High - We took advantage of Mike's Monday off and went for a walk on the Ma & Pa trail today. We went from the parking lot to just before the one mile mark. I started off like gangbusters, but had to go slower and slower as we continued. The walk back was very slow. But that's almost 2 miles and that is almost 2 miles more than I have walked since last spring. So yay for me. Then we came home and sat on the deck and looked at the tree.
Low - I AM SO READY TO BE HEALED. It's so frustrating to be in pain from nothing other than walking. I didn't even have to lift the car seat or push the stroller! Argh. Next Monday is my 6 week checkup and I can't even fathom...
Monday, April 8, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Sunday Highs and Lows
High: We ran 2 errands with the munchkin and he was really well behaved. Woohoo for getting out of the house!
Low: One of the errands we ran was to get a little camcorder (like a "Flip" style even though they don't make those anymore) but apparently NOBODY makes that style anymore. Now we have to do research and decide what we want. It's times like this when I miss the iPhone because my GS3 doesn't talk to my Mac as nicely. It'll transfer pictures but not videos.
Low: One of the errands we ran was to get a little camcorder (like a "Flip" style even though they don't make those anymore) but apparently NOBODY makes that style anymore. Now we have to do research and decide what we want. It's times like this when I miss the iPhone because my GS3 doesn't talk to my Mac as nicely. It'll transfer pictures but not videos.
Saturday, April 6, 2013
April 6 - Highs and Lows
High - We got real smiles today! It happened for both of us separately at different times under different circumstances, so we're pretty sure we're right about them being real. Super fun to have him react to us in this way after a month of crossed eyes, blank stares, and smiles that were gas or reflexes. Another high was going to a baby shower on my own. I really hemmed and hawed about how to handle it - go, not go, take him, take the pump, wing it without the pump, etc. I went with the pump and had a good time!
Low - Being away from my baby for 5 whole hours ... How can that be a high AND a low? I don't know, but it is!
Low - Being away from my baby for 5 whole hours ... How can that be a high AND a low? I don't know, but it is!
Friday, April 5, 2013
One month (2 days late)
Things to remember at this one month point...
Size:
The day before one month, he was 8 pounds 11 ounces. The day after one month, he was 8 pounds 12 ounces. (So I guess we could say he was 8 pounds 11.5 ounces?) ;) Unofficially, he's just over 21 inches. I feel like I didn't do a good job with that though because his pants have a bigger difference than just an inch, and he was almost 21 inches three weeks ago.
Clothes:
None of the newborn sized sleepers fit anymore. First the Faded Glory brand stopped fitting, then the Gerbers. He still fits in most of the newborn onesies but a couple are too small. The brands are SO different. Size 0-3 months is still a little big, especially the brands that are wider because he's so long and skinny. The "one size fits all" pajama bags and sleep sacks fit him more reasonably now and don't get up in his face when he wiggles around. That makes me feel better. His fleece pajama bags still have the sleeves rolled up a little so his hands can stick out though. For some reason, baby clothes makers think that once they're out of newborn size, parents prefer snaps to zippers. I much preferred the zippers that went from neck to toe. SO MUCH EASIER! Ones with snaps that just go neck to toe down one leg are ok, but the ones that snap up both legs and then the chest are a pain in the butt.
Eating:
During the day, he eats every 1 to 3 hours for a total of approximately 10 times a day. In the last week to 10 days, there have been times were the 40 minute feeding has turned into just 10, and it appears he is getting the same amount of food. Other times it's still long and he is lazy. He ate 3.2 ounces in a sitting at baby breakfast the day after he turned 1 month old. Our previous high was 2.6 ounces. He makes a distinct "ah ah ah" sound while bobbing his head against our arm/chest/shoulder/neck/face while making fish faces or chomping motions to tell us he wants to eat. So far, he has done great with bottles. We have been successful with 2 different brands of bottles and nipples, all with pumped milk. He has been fine eating after the bottle as well. It appears that he enjoys the instant gratification of the bottle but luckily it hasn't messed up his regular eating habits.
