Paul Reiser, Oreo's and Mother's Day...

At church, we had a Mother's Day Celebration and a lady in our church asked me to speak.  The following is what I had to say on being a new mom...

 

When Ms. Mary Kay asked me to speak about being a new parent, specifically a new mother, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say.

My first thought was to compare parenthood to what I imagine living in a frat house would be like...  There are bottles strewn about the house on a pretty regular basis, the laundry is mountainous, overflowing the hampers daily.  We sleep pretty much wherever we land and vomit is a real possibility at any given time.

My second thought was to talk about how parenthood, for me at least, has been rather instinctual.  I can attest that becoming a mother has brought up some pretty primal urges in me that on recent occasion has given me great pause and stirred up some emotional reactions that I was not prepared to feel at all.  Just the other day, at a family reunion of all places, I had to seriously fight the urge to claw a little girl’s eyes out because she was getting a little too 'handsy' with Elizabeth, either that or hide Elizabeth under a bush... At the end of the day I’m not much better than those ill old ‘Mama’ cats we had growing up after they had had a litter of kittens.

But when Ms. Mary Kay asked me to speak about being a new parent the only thing I could think about was this quote by Paul Reiser that I recently stumbled across in an email... that and an Oreo Cookie.

Reiser says, “People often ask me, "What's the difference between couplehood and babyhood?" In a word? Moisture. Everything in my life is now more moist. Between your spittle, your diapers, your spit-up and drool, you got your baby food, your wipes... your leaky bottles, sweaty baby backs, and numerous other untraceable sources--all creating an ever-present moistness in my life, which heretofore was mainly dry.”

I love this quote, not only because it is true... on any given day there is some sort of baby-by-product covering me in some capacity... but I love this quote for its deeper meaning.  Which brings me to the Oreo Cookie.

As we all know, an Oreo Cookie has three parts-- two dry cookies and one creamy (moist) center.

Before Elizabeth, I like to think of my life as the cookie part of the Oreo.  For this metaphor to make sense, I need you to pretend with me that you’ve never had a fully intact Oreo cookie.   If all you’ve ever had was the outside, dry cookies of the Oreo without the creamy center, you’d probably find the cookies to be a perfectly lovely and an adequate snack.  And if you’ve never had the fully intact Oreo, then you’d probably be perfectly happy with eating just the plain cookies for the rest of your life.  And that was how I felt.  I was perfectly content being a plain, dry cookie... And being a plain, dry cookie was good stuff too.

But since Elizabeth has entered into our lives, I can’t imagine just going back to being just a  plain, old dry cookie.  Elizabeth is our creamy center and I’m just going to end the debate right now, the creamy center of the Oreo Cookie is the best part of the cookie, it’s what makes the Oreo an Oreo.  It’s what’s makes it special.  And after you’ve experienced the creamy center of an Oreo Cookie, you no longer think so highly of just the plain cookies anymore.  In other words...my old life was great, but my new life as a parent is so much more fulfilling.

So to sum up... parenthood can be compared to a countless many things, but in the end, being a parent has added a degree of moisture that changes the components of life from ordinary to extraordinary.

Yea... I know... But I've Got a Good Excuse...

Yea... it's been a while.  Currently, I'm on Spring Break and while in the past I have mocked the idea of elementary aged students needing a Spring Break, as a new mother I'm thankful for the days at home with the Little One and I will leave it alone.

The Little One, while still very much a little baby, is everyday getting bigger and bigger.  At our last doctors' appointment she weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces.  It is truly amazing to look back at her first little pictures and see how much she has changed. 

She looks less like her daddy and more like herself... and let me tell you she has a huge personality.  The Little One pretty much is still calling the shots around here.  But we happily fall in line, how could we not?  You'd have a hard time saying no to her too... she's just too cute!

Unhappily, she has stopped sleeping through the night.  Around the time that I started back to work, she flipped the script and now wakes up sometime between 2 and 4 for about 20 minutes for a quick bite to eat.  In essence, it is not that big of a deal, as I was already getting up around that same time to pump.  Now I just feed her... unless I get behind on my milk and then I have feed and pump.  Oh well.

She is, however, going to bed a little earlier, which is nice.

My mother keeps her while I'm at work.  Mama tutors at the middle school and also works with student teachers which takes her away for a couple hours each week and then my Aunt comes in and keeps her.  It is a great situation and the baby is loving all the attention.  And who could ask for better baby-sitters?  Two retired educators with master degrees in education that love your kid like it was their own... Little One will be reading next week, I'm sure of it.

The Easter Bunny was good to us this year... too good.  We've already told her not to expect this to happen again.  It looks like Christmas around here.

Tonight she tried her first bit of sweet potatoes.  We've decided to start making our own baby food as we garden and farm.  My mom made the first batch.  I had never seen a baby gag... until tonight.  I think it was a shock to her senses.  But she liked it because she ate the entire portion.

