Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Teething

Yep. Teething. She is 3 months and has begun pre-teething and I'm expecting a breakthrough any day now. Drooling everywhere for the last month, and now she knaws on my fingers any chance she can get. It freaks me out because I have heard that breastfeeding is most likely over as soon as babies get teeth and I would like to keep breastfeeding for at least a few more months. Part of my reasoning is because we are going on vacation to Mexico at the end of April and I don't really want to be making bottles and questioning the water I'm making it with.

It also makes me sad because she's still so little; she can't even hold a teething ring properly to ease her pain. I am giving her frozen washcloths and bought a bottle of locally-made teething oil to hopefully help her. But nights seem to be getting worse, and I'm not sure if it's the teething or if she's fighting something else as well. She starts screaming as soon as I put her on the changetable after her bath and it's a fight for at least another hour. Last night there was an addition of a screaming bout at 4:30am. We have a very tired household today.

Needless to say, her schedule is totally out of whack and I'm pretty much letting her sleep wherever and whenever she wants because she's having a rough go of it. Poor babe.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Adult time

One of the benefits of putting the babe to bed before 11pm means the husband and I get a little time to ourselves. Nothing too fancy, but we try to watch a show or a movie together, or just sit together in the living room while I read and he uses the iPad. Tonight, however, he busted out the big guns and got the hot tub going.

You see, we have recently moved into a house with a hot tub. But because I was pregnant and then recovering, I couldn't really use it. Plus, we had a really cold January and trekking outside after midnight wasn't appealing. But tonight he took a radio out there, I poured a glass of wine and we just relaxed. It was so nice just to chill and chat and look at the stars. It makes us both a little more understanding of one another when we're bickering - because man, do we know how to bicker sometimes.

Cheers to adult time! I need to make it more of a priority if I want to be a happy wife and have a happy husband.

~ H

Monday, February 20, 2012

Schedule update

A mom asked me today how my sleep schedule was going and I realize I haven't posted an update. While every day is a new day, for the most part the babe is on schedule and happier for it. We try to work on a 3 hour rotation - wake up, eat, play for an hour to an hour and a half and then nap. She tends to go down for a nap quite well, as long as I'm paying attention to her cues (ear pulling, eye rubbing, long blinks or an overall fussiness). She has a pacifier, which I also use to put her down. We know this means we'll have to wean her off of it, but she needs it so we're fine with it.

I started this post at 5:30pm this evening, and at that point the babe was staying true to my word. Fast forward two hours and she was in the middle of a major breakdown. Screaming to the point of losing her voice, gassy, angry and so upset that we forgo the bath because we thought it would upset her too much. After an hour of pacing and patting, followed by rocking and an attempt at co-sleeping, she finally petered out next to me in our bed and I eventually transferred her to her bassinet when she was good and asleep.

Today is an off day. I knew that by noon based on her demeanor, so I was prepared to throw the bedtime routine out the window if necessary. The biggest part of this scheduling, for us, is knowing how to be flexible for her. I am constantly reminded that my A-type personality and desire for conformity has no place in her life. I have to roll with it, whatever it is, and just know that one bad day doesn't mean we've failed; it's just one bad day.

Oh, and she's also just discovered her thumb. Awesome.

~ H

Monday, February 13, 2012

Mommy groups

I have found that most moms are either fans or haters of Mommy groups such as Baby & Me, Mom & Baby Yoga, etc. The main issues seem to be the small talk and the possibility of perceived competition between the babies.

I myself am a fan of the groups. I like the social aspect, I need to chat about my labour and laugh about the things that did and didn't happen to other moms. I enjoy listening to other moms stories about their babies and yes, I even enjoy a good craft here and there.

I am also the first in my immediate social group to have a baby, so perhaps that also plays into my need for socialization that can include multiple feeds and a possible diaper explosion. Having others there who are not only willing to hold your baby, but who will continue holding them when they are crying, is a godsend.

Take them or leave them, but Mom & Baby yoga is something I relish in my week, and not just for the stretching.

~ H

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Change room hell

Today I took a break from mommy life and drove across the line with the intent of lunch with a friend and low low prices at Bellis Fair Mall. You see, I have Nexus so the idea of crossing the border is not as daunting for me as it can be for some.

While shopping at Bellis Fair, I remembered that I need a new bathing suit, as we have just booked our first with-baby vacation and all of my suits no longer fit the tatas that come with breast feeding. They also show far too much of my baby belly, which is not a foreign concept to me because my stomach is my trouble zone.

Fast forward to the Target change room and several separates later, and I have now decided that I may swim in a cover up because there is no way in hell I am sitting poolside in a bathing suit. Did I mention we're going away with a group? A group that includes some extremely fit people?

