(He was awake for the exciting conclusion when the underdog Manic Attackers came from behind to take the 2009 Ivy King Cup over the Hells Belles!)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Talkin' Derby
We took the critter to his first roller derby this weekend. At first it seemed like it would be the definition of "overstimulation." He going to be out past his bedtime, and he was fascinated by the lighted messages that scroll around the UIC Pavillion and often startled by the announcers ("And your lead jammer is...!"). But by the time it got to the championship bout he had fallen asleep and stayed that way for most of the first half, the halftime show, and some of the second half.
(He was awake for the exciting conclusion when the underdog Manic Attackers came from behind to take the 2009 Ivy King Cup over the Hells Belles!)
(He was awake for the exciting conclusion when the underdog Manic Attackers came from behind to take the 2009 Ivy King Cup over the Hells Belles!)
Friday, June 19, 2009
WHO can't sleep through the night?
I awoke at 4:10. I don't know if I woke up because I'm used to being awake at that hour, or if I woke up because my breasts were so full and hard with milk. I did not wake up because I heard the baby. The baby was silent.
That's good, right? Usually, on a good night, he goes to bed around 9 PM and then wakes up for a feeding between 3 and 4 AM. Sleeping longer is good, right? Only if I can sleep too.
I stared at the clock, listening to the silence of the baby monitor. I couldn't help worrying if he was alright. After all, he fussed a little after we put him down last night. He wasn't crying out, so I let him fuss to see if he'd calm himself. Which he did. Or I thought he did. What if something was wrong? What if something was wrong, and I didn't check on him?
It was 4:20 when I couldn't fight the urge to check on him. I knew I might wake him up. I didn't want to wake him up. I just needed to know he was alright.
I entered the room as quietly as you can in an old building with creeky doors and squeaky floors. I approached the crib, but in the dark of the nightlight I couldn't tell if he was moving. Under the sleepsack I couldn't tell if he was breathing. I fought the urge to touch him or blow on him to get him to stir. I didn't want to wake him up. Eventually his lips moved a bit, as they sometimes do in his sleep. A finger moved. I went back to our bedroom.
I was trying to go back to sleep when the baby monitor started beeping. Sometimes it beeps when it loses contact with the main unit in the nursery. It loses contact for a second, then is fine. This time it was not fine. It just kept beeping with a glowing red light. Then, I realized that the smoke alarm was chirping too, and the clock was off. The storm had knocked the power out.
I opened our door and the door to the nursery and tried to go back to sleep. I still couldn't. I considered pumping to empty my breasts, but although the pump has batteries, I didn't want to have to deal with that in the dark. I just laid in bed. Until 4:55 when the baby woke for what would now be his 5 AM feeding.
Since I was so very awake, I fed him in the nursery instead of my usual, lazy, middle-of-the-night, feed-in-bed-so-I-can-sleep technique. I was finishing up when the power came on at 5:30. I put him back down in his crib. I got back into bed. The hubby got up to work out at 5:45. I got about 20 minutes more sleep before I had to get up.
The critter slept more than 8 hours straight last night. Mommy did not.
That's good, right? Usually, on a good night, he goes to bed around 9 PM and then wakes up for a feeding between 3 and 4 AM. Sleeping longer is good, right? Only if I can sleep too.
I stared at the clock, listening to the silence of the baby monitor. I couldn't help worrying if he was alright. After all, he fussed a little after we put him down last night. He wasn't crying out, so I let him fuss to see if he'd calm himself. Which he did. Or I thought he did. What if something was wrong? What if something was wrong, and I didn't check on him?
It was 4:20 when I couldn't fight the urge to check on him. I knew I might wake him up. I didn't want to wake him up. I just needed to know he was alright.
I entered the room as quietly as you can in an old building with creeky doors and squeaky floors. I approached the crib, but in the dark of the nightlight I couldn't tell if he was moving. Under the sleepsack I couldn't tell if he was breathing. I fought the urge to touch him or blow on him to get him to stir. I didn't want to wake him up. Eventually his lips moved a bit, as they sometimes do in his sleep. A finger moved. I went back to our bedroom.
I was trying to go back to sleep when the baby monitor started beeping. Sometimes it beeps when it loses contact with the main unit in the nursery. It loses contact for a second, then is fine. This time it was not fine. It just kept beeping with a glowing red light. Then, I realized that the smoke alarm was chirping too, and the clock was off. The storm had knocked the power out.
I opened our door and the door to the nursery and tried to go back to sleep. I still couldn't. I considered pumping to empty my breasts, but although the pump has batteries, I didn't want to have to deal with that in the dark. I just laid in bed. Until 4:55 when the baby woke for what would now be his 5 AM feeding.
Since I was so very awake, I fed him in the nursery instead of my usual, lazy, middle-of-the-night, feed-in-bed-so-I-can-sleep technique. I was finishing up when the power came on at 5:30. I put him back down in his crib. I got back into bed. The hubby got up to work out at 5:45. I got about 20 minutes more sleep before I had to get up.
