The Birthing Process:Things People Didn't Tell me But I Sure Wish They Would Have...

• Epidurals don't always work. You can cry and beg for them to redo it, but if its TIME, its time and they can't redo it.

• They won't give you Tylenol or anything if the epidural doesn't work.

• The pushing part of birth might be as short as an exercise class. Its a really, really hard exercise class. Its really intense, too. But there are more people around giving you help and putting the pressure on you to get it done as compared to the contractions phase... so that is something.

• A lot of non-family people might be there to view your birth. Like medical students. You can ask them to leave (I did).

• A nurse will lead you to the bathroom and wash you up and give you self care procedures, which include a squirty bottle you have to rinse with every time you go.

• All nurses will call your lady parts your bottom. Isn't that weird?

• You might have to use these cotton circles soaked in witch hazel because there is so much swelling. These are called Tucks, and are also useful for another bad thing that often results from labor...

• Hemorrhoids. What an ugly word and ugly medical condition!

• You might have to have a catheter into your bladder. This means your pee will be outside your body in a bag attached to your bed - for everyone to view!

• You might send some TMI text messages because you are excited for it to happen and proud of your progress and looking for a distraction. Perhaps have someone review these before you push send!

• They don't let you eat ANY food or having ANY thing to drink except ice chips after you have checked in. So, have a snack on the way to the hospital or have your husband find a soda machine and drink up while being admitted!

• After you are done, they will bring you pretty much any thing you ask for. Including Pepsi. I had two glasses of Pepsi after it was all over.

• You might get cramps in your glutes and thighs from all that work. Its basically a really long Plie or squat, so you can vary the exercise and your muscles by turning out your toes.

• Hospitals stock a maxi pad that is also an ice pack. I had no idea this product existed.

• You can demand not to wear the hospital gown, if it suits you. They can't make you wear it. So wear whatever you want to.

• You get your own nurse who is just there for you. Not for the doctors.

• Be prepared to see your delivery doctors again. Like, the next day on rounds. And a month later at a yard sale. Good luck coming up with conversation then!

• The man can go with the baby to the nursery or stay with you. Think about what you'd prefer, first. Basically, both you and the baby have a lot of cleaning up to do.

• Ask for anti-nausea medicine in your IV. Its called Phenergen and it makes you feel so much better.

• A doctor will come in and "check" you. This is major pain. Like half as hurt-y as labor.

• They take you in a wheelchair to your other room about half an hour or so after birth. Ask your family to pack up your things so they don't get left behind!

• A doctor might use phrases like, "Maul your cervix". Glare at her and ask her to please think of a different procedure.

• Stripping the membranes isn't a sexy procedure, even though it sounds like it. It hurts way lots and might make you puke.

• Having doctors/nurses check your dilation process hurts only slightly less than stripping membranes.

That's all for now... I hope this list helps another will-be mom and also holds some of you readers over who want to hear more about my birth experience and mommyhood... all I can muster now is a bulleted list, not a coherent paragraph! Maybe when baby sleeps more than 45 min during the day and more than 2 hours at night...

CottonBabies Bum Genius Sale... Ending Today!

I will tell you lots and lots more about CDs in another post... this post is just a SALE! alert.



CottonBabies is ending their Bum Genius August Promo tonight at midnight. This sale saves you 17.95... plus I have a coupon code (BESTDEAL) which saves an additional 5%. Couple this with free shipping and you've got a good deal.


These dipes last a baby until they are potty trained... which is a huge deal!

Today I ordered 6 Bum Genius One Size Diapers and got a seventh free.

That works out to about 14.50 per diaper... which is close to the price of the Pampers Swaddlers jumbo packs I bought for him as a newborn (when he still had meconium poo and an umbilical cord!).

I have found that these BG dipes are the best for overnight and for longer excursions than the other dipes we use - prefolds and fitteds - and even better than the paper diapers at containing leaks and keeping his skin dry.

I had planned to order a few more BG after the two I have worked out so well, and this was a great opportunity! I don't plan to order more - I will have 9 total, plus the prefolds and covers, plus the fitted dipes my mom has made... so basically, we're stocked on diapers until Baby H reaches 18-20 lbs... which should be awhile, right? (Mom, we can still make some more fitteds for during the day, especially starting with the medium size!). edit-- and then when he is 20 lbs, we'll need the larger sized prefolds and larger covers... which is about 50 dollars total... until he is 35 lbs! And then, hopefully out of dipes for good!!!

