Mole Rat on the Move

The video above shows Ellie working on her neck and back muscles. She doesn't like tummy time much, I managed to catch about 30 seconds of 2 minutes of happy time. She much prefers to build her muscles by sitting assisted. And, her neck strength is pretty good as you can see. Last time we did tummy time, she wasn't nearly that far off the ground.

So last night, we moved Ellie into her room for the first time. As you can see by the picture below, she's quite tall and has been hitting the sides pretty frequently as she flails about with her legs and arms. I was kind of nervous about it, but figured that I should just do it before I had too much time to obsess. It went pretty well. She slept for about 7 hours and woke me about 4:30. Nursing in the glider is a little bit of an adjustment because of the arms, but we managed. Unfortunately, once I got her to sleep, I couldn't get back to sleep.

She's developed a couple of new behaviors lately and therefore has two new nicknames: Mole Rat and Drool Monkey. She's started taking her night feedings blind. She won't open her eyes, so sometimes she needs a little help finding the nipple. And, she's started drooling like a fountain. Not sure why, but the last couple of days it's gotten so bad that we dug out a bib to keep her onesies from getting soaked.

BIG Baby in the bassinet 

Sleeping in her crib

Spark Person

Today, we took a friend of P's to breakfast. It was pretty tasty at the time, but it's kind of tasting like ashes right now because today was the day my trainer told me I need to track my food. The breakfast was about 1300 calories, and therefore almost my daily allowance. I weigh basically what I weighed 4 weeks ago, despite all the exercise. So, I've signed up with Sparkpeople.com to track my diet and watch calories, fat, nutrients, etc and retrain myself how to eat. I kind of let my sweet tooth off the leash in the last trimester and after Ellie was born. I was losing weight too quickly because I was skipping meals. So, we began eating more brownies, cookies, and milkshakes. The trainer motivated me to go back to 3 meals a day, but P and I have been eating out at least a couple times a week and eating mostly pre-packaged foods. So, it looks like we'll need to trim back on deserts and eating out and I need to start cooking again.

12 Weeks

Ellie continues to grow and get stronger each day. She still likes sitting up and I can see her trying to raise her head in her bouncy and her car seat. She really doesn't like being horizontal unless she's very tired. I've gotten better at recognizing the signs and the timing, although I couldn't tell you what those are necessarily. I've been tracking her naptimes and can't seem to detect a pattern between a good night of sleep and a nap schedule. The one sure thing I've determined is that she shouldn't nap for more than 20-30 minutes after 6 or so. For the most part, she takes lots of little cat naps of about a half hour. It becomes a race to fit in a meal or some household chores while she does. Of course, sometimes, she naps on me. So, then I'm glad they're pretty short because as nice as it feels at first, after a while, you start to stiffen up or have an uncontrollable unreachable itch or something.

Dressed up for a visit from Great Aunt C

She's about to outgrow her bassinet. She's just so long.... I lugged her travel crib upstairs to see if we could swap it out and keep the sleeping arrangement for a while. But, they're almost exactly the same size. I could sub the full size play yard, but I think I might just have to bite the bullet and start using her crib. Course, that means I need to clean it out. Currently it is dog-proof storage. Her whole room is basically just storage. It's going to require a pretty major change in routine. Maybe I'll try to ease into it over the weekend.

Currently, we're auditioning disposable diapers. I tried the cloth diapers for a few days and decided they were too bulky for her tiny little butt for now. So, I'm going to reevaluate maybe when size 1's (which she's just jumped into) get tight. They were easy to use, but I'm dreading resizing them again. We've been using Pampers with no complaints other than the huge size difference between newborn and size 1. They have a nice faux fabric exterior, have two nice rows of elastic which has saved our bacon just about every time, and the tabs reattach anywhere on the diaper for tidy disposal. However, I wanted to look into diapers that were biodegradable. So, after reading reviews on Amazon, I ordered a case of Seventh Generation and a case of Nature Baby Care. Hands down, I love the Seventh Generation better. They share all my favorite features of Pampers and are a nice boring eggshell color that goes with everything. The Nature Baby Care ones had a nice grey heart design, but they are much stiffer and seem a little less secure around the legs, even though they have the two rows of elastic. One or two of her wet diapers almost seemed to seep through and make the ink bleed a little. And, the tabs only stick to the waist section of the diaper, so you can't wrap them up for disposal. At least not the same way.

In other news, I'm on week 4 of personal training. I just bought a few pair of real jeans last week. I've jumped three sizes since pre-pregnancy. It's pretty depressing how much 22 pounds changes how all your clothes fit. Next week I actually go to go get my hair done. I considered coloring it since the grays are coming in kind of kinky with a tendency to stick straight up. It's such a commitment and gets so expensive though. I've always abandoned it in the past, so I'm going to try holding off a little longer. Recovering from coloring always seems to last longer than the color itself. Also, P claims he likes my hair better au natural. I'm thinking I might try growing it out though. We'll see.

