Last Saturday we took Daniel to the Addison Oktoberfest. While I was looking forward to going and enjoying some good food and beer, I was nervous about how Daniel would handle it. First, it was going to keep him out long enough that he'd need a nap and if he didn't get it he was sure to get cranky and off schedule for the whole day. Second, it was going to be hot and crowded, not an ideal condition for a baby. Third, Daniel's too little to ride in a real stroller so our only stroller option would be to put his carseat in the snap n' go carrier but he gets hot in his carseat so that didn't seem like a good option. So with a few reservations and our new Beco Butterfly II carrier, we set out for Oktoberfest. I figured we'd get to stay an hour, hour and a half tops.
I put Daniel in the Beco when we parked and we walked into the fairgrounds. So far, so good. We met Nicole and baby Alejandro there and on her smart advice we headed straight to the International pavilion to get into the air conditioning. I looked down to see that Daniel was sound asleep. Over the next few hours he stirred a bit but slept soundly. Whenever he would get a little restless I would just stand up and sway a little and he would settle back to sleep. Finally after about 2 hours or so he woke up and after eating in the carrier (add the International Pavilion to the list of places I've nursed now) and then hanging out a bit he had had his fill and we left. But we ended up getting stay for over 3 hours, much longer than I had expected. And he did fine the rest of the evening once we got home too.
It was our first extended use of the Beco and I have to say I'm quite impressed. Daniel was obviously quite comfortable in it and after wearing him all day I didn't have any soreness in my shoulders or back. And the hood helped protect his sensitive skin from the sun and gave him a darker space to nap in. We still love our ring sling but the Beco is a great addition to our babywearing line-up and should be more comfortable for Kevin to use too.
Today our little boy is 2 months old and he's doing really well. He had his 2 month check-up this morning and he's grown by leaps and bounds since his last check-up. At 2 weeks he was 7lb 8oz and 21 in. Today he measured in at 11lb 10oz and 23.5 in and 15.25 in head circumference. He gained over half his body weight in 7 weeks! He's around the 50% percentile on all his measurements and developing wonderfully. It's pretty satisfying to know that every ounce he's gained, before birth and after, is thanks to me. Little pat on the back for mommy!
Unfortunately he didn't get a great "birthday" present today. He got his first 2 shots. He was lying on the exam table smiling and cooing at the nurses then got a shot in each thigh, Hib in one and Pneomococcus in the other. He's been a little fussy since but he took a nice 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon and after a bath this evening and he's been asleep since 7. Our doctor suggested trying to get him down for the night around 7 or 8 so we're trying that out tonight. Normally he'll nap on and off during the evening but not really go down for a long stretch till about 11 or 12 but our doctor said in her experience, babies around this age either go down by 8 or not till around 12. So we'll see how it goes. Maybe he'll be sleeping 12 hours or so a night soon!
Following the good suggestion of our friends Charlotte and Alden we're taking a picture of Daniel every month on the 21st in his carseat so it's easy to see growth from one month to the next.
Here's his 1 month picture:
And here he is today at 2 months:
He is much bigger and more interactive than he was a month ago. What will he be doing at 3 months? Rolling over? Laughing? Can't wait to find out!
Since my 6-week postpartum checkup was last Friday I was thinking this was a good time to give a general "state of the union" update on how Daniel and I are coming along, him with his development and me with my recovery:
Daniel Recently we've really noticed how much Daniel has grown. 2 weeks ago we thought he had outgrown newborn size diapers so we went up to level 1, then decided we might have been a bit hasty so we got another round of newborn diapers. By the time we finished that pack though we knew he was ready for level 1. He's also wearing cloth diapers now too and while some of them seemed too big for him even 2 weeks ago they seem to fit better now. Going to give those another week or so to decide which brand we like best before ordering more, but soon we should be mostly in cloth.