Sleeping:
He will sleep for about 5 hours after his midnight feeding many times now. Then after an early breakfast at 530 or so, he will sleep or at least chill in the crib for a while longer to let me sleep. I did pop him in the buzzy chair next to the bed to increase my morning sleep a couple times too. There is no pattern to daytime naps really, but he does tend to have awake times in the mid morning and in the evening. After his midnight feeding when his eyes are droopy, I put him in the crib. Just a couple weeks ago it took forever for him to lay down and chill out. Now it might take a couple more tries, but he seems to be starting to understand what the crib is for. He doesn't get quiet right away, but he doesn't cry. More just babbling to himself while he conducts the invisible orchestra, waving his hands around to some mysterious music he hears in his head.
Physical:
His tummy time head control is constantly improving. He can keep it up for lots of seconds now and flips from cheek to cheek while he is down there. He also moves his knees back and forth a ton resulting in random movement and turns. In the crib, he moves himself to the edge of the crib so that he's touching the rails and sometimes his arm is sticking out. If we hold him up, he'll look around especially if he recognizes the voice of the non holding parent nearby. He still has his startle reflex and the one that makes him hold our finger.
Facial:
He makes many silly faces now. He will hold our gaze on a regular basis. He smiles a ton, but it's just a reflex for now. He laughs and smiles in his sleep all the time. We have yet to catch it on video though. He appears to recognize the two of us, but this gazing stage got more pronounced this week since it's just been the two of us so who knows. He saw and heard 3 people for the first 4 weeks and now he's down to 2 on a daily basis.
Crying:
He doesn't scream bloody murder during every single diaper change anymore. Sometimes, if he's sleepy or in an exceptionally good mood, he can ignore it altogether. Often there is still some crying and sometimes it is full meltdown, but an improvement upon a couple weeks ago, that's for sure. So far we have a 100% success rate with crying stopping as soon as the car starts moving which helps because often getting locked into the car seat starts a little crying. We are lucky in that the wailing, screeching crying for extended times hasn't been a regular occurrence yet. Now that he lost his belly button stump and can have more water in his little bathtub, the crying ends there quicker as well. He will sit contentedly for a little while while getting washed. He really hated the sponge bath portion of his life, but I don't blame him for that. If it's been a little while since he ate and he goes from peaceful to unhappy cry in 0.1 seconds, it's often followed by the need for a diaper change. ;)
Vocal:
It's hard to put in writing, but he makes a lot of different noises now. We don't know what they all mean, but it changes all the time. It's funny when his random noises make words. We get uh-huh (like the grunting version of yes), uh-uh (grunting version of no), and ut-oh!
Activities:
We put him in the rainforest gym on his back and stomach at least twice a day. Once in the morning while that corner of the room is nice and toasty which also happens to coincide with a time he's usually alert and happy. He will kick his legs and conduct the invisible orchestra. If he's sad to be put down, the calipso music usually quiets and calms him down. He swings in the swing about once a day, usually around dinner time in an attempt for both of us to eat a hot meal. He sits on our laps and we try to get him to mimic facial expressions like opening and closing our mouths, or sticking out our tongue. We can't tell if he can really do it or if we just get randomly lucky sometimes because those are things he does do on his own. He also likes to lay propped up in the boppy pillow and stare around the room. It's possible that he noticed the cat earlier this week, because the cat walked by him while he was on the boppy and his eyes definitely tracked the cat's walking path. We've taken several walks around the neighborhood as the weather has started being more cooperative.
