Oh, hi there. How you doing?
It's been busy around here.
R1 is 6 now and taking 1st grade by storm. She lucked out and ended up with the gifted and talented teacher when we transferred from the private Kindergarten to public school. This week she's been doing the testing to be in the G&T class next year. She keeps busy with various activities, swim team over the summer, and recently started an introduction to gymnastics class that she is enjoying. We are having some testing done to help figure out whether some ongoing issues she is having are limited to anxiety, or are something bigger. Either way having something to actively treat or explain why should help all of us, and her education as she moves forward.
R2 is 2 and started half day preschool two days a week at the beginning of February. She occasionally gets weepy about Mommy not being around, but otherwise enjoys her time and adores one of the teachers. She does her best to keep up with R1, and many times has more success than I anticipate. I finally weaned her the night after her second birthday. Cold turkey for naps, bedtime, and overnight. It was literally more painful for me to deal with the engorgement issues than to make the decision that it was time to stop, and R2 barely put up any resistance. Perhaps she was ready to move on as well. In any case, sleep for both of us has mostly improved since then.
We added a new cat to our house in February when she showed up on our back deck looking for food. For a free cat, the expenses have added up quickly, but she's very tolerant of the overly effusive expressions of adoration shown by both girls.
As for me, there's a never ending stream of laundry and the people and animals I live with expect to be fed on a regular basis, so keeping up with those things along with regular errands and doctor visits and such keeps me running around most days. My expectation that R2 starting preschool would give me some time to relax was quickly proven false, but I try to find quiet time when I can carve it out.
Showing posts with label Little One. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little One. Show all posts
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Quarterly-Ish Update
LT turned 1 in December. Since then she has learned to run, has sprouted more and more teeth, and had her first ear infection with antibiotics. Reflux remains an issue - though the Pediatric GI consult said that the final cut off is 18 months. After that, it's a concern. She wakes me up anywhere from 3-4AM for a top up feeding. Yes, she is still nursing, and I've been co-sleeping with her after that wake-up for months.
LO continues to enjoy Kindergarten, is reading like a champ, will happily occupy herself with a book or 3 without prompting. She is, however, starting to exhibit some anxiety/perfectionistic tendencies which need to be addressed before she moves out of the smaller, more personal class in her private kindergarten into public school. As LT gets bigger LO enjoys playing with her, though it also leads to more conflict!
I started Lexapro in the fall. With it I'm a much less volatile parent, though still feel overwhelmed with life on most days. It feels like a treadmill that's set fast enough that I'm just barely able to keep up and hang on, but not able to catch up much less get ahead. I'm sure continuous sleep deprivation is not helping one little bit.
Christmas was good. Family came to us and both sets of Grandparents spent the night and were around for the events of the morning. There were no spectacular gifts but everyone seemed to be satisfied with what they received.
The past two weeks have been awful. Simply awful. Our dog died in her sleep on the 7th. She was 13.5, had exceeded life expectancy for her breed, and had had a good day without any indication that anything was wrong. Today (2/20) we had to put our younger cat down. We thought she was mourning the dog, but it turns out her kidneys had given up the ghost. Which leaves us with one cat, the neurotic one who will likely drive us to once again replace the lost cat before we are ready because of his inability to be happy as an only kitty.
And that's the news from here.
LO continues to enjoy Kindergarten, is reading like a champ, will happily occupy herself with a book or 3 without prompting. She is, however, starting to exhibit some anxiety/perfectionistic tendencies which need to be addressed before she moves out of the smaller, more personal class in her private kindergarten into public school. As LT gets bigger LO enjoys playing with her, though it also leads to more conflict!
I started Lexapro in the fall. With it I'm a much less volatile parent, though still feel overwhelmed with life on most days. It feels like a treadmill that's set fast enough that I'm just barely able to keep up and hang on, but not able to catch up much less get ahead. I'm sure continuous sleep deprivation is not helping one little bit.
Christmas was good. Family came to us and both sets of Grandparents spent the night and were around for the events of the morning. There were no spectacular gifts but everyone seemed to be satisfied with what they received.
The past two weeks have been awful. Simply awful. Our dog died in her sleep on the 7th. She was 13.5, had exceeded life expectancy for her breed, and had had a good day without any indication that anything was wrong. Today (2/20) we had to put our younger cat down. We thought she was mourning the dog, but it turns out her kidneys had given up the ghost. Which leaves us with one cat, the neurotic one who will likely drive us to once again replace the lost cat before we are ready because of his inability to be happy as an only kitty.
And that's the news from here.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
July to November - Busy Busy Busy
When last I posted LO had just turned 5 and LT was 7 months. LO is still 5, but LT is now 11 months.
What has happened in between?
-LO is enjoying Kindergarten. I met with her teacher last week for the Fall conference and the report was glowing (apart from a behavior issue appearing at both home and school for which time is likely the only resolution). She's currently displaying both DH's aptitude for numbers and my reading ability. Though the latter is something she prefers to display on her own terms and not upon request.
-I had a birthday. It was exactly the kind of day I wanted and I received the things I had requested plus some extras. It was good in a very low key and non-expansive way.
-LT still has issues with stomach acid flushing back into her throat when she lays flat so continues on twice daily medication for that. She's usually compliant about taking it - I'm sure the strong sweet cherry flavor helps with that! At her 9 month appointment she was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight so it's not affecting her growth! She currently ranges between 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on how they are cut. Despite the 5 month different in their arrivals, LO's wardrobe has only needed minimal supplementation and/or updating to work.
-LT recently upgraded from taking one or two steps on her own with encouragement to walking short distances for her own purposes. She still favors crawling for speed, and puts on the after burners when she's trying to get away from us. With all the work she's been doing on walking, her language skills are not as advanced. Most sounds start with a B - it's a very versatile phonic! - volume and tone also serve to express her points, whatever they might be.
-We've been to the beach (aka parenting in an alternate location), LT and I joined friends at the local zoo, and to two different pumpkin patches. The last activity, included once as a family, and once as a Kindergarten field trip on a cold and damp overcast day. It was not the magical experience it could have been.
-LT is a good eater and enjoys many solid foods. Her tooth count stands at 6 - 4 up and 2 down. She continues to nurse enthusiastically and has started the (not so) charming activity of grabbing at the front of my shirt when she would like a drink. LO is also teething, 2 of her front adult teeth have come in without the baby teeth of the same location departing her mouth. Their eruption and consequent moving of the baby teeth is causing LO pain as she uses those teeth for eating. Two of her six year molars have also arrived. They have been much less problematic.
That's all for now, must go get LO from Kindergarten.
What has happened in between?
-LO is enjoying Kindergarten. I met with her teacher last week for the Fall conference and the report was glowing (apart from a behavior issue appearing at both home and school for which time is likely the only resolution). She's currently displaying both DH's aptitude for numbers and my reading ability. Though the latter is something she prefers to display on her own terms and not upon request.
-I had a birthday. It was exactly the kind of day I wanted and I received the things I had requested plus some extras. It was good in a very low key and non-expansive way.
-LT still has issues with stomach acid flushing back into her throat when she lays flat so continues on twice daily medication for that. She's usually compliant about taking it - I'm sure the strong sweet cherry flavor helps with that! At her 9 month appointment she was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight so it's not affecting her growth! She currently ranges between 12 and 18 month clothes, depending on how they are cut. Despite the 5 month different in their arrivals, LO's wardrobe has only needed minimal supplementation and/or updating to work.
-LT recently upgraded from taking one or two steps on her own with encouragement to walking short distances for her own purposes. She still favors crawling for speed, and puts on the after burners when she's trying to get away from us. With all the work she's been doing on walking, her language skills are not as advanced. Most sounds start with a B - it's a very versatile phonic! - volume and tone also serve to express her points, whatever they might be.
-We've been to the beach (aka parenting in an alternate location), LT and I joined friends at the local zoo, and to two different pumpkin patches. The last activity, included once as a family, and once as a Kindergarten field trip on a cold and damp overcast day. It was not the magical experience it could have been.
-LT is a good eater and enjoys many solid foods. Her tooth count stands at 6 - 4 up and 2 down. She continues to nurse enthusiastically and has started the (not so) charming activity of grabbing at the front of my shirt when she would like a drink. LO is also teething, 2 of her front adult teeth have come in without the baby teeth of the same location departing her mouth. Their eruption and consequent moving of the baby teeth is causing LO pain as she uses those teeth for eating. Two of her six year molars have also arrived. They have been much less problematic.
That's all for now, must go get LO from Kindergarten.
Monday, July 20, 2015
5 Years
Can you believe LO turned 5 ten days ago? Me neither!
It seems like it was both forever and not that long ago that I was despairing that IVF was never going to work. And yet, here I am with a 5 year old and a 7 month old.