Daniel has also graduated to 0-3 month size clothes. Last week we did a "farewell tour" of his newborn size outfits. To see how much he's grown, compare these two pictures of him in his going-home outfit:
This one was taken 4 days after he was born and the inseam, legs, and arms were all too long for him.
Last week the arms were the right length but the legs and inseam were looking short. He's also developing a little Buddha belly to fill it out. And as you can see, he's quite the active little guy!
In other exciting developments, he started smiling right around the 1-month mark. I have yet to capture it on camera but trust me, it's the sweetest, cutest thing you've ever seen. Add in the cooing noises he started making around the same time and it's a heartmelting combination. He is also starting to learn how to use his hands a little. He can grab a finger that's put on his palm and this morning he reached out and touched my face a few times. He doesn't have great control yet but I can tell he is beginning to make more voluntary movements instead of just reflexive flailing around.
Another happy development for us over the past 2 weeks has been a lengthening of his nighttime sleep. His 3am feeding has gradually shifted back to 4 and now 5 and sometimes later, and several nights he has slept for at least 6 hours at a time. We seem to be trending toward eliminating that middle of the night feeding, which will be great news for us. Our daytime sleep patterns are still evolving, but he will pretty consistently nap for around 90 minutes or so at a time in the morning and a few 1 hour naps in the afternoon and evening, though those are less regular.
In the past few weeks he's also begun to have some periods of quiet alertness when he's just looking around and taking it all in. He loves for me to talk to him then. I like to point out facial features on my face and then the same ones on his. I know he can't understand yet but never too early to start, right?
He has also gone from hating his bath to tolerating it to really enjoying it. Kevin fills the tub and gets in and holds Daniel, who smiles and coos. He seems to like having his body submerged in the water up to the shoulders and having water poured over him. His first baths we rushed to get through as quickly as possible but now we stretch it out for 15-20 minutes or until he starts to get fussy. He doesn't get dirty enough to need one more than a few times a week but since he likes them we'll try to give one almost every night. He also doesn't cry very often during diaper changes anymore like he used to. When he does cry now though, he tears up, which makes him look even sadder.
He's still a pretty easy baby and doesn't tend to be very fussy most of the time. That said, last week he was crankier than usual and this past Saturday night he gave my poor mother-in-law a hard time on her first babysitting gig. I had read that fussiness usually peaks around 6 weeks of age so I guess if that's as bad as it'll get, we have it pretty easy.
Me After putting my body through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, I'm happy to report that I'm pretty much recovered. I was a little nervous about how quickly the 37 pounds I put on would come back off but I'm now within about 7 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. I've still got a little bit of a belly and can't fit into my normal size pants and shorts yet, but jeans one size up fit a little loose, and the other night I fit into a normal size dress. My goal was to be back to my pre-baby weight by the time I return to work October 12 and it looks like I have a decent shot of achieving that. Funny, in pre-baby times I'd have felt really out of shape at this weight but right now I'm thrilled with it!
I also have the go-ahead to resume exercise and in the last week I've rollerbladed 10 miles, run 2 miles, and rode my bike almost 5 miles. I overdid it going my normal distance when I rollerbladed so I decided to start with shorter, slower outings on my first run and ride. I definitely feel out of shape but exercise was a big part of my pre-baby life which I really missed as I got farther along in my pregnancy so it's nice to be able to do it again even if I'm not at 100%.
Aside the unfortunate brush with mastitis breastfeeding has been going well. We've come a long way from those first nursing attempts in the hospital when the lactation consultant had to coach me and it felt like every detail had to be exactly right in order to get a latch. In those early days I felt like I needed a spotter to guide me and an extra hand or two and I couldn't have any distractions. Now I can nurse him while working on a laptop and watching tv, eating a sandwich, or lying down in the dark. He's still not fond of the nursing cover I use when other people are around so that's something we'll need to get more comfortable with.
