- We are officially done worrying about this kiddo's weight! Yahoo! Last Wednesday she weighed 11lbs, 10 oz, and was smack dab in the middle of the charts. Since then we're pretty sure she's past 12lbs, she just seems so much chubbier and heavier in our arms. We are sticking to a nice routine of breastfeeding and formula supplementing, which I hope we can continue for some time.
- Last Thursday we had our first official "date night", with Emma being babysat by her adoring aunties. We went out for sushi, yum! Supposedly, she screamed bloody murder for the first 20 minutes or so, and then was fine. She also displayed monumental stomach capacity in downing 15 ounces of formula in 2.5 hours (ordinarily its 3-4 ounces max at a feeding). I've heard that babies do that sometimes when mama is away, but that was quite impressive for our babe. We now know where to send her if we have any more weight gain issues...
- Over the weekend we went down to my parents house to attend the annual "Pig Nic" (a few pictures here). This is the geologists' annual summer party where they roast a pig, in honor of the original "pyroclastic pig", which was a pig they roasted back in 1980 in the hot mudflows of Mt. St. Helens. Emma, the Mt. St. Helens baby born on May 18th, was oohed and ahhed over by the crowd and was in pretty good spirits through all the festivities, smiley and social for much of it (and eating for the rest). She slept for 3 hours in the sling that evening, which is a record, I think.
- Another thing that started over the weekend was a bit more napping than has been happening around here most of the time. Lately, Emma has really taken to "power napping" where she will only sleep for 10-20 min at a time, on me for the most part, with 45 minutes being the max. She sometimes will go for 6 hours or more without sleeping! Not good for a 3 month old, and especially not good for her mama who needs to get a few things done around the house, too. But, for the past 4 days she has taken at least two 45 minute to an hour (or more) naps each day, which is an improvement. Supposedly she is supposed to be getting 5-6 hours of napping in a day. That seems like heaven. And also highly unlikely.
- I do notice that I am really becoming a human pacifier, though, and that she is starting to really rely on me and the boob to go to sleep. She absolutely hates the actual pacifier now, and will not take it at all. I'm not huge into "sleep training" or the cry it out method, but I do want to wean her away from this habit eventually (soonish?), so that she learns to go to sleep without me being right there the whole time.
- Emma has begun the great toy-to-mouth adventure! She is reaching and grabbing at toys, and thoroughly enjoys stuffing them into her mouth, if at all possible (clothes, burp cloths, slings, or mama's arm or hand will do as well). She is not very agile with the hands yet, so she does get a bit frustrated with this sometimes. She grabbed Daddy's hair for the first time, yesterday, too. Ha!
22 Aug · Tue 2006
What's up?
21 Aug · Mon 2006
Newsflash
New pictures are finally up! Check them out here. There are new photos in the Two Months Old and Three Months Old folders.
New pictures are finally up! Check them out here. There are new photos in the Two Months Old and Three Months Old folders.
10 Aug · Thu 2006
Baby Laughter
Yesterday, on the eve of her 12 week birthday, Emma laughed! It was unmistakeable, and made my day! She was totally asleep (on me, as usual) when she did it, and it was accompanied by some huge sleep smiles. She had only slept an hour and a half in the previous 13 hours, and she woke up shortly after. Ha. Happy 12 weeks, babe!
Yesterday, on the eve of her 12 week birthday, Emma laughed! It was unmistakeable, and made my day! She was totally asleep (on me, as usual) when she did it, and it was accompanied by some huge sleep smiles. She had only slept an hour and a half in the previous 13 hours, and she woke up shortly after. Ha. Happy 12 weeks, babe!
