When I was in college, I chose whether or not I slept for a full eight hours or not. If I had something to finish (like a 25 page paper I waited until the last minute to complete), I would go to bed early and wake at 2 or 3 in the morning to finish the assignment. I would work until my first class at 8am and go to class with a good amount of energy to complete my day... which was over at 1pm. I spent a lot of time in the mirror with Visine trying to get rid of the redness and burning sensation in my eyes.
I figured nothing would be worse than that. Well, I guess I hadn't factored in motherhood.
I have the perfect baby... he is cuter than I could've ever hoped for, he ALWAYS smiles and laughs, he loves to cuddle, he doesn't cry often, he goes to bed at 7:30, and he takes long naps.
but.......
This little kid wakes up in the night every two and a half to three hours to eat. He sleeps in the bed with us because I can't handle getting him out of his crib and nursing him and placing him back in the crib.
What gets me is that he doesn't cry when he's hungry, but instead, he will kick, flail his arms, and claw at my face. I try to ignore it hoping that he goes back to sleep, but he only becomes more violent until I pick him up and put a boob in his mouth.
He'll only nurse for about 15-20 minutes, and in the meantime, I go back to sleep... but last night was terrible!
He seemed to be awake every hour and a half. He was up so much that I just decided to start getting ready for work at 4:30 because it didn't make sense to go back to sleep.
Parents with young children kept saying, "He'll sleep through the night when you start feeding him cereal." I prayed that this was true, but I didn't keep my hopes up.
And for good reason... it seems that adding the cereal to his bottle has made him even more ravenous. He has increased his intake to 4.5 ounces of milk plus two tablespoons of cereal. I'm actually having to supplement with formula almost full-time since I send him to school with all the milk I can pump (4 four oz bottles).
He's only in the 10th percentile for his size, but based on how he's eating now, he'll be in the 90th percentile in no time!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sheep Dog
Soooooooo..... according to pregnancy literature, some women lose a lot of hair after they give birth due to the fluctuations in hormones and blah, blah, blah. The last thing I read said that women usually shed hair for an entire year.
Well, if that is the case, I will be bald by Charlie's first birthday. I have been shedding hair like a friggin sheep dog. Its everywhere! In the kitchen, in the laundry room, in the fridge, wrapped in the folds of baby's neck. My hair literally rolls around like tumbleweeds in the desert.
If I run my hands through my hair, I'm guaranteed to have a few strands of hair wrapped around my fingers. I'm actually "balding" in spots where I've always had thin hair.
I'm so nervous about the hair loss that I'm considering setting up standing appointments for twice a month at the salon. I'm thinking about pre-paying for the service to ensure that I don't get lazy and return to my regular habit of getting my hair done when its absolutely necessary (every eight weeks or when it's so nappy that I can't comb it).
Well, if that is the case, I will be bald by Charlie's first birthday. I have been shedding hair like a friggin sheep dog. Its everywhere! In the kitchen, in the laundry room, in the fridge, wrapped in the folds of baby's neck. My hair literally rolls around like tumbleweeds in the desert.
If I run my hands through my hair, I'm guaranteed to have a few strands of hair wrapped around my fingers. I'm actually "balding" in spots where I've always had thin hair.
I'm so nervous about the hair loss that I'm considering setting up standing appointments for twice a month at the salon. I'm thinking about pre-paying for the service to ensure that I don't get lazy and return to my regular habit of getting my hair done when its absolutely necessary (every eight weeks or when it's so nappy that I can't comb it).
Snuggles
My husband is not a snuggler, but I'm in luck because my Charlie is the KING of snuggling... he's absolutely perfect for it! This is how we sleep every night. I love it!
Fleeting
I was reminded that I hadn't blogged in forever, and I vowed that I would write a post. That was three days ago. *sigh*
There is no time for anything (besides Words with Friends), and I always seem to be busy preparing for the next day or trying to keep my house from looking like land mines exploded in every room. Seriously... Time FLIES by once I walk in the door at 4:45pm. I'm either washing bottles or making sandwiches for lunch or washing a load of clothes or figuring out what we're going to have for dinner. I try to think of ways to save time or become more efficient, but I've failed at that because I can't seem to find a way around my 8:30 bedtime.
