Week 5 of Life

... and we're nursing in public. Over the weekend we were able to take little G out to dinner with us a couple times and it was great! She slept through the whole thing peacefully. So on Monday (remember she hates her Mondays) my parents had off from work and we boldly decided to take her to lunch. As luck would have it somehow her feeding time coincided with right after we ordered our food. I figured she would sleep for a few hours, but she woke right up at the 2 hour mark from her last feeding and she was HUNGRY. Out came the hooter hider and I fed her right at the table on the patio at the restaurant. Honestly, it was no big deal. The only downside was that my delicious food came and I had to stare at it until she finished eating. :-)

Gabriella's 5 week dr. appt went really well - she's up to 10 lbs 1 oz and 22 inches long! Her head is also 15 1/4 inches, in case you were keeping tabs. She looks perfect he says, and I do have to agree with the good man. She's perfection...

Hee hee look at that scowl! She's a character, my little ducky.

Gabriella is 1 month old!

One month has passed since I gave birth to this little angel...

She's still so tiny to me... newborn clothes and diapers still are all that fit her. Some are starting to get snug, but all her 0-3 stuff is so big on her! We have soooo many 0-3 outfits so I'm looking forward to when I can dress her up in them :-). 

Since I've made it one whole month in mommy-land, I've decided I'm now an expert and will impart my wisdom unto ye who readeth this blog. Here are some of our baby items we've acquired, and my feelings on them. 

1. Moby Wrap - If you are pregnant, go and buy one. NOW. This thing has been a lifesaver in more ways than I can count. Probably the most crucial baby item I've gotten because it gets her to stop crying! And I can move around the house and actually do things. Your arms will get so tired walking around holding a baby (and she's the smallest she'll ever be, they only get heavier from here), and this relieves all that. And did I mention it stops her from crying?! I never thought I'd be one of those attachment parent types, but this thing has made me a total convert. And she naps so peacefully in it. LOVE.

2. Wipes Warmer - Ahhh the ever-so controversial wipes warmer. So many say they're a total waste of money and useless. I actually quite like mine. It's all of what, 20 bucks? And I imagine it feels delightful to have a warm wipe on the tush as opposed to an icy one. I won't have to imagine too much longer, because DH has proclaimed that after G's done with it, it's so going in our bathroom. He likes to use wipes. Ew? Or genius? You be the judge.

3. Little Lamb Swing - So far, it's kind of been a dud. Which is sad because we totally thought it would be a key player in soothing our little one. She pretty much hates it when it's swinging. And call me a crazy overprotective mother, but I feel like even when it's on the lowest setting, it swings her waaay too hard. Lately she's ok with being in it for 5 minutes, but only to look at the mobile spinning above her, not swinging in it. Hopefully she'll like it more when she's older. 

4. Breast Pump - Uh yeah, if you plan on breastfeeding, you'll pretty much need one, so it's kind of silly to "review" this item. But I have to say mine is just dandy - the Medela Pump in Style. What really is fabulous that I have to mention is the hands free bra thing that my mom got me for it. Seriously awesome that I can just pop on the little suction "horns" as hubby calls them and have my hands free to work on a word jumble. Can you tell I'm really big on hands-free stuff?

5. Microwave Sterilizer - This item turned out to be lame. I mean it's totally not lame that you can sterilize your shiz in 6 minutes, but maybe it's just hubbs and I who are lame and never bother doing it. Piping hot water from the dishwasher should do the trick, no? Perhaps when we eventually really use bottles regularly we'll begin using it more. For now, the included bottle brush gets way more action. Oh and the included paci - ridic. It's so small and awkward, Gabriella never even takes a sucking to it. She loves her soothies though.

6. The Swaddle - Necessary. The cheap Kiddopotamus ones from Babies R Us are fine, the Halo one that is a sack and a swaddle in one is also great. She will NOT sleep at night without being swaddled. The actual swaddling blankets, however are lame for swaddling. Houdini over here can get out of any blanket swaddle you can manage to get her in. The swaddle blankets, however, are fantastic for using around the house to cover her up, catch a bit of spit-up, in the carseat on the go, set down on the couch for a diaper change... 