09 Aug · Wed 2006
Send Her To Therapy
Sadly, the napping did not continue. And, unfortunately, the numbers were not so big this week, either. She gained 3 and a half ounces in the past 12 days, waaaaay down from the 18 ounces in the previous 9. A half to a full ounce a day would be ideal. It is probably due to my dosage of Reglan (the med I'm on to increase milk production) going down, but it may also be due to the fact that she is not downing as much formula with the SNS. She just doesn't seem to finish it, and we're not sure if its because it is too hard to suck, or if the tube is posoitioned poorly or something, or what. I was hoping that she was just getting more breast milk, because she is on the breast longer with the SNS. Because of this, and because she does seem take FOREVER downing bottles sometimes (though not other times, so what gives?) and is pretty much on the boob continuously (yet not getting it out,since I can immediately pump more afterwards?), she is being referred to occupational therapy for suck training. Ha. My kid's in therapy at 3 months! I'm also upping the dosage again of Reglan, but am planning to switch to the other med, Domperidone, when it comes to me in the mail later this week. Dom is a more effective drug and with much fewer and less serious side effects, because it doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier, and can be used more or less continuously, unlike the Reglan. And its approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Reglan isn't) though not the FDA (Reglan is). Can't we just catcha break, here? I'm dreaming of a day when my life is not ruled by feedings....
Sadly, the napping did not continue. And, unfortunately, the numbers were not so big this week, either. She gained 3 and a half ounces in the past 12 days, waaaaay down from the 18 ounces in the previous 9. A half to a full ounce a day would be ideal. It is probably due to my dosage of Reglan (the med I'm on to increase milk production) going down, but it may also be due to the fact that she is not downing as much formula with the SNS. She just doesn't seem to finish it, and we're not sure if its because it is too hard to suck, or if the tube is posoitioned poorly or something, or what. I was hoping that she was just getting more breast milk, because she is on the breast longer with the SNS. Because of this, and because she does seem take FOREVER downing bottles sometimes (though not other times, so what gives?) and is pretty much on the boob continuously (yet not getting it out,since I can immediately pump more afterwards?), she is being referred to occupational therapy for suck training. Ha. My kid's in therapy at 3 months! I'm also upping the dosage again of Reglan, but am planning to switch to the other med, Domperidone, when it comes to me in the mail later this week. Dom is a more effective drug and with much fewer and less serious side effects, because it doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier, and can be used more or less continuously, unlike the Reglan. And its approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Reglan isn't) though not the FDA (Reglan is). Can't we just catcha break, here? I'm dreaming of a day when my life is not ruled by feedings....
06 Aug · Sun 2006
Are you my baby?
Emma is down for the 3rd nap of the day, in her own bed, and has been sleeping for more than an hour (hence the TWO blog posts in one day, though I should be cleaning)! All three naps have been longer than 45 min, two longer than an hour. She's been up for an hour or so in between each one of them and falls asleep during a marathon feeding each time.
This is totally unlike her, usually, she gets one or two longish naps a day IF we're lucky, often its just a smattering of 10-20 minute ones throughout the day, on me after nursing. After that she wakes up as we try to transfer her to her bed. Luckily, she is better about sleeping at night, or I would have gone insane by now.
I've decided that either a) she's coming down with a cold; I do have a tinge of a sore throat b) she is in a growth spurt and using all excess energy to grow or c) she is growing into a new sleep pattern...ha!
I highly doubt c and am pretty sure thats not it. Really hoping its not a. We haven't had too many growth spurts around here, I think, so I guess I'm a novice when it comes to that. The doubting part of me starts to worry that this is all due to eating enough, and that I have in fact been starving her for 2.5 months. But, we've been on this new feeding routine with supplements for the past three weeks or so, and until now still not much sleeping so my head tells me thats not it.
She has been on the boob a TON, though she seems to be eating very inefficiently, with lots of napping and gazing off and around, latching/re-latching, etc, not even finishing a few ounces of formula in the SNS after an HOUR of sucking. I definitely feel like a human pacifier at this point...gah! Who knows how much she's getting from me, which is the frustrating part of this whole supply issue thing.
In any case, I am liking the naps, and am knocking loudly on wood that it continues, at least for a bit (though how is she ever going to learn how to walk and recite the alphabet by 6 months if she doesn't get in all her practice sessions...?) Tomorrow we go in for another weight check. Hoping for big numbers again...
