Mastitis :( Update!

Update: I have not nursed Tanner for over 48 hours now. The infection part seems to be getting a little bit better but the drying up part is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It was so gradual with Izabel so I had no idea it would be like this, but I still have plenty of pain meds left and I am trying all the tricks everyone has to offer! Hopefully the worst of it is almost over and I can go back to being myself for my last few days of summer. I feel a little guilty that I am putting Tanner on formula but I am excited to get to have my body back. It's been so long since I've been neither pregnant or breastfeeding! Tanner had his first bottle of formula today and so far so good. Thanks for all of the advice and encouraging messages! Something so natural shouldn't be so hard but I know it'll all be better soon!

Mastitis: A sore breast or plugged duct can become a breast infection. This means that not only is the breast tender, but also the mother feels achy, run-down and feverish. This condition may or may not be treated by antibiotics.

I've been battling a breast infection for almost three months now. It finally got bad enough to force me to go to the doctor and I was diagnosed with an extreme repeated case of Mastitis. It started out Saturday and Sunday with a really high fever and chills. Then I woke up Monday with the pain. It is the most excrutiating pain I've ever experienced and I've had two c-sections! By Wednesday when it was time to see the doctor I was crying every time I sat down to feed Tanner. I knew I had to keep feeding him but it hurt so bad and I would feel nauseous when I did it. The doctor did an exam and said I needed antibiotics and as much bed rest as possible.

Let me just stop for a minute...bed rest...she does know I have two kids doesn't she!

Anyway I'm on an antibiotic four times a day for 10 days and percoset for the pain. I'm trying to rest but as you can imagine there's not too much of that going on around here (for me anyway). I talked to few people that have experienced this before and they all said that the infection came back and the only way to get rid of it for good was to stop breastfeeding. I have really had a hard time with this decision but we finally decided yesterday that it would be best to stop. I've done my best and made it through a lot but the thought of going through this again is unbearable! Now I am in the process of drying up and I'm experiencing a whole new kind of pain! At least I have the strong pain killers to help get me through which is why I thought this would be the best time. I'll update soon on how that is going but so far Tanner is having no problems with the bottle. We're still using up saved milk but we'll see how he likes formula very soon!

Hope everyone is doing better than me and having a great weekend!

Sneaky Chef Strikes Again!

I tried a couple more sneaky chef recipes and I wanted to share them with you. I started with the grilled cheese muffins. Izabel likes grilled cheese and the peanut butter and jelly muffins were such a hit that I was sure she would like these but she definitely did not! I didn't make them at a meal time so I couldn't serve them warm which the recipe suggests but after her reaction I don't think it would have mattered. Then I made the meatloaf. I thought it was good but needed a little work with the seasoning. Izabel loved it and ate it with my parents for three days while we were in A.C. It was a huge hit! Noah didn't get to try it but hopefully he'll like it too. Finally I tried the Power Pizza. I didn't cook it quite long enough but I loved it and so did Izzy. She ate two big pieces for dinner and had some for lunch the next day as well. I love that I have been able to sneak so many veggies, whole grains and even beans into our diets. More recipes to come so I'll be sure to share! Click here to see the recipes and try some sneaky dishes yourself!

A Hop, A Skip and A Jump!

I actually thought I posted this last week but I must have just wrote the post in my head and never actually typed it. When I went to download new pictures today all of these downloaded as well and I realized I was a little behind!

Last Wednesday we went to Hop, Skip, Jump with the play group. This is an indoor play place with toys that encourage imaginative play and learning. Izabel had a great time there which is kind of unfortunate since they closed for good on Friday :( Here are some pics from our one and only visit!

Happy Birthday Mimi and Papa!

Yesterday was Mimi's birthday and Friday was Papa's so we wanted to say Happy Birthday to both of you! We hope you both had a wonderful day and enjoy many more! We can't wait for you to come visit again!

Papa meeting Tanner for the first time

We were lucky enough to have Mimi and Papa visiting with us last week. They came in Monday for a surprise visit and stayed until Saturday. They brought Maegan with them too! Everyone had a great time hanging out at the beach or pool and we even got to go to Ocean Breeze! Izabel had a blast seeing them and Papa finally got to meet Tanner in person!

My happy little man!

Izzy Bizy playing in Auntie's backyard

Running...she loves to run!

On the baby lazy river at Ocean Breeze. She thought this was pretty boring and preferred the slides but I didn't have anyone else to help get her down them so I don't have any pictures...maybe next time Daddy can come too!Me and Izzy! We had such a great time but we were exhausted!

Mimi, Izzy and Tanner right before we left for A.C.!

We love you Mimi and Papa and we're so glad you got to come visit!

Look Up!

That's right! I finally got some family pictures taken and updated the blog header. Thanks for all of the reminders that we are now a family of four! Trust me...I never forgot, I just wanted a family picture taken before I had the header updated. Hilary (see her tag on the right side of the blog) does a great job creating blog designs. Check out her website here and enjoy the 3 month and family pictures we had taken recently!

To see all of the pictures we had taken at this session click here and type in Whitney Ketchledge when it asks for a customer name. Enjoy!

Weekend Update

Over the weekend Noah and I went to Atlantic City to celebrate our anniversary. Yes I know it was a little early but Harrahs offered us a free room and a free flight so we couldn't pass it up! We left Friday around 12:00 and we were at the hotel by 2. That's much better than our usual 6 hour drive. We had a beautiful Waterfront Premium room in the new Waterfront Tower. The tower just opened a year ago so everything is new and modern. We went over to Bally's first where we got Noah a free pair of Oakley sunglasses (a promotion to total rewards members). Then of course we gambled for a little while and although we started off well we didn't leave the table that way! We went to dinner and then we saw A Bronx Tale. It was a one man show by the guy who wrote the movie and it was fantastic. On our way out we walked past the bar and heard a band playing so we decided to sit down and listen for a while. I ended up having a few too many drinks but we had a great time people watching and dancing and singing along!

On Saturday we had breakfast and then climbed back in bed where we stayed until the afternoon. We were exhausted and the extra sleep sure helped to put a dent in the sleep deprivation of the last 3 months! Then we went down to the pool. They have an indoor pool that is enclosed by a glass dome. It is adults only so we had a nice time swimming and hanging out by the pool eating lunch and playing cards. Then we got dressed and headed over to Carmine's for dinner. Carmine's is one of our favorite places and the lasagna was fabulous but the family style portions are way too much for us so we found some homeless people on the boardwalk to give our leftovers to. Then we went to Caesars where Noah played blackjack for a while. He was doing really well so we ended up missing the UFC fight we wanted to see. We went back to the hotel and I went to bed and Noah went to the poker room where he lost most of the money he had won earlier.

Then Sunday we had room service again and hung out until it was time to catch our ride to the airport. We were home by 3:30 and we had a wonderful weekend! We spent some money to gamble but everything else was comped so we had a great time and spent very little money which is a great vacation as far as I am concerned! We missed the kids but it was nice to get away and reconnect and rest!