Here's an image of what they look like...

PS... I got 2 white, 1 Twilight, 3 Moonbeam, and 1 Ribbit. I already have Ribbit and Twilight, and they are pretty! er... masculine... since he's a boy...

Back to School Denial

I've been in denial for the past three weeks. Denial that my way of life right now is not totally brand new and bizarre.

The three weeks I've been home and more lucid after delivery, I've made it out of the house quite a bit. And when I do, I am accosted by signs of the season... gold and auburn shades of mums in the garden centers where once roses and tomato plants stood, reams of college-ruled loose leaf and rows of lunch boxes replacing sprinkler systems and picnic ware, and tailgate party supplies where the sunscreen aisle was.

No big deal, right? Usually I love fall and the turn of the seasons. Summer is fun, but fall is business. Its time for me to settle out of vacation mode and into SCHOOL mode. Time to enjoy wearing professional pants and sweaters, time to color over the highlights in my hair, and time to start a fresh semester.

This year is different. For the first time since...what age does preschool begin? Age 3? I am not enrolled in a school or teaching a class. That is 24 years of being in the education system, people. Two years of preschool, elementary, high school, four years of undergrad, two nonconsecutive years of graduate school, two years teaching junior high, and one year of teaching high school... criminy! What was I thinking abandoning a way of life I knew so well?

Its practically like moving to a new state or home. Or foreign country, I guess. My routine from 6 to 5 is drastically changed. I live in a totally different world. One free from reading assignments, group projects, the bell schedule, cafeterias (and cafeteria duty... for that I am glad!), and class rosters. I don't have to dress up like a teacher every morning. There's no ironing to do. No lunch to pack or lunch money to scrounge up.

Its just so weird. No school.

When people ask what I do this fall, I won't say, "I'm a teacher." or even, "I'm an MU student."

Weird!!!

Guilty pleasures...

A while back my friend (blog friend, and real friend, now that's something!) wrote about her guilty pleasures.

For a long time, I thought about how I don't have any... mostly because I don't feel guilty about doing most things I do.

I don't think buying a box of chocolate brownies so when I make them I can lick the bowl. I don't feel guilty buying the more expensive body wash just because I prefer the scent. I don't feel guilty about things like what the other girls mentioned on her blog post.

But tonight, after I woke up from a restful slumber on the living room couch to feed the baby, I realized that was a guilty pleasure. I love the occasion when I fall asleep on the couch watching SNL and my husband doesn't wake me up. I am so sound asleep I don't wake up when he goes to bed.

So, as I was feeding the baby, I came up with a few other guilty pleasures - things I think I shouldn't' do but enjoy NOT doing!

1. Falling asleep on the couch at night and staying there until 2 or whenever it is I wake up

2. Having a basket of laundry that has been washed, but stays unfolded until I deem its too wrinkly to fold, and put through the dryer again when I feel like getting the clothes put away.

3. Parking close to the front of the parking lots when I know parking further gives old people a better place and gives me more exercise.

4. Having a variety of nice hair products.

You've gotta write a post to get comments...

And I just love reader feedback. So hopefully this poll will give me some interaction while I collect more thoughts to blog about!

So here's a question for you: if you could have named yourself, what name would you have chosen (and why?)

Or, alternately;

If you have children, now that you know them better than the day they were born, would you have given them a different name based on their personality?

Confession: Selfish Human Nature Coming Through!

Last night at about 9 p.m., I had a little meltdown. Actually, one of the first ones post-baby, and at just over one month, its not too bad, I suppose.

For some reason, Husby and I disagreed about some trivial thing. I didn't want to be disagreeable. I longed for a happy, carefree evening. But I was tired. So tired.

I'd cleaned the house that morning, prepared for my BFF to leave, driven with a somewhat unhappy baby for an hour, taken the baby to visit at Husby's work, hosted a pop-in of a good friend with her two tiny children, pumped milk, made lunch for myself, read a baby developmental milestones book, worked on creating the baby announcements, wrote more thank you notes, emptied the dishwasher, filled the dishwasher, did more laundry, bathed the baby, prepared a balanced dinner for the two of us, put away laundry, prepared a bottle for the night time feeding, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned the house again, defrosted a dinner for Husby to take to work and prepared some rice to go with it... oh, and fed the baby a dozen times, swaddled him and coaxed him back to sleep, changed twice as many diapers as feeding sessions, and tried to give the baby some quality fun time.

