This past weekend was amazing. I feel a little bad saying it because I spent most of my weekend without my daughter.
Friday morning I went to some garage sales with my friend. Jordan was working from home that day so I left Madilynn home with him. It was a huge success and I came home with lots of new (to me) clothes for the baby.
And while I'm on the subject of garage sales, let me just say this: LOVE. Nowhere else can I get barely worn, name brand clothes for Madilynn. I'm talking about getting some outfits that would cost over $50 in boutique stores for $0.25 (my best deal yet). I'm not above second-hand. I always check for stains and holes, and ALWAYS wash them before putting them on the baby. I've also picked up some hard plastic toys for the winter time when she'll be older enough to enjoy them. I could do a blog post on this subject alone.
And, since it was the weekend, I got to sleep alone upstairs. Nice.
Saturday I went to the mall, alone, to get some post-pregnancy clothing. Since I'm a lot thinner than I was before I got pregnant, I had been itching to get something that fit my new shape. Something that wasn't a solid color and cotton. Something that fit my bigger chest, but also hid a nursing bra. Something to wear out, not while sitting at home getting barfed on by Madilynn.
I've never been thinner with big boobs so it was a bit of a challenge...not that I'm complaining. I was able to get 4 tops and a pair of jeans. I kept under my $100 budget. Nothing was 100% cotton and everything had a pattern...something I don't normally wear. I went window shopping and got lunch and splurged on some Starbucks. After 3 hours I was missing my family and worn out.
And, since it was the weekend, I got to sleep alone upstairs. Nice.
Sunday Jordan and I went shopping at a new store. It was nice because he liked some clothes at the store and was actually looking around instead of complaining. He even made mention of wanting to go back to do some clothes shopping. This is a help to me because this task usually falls on me.
Sunday night our friends came over with their 7 month old son. We left the kids with our husbands and went to the movies. We saw Friends with Benefits. The movie was descent but the gem was being able to sit though a FULL movie, uninterrupted, in silence. We came home to happy babies and smiling husbands. What could be better?
I had SUCH a good time this weekend that I feel a little guilty for ditching my family and spending time alone. I look at it this way...
I spend ALL day, EVERY day, with my daughter. I cook dinner every night for Jordan and keep the house clean. I pay all the bills and do all the shopping. After over 8 straight weeks of giving everything I have to my husband and child, I feel like I deserved a little time to myself. Some new clothes. An expensive coffee. And approximately 10 hours (not including sleep) of time to myself. I hoping this is a reoccurring event. It should be mandatory to insure sanity.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Two Months Old
Stats: 11lbs (50%) and 21 inches (20%)
Sleeping: We always get at least 4 straight hours and have been getting more nights of 5.5 hours. We've even gotten a 6 hour night or two.
Eating: Still exclusively breastfeeding. I have my days where I am irked by breastfeeding. When it's annoying and tedious. Most days, though, I really enjoy feeding her and the bond we share is awesome.
Playing: She's awake more during the day so we get to play more. I have her pack and play set as a play gym with hanging toys and rattles. She likes looking at them and "talking" to them. She really likes looking in the mirror that in there too. We try to do tummy time but she hates it.
Physical Changes: She's getting stronger neck muscles and lifting her head more. I'm hoping that in a few weeks she's able to hold her head up completely on her own. She's gaining weight and getting chubby. Her thighs are super chunky and cute. She smiles a LOT on her own and sometimes we can get her to smile by interacting with her.
The Good: My favorite time of day with her is still the mornings. She's just so happy and alert. She smiles and coos at me and it's so wonderful. She still hardly cries unless she's hungry.
The Bad: She's starting to do this thing where she fusses and cried right before falling asleep. She's fine to fall asleep on you, but as soon as we put her down she wails. It's hard to just let her cry, but it's over in a minuet or 2 and she passes out.
Madilynn also got her 1st round of vaccinations on Friday. It was horrible. I had to hold her hands down when they stuck her. I've never seen her cry so hard in my life and it made me tear up. I was able to calm her down very quickly. She fussed most of the night and then slept from 8:30pm til 5:00am. So she pretty much slept it off, which the Dr. said could happen.
The Ugly: She's been spitting up more. It's super gross. And sometimes she'll go a day or 2 without pooping. So then when she does poop it's a lot and disgusting.
How I feel: Most days are good. Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped inside a box with no exit. Sometimes I can't wait for Jordan to get home so that I can hand her off and get some time to myself. I got to go shopping alone this weekend and it was great. I was only gone for about 3.5 hours and I found myself missing my family terribly. I also got the chance to go to a movie with a girlfriend and that was wonderful as well. Don't get me wrong. I love my family and enjoy spending time with them. But there's some days when I feel totally overwhelmed and just need to get away for a bit. Even if it's going upstairs and hanging out in my craft room or catching up on DVR'ed shows for an hour. It really helps to recharge my batteries for the next day.
