![If At First You Don't Succeed…]()
by Catherine | Sep 9, 2013 | Family
When I was 18 weeks pregnant with Harold, I wrote about my new outlook on breastfeeding. For a lot of reasons (which I wrote about in that post), my outlook on breastfeeding completely changed as I anticipated the birth of our baby. A lot of it had to do with my world being rocked when I miscarried Thérèse and my whole perspective on parenting changed–for the better.
After writing that post about my new outlook, I received an overwhelming response from my friends. They called, texted, e-mailed, Facebook messaged, or contacted me some other way to let me know that they were in my corner, that it was awesome that I was going to try breastfeeding again, and to let them know if there was anything they could do to help. Several offered great resources for breastfeeding moms, put me in touch with support groups, and gave the inside scoop on things veteran breastfeeding mamas know. I am so very grateful for the outpouring of support I received during pregnancy to build me up and make me believe that I could breastfeed successfully despite feeling like a failure with Jane and Walt. So, I want to offer a big heartfelt thank you to all of you awesome ladies who continue to be in my corner, rooting (no pun intended) me on!
I am overjoyed to share that Harold will turn one month on Saturday, and breastfeeding couldn’t be going better! At his two-week check-up, he had surpassed his birth weight, and my pediatrician said that he was the “perfect specimen of a term breastfed baby.” When she said that, it was one of those mom moments when the clouds part and you hear the choir of angels singing! “Perfect specimen”? And it’s because breastfeeding is actually working out this time? Music to this mama’s ears!!!
 |
| Harold’s happy about it, too! I was able to snap this picture of his first smile in a milk-induced 3 a.m. dream. |
Aside from a fantastic support network (especially Philip, aka Hubby of the Year), I know there are three main reasons I’ve been successful this time around:
1. I’m a better advocate for myself and for Harold
- I asked the nurse at the hospital to act as a bouncer and to put a sign on the door whenever we wanted a few hours of uninterrupted rest. Oh, it was glorious!
- I safeguarded our time those first few weeks so that I wasn’t over exhausted and Harold and I could figure it out together. We turned off our phones. When visitors asked to come over, I chose the times that were most convenient for us or asked if we could reschedule for a time that wouldn’t interrupt naps, lunch, etc.
- When we have visitors and Harold is hungry, I’m confident getting out the cover and nursing right there. I could still use A LOT more practice juggling everything–especially when I leave the comfort of home where I have pillows, a couch, etc., but each day it gets easier.
2. FOOD, friends, and MealBaby.com
- Since having Harold, we have had at least 13 different families bring us meals (and a few even brought extra casseroles/dishes for us to eat another day!)! How amazing is that?!
- I had friends from different groups I’m a part of offer to bring meals. Rather than having to coordinate all of it with a bunch of phone calls/e-mails, I created a “registry” on MealBaby.com. This site has been a lifesaver! After you create a user name and password, you pick the dates you want people to bring meals, enter your info (phone number, e-mail, address, hours you want people to drop things off, how many people the meal will feed, food allergies/aversions, etc.). Then, you send the link to family and friends. They “sign up” on the digital calendar on the free days, and you get an e-mail every time someone signs up. This way, you know who is coming, when they’re coming, and the person bringing the meal can see what meals you’ve already received so that you don’t get 5 nights in a row of chicken alfredo. Awesome, huh?!
- Without having to worry about grocery shopping or making meals, I had more time to focus on figuring out breastfeeding.
3. PRAYER
For whatever reason, I never brought it to prayer when I was struggling to breastfeed Jane and Walt. I somehow thought I should compartmentalize that part of life from the “big stuff.” Silly, huh? When I was pregnant with Harold, I started praying that God would give me wisdom and an open heart to breastfeeding.