I felt worn out.

The word that came to mind was SERVANT.

I cried to Husby, "I haven't done a thing for myself all day!". Really, a few pathetic tears rolled down my face. I was so tired though that I didn't want to go into a discussion of better ways for me to allocate time during the day. I didn't want to think about why I waited until after a disagreement to communicate my feelings. I didn't want to do anything but feel sorry for myself.

And sleep. I wanted to do that too. However, I knew that the baby would wake me up in a few hours, which made me feel even more exhausted.

So, I confess this to you, dear readers, I am naturally a self absorbed person. I like to do things that I like to do. I like to do things I want to do. I like to do things alone and for myself. I like thinking about myself and having my own needs met. Basically, those are selfish descriptors.

I am learning that the word mother, when used as an adjective, is basically an antonym for selfish.

Mothering = long suffering, patience, and active participation.

I can't imagine having the same mothering experience as a single mom, a teenage mom, or a physically ill mom.

I know that humans are naturally selfish and in that being selfish is sinful in nature. God requires that we give up those bouts of selfish immaturity in order to follow Him and do His will. Having an exhausting day yesterday makes me wonder how much I am being a servant to God.
Have I felt that my energy has been poured out to God like I felt depleted by pouring out my energy to my family?

I've been called to serve God, and I thought I'd been doing it in the past. Having a baby and having to be responsible for him all day long teaches me the level of dedication I should exceed as a Christian, a servant of God.

EASY thoughts...

Routines are good.

Its hard to maintain one while traveling, hosting guests, or doing regular life stuff, like going to the grocery store. At least, for me... for now its tricky!

I will wait longer to see if I am being consist ant and fair in my review of BW, but so far, its helpful for me. Sort of a crutch, not quite a tool!

I would like to add that I wish there were a C involved in the acronym... for CUDDLE! Would that be CEASY? or EACSY? Or, I could at a H for Hugs, so it could be CHEASY!

stuff like this goes through my mind during the gazillion hours a day I am nursing him...

Something that annoys me:

Sticky keyboard keys. GRR. I hate typing with them as much as I love getting the spell check function to say "No Misspellings Found!".

Crying over spilled milk.

Its okay to cry over it when its YOURS and you just spent an hour trying to get it bottle ready for a baby's daddy to experience the neatness of feeding him.

Grr.

Works in progress...

Works in progress sure sounds a lot better than "stuff I can't seem to finish". Here are things that are on the back burner, just simmering until I have more time... or they are up front and taking forever to accomplish!

1) Thank you notes for newborn gifts, hospital visits, and cards.
2) Birth announcements/photos of baby mailed to friends and family
3) Programming my new phone to be "just so"
4) Editing photos
5) Overcoming the learning curve of the breast pump
6) Awesome book, "Julie/Julia"
7) Cleaning my Jeep
8) Reading missed posts of blogs I subscribe to
9) Writing blog posts (anyone have something they want me to write about? Taking requests!)
10) SLEEP! :o)

Recipe: Fab-o day.

Ingredients:

1 BFF
1 Trip to Target
2 Salads from Panera
2 Tasty Brownies
30 min of Oprah Show


Directions:

Enjoy company of BFF by mixing in as much conversation, laughter, and fun times as possible. Sprinkle with a hearty dose of laughter. Serve with or without husband and baby, both are enjoyable.

Trying to take it E.A.S.Y.

So last night I wrote about the resource my friend SoccerTots (who still doesn't have a blog, but totally should) told me about. Its called The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems (by Teaching You How to Ask the Right Questions): Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood .

Apparently, its a commonly read how-to parenting book, and another mom I spoke with today much prefers it to the attachment parenting method. I am not sure that I totally buy into either idea, what with being a parent for only 25 days now, so I will get back to you on this one. Both women who have used the ideas presented by Hogg are calm, collected, and have toddlers who are model citizens. I have felt anything but calm and collected, and since they seem to have similar lifestyles as I do, I am excited to see if having routines makes me feel more normal, too.

