WigUpdates

Hi there! New pictures have been posted in the side bar. I omitted a cute naked picture of Z, he'll thank me someday. Speaking of the Z-man. About a three months ago we were visiting Daddy at work and he overheard someone call him, "Ben," which led to a good week of calling Daddy "Ben". We thought that was behind us when we noticed him calling Daddy "Bubby" last week. That's my pet name for Daddy! I over heard the following last week from another room:

Daddy: "My name is Daddy, so you call me Daddy, Okay?"

Z: "Okay, Bubby!"

More recently I noticed MY name had been replaced. I thought perhaps it was a one time thing when in the middle of a tense dinner moment (we were all stressed out trying to eat quickly before a church function), I give Z his juice and he says, "Thanks, Honey!". Thank goodness for comical moments that bring us out of our grumpiness. I'm trying really hard to only call Ben, "Daddy" when Z's around. It's almost subconscious though! Poor little guy sprained his ankle last night chasing Daddy. He hasn't walked on it all day, crawls around instead.

Updates on things I've talked about with y'all on WigLife:
Update on Juju: I'm still on a dairy free diet, it's been a week and a half. I'm sticking with it for another week and a half before I decide whether it's working or not. So far, there's been no change in Juju's breathing at night. The Ear, Nose and Throat doc said that she's just got dry nasal passages. Though it sounds like she's congested, she's essentially snoring when she inhales and exhales. It's really sad to listen to like one of those snuffly pug nosed doggies. We're to use saline drops up her nose 5 times a day. Anways, we'll keep you posted.

Update on the budget: I'm sold on keeping a budget for our family expenses. Though it's a bit of extra work, it's crucial to keeping organized and sticking to goals. When I was greatly pregnant I went on strike one paycheck and didn't do a budget, we not only didn't make a payment on Ben's school loan that paycheck but we overspent and couldn't the next paycheck either. It seems we paid it down really fast at first (partially thanks to our tax returns) and now it's going super slowly. It's discouraging, especially when we've barely scratched the surface of my school loan, but we'll get there and the budget will only help that goal.

E-Mealz: I did not end up doing that e-mealz program that I thought I might. I've been making my own meal plan and sticking to it, which has been a huge money saver.

FlyLady: I haven't been reading these e-mails since Juju was born, HOWEVER, I did read them and other articles on her website before she was born and I learned a lot about how to incorporate regular cleaning into your schedule. I haven't figured out how to have two kids and do most of them, but I still run the dish washer at night and empty it in the morning which she suggested.

Earth Shoes: I wore my fancy sandals all Summer long and after the first week I no longer felt like I was going to fall backwards. A yoga instructor invented their Kalso negative gravity heels which I really really like. I think the BEST place to buy these is on e-bay though as my friend has bought several pairs for under $20, which is better than the deal I got at Shoebuy.com.

Recycling: I wish I could keep up my nifty plan of recycling all my junk mail, but I'm afraid that was a wonderful symptom of my nesting during pregnancy. I used the envelopes up till a couple weeks ago for keeping grocery and gas budgets on the outside, with receipts on the inside. Now, I realize, I'm not sure why I was keeping those receipts anyways. So, I just keep their running totals on the opposite page in my budget notebook.

TV: I'm being real with you guys here, OK? We waited until last season's "The Office" was over before we cut off our cable for all our noble reasons. I wish in some ways we'd waited until the Olympics and the Presidential election were over too, but in other ways I don't. So, we've missed a TON of American culture and I feel myself becoming more and more disconnected with things.
Like, for instance, I haven't heard of any of the movies listed on the marquee at our mall. I heard enough presidential campaign coverage on the radio. I figured out all by myself that cardigans that button up at the top only are in style right now. Ooh, and puffy vests. Lots of trendy people wear those now. It almost makes me less inclined to follow suit, even if I like the style. But, I guess I was kind of like that before we cut the cable. I learn about new cereals when I get to the grocery store. We learn about breaking news when my Grandma calls me. In a few years I suspect we'll be completely foreign to the culture we're living in.

I like it though, if "Daddy" lets me, I'm rearranging the furniture in my living room so the comfy stuff doesn't center around the TV, but rather is more conducive to discussions and relaxing. Z still watches Thomas the Tank Engine excessively, the TV isn't going anywhere soon, but I like not feeling enslaved by it. Y'know?

Since we didn't send birth announcements to very many people, I thought I'd share what we sent which was the above picture with the following:
"The Wigton Production Co. announces...2008 Wigton Baby Girl...Model released: September 26, Weight: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Length: 20.5 inches. The Management Team, Ben & Becca assures the public there will be no new models the balance of the year."

Yes, her full name was included. If anyone missed that memo, please e-mail me or leave a comment here and I'll send you an e-announcement. The picture was taken when she was one week old and I don't think she's changed much except in size. I'm planning to update the slide show in the sidebar soon, so come back soon. Here's some footage of our little squeaker that I took today:

Also taken today...

The Milk

Hi! I had a busy week with Play Group, Mommy Group and La Leche League on top of helping our starter church move to their new building this week. Lots of fun though! Juju and Z are doing well. Still getting along for now. When I went to wake Z up from his nap the other day, I laid Juju on him and he put his thumb in her mouth. She started sucking it and with his eyes still closed he smiled really big! Made me laugh.

Oooh, I baked for the first time this week since the baby joined us. Chocolate chip cookies from scratch and peanut butter cookies with a mix I had in the cupboard. Yeah, my plans to eat better and start exercising have definitely not been happening. I'm still losing weight though, thanks to the miracle of nursing! As a side note, Ben told me he saw a statistic on the hospital wall while we were there for Juju's birth that nursing for five months decreases one's risk of breast cancer by 80% and nursing longer decreases it even more, I don't recall the exact numbers he said. Not bad, eh? Nursing for eight months has been proven to increase the child's IQ by six points. OK, I'm out, that's all the factoids I have on nursing.

Juju's been having a strange congestion that comes on at night and by 5am every morning is really obstructive to her breathing, nursing and sleep for all four of us. So, I spent all Thursday making appointments for her at an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor and an allergist. Friday morning at La Leche League (aka "The Milk" league in our house, which Ben chuckles at every time it's mentioned) I learn that it's possible her congestion is actually related to a food allergy or intolerance of a food that I've been eating. Since I'm lactose intolerant when I'm not pregnant it's most likely that it's lactose intolerance in her too. They also taught me that I need to abstain from milk for 2-3 weeks before I'll see any change in her. So, I'm praying this works for her sake and ours. If she struggles to breath too much at this age it can change her bone structure and cause her to have an overbite. I'm hoping to see a difference in the next week before our ENT doctor appointment.

After I troubled you all for votes on which glasses to get new lenses in, I've gone and lost the winning pair. I haven't seen them for two weeks. Perhaps because I can't see very well without them....just kidding, I'm wearing my contacts. My sweetie heart wants me to get a new pair just because he knows I'd love a new pair, so I'm rather excited. I promise I didn't lose them on purpose. I'm convinced they are somewhere in the house and a certain two year old might have an idea of where they are if only he could communicate better. Anyways, had to update you on that.

Becca's Favorite Things

Two cereals I really like right now: Kashi Go Lean Crunch! and Honey Bunches of Oats with chocolate clusters. The Go Lean is way better for you, but don't try it if you don't love honey as that's the predominant flavor. The other is almost as good as the schoko-meusli that my parents send me from Germany. Very yummy! I took this pic while my mom was still here. I do plan to share more pics of the kiddos soon, I think I can, I think I can!