Little One is a great eater.  It (eating) probably is her favorite thing in the whole world.  It shows on her too-- even her rolls have rolls.  But as Dr. Langdon says, "it is the only time in your life when being chunky is cute."  And let me tell you, it is so cute.

As for work, going back has been super easy.  But knowing that the babe is well looked after and that I'm still her primary source of food, it gives me peace of mind... and truly I do better when I'm at work.  I thrive on a schedule.

And as for a schedule, I'm breaking mine by sitting up and giving a baby update.  It is way past my bedtime and I'm sure that in a very short while, my baby will be crying for a quick feed.

Hopefully, while I'm out on break, I'll have time to write and post later... otherwise, I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again.  Summer break is just around the corner though!

Be good...

Two Months and Counting...

Tuesday was the 2 month check up for Baby.  Can you believe that we are already at two months?  Earlier in the week I sat her down for our monthly home photo shoot.  She hates it towards the end and basically just cries.  But this time I managed to get 105 shots as opposed to month 1 where I think I got 20 before she melted down.

But just to fill you in Baby Girl is growing like a weed, weighing in at a healthy 9 pounds, 13 ounces.  I can't help but beam with pride that I've been able to provide the soul nutrition for that darling girl.  The doctor was pleased with her development and felt that everything was going on track... No, she isn't in the 99th percentile for height, weight, or head size.  But considering that I'm a smaller than average person and Husband isn't a giant, it is to be expected.  Regardless, she is doing great.

What wasn't great.  Shots.  And lots of them.  Baby Girl had to endure one oral vaccination which wasn't so bad... the rest were traditional old shots, which were just as violent as ever.  One in each leg.  DTAP and Prevnar.... hopefully keeping her safe from things like Polio and Whooping Cough.  I brought along Aunt Jenny to for moral support as Husband had a tobacco meeting to attend. 

As the mom of Baby Girl, I've been wittiness to her pain cry.  I know how horrible it sounds... how it makes your insides hurt because you know that she is hurting and you can't really do anything to make it better.  Her hunger cry, tired cry, and regular old-notice-me-cry are far less heartbreaking.  I'm not sure that Aunt Jenny was prepared... as soon as the nurse was through jabbing the needles into my poor baby's chubby little legs, Aunt Jenny sprung into action, scooping Baby Girl into her arms and methodically bouncing back and forth until she (Aunt Jenny) felt better.  Baby Girl was going to need more than just bouncing. 

Luckily I was meeting with the lactation consultant and we were going to feed and sometimes food is the only way to heal a hurt. 

 

At home, Baby Girl was in some serious pain...  crying anytime her legs were moved-- either by her or us.  She got to experience her first dose of baby Tylenol (which by the way did help her a little).  She slept from the time we got home except for diaper changes and feeds until the very next morning.  Sometime around 2:00am she began to feel better and we caught her smiling in her sleep. 

Relief... we survived the first big round of shots.  We go back for our 4 month check in March.  I think this time Husband is going to have to go with us... I know I don't want to go by myself!

Baby Nursery...

At one time I had planned to spotlight each room in my house as I decorated it.  But then the infertility thing happened and all my attention, free time and much of my disposable income was tied up in getting pregnant.   Decorating rooms in my newly built house just didn't seem so important anymore.  But last June, several months pregnant, we found out that we were having a little girl and suddenly I was consumed with planning the perfect nursery.  Finding out that we were having a little girl was thrilling and we were both very excited.  Just think about all the smocking and cute hair bows!  But then I got a little concerned that I might make her room too pink and green, that it would be overly estrogen filled and that would make poor Husband, literally, the odd man out.  So for much of the summer I spent my time obsessing about what kind of gender neutral shade of yellow and cream I should apply.  And this obsession sort of drove Husband crazy because he assured me that he wouldn't feel left out if I went with my instincts and made the room reflect that a little girl lived there.

 

And so I listened.

 

 

The lighting fixture was purchased at Pottery Barn Kids.  Husband installed it one afternoon with no trouble or assistance.  I had debated on whether or not to change out the fixture as the original light was in good condition... since it was less than a year old.  I'm glad that I did it as I think it adds a lot to the room.

 

 

I was super excited to find a crib that is considered "low-profile" since neither Husband or myself is very tall. I loved the simple lines of the crib and seeing how this would be a piece of furniture that most likely would be used again I didn't want to go overly ornate or frilly since we could have a son at some point. The bedding was one of two choices from Serena and Lily... Husband made the final decision and I loved the French and Indian motifs.  Finding the bedding helped me make fabric decisions.