So... here's the main idea from E.A.S.Y. You teach the baby a predictable way to plan the day that keeps him well fed, entertained, and well-rested. Its not a schedule set by a clock, but its not on-demand feeding, either. I like the point of view that the baby is learning how to breast feed and experience meals just as much as I am learning to feed and give meals. So its like the blind leading the blind either way... but I am a blind person who can read a reference book, so why shouldn't I be leading the way, not just the baby?

The book I referenced at the top of the post and that is pictured is the newer book that has many ideas summarized. I needed the long version, the one that is called Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby . In case you are still interested, I will copy and paste the gist of the plan according to The Baby Whisper's web site's message board. If you don't care to read about this - well, I totally get that. I mean, if I didn't have a baby with a cry that tugs at my heart to help him out, I probably wouldn't read on!

Right now, Baby H has followed the order of the EASY pattern, but hasn't slept much. I think he is way over-tired because he is the crankiest version of himself ever. He's more of a fuss-bucket than a cuddle-bucket. I miss my cuddlebucket! I hope EASY brings him some peace of mind.

*All information is taken from "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems," by Tracy Hogg

E.A.S.Y. is "a routine that gives the day structure and makes family life consistent, which is important because all of us, children and adults, as well as babies and toddlers, thrive on predictability."

"With E.A.S.Y., you don't follow the baby; you take charge. You observe him carefully, tune in to his cues, but you take the lead, gently encouraging him to follow what you know will make him thrive: eating, appropriate levels of activity, and a good sleep afterwards. You are the baby's guide. You set the pace." (page 16)

From page 17:Why Go E.A.S.Y.?

EASY is a sensible way to get you and your child through the day. It is composed of repetitive cycles of each letter. The E, A, and S are interrelated-changes in one usually affect the other two. Although your baby will transform over the coming months as she grows, the order in which each letter occurs does not:

Eat: Your baby's day starts with a feed, which goes from all-liquid to liquids and solids at six months. You're less likely to overfeed or underfeed a baby who's on a routine.

Activity: Infants entertain themselves by cooing and gooing at their caretakers and staring at the wavy lines on the dining room wallpaper. But as your baby develops she will interact more with her environment and move about. A structured routine helps prevent babies from becoming overstimulated.

Sleep: Sleep helps your baby grow. Also, good naps during the day will make her go for longer stretches at night, because one needs to be relaxed in order to sleep well.

Your time: If your baby isn't on a structured routine, every day will be different and unpredictable. Not only will she be miserable, you'll barely have a moment for yourself.

"Parents who establish [the] E.A.S.Y. routine quickly get better at figuring out what their baby needs and wants at a particular time of the day. Let's say you've fed your infant (the E), and she's been up for fifteen minutes (the A-activity), and then she starts to get a bit fussy. Chances are, she's ready for sleep (the S)." (page 17) While she's napping, you should take the opportunity to do something for yourself, and then when she wakes, you'll know she's ready for her next feed. (Assuming she's taken an appropriate length of nap).

Without a routine in place, life with baby can be chaotic. It would be hard to determine if your baby was crying due to hunger, or due to being tired. You wouldn't be able to predict his nap times or feed times, thus unable to make plans for yourself and your family. "Eating affects sleep and activity; activity affects eating and sleeping; sleep affects activity and eating-and all of them will naturally affect you." (page 18)

E.A.S.Y. is not a schedule. A schedule is more about focusing on the clock, whereas E.A.S.Y. is about focusing on your baby and his cues and needs. Rather than following time slots, E.A.S.Y. follows a daily pattern of events. By doing so, we guide our children and teach them by repetition.

"The most important aspect of E.A.S.Y. is to read your child's signs-of hunger, of fatigue, of over stimulation-which is more important than any time slot." (page 20) 4

Tracy uses example routines in her books that include times. This is for informational purposes to generally advise on how to use EASY. But babies vary, and each baby varies every day, and you shouldn't panic if a feed time is off by 15 minutes, or if baby doesn't nap for 2 hrs. Also, not all babies wake at 7 am to start their day; some are early risers, and some sleep later.