LO is starting kindergarten in the fall; we chose to keep her in the private kindergarten at the preschool she's been attending to allow her a bit longer in a smaller class of 12-16 instead of 26-28 in the local public school. Come September she will move from the pre-K class to the kindergarten class - a change in building and schedule. Instead of dropping her off any time before 9, drop off will be at 9, and pickup will move from 12:30-1 to some time between 3 and 4 (I need to look that up). It will be interesting to see how she reacts to the longer days. And by interesting I mostly mean that I think it's going to be a rough transition.
I've had LO in swimming lessons since April. She had a couple months of once weekly private lessons followed by two sessions of 3x a week group lessons. The first focused on familiarity with the freestyle stroke, water safety and fun things like how to dive to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool. The group lessons have been more intensive on freestyle stroke, breathing and endurance. Next year we plan to join the neighborhood pool so she can/will be on the swim team.
There has been a huge increase in attitude and sass over the past few months. I am not a fan. Things like repeating what we've said in a bratty voice, blowing small raspberries when we ask her to do things, blatant disobedience in doing exactly what we've just told her specifically not to do. Boundary pushing at its finest, and no shame in being reprimanded for her negative actions or pride in being praised for the good ones. It's exasperating!
But then she'll do something helpful without being asked like pick up a toy LT's thrown or clear her plate and cup after dinner and it gives me hope that something is getting through even if we don't always see it.
DH has really stepped up on doing things for and with LO since LT was born. He takes care of breakfast and getting her dressed if I've set out her clothes the night before, and I've recently stepped back from bedtime in an attempt to get LT to bed earlier. I miss singing LO to sleep but it's really going much smoother to divide and conquer since they both go to bed around the same time. Unfortunately since most of my time is wrapped up with LT during the day thanks to her continued lack of napping anywhere but on me and now crawling everywhere I feel like most of the time I spend with LO is filled with my fussing at her for one thing or another which makes it much harder for me to see the good things going on. Attention one way or another, I'd prefer to give it for good stuff though, and try to recognize it when I see it.
We had two parties for LO - one for family, at home, and the second for friends at Monkey Joe's (a indoor facility similar to Chuck E Cheese except with lots of inflated bounce structures instead of games). For the family party I made a strawberry cake per LO's request instead of the usual carrot cake. The icing alone takes a pound of butter, but is the perfect accompaniment to the cake. The friends party was the biggest yet with over a dozen attendees. Not sure if it was the location or my managing to get the invites out six weeks in advance which helped! Everyone seemed to have a good time, even the boy who lost his shit at having to leave. Whoops!
It seems like it was both forever and not that long ago that I was despairing that IVF was never going to work. And yet, here I am with a 5 year old and a 7 month old.
LO is starting kindergarten in the fall; we chose to keep her in the private kindergarten at the preschool she's been attending to allow her a bit longer in a smaller class of 12-16 instead of 26-28 in the local public school. Come September she will move from the pre-K class to the kindergarten class - a change in building and schedule. Instead of dropping her off any time before 9, drop off will be at 9, and pickup will move from 12:30-1 to some time between 3 and 4 (I need to look that up). It will be interesting to see how she reacts to the longer days. And by interesting I mostly mean that I think it's going to be a rough transition.
I've had LO in swimming lessons since April. She had a couple months of once weekly private lessons followed by two sessions of 3x a week group lessons. The first focused on familiarity with the freestyle stroke, water safety and fun things like how to dive to retrieve things from the bottom of the pool. The group lessons have been more intensive on freestyle stroke, breathing and endurance. Next year we plan to join the neighborhood pool so she can/will be on the swim team.
There has been a huge increase in attitude and sass over the past few months. I am not a fan. Things like repeating what we've said in a bratty voice, blowing small raspberries when we ask her to do things, blatant disobedience in doing exactly what we've just told her specifically not to do. Boundary pushing at its finest, and no shame in being reprimanded for her negative actions or pride in being praised for the good ones. It's exasperating!
But then she'll do something helpful without being asked like pick up a toy LT's thrown or clear her plate and cup after dinner and it gives me hope that something is getting through even if we don't always see it.
DH has really stepped up on doing things for and with LO since LT was born. He takes care of breakfast and getting her dressed if I've set out her clothes the night before, and I've recently stepped back from bedtime in an attempt to get LT to bed earlier. I miss singing LO to sleep but it's really going much smoother to divide and conquer since they both go to bed around the same time. Unfortunately since most of my time is wrapped up with LT during the day thanks to her continued lack of napping anywhere but on me and now crawling everywhere I feel like most of the time I spend with LO is filled with my fussing at her for one thing or another which makes it much harder for me to see the good things going on. Attention one way or another, I'd prefer to give it for good stuff though, and try to recognize it when I see it.
We had two parties for LO - one for family, at home, and the second for friends at Monkey Joe's (a indoor facility similar to Chuck E Cheese except with lots of inflated bounce structures instead of games). For the family party I made a strawberry cake per LO's request instead of the usual carrot cake. The icing alone takes a pound of butter, but is the perfect accompaniment to the cake. The friends party was the biggest yet with over a dozen attendees. Not sure if it was the location or my managing to get the invites out six weeks in advance which helped! Everyone seemed to have a good time, even the boy who lost his shit at having to leave. Whoops!
Monday, May 11, 2015
5 Months (LT)
Bullets b/c taking advantage of happy baby in exersaucer...
- Exersaucer: Didn't have one for LO, though we used one lent to the owners when I went into the office to work. We got one for LT a month ago and it was not a hit, but now she will happily spend 5-10 minutes in it, and we're about to need to bump up the legs to the middle height. Right now her favorite part are the tags on a fabric section. What's with babies & tags?!
- Weight: Rough weighed LT on Sunday and she clocked in at right around 17 pounds. I knew she was a chunk but that is some serious heft.
- Size: And explains with her length why she's comfortably into 9 month clothing already.
- Food: Still getting just breast milk and that 4oz bottle of formula before bed.
- Sleep: She's hit a sleep regression recently to my dismay. The 5-6 hour stretches I had been counting on to keep my own sleep levels healthy have been replaced by 2-3 hour stretches with brief wakings for a quick snack in-between.
- Coffee: = my new best friend. We're.like.this. The local starbucks now knows my order & has a nickname for me. I also signed up for auto-reload on the Starbucks card. La la la la, I don't want to know how much I'm spending to be able to function!
- I splurged on an Ergo (well, as much of a splurge as using accumulated gift cards for most of it can be) because the Bjorn was killing my back. Why didn't I spend this money sooner?! So easy to get on, LT is usually happy in it, my back doesn't kill me after 10 minutes, easy to grocery shops and do other errands in vs. using the bucket when LT is awake. Am now a convert!
- LO alternates between being extremely helpful without prompting and throwing huge pissy tantrums at being asked to do the simplest of things. I am assured that at 5yr 2wk there will be a massive improvement. I really hope so because DH and I are about done with her lack of respect and blatant disobedience. Usually at times when we have our hands full dealing with Regan and she knows she can get away with it. Too smart for her own good, that one!
- Whoops, time's up. Hope your Mother's Day was better than your expectations.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
19.5 weeks (Little Two)
So, in the past month, Little Two has rolled over many more times, able to go both tummy to back, and back to tummy, but only one at a time before she gets upset.
At her 4 month appointment she was just over 25" and 13 1/2 pounds.
She wears mostly 6 month clothes with a few 9 month outfits thrown in. I've started running into the issue with having a half-year offset on the girls for hand-me-downs: since LO was wearing 9 month clothes mostly in the winter there aren't many lighter weight outfits. So much for that savings!
Going through the tubs of clothes I've realized what a crappy job I did of sorting as I set things aside. The most frustrating thing so far was finding the 6mo sized bunting I knew I had and could have used during the colder months mixed in with some 12-18 month clothes. I also need to track down some of LO's summer hats, I hope I find them before summer ends! This time I'm actually labeling the tubs and putting the outgrown clothing in with the right sizes instead of just lumping them all together as I find them. It should make passing them along easier once I can bring myself to do so.
Still no progress on picking out a rocker for her room so I can stop using the bed for night feedings. Thought I had found a strong possibility but a full price out including the necessary ottoman caused the price to almost double from what I was anticipating and willing to pay. Back to looking I go.
I'm hoping LT will soon start to settle into a schedule in regards to sleep. Some nights she sleeps through a good 5-6+ hours, some she wakes every 3 hours, and some she wakes even more times than I want to attempt to remember. The days are irregular also - some mornings she gives me a good 2 hour nap where I can transfer out of my lap into the swing, and some days she'll only doze on me and if I dare try and move her to the swing she'll scream like a banshee until I nurse her back into said doze. She remains not a fan of the car seat so I'm never sure if a car ride will be quiet or loud with indignant screams of protest about not being in my (tired) arms.
LT has discovered the joy that is petting (read as pulling the hell out of their fur for as long as they put up with it) the kitties. Oh, (and because my train of thought led from fur on hands to fur in mouth and then the logical exit of fur) she only poops once or twice a week. Quite a difference from LO who pooped much much more. She's quite the efficient user of breast milk! Speaking of which, apart from her nightly 4oz bottle of formula before bed, LT remains almost completely breastfed.
