So, I'm experimenting with adding the "Followers" gadget to my blog. It's there on the right. If you click on it, you can follow my blog more easily, and make me feel loved. ;-)
Anyway, I think you just need a Google (such as for gmail) and not actually a blogger account. Let me know if I'm wrong about that.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Trial Run
Today was our first trial run of bringing the critter to day care. I wanted a trial run to sort out morning rituals as well as to deal with separation anxiety.
I'm doing okay emotionally, probably because I have actually been away from the critter before. It is weird, however, to be in the house alone. I'm pretty sure I haven't done that since going into labor. I keep looking at the bouncy seat as I pass because I feel that someone should be in it.
I'm just leaving him at day care for a half day today. I'll be going to yoga at 9:30. I'll come back, shower, and have lunch before getting him.
The first thing I did after dropping him off was start trying on work clothes. Sadly, since I really haven't lost any weight (other than the initial stuff) since being pregnant I'm still going to be stuck in mostly pregnancy clothes for a while, at least from the waist down.
The trying on process really points out how messed up women's sizing is. I have a size 4 suit jacket that fits except for the top button (acceptable), but I have a size 10 jacket that is tight all over. Of course the fact that I have a size 4 jacket and a size 10 jacket (as well as others in between) is further evidence of how irregular the sizes are. It's pretty much the same with baby clothes. 0-3 months is a big range. At least I squirm less when I'm trying on my clothes.
Anyway, it is time to start eating better again. I did so well before the wedding, but I went crazy when I was pregnant. It's time to go back to what I was doing before.
I'm doing okay emotionally, probably because I have actually been away from the critter before. It is weird, however, to be in the house alone. I'm pretty sure I haven't done that since going into labor. I keep looking at the bouncy seat as I pass because I feel that someone should be in it.
I'm just leaving him at day care for a half day today. I'll be going to yoga at 9:30. I'll come back, shower, and have lunch before getting him.
The first thing I did after dropping him off was start trying on work clothes. Sadly, since I really haven't lost any weight (other than the initial stuff) since being pregnant I'm still going to be stuck in mostly pregnancy clothes for a while, at least from the waist down.
The trying on process really points out how messed up women's sizing is. I have a size 4 suit jacket that fits except for the top button (acceptable), but I have a size 10 jacket that is tight all over. Of course the fact that I have a size 4 jacket and a size 10 jacket (as well as others in between) is further evidence of how irregular the sizes are. It's pretty much the same with baby clothes. 0-3 months is a big range. At least I squirm less when I'm trying on my clothes.
Anyway, it is time to start eating better again. I did so well before the wedding, but I went crazy when I was pregnant. It's time to go back to what I was doing before.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Changing Travel Preferences
There are some differences when traveling with an infant:
Before, I was a stairs person. Now, I am often an elevator person because I have a critter in a stroller.
Before, I liked the aisle seat. Now, I like the window since it is easier to breast feed discretely. Of course, that's only when traveling with a lap critter. When he has his own ticket, I'll suddenly become a middle seat person since the car seat will go by the window.
Before, if it was 5 PM and there were only 300 miles left on a 14+ hour road trip I would push through to get home. Now, we stop, so that critter and parents can relax after the long day. In fact, we should have stopped an hour earlier. As we drew near our decided stopping place we were delayed by a poopy diaper blowout. The complimentary cocktails at the hotel were well appreciated!
In other news, on the drive home we were even more efficient than the earlier leg of the journey. Pumping and then reaching back to feed critter milk from the bottle while driving became the norm. We only needed to stop for burping, diaper changes, and brief parent rest breaks.
Glad to be home, but I returned to a long to do list. There is a lot to do before I go back to work on Monday. 12 weeks have flown by. I'm going to miss my days with the little guy. :-(
Before, I was a stairs person. Now, I am often an elevator person because I have a critter in a stroller.
Before, I liked the aisle seat. Now, I like the window since it is easier to breast feed discretely. Of course, that's only when traveling with a lap critter. When he has his own ticket, I'll suddenly become a middle seat person since the car seat will go by the window.
Before, if it was 5 PM and there were only 300 miles left on a 14+ hour road trip I would push through to get home. Now, we stop, so that critter and parents can relax after the long day. In fact, we should have stopped an hour earlier. As we drew near our decided stopping place we were delayed by a poopy diaper blowout. The complimentary cocktails at the hotel were well appreciated!
In other news, on the drive home we were even more efficient than the earlier leg of the journey. Pumping and then reaching back to feed critter milk from the bottle while driving became the norm. We only needed to stop for burping, diaper changes, and brief parent rest breaks.
Glad to be home, but I returned to a long to do list. There is a lot to do before I go back to work on Monday. 12 weeks have flown by. I'm going to miss my days with the little guy. :-(
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Travels with Baby
The critter is 10 weeks old now. Since I needed to use all my vacation time as a part of my maternity leave, we decided to go on a trip before I go back to work.
Going through the security checkpoint at the airport felt a bit chaotic with the baby and all the gear, particularly for seasoned travelers who generally pride ourselves in our efficiency at that. Once we were through security the air travel was good. I did a last minute change in the most secluded seat I could find at our gate. Prior to the trip I had gotten one of those nursing covers. It's like a poncho with a wide neck, so I can see what's going on in there. With that and a well-selected shirt the feeding "in public" wasn't an issue at all.
The flight was sold out, so we had to have a lap critter since we didn't pay for a third seat. We gate checked the car seat and its stroller. Critter slept for most of the flight. He woke up a bit hungry, and I fed him for the rest of the flight.