Me:
In many ways, I feel back to normal. But if I do too much (or sit too much, interestingly enough) I am still sore. I don't know what exactly is sore because Advil doesn't help much. You don't realize how much you use those muscles for lifting until you're waiting for them to heal. I keep telling myself that there's a reason the first appointment isn't until 6 weeks. Even though it feels like another lifetime that was before March 3rd, a month isn't that long in the healing stitched muscles department. On our first outing I carried the car seat too much and I think I'm still paying for that. Even if it takes more time, I really need to pull the snap 'n go up to the car and pop the stroller on there. (I was carrying it to the store and putting it in the big part of the cart - my arms are strong enough, but the rest of me isn't.) On top of it, I haven't used my muscles since the end of May last year before I started my meds, so that probably doesn't help. I'm really ready to be able to move again! Walking is good, but I have to take that slowly as well. I'm trying to be very aware of my mental state. I had a terrible mental day on Wednesday - our second day alone, nowhere to be, and I only saw Mike for 6 hours in 2 days combined. There's not always something I can do about the circumstances, but I'm going to have to find a way to cope and get used to it for the next 4.5 months...then I'll have a whole different circumstance to deal with as a (10 months at a time) working mom!
Size:
The day before one month, he was 8 pounds 11 ounces. The day after one month, he was 8 pounds 12 ounces. (So I guess we could say he was 8 pounds 11.5 ounces?) ;) Unofficially, he's just over 21 inches. I feel like I didn't do a good job with that though because his pants have a bigger difference than just an inch, and he was almost 21 inches three weeks ago.
Clothes:
None of the newborn sized sleepers fit anymore. First the Faded Glory brand stopped fitting, then the Gerbers. He still fits in most of the newborn onesies but a couple are too small. The brands are SO different. Size 0-3 months is still a little big, especially the brands that are wider because he's so long and skinny. The "one size fits all" pajama bags and sleep sacks fit him more reasonably now and don't get up in his face when he wiggles around. That makes me feel better. His fleece pajama bags still have the sleeves rolled up a little so his hands can stick out though. For some reason, baby clothes makers think that once they're out of newborn size, parents prefer snaps to zippers. I much preferred the zippers that went from neck to toe. SO MUCH EASIER! Ones with snaps that just go neck to toe down one leg are ok, but the ones that snap up both legs and then the chest are a pain in the butt.
Eating:
During the day, he eats every 1 to 3 hours for a total of approximately 10 times a day. In the last week to 10 days, there have been times were the 40 minute feeding has turned into just 10, and it appears he is getting the same amount of food. Other times it's still long and he is lazy. He ate 3.2 ounces in a sitting at baby breakfast the day after he turned 1 month old. Our previous high was 2.6 ounces. He makes a distinct "ah ah ah" sound while bobbing his head against our arm/chest/shoulder/neck/face while making fish faces or chomping motions to tell us he wants to eat. So far, he has done great with bottles. We have been successful with 2 different brands of bottles and nipples, all with pumped milk. He has been fine eating after the bottle as well. It appears that he enjoys the instant gratification of the bottle but luckily it hasn't messed up his regular eating habits.
Sleeping:
He will sleep for about 5 hours after his midnight feeding many times now. Then after an early breakfast at 530 or so, he will sleep or at least chill in the crib for a while longer to let me sleep. I did pop him in the buzzy chair next to the bed to increase my morning sleep a couple times too. There is no pattern to daytime naps really, but he does tend to have awake times in the mid morning and in the evening. After his midnight feeding when his eyes are droopy, I put him in the crib. Just a couple weeks ago it took forever for him to lay down and chill out. Now it might take a couple more tries, but he seems to be starting to understand what the crib is for. He doesn't get quiet right away, but he doesn't cry. More just babbling to himself while he conducts the invisible orchestra, waving his hands around to some mysterious music he hears in his head.
Physical:
His tummy time head control is constantly improving. He can keep it up for lots of seconds now and flips from cheek to cheek while he is down there. He also moves his knees back and forth a ton resulting in random movement and turns. In the crib, he moves himself to the edge of the crib so that he's touching the rails and sometimes his arm is sticking out. If we hold him up, he'll look around especially if he recognizes the voice of the non holding parent nearby. He still has his startle reflex and the one that makes him hold our finger.
