Recently we moved into a new apartment! 3 bedrooms and boy do we love it! The best part of this complex is that you have to have at least 2 kids to live here so everyone understands that sometimes a 2 and a half year old throw fits and that babies cry. (This is not something that we had at Aggie Village).
We have only been here a week and Boston already loves it. She has made so many new friends! The park is so close that it is easy to take her down to play everyday and we all get to spend a little time outside in the sun.
The girls are sharing a room which, so far is working out really well. I love having them in the room together because it makes it so much easier to put them to bed.
Devin's favorite thing about the new place is the office. He finally has a place to sit and do homework or work on internship stuff without being disturbed or interrupted by the chaos that the three of us can cause.
We are so happy with the new place and plan to post pictures soon, we are just getting settled in!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Friday, April 8, 2016
"Uh Oh Accident!"
**THIS IS WAY OLD***
AHH!! Sometimes life is a crazy thing! Yesterday was one of those crazy days. We had gone to lunch and decided to take a little drive so that Devin could take a break from working on his internship. We were on our way back home when we got t-boned going through a green light. It was a scary, but we were lucky that things weren't worse. Our car is definitely not usable but at least we are all okay. Boston was scared but that is to be expected when you get in an accident. Once we were out of the car all she wanted to do was get down and play. She is such a silly girl.
AHH!! Sometimes life is a crazy thing! Yesterday was one of those crazy days. We had gone to lunch and decided to take a little drive so that Devin could take a break from working on his internship. We were on our way back home when we got t-boned going through a green light. It was a scary, but we were lucky that things weren't worse. Our car is definitely not usable but at least we are all okay. Boston was scared but that is to be expected when you get in an accident. Once we were out of the car all she wanted to do was get down and play. She is such a silly girl.
As we have recounted the story so many times now to insurance agents and family and friends we have realized that we were lucky that Devin was aware enough to get us to a safer spot and that things weren't worse. So I am sure that you are curious about what actually happened so here we go!
We were driving north on the road and there were a few cars in the turning lane as we approached there was a little bit of room between us and the cars in front of us so two of the cars went the third car on the other had didn't have room to go before we were about to go through the intersection, however she went anyway, we could see that she was planning on going and that if we didn't swerve into the turning lane to avoid her we would have hit her and everything would have been a lot worse. Devin was very aware of the car coming and so like I said he swerved and the girl ended up hitting us on the driver side rear panel. Devin's bumper is falling off and we really can't drive it considering it is missing a light but for the most part we are all fine.
We bought a new to us car from my parents. We were lucky to get that car and blessed to be safe and protected during our accident.
We bought a new to us car from my parents. We were lucky to get that car and blessed to be safe and protected during our accident.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Welcome to the World Charlotte Elizabeth
On December 3rd 2015 we welcomed our beautiful Charlotte into the world and boy was it a different experience than when Boston came into the world. First of all we knew she would be here by December 3rd no matter what. Early on in my pregnancy the doctor and I talked and we all decided that a c-section was the safest way to get here into this world, for her and for me.
The c-section was scheduled for 7:30 am on December 3rd. The whole night before I was nervous and excited I could barely sleep. Even though I had had a c-section with Boston I was nervous because this one was planned. I was going to the hospital and I would have a new little lady in my life. I was up all night thinking about how that was my last day as a mommy of one. I was thinking about all the things I did with Boston that day and how tomorrow everything would change. She would be a big sister and I would have two little girls to love and snuggle. It was a long night!
We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 to get all the paper work and everything else taken care of. I was so nervous and I didn't even know that I was already having full on contractions. I really couldn't feel them (it was the same way with Boston).
Those two hours waiting to go to the OR were so long. We waited and talked to our nurses who helped me calm down as they got everything taken care of.
At about 7:30 my doctor came in and said it was time to head to the OR. As the actual c-section got closer I got more and more scared but I was so ready to meet our new little girl. In the OR they got me on the table and put in my spinal block. The medication they use is different than an epidural and for some reason it made me really nauseas. I kept gaging but because I hadn't eaten there was nothing there to get out plus I couldn't feel anything and I couldn't move so I just laid there and gaged. At about 7:50 they started the c-section it took a little longer than planned because they had to cut through the old scar tissue and because Charlotte has a big head. They had to use a vacuum to get her out!
at 8:01 our perfect little girl was here and her cry was so LOUD and yet sweet. She looked so much like her sister to me when I first saw her. She was 8 lbs 2 oz and 20" long and her head was 58 cm.