Well, let me tell you, the Big Guy really came through! I never thought I’d say this, but I LOVE breastfeeding, and it’s going so well! By taking it to prayer, God was able to free me of the stress and anxiety I had attached to breastfeeding and replace it with a new heart. God is showing me through the gift of our precious babies–Thérèse and Harold–that parenthood is pure gift and motherhood is an opportunity to give your life in sacrifice for your family. I find myself looking forward to the next feeding, and I get lost in Harold’s gaze. I’m enjoying each feeding as a timeout to our day to just be with each other. I’m not trying to be productive while nursing. I sit on the couch and “just” feed Harold. This change to my usual go, go, go routine is something that Jane and Walt are loving, too. These forced timeouts are great pick-me-ups. Most of the time, I end up on the couch with Harold, Jane, Walt, and our dog, Monty, all snuggled up around me.
 |
| Burping Harold with my helpers after nursing |
 |
| Camping out with Mom and Harold in the nursery |
Those moments remind me why I’m home in the first place, and they bring me so much peace. Harold is eating every 2-3 hours during the day, so we’re getting a lot of quality time in these days! Before Thérèse and Harold, I would have looked at that time as being unproductive. Now, I know it’s the most important time of my day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to try again, and I’m so grateful for my changed heart. Breastfeeding is bringing our family so many blessings, and I hope God will continue to open my heart to the other blessings He’s pouring upon our family during this special time.
St. Thérèse, continue to pray for us!
![If At First You Don’t Succeed…]()
by Catherine | Sep 9, 2013 | Family
When I was 18 weeks pregnant with Harold, I wrote about my new outlook on breastfeeding. For a lot of reasons (which I wrote about in that post), my outlook on breastfeeding completely changed as I anticipated the birth of our baby. A lot of it had to do with my world being rocked when I miscarried Thérèse and my whole perspective on parenting changed–for the better.
After writing that post about my new outlook, I received an overwhelming response from my friends. They called, texted, e-mailed, Facebook messaged, or contacted me some other way to let me know that they were in my corner, that it was awesome that I was going to try breastfeeding again, and to let them know if there was anything they could do to help. Several offered great resources for breastfeeding moms, put me in touch with support groups, and gave the inside scoop on things veteran breastfeeding mamas know. I am so very grateful for the outpouring of support I received during pregnancy to build me up and make me believe that I could breastfeed successfully despite feeling like a failure with Jane and Walt. So, I want to offer a big heartfelt thank you to all of you awesome ladies who continue to be in my corner, rooting (no pun intended) me on!
I am overjoyed to share that Harold will turn one month on Saturday, and breastfeeding couldn’t be going better! At his two-week check-up, he had surpassed his birth weight, and my pediatrician said that he was the “perfect specimen of a term breastfed baby.” When she said that, it was one of those mom moments when the clouds part and you hear the choir of angels singing! “Perfect specimen”? And it’s because breastfeeding is actually working out this time? Music to this mama’s ears!!!
|
| Harold’s happy about it, too! I was able to snap this picture of his first smile in a milk-induced 3 a.m. dream. |
Aside from a fantastic support network (especially Philip, aka Hubby of the Year), I know there are three main reasons I’ve been successful this time around:
1. I’m a better advocate for myself and for Harold
- I asked the nurse at the hospital to act as a bouncer and to put a sign on the door whenever we wanted a few hours of uninterrupted rest. Oh, it was glorious!
- I safeguarded our time those first few weeks so that I wasn’t over exhausted and Harold and I could figure it out together. We turned off our phones. When visitors asked to come over, I chose the times that were most convenient for us or asked if we could reschedule for a time that wouldn’t interrupt naps, lunch, etc.
- When we have visitors and Harold is hungry, I’m confident getting out the cover and nursing right there. I could still use A LOT more practice juggling everything–especially when I leave the comfort of home where I have pillows, a couch, etc., but each day it gets easier.
2. FOOD, friends, and MealBaby.com
- Since having Harold, we have had at least 13 different families bring us meals (and a few even brought extra casseroles/dishes for us to eat another day!)! How amazing is that?!