My schedule like this:
4:30- pick up Charlie
4:45- settle in at the house
5:00- scavenge for dinner, soak bottles
5:30- pump
6:00- eat something
6:30- watch tv, feed baby
7:00- pack bottles for daycare (baby goes to sleep for the night)
7:30- wash bottles, fix sandwiches
8:00- attempt to complete a household chore
8:30- pick out clothes for me and baby
9:00- go to bed
10:00, 1:00am, 3:30am- nurse baby
5:00-7:00am- wake up and get ready for the day (pump, feed and dress baby, make sure I have everything for the day)
7:20am- leave for daycare or work
8:00am-3:50pm- work
4:30- repeat
It is a never ending cycle of work! I can't believe that I ever said that I "didn't have time" before I had a baby. At this point in time, I look for every little second I can to get something done.
Friday, April 8, 2011
It-Snot-Gross... If Its Necessary
My Charlie has been fighting nasal congestion for about a week. We don't know if he got the bug from pollen, daycare, or me returning to those nasty pre-teens at work. I'm assuming its the pollen because I've also been congested, but it didn't feel like a cold. We've been treating him with saline and the aspirator. He sounds terrible at night and in the morning but becomes much better as the day goes on.
When he breathes, snot rattles in his nasal passages. He sneezes and it shoots (or rather, slides) from his teeny baby nostrils. He struggles to breath (my poor baby).
My dad used to tell me how women would suck baby snot right from the nose with their mouths... LITERALLY!!! Women would take their own mouths, put them over the babies' noses and suck.
Well, I'll tell you... as disgusting as it sounds, I gave that method some serious thought as I watched my wheezing sweet-pea struggle to breathe then cough because he was having such difficulty. I prayed that God would work out a miracle and transfer the mucus to me so that I could deal with the problem.
I've resorted to a seemingly effective method of simply covering his nose with tissue and holding one nostril closed. He blows out the mucus (and a lot of it) from the open nostril.
But after this experience, I tell you the truth... Its not gross if its necessary!
When he breathes, snot rattles in his nasal passages. He sneezes and it shoots (or rather, slides) from his teeny baby nostrils. He struggles to breath (my poor baby).
My dad used to tell me how women would suck baby snot right from the nose with their mouths... LITERALLY!!! Women would take their own mouths, put them over the babies' noses and suck.
Well, I'll tell you... as disgusting as it sounds, I gave that method some serious thought as I watched my wheezing sweet-pea struggle to breathe then cough because he was having such difficulty. I prayed that God would work out a miracle and transfer the mucus to me so that I could deal with the problem.
I've resorted to a seemingly effective method of simply covering his nose with tissue and holding one nostril closed. He blows out the mucus (and a lot of it) from the open nostril.
But after this experience, I tell you the truth... Its not gross if its necessary!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Self-Diagnosing
I like the doctor, and I don't mind going, but I'm lazy about it. Every once in a while I'll get this crazy skin irritation and tell myself that I'm gonna go to the doctor to se what it is... I never do.
I started getting it in 2004. The first flare up was two days before starting a new job. It begins as a small rash on my bra line and on my hips. Then it spreads down my torso, around my bra line, and down my hips. I get a flare up at least once a year... Usually between January and May.
Initially, I went to google and yahoo to search my issue, and concluded that it was hives. That was in 2004. I treated myself with benedryl and baby powder.
I had a flare up in spring 2008 after completing IEPs for the first time. I still diagnosed myself with stress related hives. I wore babydoll dresses for a week and covered my skin in a cortisone cream and gold bond powder. It was terrible!