I couldn't believe that I was a mommy again. The best part was that she was completely healthy and perfect! I even got to hold her while they stitched me up. It was so nice to just be with her and know she was okay.
When they were all done I got to nurse her while I sat in recovery for an hour. It was so nice to have that time with just the three of us. When we got back to the room Charlotte spent a lot of time just eating and laying with daddy. It was so sweet to see the instant bond that the two of them had. After a few hours of that Boston came by to see her sister. She absolutely loved her! She was so worried that one of the nurses was going to steal her sister. She just wanted to sit with her and hold her. It was so cute!
I am so glad our family is happy and healthy! Since being home life has been busy but Charlotte and daddy are still best friends. Charlotte nurses like a champ and to top it off she has been sleeping through the night (9-8:30) since she was 5 weeks old! She is two months old now! It has been so wonderful! Boston loves having a sister she loves to help and hold her. It is so sweet!
Welcome to the world Charlotte Elizabeth Brown! We absolutely LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
It's A.....
IT IS A GIRL!!!!!!
(for some weird reason it came across blue)
Her name is Charlotte Elizabeth Brown :)
Friday, June 26, 2015
Boston Michelle Brown
I have lots of friends who are pregnant and trying to pick a name for their new little bundles and I get asked often why we named Boston, Boston. People either really love her name or they say "oh, I have never heard that for a girl" which means they usually don't like it.
Well. I know that the not everyone is going to like it but we do and that is why we picked it.
Well. I know that the not everyone is going to like it but we do and that is why we picked it.
First off Boston was a name that Devin and I had been taking about since we were first dating. We both kind of mentioned it one day and it stuck so the moment that we found out we were pregnant I knew that if it was a girl her name would be Boston. There is no other reason behind it. Just that we liked it and had always planned on it.
Michelle on the other hand is a name that has so much significance to me and to Devin. I knew that when I had a girl one day that I wanted to name her after my mom. I love my mom, and I wanted to name my daughter after her. Not just because she is a spectacular mother but for so many more reasons. My mom is smart. She is one of the smartest women I know. I am always so proud to tell people that she is MY mom. She is beautiful, I swear as she gets older she just gets more and more beautiful, in fact people OFTEN ask me if she is my sister. She is kind, and loving. My mom is dedicated, and skilled. My mom is open minded. She is faithful. She loves her Savior Jesus Christ and she shows it in her actions each and every day. She is humble. My mom is good at everything she tries. She is optimistic. My mom is everything that I always wanted to be. I can't think of a better example for my daughter. **who would have known that the relationship she has with her grandma would be so special. She loves grandma so much**
Devin's sister's middle name is Michele, it may not be spelled the same as we spelled Boston's middle name but because it was Steph's name it was part of the reason why we picked it. Stephanie is also kind and intelligent. She is a wonderful friend and sister. Devin and I both admire her very much. Stephanie is so talented at so many things. She has courage and strength that I wish I had. She is a wonderful person and has since the first time I met her felt like my sister. She is a fabulous mother. Her girls love her so much and they are so lucky to have her as their mother. And I am so lucky to have her as my sister.
When we picked out Boston's middle name we picked it because we wanted her to have someone to look up to and admire and to constantly be reminded of what it meant to be a good woman. Who better as an example than her grandmother and her aunt. I love and admire both of these women in my life and they have helped me so much. I wanted Boston to know that she could always look up to them and that they would always be there to love and support her.
There are so many other wonderful women in Boston's life that she could be named after for similar reasons but these two women in particular stood out to me when we were picking names. I hope that Boston will grow up to be a wonderful, smart, beautiful, kind, friendly, and faithful woman like the ones that she was named after.