Facial:
He makes many silly faces now. He will hold our gaze on a regular basis. He smiles a ton, but it's just a reflex for now. He laughs and smiles in his sleep all the time. We have yet to catch it on video though. He appears to recognize the two of us, but this gazing stage got more pronounced this week since it's just been the two of us so who knows. He saw and heard 3 people for the first 4 weeks and now he's down to 2 on a daily basis.
Crying:
He doesn't scream bloody murder during every single diaper change anymore. Sometimes, if he's sleepy or in an exceptionally good mood, he can ignore it altogether. Often there is still some crying and sometimes it is full meltdown, but an improvement upon a couple weeks ago, that's for sure. So far we have a 100% success rate with crying stopping as soon as the car starts moving which helps because often getting locked into the car seat starts a little crying. We are lucky in that the wailing, screeching crying for extended times hasn't been a regular occurrence yet. Now that he lost his belly button stump and can have more water in his little bathtub, the crying ends there quicker as well. He will sit contentedly for a little while while getting washed. He really hated the sponge bath portion of his life, but I don't blame him for that. If it's been a little while since he ate and he goes from peaceful to unhappy cry in 0.1 seconds, it's often followed by the need for a diaper change. ;)
Vocal:
It's hard to put in writing, but he makes a lot of different noises now. We don't know what they all mean, but it changes all the time. It's funny when his random noises make words. We get uh-huh (like the grunting version of yes), uh-uh (grunting version of no), and ut-oh!
Activities:
We put him in the rainforest gym on his back and stomach at least twice a day. Once in the morning while that corner of the room is nice and toasty which also happens to coincide with a time he's usually alert and happy. He will kick his legs and conduct the invisible orchestra. If he's sad to be put down, the calipso music usually quiets and calms him down. He swings in the swing about once a day, usually around dinner time in an attempt for both of us to eat a hot meal. He sits on our laps and we try to get him to mimic facial expressions like opening and closing our mouths, or sticking out our tongue. We can't tell if he can really do it or if we just get randomly lucky sometimes because those are things he does do on his own. He also likes to lay propped up in the boppy pillow and stare around the room. It's possible that he noticed the cat earlier this week, because the cat walked by him while he was on the boppy and his eyes definitely tracked the cat's walking path. We've taken several walks around the neighborhood as the weather has started being more cooperative.
Me:
In many ways, I feel back to normal. But if I do too much (or sit too much, interestingly enough) I am still sore. I don't know what exactly is sore because Advil doesn't help much. You don't realize how much you use those muscles for lifting until you're waiting for them to heal. I keep telling myself that there's a reason the first appointment isn't until 6 weeks. Even though it feels like another lifetime that was before March 3rd, a month isn't that long in the healing stitched muscles department. On our first outing I carried the car seat too much and I think I'm still paying for that. Even if it takes more time, I really need to pull the snap 'n go up to the car and pop the stroller on there. (I was carrying it to the store and putting it in the big part of the cart - my arms are strong enough, but the rest of me isn't.) On top of it, I haven't used my muscles since the end of May last year before I started my meds, so that probably doesn't help. I'm really ready to be able to move again! Walking is good, but I have to take that slowly as well. I'm trying to be very aware of my mental state. I had a terrible mental day on Wednesday - our second day alone, nowhere to be, and I only saw Mike for 6 hours in 2 days combined. There's not always something I can do about the circumstances, but I'm going to have to find a way to cope and get used to it for the next 4.5 months...then I'll have a whole different circumstance to deal with as a (10 months at a time) working mom!
April 5
We have been home from the hospital for a whole month now. Individually, many of those days felt like a year. It's already hard to remember details from those early days because it seems like eons ago. But at the same time, I can't believe it's been a month!