******************************************************************************************************************Sample E.A.S.Y. routines (from page 34)

:3-hour E.A.S.Y. (under 4 months old)

E: 7:00 wake up and feed

A: 7:30 or 7:45 (depending on how long feed takes)

S: 8:30 (1.5 hour nap)

Y: Your choice

E: 10:00

A: 10:30 or 10:4

5S: 11:30 (1.5 hour nap)

Y: Your choice

E: 1:00

A: 1:30 or 1:45

S: 2:30 (1.5 hour nap)

Y: Your choice

E: 4:00 feed

S: 5:00 or 6:00 or somewhere in between: catnap (approximately 40 minutes) to get Baby through the next feed and bath

E: 7:00 (cluster feed at 7:00 and 9:00 if going through a growth spurt)

A: bath

S: 7:30 bedtime

Y: The evening is yours!

E: 10:00 or 11:00 dream feed

"The above are ideal days. Your baby won't necessarily conform exactly to these times. Her routine can be affected by weight-a smaller baby might only be able to do a 3 1/2 hour routine at four months but will usually catch up by five, or, at most, six months-and temperamental differences, as some babies are better sleepers than others and some take less time to chow down. Your child might even veer from her own schedule fifteen minutes here and there." (page 34)

Overheard:

Me: Honey, will you change the baby? That's probably why he's making so much noise.

Husby: Dear, that's Whitney Houston. I can change the radio station if you want.

Gee... does this mean my son's crying is melodic, that I am paranoid of his discomfort, or that I really need more sleep to discern soft rock from baby whimpers?

Thank you, friend!

I've been feeling REALLY stressed since about last Thursday morning.

Frazzled.

Worn slick.

I even referred to my son as "that baby" on the phone with a friend (as in, I've gotta feed that baby now), and had to pray for patience.

The baby has been traveling, over stimulated, on weird feeding schedules, only "snacking" instead of getting meals, around lots of weird smells and textures, and riding in a car A LOT. Its only natural that he'd freak out and not know how to respond... after all, he is related to me, and I've been called Wimberly (of Wimberly is Worried by Kevin Henkes).

My friend Hilary, who is yet to be a blogger, but would have some pretty darn awesome stories to share, loaned me this book by Tracy Hogg called The Baby Whisperer and I've had an opportunity to read parts of it. It makes total sense! My baby is so cranky because he isn't getting good sleep at night because he is restless during the day. I've trained him to be a snacker... I feel lots of pressure to "hurry up and get him fed already" so he can be passed around company or fit into a convenient schedule (my convenient schedule!).

I am really excited to try this new routine out. Its like a life line... a tool that brings hope. I was sortakindaalittlebit regretting being an at home mom right now... what with all the crying and sad baby frowns I've been getting from my kiddo and sleep deprivation...

This gives me some sort of crutch and framework for organizing my day! Whoo hoo.

Thanks, friend! I trust your expertise since you have one really obedient and happy two year old and you have a plethora of patience with your two month old!

I don't want to be labeled as a bloggy mommy.

Because I have other dimensions of self that I enjoy. And I'm really new at being a mom, but not so new at being Mrs.Haid who has Fabulous Adventures.

So I will try super hard to think of things to write about. I promise not to do every post about my baby. I have a baby blog instead, one which is neglected (because my baby isn't neglected... I had to choose one or the other!) that will serve the purpose of chronicling his fabulous adventures.

But when I am surrounded by this cuteness all day long, its hard NOT to write about it, at least occasionally.

So, as a promise to myself, I will remember to write about MY ideas, MY adventures, MY idiosyncrasies, MY opinions, and ME... because if I let myself be consumed by all things baby, I will be bored by my own writing (eventually, and I might embarrass the kid).

Overheard...

Baby: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Weeeah. Wah. Wah. Wah.
Me: Son, you're wearing me slick.


I imagine the baby thinking, "Geez, mom, what's with all these goofy phrases? You never spoke with colloquialisms like this before. Where are we, the Ozarks?"

Placentas and Patient Involvement

I am someone who totally wanted to see the placenta. My placenta/baby's placenta = our placenta. I mean, two people really RARELY share organs, right? I suppose sometimes you could donate a lobe of your lung or half of your set of kidneys, but that's pretty rare.

So I asked to see the placenta.

The doctor was approximately four years older than me, and I could tell he also thought it was pretty cool looking.

