Marin is now 6 weeks old. She's gorgeous, healthy & strong. No cradle cap yet, no baby acne yet and she's gaining weight like a champ. She's holding her head for long periods of time when being held, and has been doing this since we brought her home. She can also lift herself up with her legs, when supported under the arms. She's also making more baby noises as of late, which I love to hear.
I decreased my intake of dairy products and other typical gas-inducers and found that she is a much happier baby at night. This means not too many beans, onions or spicy foods. She is still getting a four-hour sleep period at the beginning of each evening. When I get to bed on time - this definitely helps, but I'm still feeling very sleep-deprived. She's been spitting up less since I decreased my dairy intake as well.
I've also been avoiding peanuts & tree nuts - due to a spike in allergies in kids I know. There has been no proven correlation, but I just want to do what I can to help prevent a peanut allergy. I will include a link to an interesting article on the subject if I can find it again.
I had my post-op appointment this week, and have been given the all-clear to go ahead with "recreational" activity. I am still feeling some pinching, and pain when I urinate, but this has been a smoother recovery than I had with my episiotomy. I am still leaking some, but I'm down to liners. Can't wait until that is over!
Managing two little ones at these ages has been VERY difficult for me so far. More on this later.
I'm still waiting on a smile!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Holy Sleep Deprivation Batman!
Yeah...I'm tired.
Yesterday I had a meltdown as I arrived at the Just Between Friend's Consignment Sale in Norman. We had driven about an hour and both kids were relatively easy-going for the trip. It had taken another hour for me to wrangle my 2 year old into the car, and of course my 5 week old eats every 2 hours. So, we had to feed upon arrival.
I got out my amazingly useful nursing cover, pulled my little one out of her infant carrier, unbuckled my 2 year old from his car seat and instructed him not to push any buttons. He had a dvd player loaded with "Franklin" and "Thomas the Train" (some of his favorites - now all we need is "Little Bear"). Unfortunately, he decided not to watch a show, but to explore my car while I fed his little sister. Ugh - not my choice. The feeding went relatively quickly & smoothly, then a quick diaper change. As I was pulling off her diaper, I heard a small voice say "Uh-oh, I need to go potty".
Oh no! I asked, can you hold it for just one minute, while I put on baby sister's diaper? Yes was the response. Then I heard Oh no! I need to go potty! With a little more emphasis this time. I turned around and my little guy was standing on the middle bump in the back seat floor. I said, "Are you already going?" He said, "Um, yeah." I looked down, and the stream of liquid snaked longer and longer down his leg - over his socks and shoes - and onto my car floor. I screamed, "NO! How could you? The building is right there!!!! I can't believe you! The building is RIGHT THERE!!!" He cried. I win the horrible parent of the day award for yesterday for sure. I freaked out, thinking that after driving about an hour to get somewhere - and believe me getting out of the house at all was a feat of it's own - this had happened, and now I didn't have a change of clothes. Was I going to take my 2 year old inside in his undies in below freezing weather? Or turn around and drive home? I was so angry, and with my sleep deprivation I was a little less inhibited with my emotions than I should have been.
After cleaning everything up, I discovered that I thankfully had another pair of pants in my car, but we had to take off the socks and wear the wet shoes inside. I had to apologize to my guy, and pray that I didn't cause too much damage! ;( I felt horrible. I have been wound pretty tightly lately, and I know I am not being fair to my 2 year old. I am not managing the lack of sleep and 2 babies gracefully.
It ended up being a pretty fruitless trip, and chasing my guy up and down the aisles was NOT fun. I had a major emotional breakdown not too much after we got back into town. How do people do this? My guy is acting up a lot, and is bored out of his mind during the day while I am basically strapped to a chair feeding his little sister. The weather has been dreadfully cold, so we aren't getting out much at all, and our yard is not safe enough to let him loose to explore on his own. We are watching a lot of cartoons, and reading some books, but I have nowhere near the time or ENERGY to give to him like he deserves.