Highs for today: Tons of human adult interaction! We have a seasonal plan with an exterminator to deal with ants and a couple other things we just couldn't get under control when we moved in. Since we always have the same tech, we do have conversations with him when he's here. Plus, he's a very chatty guy in our age range. He was happy to see our new addition today and we chatted for a bit after he finished the treatment since he has a couple little kids. Then, mike surprised us by coming home in the early afternoon to watch opening day. (and because I think he was worried about me on Wednesday when I lost my marbles after seeing him for a combined 6 hours in 3 days...he called to check on me Thursday too;) He even brought Taco Bell home. Finally, my carpool friend and her daughter came to visit this evening. All good things for a healthy me!
Low: In reading some emails today, it appears I'm going to be missing some important stuff at work. Things that will impact me far into the future. I'm disappointed about that, but I'm not going to work even for a meeting during the unpaid leave time. I just can't. That is frustrating. It's hard to have such sweeping educational change happening right now! Just at the moment where our kids' performance starts counting in our evaluations, I'm at home learning how to be a mom. Already a hard balance.
Highs for today: Tons of human adult interaction! We have a seasonal plan with an exterminator to deal with ants and a couple other things we just couldn't get under control when we moved in. Since we always have the same tech, we do have conversations with him when he's here. Plus, he's a very chatty guy in our age range. He was happy to see our new addition today and we chatted for a bit after he finished the treatment since he has a couple little kids. Then, mike surprised us by coming home in the early afternoon to watch opening day. (and because I think he was worried about me on Wednesday when I lost my marbles after seeing him for a combined 6 hours in 3 days...he called to check on me Thursday too;) He even brought Taco Bell home. Finally, my carpool friend and her daughter came to visit this evening. All good things for a healthy me!
Low: In reading some emails today, it appears I'm going to be missing some important stuff at work. Things that will impact me far into the future. I'm disappointed about that, but I'm not going to work even for a meeting during the unpaid leave time. I just can't. That is frustrating. It's hard to have such sweeping educational change happening right now! Just at the moment where our kids' performance starts counting in our evaluations, I'm at home learning how to be a mom. Already a hard balance.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
April 4's Highs and Lows
One the of the blogs I read does highs and lows of the day to remember a slice of life. I'm taking a lot of pictures these days but honestly they're all pretty similar so I don't know what to do about reviving the blog in that department. Maybe I'll use the fact that I have my camera out on a regular basis to take pictures of other things, too. I have both NO time and TONS of time on my hand, so I'll have to figure it out.
So for now, it's highs and lows because they can be done quickly.
Low - Two diaper blowouts - One at "baby breakfast" after he was dressed and ready to go in the car seat (I guess it's good that it didn't happen a minute later!) I don't even know how it happened that time. Two hours later it happened in the pack n play during a diaper change. I seriously need to get better and quicker at that. Luckily I have lots of chances to practice. ;)
High - Had some really nice conversation with other new moms who are feeling bewildered and lonely at home too while I was at "baby breakfast." It's nice to have access to nurses who are lactation specialists as we get this eating thing under control - that's the real purpose for going, but it's nice to chit chat for an hour or so with other people, too. It made today a much better day than yesterday mentally!
So for now, it's highs and lows because they can be done quickly.
Low - Two diaper blowouts - One at "baby breakfast" after he was dressed and ready to go in the car seat (I guess it's good that it didn't happen a minute later!) I don't even know how it happened that time. Two hours later it happened in the pack n play during a diaper change. I seriously need to get better and quicker at that. Luckily I have lots of chances to practice. ;)
High - Had some really nice conversation with other new moms who are feeling bewildered and lonely at home too while I was at "baby breakfast." It's nice to have access to nurses who are lactation specialists as we get this eating thing under control - that's the real purpose for going, but it's nice to chit chat for an hour or so with other people, too. It made today a much better day than yesterday mentally!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Our First Solo Day
I know it may seem pathetic to some, but today, one day short of the little guy being a month old, was our first solo day together. At first we had 3 adults (the two of us and my mom) to get through the days and nights. Then Mike went back to work and my mom stayed for a week to help over night and keep me company during the day. Then she left, but Mike was home for his (perpetually) 3 day weekend through yesterday. So today was it!