It was dark red, juicy looking. Very solid looking, and somewhat smaller than a frisbee, but of course thicker. One side was very smooth looking, and I had read that the other side was supposed to have lots of vasculature, but it wasn't as vessel-y as I thought.

The medical staff asked me if I had any special rituals or purposes intended for the placenta. They are directed to ship it to a lab for some tests, and then after the tests, it can be "collected" by the family or disposed. WTF? Collected? Disposed? How weird!

I mean, I'd never consider eating it. Grrrr-oss.

I also wouldn't want to scrapbook it or anything.

I have a relative who stored one of their children's in the freezer until the spring thaw with the intention of planting it with a tree. (Apparently, placentas have lots of nutrients and are awesome fertilizers). Well, I just cleared out some space in our freezer, and I found some of my mother in law's salsa dated 2005, so I wonder how many forgotten placentas there are in freezers around the country! Can you imagine pulling it out months later, thinking it was some sort of pork product? Ha!

I think that since you are the patient, you are entitled to view any specimen from your own body. And I think you should advocate that you are the most informed person involved in your medical case. I can't fathom a person who wouldn't want to see their own placenta or at least hear about it... know that it came out alright... that sort of thing.

If I would have had a C-section, I would have asked to view the surgical procedure as well. I would have asked for them to lower the drape so I could see inside my abdominal cavity... but if they wouldn't for hygiene purposes (like maybe I'd sneeze into my own guts?), I would request a mirror on the ceiling to see it. And if that request wasn't possible, I'd have had Husby film it. I'm sure his reaction would be willing, but weirded out.

Maybe not. He has lived with me for quite some time, and he did photograph the urine bag attached to my bed because I had a catheter... so he might be a good sport about it!

Screaming Infant on Aisle 4...

Note to self:

Very young babies aren't cool with trips to the grocery store.

Very new moms are likely to forget the items they needed from said grocery store, even if they have made a list.

So two trips to two different stores... baby shrieks both times, and both times I had forgotten to pick up the blue recycling bags. Sad news for both of us... and annoying news for the other patrons of the stores.

Gah, my fingers miss typing.

Seriously, I've got about a hundred blog posts floating around in my brain.

I just haven't had the time, finger dexterity, or mental wherewithal (is that a word? is it one that I'm allowed to say and not sound too silly?) to get them all down on this blog. And heck with the baby's blog.

I've been jotting down notes in a small notebook each day, and I think once little DH starts being more independent, whammo, look out for the posts.

But for now, gotta go check on the laundry. I've been traveling with the baby for 6 days, plus Husby wears about 3 shirts and underwears a day, so TONS of folding is in my future! The machines have been working for 13.5 hours straight... and they ain't new. I hope they don't explode or burst into flames!

I also REALLY want to catch up on reading blogs. I wish there were a better way to feed the baby and read and type at the same time... because if there were, geez, I could be caught up on reading and writing in no time flat.

Reflective Daybook for 8-10-09

Modified from SWD


Outside my window... The sky is dark and the neighborhood is quiet. I just found out our weatherman lives a block down. He filmed a commercial right in front of his house, and we recognized our neighborhood. Though I am not a stalker, I had to figure out where his house was in relation to ours, since his house looks exactly like ours.



I am thinking... about making another fab CVS.com purchase ... its 20 percent off everything, plus 10 dollars off 50...


This week I will try to... be flexible


I hope to teach... circadian rhythms to our baby



From the kitchen... fresh fruit! This is the summer of watermelon at our house! Not a week has gone by without some in our fridge!



I am wearing... non-pregnant clothes! Woohooooo!!! Yeah, they are stretchy workout ones, but the polish on my toes matches the pink in my top!


On my iTunes... lots of podcasts from our church and New Life. I am considering adding Dave Ramsey to my playlist!



I am reading... the blog posts I missed from all the blogs I follow... I am not quite caught up with every one's sagas!


I am hoping... to call my friend Ann tomorrow.


I am thankful for... my husband's secure job.



I am remembering... the traumatic back-to-school dreams and lesson plan anxiety, even though its not back to school for me!



I am creating... a new routine that revolves around someone besides me. Tough adjustment for this self-centered girl! I didn't know how self-absorbed I really was until this week when I wished I had time to do my eyebrows when I needed to tend to the baby. So that's why they are a bit scraggly.