I need to find a MDO program for him soon - to allow him to get out of the house and give us both a break. I am feeling like such a bad parent. Thankfully, my little guy forgives me, and by the evening I was feeling a lot better about yesterday.
I think I just need some sleep & a BIG dose of patience. Mother's of more than one...how do you do it? How do you get anything done? How do you get out of the house in tact? How do you discipline?
I feel like my guy is being a lot more defiant than ever before. He actually tells me no when I send him to time-out and tells me he doesn't want to. He also yells at me, or speaks gruffly. This behavior is not something I'm used to from him.
I love my kiddos so much and want to be an excellent mom - full of love, patience and support. I don't want to react with anger or frustration. Please tell me it gets easier. How do you manage when they both rely on you so much? How do you carve out time for yourself?
What does your schedule look like?
Thanks!!! (Prayers appreciated!)
Yesterday I had a meltdown as I arrived at the Just Between Friend's Consignment Sale in Norman. We had driven about an hour and both kids were relatively easy-going for the trip. It had taken another hour for me to wrangle my 2 year old into the car, and of course my 5 week old eats every 2 hours. So, we had to feed upon arrival.
I got out my amazingly useful nursing cover, pulled my little one out of her infant carrier, unbuckled my 2 year old from his car seat and instructed him not to push any buttons. He had a dvd player loaded with "Franklin" and "Thomas the Train" (some of his favorites - now all we need is "Little Bear"). Unfortunately, he decided not to watch a show, but to explore my car while I fed his little sister. Ugh - not my choice. The feeding went relatively quickly & smoothly, then a quick diaper change. As I was pulling off her diaper, I heard a small voice say "Uh-oh, I need to go potty".
Oh no! I asked, can you hold it for just one minute, while I put on baby sister's diaper? Yes was the response. Then I heard Oh no! I need to go potty! With a little more emphasis this time. I turned around and my little guy was standing on the middle bump in the back seat floor. I said, "Are you already going?" He said, "Um, yeah." I looked down, and the stream of liquid snaked longer and longer down his leg - over his socks and shoes - and onto my car floor. I screamed, "NO! How could you? The building is right there!!!! I can't believe you! The building is RIGHT THERE!!!" He cried. I win the horrible parent of the day award for yesterday for sure. I freaked out, thinking that after driving about an hour to get somewhere - and believe me getting out of the house at all was a feat of it's own - this had happened, and now I didn't have a change of clothes. Was I going to take my 2 year old inside in his undies in below freezing weather? Or turn around and drive home? I was so angry, and with my sleep deprivation I was a little less inhibited with my emotions than I should have been.
After cleaning everything up, I discovered that I thankfully had another pair of pants in my car, but we had to take off the socks and wear the wet shoes inside. I had to apologize to my guy, and pray that I didn't cause too much damage! ;( I felt horrible. I have been wound pretty tightly lately, and I know I am not being fair to my 2 year old. I am not managing the lack of sleep and 2 babies gracefully.
It ended up being a pretty fruitless trip, and chasing my guy up and down the aisles was NOT fun. I had a major emotional breakdown not too much after we got back into town. How do people do this? My guy is acting up a lot, and is bored out of his mind during the day while I am basically strapped to a chair feeding his little sister. The weather has been dreadfully cold, so we aren't getting out much at all, and our yard is not safe enough to let him loose to explore on his own. We are watching a lot of cartoons, and reading some books, but I have nowhere near the time or ENERGY to give to him like he deserves.
I need to find a MDO program for him soon - to allow him to get out of the house and give us both a break. I am feeling like such a bad parent. Thankfully, my little guy forgives me, and by the evening I was feeling a lot better about yesterday.
I think I just need some sleep & a BIG dose of patience. Mother's of more than one...how do you do it? How do you get anything done? How do you get out of the house in tact? How do you discipline?