At the 4mo appt the ped suggested I could start cereal if I wanted. My reaction? No, thank you! I'm happy to delay that mess until she starts grabbing the food on my plate. I've done the excited to start solids thing, and I'm now convinced it's not worth the extra effort until she shows interest.
So that's where things are with LT. Hope you are enjoying the spring!
At her 4 month appointment she was just over 25" and 13 1/2 pounds.
She wears mostly 6 month clothes with a few 9 month outfits thrown in. I've started running into the issue with having a half-year offset on the girls for hand-me-downs: since LO was wearing 9 month clothes mostly in the winter there aren't many lighter weight outfits. So much for that savings!
Going through the tubs of clothes I've realized what a crappy job I did of sorting as I set things aside. The most frustrating thing so far was finding the 6mo sized bunting I knew I had and could have used during the colder months mixed in with some 12-18 month clothes. I also need to track down some of LO's summer hats, I hope I find them before summer ends! This time I'm actually labeling the tubs and putting the outgrown clothing in with the right sizes instead of just lumping them all together as I find them. It should make passing them along easier once I can bring myself to do so.
Still no progress on picking out a rocker for her room so I can stop using the bed for night feedings. Thought I had found a strong possibility but a full price out including the necessary ottoman caused the price to almost double from what I was anticipating and willing to pay. Back to looking I go.
I'm hoping LT will soon start to settle into a schedule in regards to sleep. Some nights she sleeps through a good 5-6+ hours, some she wakes every 3 hours, and some she wakes even more times than I want to attempt to remember. The days are irregular also - some mornings she gives me a good 2 hour nap where I can transfer out of my lap into the swing, and some days she'll only doze on me and if I dare try and move her to the swing she'll scream like a banshee until I nurse her back into said doze. She remains not a fan of the car seat so I'm never sure if a car ride will be quiet or loud with indignant screams of protest about not being in my (tired) arms.
LT has discovered the joy that is petting (read as pulling the hell out of their fur for as long as they put up with it) the kitties. Oh, (and because my train of thought led from fur on hands to fur in mouth and then the logical exit of fur) she only poops once or twice a week. Quite a difference from LO who pooped much much more. She's quite the efficient user of breast milk! Speaking of which, apart from her nightly 4oz bottle of formula before bed, LT remains almost completely breastfed.
At the 4mo appt the ped suggested I could start cereal if I wanted. My reaction? No, thank you! I'm happy to delay that mess until she starts grabbing the food on my plate. I've done the excited to start solids thing, and I'm now convinced it's not worth the extra effort until she shows interest.
So that's where things are with LT. Hope you are enjoying the spring!
Monday, March 23, 2015
15 Weeks - Meet Chatty Cathy
In the past couple of weeks Little Two has gotten very chatty. Nothing like real words, of course, but many repeated vocalizations; my favorite is one that has the same patterning as 'I love you.' And she will 'talk' back in a nonsense conversation when you engage her.
She has not repeated the roll from tummy to back of the other day. Boo!
This girl continues to be a snuggle-bug, happiest when sitting on my lap or being carried if I'm walking around. Unfortunately for my arms/neck/back the two carriers I've tried have not been popular. She also prefers to nap on me to any other location. It does make it difficult at times to get things done!
I am a bit concerned that she is tilting her head to one side, not for head shape but that the muscles of neck her are compensating for an issue. Will be addressing that with the ped. at her next appointment.
Nursing continues to be successful. I miss the weekly weigh-ins I was able to do with LO, because it was a trackable data, but LT maintains her chubby cheeks, wrists, and thighs while seemingly growing out of clothes before I've gotten them washed for a second wearing, so I think she's doing just fine there. I continue to give her a 4oz formula bottle at bedtime followed by a full nursing session so her tummy is nice and full and usually guarantees 5-6 hours of sleep. On the off nights it's more like a total of 3-4 for me. Blergh. In other news, my coffee addiction is in full swing.
LO is impatiently waiting for LT to get big enough to play with her. Apparently we adults having to do adult things and not play with her ALL. THE. TIME. is too boring for her or something. On the flip side, she has taught herself to do a cartwheel, without any gymnastics training/exposure at all. How crazy is that?!
I guess that's all there is here, LT actually transferred to the swing for a nap (all hail the Fisher Price Cradle & Swing) and I have a literal mountain of pots and pans awaiting my attention in the kitchen (see above regarding difficulty getting things done) which I may finally be able to get a handle on. Hah!)
She has not repeated the roll from tummy to back of the other day. Boo!
This girl continues to be a snuggle-bug, happiest when sitting on my lap or being carried if I'm walking around. Unfortunately for my arms/neck/back the two carriers I've tried have not been popular. She also prefers to nap on me to any other location. It does make it difficult at times to get things done!
I am a bit concerned that she is tilting her head to one side, not for head shape but that the muscles of neck her are compensating for an issue. Will be addressing that with the ped. at her next appointment.
Nursing continues to be successful. I miss the weekly weigh-ins I was able to do with LO, because it was a trackable data, but LT maintains her chubby cheeks, wrists, and thighs while seemingly growing out of clothes before I've gotten them washed for a second wearing, so I think she's doing just fine there. I continue to give her a 4oz formula bottle at bedtime followed by a full nursing session so her tummy is nice and full and usually guarantees 5-6 hours of sleep. On the off nights it's more like a total of 3-4 for me. Blergh. In other news, my coffee addiction is in full swing.
LO is impatiently waiting for LT to get big enough to play with her. Apparently we adults having to do adult things and not play with her ALL. THE. TIME. is too boring for her or something. On the flip side, she has taught herself to do a cartwheel, without any gymnastics training/exposure at all. How crazy is that?!
I guess that's all there is here, LT actually transferred to the swing for a nap (all hail the Fisher Price Cradle & Swing) and I have a literal mountain of pots and pans awaiting my attention in the kitchen (see above regarding difficulty getting things done) which I may finally be able to get a handle on. Hah!)
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
13.5 Weeks (aka 3 Months)
Little Two rolled over during tummy time today! She's only done tummy time a short handful of times (bad mom!) so extra hurray!!!!
Pushing into 6 months clothes already, and out of 3 month sleepers though pants still fit around the waist. She's a chunk, but a long one.
Nursing continues on approximately the same schedule as before: Every 2-3 hours during the day, a 4oz bottle at bedtime, 4-6 hours of sleep for me and then start over again.
Dealing with both girls at the same time is getting harder - LT naps mostly on me (which is simultaneously awesome and frustrating) so even when she's sleeping I'm still not really free to give LO 100% exclusive attention. LO's behavior seems to be reflecting this lack of individual attention. So much not fun.
DH and I celebrated 13 years of marriage on the 9th, went out to a nice dinner on Friday by ourselves. The in-laws came over and watched both girls, didn't do everything exactly as I would have liked, but that's the price to pay for free childcare.
What else? We signed LO up for Kindergarten for next year. We're going to keep her at the private preschool for several reasons, number one for me is that the class size will be 12-16 students vs. 28 in the public school. This will allow for much more individualized attention. It really feels like she will thrive in a smaller class vs. bobbing along in a larger one.
I guess that's it. Off to make dinner. Wish me luck!
Pushing into 6 months clothes already, and out of 3 month sleepers though pants still fit around the waist. She's a chunk, but a long one.
Nursing continues on approximately the same schedule as before: Every 2-3 hours during the day, a 4oz bottle at bedtime, 4-6 hours of sleep for me and then start over again.
Dealing with both girls at the same time is getting harder - LT naps mostly on me (which is simultaneously awesome and frustrating) so even when she's sleeping I'm still not really free to give LO 100% exclusive attention. LO's behavior seems to be reflecting this lack of individual attention. So much not fun.
DH and I celebrated 13 years of marriage on the 9th, went out to a nice dinner on Friday by ourselves. The in-laws came over and watched both girls, didn't do everything exactly as I would have liked, but that's the price to pay for free childcare.
What else? We signed LO up for Kindergarten for next year. We're going to keep her at the private preschool for several reasons, number one for me is that the class size will be 12-16 students vs. 28 in the public school. This will allow for much more individualized attention. It really feels like she will thrive in a smaller class vs. bobbing along in a larger one.
I guess that's it. Off to make dinner. Wish me luck!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
6 Weeks
Wow! How have 6 weeks gone by so quickly? I'm going to have to go with blaming Christmas on this one.
LT is doing great now that she's gotten the bili issues out of her system. Literally. Did I mention that poop is how the bits leave the body? Anyway, moving on...