Baby Gear Round-Up, Part I (clothes)
There's a lot of gear that goes along with a baby, oooh, boy. A few things are somewhat critical to have, a lot of it is nice but not necessary, some of it is just luxurious, some of it is crap. We've really lucked out on that last category; we really seem to be using most of what we got. Part of that is because I did a lot of research ahead of time, but mostly it reflects highly on those who gave us stuff. Thanks again to everyone! So in the next few days, I will be posting my opinions of What You Might Want To Get When A Baby Is Coming To Your House Soon, based on what has been our experience. Clothes Notes: For the first days, you don't want anything too tight rubbing near the cord, like pant tops or zippers on sleepers. We used little wrap shirts, that snap on the sides, and/or "baby bags" with the drawstrings or elastic at the bottom, or jumpsuits with snaps. Later, soft zippered sleepers or jumpsuits are great for easy diaper changes (with feet or without) at night, and we've needed a lot of them because every morning they end up smelling like sour milk. For day clothes, pants without snaps or easy diaper access can be annoying, unless they pull on and off easily. Regular, non-stretchy pants, jumpers or full body outfits without snaps/diaper access = very annoying! Also, remember that whenever you need to go in the car, make sure the kid is wearing something that can handle the crotch strap (not a baby bag, for example) 3-4 "wrap-style" undershirts (or maybe some Kimono-style shirts) 2-3 baby bag sleepers 4-5 footed/nonfooted sleepers 1-3 sleep sacks, light or heavy depending on time of year 8-10 onesies 2-5 long sleeve onesies and/or shirts, depending on season 3-4 soft pull-on cotton pants 2-4 full body jumpers for daytime 5-10 pairs of socks (if you are like us you will lose a ton of these so stock up) 2 or more sweater/sweatshirts 1 or more coat, depending on season 2-4 hats, warm or wide-brimmed, depending on season. Its good to have at least one very soft warm hat for the first few days, no matter what. Of course its nice to have a few more of each of those things, and some extras, too, like little dresses, jeans/khakis or overalls, shorts, etc, some funky t-shirts, soft shoes, but those are more for fun & going out, and not as necessary. Also, make sure not to buy everything in the tiniest/newborn sizes (ones saying up to 8-10 lbs) or all all 0-3 or 3-6 months sizes, in case you are surprised by a bigger or smaller than average kid. I've discovered, however, that baby clothes sizing ranges considerably, so you probably will get somewhat of a range regardless. And you will get a LOT of clothes as gifts, so I don't recommend buying a ton of stuff too early, either (though it is damn easy to fall for cute baby clothes, I've discovered). Any suggestions, readers? More soon, including bedding, carriers, and other gear...
Emma lounging outside in her tent, wearing a terrycloth short jumper.
There's a lot of gear that goes along with a baby, oooh, boy. A few things are somewhat critical to have, a lot of it is nice but not necessary, some of it is just luxurious, some of it is crap. We've really lucked out on that last category; we really seem to be using most of what we got. Part of that is because I did a lot of research ahead of time, but mostly it reflects highly on those who gave us stuff. Thanks again to everyone! So in the next few days, I will be posting my opinions of What You Might Want To Get When A Baby Is Coming To Your House Soon, based on what has been our experience. Clothes Notes: For the first days, you don't want anything too tight rubbing near the cord, like pant tops or zippers on sleepers. We used little wrap shirts, that snap on the sides, and/or "baby bags" with the drawstrings or elastic at the bottom, or jumpsuits with snaps. Later, soft zippered sleepers or jumpsuits are great for easy diaper changes (with feet or without) at night, and we've needed a lot of them because every morning they end up smelling like sour milk. For day clothes, pants without snaps or easy diaper access can be annoying, unless they pull on and off easily. Regular, non-stretchy pants, jumpers or full body outfits without snaps/diaper access = very annoying! Also, remember that whenever you need to go in the car, make sure the kid is wearing something that can handle the crotch strap (not a baby bag, for example) 3-4 "wrap-style" undershirts (or maybe some Kimono-style shirts) 2-3 baby bag sleepers 4-5 footed/nonfooted sleepers 1-3 sleep sacks, light or heavy depending on time of year 8-10 onesies 2-5 long sleeve onesies and/or shirts, depending on season 3-4 soft pull-on cotton pants 2-4 full body jumpers for daytime 5-10 pairs of socks (if you are like us you will lose a ton of these so stock up) 2 or more sweater/sweatshirts 1 or more coat, depending on season 2-4 hats, warm or wide-brimmed, depending on season. Its good to have at least one very soft warm hat for the first few days, no matter what. Of course its nice to have a few more of each of those things, and some extras, too, like little dresses, jeans/khakis or overalls, shorts, etc, some funky t-shirts, soft shoes, but those are more for fun & going out, and not as necessary. Also, make sure not to buy everything in the tiniest/newborn sizes (ones saying up to 8-10 lbs) or all all 0-3 or 3-6 months sizes, in case you are surprised by a bigger or smaller than average kid. I've discovered, however, that baby clothes sizing ranges considerably, so you probably will get somewhat of a range regardless. And you will get a LOT of clothes as gifts, so I don't recommend buying a ton of stuff too early, either (though it is damn easy to fall for cute baby clothes, I've discovered). Any suggestions, readers? More soon, including bedding, carriers, and other gear...