I feel like my guy is being a lot more defiant than ever before. He actually tells me no when I send him to time-out and tells me he doesn't want to. He also yells at me, or speaks gruffly. This behavior is not something I'm used to from him.
I love my kiddos so much and want to be an excellent mom - full of love, patience and support. I don't want to react with anger or frustration. Please tell me it gets easier. How do you manage when they both rely on you so much? How do you carve out time for yourself?
What does your schedule look like?
Thanks!!! (Prayers appreciated!)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Play group
We joined a play group yesterday with Heather from "Mommy...I will call you Noodle" We had such a good time. After being cooped up inside for so long, time with friends was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Jonas really enjoyed time with new friends. It had been way too long since we spent time with the Hughes' household. It's multiplied since we last spent time together.
Heather scored some amazing pictures of the kids playing. They were making the craziest noises, so she rushed in to see what was wrong...and found this:
Thank you Heather for capturing this moment. We (obviously) had a great time! Can't wait until next time!
Jonas really enjoyed time with new friends. It had been way too long since we spent time with the Hughes' household. It's multiplied since we last spent time together.
Heather scored some amazing pictures of the kids playing. They were making the craziest noises, so she rushed in to see what was wrong...and found this:
How hilariously adorable are they? Here's another!
It's been a while!
On a different note. Yesterday we joined a playgroup with my friend Heather at http://moviequoter.blogspot.com/.
Jonas had a great time playing with her son & Marin & I had a great time hanging out with the girls!
We also got a new lens for our camera yesterday, and in the evening I played around with it for a while on our only willing participant, Marin. Jonas refused to participate, and I spared him this time - but there will be pictures of him to come soon! He's growing up too fast, and I don't want to miss it! The pic of Marin at the top of the post was taken with our new lens, and completely un-edited. Woo-hoo - so far so good!
I dropped my SLP courses for this semester, but plan to resume full-speed-ahead in the Fall. I couldn't work out child care for both little ones in time, and the deadline to drop without penalty arrived - so the decision was made. I'm happy with it for now, but ask me again next Spring! ;)
In the meantime, I have enrolled in a digital photography photoshop course online, which begins today! I'm excited to begin unleashing the potential in my photos & learning some enhancement tricks.
Can't wait to share them with you.
I also want to participate in the party I found online at http://cuegly.blogspot.com/2010/02/get-your-face-on.html.
It's called "Get Your Face On" and she got joined up with Beth from the Story from A to Z http://bethcrabtreehunter.blogspot.com/
There is a button your are supposed to post, but I'm not entirely sure how to do it. I am going to do my before and after in another post - very soon.
For now...it's shower time...and those times are to be cherished these days. Gotta run before one of my sleepers awakes!
4 weeks (1 month old)
When Jonas was born, so much attention was on him, and we were uber-concerned about everything. I remember waking up at night to any noise he made. (Of course my monitor was cranked up to maximum. I could have heard a pin drop). Marin is a considerably more quiet sleeper, which I'm thankful for, and I feel more in tune with her rhythm. Granted, she is not colicky & does allow me to get some sleep occasionally. ;)
Actually, the end of week three, into week four, she has been getting a stretch of sleep between 4.5 hours from about 11am-3:30am. This is glorious, as it means I can also enjoy this period of rest. She then goes back to sleep around 4:15/4:30am and wakes again around 6:30am. Sometimes this routine deviates by an hour or so, but that doesn't change how amazing it is! The key is that I get in bed when she goes down to sleep. Otherwise, I miss out on the fantastic slumber opportunity. Unfortunately, I am such a night owl - and it's difficult to go to sleep when she starts the routine at 10:00pm. I have the hardest time waking up in the morning though, and with Jonas up at 7:30am every morning - the day must go on (even if I'd like for it to wait a while first!).