I was glad it was a Tuesday, because we had "baby breakfast." (Name coined by Tracie!) It's the breastfeeding support group at our hospital. In addition to having them help me figure out the ins and outs of bf, it's nice to visit with other new, overtired, bewildered, getting-used-to-being-a-milk-machine-instead-of-a-commuting-professional-for-awhile moms.
Our morning started before 5 with our first meal. About 4.5 hours of sleep in a row. Woohoo! While the little guy ate, Mike left for work. Afterwards, I put him back in the crib and went back to bed. I'm not sure if he ever fell all the way back asleep because I heard a little squeaking, but he wasn't looking for me so I napped for awhile. By 7 we were downstairs killing time. After we played in the rainforest gym for awhile, it was time to eat again and then get ready to go. Thankfully, he was willing to take a quick nap in his chair outside the bathroom door while I showered. He was upset for a minute or two but the hairdryer coming on made him happy again. I got him ready and out the door and we were even on time! After group, we ran to Babies R Us and Staples to grab a couple things and then came home and collapsed.
The hardest thing is still lifting him in the seat. I did sucessfully get him into the car, onto the stroller to wheel him from the parking lot to hospital, and then from car to store's shopping cart twice. But I'm paying the price now. I think my stitches are mostly dissolved but I still have some pain and at times it's pretty bad. Lifting is harder on that area of the body than you'd think. Just him is ok, but him and the seat is hard. I'm ready for that to be easier!
So then we spent the afternoon rotating between nap time and awake time while watching Opening Day and GH's 50th anniversary. Finally Mike got home around 7, just in time to hold the baby while I stirred the pasta. By the time we ate dinner and did bath time, it was almost time for Mike to go to bed again!
Tomorrow we do it all over again, minus the errands. Less social interaction, but more napping. ;)
I was glad it was a Tuesday, because we had "baby breakfast." (Name coined by Tracie!) It's the breastfeeding support group at our hospital. In addition to having them help me figure out the ins and outs of bf, it's nice to visit with other new, overtired, bewildered, getting-used-to-being-a-milk-machine-instead-of-a-commuting-professional-for-awhile moms.
Our morning started before 5 with our first meal. About 4.5 hours of sleep in a row. Woohoo! While the little guy ate, Mike left for work. Afterwards, I put him back in the crib and went back to bed. I'm not sure if he ever fell all the way back asleep because I heard a little squeaking, but he wasn't looking for me so I napped for awhile. By 7 we were downstairs killing time. After we played in the rainforest gym for awhile, it was time to eat again and then get ready to go. Thankfully, he was willing to take a quick nap in his chair outside the bathroom door while I showered. He was upset for a minute or two but the hairdryer coming on made him happy again. I got him ready and out the door and we were even on time! After group, we ran to Babies R Us and Staples to grab a couple things and then came home and collapsed.
The hardest thing is still lifting him in the seat. I did sucessfully get him into the car, onto the stroller to wheel him from the parking lot to hospital, and then from car to store's shopping cart twice. But I'm paying the price now. I think my stitches are mostly dissolved but I still have some pain and at times it's pretty bad. Lifting is harder on that area of the body than you'd think. Just him is ok, but him and the seat is hard. I'm ready for that to be easier!
So then we spent the afternoon rotating between nap time and awake time while watching Opening Day and GH's 50th anniversary. Finally Mike got home around 7, just in time to hold the baby while I stirred the pasta. By the time we ate dinner and did bath time, it was almost time for Mike to go to bed again!
Tomorrow we do it all over again, minus the errands. Less social interaction, but more napping. ;)
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