It still feels a little strange to me that "the girls" are actually functional now rather than merely decorative. It's like they've taken on a life of their own, and sometimes that can make things rather inconvenient. But it's nice to watch Daniel grow and know that I'm directly responsible for all of that growth. And as a wonderful side bonus breastfeeding burns 600 calories a day. That's like an hour's worth of pretty intense cardio, just for sitting and watching tv!
Apparently August was National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. So in honor of that, I thought I'd share a few tales from our own adventures in breastfeeding.
All in all, it's going quite well for us. We took a week or so to really get in the groove but now it seems pretty easy for me and my little "boob man." I knew before he was born that I definitely wanted to breastfeed for as long as possible but I didn't realize how much Daniel and I would come to enjoy having that time together. He seems so content nuzzled up on the Boppy pillow and will usually drift off to sleep after a feeding. I like that it's a special job that only I can do for him and that it gives me the power to turn a crying baby into a peaceful one in seconds. Adding pumping to the mix gives me the best of both worlds, the bonding, health benefits, and cost-effectiveness of breastfeeding with the convenience of bottles so Kevin or someone else can feed him on occasion. Despite the inconveniences that come along with it I know I'll miss nursing once he weans off of breast milk.
While it has gone well most of the time, we've had a few interesting moments along the way:
A few weeks ago I took a nap one afternoon and woke up with one of the "girls" feeling very sore. Since it was the side he fed from second at the last feeding I assumed it was just sore from being overly full but the pain remained even though I nursed Daniel on that side first at our next feeding. Then I started to feel really tired so when Kevin got home that evening he watched Daniel so I could nap. When I woke up I came downstairs and felt feverish and cold and achy all over. I thought I must be getting the flu or something then connected the dots and remembered reading about mastitis, a bacterial infection in the breast. I looked it up again and read that symptoms include pain in the affected area as well as flu-like symptoms.
I made an appointment the next morning with my midwife and she was kind enough to squeeze me in between a few patients in labor. She seconded my armchair diagnosis, said my sweet little cherub had given me the infection through germs in his mouth, and prescribed some antibiotics to clear it up. As promised I felt better within 24 hours but despite the instruction to nurse Daniel on the affected side as often as possible I had to improvise by pumping that side instead because nursing hurt so much I actually screamed at one point. Fortunately all was better within a few days but it was an experience I'd be glad to never have again.
On a more humorous note, on my first girl's night out to see a movie with Nicole I stopped off at Destination Maternity to shop for some more nursing bras first. I grabbed a few bras to try on and went into a dressing room. After undressing I grabbed one of the new bras to try on thinking as I did so, "boy would this be an unfortunate time to start leaking!" No sooner did the thought cross my mind then I looked down to find myself dripping onto the floor!
I held the new bra away from me so as not to get on it while frantically digging in the top I'd worn for the nursing pads. The good news is those covered the leak, the bad news is they're adhesive on the clothes side not the body side so before trying on each new bra I'd have to hold the pads to myself with one arm while maneuvering my way into the bra with the other. I could have used at least one more arm for all of that but in the end I was able to get it done and even somehow grab the bottled water the saleslady offered me to drink through the curtain. As all this was happening it crossed my mind that many stores have hidden cameras to prevent theft so if this one did, someone probably got a good laugh out of watching me wrestle with the mischievous girls! Needless to say, this is one of those things I never imagined I'd be doing.
Speaking of things I never imagined myself doing, this past weekend I had my first out of the house pumping experience. We took Daniel on his first road trip to visit my parents in Austin and Saturday we made a day trip to south Texas to introduce Daniel to his great-grandparents. Before we went to dinner that night I tried to get Daniel to nurse but he wasn't very hungry so after we got to the restaurant while everyone else was inside starting the meal I went back out to the car to pump. Fortunately we have an adapter that allows me to use the cigarette lighter outlet for power instead of just batteries so the pump was at full strength but it was more than a little awkward getting everything all set up in the back seat (where the windows are tinted). Further, it started getting really hot in there even with the air on so I cracked the window a little to get a breeze, and then of course a car full of people pulled up and parked right next to me. Granted it was dusk, and I'm sure they couldn't see what I was doing, but given that pumping is usually a private experience I was of course a little self-conscious wondering what they'd think. Thankfully it wasn't daylight and it was much cooler than it has been most of the month so I had the option of cracking the window. It was a better option than the bathroom stall but I hope I don't have many backseat pumping experiences in my future, or at least not while it's still warm out.