We went to Tulsa this weekend, leaving Clint at home to give him some time to catch up on the 4 papers and take home test he had to turn in this week, and visited my Nana, my Dad, Grandmary & Aunt Charla. We were also able to celebrate Dad's birthday with him, which was a nice treat. Jonas, Marin & I shared a room, and Sarah came down a little behind us & occupied the other room - to make a very full house. We were able to visit with Becky & her family as well, and finally meet her littlest one, Adeline. She was born 3 days after Marin, so we're both looking forward to keeping up with them & comparing notes! So far Adeline is leaner than Marin - but they are about the same length. Marin is gaining weight and is WAY ahead of Adeline so far. ;) Adeline has brown hair, but it's lighter than Marin's. They both have blue eyes for now, and of course they are both gorgeous.
Sharing a room with both of my little ones was not easy. Convincing Jonas that he needed to go to sleep was a battle every night & his normal bedtime of 8pm slipped further and further each night to around 11pm - when the battle final subsided. Ugh. He was so defiant - and really pushed me - talking back while I was feeding Marin and could do nothing about it. A few times I felt very defeated by the situation, but I know it's a stage. (Hope!) I am trying to come up with ways to discipline him while I am feeding Marin - so that the consequences are not delayed, and don't lose effect. I'm thinking of a traveling sticker reward chart (maybe on a notepad). We'll see. He was so sweet the majority of the time, but when he knew I could do nothing about it - he definitely took advantage of the situation.
Speaking of feeding, Marin is getting SO BIG. Last week she fit perfectly into her NB outfits, with a little room to spare. She was swimming so much in the 0-3month outfits, that I set them aside for later use. I honestly thought it would be MUCH later. Then, yesterday, while doing laundry, I put her into one of her 0-3month outfits & holy moly! it fit!!??!! I'm still kind of in shock. There is a little room in the arms/feet,but for the most part - she is filling it out. Today I put her in her in one of her few NB outfits & her legs are too long for it. I still managed to sqeeze her into it for a few pictures, but it will be one of the last times she wears it. Crazy that the NB clothing only lasted us 4 weeks. Wow! It was necessary, but how quickly things change!Her gassy period is dying down, although last night was rough. I've been avoiding milk & milk products. I will eat dairy, but I'm trying to manage it more. Yesterday I ate 2 granola bars over the course of the day & I think the oats may have caused the gas for her. I can't think of what else may have caused it, but she was in a lot of pain. I'll try to avoid those for a while, and stick with my Luna bars to see if that changes anything.
I am producing a lot of milk. Now that Marin is skipping one feeding during the evening to sleep for 4.5 hours, I feed her, then pump (usually I'm still engorged). After feeding her and pumping, I usually have 10-12oz to freeze. I do this, then return to bed for about an hour or two before her next feeding, and I have plenty for her when she is ready to eat again.
Things that are really helping my nursing experience this time around so far are: Lily Padz silicone shields and my nursing cover. I can take it with me anywhere and nurse in public - totally concealed. One of the best purchases ever. Of course, my Boppy is ALWAYS on the list of must-haves, and my Medela Pump-in-style pump. I also really love using the Lansinoh freezer bags for my pumped milk. They are convenient and take up less room than any other milk storage system. Love it! Breast feeding is NOT easy, but it IS worth it, at least it is for us!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Week 2 -3
I forgot to mention that by day 2 we had already placed baby sister in her crib, but she was sleeping in the Fischer Price Baby Papasan inside of her crib. We also toted it around the house during the day, to have her near us. She preferred to be in the same room we were in.
