Guess what I can do?

I can reach out with a hand and grab ahold of something, like a shirt sleeve, and make it impossible for mom to turn me around to feed me. Oh yeah, and pull on a towel that's laying above my head. It's not like I'm doing it on purpose yet, but I found out that there are things to grab on to, cool!

Poll results

Well apparently those of you that voted like KJ's name and also know that she weighs more than the turkey. But I have a sneaking suspicion that that was my husband and he knows we only had a turkey breast for lunch and it was six pounds, WAY less than our growing girl.

Generous...

Besides a shower gift and a welcome to the world gift, my friend S sent a 15 lb box of her baby girl's clothes for KJ to borrow. Umm, yeah, she wouldnt even go through each outfit once, I don't know how her baby did, and she didnt even send ALL the clothes she had.

When I get a chance, I will have to photograph them all to be sure I can get them all back to her. I may separate them in a plastic bag or something to be sure I have them all accounted for. Seriously, 15 lbs. of clothes.

One Month Check-up

KJ -- 11/24/2008-One month check-up
Weight: 9 lbs 7 1/2 oz
Height: 22 inches
Head circumference: 14 3/4 inches
Temperature: 97.4 F

She's got a cool temperature just like mom and dad. She's trying to grow out of 0-3 month socks and she's making really good eye contact the last couple of days. Breastfeeding is improving, although we're still trying to get the hang of 'eating' and not 'eating, napping, eating, napping' so that a feeding takes 2 hours. But we're working on it. Occasionally we sleep 5 hours at night. We also are lulling ourself to sleep so mommy can get some stuff done during the day. Yeah!

New and improved...

real tears came out when my baby girl cried this morning... awww....

but someone HAD to suck the boogies out, I mean she could barely breathe. She didn't thank me for it though. Well, maybe she did, twice now she's kind of lulled herself to sleep once I put her in the crib, just rested there with eyes open and no pacifier and eventually fell asleep. Thank heaven for little girls...

Best or worst

Do you ever feel like your best at the time isn't good enough, like it will never be good enough, like you're never going to get everything done, or at least get close to caught up?

Tracking...

Newsflash:

When we concentrate really really hard we can follow a face or something like a bright blue tube of chapstick with our eyes. Then they go unfocused again. But hey, we are reaching milestones.

Stay tuned for doctor's appointment news this week. We think there's a good chance we've gained at least 2 pounds.

I did it...

A sparse sampling of cloth diapers in teeny tiny sizes is ordered. We'll see if we can make it or not. So far, a lot of other things I have failed at:

Giving birth without drugs
Giving birth naturally
Using no pacifier
Patience
Breastfeeding (still kind of iffy at this point)...

So I'm really not holding out hope. But my husband is all behind it. We'll see how long that lasts.

Thank you for being a friend....

My friend KT needs some help, she got me into blogging, and she's entered a photo contest. I have to admit, among all the frosting and photoshopping, hers is a good, clean photo.

http://www.5minutesformom.com/4857/prego-photo-contest-finalists/

Please consider voting for #8!!!!!!

Christmas time with baby...

Any ideas for what to ask for as the baby's gift? I'm sure the grandparents would like to spoil, but she already has plenty of clothes at this point in time, a tub full of 'toys' she can't play with yet, and enough soap, lotion, etc. etc. to last until she's about 5. Okay, maybe not. But still.

Savings bonds?

We were thinking of doing savings bonds for her and maybe getting her an ornament. At this point in time, we have no idea what we're doing for anyone else, so really, she's the last of our 'worries' as she doesn't respond to anything except food, diaper changes and the occasional snuggle or song if she's in the mood.

Oh and I wouldn't be asking if we hadn't been asked what 'she' wanted or what we wanted for her. This is not a 'gimme' sort of thing.

All things bowel related...

We have pooped through 2 outfits, peed through one, and also peed all over mommy's lap in the last 24 hours. Good grief. What did we get ourselves into? Eh, at least it all comes out in the wash, literally.

What do you think?

My friend Stacy (2 kids who breastfed with no problems) suggested that with every hell that we're going through that I don't need the guilt of breastfeeding or not breastfeeding and basically I need to give myself a huge friggin break.

Bulletin: I tried it yesterday morning and she ate from both sides, sure it took half an hour, but she was satisfied and went to sleep with no problems. Didn't take any longer than the bottle and we were both happy. Ecstatic, really.

2nd Bulletin: I tried it the rest of the day and night and also this morning, each time she ate, and nothing. She won't latch on, she just screams and pushes away like she's being murdered. Yes, I strip her to her diaper, I do everything the LLL people suggest, as well as suggestions from my mom, Matt's mom and my other friends who have breastfed and nothing seems to make her happy.