Wonder what nursing and pumping adventures await...
This afternoon Daniel and I headed to my friend Emily's house for a playdate with Emily, her 5 month old son Noah, Nicole, and 5 month old Alejandro. It was amazing to see how much bigger the other boys are than Daniel...Emily and Nicole said they couldn't believe their kids were ever as small as Daniel, while I can't believe he'll be as big as they are before long! Ale and Noah are able to hold their heads up and grasp rattles and toys with their hands which of course Daniel can't do yet, but he did show off his latest trick, smiling. He started smiling a few days ago and I love when he rewards me with one.
The afternoon was fun and the boys kept it lively by making sure at least one of them was awake and making noise at every moment. Two would nap at the same time but we could never get all 3. I was pleased that when Daniel got a little fussy, he calmed right down and even fell asleep when I put him in the ring sling. He really seems to take well to that.
Toward the end of the day we lined the boys up on a blanket for picture time. Daniel and Ale were wearing the same outfit but Ale's 6-month size was almost too small and Daniel's 3-monther was a little too big. It was funny to see skinny little Daniel between those two big boys. They started flailing their arms around hitting each other, much to the amusement of the mommies.
One month ago today our lives were forever changed at 11:16am when our sweet little boy entered the world. Somehow it's hard to believe 31 days have already passed since then. I don't know what he weighs or measures right now but I can tell he's gotten bigger. He's getting a bit of a Buddha belly and his newborn clothes are getting a little snug.
Here are a few pictures of him at 1 month old. I'll take a picture every month on the 21st so we can track his growth.
We're still getting to know each other but I'm already thoroughly smitten with the little guy. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways: - The faces he makes after a feeding as he drifts off to sleep. His eyes roll back, he moves his mouth like he's eating then gets this lazy gummy grin. I know it's not a true smile yet, just an involuntary muscle movement, but it's so cute. - The way he rests his face on his elbows after I burp him on my shoulder. - The look he makes when he raises his head and closes his eyes, usually as part of a yawn. - How when he lets go after nursing sometimes he'll have milk running down his chin. - His uncanny ability to free his arms from a swaddle, no matter how tight, and raise them over his head and stretch when he yawns (see picture below). - The way he furrows his brow and looks so concerned sometimes like he's just not sure about what's going on. - How peaceful he looks when he's sleeping. - Though I don't like to see it often, the big fish-mouth frown he makes when he's unhappy is pretty cute. - How much he loves being worn in my new ring sling when I'm making breakfast, putting away laundry or getting the mail.
Mainly though, I love him because he's ours. When I look at him I see the living embodiment of the love Kevin and I have and it's amazing to think we created him from almost nothing and now he's a living, breathing little person. I love that we'll get to watch him discover his world and learn new things. I can't wait for the smiles of recognition when he sees me, to hear him laugh for the first time, call me mommy, and tell me he loves me.
But all of that's off in the future. For now I'll just love him for the beautiful one month old baby he is and be thankful for this wonderful little blessing we have. How lucky are we?
Saturday morning Daniel's umbilical cord stump finally came off after 3 1/2 weeks. I had always thought it only took a week or two so I was starting to worry we might be sending him off to kindergarten with that thing still attached but no, it's finally gone. Good thing too because it was getting stinky.
With that milestone accomplished we decided it was time for our big boy to get his first real bath. I didn't record most of it but you can see how he felt about the experience. Let's hope he warms to the idea soon...
