Latest Adventures

Last weekend was our first time away from home since bringing L home from the hospital.  We spent two nights out at her grandparents' ranch a couple hours away.  She had a great time being loved on by Grandpa and Grandma.  It was a nice break for all of us, to be away from the bustle and noise of the city and sit outside looking at the stars.  Little L loves being outside; if she's fussy it's one of our go-to options to calm her down.  I think she likes to hear the birds and the rustle of the leaves and feel the breeze.  Maybe she'll be a hiker like her dad!  She slept great out there, went down earlier and stayed asleep for longer stretches than she typically does at home, I guess the different setting tired her out.

What else have we been up to?
Went to a minor league baseball game with her God-family
Walked around an arts festival with our cousins
Spent an afternoon at the zoo as a family
Gone to Mass and listened to Mom and Dad serve as lectors
Hosted a Memorial Day cookout and got to see her 2 "sisters"

It's been a busy month!

Moving On

A departure from my usual posts, not pregnancy or baby related, there are occasionally other things on my mind that I want to share!

I realized over the last week how important this month is for a lot of people in my life who are graduating.  Here's a breakdown:

Pre-school-a old friend's little girl
Elementary school-my husband's cousin
Middle school-a friend's daughter and my students from last year
High school-3 of my cousins and my first class of students that I taught in Texas
Associate's degree-2 of my husband's cousins
Bachelor's degree-a cousin of mine and one of my husband's

Some of these milestones have been more significant to me, particularly the high school grads.  To see their senior pictures and remembering them as babies, toddlers, 4th graders...

It really doesn't feel like I was in school that long ago myself, but when you do the math-
14 years since high school
9 years since college
3 years (in August) since graduate school  

Time really does pass so quickly.  So many people when they meet Little L tell me to cherish every moment, that it goes by fast.  If I feel nostalgic and sentimental now about my loved ones, I can't imagine how it's going to be when our daughter reaches all these milestones.  I marvel already at how much she's changed in 2 and a half months.  Ok, so this post ended up being about her just a little.

Congratulations to all graduates, at whatever stage!  Praying that God will guide you as you move to this next step in life.

More milestones

Little L had her two month check up this week.  She's gained about 3 pounds and almost 2 inches she was born.  She took the shots like a champ and they didn't seem to bother her after the initial pain.  She's definitely starting to show more of her personality and we get more interaction with her.  She's like her dad in that once she's up for the day, she's real smile-ly, making all sorts of cute little noises while I'm getting her dressed and plays on her mat while I pump.  A morning person!  She's like me in that she has a late bedtime.  It's not consistent but more often than not it's close to midnight before she goes down for the night. A night owl!  It'll be interesting to see as she gets older if she becomes more like one of us.

Speaking of sleep, we've graduated to the pack n'play at night.  Only took us two months from the initial plan.  L has been good about sleeping in the swing but one morning this week I heard her stirring but not crying so I let her be.  When I got out of bed awhile later, the child had wiggled herself about halfway out of the swing, which was at about a 45 degree angle.  So, no more swing at night!  She's getting used to sleeping in a bigger space although sometimes it takes a couple of times before she doesn't startle herself awake.  We're not using the swaddles as much anymore, they're getting too small and some evenings it's been too warm for them.

The cloth diapering is going well.  I do laundry every other day and have been taking advantage of the warmer weather to hang them outside most times.  She hasn't had any blowouts, a couple of little leaks but it's been my fault for not changing her sooner.  It has prevented her from rolling over, I think her center of gravity is off now, though this morning she ended up sleeping on her side so she may figure it out pretty quickly.

Speaking of movement, L is not a big fan of tummy time.  I don't blame her, I don't like exercise either.  The doctor said she needed three ten minute sessions a day. We're lucky to get her to last three minutes, but we're working on it. I do think it tires her out faster.  She does like going on walks with her dad in the carrier and with me in the stroller.  She & I are venturing out more during the day.  Most of the time she's asleep, from the motion of the car and the shopping cart.