When we were in the hospital, she had done reasonably well before my milk came in. But she had jaundice and everyone said she should stay on her bilirubin bed the whole time and not even be held or cuddled, just be fed through the SNS feeder which is the little tube you can put on your finger and get expressed milk to run through it and when they suck your finger, they get milk, etc. So we did that, and skipped the breastfeeding, thinking we'd pick it right back up the next day (assuming she'd get better right away), well then she didn't and time ticked by and she didn't get better and she didn't get better, and finally it was time to go home and they said, well we could send you home with a blanket if necessary, but we don't think it is right now, and we said 'blanket?' no one ever told us about a blanket, you mean we could have HELD her all this time? They didn't have an answer about that.

I feel cheated. I really do. Even if she had never gotten breastfeeding in the hospital, I lost all that time with ooey gooey feelings where I could have held and cuddled her and gotten a really good bond with her, and I don't really feel like I have it. All the laughter and joy I had in the hospital is gone, replaced by sadness and frustration. Sure, I love her, but now that we're home (and I'm alone with her), there is no cushion of food delivered, beds made, fresh towels, etc. etc. that I could have taken advantage of holding her, and now I have to do all those things by myself and with struggling to feed her and being in pain 24 hours a day, quite frankly I can't wait for her to fall asleep because I really really need to get things done, and get some rest myself, and I can't do that if she's awake and screaming. Right now, she doesn't do anything but scream or sleep, really. Which is fine, she's a newborn, good GOD do NOT friggin write a message to me and offer me platitudes, I'm college educated, I GET IT. Doesn't mean I can't complain about it.

So here's when I ask what you think. My friend suggested I try to feed her every time starting with breastfeeding and if she won't do it to go ahead and give her the bottle (duh, she has to eat), and to do that for a week, and if I can't get her to do it, then to make a decision then (whether I continue to pump and feed her from a bottle, switch to formula or keep on trying the breastfeeding) as to what to do. What do you think?

And has anyone else gone through this? Your baby WOULDNT breastfeed or you got through it eventually and they did it, and how long did it take, or whatever.

Yikes, again...

The big poo mess is not quite so funny when it shoots across the room like a water hose.
Onto everything. Furniture, brand new carpet in a brand new apartment, you get the picture.
Especially when you dont have any carpet cleaner.

Moving with an infant

Advice on moving with a baby. Moving with an infant. Moving while pregnant. Moving during pregnancy. Been there, done that. Didn't even get a t-shirt, but since I looked for advice when I was about to undertake the adventure and couldn't find anything, I thought I would post some out there for those in cyberspace that might move soon and need the advice. So here goes: as with any move, you should have the boxes labeled as to which room they go in and what is in them. Example: Bathroom: Hygiene. Spare room: Craft items. Nursery: Clothing. Be sure to label anything you KNOW you'll need ASAP when you get there, for example, we always end up eating pizza when we move, don't ask, we just do, so we would label a box with pizza pans and a pizza cutter, because we know we'll end up with it soon after moving. We had most of the nursery stuff in plastic totes, which was really nice because we knew that it all stayed nice and tightly packed in there and nothing needed rewashed or anything unlike maybe with a cardboard box. Skip down to blue text if you already HAVE the baby.

Note: If you plan to move while you are pregnant: WARNING! Pack your hospital bag and keep it with you at all times. Also, go ahead and install the carseat, even if you're not due for a month or so. You may very well need it (I did)--make sure you have at least one newborn or 0 mos. outfit washed and in the bag for going home in and hospital pictures.

We had none of this done and when my water broke, we weren't prepared at all, the carseat was still packed up (at least we knew where it was), I did not have more than one set of clean clothes (we were planning on doing laundry the next day, and had nothing to pack for me to wear), and no pre-washed baby clothes. Most likely, your husband will have no idea which clothes still fit you and which don't (mine packed clothes twice and we still had to go buy some in order for me to get through the last 2 days of hospital stay where I had to be up and walking around after the c-section). Although, please take note: All is not lost: We had family buy and wash some baby clothes, which we used for pictures and taking baby home in. My husband ran out and bought some plain men's tshirts and some yoga/stretch type pants in a larger size and a new package of underwear and a nursing bra straight off the shelf and it all worked out just fine.

Although I must admit, running around with amniotic fluid gushing out and trying to stuff a towel in your pants, put plastic bags and towels on the vehicle seat, and etc. was quite hysterical. I wasn't in labor, yet, though, so I still had a sense of humor. Also charge your camera every couple of days and leave it plugged in and 'with' the hospital bag. The hospital took pictures for us. I'm really glad they did. Our camera and cord were in separate places and was not charged.

Okay, as far as moving goes... Have one box or container that you keep with you or know where it is at all times. Contents: Napkins or paper towels, cups, plastic plates and cutlery, toilet paper, hand soap, a dish towel and hand towel for bathroom washings and kitchen spills. Also very important: Trash bags! Pack this stuff all into your (clean) trash can or laundry basket for an easy carry into your new place. Load your vehicle with bottled water or sodas, and if you have the baby of course enough diapers/wipes/ formula/pre-expressed breastmilk, etc. to get you through the move and a day or two beyond.