I've been going to a breastfeeding meetup group at the hospital once a week. It's so nice to meet with other moms and talk and have adult conversations with. Whose eyes don't glaze over when you talk about poop and sleep and spit-up. Or what baby-wearing method works best for you. And it's nice to have a reason to shower, put on makeup and descent clothes. I look forward to it every week.
Jordan: Wonderful. He's so good about letting me get some time to myself. He likes it too cause he can watch movies with Madilynn that I have no interest in watching. He can play video games without me complaining. He loves the one on one time he gets with the baby too.
So far, so good. We just keep rolling right along. I'm still relishing this tiny human that I share my life with. Each day is something new and wonderful.
Sleeping: We always get at least 4 straight hours and have been getting more nights of 5.5 hours. We've even gotten a 6 hour night or two.
Eating: Still exclusively breastfeeding. I have my days where I am irked by breastfeeding. When it's annoying and tedious. Most days, though, I really enjoy feeding her and the bond we share is awesome.
Playing: She's awake more during the day so we get to play more. I have her pack and play set as a play gym with hanging toys and rattles. She likes looking at them and "talking" to them. She really likes looking in the mirror that in there too. We try to do tummy time but she hates it.
Physical Changes: She's getting stronger neck muscles and lifting her head more. I'm hoping that in a few weeks she's able to hold her head up completely on her own. She's gaining weight and getting chubby. Her thighs are super chunky and cute. She smiles a LOT on her own and sometimes we can get her to smile by interacting with her.
The Good: My favorite time of day with her is still the mornings. She's just so happy and alert. She smiles and coos at me and it's so wonderful. She still hardly cries unless she's hungry.
The Bad: She's starting to do this thing where she fusses and cried right before falling asleep. She's fine to fall asleep on you, but as soon as we put her down she wails. It's hard to just let her cry, but it's over in a minuet or 2 and she passes out.
Madilynn also got her 1st round of vaccinations on Friday. It was horrible. I had to hold her hands down when they stuck her. I've never seen her cry so hard in my life and it made me tear up. I was able to calm her down very quickly. She fussed most of the night and then slept from 8:30pm til 5:00am. So she pretty much slept it off, which the Dr. said could happen.
The Ugly: She's been spitting up more. It's super gross. And sometimes she'll go a day or 2 without pooping. So then when she does poop it's a lot and disgusting.
How I feel: Most days are good. Sometimes I feel like I'm trapped inside a box with no exit. Sometimes I can't wait for Jordan to get home so that I can hand her off and get some time to myself. I got to go shopping alone this weekend and it was great. I was only gone for about 3.5 hours and I found myself missing my family terribly. I also got the chance to go to a movie with a girlfriend and that was wonderful as well. Don't get me wrong. I love my family and enjoy spending time with them. But there's some days when I feel totally overwhelmed and just need to get away for a bit. Even if it's going upstairs and hanging out in my craft room or catching up on DVR'ed shows for an hour. It really helps to recharge my batteries for the next day.
I've been going to a breastfeeding meetup group at the hospital once a week. It's so nice to meet with other moms and talk and have adult conversations with. Whose eyes don't glaze over when you talk about poop and sleep and spit-up. Or what baby-wearing method works best for you. And it's nice to have a reason to shower, put on makeup and descent clothes. I look forward to it every week.
Jordan: Wonderful. He's so good about letting me get some time to myself. He likes it too cause he can watch movies with Madilynn that I have no interest in watching. He can play video games without me complaining. He loves the one on one time he gets with the baby too.
So far, so good. We just keep rolling right along. I'm still relishing this tiny human that I share my life with. Each day is something new and wonderful.
Monday, July 18, 2011
My Baby is a Milk Snob
Everyone knows a snob of some sort. A wine snob, purse snob, or just a plain SNOB. My daughter is the milk snob. We've come to realize this over the past week or two.
She likes her milk fresh. If she had it her way she would only take milk from the breast. This, however, is not going to happen. There are times when I need to be away from Madilynn. Like to sleep on the weekends. Or to go shopping. Or to just have time alone.
She will take a bottle, but she's very particular about it. It has to be right from the fridge and heated. It cannot have been sitting out for any length longer than 30ish minuets or she deems it inedible. This means we waste a lot of milk.
Since I breastfeed, I don't have any clue as to how much she eats per meal. So, when Jordan fixes her a bottle, he's pretty much blind as to how much to make. If he makes too little then he has to make another bottle. This pisses Madilynn off since she wants her milk NOW. He also runs the risk of her falling back asleep or of her just forgetting she's hungry and not wanting the 2nd bottle. If he makes too much then then unused milk hits the drain. Sure, reheated milk is good for 4-6 hours, but our daughter will not have it.