Michelle on the other hand is a name that has so much significance to me and to Devin. I knew that when I had a girl one day that I wanted to name her after my mom. I love my mom, and I wanted to name my daughter after her. Not just because she is a spectacular mother but for so many more reasons. My mom is smart. She is one of the smartest women I know. I am always so proud to tell people that she is MY mom. She is beautiful, I swear as she gets older she just gets more and more beautiful, in fact people OFTEN ask me if she is my sister. She is kind, and loving. My mom is dedicated, and skilled. My mom is open minded. She is faithful. She loves her Savior Jesus Christ and she shows it in her actions each and every day. She is humble. My mom is good at everything she tries. She is optimistic. My mom is everything that I always wanted to be. I can't think of a better example for my daughter. **who would have known that the relationship she has with her grandma would be so special. She loves grandma so much**
Devin's sister's middle name is Michele, it may not be spelled the same as we spelled Boston's middle name but because it was Steph's name it was part of the reason why we picked it. Stephanie is also kind and intelligent. She is a wonderful friend and sister. Devin and I both admire her very much. Stephanie is so talented at so many things. She has courage and strength that I wish I had. She is a wonderful person and has since the first time I met her felt like my sister. She is a fabulous mother. Her girls love her so much and they are so lucky to have her as their mother. And I am so lucky to have her as my sister.
When we picked out Boston's middle name we picked it because we wanted her to have someone to look up to and admire and to constantly be reminded of what it meant to be a good woman. Who better as an example than her grandmother and her aunt. I love and admire both of these women in my life and they have helped me so much. I wanted Boston to know that she could always look up to them and that they would always be there to love and support her.
There are so many other wonderful women in Boston's life that she could be named after for similar reasons but these two women in particular stood out to me when we were picking names. I hope that Boston will grow up to be a wonderful, smart, beautiful, kind, friendly, and faithful woman like the ones that she was named after.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Breast Feeding: My Experience
I have had the feeling for awhile that I need to write down my experience with breastfeeding my daughter Boston, if for no other reason than to remind myself later about it.
I will be honest as I was writing this it made me angry, and it made me want to go back in time and tell myself to stand up for what I wanted.
To start out with our experience was rocky. Boston was sick and I had had a C-section so I was in recovery and I wasn't able to see her until hours after she was born. By the time I was able to go see her the nurses had given her a bottle, like I said she was sick so they had to get fluids in her, I honestly believe that those first few hours made a huge difference in the rest of our experience together. When I was finally able to try breastfeeding her the nurses only let me try for about 10 minutes at which point they insisted that I give Boston a bottle of formula and try pumping instead, I knew my milk wasn't in yet because it can take 3-5 days for that to happen and so I thought that pumping would help. It didn't. I know now that if I had tried to nurse longer that would have been better but I can't change that now. So I pumped and then again when Boston was hungry I tried to nurse and was told after 10 minutes to try pumping again the pumping did nothing. (I pumped for 45 minutes each time). When the third feeding that day came around we had received a new nurse and she was much nicer. She gave me a nipple shield and had me do a Supplemental Nursing System commonly referred to as SNS. I was happy to try this because Boston was going to get the fluid she needed and then Lear now to nurse as well. I thought that is would be a compromise that would make everyone happy, unfortunately for me it did nothing. Boston did learn to nurse but because she was getting full on the formula she never really stimulated my let down. I did continue to do this until my milk finally came in on day 3! At this point I was so tired and frustrated, but I did know that I wanted to nurse and I no longer wanted to give Boston any formula or bottles or SNS nothing! I just wanted to nurse. So when I told my mom that she said I should tell my nurses and they would help me. I was too afraid because Boston's Doctor at the time and the nurse we had the most often treated me as though I was a bad mom for not wanting to give Boston any formula. So I said nothing, but my mom being who she is told the nurse that I wanted to breastfeed Boston and I didn't want to give her any more bottles. So the nurse that night wrote that down and told the doctor in the morning, at which point I was given a lecture about how I didn't have enough milk for Boston to do that and that if I chose to do that she would get more sick basically he told me that I was a horrible mother for even considering it. I was so upset that I just continued with the SNS and tried my best to just make it through until she got to go home. After a week in the hospital it was finally time to go home. Boston was doing great! I was so ready to go home. I was hoping that by being home I would be able to nurse her and not have to worry about all everything else that was going on.