Don't forget your pump if you're expressing and a bottle brush and other items necessary for feeding baby at whatever stage you're at-utensils for cereal, etc. If it's just a short move and you'll have time to hit a grocery store, don't worry about food, but if not, keep a cooler out and grab some microwave meals, chips, cookies, cheese and crackers, bagels, yogurt, and other finger foods to get you through a couple of days while you unpack. Bottled juices that don't have to be refrigerated, water, etc. should be stuck in the floorboard of your vehicle.

Go ahead and find out the pizza delivery place nearest to you and pre-program the number into your phone before you move. Chinese, Italian, or whatever else you like instead, we just like pizza. This is where your 'box' comes in, you'll already have enough stuff to get you through the night and ready for the next morning. Tuck some juice and water in the fridge before you go to bed and either plan to run to starbucks, or find your coffeemaker/keep it with you and set it up for the next morning. This is where cash comes in handy, as well. Keep $50 of mad money tucked into your wallet for emergency diaper runs, lunch on the go, etc.

Impractical advice for some, but if you can, have movers pack and move you. Sometimes they can even hold your stuff for a day or two so you can get your new place cleaned to your satisfaction before everything gets in. We have moved twice, once while pregnant with the movers doing everything and once with a newborn and we did everything. Luckily most everything was still in the boxes that the movers packed for us. What wasn't: we put back in. If you plan on moving close together, keep your boxes, bind them together and stick them in a garage or spare closet so you'll have an easier time of moving the next time around.

Feel free to e-mail me with questions or add comments on anything I may have forgotten.

Adventures in Pooland...

No, this has nothing to do with Winnie The... It has to do with taking off a dirty diaper and going to use a wipe and hearing baby girl's belly make 'that noise' --caught the whole thing with the wipe, didn't get any of me or her. All we could do was laugh.

Womb sounds bear...

We LOVE the womb sounds bear, it even helps us sleep. I hate the fact that it 'goes off' though after a while. It's nice that it saves the battery, but sometimes we run to turn it back on so she'll stay asleep or fall asleep. Speaking of which, time to rest for a few minutes while she sleeps.

Squeak, Squeak...

She squeaks just like a little mouse. When she's sleeping and trying to wake up. It's very cute, of course. She makes mom and dad giggle.

Am I screwing her up...

by singing 'seven spanish angels' (Ray Charles/Willie Nelson), to her while I'm trying to get her to sleep? It's the only song I can remember the words to.

http://www.cmt.com/lyrics/willie-nelson/seven-spanish-angels/6136014/lyrics.jhtml

Now I know why...

Kids laugh when people fart. Because quite frankly, it's impossible not to laugh while your baby farts like a fat cow and grins really big about it.

Not as easy as it seems..

Breastfeeding, that is. For sure, I thought with all the milk I had (colostrum, whatever) ahead of time, that it would be a piece of cake. I didnt count on a baby who refused to latch on for more than 2 sucks at a time. Or that would eat 4 or 5 ounces at a time, when really, they're only supposed to have an ounce or two (according to the lactation consultants), and also, she sleeps for 4 or 5 hours when they're supposed to be up eating every two.

My mom came and helped re-pack our kitchen. God bless her, she deserves a medal of honor. She helped me for almost 2 hours, and yes, we finally got a couple of sucks, but not enough to feed the poor baby's belly. She took another or say 3 ounces out of a bottle afterwards. I finally had to pump to get that, as it had been about 7 hours since I had pumped and after almost 2 hours of the baby playing around, let's just say they hurt like crazy.

I am in the position where I feel like breastfeeding would be best for all of us. Dad doesnt have to do more than make sure mom hears the baby or maybe goes and gets the baby, mom just pulls out the prize and offers it up, baby eats for 20 minutes and goes to sleep. Not the pump while daddy feeds the previous bottle of pumped stuff and counting hours to make sure it's still good, or having to warm it up if it had been in the fridge, taking an hour and a half because she continually falls asleep, etc. etc. The nurses pegged her as a 'lazy eater'-- you got that right.

And after being kept awake for almost 4 hours, which she normally eats and goes back to sleep, she wouldnt sleep in her crib and I needed to make phone calls, so I put the little munchkin in her carseat in just her diaper on the floor, and you know what, she's asleep. Little stinker. But I had to make those doctor's appointments before I completely forgot. My health care is important, right?

Lord have mercy, has anyone else gone through this? Because I know my mom probably thought I had 'given up' after 2 hours, but I was sore, swollen and both Keeley and I are soaked in milk from head to foot, plus a pillow or two. So has anyone else had a lazy eater, and did they ever 'grow' out of it? Because I'd like breastfeeding to work, but I don't have 2 hours every 4 hour period to try and get her to end and then end up pumping and bottle feeding her anyway. Does that mean I'm giving up, or just should I try it when I am able to and hope she gets it soon?

We made it....

Through one day! And so far, we made it through one feeding by ourselves! Yeah!
Yikes. One thing at a time, I guess. One thing at a time.

What we're doing now...

http://lil-mousehouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/yikes.html

More stuff...

over at my regular blog...including baby updates...

http://lil-mousehouse.blogspot.com/

Aww...

Just a little aww factor to keep you off my back... Dad and baby taking naps in the hospital...