 

 

The Indian inspired storage baskets, although rather expensive, have became a favorite of mine for their practicality.  The pink textured curtain panels were made by my grandmother.  I think they add a lot of drama to the room.  The shelving unit was a bargain buy from Target.  It is one of those build-it-yourself jobs and for what it costs, if it gets destroyed in a couple of years-- oh well.  It serves the purpose.  At some point I hope to line the back of the unit with fabric left over from my rocker.

 

 

 

Since the room already had a built in desk I decided to use this space as a changing station.  It will be several years before the baby can sit at a desk and do homework, so in the time being, I purchased a curtain from Land of Nod and had my mother hem it to the right length.  A tension rod hold it in place.  Behind the curtain is room for me to store baby items like diaper boxes and other items that I may not want to display.  The built-in cabinets store wipes and diapers from our showers and also can be a place to keep burp cloths, bibs, baby towels and all sort of baby goodness.

 

 

The teal blue chest adds a little pop of color and from the moment I saw this chest in a little store outside of Dunn, I knew I had to have it.  The blue doesn't show up in any of my fabrics, but it goes and I find the color very pleasing.  It serves as another great storage place, currently holding extra crib sheets, blankets, baby shoes and accessories.  The glider rocker was a gift from my Aunt Janet.  It came from Target and originally the cushions were an off-white microfiber.  I had a local upholster recover the cushions in a pink and white heavy weight fabric.  I think recovering the glider cushions gives the chair a custom look and really adds to the room.

Currently the baby sleeps in her bassinet and has yet to spend more than a few hours in her room since birth.  I'm hoping that once she gets a little older that she will spend many happy nights and days in this room!

 

 

Crib:  Pottery Barn Kids, Kendall Low-Profile Crib

 

Bedding, Storage Baskets, Changing Pad & Cover: Serena & Lily, Lola Bedding Collection, Basic Punch Cover

 

Glider & Ottoman:  Target

 

Lighting Fixture: Pottery Barn Kids, Olivia Mini- Chandelier

 

Shelving Unit:  Target

 

Window Panels:  my Grandma

 

Curtain Rods:  Lowes

 

Chest:  Vibra's (Dunn, NC)

 

Fabric (excepting changing station):  The Cloth Barn (Goldsboro, NC)

 

 

 

 

 



Holiday Wrap-Up...

Did you survive the holidays?  I'm pleased to say that Husband, Baby and myself did, indeed, survive and to some degree actually thrived.  

 

 

Merry! Merry!  Christmas Morning with Santa's toys

Yes, it was hard to drag ourselves to all the different holiday functions, but spending time with loved ones is never a bad time... trying to figure out the baby logistics on the other hand can be a bit frustrating.

Christmas morning was spent in our home.  This year we had breakfast at our house.  My parents came with my father's prized electric griddle and between us four, we prepared breakfast, learned to use a camcorder and entertained the baby.  Husband's parents and brother came to eat along with Husband's uncle and three of his boys.  I think it is the beginning of a nice family tradition.

Mid-flip... 



New Year's was less of a festive celebration.  For the first time since I was little, I slept through the new year... I remember poor Husband waking me up as the ball was about to drop.  I quickly shut my eyes and went back to sleep.  Quite the role reversal as I'm the one normally waking him up.

These days I have no trouble sleeping.  Used to, if I stayed at home all day-- just hanging out at the house I'd have trouble sleeping at night because I just hadn't done enough or I slept too late.  Now as soon as Little One goes down, I curl up on the couch and that's all she wrote folks.  I'm down for the count. 

Little One is sleeping through the night and has been since she was 5 weeks old... I on the other hand am not as I get up sometime between 3 and 4 to pump... which can take sometime and then I sometimes find it hard to go back to sleep.  I'm punishing myself just so I can stock-pile milk, but it gives me some piece of mind knowing that in a few days I'll be back at work.

That's the big question now... "when do you go back to work?" or "are you going back to work?" and when I reply that I soon go back to work I get the look of pity.  Apparently it is  going to be tough... and I can honestly say I will miss being at home with my baby, but a large part of me needs to be at work.  Monetary benefits aside, I need to have something to distract me and put a little more structure in my day.  Will I be sad to leave my sweet girl?  Yes.  But the reality of it all is that work is something I have to do-- for me and for her.  Her practical daddy doesn't understand the need for pretty hair bows and shiny baby loafers... and if I work, those whimsical items will be her reality.

So that is how I'm rationalizing going back to work.  I work for her... so I can contribute and set a good example.  So we can continue to live in the lifestyle that I have became accustomed to and so she can get accustomed to too.

So to summerize...  We thrived this holiday season.  Started a new tradition.  We are loving experiencing things through the Baby's eyes.  The baby is sleeping through the night and if I wasn't a masochist, I'd be sleeping too.  Work is looming, sooner than later but if we want pretty bows and fancy shoes, Momma's got to work!

I hope your Holiday was good too!