- I had friends from different groups I’m a part of offer to bring meals. Rather than having to coordinate all of it with a bunch of phone calls/e-mails, I created a “registry” on MealBaby.com. This site has been a lifesaver! After you create a user name and password, you pick the dates you want people to bring meals, enter your info (phone number, e-mail, address, hours you want people to drop things off, how many people the meal will feed, food allergies/aversions, etc.). Then, you send the link to family and friends. They “sign up” on the digital calendar on the free days, and you get an e-mail every time someone signs up. This way, you know who is coming, when they’re coming, and the person bringing the meal can see what meals you’ve already received so that you don’t get 5 nights in a row of chicken alfredo. Awesome, huh?!
- Without having to worry about grocery shopping or making meals, I had more time to focus on figuring out breastfeeding.
3. PRAYER
For whatever reason, I never brought it to prayer when I was struggling to breastfeed Jane and Walt. I somehow thought I should compartmentalize that part of life from the “big stuff.” Silly, huh? When I was pregnant with Harold, I started praying that God would give me wisdom and an open heart to breastfeeding.
Well, let me tell you, the Big Guy really came through! I never thought I’d say this, but I LOVE breastfeeding, and it’s going so well! By taking it to prayer, God was able to free me of the stress and anxiety I had attached to breastfeeding and replace it with a new heart. God is showing me through the gift of our precious babies–Thérèse and Harold–that parenthood is pure gift and motherhood is an opportunity to give your life in sacrifice for your family. I find myself looking forward to the next feeding, and I get lost in Harold’s gaze. I’m enjoying each feeding as a timeout to our day to just be with each other. I’m not trying to be productive while nursing. I sit on the couch and “just” feed Harold. This change to my usual go, go, go routine is something that Jane and Walt are loving, too. These forced timeouts are great pick-me-ups. Most of the time, I end up on the couch with Harold, Jane, Walt, and our dog, Monty, all snuggled up around me.
|
| Burping Harold with my helpers after nursing |
|
| Camping out with Mom and Harold in the nursery |
Those moments remind me why I’m home in the first place, and they bring me so much peace. Harold is eating every 2-3 hours during the day, so we’re getting a lot of quality time in these days! Before Thérèse and Harold, I would have looked at that time as being unproductive. Now, I know it’s the most important time of my day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to try again, and I’m so grateful for my changed heart. Breastfeeding is bringing our family so many blessings, and I hope God will continue to open my heart to the other blessings He’s pouring upon our family during this special time.
St. Thérèse, continue to pray for us!
![Introducing Harold "Harry" Fulton Boucher!]()
by Catherine | Sep 9, 2013 | Family
It’s a boy! Our sweet baby, Harold “Harry” Fulton Boucher came into the world on Wednesday, August 14, at 2:13 p.m. He tipped the scales at 8 lbs. 7 oz. (our “smallest” baby yet!) and measured 21 inches long.
 |
| Here’s my amazing OBGYN, Dr. Steinauer. He’s a great, Catholic, NFP-only OBGYN trained in the Creighton Model. He’s been with us through it all. Before Philip snapped this shot, Dr. Steinauer traced the cross on Harold’s forehead and said, “God bless you, Harold.” I teared up then, and I’m tearing up now just thinking about it! |
 |
| All snuggled up. The poor guy got a little bruised making his way into the world! |
 |
| So happy Harold is here! So, where did we get the name Harold Fulton? We wanted to stick with our old school naming trend. We liked Harold because we thought it was a good, strong, masculine name, and it’s also a saint’s name. We chose the middle name Fulton after one my personal heroes, Archbishop Fulton Sheen. I’m calling him Harold more than Harry lately, but I seem to go back and forth. I guess we have a tendency to do that with all of the kids–Jane/Janie, Walter/Walt, and Harold/Harry. |
 |
| Jane and Walt wanted to know where my big tummy went. |
 |
| Dr. Jane, giving Harold a little exam |
 |
| Sweet sibling love |
 |
| Learning how to hold a baby. She was only 15-months-old when Walt was born, so she doesn’t have much practice! |
 |
| The Three Musketeers! Walt had very limited interest in Harold during the hospital visit. |
 |
Both kids picked out presents for “Baby” weeks before our
due date. Walt picked out a Percy Pillow Pet. Percy is an engine from Thomas and Friends, which just so happens to be Walt’s favorite show. Nevermind that the Percy Pillow Pet is on Walt’s bed as I type this… |
 |
| Jane thought that “Baby” was a girl, so she selected this pink Fisher Price seahorse that plays music and has a glowing belly. We have since exchanged it for the blue one! |
 |
| Singing “Happy Birthday” to Harold and celebrating with some cake |
 |
| Giving Harold yet another exam |
 |
| She really couldn’t get enough of him! |
 |
| Our first attempt at a picture as a family of 5. We’ll keep working on it… |
 |
| Isn’t he just so sweet and snuggly and perfect?! |
 |
| The hospital provided a “celebratory dinner,” so we decided to declare that evening our little date night in the hospital. |
 |
| Cheers to Harold! He wanted to join us table side. |
 |
| Sweet squeezable cheeks |
 |
| Aw! The little puppy on the baby toosh! |
 |
| Heading home with Harold |
 |
| We put Harold in the same going home outfit that Walt wore, and I put their pictures side by side. They’re definitely brothers! Can you tell who is who? (Walt’s on the left, and Harold’s on the right.)
