Questions for Jenni (Part III)

1) I don't think you mentioned your dog in a little while, but how is he doing with the new baby?
Aww, Kai is wonderful. He is such a good "puppy" and is excellent with both babies. Carter just ADORES him and every time he sees him he runs over to pet him while yelling "Kai Kai!!" He's also very good with the baby, and I have to stop him from licking her face! Brynn just stares at him and smiles. Kai gets very upset when Brynn cries though...

2) I love your blog and always read your posts! I know this is a weird question but I thought I would ask it anyways..Are you breastfeeding Brynn? If not, what kind of formula do you give her?
Well, this is a touchy subject and one that, I'm sure you've all noticed, I've kept off the blog. But to answer your question, I decided to formula feed Carter and Brynn for several reasons.

We started Carter off with Similac Advance, but due to severe acid reflux, we had to switch him to Similac Sensitive {ready-to-feed... he couldn't handle the powder.} He was on that for a few weeks, to no avail. We finally decided to give in and put him on liquid Zantac along with adding a tiny amount of rice cereal in his bottle to help thicken the formula. That, combined with the Sensitve formula and Dr. Brown's bottles, worked like a charm. If we took something out of the equation, like the rice cereal or Zantac for example, his reflux would act up again.

Because of that, we decided to start Brynn on Similac Sensitive from the start {the ready-to-feed formula only, not the rice cereal or the Zantac, of course!} Thankfully she is doing well with it and she doesn't have signs of having acid reflux. Woooo hooo!

3) What's your favorite room in your house?
Our kitchen. We worked SO HARD on it and I just love that everything in it was designed by US {of course we had a ton of help from my father-in-law and dad too!}

4) Are you still doing the Shred? Have you changed your diet too?
Oh, the Shred. I've been slacking ever since I returned to work. It's just hard to find time to do it. I really, really want need to get back on it though. I haven't lost a single pound since I stopped. When I return from vacation, I plan to really crack down and come up with a routine for both working out and eating better. It's kinda hard now with working PT from home {as part of my maternity leave} to really come up with a solid routine...everyday is different. I return back to work FT on Monday though, so I think it will be a little easier then! At least I hope...

5) I have a hard time taking care of one child, working full time, spending time with my husband, taking care of the house and exercising! I couldn't imagine doing it all with 2 babies! Any tips?! :)
I am, by no means, an expert on this topic, as I'm still adjusting myself, but... {thankfully} I don't think it's been that difficult having two babies in the house {as opposed to one.} It's obviously very time consuming, but as I mentioned before, it was a lot easier {emotionally} going from 1 baby to 2 because you've already changed your entire life to accommodate having a child.

Sigh. The house. I try to do my best with keeping things clean and organized {which was a lot easier when I was on maternity leave} but I think I've adapted a new motto...

We can't both look good. It's me or the house.

{Crap. Didn't I just confess that I wasn't exercising?}

And, lastly, as every mom knows, spending time with your husband often gets pushed to the side when a baby {or 2} enters your world. Bob and I do try to plan date nights {we actually just had one on Sunday for my birthday... and another one last night to the Phillies game} but it's actually a rare occurrence. Not only is it exhausting just thinking about going out on so little sleep, but then comes the problem of a babysitter. We're VERY fortunate to have a plethora of babysitters in our family and it's fairly easy to ask someone to watch the kids for us so that we can spend time together. But, for many parents moms, then comes the problem of...

1. Feeling bad that someone else is watching your kids.
2. Hoping that they're actually being good for whomever is babysitting.
3. Trying not to let 1 and 2 affect your date.

Good luck with that.

6) Oh I forgot I wanted to ask what your favorite wine was. And while we are at it your favorite beer too ;)
Pinot Grigio is, by far, my favorite type of wine. As for brands, I absolutely LOVE Santa Margherita, but it's a bit pricey, so I usually buy Cavit Pinot Grigio. Yum. But I'll drink anything ;)

As for beer, I love Miller Lite and a few of the Sam Adams specialty beers, like Summer Ale and October Fest.

I just got thirsty all of a sudden.

7) What is the characteristic you most admire in others?
Sense of humor. By far. I love spending time with people that can make me laugh.

8) What do you imagine you will be doing with your life in 10 years?
Hmm, good question. I imagine that I will be working at my current job {or a similar job} at the University or teaching elementary school {I'm licensed to teach in both PA and NJ.} No matter what, I'll definitely be in the education field.

9) What is your favorite "day-trip" to take with two kids?
I would say the park or the zoo, but we all know what happened the last time we went there. I honestly haven't taken many day trips with both kids. We have been super busy this summer with birthday parties and BBQ's that our weekends are pretty jam-packed.

We're hoping to go to Storybook Land soon though!

10) Who inspires you and why?
My parents.

They're just really good people. And I'm not just saying that because they're my parents. They are truly amazing people... caring, loving, giving, honest, and fair. You can count on them for anything.

I think my dad is an inspiration to all that know his story {which you can read here} and there are currently 35-year's worth of daycare kids and parents trying to give my mom Sainthood status. Kidding. But she sure does deserve it.

Yep, my parents. Without a doubt.

Okay, it took me, literally, all day to answer these, so I'll do more later... Please, keep the questions coming!

Have you voted today? =)