I am praying... for my friend's job situation.



Around the house... tons of cute new baby cards from thoughtful friends!



One of my favorite things... newborn sleeping facial expressions... our baby started to chuckle in his sleep this week!



A few plans for the rest of the week... visit my family in STJ, enjoy time with Landolt family at a Lake, get as many naps in as I can!



A picture thought to share with you: He learned to cry this week. Bummer, but the quiet couldn't last forever! Now he communicates and we don't have to check to see if he is alive all the time. It sure was nice for those first 10 days!!!

Aunt J and Cousin J visit Baby H!

On Saturday, my sister, my mom, and my step-niece came to visit. I have lots of photos of Baby H with Auntie Rachie, and now with his other aunt, too! (But PS - I will call all of my gfs Auntie around him, so don't be surprised if he thinks I have lots and lots of sisters!!)

Both of them have red hair! Well, one of of them has red hair. The other one maybe has red hair!
Cousin J is way happier than Cousin DH!

An okay photo of me with my baby. I am not photographing well running on such little sleep!

He's squirmy!

And he's sleepy.

Another nice one!

And here we are at a Mexican restaurant - Baby H's first time out to eat. He didn't actually eat here, of course... and he slept through the entire event!

Blogging Hiatus... Is it Over YET?

Baby is home and healthy, computer is home (but not quite healthy), and I am full of ideas and things to write about.

I sort of feel like the movie, Stranger Than Fiction, in that I've got a narrator voice over for some of my daily activities or thoughts. Not a British accent, like the one Will Ferrel's character has. I wish my internal voice was like Emma Thomson's!

Some things I will write about:

- Cloth Diapering Adventure, Day 1
- Newborn Photo Shoot Body Fluid Extravaganza
- Reviews of Books I've Read
- Update on BFing
-Photos of a Cute Baby
- Upcoming School Year Without a Contract... Will I Still Have Those Teacher Nightmares?
- Product Reviews of Pregnancy and Labor stuff

Daybook, August 3, 2009

Modified from SWD

Outside my window... Sunny skies, calm neighborhood. Window closed, too warm for no AC.

I am thinking... my husband who returned to work today from paternity leave. I bet he misses us..

This week I will try to... Take one nap each day.

I hope to teach... Myself to use the camcorder.

From the kitchen... Lovely treats from friends and family.

I am wearing... What I slept half the night in - but not put on originally... that nightgown got my first exposure to baby burping.

On my iTunes... I haven't listened to music intentionally since about a week ago, when I was trying to relax to my Calm Labor Playlist.

I am reading... Loads of the info that came from the hospital.

I am hoping... to get newborn photos confirmed this morning.

I am thankful for... Help from others - nursing staff, my mother, my husband, extended family, pediatricians, all who have demonstrated lovingkindness to me and the baby

I am remembering... I am trying NOT to remember last week at this time... OK, fine... at 8 am last week my epidural was completely off and Husby was arguing with the anesthesiologist while I had my covering my ears because that man just wouldn't listen to me.

I am creating... Shutterfly albums for sharing and printing.

I am praying... Prayers of thanksgiving to my God, a true shelter in the storm and a Great Comforter

Around the house... Clean, clean, clean! Lots of company and a mother who washes windows makes for a house that is neater than its been EVER.

One of my favorite things... Pepsi, Aden and Anais swaddle blankets, and Lansinoh Lanolin.

A few plans for the rest of the week... My youngest sister visits today, then a smattering of other visitors through the week, Wednesday photo op at Moments and Memories, snuggling my infant

A picture thought to share with you:

Confession:

I feel a huge pride about two things right now:

1) Blogger told me 'No Misspellings found" for the last post
2) I took those amazing photos, save the ones I was in!

Family Photos

Today I arranged for our newborn photo shoot with a studio near KC that is WOW impressive. I also took 285 shots with my camera of the little man wearing shoes from my friend Laura, snuggling with my parents, and with my husband. There are only a few with me, and picky as I am about my appearance (especially in this extreme fatigue time), I have taken a few with him and me.

Here are a few shots from today. I seriously have 90 times more! I will start to post them on his baby blog at some point, when I can get that more organized and polished looking. Because baby blogs should be professional, ha!