I've started back to work a little.  Last night was a daddy daughter night while I was at the zoo and next week she'll be with grandma while I sub.  Thank God for camera phones so I can stay connected to her.  I've been working on building up a milk supply and it's a good thing, she went through about 14 ounces in 7 hours.

Feeling so blessed to celebrate our first Mother's Day together.  She is truly a miracle.

Growing Girl

Little L is about 7 and a half weeks old now.  We've graduated to a couple new things this week-cloth diapers, and partially because they give her a big ol' butt, size 0-3 clothes.  She is definitely growing; it was getting hard to snap her onesies even when she had on the regular diapers.  We think she's about 10 pounds now.  Almost every morning when I pick her up I think she's looks bigger.

So far the cloth diapers are going fine.  Of course our washer isn't working at the moment, waiting on someone to come out this afternoon to look at it.  Thank God for community, particularly those living on our block that are letting us use their washing machine.  Another way having a baby has changed my life-I do A LOT of laundry, not just her's but my own, since I can't manage to keep an outfit clean all day on me anymore.  But now laundry isn't as quick of a chore as it used to be, even when the machines are working at the house.  Like everything else I have to time it around feedings and non-fussy times. So far I've been able to keep up with it.

We've ventured out more, just the two of us.  I had to take her to the zoo this week a couple times, so one morning we walked around after I got my work obligations taken care of.  It happened that those days there were a whole bunch of school groups out on field trips (state testing this week so littler kiddos are "kicked out" of the building so it's quieter).  It was a day I was grateful to be staying home instead of teaching.  Otherwise I would've been spending my day either proctoring a test, keeping poor kids silent or constantly doing a headcount in the midst of big crowds.  Keeping track of 1 is enough for me right now. And lifting that heavy stroller and carseat in and out is a workout!

I also got to show Little L off to her dad's co-workers, walked around the mall one evening as a family, and visited her godmother.  Tonight is our first baseball game (my dad will be proud!) and tomorrow the Arboretum.  This kid gets to go to way more places than I did as a baby.

Changes

So how have I spent my day so far?

Folding and hanging laundry on the clothesline. Seeing little onesies flapping in the breeze is one of the cutest things ever.

Made my own granola bars using a recipe on Pinterest. They're cooling right now, so I'm not sure if they were worth the effort or not.

Doing dishes from the cooking.

I did all these things while Little L was in her carrier. Fabulous to be able to use two hands again!

So it got me thinking about how much has changed in the last three years. In April of 2009 I was single, not talking to any guys. I had made a commitment to God a few weeks earlier that I wasn't going to compromise what I really wanted (a strong Catholic man) anymore and if that meant not dating, then so be it. Little did I know that I'd be set up with one two months later, we'd be engaged in less than a year, and pregnant six months after getting married.

Being a stay at home mom was not a goal of mine in college. My mom was one only for my first year, so my role model was a working student who eventually earned her PhD and I wanted to be the same. It wasn't until I started teaching that my mind changed. I loved my job because of the influence I had on children everyday and when the day came for me to have my own, I wanted to devote my energy to my kids instead of someone else's. I'm not judging working moms; many are forced to work to make ends meet and I'm still hoping to do a little of it part-time. But I can't imagine being away from Little L for 10 hours a day and having to work while getting only broken sleep. Do I miss adult interaction and my freedom during the day? A little. But this where God is calling me right now and I have a lot to learn about doing it well.

A few firsts

Little L is already four weeks old today! Last week was Dad's first week back to work so at this point we've settled into a bit of a routine. It was tough for me to get used to being at home with her by myself all day. I will never again take for granted the ability to use both of my hands at the same time. She likes to be held when she's awake so I've had to figure out how to feed myself, go to the bathroom, get dressed, and attempt some chores while lifting an 8 pound person who can't completely support her head.

She also likes to eat. All the time.

