yeah, I judge that.  If your kid is a bully and you aren't doing anything about it?  I will judge that as well.  Letting your kid eat a piece of cake for breakfast?  That doesn't deserve my judgement, mainly because I have done it as well.  Jar food over home made? Both are nutritious! 

Let's all try to support other moms (and dads!) instead of judging them!  We are all just trying to do the best we can! 

Now on to some cute pictures of Loralei's first food  (Gasp!  She is already 6 months old!)

My favorite things

The way he still wants to snuggle with me at night

The way she reaches for my face when nursing

The way he says "Oh" in response to almost anything

Her smile

His dimples

The way he loves on her

Her baby coos

When all four of us are in bed and yet Travis still finds a way to put his arm around me

How she got here

I woke up at 6:00a with a backache and a little bit of spotting.  I called my doctor and he told me that it could be early labor and to keep an eye on it.  At about 7:30a, I started having time able contractions at about 10 minutes apart.  Travis was at a job interview, so I didn't want to call him.  I finally talked to him about 8:00 and he was stuck in traffic due to the ice storm that had come through overnight.  My contractions were getting pretty strong and closer together.  Luckily, Kenny was still sleeping.  By the time Trav got home, my contractions were every 3-4 minutes.  We were still waiting for Donnie (Trav's) dad to get there and pick up Kenny.  We finally hit the road about 9:00 and immediately hit dead stop traffic on 367.  I was so worried I was going  to have the baby on the side of the road.  We got to MoBap at about 10:00a.  My contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was 7cm dilated.  Within minutes, I was getting an IV and they were calling anesthesia for an epidural.  My doctor, Dr. Jewell, arrived just as they were finishing with my epidural.  They laid me back and he went to check me.  That's when my water broke.....all over him.  He ran to change into dry scrubs.  I was 9cm.  When he came back, he told me it was time to push.  A few pushes later she was here.  51 minutes after we got to the hospital.  My epidural didn't have time to fully numb me.  I felt everything, but it wasn't super painful.  They put my beautiful Loralei on my chest and I couldn't believe that she was here!  They took her to clean her, and noticed some bruising on her chest.  They wouldn't let me breastfeed her until the house pediatrician checked her out.  They decided that the bruising was nothing to be concerned about.  We nursed and then the family came in.  Grandma and Grandpa brought in big Brother Kenny.  He wasn't sure if he liked what was going on.

We have been incredibly blessed with 2 beautiful, perfect children!

Loralei Lynne Wunderlich
10:51a
12-5-13
8 lbs
20 inches