Once again, my milk production levels have not been able to keep up with demand, but this time around I refuse to endure the crazy pumping/formula/nursing schedule I kept with LO. Looking back at that, it was insane, but I had time. I don't have time or mental energy to keep it up now. LT is getting some formula - Gerber gentle premix in the tetrapak boxes (I tried a sample of powdered enfamil and it was soundly rejected) - at night before I go to bed and occasionally some during the day if demand is extra high (but only after nursing until my nipples are sore*). I do have a pump so when it works out, I try to fit a session in after LT's bedtime bottle but before I get to bed myself. I'm also trying to load up on oatmeal and fenugreek to help boost production, but I'm not sure I'm consistent enough with either for full effectiveness.
Thanks to the bedtime formula bottle LT generally gives me anywhere from a 4.5 to 6 hour stretch of sleep, but a return to sleep after she wakes is not guaranteed. This stretch is helping to keep me from sleep deprived mood issues, but every so often the lack of additional sleep catches up with me and I crash on the sofa with LT on my chest post-feed while LO watches TV.
Not exactly sure how much LT currently weighs or how long she is (8lb 6oz & 21+" at the 1 month visit), but she's on the verge of being too big for many of the newborn size sleepers, and when the stock of newborn diapers runs out in the next few days she'll move into the size 1's. Wah!
LT is 100% still in the 4th trimester sleep/eat/awake for a bit/sleep/and so forth cycle. When she wakes up though, she's a total grumpuss until she's fed. She's also happiest when toasty warm - being held, or swaddled with a hat on her head and a blanket over the swaddle. She's not a huge fan of the car seat until the car is moving and we've had varied results with the swing, bouncer, rock & play, and pack & play. She also puts up an initial fuss to the Infantino mei tei carrier (new for this go round) but mostly falls asleep once she gets all warmed up. That helps with meeting both her need of being held and my desires to actually get some things done.
LO ranges from trying to be helpful, especially when LT is fussing, to being frustrated at the division of my attention between the two of them. I can absolutely understand the latter, it must feel awful going from getting all the attention to getting much much less, especially when it's because of things outside your control. In addition this month we moved LO from 3 to 5 half days of preschool so she's also lost those two mornings of time we previously spent together. I'm trying to come up with fun activities we can do a couple afternoons each week, with LT tagging along, so LO doesn't feel completely rejected, but LT's feeding/attention needs sometimes do get in the way. I'm also trying not to make it a habit to rely on LO's willingness to be helpful - she's not a third parent after all!
Anyway, that's where we are now. Send milk thoughts!
*Related: I've managed to get the sticky parts of the nursing pads stuck to my nipples more times than I want to admit. Double ouch!
LT is doing great now that she's gotten the bili issues out of her system. Literally. Did I mention that poop is how the bits leave the body? Anyway, moving on...
Once again, my milk production levels have not been able to keep up with demand, but this time around I refuse to endure the crazy pumping/formula/nursing schedule I kept with LO. Looking back at that, it was insane, but I had time. I don't have time or mental energy to keep it up now. LT is getting some formula - Gerber gentle premix in the tetrapak boxes (I tried a sample of powdered enfamil and it was soundly rejected) - at night before I go to bed and occasionally some during the day if demand is extra high (but only after nursing until my nipples are sore*). I do have a pump so when it works out, I try to fit a session in after LT's bedtime bottle but before I get to bed myself. I'm also trying to load up on oatmeal and fenugreek to help boost production, but I'm not sure I'm consistent enough with either for full effectiveness.
Thanks to the bedtime formula bottle LT generally gives me anywhere from a 4.5 to 6 hour stretch of sleep, but a return to sleep after she wakes is not guaranteed. This stretch is helping to keep me from sleep deprived mood issues, but every so often the lack of additional sleep catches up with me and I crash on the sofa with LT on my chest post-feed while LO watches TV.
Not exactly sure how much LT currently weighs or how long she is (8lb 6oz & 21+" at the 1 month visit), but she's on the verge of being too big for many of the newborn size sleepers, and when the stock of newborn diapers runs out in the next few days she'll move into the size 1's. Wah!
LT is 100% still in the 4th trimester sleep/eat/awake for a bit/sleep/and so forth cycle. When she wakes up though, she's a total grumpuss until she's fed. She's also happiest when toasty warm - being held, or swaddled with a hat on her head and a blanket over the swaddle. She's not a huge fan of the car seat until the car is moving and we've had varied results with the swing, bouncer, rock & play, and pack & play. She also puts up an initial fuss to the Infantino mei tei carrier (new for this go round) but mostly falls asleep once she gets all warmed up. That helps with meeting both her need of being held and my desires to actually get some things done.
LO ranges from trying to be helpful, especially when LT is fussing, to being frustrated at the division of my attention between the two of them. I can absolutely understand the latter, it must feel awful going from getting all the attention to getting much much less, especially when it's because of things outside your control. In addition this month we moved LO from 3 to 5 half days of preschool so she's also lost those two mornings of time we previously spent together. I'm trying to come up with fun activities we can do a couple afternoons each week, with LT tagging along, so LO doesn't feel completely rejected, but LT's feeding/attention needs sometimes do get in the way. I'm also trying not to make it a habit to rely on LO's willingness to be helpful - she's not a third parent after all!
Anyway, that's where we are now. Send milk thoughts!
*Related: I've managed to get the sticky parts of the nursing pads stuck to my nipples more times than I want to admit. Double ouch!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Not So Blue Anymore and Other Things to Share
The numbers on Monday dropped again, hurray!, so pediatrician told us to stop the lights, YAY!, and retest on Wednesday. AND...drumroll, please...today's numbers did not rise despite LT not pooping since the 29th!!! Double hurrah!!! The machine has left our house but we are scheduled for another (and hopefully final) blood test next Monday. Here's hoping the numbers either continue to drop or remain steady. Fingers crossed tight.
One nice thing about this process is part of the nurse visit is a weight check so I've been able to see how LT's been doing with that - as of today she is over 8lbs! Once she poops that will drop, but I'll take it for now. Related, at last weeks 2 week visit she was over 21" long. The cheeks are starting to chub and the chin is starting to double. Love it!
Since the light machine was no longer providing a loud background hum, the refrigerator decided take over and develop a hearty rattle, along with a firm refusal to keep the freezer drawer, well, frozen. Good thing we already had a service appointment scheduled for Friday and we have a full size freezer in the garage. Otherwise, think of the ice cream!
We've also upgraded our 2nd floor HVAC unit to one big enough to properly heat/cool the entire floor and advanced enough to allow for a 2nd thermostat on the area used by guests, upgraded the humidifier on our 1st floor unit, and other stuff which goes along with both projects.
LO will move to 5 days a week preschool on Monday. She may have a hard time with this as she understands the difference between a school day and a stay-home day. We and the teachers think it will be a good move for her, but it is one more change on top of the addition of LT to the family. LO has also started reading, on her own terms which means that if you directly ask her to read something she'll resist mightily, but if you slip it in she'll mostly manage to do it. Example - read a word, no. Tell me what brand a diaper is, yes. Crazy, but not unexpected given her 'do things on my own schedule' history.
There's noise of random celebratory gunshots in the air. Gotta love living in the outskirts of the suburbs.
Happy 2015 to you and yours, and may only the best of things come to you.
One nice thing about this process is part of the nurse visit is a weight check so I've been able to see how LT's been doing with that - as of today she is over 8lbs! Once she poops that will drop, but I'll take it for now. Related, at last weeks 2 week visit she was over 21" long. The cheeks are starting to chub and the chin is starting to double. Love it!
Since the light machine was no longer providing a loud background hum, the refrigerator decided take over and develop a hearty rattle, along with a firm refusal to keep the freezer drawer, well, frozen. Good thing we already had a service appointment scheduled for Friday and we have a full size freezer in the garage. Otherwise, think of the ice cream!
We've also upgraded our 2nd floor HVAC unit to one big enough to properly heat/cool the entire floor and advanced enough to allow for a 2nd thermostat on the area used by guests, upgraded the humidifier on our 1st floor unit, and other stuff which goes along with both projects.
LO will move to 5 days a week preschool on Monday. She may have a hard time with this as she understands the difference between a school day and a stay-home day. We and the teachers think it will be a good move for her, but it is one more change on top of the addition of LT to the family. LO has also started reading, on her own terms which means that if you directly ask her to read something she'll resist mightily, but if you slip it in she'll mostly manage to do it. Example - read a word, no. Tell me what brand a diaper is, yes. Crazy, but not unexpected given her 'do things on my own schedule' history.
There's noise of random celebratory gunshots in the air. Gotta love living in the outskirts of the suburbs.
Happy 2015 to you and yours, and may only the best of things come to you.
Monday, December 8, 2014
12.5.14 And Beyond...
No surprises this time. This is a very good thing!
Got to the hospital around 6:45 Friday morning, did all the paperwork, and was settled into a combo birthing and regular room by 7:20 (maybe, some of these times were approximate, I wasn't looking at the clock or had other things on my mind).