For the first few days Boston was eating all the time, she was eating a lot more often than all the books I had read said she should be and that honestly should have been my first clue, and that it didn't hurt as much as everyone said it would should have been my second clue that something was wrong but I was a new mom and I knew she was getting milk because she always had milk on her face when she was done eating. So I continued to nurse thinking everything was great until her 4 month appointment when she hadn't gained any weight, and her doctor made us come back for weight checks all the time. It was all stressing me out. Once again I received a lecture about how I wasn't taking care of Boston and that I should just give up and give her formula. I really didn't want to do that so I would nurse her and then pump and give her that bottle just so we could see how much she was really getting. Also at 4 months she started solid which helped tremendously with the weight gain. Soon after that Boston wouldn't nurse at all, she would scream and scream when I would try and only wanted a bottle so I started just pumping and slowly but surely my milk supply was going down so we would add formula to make it fatter and to supplement what she wasn't getting. This was one of the hardest parts for me. I would cry all the time about wanting to be able to feed my baby, that was the one thing that I wanted to do for her. I felt like an awful mom and my poor Devin would see how stressed out and upset I was and knew there was nothing he could do to help me. During all of this I tried everything that they said to do to increase milk supply I got supplements, I drank AWFUL tea, I made lactation cookies, I drank more water, I power pumped. I literally tried it all. Nothing seemed to be helping so after many tears day in and day out about how I couldn't feed my daughter and how her doctor was treating my like I was a horrible mom I decided to switch pediatricians and see if someone else could help me. Her 6 month appointment was with a new doctor, and he was marvelous. He listened to my concerns and gave me advice but the best part was that not once did he look at me like I was a child or a bad mother he helped me figure out what was best for both me and Boston. When I left that appointment I decide that I would continue to nurse her as often as she would let me and give her bottle the rest of the time. As she got older she decided that she wanted a bottle and by this point I had come to terms with that so I would just pump and give her milk with formula mixed in.
When she was 7 months old we went on a trip to Seattle to see my sister Stephanie (sister-in-law) and her adorable little girls. While I was there I was talking to my Steph about the whole dilemma (by this point my milk had gone away almost completely and Boston was mostly getting formula), Stephanie was the one who convinced me that I wasn't a bad mom if I decided to just give Boston formula. She pointed out that if I wasn't making enough milk that it would be better if I just gave her formula and that I would be so much more happy if I just switched her over, so I did. That night Steph and I went to the store and got the right sized nipple for Boston's age and a bigger bottle that held more ounces of formula. The next day I just gave Boston formula and that is what I have done since then. It was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make but I am glad I did it. Boston is beautiful and healthy and I don't love her any less than I would if I had been able to nurse.
I am so grateful for my WONDERFUL sister. I am so glad that I made the decision to change pediatricians. I am grateful for the fact that I am able to give Boston formula to help her grow since I wasn't able to produce enough of my own milk. I am so glad I have a husband that supported me through it all and let me decide what was best for me. I am grateful for the experience I had, even though it was hard.
I will definitely do it again. Someday when we have another one I will still try to breastfeed, I will just stand up for myself more and I will do whatever I have to, to make sure that the baby is healthy even if that means bottle feeding.
I will be honest as I was writing this it made me angry, and it made me want to go back in time and tell myself to stand up for what I wanted.
To start out with our experience was rocky. Boston was sick and I had had a C-section so I was in recovery and I wasn't able to see her until hours after she was born. By the time I was able to go see her the nurses had given her a bottle, like I said she was sick so they had to get fluids in her, I honestly believe that those first few hours made a huge difference in the rest of our experience together. When I was finally able to try breastfeeding her the nurses only let me try for about 10 minutes at which point they insisted that I give Boston a bottle of formula and try pumping instead, I knew my milk wasn't in yet because it can take 3-5 days for that to happen and so I thought that pumping would help. It didn't. I know now that if I had tried to nurse longer that would have been better but I can't change that now. So I pumped and then again when Boston was hungry I tried to nurse and was told after 10 minutes to try pumping again the pumping did nothing. (I pumped for 45 minutes each time). When the third feeding that day came around we had received a new nurse and she was much nicer. She gave me a nipple shield and had me do a Supplemental Nursing System commonly referred to as SNS. I was happy to try this because Boston was going to get the fluid she needed and then Lear now to nurse as well. I thought that is would be a compromise that would make everyone happy, unfortunately for me it did nothing. Boston did learn to nurse but because she was getting full on the formula she never really stimulated my let down. I did continue to do this until my milk finally came in on day 3! At this point I was so tired and frustrated, but I did know that I wanted to nurse and I no longer wanted to give Boston any formula or bottles or SNS nothing! I just wanted to nurse. So when I told my mom that she said I should tell my nurses and they would help me. I was too afraid because Boston's Doctor at the time and the nurse we had the most often treated me as though I was a bad mom for not wanting to give Boston any formula. So I said nothing, but my mom being who she is told the nurse that I wanted to breastfeed Boston and I didn't want to give her any more bottles. So the nurse that night wrote that down and told the doctor in the morning, at which point I was given a lecture about how I didn't have enough milk for Boston to do that and that if I chose to do that she would get more sick basically he told me that I was a horrible mother for even considering it. I was so upset that I just continued with the SNS and tried my best to just make it through until she got to go home. After a week in the hospital it was finally time to go home. Boston was doing great! I was so ready to go home. I was hoping that by being home I would be able to nurse her and not have to worry about all everything else that was going on.