7. Sound Machine - Fantastic. We just happened to have one, and the waterfall sound is magical to Gabriella. They're pretty cheap, so I'd recommend getting a little $20 one and trying it out. If baby hates it, you could always use it - who doesn't like falling asleep to the sound of a babbling brook, or crickets in the amazon?

8. Mustela Products - So I'm a bit of a product snob, and for her "cosmetic" type items, such as body and hair wash and lotion, I wanted to get her the best. I figured fancy-pants Mustela brand would be the greatest. Now I just feel ehhh towards them. I mean sure, if you want you can go and spend the $12 or whatever it is for a bottle of baby wash (I don't know, since I got the $50 gift set of a bunch of things), but the $2 J&J stuff ultimately does the same job. And if I must be honest, whatever they used to wash her with in the hospital smelled SO amazing, and I feel like this stuff doesn't have that same magic. I have no clue what they used, but I'm thisclose to calling and asking!

9. Bassinet - We raved about how happy we were that we ended up buying one. We initially poopooed it and were just going to stick her in the crib from the get-go, but right before she came (literally like 2 days before) I realized I wanted her in the room with us, and knew I wouldn't be able to sleep at night without her right by me, so I can make sure she's breathing/hasn't run away from home yet. I looked around and was rather horrified at the notion of spending about $150 for one, which seems to be the going rate. I found this one at Walmart online, and it was seriously $40. And it came with those cute little baskets and even pink AND blue ribbon to personalize for whatever sex your baby is. The reviews were great so I went ahead and bought it. I was a little terrified once it arrived when I realized it was basically cardboard, but so were the pricey ones, and she slept well in it for her first month. The last two nights she's actually slept in her crib - and this happened totally by chance. When feeding her one night, I really had to pee, so between boobs I put her down in the crib to run and do my deal. When I came out, she was fast asleep so comfortably in there, I couldn't wake her, so I let her snooze, and she did so for a full 4 hours. I took it as a sign that the time has come for the switchover, and plus she was getting long for the bassi. I'm glad we had it, and glad-er that we only spent $40 (with free shipping!) on an item that got good use for all of one month.

10. Monitor - We went with the Sony Babycall because the reviews for all the other monitors sucked, and we happened to have a 20% off coupon and some leftover money on a gift card one day so we decided to grab this. Our bedroom is 3 feet from G's so we figured we wouldn't need a monitor at first, but again, we made this impulse purchase one day thinking "hey, everyone's got to get one, right?" It works fine, but I really regret not getting a video monitor. Sure, I could be writing this review saying how stupid I feel for shelling out $200 on a video monitor that turns out to be crappy, but for now I feel dumb getting a sound-only monitor. Hello, our bedroom is 3 feet from hers! I can hear her just fine. Seeing is different, and we both lamented the other night how we wish we had the video one so we could just roll over and peek at her sleeping away in the other room. And of course now I'm entirely too stubborn to buy another monitor since we already paid for this one... Maybe if I find a killer deal?

Oh I could sooo go on, but I'm in dire need of a nap, so I'll leave it at the even 10. Rest assured that when I think of more must have/must skip items I will surely inform y'all. 

Happy Friday!

I know I sure am!

P.S. Check out my pumas!

Last night hubby and I got a chance to go on a much needed date night. My parents came over to watch G, so we just went out and had dinner at Cheesecake Factory, and went shopping for a gift for a friend's shower. It was so good to get out just us, yet it's hysterical that all we could talk about the whole time was our little Gabriella. She's changing so much already - she's more and more alert and I know she's just taking in everything she sees. She's long reached those little milestones the baby books say they may reach as of 1 month - she can track things with her eyes, she gives us little smiles, and she's great at lifting her neck up during tummy time (as much as she hates it). As hard and tiring as the "newborn" stage is, I want to cherish these moments I have with her being so tiny in my arms. I remember wanting to cherish feeling her little kicks while I was still pregnant with her because I knew I would miss them once she was born, and it's so true. You really should take time to appreciate life in the moment, because it just goes by so fast...

3 weeks old!

