Shylee Update

It's been 4 days since I stopped breastfeeding. Shylee is taking it very well. She is taking bottles and eating her regular meals without any fight. She hasn't tried to eat from me since Monday. I am super happy that it went so well.

Today we had Shylee's 9 month check-up. Luckily she didn't have to get any shots. That made the visit a lot easier. She weighs 15 pounds and 4 ounces. She is in the 3rd percentile for weight. She is 27 inches long, which puts her in the 28th percentile. Her head is 17.5 inches round, which puts her in the 65th percentile. We went through a nine month check-list to make sure she was on track with her development and she is doing almost everything on the list. She is doing great and it in great health!

Tough decisions

Last night I made the tough decision to stop breastfeeding. I really wanted to go for a year, but my body just would not produce enough to feed my growing baby. I tried everything I could before I decided to stop. My amazing lactation consultant had me try everything I could before I realized my supply just wasn't going to increase. The past few days really made me realize how hard it was on Shylee. She was super fussy and didn't want to sleep. Finally, we tried more food than normal and she was fine.

So, today was my first day of not breastfeeding. It went really well. I only cried once. Shylee had 4 bottles and 3 meals of food. She did try to eat from me twice and got upset once, but after a bottle she was fine. I was really worried about putting her to bed, because our night time routine includes me feeding her, but she didn't have any problems. She just fell right asleep. It was definitely a lot easier than I had anticipated. I just hope it continues to be this easy. I am also hoping that it will help her gain some weight. She is only in the 3rd percentile right now! She needs to get some weight on her :)

Lions, Tigers, and Bears...oh my!

We actually didn't get to see any of these animals, but we had a great time at the zoo. This was Shylee's first visit. She actually had a good time until she was ready for a nap. The weather was great and it wasn't too crowded. Here are the pictures from our adventure:

Gorilla!

Elephants

Giraffe

Scary Dinosaur!

T-Rex

Just loungin' in her stroller after her first zoo adventure

My First Mother's Day

I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a Mom this year. It was great. We went to Village Inn for a family breakfast. Then we to visit Jason's beautiful Grandma. After that, I enjoyed a WONDERFUL massage courtesy of Shylee and Jason. It was great and much needed! I also got a phone cover. Once I was done with my massage, we went to the Aquarium for a fun family outing. We were joined by our wonderful friends Ashlee and OB. Finally, the three of us went to dinner at Goodwood. Here are some pictures from our day:

Mommy and Shylee

Shylee LOVED watching the penguins swim

That fish was bigger than Shylee!

Ahhhh! Attack of the shark!

I had a fantastic day! I love my little family. I can't wait to celebrate many more Mother's Days with them :)

Good things come to those who wait...

There are a couple of exciting things that have happened to our little family over the past couple of days.

First, we sold our Toyota Highlander. We now have two cars and only one car payment. This saves us about $200 a month plus the cost of gas to fill up the Highlander.

Second, Jason was offered (and accepted) a wonderful job offer with a company called i365. His first day there will be May 23rd. It's a great opportunity for him, as well as our family. His new position will provide him with so many future opportunities in the information technology field. It also makes it a possibility for me to drop hours at work. This means more time with my sweet baby! It will be a few months before I do this. I want to put some money in savings before I drop hours.

As they say, good things come to those who wait :)

Early Celebrations

We went to The Cheesecake Factory today with my immediate family and my Grandma Francis to celebrate Mother's Day and my Mom's birthday. My parents will be out of town next weekend which is why we went today. Shylee did SO well! This was her first time being at a restaurant with a large group of people. She also let her Great Grandma Francis hold her. We got some great pictures! We had a great time and enjoyed great food!

She thinks her finger is SO delicious!

"Give me that camera!"

Two pictures of Shylee and her Great Grandma Francis

Shylee with her Grandma and her Great Grandma Francis