One Outta Two Ain't Bad

...good days of the weekend, that is. Saturday was kind of a wash-out, and not just because of the rain. Audrey started having some eating issues, which seemed to escalate by Saturday. (More on that later.) So, we battled that most of the morning, but it was okay, because I was looking forward to going out by myself for a little while that afternoon. I had this beautiful scene painted in my head: I was going to drive through Starbucks and get a special decaf treat on my way to shop for some Halloween Party decorations. I could see it now - strolling through the aisles at a leisurely pace, sipping on my yummy coffee, and selecting just the perfect items that were ridiculously low priced. I even had a little fantasy where I jumped on the cart with one leg and skated down an aisle with the other leg in the air behind me. It was going to be great. It was going to be relaxing. It was going to be fun.

It was not going to happen.

Audrey took longer to eat than expected, so I got a later start out the door. No problem. I just skipped the Starbucks run. I didn't need the calories anyway. So I drove to Old Time Pottery and pulled into the parking lot just in time to see employees lining up buggies to block the door and hanging a "temporarily closed" sign outside. What on earth?! I rolled down the window and asked what was up. Apparently they'd had a "small electrical fire" and the fire department was making them close for a little while so they could make sure everything was safe. They were going to open back up in about an hour. Okay, that would still give me enough time to shop, though not quite at the leisurely pace I'd hoped for. No sweat, though. I decided to get my coffee and come back.

Cue torrential downpour and horrific traffic here. I fought my way down the street in pouring rain to the closest Starbucks. There was no parking space in sight...not that I wanted to schlep back and forth in that kind of weather anyway. I considered that it may be time to call it quits and head home. The thought of fighting traffic all the way back was not at all relaxing. But, my stubbornness kicked in and I decided to take a detour back to Old Time Pottery.

I got back a few minutes early, so I thought I'd hit up the Dunkin' Donuts drive-through. I pulled up and ordered a decaf and a donut. "Huh, What?" was the lady's response to my order. I repeated it slowly but politely and she barked, "Pull up." There was no one in front of me, so I just kept on driving. My nerves were getting the better of me and I really couldn't take poor customer service at this point...or the chance that she probably wouldn't remember I'd said "decaf."

Thankfully, there was a Krispy Kreme right across the street (I know, I know. Should've started there). I went through the drive-through and ordered. The man politely told me my total and said "please pull forward." Well sure I will! Thank you for your nice manners! As I rolled the window down to pay (I'd rolled it up after ordering because it was still raining cats and dogs) a huge waterfall gushed in all over my door panel and pants. I took my items from him, thought some bad words but didn't say them, and drove back over to Old Time Pottery. I saw an employee still stationed out front and thought I'd better clarify the opening time before I sat there waiting. Sure enough, she said it would be an additional hour or so before they reopened. Defeated, I drove home.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening battling Audrey's eating issues and her new diaper rash, ending the day with me bawling my eyes out because I was convinced I was starving my child. I finally gave in and gave her a bottle of breast milk while I pumped and alternated between being unbelievably heart-broken and furious at my own body for not cooperating.

Sunday morning we got up early and got ready for church. David gave Audrey a bottle while I pumped (8 oz in 20 minutes, so things were back "on" in that department, at least for the moment.) We drove to church and dropped her off in the nursery for the very first time while we went to volunteer with the kindergarten class. I was one of "those" moms who had to explain about the diaper rash and rambled about her sleeping on her stomach, but I'm sure they're used to that. I walked away quickly before I could start crying and went to find our classroom.

It was hectic getting there and getting settled, but it definitely offered the distraction I needed from worrying about AJ the whole time. We had six very excited five year olds between the two of us, so the morning went by quickly. When I went to pick Audrey up, her eyes were wet like she'd been crying which broke my heart. Of course that's ridiculous because she is going to cry, but it still made me feel bad that I wasn't there to help her. Her diaper hadn't been changed (or they forgot to put a sticker on it) which aggravated me since I'd explained about her diaper rash, but I reminded myself that these sweet people are volunteers who do the best they can. I can't expect them to do things perfectly or "my way", and it's good for Audrey to learn to be flexible. At least, this is what I'm going to have to tell myself at every drop-off for the next year. Yeah, I realize by child #2 I'll probably barely slow down as I shove him or her in the door. But, this is child #1 and I'm new at this, so I'll kindly ask you to keep the overprotective mommy jokes to a minimum.

Anyway, we raced home to get her fed. She ate a decent meal and then David's parents came over to keep her while he and I went out for a date. We went to a nearby Fall Festival and enjoyed the beautiful autumn day without any rain. I had debated about bringing Audrey, but ended up being glad we didn't. It was too hot in the sun and way too crowded for her stroller. Next year we'll give it a shot, but this time David and I enjoyed strolling around and looking at all the arts and crafts by ourselves. We ate lunch and bought Audrey a few books from the library's book sale and then headed out. We stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home and grabbed a couple of things, then spent the rest of the evening relaxing together.

So, Sunday was much better, though the eating issues are still troubling us. It's quite the chicken or the egg kind of ordeal. We're not sure whether she is getting more distracted and not eating well which caused my supply to go down or whether she's not eating well because my supply went down. Either way, I'm taking steps to increase my supply and keeping an eye on AJ's hydration. I would really appreciate your prayers in this area. Only a mother who has breastfed can understand how it cuts you to the core to think you're failing to provide nourishment to your baby. Oh my goodness has it been a rough few days in that regard.

Anyway, that's the latest in our household. Hope your week is off to a good start. We'll post more updates soon!