Sunday, November 7, 2010
Welcome Fall, Happy Halloween
It's been a beautiful fall so far. We're still having days that reach temperatures in the 70s, but the nights and mornings are definitely chilly. Elias is moving and growing as quickly as the seasons are changing it seems, but here are a few pics we were able to catch of him being still. Enjoy!
Friday, October 22, 2010
cash back shopping
So I was talking to a friend the other day and I mentioned a few of the ways that I save money by shopping online. My friend had never heard of these ways to get cash back and so I thought I'd let you all (all 6 of you!) know in case you haven't heard of them.
Whenever I am ready to make a purchase online, I always check two places to see if cash back is available: FatWallet and Ebates. The way it works is that you go to one of these websites (I always check both, since sometimes one website has a better cash back %) and find your store. You then click through to your store and make your purchase. When you click through these websites, a tracking ticket is created linking your click to that purchase. The store then reports back that you made a purchase and a percentage of your purchase is put in your account. Once you reach $10 or so dollars (depending on the store), you can opt for a check to be cut and mailed to you. It's usually about 3-6% cash back, but sometimes there are specials and whatnot to get you more. Both sites also try to list current coupons available.
If you're interested in Ebates, please sign up using this link: Ebates (I get $5 for every referral!)
One more place to check before you place your order is www.retailmenot.com. This website lets people post coupon codes that have worked to get them a discount on their order, free shipping, etc.
Happy Shopping!
Whenever I am ready to make a purchase online, I always check two places to see if cash back is available: FatWallet and Ebates. The way it works is that you go to one of these websites (I always check both, since sometimes one website has a better cash back %) and find your store. You then click through to your store and make your purchase. When you click through these websites, a tracking ticket is created linking your click to that purchase. The store then reports back that you made a purchase and a percentage of your purchase is put in your account. Once you reach $10 or so dollars (depending on the store), you can opt for a check to be cut and mailed to you. It's usually about 3-6% cash back, but sometimes there are specials and whatnot to get you more. Both sites also try to list current coupons available.
If you're interested in Ebates, please sign up using this link: Ebates (I get $5 for every referral!)
One more place to check before you place your order is www.retailmenot.com. This website lets people post coupon codes that have worked to get them a discount on their order, free shipping, etc.
Happy Shopping!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Aspen Anniversary Trip
A few weekends ago we decided to take a long weekend trip up to Aspen and enjoy the fall colors. We had never been to Aspen before and wanted to check it out. We were a little late getting started on the drive, but once on the road did pretty well. Elias wasn't quite as good of a road-tripper as when he was 5 months old, but he still did really good. He just got bored and understandably so! We made a few stops a long the way: we stopped at the scenic area near Copper where ET loved watching the creek run; we made a pit stop in Leadville and enjoy some local cookies; stopped at the top of Independence pass to look out over the Continental Divide and then finally arrived in Aspen. The drive in was beautiful, although Independence Pass made me a little nervous. With drop offs like that, no wonder the pass is closed in winter.
Friday night we walked around town trying to find a place for dinner. The place we decided on ended up being closed and Elias was fading quickly so we opted for some tavern or something. The food wasn't that great. I ordered fish and chips and it looked like they had come out of a box - a perfect little rectangle. We finished up and headed back to the hotel and tried to put Elias down. He was not having it. He cried and cried and cried some more. He finally fell asleep only to wake up a few hours later. We fed him and put him back to bed as usual, but he again was not having it. Eventually we brought him into bed with us where he proceeded to crawl around for the next hour or so. Thank goodness we got a King!
The next morning we started off with coffee at a local shop and the most amazing ginger peach muffins- yum! We made it back for Elias' morning nap and when he woke up headed out for walk around town. We went through some neighborhoods with beautiful homes. Oh, the lives of the rich. We made it back to the hotel and tried to put Elias down. Another struggle which we decided to avoid and thought we would skip and then put him down early. An hour or so later, we were still having no luck. Gone were our plans for a nice dinner out - it took a couple hours to get Elias to go to sleep. Once we got him to bed, Tom went out to our planned restaurant, ordered to go and brought it back to the hotel. We dined in the dark on the edge of our jacuzzi tub. Everything was delicious, but I'm hoping that next time I'll be able to enjoy it at the restaurant.
Our last morning in Aspen we enjoyed a lovely breakfast and then tried to get sandwiches at the yummy sandwich shop we had tried the day before. Unfortunately they were closed, so we ended up at the only deli we could find that was open. We picked up lunch and some snacks and headed out of town. A friend had recommended the Grotto Day use area for a picnic, so we stopped there to enjoy our lunch. Soon, it was time to get on the road again, so off we went. The drive back was just as beautiful and Elias still didn't sleep like he should have. We really enjoyed getting away, the drive and Aspen, but we'll definitely think twice before we do that with an infant again.
Friday night we walked around town trying to find a place for dinner. The place we decided on ended up being closed and Elias was fading quickly so we opted for some tavern or something. The food wasn't that great. I ordered fish and chips and it looked like they had come out of a box - a perfect little rectangle. We finished up and headed back to the hotel and tried to put Elias down. He was not having it. He cried and cried and cried some more. He finally fell asleep only to wake up a few hours later. We fed him and put him back to bed as usual, but he again was not having it. Eventually we brought him into bed with us where he proceeded to crawl around for the next hour or so. Thank goodness we got a King!