Nurses got me hooked up to the IV system and the OB came in, confirmed I was still 3-4cm dilated, and broke my water at 7:40 before she did a c-section and then headed over to see her regular patients. Contractions started shortly after - pretty much went BOOM right into them, no easing at all, even before the Pitocin kicked in! Anesthesiologist fit the epidural in between two c-sections, and shortly after I was resting comfortably while my body moved right along.
Around 10:45 the nurses checked my status and called the OB back over to the hospital since Little Two's head was 'right there' stretching things out. At 10:59, after pushing (and pooping, ew) through three contractions, LT came sliding on out. That's right, from water break to delivery was 3hrs 20min. Damn, I'm good!
LT weighed in at 6lb 10oz and 19.5" long, and still did less damage than the 2lb smaller LO did!
Unlike LO, LT has been a champion nurser from the start (my poor nipples!) and I have had much more energy despite the normal levels of sleep deprivation. I think the latter is thanks to being much less stressed out by the circumstances of the birth, and LT not having any need for the NICU. Plus, I'm not pumping round the clock! I'm so much more relaxed!
Milk came in Sunday afternoon/evening and LT has gotten much more efficient about nursing since then. She went from 25-60 minute sessions on one side to my having to force her to finish 10 minutes on one side. Unfortunately that's pretty much at every 2 hours so overnight sleep is hard!
Still need to figure out the rocker/recliner/glider chair situation for LT's room, and much of the nursery supplies are everywhere vs. being put away, but we are plugging along very nicely.
LO is obviously still very tentative about this new addition to our family and the changes her arrival has made. Trying to give her some special one on one time so she doesn't feel isolated or neglected.
And now LT needs feeding again...
Got to the hospital around 6:45 Friday morning, did all the paperwork, and was settled into a combo birthing and regular room by 7:20 (maybe, some of these times were approximate, I wasn't looking at the clock or had other things on my mind).
Nurses got me hooked up to the IV system and the OB came in, confirmed I was still 3-4cm dilated, and broke my water at 7:40 before she did a c-section and then headed over to see her regular patients. Contractions started shortly after - pretty much went BOOM right into them, no easing at all, even before the Pitocin kicked in! Anesthesiologist fit the epidural in between two c-sections, and shortly after I was resting comfortably while my body moved right along.
Around 10:45 the nurses checked my status and called the OB back over to the hospital since Little Two's head was 'right there' stretching things out. At 10:59, after pushing (and pooping, ew) through three contractions, LT came sliding on out. That's right, from water break to delivery was 3hrs 20min. Damn, I'm good!
LT weighed in at 6lb 10oz and 19.5" long, and still did less damage than the 2lb smaller LO did!
Unlike LO, LT has been a champion nurser from the start (my poor nipples!) and I have had much more energy despite the normal levels of sleep deprivation. I think the latter is thanks to being much less stressed out by the circumstances of the birth, and LT not having any need for the NICU. Plus, I'm not pumping round the clock! I'm so much more relaxed!
Milk came in Sunday afternoon/evening and LT has gotten much more efficient about nursing since then. She went from 25-60 minute sessions on one side to my having to force her to finish 10 minutes on one side. Unfortunately that's pretty much at every 2 hours so overnight sleep is hard!
Still need to figure out the rocker/recliner/glider chair situation for LT's room, and much of the nursery supplies are everywhere vs. being put away, but we are plugging along very nicely.
LO is obviously still very tentative about this new addition to our family and the changes her arrival has made. Trying to give her some special one on one time so she doesn't feel isolated or neglected.
And now LT needs feeding again...
Saturday, November 29, 2014
38+ Down & Thanksgiving Report
Saw a different OB this past week as my regular OB had the nerve* to take the week off for Thanksgiving. (*Just kidding, she deserved the vacation and I don't begrudge her doing so.) OB #2 was actually the one I had seen in August 2013 who had the not so nice job of telling me that surprise pregnancy hadn't stuck around, so it was nice to see him under more positive circumstances.
Per his measurements I was closer to 70% effaced and 1-2cm dilated. Eh, these things can go back and forth, but it did remind me a bit of when I was in labor with LO and the resident/intern said I was at 10cm, they hauled me to the OR for delivery (all other delivery rooms were occupied), an OB checked me there and determined it was something like 4 or 6cm and back I went to the triage room.
In related news, LT is still firmly head down. Her newest trick is bouncing or pressing on my bladder when I'm sitting upright; Thanksgiving dinner was quite painful thanks to this!
We were supposed to have my parents, and DH's parents, and his brother for Thanksgiving dinner but only the IL's ended up coming since my parents both came down with an awful cold the beginning of the week and kindly didn't want to share their germs or travel while feeling especially crummy. BIL is in a down turn at the moment so he didn't feel like coming, I've come to accept that it's best to plan for him to attend and hope that he will but expect that he won't and be pleasantly surprised if he does. It's complicated.
Dinner itself was good, but the low point came afterwards when I fussed at MIL for putting dirty dishes in the clean dishwasher while just letting the water run in the sink (I'd asked DH to empty but he hadn't gotten to it) and her getting upset to the point of tears. But who just starts putting dishes in a dishwasher without asking if it was clean or dirty? Sure the bottom rack was 2/3 empty but the top was completely full! She called the next day to tell me I need to think about how I communicate with people, that I'm too harsh (and I thought I was holding back in my reaction to not only the dishes but the water running - I've told her multiple times we don't need to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, that my dishwasher is better than her crappy model). Even DH was WTH about that!
LO also has a cold which she generously shared with me - though she seems to have gotten the worse part of it with several nights of coughing herself (and us) awake thanks to gunk, and a low-grade fever the past couple days. I just have sinus pressure and drainage which isn't too bad when I keep up with the Tylenol.
In sum, I'm tired and can't get comfortable and LO is watching way too much TV and spending way too much time on computers and tablet because I don't have the energy or stamina to occupy her otherwise.
Please send come out soon vibes to LT. Not sure how much longer any of us can deal!
Per his measurements I was closer to 70% effaced and 1-2cm dilated. Eh, these things can go back and forth, but it did remind me a bit of when I was in labor with LO and the resident/intern said I was at 10cm, they hauled me to the OR for delivery (all other delivery rooms were occupied), an OB checked me there and determined it was something like 4 or 6cm and back I went to the triage room.
In related news, LT is still firmly head down. Her newest trick is bouncing or pressing on my bladder when I'm sitting upright; Thanksgiving dinner was quite painful thanks to this!
We were supposed to have my parents, and DH's parents, and his brother for Thanksgiving dinner but only the IL's ended up coming since my parents both came down with an awful cold the beginning of the week and kindly didn't want to share their germs or travel while feeling especially crummy. BIL is in a down turn at the moment so he didn't feel like coming, I've come to accept that it's best to plan for him to attend and hope that he will but expect that he won't and be pleasantly surprised if he does. It's complicated.
Dinner itself was good, but the low point came afterwards when I fussed at MIL for putting dirty dishes in the clean dishwasher while just letting the water run in the sink (I'd asked DH to empty but he hadn't gotten to it) and her getting upset to the point of tears. But who just starts putting dishes in a dishwasher without asking if it was clean or dirty? Sure the bottom rack was 2/3 empty but the top was completely full! She called the next day to tell me I need to think about how I communicate with people, that I'm too harsh (and I thought I was holding back in my reaction to not only the dishes but the water running - I've told her multiple times we don't need to rinse the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, that my dishwasher is better than her crappy model). Even DH was WTH about that!
LO also has a cold which she generously shared with me - though she seems to have gotten the worse part of it with several nights of coughing herself (and us) awake thanks to gunk, and a low-grade fever the past couple days. I just have sinus pressure and drainage which isn't too bad when I keep up with the Tylenol.
In sum, I'm tired and can't get comfortable and LO is watching way too much TV and spending way too much time on computers and tablet because I don't have the energy or stamina to occupy her otherwise.
Please send come out soon vibes to LT. Not sure how much longer any of us can deal!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
3 or Less (Fewer?)
No idea about effacement, but right around 3cm dilated.
OB is thrilled to have reached this point. Me, not so much. I can't find a comfortable position - sitting upright, laying on my left side, laying on my back. The belly is up in my ribs all the time.
She did, out of the blue, say I could schedule an induction starting at 39 weeks, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. Epidural and pictocin when already in labor are one thing, introducing them when there is no reason to, quite another. At least in my mind.
As much as I'm ready to not be pregnant, I'm also not ready for everything to change for our family. Because I know things are going to change, and while I can perhaps throw an educated guess at it, I just don't know how, and how all of us are going to react to the changes.
LO is really good at being 4 - both the hard parts and the good parts. I realized the other afternoon, and I don't know why it hit me so hard at that time, that as big as she is, she's still just a little girl. So while she's able now to let the dog in and out (and get cutely huffy about it), go potty on her own (still working on the wiping/washing/flushing bit), and mostly entertain herself without my having to supervise, she is also throwing magnificent tantrums about random things, getting pickier about food, and not using her ears as effectively as she could be.
