In bullet form….
18 Dec 2011 2 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: breastfeeding, Me, Urijah
Urijah:
-weighed 10 lbs 10 oz at his 2 month Dr appt!! When the nurse weighed him and said ,” ok, 10 / 10″. I paused and stared at her and said, “do you means 10 POUNDS and 10 OUNCES?” I’m not sure what else I thought she might have meant. To say the least, we’re pleased with this development.
-is 22″ long (and inch and a half longer than at birth) and his head is 15″. The Dr. placed him solidly in the 25% to 30% range for all three measurements. Which doesn’t really matter, so long as he’s proportionate with himself, and he is!
-got 3 shots and an oral vaccine at his appt and handled them fantastically. Had his first doses of infant Tylenol to combat the fever that he got afterwards.
-really hates having clothes pulled on over his head.
-likes bath time, except for the getting out part. I think he gets that from his Gram.
-is absolutely enamored with the bug mobile over his changing pad…and when Dad had the brilliant idea to spin it around so all the bugs look like they are flying? Well, you might as well have given him the moon and stars. I think I spun that mobile about 30 times last night after his diaper change. He was thrilled every time.
-is smiling more and more, and is just starting to make cooing noises. I think they still mostly take him by surprise when he does it, but I’m sure in the next few weeks, he’ll find his voice.
-has started sucking on his fist with some purpose and determination.
-think it’s really funny when his Dad imitates video game songs and noises. It practically guarantees a smile.
-wants to be bounced to sleep….vigorously. No gentle motions for this kid…he wants his head bobbing all around when he drifts off.
-is sleeping from about 11-12 at night to about 5 or 6 am, and then taking 3 or so regular naps during the day. Last night he (and by extension, I) slept from 11pm till 6am and got up to eat, and just crashed out again at 8am for a morning nap. I felt so rested from the good 7 hours of sleep that it’s the first time I decided to just stay up and start the day, rather than face-planting back into my own bed at the same time he went back to sleep. So far it’s a good routine for us. If I can avoid regularly being awake in those wee morning hours, I’ll take it. Those are the worst!
-is a champ at running errands. I’m not sure why I don’t take him out of the house every single day. He seems to like the car seat just fine once he is buckled in and settled. He either crashes out immediately, or serenely gazes out the window while we drive. I think he gets bored of the house and wants new stuff to look at. Mom, too!
-had his first picture with Santa this week:
His shirt has cookies and milk on it and says "For Santa, not Daddy."
I:
-am feeling physically good. Recovery from the birth was pretty easy, and I feel like the crazy hormones are leveling out now. Now if my skin and hair would get the memo, I’d be glad for them to go back to normal, too.
-am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Some days a little less, some days a little more. Good starting point for when I start to work out again!
-wish I could get my act together better more on days when we leave the house. I usually just have my hair pulled back in a ponytail and absolutely no makeup and some random hodgepodge clothes. I’m feeling pretty schlumpy most of the time, but I think it will get easier as he gets bigger. I certainly need a haircut, and I totally get why new moms always get the ‘new mom haircut’; a.k.a. ‘the bob’. Just not sure I want to join those ranks. Maybe something midway between that and what I’ve got now, which is just long and out of control.
-have now nursed Urijah in the backseat of my car in a parking lot (surprisingly quiet and nice…wouldn’t mind having to do that again) and in the fitting room of Macy’s lingerie department. Also not bad, but it killed my back sitting on that hard little seat the whole time. When he was really small, I was complaining to Lisa that I absolutely could not nurse him without the Boppy pillow that I use at home (seriously the best thing EVER. Thanks to Lisa for sending me hers when she was done with it. We use it for every single feeding when we are at home!) – he was just too floppy and his head was too hard to control, etc. I couldn’t make the logistics work of holding his head and his body and also positioning my boob for his mouth. I needed more hands. She said it would get easier as he got stronger and she was right! All of a sudden, I can support his head in the crook of my arm and his little bottom and legs rests against my stomach/lap area and it all works out fine. Whew. That certainly makes being out and about easier. (It also helps that he has gotten more aggressive about latching on and does so without nearly as much intervention from me.)
-am dreading starting to work again. Still no official ‘start date’ but probably soon after the New Year. I’m not sure how it will work out, but we’ll give it a go.
-am about to celebrate my 1 year wedding anniversary with Scott on the 20th. Grandma and Pop-Pop ( these are the unofficial grandparent names for Scott’s folks that I am using – there has been no official agreement as to what their names will be yet.) are graciously coming to town so that Scott and I can go out for the evening. It will be our first outing alone together since my mom was here back in week 2. We are in week 9. It’s time.
-love this kid more and more every day:
Bigger and better
02 Nov 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: breastfeeding, Family Fun, Me, Urijah
We have weight gain! As of Urijah’s 2 week check-up he was back to his birth weight. I felt like we had been cramming for a test for days leading up to that appointment – as soon as the scale registered those numbers, I burst into tears. It was such a relief to know that all of our effort was paying off. Heather, the midwife, gave me a good long hug, and let me cry for a minute, and told me I was doing a great job, and I was doing everything right. It was just what I needed to hear! I had had so many days of worry and stress, and disappointment in my body that it wasn’t fulfilling its obligation to this little boy, that to get the news that between my body, Lisa’s body and the Enfamil corporation, we were making it happen. Go team!