We were not allowed to clip her nails yet, as newborn skin is too fragile, but I finally gave them their first real clip on 1/28. That same day we got a large winter storm, so her 2 week appointment was pushed back from 1/29 to 2/1. She has been increasingly fussy in the evenings. From about 8pm-1am she goes through a very fussy spell. She has been projectile vomiting and her stomach gets distended, hard as a rock, and she has VERY painful gas and bloating. During this time she screams in pain, and there is very little we can do to console her. It is frustrating to see your baby in pain. She also has been cluster feeding, I'm assuming to move the gas through her system. The only problem is that she almost doesn't stop eating, and I think this results in even more discomfort for her. The common wisdom is that you can not overfeed a breastfed baby, so we're going with that mentality, and hoping that's true. Jonas was a pretty hefty baby, and I have a feeling that Marin is heading in the same direction.
The doctor was very pleased with Marin at her 2 week check-up. At her first appointment, the Monday after leaving the hospital, Marin had not lost any weight. She was an even 7lbs, which was the same as her discharge weight. Her doctor was very pleased. Despite the problems we were having latching on, she seemed to be doing well with weight gain/maintenance. At her 2-week appointment she was in the 75-90% in all categories. Her weight was 8lb.10oz. (She's gained 1lb 10oz. in 2 weeks!), Her height was 20.5in (1 inch growth), and her head circumference was 37cm.
We introduced a pacifier yesterday 2/2/10. She had just eaten and was very fussy, and rooting because of discomfort. The pacifier soothed her and she drifted off to sleep. I think this will help us when we're in the car, or some place where feeding is not possible, to stave her off until we are able to get to a better location to feed her. Fortunately, now that I have nursing covers - I can feed nearly anywhere! I have one from Johanna Designs that I keep in my diaper bag, and one that I keep at home by Peanut Shell that Marlene got me. Both are beautiful and have already proven to be extrememly useful.
Yesterday she slept better than previous nights, and I'm wondering if it had something to do with the pacifier? She was less gassy, and after midnight only woke for 2 feedings. One at 2:40 (bed for me at 4:00am), then again at 6:00am, bed for me at 7:50am.
We were not allowed to clip her nails yet, as newborn skin is too fragile, but I finally gave them their first real clip on 1/28. That same day we got a large winter storm, so her 2 week appointment was pushed back from 1/29 to 2/1. She has been increasingly fussy in the evenings. From about 8pm-1am she goes through a very fussy spell. She has been projectile vomiting and her stomach gets distended, hard as a rock, and she has VERY painful gas and bloating. During this time she screams in pain, and there is very little we can do to console her. It is frustrating to see your baby in pain. She also has been cluster feeding, I'm assuming to move the gas through her system. The only problem is that she almost doesn't stop eating, and I think this results in even more discomfort for her. The common wisdom is that you can not overfeed a breastfed baby, so we're going with that mentality, and hoping that's true. Jonas was a pretty hefty baby, and I have a feeling that Marin is heading in the same direction.
The doctor was very pleased with Marin at her 2 week check-up. At her first appointment, the Monday after leaving the hospital, Marin had not lost any weight. She was an even 7lbs, which was the same as her discharge weight. Her doctor was very pleased. Despite the problems we were having latching on, she seemed to be doing well with weight gain/maintenance. At her 2-week appointment she was in the 75-90% in all categories. Her weight was 8lb.10oz. (She's gained 1lb 10oz. in 2 weeks!), Her height was 20.5in (1 inch growth), and her head circumference was 37cm.
We introduced a pacifier yesterday 2/2/10. She had just eaten and was very fussy, and rooting because of discomfort. The pacifier soothed her and she drifted off to sleep. I think this will help us when we're in the car, or some place where feeding is not possible, to stave her off until we are able to get to a better location to feed her. Fortunately, now that I have nursing covers - I can feed nearly anywhere! I have one from Johanna Designs that I keep in my diaper bag, and one that I keep at home by Peanut Shell that Marlene got me. Both are beautiful and have already proven to be extrememly useful.
Yesterday she slept better than previous nights, and I'm wondering if it had something to do with the pacifier? She was less gassy, and after midnight only woke for 2 feedings. One at 2:40 (bed for me at 4:00am), then again at 6:00am, bed for me at 7:50am.
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