Emma lounging outside in her tent, wearing a terrycloth short jumper.
04 Aug · Fri 2006
It's World Breastfeeding Week!
My mom emailed me a pretty good article about breastfeeding today. Much of the article was about a NIP (nursing in public) incident that happened to a woman in Portland, who started a blog, The Reluctant Lactivist. I am just now starting to feel confident enough to NIP on occasion. I no longer need a thousand pillows propped just so, I no longer have to fumble with the nipple shield, and most delightfully, I no longer grimace or audibly gasp in pain each time she latches. Thank God! It is still a slightly stressful thing for me yet, however, this NIP stuff, and I am always obsessing when I go places about where I'll do it, and how. I time my trips out around feeding. I dread something like what happened to the Reluctant Lactivist happening to me, but it very well could. And I think it would make me embarrassed, then pissy, then hopefully emboldened to make more of a statement. I am already somewhat of a lactivist, I'd say. If there was a "nurse-in" somewhere around here this week, I'd go. Instead of that, I am going to post some pics of me nursing, which some other bloggers have been doing lately, as well.
This is me nursing in my new ring sling, made by my mom! Yahoo! And for what its worth, am way more embarrassed about that double chin than the bare breast.
This is Emma nursing with the Lact-Aid, an SNS (supplementary nursing system) that we use about twice or three times a day so that she gets the formula without a bottle. She was starting to prefer the fast flow of the bottle, so this helps prevent early weaning. That tube comes out of a bag of formula that hangs around my neck.
My mom emailed me a pretty good article about breastfeeding today. Much of the article was about a NIP (nursing in public) incident that happened to a woman in Portland, who started a blog, The Reluctant Lactivist. I am just now starting to feel confident enough to NIP on occasion. I no longer need a thousand pillows propped just so, I no longer have to fumble with the nipple shield, and most delightfully, I no longer grimace or audibly gasp in pain each time she latches. Thank God! It is still a slightly stressful thing for me yet, however, this NIP stuff, and I am always obsessing when I go places about where I'll do it, and how. I time my trips out around feeding. I dread something like what happened to the Reluctant Lactivist happening to me, but it very well could. And I think it would make me embarrassed, then pissy, then hopefully emboldened to make more of a statement. I am already somewhat of a lactivist, I'd say. If there was a "nurse-in" somewhere around here this week, I'd go. Instead of that, I am going to post some pics of me nursing, which some other bloggers have been doing lately, as well.
This is me nursing in my new ring sling, made by my mom! Yahoo! And for what its worth, am way more embarrassed about that double chin than the bare breast.
This is Emma nursing with the Lact-Aid, an SNS (supplementary nursing system) that we use about twice or three times a day so that she gets the formula without a bottle. She was starting to prefer the fast flow of the bottle, so this helps prevent early weaning. That tube comes out of a bag of formula that hangs around my neck.