And I do mean big size wise, at 4 and a few months she's wearing kids 6 and 6x. The sleeves and legs are a trifle long, but the waist and shoulders fit her just right. I'm actually a little concerned as the waists and rears in the size 6 winter pants are already getting a bit snug. (Side rant here about how at many stores moving into size 4 and up girls clothes mean that everything thing in that range is designed for the pre-teen set. Never mind that a 10yo should not be dressing like a 15yo and how that trickles down to the smaller end of sizes as well...it's infuriating and convinces me that the people designing and making the decisions about fashion do not have kids /end rant)
DH is working crazy hours thanks to a number of factors outside his control. He is hiring, but that process adds to his work, along with the integration of the new people into the system. My guess is that while he'll theoretically take off work once LT arrives, he'll still end up doing a number of hours each day just to keep things from boiling over. Grrr.
Oh, here's where I tease you...I think we've finally agreed on a first/middle name combination for LT. Strangely the first name starts with the same initial as LO. Trying to avoid it, but that's the name we both liked. Middle is different, but the final kicker is the last letter for LO's first/middle names are reversed for LT. The middle name, like LOs, was a maiden name for a now deceased grandmother, LO's on my side, LT's on DH's side.
And now everyone home is demanding to eat dinner. What is up with that?! Off I go to oblige them.
OB is thrilled to have reached this point. Me, not so much. I can't find a comfortable position - sitting upright, laying on my left side, laying on my back. The belly is up in my ribs all the time.
She did, out of the blue, say I could schedule an induction starting at 39 weeks, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. Epidural and pictocin when already in labor are one thing, introducing them when there is no reason to, quite another. At least in my mind.
As much as I'm ready to not be pregnant, I'm also not ready for everything to change for our family. Because I know things are going to change, and while I can perhaps throw an educated guess at it, I just don't know how, and how all of us are going to react to the changes.
LO is really good at being 4 - both the hard parts and the good parts. I realized the other afternoon, and I don't know why it hit me so hard at that time, that as big as she is, she's still just a little girl. So while she's able now to let the dog in and out (and get cutely huffy about it), go potty on her own (still working on the wiping/washing/flushing bit), and mostly entertain herself without my having to supervise, she is also throwing magnificent tantrums about random things, getting pickier about food, and not using her ears as effectively as she could be.
And I do mean big size wise, at 4 and a few months she's wearing kids 6 and 6x. The sleeves and legs are a trifle long, but the waist and shoulders fit her just right. I'm actually a little concerned as the waists and rears in the size 6 winter pants are already getting a bit snug. (Side rant here about how at many stores moving into size 4 and up girls clothes mean that everything thing in that range is designed for the pre-teen set. Never mind that a 10yo should not be dressing like a 15yo and how that trickles down to the smaller end of sizes as well...it's infuriating and convinces me that the people designing and making the decisions about fashion do not have kids /end rant)
DH is working crazy hours thanks to a number of factors outside his control. He is hiring, but that process adds to his work, along with the integration of the new people into the system. My guess is that while he'll theoretically take off work once LT arrives, he'll still end up doing a number of hours each day just to keep things from boiling over. Grrr.
Oh, here's where I tease you...I think we've finally agreed on a first/middle name combination for LT. Strangely the first name starts with the same initial as LO. Trying to avoid it, but that's the name we both liked. Middle is different, but the final kicker is the last letter for LO's first/middle names are reversed for LT. The middle name, like LOs, was a maiden name for a now deceased grandmother, LO's on my side, LT's on DH's side.
And now everyone home is demanding to eat dinner. What is up with that?! Off I go to oblige them.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
5, Count 'Em 5
Another week, another weekly check.
50% effacement
.5-1cm dilated
OB doesn't think things are going to go anywhere in the next week or two. But she's on vacation the week of Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping to deliver before then (or after, but would really prefer before!).
1 more week of progesterone and then I am done, forever and ever, AMEN. Hooray!
I'm starting to waddle. Walking is getting very tiring - ran errands with brief stops at 4 stores after the OB appt. yesterday before picking LO up from preschool and my legs still hurt. Aside from this morning, LO has been waking up before 6AM since the time change which means we all must be awake to entertain her royal pain-in-the-ass-ness. This has reminded me and DH that I don't do well with extended periods of time waking before 6...a not so helpful reminder before we restart sleep deprivation with a newborn!
My pants are either too small in the waist (under belly band) so they start pinching by the end of the day, or too big (over belly "secret" panel) so I spend all day hiking them up. The shirts which worked throughout pregnancy with LO have been overwhelmed by the belly and allow a "smile" of belly to peep out beneath and none of my bras are comfortable, not even the nursing bras which were too big all over when LO stopped.
Did I mention I'm cranky? Oh, you guessed? Huh.
I think we have a strong contenders for first and middle names, finally. I heard my favorite of the narrowed down first names at an OB appointment and decided I didn't like it after all so had to go back and revisit the list. DH hasn't given it a final seal of approval, but did say it had possibility which he hasn't for any other combinations I've proposed.
LO is running around without pants and the TV had been on since 7am-ish until the past 40 minutes, & I just sent her to her room for demanding candy (she chose to have her daily piece immediately after breakfast this morning). Not one of my best parenting days...
50% effacement
.5-1cm dilated
OB doesn't think things are going to go anywhere in the next week or two. But she's on vacation the week of Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping to deliver before then (or after, but would really prefer before!).
1 more week of progesterone and then I am done, forever and ever, AMEN. Hooray!
I'm starting to waddle. Walking is getting very tiring - ran errands with brief stops at 4 stores after the OB appt. yesterday before picking LO up from preschool and my legs still hurt. Aside from this morning, LO has been waking up before 6AM since the time change which means we all must be awake to entertain her royal pain-in-the-ass-ness. This has reminded me and DH that I don't do well with extended periods of time waking before 6...a not so helpful reminder before we restart sleep deprivation with a newborn!
My pants are either too small in the waist (under belly band) so they start pinching by the end of the day, or too big (over belly "secret" panel) so I spend all day hiking them up. The shirts which worked throughout pregnancy with LO have been overwhelmed by the belly and allow a "smile" of belly to peep out beneath and none of my bras are comfortable, not even the nursing bras which were too big all over when LO stopped.
Did I mention I'm cranky? Oh, you guessed? Huh.
I think we have a strong contenders for first and middle names, finally. I heard my favorite of the narrowed down first names at an OB appointment and decided I didn't like it after all so had to go back and revisit the list. DH hasn't given it a final seal of approval, but did say it had possibility which he hasn't for any other combinations I've proposed.
LO is running around without pants and the TV had been on since 7am-ish until the past 40 minutes, & I just sent her to her room for demanding candy (she chose to have her daily piece immediately after breakfast this morning). Not one of my best parenting days...
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Another 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1? Week(s) To Go
This weeks OB visit went well.
I'll let you in on a little secret though...strep swabbing hurts! The OB also did an internal exam - everything was still shut nice and tight, though she did say she thought there was about 30% effacement.
LO came down with a cold the beginning of the week, and ever so thoughtfully shared the germs with me so I've spent today mostly horizontal on the couch hydrating and blowing my nose. I'm hoping to get the infant bucket seat unpacked this weekend, and do some name finalization with DH. For some reason it hasn't seemed quite so urgent this time round, but it is getting down to the wire!
LT has not yet discovered the trick of getting her feet under my ribs, for which I am extremely grateful. She does like to hang out with her back on the left side though, so I feel pretty constantly lopsided.
DH took LO trick-or-treating - a plan already in place before the germs attacked as I didn't feel like I would be up to so much walking. They weren't out long, despite a potty stop immediately before getting costumed, LO had an urgent need to go. It seemed like she had just as much fun after their return in helping to hand out candy to the those who came to our door - actually the most who came since we moved in two years ago.
Hope your Halloween and weekend were/are all you hoped for!
I'll let you in on a little secret though...strep swabbing hurts! The OB also did an internal exam - everything was still shut nice and tight, though she did say she thought there was about 30% effacement.
LO came down with a cold the beginning of the week, and ever so thoughtfully shared the germs with me so I've spent today mostly horizontal on the couch hydrating and blowing my nose. I'm hoping to get the infant bucket seat unpacked this weekend, and do some name finalization with DH. For some reason it hasn't seemed quite so urgent this time round, but it is getting down to the wire!
LT has not yet discovered the trick of getting her feet under my ribs, for which I am extremely grateful. She does like to hang out with her back on the left side though, so I feel pretty constantly lopsided.
DH took LO trick-or-treating - a plan already in place before the germs attacked as I didn't feel like I would be up to so much walking. They weren't out long, despite a potty stop immediately before getting costumed, LO had an urgent need to go. It seemed like she had just as much fun after their return in helping to hand out candy to the those who came to our door - actually the most who came since we moved in two years ago.
Hope your Halloween and weekend were/are all you hoped for!
Friday, October 24, 2014
33w 4d (Hooray!)
It was about this day in the last pregnancy (and time! as I type this) that LO made her early arrival.