Urijah commemorated the moment by promptly peeing all over the sling they use for weighing. An appropriate indication that he is getting enough food, I suppose.
The lactation consultant brought her fancy scale back over on Sunday and we did a couple of pre and post feeding weighs over the next 2 days, and we’re up to getting around an ounce or ounce and a half from a nursing session, which is a HUGE improvement. Still not enough to sustain him, but it’s progress! The last weight I took of him today was right around 6.5 lbs, so he’s starting to chunk up. His cheeks are definitely starting to look fuller, even if his legs are still scrawny.
Look! I'm starting to get wrist rolls!
In other news, there’s been a bunch of grandma love going on around here. My mom came to town and stayed for 5 days, and the day after she left Scott’s parents came to town to help me out, since sadly, Scott had to go back to work. My mom was Urijah’s first ever babysitter! We took advantage of her capable hands and we went to dinner with some friends while she and the babe stayed home and bonded. I actually put on makeup and wore my hair down for the first time in weeks – it felt great! And, if I may pat myself on the back for something that I had absolutely no control over? I was able to wear pre-pregnancy jeans. There was sort of a muffin-top situation, but whatever. They zipped! The were pretty comfortable! They looked great while I was standing up! All in all, it was a success.
My mom also gave Urijah his first bath while she was here. We thought it would be nice to actually bathe the poor kid before we took him to his 2 week check up. Honestly, he just wasn’t really dirty! It was just a water wipe down, but he handled it pretty well. He did pee during it, which we fully expected, but right as he started, he sort of rolled to the side and crossed his leg over in a very gentlemanly fashion, so she was saved from the spray.
Mom cooked up a storm while she was here, and Scott and I ate it up. It was such a nice treat to have someone make food for us that we haven’t eaten, like, 20 times before. We have been in a food rut, so Mom showing up with new recipes in hand was just what we needed. She made tons, so we’ve got a stuffed fridge to keep working through. Such a luxury to have prepared food that just needs to be heated up!
Scott’s mom took up the torch and she’s been cooking as well. As I type, she’s working in the kitchen and it smells great! It really is so nice to have an extra pair of hands (or two!) around the house to hand the baby off to, or to pour up a bottle or to make dinner. I was even able to make a solo run to Target yesterday while Karen stayed home with Urijah. Between Ali, Mom and Jim and Karen, we are so, so lucky to have had such amazing and supportive people around us to help out. Everyone is just smitten with Urijah, and we couldn’t be more pleased to see how happy he makes them.
Next week will be my first real week ‘on my own’ while Scott is at work, and while I’m a bit nervous, I’m also excited to see how we do. Hopefully we can settle into some sort of normalcy (notice I didn’t say routine – I’m not that naive) and both get through the days fed and somewhat rested. If I can manage to accomplish both of those tasks for us, it will be a roaring success!
But can everyone please keep your cell phones handy in case of a meltdown?
Thanks.
Milk…it does a body good.
23 Oct 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: breastfeeding, Domestic Bliss, Me, Urijah
So…Urijah is now 10 days old and we are still working to get more and more milk into that little body. We’re on a pretty regimented schedule of feeding and pumping, and supplementing…it’s draining and time consuming, but I’m hoping it will do the trick and put some weight on his frame and give my body the clues it needs to START MAKING MORE MILK.
We will forever be indebted to my sister Lisa who has been pumping her own breast milk and FedExing it to us, so that we can supplement with it, rather than formula. As of right now, I’m feeding Urijah for about 15 minutes on each breast, and then Scott gives him a bottle of about 30 ml of Lisa’s milk and my pumped milk combined. I am pumping about an hour and a half after each feeding session, and am getting about 15 mls total each time – not a whole lot, but better than before. We’re trying to wake him up to eat every 3 hours. He’s a lazy nurser, though, and likes to just settle in and fall asleep. Maybe I should take that as a complement that he finds me soothing?
Aside from the feeding challenges, he’s just amazing. I am constantly staring at his face and thinking that I can’t believe he came out so perfect. I can’t stop myself from kissing his cheeks every single time I pick him up, and peppering his scrawny legs and belly with kisses every time I change his diaper. His has very light downy hair on his back and shoulders, and along his jawline, his feet and hands are big for his body and his fingers and toes are long! He looks just like Scott and even has his toenails. I love when he has those little gas smiles…I know he’s not actually smiling, yet, but it makes me so happy to see, regardless.
Speaking of Scott – he has been so amazing through all of these first days. He has handled so many of the phone calls and scheduling, and meals, and laundry and making sure I have water and that I am following all the activity restrictions the midwives gave me. He has been so encouraging during my doubtful moments and the crying jags (mine, not the baby’s) and held and soothed Urijah during both of the blood draws he’s had to endure so far. (One for the newborn heel prick and one to check his bilirubin levels. Bilirubin came back ok.) He’s given every bottle and changes his share of diapers. I couldn’t feel more loved or taken care of. Especially since my brain has not been functioning very well…I am depending on him to think for both of us until I can return to my normal cognizant state.
So, we’re taking it one day at a time. We’re hanging in there. We’re loving this baby a little more each day. Even when poop gets on our hands.