2 Month Checkup

Friday was Elliot's 2 month appointment. She now has a couple of chins and weighs 9 lbs. 8 oz. I realize that's about what some babies weigh at birth, but she is apparently thriving. She was in the 10th percentile a couple months ago. Now, she's at about the 25th percentile. So, I'm happy. She has good skin, no flat spots on her head, and is progressing well with the milestones. She can hold her neck up, is very active on her back, smiles socially, has "conversations" with me, and the other day, she rolled from flat on her back to her side. There are a couple areas we have to work on though. She needs more tummy time to strengthen her back so she can sit on her own. And, she prefers to turn her head to her right, so we have to exercise her neck to make sure she gets even muscle development.

And, we are supposed to be working out a sleep schedule. Dr. L said that at the last visit, but I thought he was just referring to nights. This time, I clarified that he meant days too. Articles and books I've read indicated that 3 months was about the earliest you could really expect a schedule, but her nights have been relatively consistent for about the last month. So, I'm going to start tracking her naps so I can figure out when they are. Up to now, I've just been letting her call the shots except when I need to go somewhere. But, it would definitely be advantageous to have an idea when she wants to be active and when she wants to sleep so I can plan around her instead of just waiting for her to explode into an angry hungry mess in public.

She also got 4 immunizations Friday. One was oral. The other three were shots. P couldn't be there since it was his first week back at work and he was backed up. I gave him hell after the fact because it was in fact heartbreaking to hear her cry like that. Two nurses gave her the shots at the same time, so the trauma was minimized as much as possible, but she went from a happy little camper to outraged shock and pain in seconds. I didn't quite bawl, but I definitely teared up watching her poor little face. Her normal cries pain me, but this was horrible. Thankfully, once I got her dressed and in her carrier again, she'd mostly calmed down. And then she slept for most of the rest of the day. She didn't eat much, and really seemed sensitive to feeding laying on her right thigh where the longest needle had gone in.

Today, she seems better, although she still is a little biased about nursing on that side. She's still been sleeping a lot, but has been pretty cheerful when awake. And, she has nursed more today, although she's still below average.

I've been starting her with some toys for stimulation. Her favorite has been a Tigger rattle from one of my hospice friends. But, I've also been introducing her to a mirror and she seems to like that for a while also. The dogs are crazy jealous about all her fabulous toys because they like plushes, and rattles, and crinkly bits too.

Zeus has been acting out a lot this week. At the top of their game, they pooped in the house 3 times and peed on the rug once (that I caught) in one day. This week, Zeus puked because I didn't feed him before 7 am, has eaten an emery board, a pumice stone, stolen a bar of soap twice (he's a slow learner), destroyed a bath pouf and 4 diapers, stole clean laundry and a new baby rattle, and took a dryer ball. Most of this was Wednesday. I've started putting them in their crates after lunch or after he pulls a stunt for a "nap" to help me maintain sanity. I'm also looking into shock collars to correct him since he mostly pulls these shenanigans while I'm nursing or holding a sleeping baby. A friend suggested more mental stimulation also, which is good since I am generally pretty inactive in the winter and don't play with them at all. So, I will dust off the kongs and try some frozen peanut butter or something in their crates. It might keep Isis from barking the whole time too, which would be nice.

YMCA

To continue on the last theme.... I've now done two sessions with the personal trainer. She's tough, but fair since I asked her to go easy on me at first. And while everything has been challenging, she's been very supportive and has pumped my ego a bit with lots of "good jobs".

So far, I've jumped rope (for the first time since elementary school), actually done stuff unself-consciously in the male-dominated weight room, and have surprised myself with the amount of crunches I can do. I've told her my problem areas – basically everything that grew with pregnancy, so she's going to work my abs, thighs, and upper body especially. She also did a little health evaluation at the beginning, and brought my poor diet into the light. Since then, I've been making the extra effort to eat a good breakfast and at least two meals after that. Food quality has also gone up, although I haven't completely abandoned milk shakes. And, I did make another pan of brownies yesterday....

Today, P went on another overnight trip, although this one is the last one scheduled for a while. I tried to motivate myself to go to a kickboxing class this morning but it had a 9 am start time and so I had to settle for 30 minutes on the pseudo-elliptical machine.

We also ran to Target today for some emergency cat litter. Since we were there, we also picked up some extra onesies and sleepers for Ellie in the next size up. Dwell Studio has some of the cutest things.

Friday is Ellie's 2 month appointment. I'm cringing because she gets an assortment of shots and I hate hearing my sweet girl cry.

Working it Out

So, tomorrow, Ellie is 8 weeks old. She's getting stronger, fatter, more alert, bigger, etc. She's been holding her head up by herself and likes to sit up supported whenever she can. Yesterday, she focused on on of the toys on her bouncy chair and seemed to be wiggling to make it move. Her 2 month appointment is a week from Friday. I'm kind of dreading it since she's supposed to get a battery of shots.