So much of our time is spent doing that. I've been working through giving myself grace about my "lack of productivity". I know that I'm being productive, you know, keeping another person alive, but it's not how I'm used to spending my time, filled with activity. My husband has encouraged me trying a couple of things to help make it a little easier.

I started pumping about once a day so that way someone else can feed her. I figured given her appetite she wouldn't have any problems taking a bottle, food is food, and I was right. It's kind of depressing how quick she sucks it down though, when it took me half an hour to fill the thing, and sometimes she's still hungry after that. I'm working on building up a supply so I might be able to be away from her for a couple hours starting next month.

Right now L is asleep inside her sling. One of the things I've been paranoid about is dropping her so I was nervous about using it, afraid she'd fall out. Dad actually used it the first time and showed me how to use it. It does give me a little relief and it is really nice to be able to look down at her while I'm doing stuff; when I hold her she's facing forward.

I've been laying her down on her playmat for a few minutes at a time, that's all she has the patience for. Dad does tummy time with her and on Sunday night she rolled over onto her back three different times! Of course when I tried to record it she wouldn't do it. But it was no fluke, she did it again once last night. Her neck is definitely getting stronger and she does these cute little frog kicks. Such a big girl!

She hasn't slept with us at all for over a week, staying in her swing. We've had two nights in a row where she's stayed asleep for a five hour stretch, a big blessing for Dad when he has to get up for work. Her naps aren't consistent during the day but I'm sleeping enough at night, probably around 7 hours, that I have enough energy during the day. I'd rather use her naptime to get stuff done rather than sleep myself.

I took her out for the first time last week, to a work meeting. Unfortunately I had to drive during rush hour on a Friday evening, lots of stoplights that she was not a fan of. I thought I was going to have to turn around and go home, she was so upset, but eventually she calmed down and was great at the meeting and slept on the way home. Still keeping our outings to a minimum and not taking her anywhere myself unless I have to. Her first restaurant trip was over the weekend and I don't think we'll be doing that again for awhile. She eats really often in the evenings, which makes it difficult for me to eat anyway, let alone in a public place.

I could go on and on about other things we've noticed, how her hair's getting longer, all the funny facial expressions, distinguishing her cries, but that's enough for now. Going to try and lay her down and see if she keeps sleeping.

The Science of Parenting

The little one is two weeks old today. It's been interesting to see her personality showing through. She definitely has her likes (eating, looking at light) and dislikes (having to be changed, sleeping by herself at night). Every time I think I've figured out a pattern for her day, she changes it. For the most part, though, we're in somewhat of a routine. We don't get out of bed until pretty late in the morning. That time tends to be her quiet, alert stage where she's just content being held and looking around at things. She'll take a couple of naps in the afternoon/evening and then settle down for the night around midnight and wake me up to eat a few hours later, sleep some more, then repeat. Her feedings haven't been at consistent times or duration, although it ends up being about 5 hours of our day total. For now we've embraced the co-sleeping so we can get more sleep ourselves. We trade off holding her throughout the night but I'm not sure how that'll go when Dad goes back to work next week. Neither of us is looking forward to that.

Little L was baptized on St Patrick's Day. It was a beautiful ceremony performed by a priest we're good friends with. The small chapel was overflowing with our friends and family. She was so quiet the entire time, didn't cry once. We cried for her, both of us overwhelmed by this great Sacrament that changed her life. We had a nice reception afterwards and she got to wear the little St Patrick's Day outfit I bought for her over the summer, the only outfit I let myself buy while being pregnant. We've been so overwhelmed with everyone's generous gifts and support of her new life.

So things have slowed down a little for us now. All of my family is back at their own homes and it's just the three of us figuring out how to live together. We went to Mass together as a family and she slept the whole time. She went in the stroller for the first time, just down the block, yesterday. We head back to the doctor Thursday for a checkup. Next week brings the next test, taking care of things during the day without any extra help.