Harold will be a month old on Saturday. How is that possible?! We have been pretty busy. I’ll give more detailed updates in upcoming posts. I keep telling everyone who asks that this has been our easiest, most peaceful transition yet. Breastfeeding is off to a great start (more on that later), and Harold is a great eater & sleeper. Jane and Walt love the little guy, and they’ve adjusted really well. Miss Jane started preschool a week after Harold was born, so it’s been nice to have a little time with just me and the boys two mornings a week. Jane loves preschool, and she wishes she could go everyday. Monty loves Harold because I usually nurse on the couch, so he takes advantage of those opportunities to snuggle. Philip went back to work after a week at home. The days at home with three kiddos under four have been long and tiring, but oh so very joyful! I have much, much more to write, but I need to go spend some time with my amazing husband who has been such a big support and cheerleader this past year. I can honestly say that we’ve never been happier! A big thank you for all of your prayers for our family throughout this past year. Our miracle baby is here, and we love him to pieces! Thanks for looking out for us, St. Thérèse!
|
![Introducing Harold “Harry” Fulton Boucher!]()
by Catherine | Sep 9, 2013 | Family
It’s a boy! Our sweet baby, Harold “Harry” Fulton Boucher came into the world on Wednesday, August 14, at 2:13 p.m. He tipped the scales at 8 lbs. 7 oz. (our “smallest” baby yet!) and measured 21 inches long.
|
| Here’s my amazing OBGYN, Dr. Steinauer. He’s a great, Catholic, NFP-only OBGYN trained in the Creighton Model. He’s been with us through it all. Before Philip snapped this shot, Dr. Steinauer traced the cross on Harold’s forehead and said, “God bless you, Harold.” I teared up then, and I’m tearing up now just thinking about it! |
|
| All snuggled up. The poor guy got a little bruised making his way into the world! |
|
| So happy Harold is here! So, where did we get the name Harold Fulton? We wanted to stick with our old school naming trend. We liked Harold because we thought it was a good, strong, masculine name, and it’s also a saint’s name. We chose the middle name Fulton after one my personal heroes, Archbishop Fulton Sheen. I’m calling him Harold more than Harry lately, but I seem to go back and forth. I guess we have a tendency to do that with all of the kids–Jane/Janie, Walter/Walt, and Harold/Harry. |
|
| Jane and Walt wanted to know where my big tummy went. |
|
| Dr. Jane, giving Harold a little exam |
|
| Sweet sibling love |
|
| Learning how to hold a baby. She was only 15-months-old when Walt was born, so she doesn’t have much practice! |
|
| The Three Musketeers! Walt had very limited interest in Harold during the hospital visit. |
|
| Both kids picked out presents for “Baby” weeks before our due date. Walt picked out a Percy Pillow Pet. Percy is an engine from Thomas and Friends, which just so happens to be Walt’s favorite show. Nevermind that the Percy Pillow Pet is on Walt’s bed as I type this… |
|
| Jane thought that “Baby” was a girl, so she selected this pink Fisher Price seahorse that plays music and has a glowing belly. We have since exchanged it for the blue one! |
|
| Singing “Happy Birthday” to Harold and celebrating with some cake |
|
| Giving Harold yet another exam |
|
| She really couldn’t get enough of him! |
|
| Our first attempt at a picture as a family of 5. We’ll keep working on it… |
|
| Isn’t he just so sweet and snuggly and perfect?! |
|
| The hospital provided a “celebratory dinner,” so we decided to declare that evening our little date night in the hospital. |
|
| Cheers to Harold! He wanted to join us table side. |
|
| Sweet squeezable cheeks |
|
| Aw! The little puppy on the baby toosh! |
|
| Heading home with Harold |
|
| We put Harold in the same going home outfit that Walt wore, and I put their pictures side by side. They’re definitely brothers! Can you tell who is who? (Walt’s on the left, and Harold’s on the right.)