The critter slept more than 8 hours straight last night. Mommy did not.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Decisions
I'm going to have to make some critter-related decisions in the next few days.
First, I heard back from the big daycare center where I had been on the wait list since November. They have a space for our critter starting in September. Now, I need to decide whether to keep the critter in his current home day care or move him to the big center.
The current daycare situation is in a woman's home. She and an assistant take care of 7 kids from the critter (the youngest) up to age 4. The location is very close to my home, and the critter seems to be doing well there (in the little over two weeks he's gone).
The daycare center would put the critter in a group of 12-15 kids his own age, with whom he would move from room to room as they grow. For older kids, the center has very good arts, music, and swimming programs, and getting the critter in now would guarantee him a spot in those. The center is closer to my work. The critter wouldn't need to be in care as long, but the time gained with me would just be time in the car. It's more expensive, but we can afford it if we think it's worth it.
Thoughts and suggestions on this matter are apppreciated, particularly from the mommies across the country that sometimes read my blog.
The other issue is that after a long time of claims being sent to the wrong address and then needing to take the time to resubmit them, I have now gotten the notification that the domperidone that I started taking to increase my milk supply is not covered by insurance. We've already paid for 3 months for which we won't be reimbursed (which we knew was a risk), but the question is whether I should continue taking it.
If I stop taking the drug my milk supply will likely decrease or possibly dry up altogether. It might not, but if I choose not to refill it anymore I need to be prepared for the fact that that may mean the end of breastfeeding. On the other hand, we are spending a lot of money on this drug, but I still need to feed the critter quite a bit of formula. (It's probably about half of what he eats.) An additional variable is that the pediatrician says he can start solid foods next month. Now, I've read that there is no hurry and starting foods early just creates an additional chore, but that decision seems relevant to how important it is to keep my milk supply.
Ah. Too much to think about. I just want to make the best decisions for my boy. I know he'll be fine at either daycare. I know he'll be fine without breastmilk. Knowing all that makes the decisions that much harder.
First, I heard back from the big daycare center where I had been on the wait list since November. They have a space for our critter starting in September. Now, I need to decide whether to keep the critter in his current home day care or move him to the big center.
The current daycare situation is in a woman's home. She and an assistant take care of 7 kids from the critter (the youngest) up to age 4. The location is very close to my home, and the critter seems to be doing well there (in the little over two weeks he's gone).
The daycare center would put the critter in a group of 12-15 kids his own age, with whom he would move from room to room as they grow. For older kids, the center has very good arts, music, and swimming programs, and getting the critter in now would guarantee him a spot in those. The center is closer to my work. The critter wouldn't need to be in care as long, but the time gained with me would just be time in the car. It's more expensive, but we can afford it if we think it's worth it.
Thoughts and suggestions on this matter are apppreciated, particularly from the mommies across the country that sometimes read my blog.
The other issue is that after a long time of claims being sent to the wrong address and then needing to take the time to resubmit them, I have now gotten the notification that the domperidone that I started taking to increase my milk supply is not covered by insurance. We've already paid for 3 months for which we won't be reimbursed (which we knew was a risk), but the question is whether I should continue taking it.
If I stop taking the drug my milk supply will likely decrease or possibly dry up altogether. It might not, but if I choose not to refill it anymore I need to be prepared for the fact that that may mean the end of breastfeeding. On the other hand, we are spending a lot of money on this drug, but I still need to feed the critter quite a bit of formula. (It's probably about half of what he eats.) An additional variable is that the pediatrician says he can start solid foods next month. Now, I've read that there is no hurry and starting foods early just creates an additional chore, but that decision seems relevant to how important it is to keep my milk supply.
Ah. Too much to think about. I just want to make the best decisions for my boy. I know he'll be fine at either daycare. I know he'll be fine without breastmilk. Knowing all that makes the decisions that much harder.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Better use of 15 minutes
I didn't make this mistake again. This morning I had 15 extra minutes again, so I put the critter in the stroller and went for a little walk. We just went to the mailbox and then to the coffee shop to get momma some coffee and zucchini bread, but it was nice to have a little time. The critter had fallen asleep while I brushed her teeth and packed the day's milk, but he woke up for the walk. It was nice to have him awake so I could interract with him during the extra time, although watching him sleep is a joy, too.
I love my baby.
Our walk was so nice it almost made it okay to be Monday. Almost. This was a particularly nice weekend with two nice sunny days to go to Midsommarfest. (I blew my diet a bit on festival food, but it's good for the soul to have funnel cake at least once a year, right?) Mom, Dad, and Critter all got goodies, too. Hubby bought me a bracelet and himself a funky belt buckle. One of the posh kids stores in our neighborhood is going to be an online only business, which is sort of sad, but it meant a super sale. The critter got a fun stuffed bunny, a fashionable onesie, and blocks (for when he's older but at 50% off it was worth buying and storing them).
Looking forward to critter's first summer.