Well, two days ago I started another flare up. This time I wasn't stressed, but I was having an allergic reaction to the pollen (which is somewhat unusual for me). With the congestion, dizziness, itchy eyes, and sneezing, came another flare up. I got back on google and webmd to re-research my issue. After careful consideration, I am diagnosing myself with stress and allergen related eczema. I have itchy, red patches of skin that turn into more and then I'm left with dark patches of "scarred" skin when it goes away.
I haven't come up with my treatment yet although it'll probably include goldbond powder because that stuff is The Truth!
I started getting it in 2004. The first flare up was two days before starting a new job. It begins as a small rash on my bra line and on my hips. Then it spreads down my torso, around my bra line, and down my hips. I get a flare up at least once a year... Usually between January and May.
Initially, I went to google and yahoo to search my issue, and concluded that it was hives. That was in 2004. I treated myself with benedryl and baby powder.
I had a flare up in spring 2008 after completing IEPs for the first time. I still diagnosed myself with stress related hives. I wore babydoll dresses for a week and covered my skin in a cortisone cream and gold bond powder. It was terrible!
Well, two days ago I started another flare up. This time I wasn't stressed, but I was having an allergic reaction to the pollen (which is somewhat unusual for me). With the congestion, dizziness, itchy eyes, and sneezing, came another flare up. I got back on google and webmd to re-research my issue. After careful consideration, I am diagnosing myself with stress and allergen related eczema. I have itchy, red patches of skin that turn into more and then I'm left with dark patches of "scarred" skin when it goes away.
I haven't come up with my treatment yet although it'll probably include goldbond powder because that stuff is The Truth!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Snot
Chipmunk sleeps in the bed with us full time... Primarily for comfort and convenience. He usually sleeps right next to me because we both like to cuddle (my husband isn't the cuddling type).
Well, the other night I heard the strangest sound. I assumed Chipmunk was ready to eat, so I picked him up and gave him a boob. Then I realized that he wouldn't stay latched. Come to find out... The strange sound was horrible mucus in his breathing passages! He sounded like a rumbling freight train! He struggled so much to eat and became so fussy that Zack turned over to see what the deal was. In near panic, I kept repeating that I didn't know but he couldn't eat.
Side note: My husband and all the boys in his family (for the most part) have asthma. I instantly thought he was having his first attack until Zack told me that he wasn't.
Zack took Chipmunk from my arms, and I scrambled up to find a baby thermometer. I found two, but the one I wanted to use was in that stupid theft proof plastic wrapping. In panic, I searched for the box cutters. I ran back in the bedroom and fidgeted with stuff on my nightstand.
Long story short... Zack used the saline and aspirator to clear his nose, and all was well. I took his temperature under his arm using the regular thermometer. The fancy-ass baby ear thermometer that took five minutes to get out the shrink wrap is still sitting on my nightstand next to the instructions.
Baby is still congested (and so am I) but all is well. I've washed down our windows and cleaned out the air machine. Zack put eucalyptus in the humidifier.
Well, the other night I heard the strangest sound. I assumed Chipmunk was ready to eat, so I picked him up and gave him a boob. Then I realized that he wouldn't stay latched. Come to find out... The strange sound was horrible mucus in his breathing passages! He sounded like a rumbling freight train! He struggled so much to eat and became so fussy that Zack turned over to see what the deal was. In near panic, I kept repeating that I didn't know but he couldn't eat.
Side note: My husband and all the boys in his family (for the most part) have asthma. I instantly thought he was having his first attack until Zack told me that he wasn't.
Zack took Chipmunk from my arms, and I scrambled up to find a baby thermometer. I found two, but the one I wanted to use was in that stupid theft proof plastic wrapping. In panic, I searched for the box cutters. I ran back in the bedroom and fidgeted with stuff on my nightstand.
Long story short... Zack used the saline and aspirator to clear his nose, and all was well. I took his temperature under his arm using the regular thermometer. The fancy-ass baby ear thermometer that took five minutes to get out the shrink wrap is still sitting on my nightstand next to the instructions.
Baby is still congested (and so am I) but all is well. I've washed down our windows and cleaned out the air machine. Zack put eucalyptus in the humidifier.
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