For the first few days Boston was eating all the time, she was eating a lot more often than all the books I had read said she should be and that honestly should have been my first clue, and that it didn't hurt as much as everyone said it would should have been my second clue that something was wrong but I was a new mom and I knew she was getting milk because she always had milk on her face when she was done eating. So I continued to nurse thinking everything was great until her 4 month appointment when she hadn't gained any weight, and her doctor made us come back for weight checks all the time. It was all stressing me out. Once again I received a lecture about how I wasn't taking care of Boston and that I should just give up and give her formula. I really didn't want to do that so I would nurse her and then pump and give her that bottle just so we could see how much she was really getting. Also at 4 months she started solid which helped tremendously with the weight gain. Soon after that Boston wouldn't nurse at all, she would scream and scream when I would try and only wanted a bottle so I started just pumping and slowly but surely my milk supply was going down so we would add formula to make it fatter and to supplement what she wasn't getting. This was one of the hardest parts for me. I would cry all the time about wanting to be able to feed my baby, that was the one thing that I wanted to do for her. I felt like an awful mom and my poor Devin would see how stressed out and upset I was and knew there was nothing he could do to help me. During all of this I tried everything that they said to do to increase milk supply I got supplements, I drank AWFUL tea, I made lactation cookies, I drank more water, I power pumped. I literally tried it all. Nothing seemed to be helping so after many tears day in and day out about how I couldn't feed my daughter and how her doctor was treating my like I was a horrible mom I decided to switch pediatricians and see if someone else could help me. Her 6 month appointment was with a new doctor, and he was marvelous. He listened to my concerns and gave me advice but the best part was that not once did he look at me like I was a child or a bad mother he helped me figure out what was best for both me and Boston. When I left that appointment I decide that I would continue to nurse her as often as she would let me and give her bottle the rest of the time. As she got older she decided that she wanted a bottle and by this point I had come to terms with that so I would just pump and give her milk with formula mixed in.
When she was 7 months old we went on a trip to Seattle to see my sister Stephanie (sister-in-law) and her adorable little girls. While I was there I was talking to my Steph about the whole dilemma (by this point my milk had gone away almost completely and Boston was mostly getting formula), Stephanie was the one who convinced me that I wasn't a bad mom if I decided to just give Boston formula. She pointed out that if I wasn't making enough milk that it would be better if I just gave her formula and that I would be so much more happy if I just switched her over, so I did. That night Steph and I went to the store and got the right sized nipple for Boston's age and a bigger bottle that held more ounces of formula. The next day I just gave Boston formula and that is what I have done since then. It was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make but I am glad I did it. Boston is beautiful and healthy and I don't love her any less than I would if I had been able to nurse.
I am so grateful for my WONDERFUL sister. I am so glad that I made the decision to change pediatricians. I am grateful for the fact that I am able to give Boston formula to help her grow since I wasn't able to produce enough of my own milk. I am so glad I have a husband that supported me through it all and let me decide what was best for me. I am grateful for the experience I had, even though it was hard.
I will definitely do it again. Someday when we have another one I will still try to breastfeed, I will just stand up for myself more and I will do whatever I have to, to make sure that the baby is healthy even if that means bottle feeding.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
The Wallet
Boston loves to get into my wallet and take all the cards out. I have tried to hide the wallet from her but if she sees it for even a second she will crawl like a mad woman over to it and take everything out. Needless to say I don't want her to lose something in there or rip something. You never know what a crazy baby can do. So the other day I got out an old wallet and I filled it with the cards that you slowly collect in your wallet but don't actually ever need and I gave them to her. It was the best thing for her. She spent an hour playing with the cards and making a mess. :)
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