I love my baby.
Our walk was so nice it almost made it okay to be Monday. Almost. This was a particularly nice weekend with two nice sunny days to go to Midsommarfest. (I blew my diet a bit on festival food, but it's good for the soul to have funnel cake at least once a year, right?) Mom, Dad, and Critter all got goodies, too. Hubby bought me a bracelet and himself a funky belt buckle. One of the posh kids stores in our neighborhood is going to be an online only business, which is sort of sad, but it meant a super sale. The critter got a fun stuffed bunny, a fashionable onesie, and blocks (for when he's older but at 50% off it was worth buying and storing them).
Looking forward to critter's first summer.
Friday, June 12, 2009
15 More Minutes
Although I felt like the morning was as chaotic as usual, I was disappointed to realize that I somehow managed to get to daycare more than 15 minutes earlier than usual. Why disappointed? Well, I only get a few waking hours at home with my baby on weekdays. Losing 15 minutes of that is significant. I wish I had stayed home a little bit longer and read him a story or snuggled him or let him play. Next time I will watch the clock more closely.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
This morning: messy AND sleepy
After the good news that the critter is growing, we had a rough morning.
We’ve gotten pretty good with getting the critter to bed. We started a bedtime ritual and using the crib a few weeks ago. He can usually fall asleep on his own. On a good night, he’ll sleep from 8:30 PM until 3 or 4 AM. Last night was not one of those nights.
He woke up at 12:45 AM. Generally I’ve been just taking him to bed if he wakes up. It doesn’t help us get any closer to having him sleep through the night, but with trying to adjust to going back to work it is nice to be able to just latch him onto a breast and go back to sleep while he does what he needs to do. Last night, I tried to be “good.” I got up and fed him in the nursery. Then he put him back down in the crib. He was crying about 20 minutes later. Hubby brought him to me in bed. I cuddled the critter until he fell back asleep and, eventually, I did too.
He woke up again at 5 AM. That’s actually worse than getting up earlier since it means I don’t get to go back to sleep before 6 AM, which is when I need to get up nowadays (an hour before my pre-critter waking time). As a result, I was moving pretty slowly when I did get up. Hubby did his usual portion of the critter prep and left for work. I proceeded as usual, but after I did the final breast feed on the critter he spit up. A lot. Granted, he didn’t get me like he got his dad a few days ago. I managed to be prepared with a burp cloth. Still, he covered his face, arm and chest pretty well. As I was trying to clean him off he was leaning back a little when he spit up again. It spurted up like a sour milk fountain.
The drooling sort of spit up doesn’t distress him, but he seemed quite uncomfortable during all this. I held him until he became calm. Apparently, I was successful because he fell back asleep. This is actually a good thing because he needs his sleep, but I was disappointed for two reasons. (1) He looks like such an angel when he is sleeping that I just want to stay and hold him forever; and (2) I wanted to be able to go back to sleep, too!
He woke up a bit when I changed him into clean clothes but fell back to sleep when I strapped him into the car seat. He was still asleep when we got to daycare.
Momma has to cope with coffee.
We’ve gotten pretty good with getting the critter to bed. We started a bedtime ritual and using the crib a few weeks ago. He can usually fall asleep on his own. On a good night, he’ll sleep from 8:30 PM until 3 or 4 AM. Last night was not one of those nights.
He woke up at 12:45 AM. Generally I’ve been just taking him to bed if he wakes up. It doesn’t help us get any closer to having him sleep through the night, but with trying to adjust to going back to work it is nice to be able to just latch him onto a breast and go back to sleep while he does what he needs to do. Last night, I tried to be “good.” I got up and fed him in the nursery. Then he put him back down in the crib. He was crying about 20 minutes later. Hubby brought him to me in bed. I cuddled the critter until he fell back asleep and, eventually, I did too.
He woke up again at 5 AM. That’s actually worse than getting up earlier since it means I don’t get to go back to sleep before 6 AM, which is when I need to get up nowadays (an hour before my pre-critter waking time). As a result, I was moving pretty slowly when I did get up. Hubby did his usual portion of the critter prep and left for work. I proceeded as usual, but after I did the final breast feed on the critter he spit up. A lot. Granted, he didn’t get me like he got his dad a few days ago. I managed to be prepared with a burp cloth. Still, he covered his face, arm and chest pretty well. As I was trying to clean him off he was leaning back a little when he spit up again. It spurted up like a sour milk fountain.
The drooling sort of spit up doesn’t distress him, but he seemed quite uncomfortable during all this. I held him until he became calm. Apparently, I was successful because he fell back asleep. This is actually a good thing because he needs his sleep, but I was disappointed for two reasons. (1) He looks like such an angel when he is sleeping that I just want to stay and hold him forever; and (2) I wanted to be able to go back to sleep, too!
He woke up a bit when I changed him into clean clothes but fell back to sleep when I strapped him into the car seat. He was still asleep when we got to daycare.
Momma has to cope with coffee.
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