Just to Catch You Up...

This is what's been happening y'all:

 I'm breastfeeding.  Its what I do these days.

I never thought that I'd be the type of person that would do such a thing.  It had always appeared awkward and unnatural to me.  All through my pregnancy when someone would ask if I intended to breastfeed, I'd say (in a rather apathetic way), "if I can I will, if I can't I won't."  I took no classes and the only research I did about breastfeeding was to skim over the chapter in "What to Expect" the day before we left for the hospital.  But then in recovery, when it was asked if I wanted to try I said yes.  The mild sedative that had been given to me in the operating room while they were sewing me up probably kept me just relaxed enough that before I knew it, Little Girl was happily feeding with absolutely no problems.

Little did I know that I would be spending so much time feeding.  The first two weeks I fed her every hour on the hour while she experienced her first big growth spurt.  I never had the bleeding nipples, but I did experience pain and my pediatrician referred me to the on-staff lactation consultant.  I recommend everyone go to a pediatrician that has a lactation consultant... she is the only reason I'm still breastfeeding.  Psychologically, breastfeeding 24/7 can be draining.

At week three I contracted Mastitis which persisted through week four (see why below)... it is the sickest I've ever been since having the flu in 10th grade.  I had a low-grade fever that left me shaking and chattering for hours on end until the fever reducer would kick in and then I'd be sweating like a stuck pig.  I had body aches that radiated to my core.  I got a huge lump under my arm pit and it hurt to walk (yes walk!) and feed and the only way to make that feel better was to feed and try to "express" the lump during pumping or feeding which made me want to run in the opposite direction of that precious, crying (hungry) baby.  On top of that-- I started throwing up. And I developed an allergic reaction to the medication I was on.  I no longer can take penicillin.  So after spending one night in the throws of body aches, chills, fever, chattering, crying, throwing-up, itching, etc. I was taken back to the doctor for a different medication.

And of course, after taking antibiotics, Little Girl got thrush in her mouth.  And of course now I have thrush... on my nipples and milk ducts.  Yea!

Again, if I didn't have good support I'd be hawking the formula right now.  But now I have a special medication and so does Little Girl and hopefully we will be completely well in a few more days. 

These days you'll find me sitting around my house in some state of undress in the attempt to air out my boobs all while leaking breast milk... I'm afraid that most days I permeate the air with the soft aroma of slightly soured milk.  Little Girl likes it.  No complaints on her end.  I on the other hand prefer the scent of Ralph Lauren's Romance.  But I do firmly believe that my discomfort is a small price to pay for all the benefits that are gained from breastfeeding.  So I'm taking it week-by-week, day-by-day.  And this week we are feeding!

A Birth Story....

Greetings from Bessies' Best Dairy.  We've only got one customer, but the reviews are all raves!

November 6th at 12:24pm one tiny little cry erupted from behind the curtain separating Husband and me from what was surely a gruesome scene as the doctor and nurses worked to bring our little one into the world. 

One little cry and our world completely changed.

She still didn't have a name.  The nurses that had prepped me for my surgery were kindly reassuring that the name would come.  I was a wreck, scared out of my mind for the next part... the surgery part and I finally lost my cool, quietly crying into my chest, pressing the top of my head into the nurse standing in front of me as the needle for the spinal block was put into my back.  My resolve was lost.

Husband was brought in, covered from head to toe in blue hospital garb.  Oddly enough, the blue scrubs amplified the blue in his eyes and he looked calm and strong--excited, but calm.  He was sat near my head and the medical team informed us that they had already begun the procedure.  "This is so weird,"  I remember telling him as I felt his hand on my head and nothing from my chest down.  The nurse gave him a tissue to mop up the tears that were still quietly streaming from my eyes.

Lord knows what was going on behind the sheet.  It must have been a textbook surgery because my doctor leisurely talked with the nurses about his son and a few colleagues they had in common.   

And then we were told she was almost here.  To be exact, my doctor said, "just a few more layers."  And then there was the little cry and nothing as been exactly the same since.

With big blue eyes and a head full of light brown hair, she weighed in at a respectable 6 pounds, 2 ounces and measured in at 18 and a half inches long. 

Speechless and overwhelmed my tears of fear changed to tears of joy.  Before I knew it I was in recovery with my tiny new family learning to breastfeed and being poked and proded by several nurses.  The OR nurses were right, a name finally came to us. We went traditional and looked to family names for inspiration.  Her name is Elizabeth Aldon and we think we did a good job... but of course, I'm biased.

She is perfect in that way that all babies are perfect and we couldn't be more proud.  These days she calls the shots.  Simply leaving the house takes hours it seems and most days if I can find the time to wash a few dishes or fold a couple of pieces of clothing, I'm on cloud nine.

Yes, everything is different with just that one little cry....