The next morning we started off with coffee at a local shop and the most amazing ginger peach muffins- yum! We made it back for Elias' morning nap and when he woke up headed out for walk around town. We went through some neighborhoods with beautiful homes. Oh, the lives of the rich. We made it back to the hotel and tried to put Elias down. Another struggle which we decided to avoid and thought we would skip and then put him down early. An hour or so later, we were still having no luck. Gone were our plans for a nice dinner out - it took a couple hours to get Elias to go to sleep. Once we got him to bed, Tom went out to our planned restaurant, ordered to go and brought it back to the hotel. We dined in the dark on the edge of our jacuzzi tub. Everything was delicious, but I'm hoping that next time I'll be able to enjoy it at the restaurant.
Our last morning in Aspen we enjoyed a lovely breakfast and then tried to get sandwiches at the yummy sandwich shop we had tried the day before. Unfortunately they were closed, so we ended up at the only deli we could find that was open. We picked up lunch and some snacks and headed out of town. A friend had recommended the Grotto Day use area for a picnic, so we stopped there to enjoy our lunch. Soon, it was time to get on the road again, so off we went. The drive back was just as beautiful and Elias still didn't sleep like he should have. We really enjoyed getting away, the drive and Aspen, but we'll definitely think twice before we do that with an infant again.
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| Aspen |
Friday, September 17, 2010
Pumping like crazy
I have a love/hate relationship with pumping. In the beginning, it's what established my milk supply when Elias wasn't able to bring in my milk on his own. It's helped to supplement what he takes in, since that isn't usually enough. But until recently I've only had to pump when I went to work and then an extra time after he went to bed to get that surplus for him.
But last week, Elias would only nurse for a few minutes on one side (not enough to keep up my supply). We think he had a sore throat since we both have one this week. Because of that, I've watched my pumping numbers get ridiculously low this week and seen him get frustrated wanting more. I met with a lactation consultant who said to pump and nurse as often as possible. I'm doing that, but man it's hard. I feed him, then get the pumping stuff washed and ready and then pump. When you take that into account, the whole feeding process takes a really long time.
Thankfully I have seen pumping numbers come up, but they still aren't what they should be. It was suggested that I consider taking domperidone to help boost my milk supply. Before the dr. would write a prescription, I did a blood test to measure what my prolactin (milk producing hormone) levels were. Turns out they were half what they needed to be. No wonder we've had the problems we've had! I get the prescription tomorrow and am hoping that it does the job to boost my milk supply so that Elias can get what he needs without supplementing and we can make it for a couple more months!
But last week, Elias would only nurse for a few minutes on one side (not enough to keep up my supply). We think he had a sore throat since we both have one this week. Because of that, I've watched my pumping numbers get ridiculously low this week and seen him get frustrated wanting more. I met with a lactation consultant who said to pump and nurse as often as possible. I'm doing that, but man it's hard. I feed him, then get the pumping stuff washed and ready and then pump. When you take that into account, the whole feeding process takes a really long time.
Thankfully I have seen pumping numbers come up, but they still aren't what they should be. It was suggested that I consider taking domperidone to help boost my milk supply. Before the dr. would write a prescription, I did a blood test to measure what my prolactin (milk producing hormone) levels were. Turns out they were half what they needed to be. No wonder we've had the problems we've had! I get the prescription tomorrow and am hoping that it does the job to boost my milk supply so that Elias can get what he needs without supplementing and we can make it for a couple more months!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
All done!
In the last month or so, we've been trying to use signs with Elias for things related to our routine: "more", "eat", "milk", "hungry" and "all done/finished" are the main ones. He typically does "more" in the right context - especially for more swinging! He will sometimes do "milk" and occasionally "all done". He's also working on "bye-bye" although hardly does it when saying good-bye. Sometimes he'll do it after the person is gone. Other times, I peek in on him in his crib and he's lying there watching his hand as he waves it back and forth. It's pretty cute.
Last night we were feeding him solids and it got to the point where he was scrunching up his face and turning his head away. I asked him if he was all done. In response he says, "ah duh". Not sure if was intentional or just babble, but that sounded really close to 'all done'! It probably wasn't intentional so we'll keep working on the signs.
Last night we were feeding him solids and it got to the point where he was scrunching up his face and turning his head away. I asked him if he was all done. In response he says, "ah duh". Not sure if was intentional or just babble, but that sounded really close to 'all done'! It probably wasn't intentional so we'll keep working on the signs.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Welcome to the new blog!
It's been forever since I've written a blog post, but maybe a change of scenery (site, background, etc.) will help. Here's a peek at what we've been up to lately:
Follow this link to some of the latest pictures of elias:
http://eliasworld.shutterfly.com
- Elias is pulling himself up on anything he can, and sometimes on things he shouldn't
- Elias does the army crawl now and constantly makes a beeline for the most dangerous items around him: edge of the bed, wires, cords...
- Elias is eating solid foods now, 2-3 times a day
- Corrie got a new road bike and is slowly increasing speed & mileage
- Tom enjoys his weekend bike rides
- We rearranged the house: Elias' room is 100% baby room now, we got rid of the tv and set up the computer in the living room. It's all about hulu now.
- Fourmile Fire in Boulder Canyon: it was crazy for a few days, but thankfully it's about 90% contained now.
Follow this link to some of the latest pictures of elias:
http://eliasworld.shutterfly.com
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