EP, and this and that

I have been exclusively pumping (EP) for 7 1/2 months now, which is amazing, cause I have EP longer than I nursed my boys, and EP is WAY more work than nursing!! Some days are completely overwhelming, and I feel like I can't do this anymore. Recently I had discovered that all of my frozen milk I had wasn't any good (taste wise) due to lipase, and I had to get rid of all of it! That was SO hard, and I think about if that milk was good, and that never happened, I would so be done pumping right now! I wish it was that easy!

My supply has really dipped and I now have to have some formula in with the breast milk, cause I don't make enough a day for Elle. I thought I might possibly be drying up, which I could slowly be, but for right now I am continuing to pump. I don't feel ready to quit. I think about how long I have been doing this and Elle is almost 8 months old! I have been doing it for 8 months, what is 4 more!? I know it would be different if I was a working mom, but I'm not, I stay home with my kids, so I don't have a good enough excuse to stop doing this! Mainly I know its what is best for Elle, and thats the most important! Plus it is cheaper! It is a hassle, to lug all that crap around when I am away from home, but o well, it is what it is! I just keep telling myself, if I could of breastfed Elle I would of done it till she was a year old, so why is this any different.

I have used since the beginning, a madella hands free pumping bra, and I have to say that I LOVE that thing! I highly recommend it to any mom that is going to be doing a lot of pumping or EP. I know that thing has helped me get as far as I have! There have been times that I have pumped, ate, and fed Elle all at the same time! LOL! Take that multi-tasking! I think of how it may be challenging when Elle gets mobile, but I can just put a gate up and keep Elle in the living room with me while I pump for 20 min.

This last month Elle fractured her left tibia. I had an accident on the steps and thats what caused the fractured tibia. Poor baby! I was heart broken. But her cast is off and we have moved on! YAY! Those 3 weeks of having a splint/cast on went by fast which I knew they would. Thankful that babies heal so fast and she didn't need it on any longer. Elle is saying momma, which I LOVE!! She asks for me all the time! And she can army crawl short distances, and rolls all over the place. She is eating all sorts of baby food! Chicken, and yogurt is a new one, which she is still trying to decide if she likes yogurt lol. Takes 3 naps a day, and is waking up 1 time a night! She is such an easy baby! Goes with the flow. I just can't believe she is almost 8 months old!! I like to think back to before I was even pregnant and praying for a little girl to complete our family, and God did! O how He has!!

We had Eli's parent teacher conferences last Thursday, and his teacher said that he is the smartest kid in the class. Proud parents we are :) But she did say he is one of the top 3 rambunctious kids in the class. OY! LOL! He is just like Ross was as a kid! So we had a talk with him, and we are hoping he settles down a bit. His teacher did say that a lot of kids are antsy because of this winter we have had! They have not been able to go outside much!

Dom is getting bigger, and mouthier (I think thats a word lol). The other day he was talking back, which is a new thing he is doing, and I told him he needed to stop talking back to me like that, its disrespectful, and he was going to get in big trouble. Of course his response was "I don't need to stop talking back to you." LOL!! O that boy! He is very strong willed and stubborn! But he is such a sweet heart!