Not sure that I can fully express how relieved I am at crossing this milestone. I'm actually surprised at the relief I'm feeling, I didn't think I was consciously worried about it. But perhaps with DH being away this week it was more intensified than I realized.
Wednesday's OB appointment thankfully brought no surprises, but I will start weekly appointments given my history. Next appointment the OB is planning to do the strep swab so that will be fun.
Washed the first load of new sleepers today - I had to get some new things, how could I not? I also washed the package of hand mitts I picked up. With the way LT (Little Two) has had her hands at her face in every one of the last ultrasounds I figured it was probably prudent, and a cheap insurance policy if they aren't actually necessary.
DH managed to swap the furniture between the guest rooms, with little help from me, last weekend. He also put the crib up, so apart from figuring out a changing table and deciding what to do about a glider/ottoman, we're in pretty good shape. I finally got the hospital bag mostly packed (3 weeks after finalizing the list, but still) except for a few last minute items and the aforementioned hand mitts & an outfit or two to pick from for going home. The car seat is still in the box in the garage. Easy enough to unpack/install when the moment comes.
I'm sleeping poorly. Thank you squashed bladder and post-pee insomnia, & LO who has decided that waking before the sun appears is fun. Weight gain is something like 15-17 pounds depending on which pre-pregnancy weight I go by. If I'm going to get anything done it's in the morning. Afternoons are couch time. LO is watching way more television than I would like, but I don't have the energy to occupy her with better (less mind-numbing) options.
Trying to enjoy the last few weeks of LO being an only child. Not doing anything special but especially trying to not resent the energy she needs that I don't currently have to give. It's been extra nice finally having the playset up so she can be active and I can sit and watch from the comfort of a deck chair.
Anyway, that's what's going on here. Still taking guesses on arrival!
Not sure that I can fully express how relieved I am at crossing this milestone. I'm actually surprised at the relief I'm feeling, I didn't think I was consciously worried about it. But perhaps with DH being away this week it was more intensified than I realized.
Wednesday's OB appointment thankfully brought no surprises, but I will start weekly appointments given my history. Next appointment the OB is planning to do the strep swab so that will be fun.
Washed the first load of new sleepers today - I had to get some new things, how could I not? I also washed the package of hand mitts I picked up. With the way LT (Little Two) has had her hands at her face in every one of the last ultrasounds I figured it was probably prudent, and a cheap insurance policy if they aren't actually necessary.
DH managed to swap the furniture between the guest rooms, with little help from me, last weekend. He also put the crib up, so apart from figuring out a changing table and deciding what to do about a glider/ottoman, we're in pretty good shape. I finally got the hospital bag mostly packed (3 weeks after finalizing the list, but still) except for a few last minute items and the aforementioned hand mitts & an outfit or two to pick from for going home. The car seat is still in the box in the garage. Easy enough to unpack/install when the moment comes.
I'm sleeping poorly. Thank you squashed bladder and post-pee insomnia, & LO who has decided that waking before the sun appears is fun. Weight gain is something like 15-17 pounds depending on which pre-pregnancy weight I go by. If I'm going to get anything done it's in the morning. Afternoons are couch time. LO is watching way more television than I would like, but I don't have the energy to occupy her with better (less mind-numbing) options.
Trying to enjoy the last few weeks of LO being an only child. Not doing anything special but especially trying to not resent the energy she needs that I don't currently have to give. It's been extra nice finally having the playset up so she can be active and I can sit and watch from the comfort of a deck chair.
Anyway, that's what's going on here. Still taking guesses on arrival!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Misc. Stuff
Random Bullet Points - FTW!
- 26 Weeks on Tuesday (or something like that). I had to find the calendar I was using to count the weeks - I'd lost track. Guess that's one of those first/second pregnancy differences.
- DH and I staycationed last week while LO vacationed at my parents house. It would have been a lot more relaxing all round if DH hadn't had to do a few hours of work EVERY FREAKING DAY! Sorry for the shout there - what he was doing had to be done but it's the company's fault for dragging their heels on approving more hires so that there was no one else to do it.
- Took LO for ice cream post-dinner today, seemed like a good way to end the "summer." At least until she went into full not-listening meltdown mode after we returned home. To be fair she'd spent an hour or so swimming with DH mid-afternoon so was tired from that (and her 6:30AM wakeup, ack!) but it pissed DH off that we'd done this nice thing and she "repaid" us with crap behavior (even if it wasn't related at all). I was hoping to get pictures but the ice cream was soft and the temperature too warm to do much except lick and pray.
- The blackout shades mentioned 2 posts ago came in and are everything I hoped they would be. Completely recommend the product & company!
- Went through the first saved tub of baby clothes and despite the ~6 month difference in arrivals it doesn't look like there's much to replace there. Maybe add a couple more swaddles and sleep sacks (but those might be in the 2nd tub. I wasn't the most organized about keeping like sizes together! Oops.) but there are plenty of long sleeve footy sleepers so I think we'll be good.
- Since there really aren't any other big equipment purchases, I'm contemplating getting a better stroller to supplement the umbrella stroller & crappy old Peg Perego. I'm hearing lots of good things about the Bob, especially since when we'd want to use it would be outside and not limited to sidewalks or other hard surfaces, but not sure I can justify the $$$. Maybe there will be one on Craigslist locally? Or would we be just as happy with a lower-cost version for the amount of use I project...such a quandary!
- And related, we still use LO's glider every night for bedtime stories. I know things are going to change but do we get a 2nd glider for the new baby or move the one we have over to the other room? I really like the motion and it still seems to help settle LO out of the day. We have a wooden rocker in the other room right now but unless I stuff it with cushions, and even then, it's not going to be as comfortable. I just don't know!
- In better news, DH and I have started talking names and have a few we agree are possibilities. So that's fun. :) & No, I'm not sharing. ;)
- I'm going to go fill my water glass, again. Glug chug blugh.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Blah, blah, blah, bullet points...blah, blah, blah.
- I can't even begin to properly and fully describe the amount of dust which has been generated thanks to the re-do of our sodding shower. Not only in the bathroom (which was to be expected) but into our bedroom (I have made the bed properly every working day for the past 2 weeks to keep it off our pillows), and through the bedroom into our upper hall to decorate the stair rails. It's astounding.
- They say the tile work should be done early this week. But then a plumber needs to come out and replace all of the exposed bits with new as the original bits were damaged by exposure to an acid which was supposed to do something to the original grout but only really managed to eat away at the metal in the shower, and some in the rest of the bathroom. So, when we will actually return to using the bathroom and not the one on the other side of the house? I wish I knew. I am assuming at some point before the baby arrives!
- Ordered proper blackout shades for the windows in LO's and Baby's room. Ones which have a metallic film between the layers so light will only come in around the edges, and no cords for safety's sake. Both rooms have "blackout"curtains which have not been as room darkening as expected. LO's room has a double width window and has gone through a blackout roller blind which was too wide to work properly and currently has temporary paper blackout shades which do work well but also do not go up and down easily. Both of which were/are frustrating as sometimes it would be quite helpful to have light actually come into the room. The Baby's room has been a guest room so has not had supplemental blinds to the blackout curtains but more darkening power will be necessary as it is an east facing room and I don't do early mornings (well, I know there will be some, but hopefully they won't be thanks to sunlight)! (shadesshuttersblinds.com have been awesome on both products and pricing - we also got the motorized solar shades for our breakfast area and family room from there)
- Did I mention we put up room darkening roman shades in our room to hide behind our curtains (remade from the bedroom curtains at the old house and never as room darkening as envisioned) a while back? Those replaced temporary paper blackout shades which had been up for long enough that the black part of the paper, facing into the room, had faded almost entirely. (Here I went with el-cheapo non-custom roman shades from JCPenney since they will not get much, if any, movement. They work great, but stank up the room for the first few weeks.)
- Once the shower of doom (TM) is finally completed I'm going to start LO back up on swim lessons. We spent less than an hour in the pool yesterday and 75% of the time DH and I were trying to get her to swim properly - not even the promise of getting to jump off the diving board if she made it across the pool (which I know she can totally do since she was able to swim that distance at a lesson) made a difference - it's just no fun to be in the pool with her since she's confident enough to get herself into but not skilled enough to get herself out of potentially hazardous situations.
- Grocery store run today included: 3 boxes of ice cream sandwiches, 1 tub of ice cream, & half a dozen yogurts (plus other things). Cashier didn't bother to ask if I wanted paper or plastic & then huffed when I asked for paper after she had started filling plastic so I ended up with plastic in paper. Gee, thanks, I really appreciate having yet more plastic bags around to have to figure out how to recycle. And damp ones from the sweating of the cold items in the humid summer air, at that.
- Now DH wants me to go look at the spacing on some of the tiles installed today. He's not happy...and I'm at the point where all I want to do is shout "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care!" (courtesy of John Cusack in "America's Sweethearts") and let it be d-o-n-e DONE.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Sleeeeeeep!
