I Smell Like Pancakes!

Last week, my milk ducts became clogged three separate times (spanning the course of about 5 days). Once I cleared everything up, my milk supply for Lauren had dropped a lot! I tried everything I could to get it back up, but none of the conventional methods were working, so I spoke with a lactation consultant who suggested I take fenugreek, an herb that helps increase your milk supply. I headed over to Whole Foods a few days ago and bought a bottle of fenugreek pills. I've been taking them for about 2 days now and one of the interesting side effects is that fenugreek makes you smell like maple syrup. Apparently it's an ingredient in maple syrup, so I guess this makes sense, but it's pretty weird to be walking around the house and notice the smell of pancakes and then realize - that's me!

More Firsts

This weekend Dan and I took Lauren outside for her first stroller ride in the neighborhood. The weather was nice (for Chicago in December, that is!). It was in the mid-40's, so it wasn't bitterly cold and the wind wasn't too bad. We bundled Lauren up and ventured out to Walgreens, Paciugo and Treasure Island, all of which are within 3 blocks of our home. I don't think she was a fan of the cold. She did okay at first, but on the way home she started screaming, which promptly stopped once we got inside our building where it was warm. I think she has my warm weather genes!

Lauren's other "first" last weekend was watching a Packers vs. Bears game with Dan. He put her in a Packers dress (a gift from Mike and Stacy) and fed her "dinner" while the game was on. Of course Dan insisted that I get photos of this occasion and he even made a sign to commemorate the event.

Mom's Photos of Lauren

While Mom was visiting, she took some great photos of Lauren. These are the latest, from a few days ago.

Our Christmas tree is up!

Last week when we got home from the hospital, we had a ton of packages waiting for us at home. One was our new Christmas tree, a 7.5 foot tree that looks as close to real as I imagine a fake tree can look. Dan assembled it, strung the lights, and then we put the ornaments on and placed gifts under the tree. Our living room is very festive now. We also have our Christmas stockings hanging up. I love the Christmas season!

Lauren's first bathtime

Dan and I gave Lauren her first bath at home last Friday. Mom captured photos as we sponged her down with warm water. She varied between being curious about the bath and wimpering a bit. I hope she enjoys bathtime more and more as she gets older. Playing in the water is fun, and we have lots of fun bath toys for her to enjoy when she can hold things.

Little Lauren Arrived!

Lauren made her debut last Monday, December 5 at 5:32pm. It has been an amazing week. We brought her home on Thursday afternoon. I have never experienced Dan driving so carefully (and within the speed limit)! He is enamored with little Lauren. She is such a sweet baby and very expressive with her hands and facial expressions. Below is a photo of her sitting in her car seat in the hospital lobby as we prepared to take her home. Her facial expression is priceless!

A new baby blanket and other weekend adventures

Dan and I had a very relaxing weekend. On Saturday afternoon we went downtown and finished our Christmas shopping. We stayed downtown for a delicious dinner at an Italian place Dan discovered last month when his friends Rich and Claire were in town. They hand make the pasta daily! I had squash and ricotta tortelloni with zucchini sauce. It was amazing! Dan ordered spaghetti with rabbit ragu. I didn't try it as it made me think of cute little bunnies.

Today our church held the second day of its holiday bazaar. After the 11am service, we perused the bazaar, which had a random assortment of handmade items and baked goods contributed by church members with all of the proceeds going to our church's community ministry efforts. We bought a word board game (developed by one of our fellow parishioners who is a game developer!) and a crocheted baby blanket. The blanket is beautiful! It is white with green trim and scalloped edges. I tried to take a photo of it below. It will be a great stroller blanket or just something for Lauren to cuddle up in when she gets a little older.