Harold will be a month old on Saturday. How is that possible?! We have been pretty busy. I’ll give more detailed updates in upcoming posts. I keep telling everyone who asks that this has been our easiest, most peaceful transition yet. Breastfeeding is off to a great start (more on that later), and Harold is a great eater & sleeper. Jane and Walt love the little guy, and they’ve adjusted really well. Miss Jane started preschool a week after Harold was born, so it’s been nice to have a little time with just me and the boys two mornings a week. Jane loves preschool, and she wishes she could go everyday. Monty loves Harold because I usually nurse on the couch, so he takes advantage of those opportunities to snuggle. Philip went back to work after a week at home. The days at home with three kiddos under four have been long and tiring, but oh so very joyful! I have much, much more to write, but I need to go spend some time with my amazing husband who has been such a big support and cheerleader this past year. I can honestly say that we’ve never been happier! A big thank you for all of your prayers for our family throughout this past year. Our miracle baby is here, and we love him to pieces! Thanks for looking out for us, St. Thérèse!
|
![Place Your Bets! Is Baby on Team Pink or Team Blue?]()
by Catherine | Jul 7, 2013 | Family
One of my favorite things about our pregnancies is being on “Team Green” (not knowing whether we’re having a boy or girl). Now that I’m about a month away from my due date, I thought I’d wash all of the baby clothes–pink and blue.
With each pregnancy, we pick out a brand new outfit for a boy and a girl to bring to the hospital. The kids got to come along to pick them out this time. They settled on a floral/butterfly sleeper for a girl and a blue striped monster sleeper for a boy.
Folding all of those sweet little sleepers, onesies, hats, socks, and swaddling blankets gave me some serious I-Gotta-Meet-You-Baby-Fever! Folding each item made me think about Jane and Walt wearing them and breathing in that intoxicating baby smell. It’s getting harder and harder to wait for you, Baby!
For a fun little distraction, I thought it’d be fun for everyone to place their bets on what “team” Baby will be on.
Will Baby be on Team Pink (girl) or Team Blue (boy)?
Here are some side by side by side belly pics if you believe the shape of my belly reveals Baby’s gender:
 |
| From left to right: 23 weeks with Jane, 27 weeks with Walt, and 25 weeks with Baby due in August |
 |
| Left to Right: 32 weeks with Jane, 33 weeks with Walt, and 33 weeks with Baby due in August |
Family Guesses:
Philip has thought that Baby was a girl all along. Jane and Walt both think Baby is a girl. I change my mind every hour! More often than not, I think Baby is a girl.
Perhaps sharing Jane’s and Walt’s “stats” will help you to make an educated guess.
JANE
Jane was born 5 days before her due date (2/16/10) on 2/11/10 at 11:58 p.m.
Weight: 8 lbs., 7.5 oz.
Length: 21 in.
WALT
Walt was born 1 day before his due date (5/20/11) on 5/19/11 at 11:28 p.m.
Weight: 8 lbs., 13 oz.
Length: 21 in.
Now, try filling in Baby’s stats!
BABY
Team Pink or Team Blue?
Due Date: 8/17/13
Birthday/Time: ? / ?
Weight: ?
Length: ?