Yeah, it's 11pm EST and I'm writing a blog post about sleep instead of actually, you know, doing that.
I tried using "doing it" at the end of that sentence but my inner teenage boy was laugh-snorting too loudly to ignore, so ... anyway & moving right along.
The thing is we're not getting enough sleep around here. The problem is two fold - 1. I'm not going to bed at a reasonable hour, mostly because DH is getting home way later than is healthy and I'd like to actually spend time with him, and also I selfishly don't want to change my schedule. 2. LO is awakening most mornings somewhere between 5 and 6 AM. Mostly leaning toward the earlier side of that range. Even when I've gotten to bed at a reasonable hour I don't function well for the day waking up at that time. On the other hand, if I go to bed even later and then by some miracle am able to sleep until 7? My day is golden.
Wait, let me give examples for that: (a) Bed at 10pm but woken up at 5:30am - even with 7.5 hours of sleep I am a cranky cranky person until I've had enough caffeine & sugar. (b) Bed at 1am but woken up at 7am - only 6 hours of sleep and I am happy, and have less need for stimulants.
I know I could push back LO's nighttime sleep schedule - she currently goes to sleep anywhere between 7 & 8pm, but on the now rare days she's had a nap it can push back to 9pm (I'm now thankful that naps are rare as I'd rather have the evening hours free to relax than the daytime quiet) - but that won't, to the best of what I've seen from people who've done this for time changes, do much for her waking time (which actually seems to be earlier the later she gets to bed at night). I'm hoping it's a phase and that by age 4, and after the Spring time change, she'll be sleeping later in the morning. Until then, we'll skip trying to snuggle in our bed because she turns into a pointy appendaged octopus whose idea of snuggling is doing everything but laying quietly close to me or DH while we attempt to snag even a few more minutes of precious sleeeeeep.
The other sleep thing which has been going on for a while now is that we're back to her falling asleep in my lap while I'm reading or singing in the rocking chair and then I transfer her to the bed for the night. I love it: it's my favorite part of the day because she's usually not moving or talking but snuggled close while I read, it feels so cozy and connecting and makes up for so many of the stresses between her and I over the course of the day. I'm going to be ultra-sad when she finally decides she's too big for such things. Or she actually gets too big for me to lift and carry safely.
Sleep tight & don't let the bed bugs bite!
I tried using "doing it" at the end of that sentence but my inner teenage boy was laugh-snorting too loudly to ignore, so ... anyway & moving right along.
The thing is we're not getting enough sleep around here. The problem is two fold - 1. I'm not going to bed at a reasonable hour, mostly because DH is getting home way later than is healthy and I'd like to actually spend time with him, and also I selfishly don't want to change my schedule. 2. LO is awakening most mornings somewhere between 5 and 6 AM. Mostly leaning toward the earlier side of that range. Even when I've gotten to bed at a reasonable hour I don't function well for the day waking up at that time. On the other hand, if I go to bed even later and then by some miracle am able to sleep until 7? My day is golden.
Wait, let me give examples for that: (a) Bed at 10pm but woken up at 5:30am - even with 7.5 hours of sleep I am a cranky cranky person until I've had enough caffeine & sugar. (b) Bed at 1am but woken up at 7am - only 6 hours of sleep and I am happy, and have less need for stimulants.
I know I could push back LO's nighttime sleep schedule - she currently goes to sleep anywhere between 7 & 8pm, but on the now rare days she's had a nap it can push back to 9pm (I'm now thankful that naps are rare as I'd rather have the evening hours free to relax than the daytime quiet) - but that won't, to the best of what I've seen from people who've done this for time changes, do much for her waking time (which actually seems to be earlier the later she gets to bed at night). I'm hoping it's a phase and that by age 4, and after the Spring time change, she'll be sleeping later in the morning. Until then, we'll skip trying to snuggle in our bed because she turns into a pointy appendaged octopus whose idea of snuggling is doing everything but laying quietly close to me or DH while we attempt to snag even a few more minutes of precious sleeeeeep.
The other sleep thing which has been going on for a while now is that we're back to her falling asleep in my lap while I'm reading or singing in the rocking chair and then I transfer her to the bed for the night. I love it: it's my favorite part of the day because she's usually not moving or talking but snuggled close while I read, it feels so cozy and connecting and makes up for so many of the stresses between her and I over the course of the day. I'm going to be ultra-sad when she finally decides she's too big for such things. Or she actually gets too big for me to lift and carry safely.
Sleep tight & don't let the bed bugs bite!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Christmas Time Was Here...
We had a lively lovely Christmas, thanks for asking.
Grandparents from both sides spent Christmas Eve night and were around for Christmas morning and the chaos that ensues with a 3.5 year old who is very enthusiastic about PRESENTS.
I would say that this is the first year where LO really got the whole Santa/Christmas/presents thing and, wow, everyone who gifted her went a little bit overboard. It took hours for everyone to open all the presents, even with LO's enthusiastic help in tearing into the paper. (Side note: is my family the only one which also wraps the stocking presents?) Next year we're absolutely going to attempt to cut back.
LO's top 3 presents were the Corvette Stingray power-car which was a surprise from Santa, the rocking horse she had been asking for (out of the blue, I have no idea where that idea came from!), and the Octopod which had been the only consistent item she pointed out in any of the toy catalogs she looked through (an excellent & quiet way for her to spend time, btw).
Growing up, my mother always cooked a huge dinner on Christmas, starting shortly after the presents had been opened and spending the rest of the afternoon and evening in the kitchen. We still have a large dinner, but do it Christmas Eve (we do not do services) so food on Christmas Day is a mix of leftovers, cheese & crackers, and breakfast foods which get picked at for probably longer than is healthy. Oops.
My parents stayed through Friday and took LO home with them for a few days to give us a little break. Ames & Ig are 100% correct that 3's behave better for adults who are not their parents! The in-laws went home Christmas afternoon. On the day after Christmas my Mother and I went shopping and I finally admitted that one of my biggest challenges as a parent is that while LO has many of my features, her personality is much much different and it's hard for me to see things / anticipate things / generally understand her actions or perspective. Not sure how to fix that but I suppose like most things it's one that is a continuous process of trying with a solid mix of successes and failures.
Plans for 2014 include a trip somewhere warm - St. Lucia or Antigua - for DH and I in the spring. We are in agreement that we could not survive as a couple without regularly scheduled time for just the 2 of us to reconnect without LO or work or any other every day distraction. I can't help but feel sorry for any parents who do not get that chance to get away. Or maybe we need lessons in how to reconnect without that distance? We are lucky to have the resources in both familial support for childcare and finances to make it happen.
Oh, here's a picture of the post-Santa, pre-morning present extravaganza:
Many many wishes from my heart to yours that your Christmas was everything you hoped & that 2014 brings only the best of things to you and yours.
Grandparents from both sides spent Christmas Eve night and were around for Christmas morning and the chaos that ensues with a 3.5 year old who is very enthusiastic about PRESENTS.
I would say that this is the first year where LO really got the whole Santa/Christmas/presents thing and, wow, everyone who gifted her went a little bit overboard. It took hours for everyone to open all the presents, even with LO's enthusiastic help in tearing into the paper. (Side note: is my family the only one which also wraps the stocking presents?) Next year we're absolutely going to attempt to cut back.
LO's top 3 presents were the Corvette Stingray power-car which was a surprise from Santa, the rocking horse she had been asking for (out of the blue, I have no idea where that idea came from!), and the Octopod which had been the only consistent item she pointed out in any of the toy catalogs she looked through (an excellent & quiet way for her to spend time, btw).
Growing up, my mother always cooked a huge dinner on Christmas, starting shortly after the presents had been opened and spending the rest of the afternoon and evening in the kitchen. We still have a large dinner, but do it Christmas Eve (we do not do services) so food on Christmas Day is a mix of leftovers, cheese & crackers, and breakfast foods which get picked at for probably longer than is healthy. Oops.
My parents stayed through Friday and took LO home with them for a few days to give us a little break. Ames & Ig are 100% correct that 3's behave better for adults who are not their parents! The in-laws went home Christmas afternoon. On the day after Christmas my Mother and I went shopping and I finally admitted that one of my biggest challenges as a parent is that while LO has many of my features, her personality is much much different and it's hard for me to see things / anticipate things / generally understand her actions or perspective. Not sure how to fix that but I suppose like most things it's one that is a continuous process of trying with a solid mix of successes and failures.
Plans for 2014 include a trip somewhere warm - St. Lucia or Antigua - for DH and I in the spring. We are in agreement that we could not survive as a couple without regularly scheduled time for just the 2 of us to reconnect without LO or work or any other every day distraction. I can't help but feel sorry for any parents who do not get that chance to get away. Or maybe we need lessons in how to reconnect without that distance? We are lucky to have the resources in both familial support for childcare and finances to make it happen.
Oh, here's a picture of the post-Santa, pre-morning present extravaganza:
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