Ahhh she's growing up before my very eyes! Ugh before I know it she'll be walking, going off to school, jumping on the back of a motorbike with some punk named Devo...

Today we had a little bit of a rough day. She started off by wanting to eat every hour. And if she wasn't eating, she was screaming bloody murder. It's pretty frustrating trying to comfort her when she's completely inconsolable. I just want to help her and yet there's nothing I can do! She was doing so well for the last week too. I really think she hates Mondays. Thankfully my pops came over to help, because I was starting to lose it a little. Maybe it was something I ate and she didn't like it in my breast milk?

Anyhow I'd like to post some more pics of little G because really, I haven't done that nearly enough! She makes the best faces...

You know what I forgot to do?

Link y'all over to the preview of G's newborn pics! Our photographer was absolutely amazing and I'm in LOVE with the pictures - I think I'll just fall over completely when I see all of them. http://lauriesachsphotography.com/blog/viewpost/1266

They were done when Gabriella was 9 days old - it already feels like so long ago, which is so weird! At that point hubby and I were still in the deer in the headlights phase with our baby... we weren't quite sure why she was crying, we didn't really know how to soothe her best, we were a little afraid of her haha. The last week has been so different - she is crying so much less, and really only when she needs something (namely a diaper change, she hates to stew in her own peesh). The last two nights she's slept 6 hours straight, which weirds me out a little bit. I mean, I'm supposed to feed her every 2 1/2- 3 1/2 hours, but the dr. said at night if she's asleep, let her sleep through. I'm really not going to argue with it, because 6 hours in a row of sleep is like a wet dream to the parents of a newborn baby. But I wonder if it's normal/if I'm starving my poor baby. I guess she'd let me know, right?


Oooh and another fun milestone to share - G pooped on our couch. Apparently mama thought she was hot shit and could change a diaper without putting anything on underneath. Ooopsie. Well, I wanted a new couch anyway...

Post-Partum Poll

•  How far along were you when you had your baby? 39 weeks 5 days.
• How long was labor? 26 hours precisely.
• Total weight gain: 45 pounds *faints*
• Total weight loss since: 32 lbs! But I really want to lose like 25 more pounds...
• Back into your own clothes yet? I haven't had the nerve to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans yet, but my tops and sweats fit just fine.
• Did you get stretch marks? God, did I! I feel like now that my belly has deflated (for the most part) I'm really noticing them. I'm rubbing some special stuff on em hoping it will do something, but who knows? I hear they fade, and hopefully a spray tan will cover them?
• Did you deliver vaginally or by c-section? C-sec.
• Best moment this week: I wouldn't necessarily call it a moment, but I feel like I'm definitely getting the hang of things better now. Maybe she's not as fussy, maybe I'm just better at soothing her, maybe I can be a good mommy after all!
• What I miss about being pregnant: Feeling her moving inside me.
• How big is baby: 8 pounds 6 ounces today! She's gaining weight which is a total relief! I thought for sure my breastmilk was jipping her but dr. says everything looks great and to keep doing what I'm doing.
• Baby's temperament? She can be fussy at times because she's a bit gassy, but it seems that Mylicon has been helping her quite a bit. She is so much more alert lately and is having a lot more "content" moments.
• What I am looking forward to: Hearing and seeing her laughs and knowing it's not just gas but actual happiness!

 So today's dr. appt. went super well. She's now 21 1/4 inches (OMG did she really grow?!) and 8 lbs 6 oz. And it was time for that dreaded shot, and my goodness was she a brave little girl! She only cried for like 30 seconds and then fell right asleep in my arms. If only her mama was as brave as her (I couldn't help but cry). This morning I also introduced a bottle to her. I just wanted to top her off a bit before the dr. appt. so I gave her an ounce of pumped milk and she scarfed it down like it was nothing. I can see how easy and convenient it is to formula feed, and it makes it so tempting. But I'm holding my ground because I feel like she can benefit so much from my breast milk. And plus, there are no bottles to clean up with the ol boobies. :-)

Ahhh

I finally have a moment to breathe and blog a bit! Things have actually gotten a lot easier (knock on wood) the last few nights I think... I'm getting used to sleeping a lot less/not at all, and I think we're getting much better at appeasing little Gigi when she starts crying (the Halo swaddle is a godsend. I could write a whole post on swaddles... maybe I will). She's now two weeks and one day old! two weeks and two days old! Haha see I have to do things in short increments, thus starting blog posts and finishing them on different days...