The first part of our trip was in DC to see family and friends and pick up hubby's old Jeep. Becoming a pro at public nursing, I even fed the critter in a restaurant while everyone was hanging out and finishing a pitcher of margaritas. I did, however, wimp out of feeding him on the National Mall after just changing his diaper at the WWII memorial attracted gawkers and strange comments. Instead, we pulled the car into what we new would be a fairly secluded parking lot on our way back to where we were staying, and I fed him in the backseat.
The drive to Savannah was a little more difficult. Although critter generally sleeps in the car, he was not ready to sleep ALL DAY in the car. After the first feeding/changing pit stop he started to be more alert and fussy even when the vehicle was in motion. I spent a lot of time reaching into the back seat and putting his pacifier in his mouth. On one leg of the drive I even sat with him. I held his hands and he fell asleep.
To maximize our feeding efficiency on the road I would pump while hubby was driving. (We have an inverter that turns the cigarette lighter into a regular plug.) Then, we would feed him from the bottle when we stopped, usually multitasking our own bathroom/food/gasoline breaks. As usual, he would also get formula when the breast milk was not enough.
I had estimated the need to stop, on average, 30 minutes for every 2 hours of driving, which proved to be quite accurate. We completed what Google maps called a 9 hour trip in a little under 12 hours.
On the drive the next day there was a detour because of an accident. Of course the baby woke up at that point and was hungry. It didn't help that the slow moving traffic wasn't as comforting to him as faster highway driving. I reclined my seat enough to feed him a bottle while he was in the car seat. I put a bib on him thinking this would create a big mess, but it worked surprisingly well. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they say to hold a baby at a 45 degree angle when feeding him from a bottle and that happens to be the exact same angle of a properly installed infant car seat.
Today, critter got to meet his great-grandma, which was the primary motivator for this trip. It made her very happy to meet him, although it would have been nice if grandpa could have met him as well. Critter won't remember it, but we have pictures.
We are on the way to having a seasoned traveler. By the end of the year he will have already been in or through at least 10 states and the District of Columbia.
Going through the security checkpoint at the airport felt a bit chaotic with the baby and all the gear, particularly for seasoned travelers who generally pride ourselves in our efficiency at that. Once we were through security the air travel was good. I did a last minute change in the most secluded seat I could find at our gate. Prior to the trip I had gotten one of those nursing covers. It's like a poncho with a wide neck, so I can see what's going on in there. With that and a well-selected shirt the feeding "in public" wasn't an issue at all.
The flight was sold out, so we had to have a lap critter since we didn't pay for a third seat. We gate checked the car seat and its stroller. Critter slept for most of the flight. He woke up a bit hungry, and I fed him for the rest of the flight.
The first part of our trip was in DC to see family and friends and pick up hubby's old Jeep. Becoming a pro at public nursing, I even fed the critter in a restaurant while everyone was hanging out and finishing a pitcher of margaritas. I did, however, wimp out of feeding him on the National Mall after just changing his diaper at the WWII memorial attracted gawkers and strange comments. Instead, we pulled the car into what we new would be a fairly secluded parking lot on our way back to where we were staying, and I fed him in the backseat.
The drive to Savannah was a little more difficult. Although critter generally sleeps in the car, he was not ready to sleep ALL DAY in the car. After the first feeding/changing pit stop he started to be more alert and fussy even when the vehicle was in motion. I spent a lot of time reaching into the back seat and putting his pacifier in his mouth. On one leg of the drive I even sat with him. I held his hands and he fell asleep.
To maximize our feeding efficiency on the road I would pump while hubby was driving. (We have an inverter that turns the cigarette lighter into a regular plug.) Then, we would feed him from the bottle when we stopped, usually multitasking our own bathroom/food/gasoline breaks. As usual, he would also get formula when the breast milk was not enough.
I had estimated the need to stop, on average, 30 minutes for every 2 hours of driving, which proved to be quite accurate. We completed what Google maps called a 9 hour trip in a little under 12 hours.
On the drive the next day there was a detour because of an accident. Of course the baby woke up at that point and was hungry. It didn't help that the slow moving traffic wasn't as comforting to him as faster highway driving. I reclined my seat enough to feed him a bottle while he was in the car seat. I put a bib on him thinking this would create a big mess, but it worked surprisingly well. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they say to hold a baby at a 45 degree angle when feeding him from a bottle and that happens to be the exact same angle of a properly installed infant car seat.
Today, critter got to meet his great-grandma, which was the primary motivator for this trip. It made her very happy to meet him, although it would have been nice if grandpa could have met him as well. Critter won't remember it, but we have pictures.
We are on the way to having a seasoned traveler. By the end of the year he will have already been in or through at least 10 states and the District of Columbia.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
To feed or not to feed
So we had problems with the critter not getting enough to eat. We added more formula after breastfeeding. Then we had problems with the critter getting acid reflux because he was eating to much. We cut back on formula after breastfeeding. His last weigh in was 9 lbs 13 ounces. He only gained 5 ounces in 2 weeks, which is back to the low side. Although our pediatrician is not worried about the critter only being in the 10th percentile ("He's just a little guy."), I find myself constantly confused about what to do. Is that bit of fussiness because he is hungry or overstuffed? Put him back on the breast, give him a bottle, burp him more, or just keep him upright? It's frustrating not to know. I just want to do the best for my son. I neither want to cause him to be underweight, overweight or discomforted. I try to read him as best I can, but I am still never sure if I am doing the right thing.
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