Today, she and I went to the Y for the first time. I was surprised by the amount of people there at 10:40 in the morning. I got to learn how the childcare section works, sort of. Apparently they have to check you in multiple times when you are dropping off or getting your children. And, when I tried to be proactive about getting Ellie, since the staff was ignoring me, I was scolded for stepping into the childcare area. So, it's weird. I used to feel kind of comfortable at the Y, but it's gotten much more crowded. And the kids! I guess there are a lot more stay at home parents in town than I knew about. And, they are all at the Y on weekday mornings.

Today was my initial Personal Trainer consult. I'd been moaning about how out of shape I was for the last 6 months of my pregnancy, so my darling husband helped engineer a conversation with a personal trainer to get me back in the game. It's been 2 years since I have been to the Y. At least. I've been saying 2 years for a while... The initial consult was interesting. Apparently, I'm not too bad for someone who hasn't done any exercise in years and just had a baby. The short diagnosis is that I need to eat better, make time for myself, get off the couch in our bedroom (which has been our base of operations since Ellie was about a week old), and I need to exercise 3 times a week. The general plan is that I'll go do an hour of strength training with T Monday and Friday and do 30-45 minutes of cardio on my own MWF. Even when I was going to the Y regularly, I didn't push myself too too hard. I broke a sweat, sure, but I let myself get stuck in a rut. This is going to be challenging. The first session is Friday.

Also, P has been out of town since Monday. Day 1 went well. I ran a couple of errands and we stayed on schedule. Yesterday, I wasn't quite so perky since I didn't have anything scheduled until 6 pm. Still, we maintained her schedule. Such as it is. She tends to have her last meal of the night between 8 and 9:30. Then, it's a race to get to pump and then get all the last minute things done and get into bed to maximize sleep time. She's been sleeping for 5 and a half to 7 and a half hours at a stretch and then she wakes slowly with a 5-15 minute feeding followed by an hour or two of nap, another brief feed, and then generally another nap. Late morning seems to be an active time for her. Unless she's in the car, she doesn't sleep as hard.  Thankfully, P comes home tomorrow evening. I'm looking forward to some help. My MiL has been on call, and will babysit for a couple hours tonight and again tomorrow. I kind of enjoy the challenge of seeing if I can handle it. Especially since it's only 4 days. It's forced me outside my new comfort zone a little, which is probably a good thing, since it requires me to get off the aforementioned couch. So, I'll just enjoy having her to babysit when I need to go to a meeting or to the dentist. I know she likes spending time with Ellie, and I suspect she likes having her on her own.

Below are some photos P took Sunday when he was on baby duty while I ran to Target for provisions for this week. It's kind of dangerous having food in Target. It's even more dangerous going to Target on an empty stomach now.

6 Weeks

Yesterday was my 6 week postpartum appointment. We met with the midwife and she assured me that I was in good shape. I'm cleared to go back to the Y. (Now, I just have to work up the motivation and figure out when to go.) She removed a few remaining suture bits and complimented us on doing a good job with Ellie. Apparently word from the delivering OB was that I labored well. I think that means I didn't cry, curse, berate my husband, or whine and just got the kid out as quickly as I was able.

I still have a pouch and have to wear my bigger maternity pants or stretchy pre-pregnancy pants. I'm at about 23 pounds over "normal". For a while there I was freaking out about my rapid weight loss. But, I've been getting better at squeezing in meals, so that's slowed to the 1-2 pounds a week that they told me was healthy. I'm beginning to wonder if my hips will shrink back down or if I'm permanently moving up a size or two. I'm considering purchasing a couple pairs of normal jeans in a larger size because I think it's going to be a while. And, I'm getting a little tired of hitching up my pants every time I wear the maternity jeans. I long for a belt, silly as it is.

Ellie is growing. Sometimes it seems quickly and then other times P or I will pick her up and just marvel at how small she still is. While changing her diaper yesterday, P made the comment that she had a butt crack finally. What he really meant is that she has buns. It's happening so gradually that sometimes it just hits us that her face is chubbier or her legs are almost getting plump. She's grown in length for sure because some of her newborn sleepers are too short now. Of course there are still a lot of 0-3 month clothes that just swim on her still too. It's amazing how much variation in sizes there is from one manufacturer to the next.

Dad loves Ellie's sneezers

Looking alert and cheeky

"Dad, how long is this photo session going to last?"

Lizard tongue

A little less lizard tongue (ie. feed me)

Why are her yawns contagious, but she is impervious to the contagion of other yawns?

Chilling out with Zeuser on the lookout

 

 

 

 

 

Zeus wishing he was ANYwhere else

Also, last night, we went to the Subaru dealer to test drive Outbacks. Because they had the vehicle I was looking for and their trade-in offer on the Prius was reasonable, we ended up bringing the car home. So, now we need to come up with a name for the new Mommy-mobile and I need to figure out if there is a way to park it in the garage so that you can still walk around it with a carseat AND are far enough forward to open the back hatch. I also have to go through the surprising amount of garbage from all the nooks and crannies in the Prius to decide how much should be thrown away.