And then there's the whole nipple issue. Standard nipples are too long for her and she gags on them. She doesn't like the shape of orthodontic nipples, which are too long for her anyways. She likes a specific nipple, the MAM. Which is only available at local stores if you buy MAM bottles. Which are expensive. And we already have enough bottles that the nipples will fit on to. We have to buy the MAMs on online.
All this is banking on that she'll even take a bottle. She's gone on bottle strikes in the past when she refuses the bottle. Even with fresh milk. Even with her favorite nipple. Even when I tried pumping the milk and having Jordan give it to her still warm and boob fresh. She has very specific tastes and wants.
Hopefully we'll nail it down to a science soon so that we can stop wasting money on nipples and bottles. And so we can stop pouring the "liquid gold" down the sink.
She likes her milk fresh. If she had it her way she would only take milk from the breast. This, however, is not going to happen. There are times when I need to be away from Madilynn. Like to sleep on the weekends. Or to go shopping. Or to just have time alone.
She will take a bottle, but she's very particular about it. It has to be right from the fridge and heated. It cannot have been sitting out for any length longer than 30ish minuets or she deems it inedible. This means we waste a lot of milk.
Since I breastfeed, I don't have any clue as to how much she eats per meal. So, when Jordan fixes her a bottle, he's pretty much blind as to how much to make. If he makes too little then he has to make another bottle. This pisses Madilynn off since she wants her milk NOW. He also runs the risk of her falling back asleep or of her just forgetting she's hungry and not wanting the 2nd bottle. If he makes too much then then unused milk hits the drain. Sure, reheated milk is good for 4-6 hours, but our daughter will not have it.
And then there's the whole nipple issue. Standard nipples are too long for her and she gags on them. She doesn't like the shape of orthodontic nipples, which are too long for her anyways. She likes a specific nipple, the MAM. Which is only available at local stores if you buy MAM bottles. Which are expensive. And we already have enough bottles that the nipples will fit on to. We have to buy the MAMs on online.
All this is banking on that she'll even take a bottle. She's gone on bottle strikes in the past when she refuses the bottle. Even with fresh milk. Even with her favorite nipple. Even when I tried pumping the milk and having Jordan give it to her still warm and boob fresh. She has very specific tastes and wants.
Hopefully we'll nail it down to a science soon so that we can stop wasting money on nipples and bottles. And so we can stop pouring the "liquid gold" down the sink.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Zombie Mom
I haven't slept in days. We traveled to Indiana to visit my parents this weekend and it's totally thrown me off. I never get a good nights sleep when I sleep somewhere other than my bed so I didn't sleep well on my visit. Lack of sleep, paired with the stress of traveling and being away from home with my baby, has taken to my knees today.
Jordan and I have a deal that I get up with Madilynn during the week and he gets up with her on the weekends. I get our bedroom to myself to catch up on sleep. One might think that this would be a tremendous help but it's really not. I still have to get up to pump which takes almost an hour. By then I'm almost fully awake and it's really hard to get back to sleep. And now Madilynn isn't taking a bottle. So last night Jordan was waking me up to feed the baby.
Everyone says, "Sleep when the baby sleeps." This is hard for me to do because I can't really nap during the day. I need to sleep in dark and quiet. And I use Madilynn's naps to get things done around the house. I can't fall asleep while thinking about all the chores that need to be done.
Do to the lack of sleep and the stress of everything I feel like I need to get done, I'm at my wits end. My temper is super short and my patience is shorter. I'm snappy and irritable. I find myself getting angry at my husband because it's so easy for him to sleep and nap.
I want to sleep. Just to sleep without having to wake up, or being woken up, for as long as I can. And then just 2 more hours.
Jordan and I have a deal that I get up with Madilynn during the week and he gets up with her on the weekends. I get our bedroom to myself to catch up on sleep. One might think that this would be a tremendous help but it's really not. I still have to get up to pump which takes almost an hour. By then I'm almost fully awake and it's really hard to get back to sleep. And now Madilynn isn't taking a bottle. So last night Jordan was waking me up to feed the baby.
Everyone says, "Sleep when the baby sleeps." This is hard for me to do because I can't really nap during the day. I need to sleep in dark and quiet. And I use Madilynn's naps to get things done around the house. I can't fall asleep while thinking about all the chores that need to be done.
Do to the lack of sleep and the stress of everything I feel like I need to get done, I'm at my wits end. My temper is super short and my patience is shorter. I'm snappy and irritable. I find myself getting angry at my husband because it's so easy for him to sleep and nap.
I want to sleep. Just to sleep without having to wake up, or being woken up, for as long as I can. And then just 2 more hours.
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