Let's see as far as updates...
-We have a dr. appointment tomorrow to see if she is gaining weight. She was 7 lbs 14 oz last week so hopefully she's gained some. I'm not sure because to me it seems totally foreign that she could gain weight (let alone live) off of some liquid coming out of my boobs. The breastfeeding is going ok I think so far. She latches well and eats now for about 15 minutes a boob (but sometimes will feast for 25 on one if she thinks she's struck gold/is sleepy). I love the bonding feeling I have with feeding her, but I think it does overwhelm me still that she completely depends on my boobs for living. We haven't introduced a bottle yet, but I've been pumping a bit so we have a small frozen stash. I think it will help a lot to have hubby be able to give her a bottle every once in a while - I'll have a chance to sleep for a bit of a longer stretch, or even maybe go see a movie or something! Though the thought of leaving her for even those two hours gives me a mild anxiety attack. My dr. insists I need to get out and do things for myself, but I really don't want to leave her yet. I did go and get muffins the other day, and I was quite pleased with myself. Baby steps, baby steps.

-Her umbilical cord stumpy fell off - twice. I swear another one like regenerated and then flaked off bit by bit. I'm excited to give her actual baths and not just sponge baths. I think she sort of likes her baths. :-D

- Oh at her 1st in-office dr. appt. last week she was 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight. I wanted to make sure I documented that. He wanted to give her a shot, and I kind of freaked out. I wasn't prepared for it just yet, but he was totally nice and said it wasn't a big deal and could be done next time. *Gulp* I guess tomorrow is "next time".

- She nicely fits in newborn clothes. I want to quickly say BOOOOO to all the people who told me not to bother buying newborn sizes. The 0-3 stuff is HUGE on her and we had to go out a couple times to buy her more newborn sized duds. And my favorite is anything with a zipper - some of the Carters sleepers with all the snaps are like rocket science to figure out how to button up at 3 a.m.

- She's a genius. I'm sure all parents think this of their babies, but um mine really is! She's been smiling and following things with her eyes and I swear she can crawl up my chest. And when she cries, I distinctly hear "mama, mama, mama!!!!!" So I may be a tiny bit delusional.  

I can't really think of anything else for now. I have so many pictures to sort through, and I'll be sure to post tons when I get another free moment. I'm getting better at managing my time and squeezing things in while she naps - I actually had a chance to do a load of laundry today too! Oh and my mom got me a Belly Bandit so let's see if it does anything in the way of giving me six pack abs within the month. Let me be delusional. I haven't slept in... oh, two weeks and two days. ;-)

Motherhood

So I'm fairly new at this whole mommy business. About 11 days in actually. And it's friggin hard man. They don't tell you that. Or they do, but you don't really appreciate what they warn you about until you experience it firsthand. It's wonderful, but so difficult at the same time. No sleep. I hardly remember to eat. I'm pretty sure I smell, even though I am managing to fit in a 3 minute shower daily. Oh and the crying. It breaks your heart because you want to fix whatever it is that's wrong, but you have no clue what exactly that is. So you try everything hoping that it's one of the few you can (feed, change, cuddle, burp...). And sometimes, there's nothing wrong at all... they just want to cry! And I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be doing, really. Is she really only supposed to eat, poop and sleep? I don't need to entertain her? I feel guilty feeding her and then trying to get her back to sleep, hoping to evade a cry-fest. I mean I'm sure outside life is a step up in the boredom scale from life inside a dark, damp uterus (nice visual, eh?) but surely she must need more? And is she getting enough food? I wish my boobs were see-thru so I could know for certain she's getting fed. Jesus, is motherhood really all about worrying?!

They tell me it gets easier. They also tell me that it will get harder before it gets easier. When I look at my sweet Gabriella I melt completely, and know that all the hard stuff is worth it. But I am starting to resemble a zombie.