I understand, I've just had a baby 2.5 months ago. But as I pointed out before, this is not a new issue. I have issues when it comes to my tummy and they have only been compounded since having the babe.

One of my favourite parts of being pregnant was not caring about my midsection. I could wear tight shirts and be proud of my belly because there was a baby in there! Now I feel like I'm back at square one - actually behind square one because I have a jelly belly again but no core strength and a bruised tailbone. And I'm sure the newfound convenience of drive-thru when out with the babe and sudden fits of famishing hunger causing me to eat everything in sight do not help the situation.

I'll keep posting on my belly work and self-acceptance progress.

~ H

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A little me time

Hallelujah! I have just finished the most glorious, luxurious, calming bath I've had in a long time. This is significant because it is the first bath I have had since the babe was born.

I love baths. Long, lazy baths with hot hot water and some sort of scented salt or oil or powder. Preferably lavender-scented. I will take in a book and emerge 30 minutes to an hour later in a dopey state feeling at peace with the world. I will also take the time to shave my legs in a more comfortable position than I would be in in the shower.

I have recently been reminded that I have not enjoyed a solo bath in over two months. The birth of the babe has left me little time for such luxuries, however with the recently enforced earlier bedtime, tonight I found myself with an empty house (Super Bowl Sunday) and a beckoning tub. Once a deep baby sleep was achieved, I grabbed a bath bomb (lavender-scented) and an old favourite "Tuesdays With Morrie" and settled in.

I feel rejuvenated and relaxed and thankful the babe is still sleeping as I type this. She sleeps with her arms beside her head, which I find adorable.

~ H

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Old life versus new life

  1. OL - Sleep late on the weekends
    NL - Up at 7:15ish with the baby, brewing a coffee with eyes half open, not still asleep yet not quite awake

  2. OL - There was a difference between weekdays and weekends
    NL - The only difference between weekdays and weekends is that I can't figure out why the grocery store is so much busier, until I realize it's Sunday

  3. OL - I used to say to my friends with kids, "Can't you just get a babysitter?"
    NL - I can't fathom the thought of paying a babysitter for any other reason than... nope, can't fathom it at all.

  4. OL - 6 shopping stops in 2 hours? No problem
    NL - 2 shopping stops in 2 hours? Can't I just go to Walmart or Superstore and get it all done at once?

  5. OL - Dancing in 5 inch heels
    NL - Dancing around my kitchen in slippers and a bathrobe

Ahh how my life has changed. But it's different in a good way, because I feel *cheesy moment coming up be warned* like I actually have a purpose now, that there is this young mind who needs help learning how to fall asleep on its own, and where the lights in the room are, and the furry thing who breathes heavily is not a predator, rather a friend.

Day 3 of sleep training is progressing and I hazard to say it's progressing well. The babe is down for her second nap of the day, and I feel happy. That seems like a simple, perhaps unexciting choice of a word, but it is the best descriptor I can think of. I'm happy we're doing this sleep training, I'm happy that the babe seems to be taking to it, and I'm happy because she's happy - it clearly shows when she is awake that she is engaged and playful and in a positive mood. I'm relieved that I am better able to identify her cues and respond quicker and correctly. I feel hope, and a bit more positive that I can do this.

~ H

Thursday, February 2, 2012

To a schedule we go!


Last night was the first night of an attempted schedule. I read my book of choice The Sleep Sense Program by Dana Obleman. I like that she lists different options for putting your child to bed, knowing that leaving the room and letting them cry it out just isn't an option for some (me, I meant me). I also like the sample schedules because I am an A type personality who needs lists and labels and follows recipes and reads instructions. I have trouble solely trusting my gut and would prefer to at least have a guideline to work with.

The night started loud, with a crying jag and tossing/turning that lasted for the longest 30 minutes of our lives. My poor husband attempted to stay in the room, but when the screaming began to rival a coyote's howls, he bid his retreat to the guest room with my blessing. The night got better, quieter and progressed into a good day.

I chose to stay home and skip my fitness class to try to get a handle on naps. The babe has issues with her bassinet - who doesn't have issues with their bassinet - and today's goal was simply for her to fall asleep in the bassinet as opposed to her carseat, my arms, her swing, her rocker, you get the point. Well, 4 naps were had, all in the bassinet and one was over an hour! Sweet relief.

Bedtime was the same routine as last night, and man, that kid catches on quick! Before I could zip up her sleep sack she was crying because she knew what was coming. I could not believe it. But it was less painful tonight, for the both of us I think.

I'm beginning to realize that while I thought it was great how much I was getting out of the house before, I think it best to spend a little more time at home working on the basics. Yes, my independence is important to me, but not as important as sleep, both for me and her.

We're about to hit the 3 hour mark since I last put her down. Fingers crossed for a good night...