1. Cleona's most recent record for how many times in one day she can pee on her outfit during a diaper change, necessitating a new diaper and new clothes (answer: three in 16 hours.)
2. What to do when you go to put clothes in the drier and realize that a diaper made its way into your washing machine. (They are re-washing now. I'll weigh in on the method used when I'm done). Oh and did I mention I found this out at 1250 am, after staying up to finish her Halloween costume? And that the only pair of jeans that fits me is in that load?! Love it that I have umpteen in the next size down and ONE of these.
to end on a positive note, for the last three nights (or is it four?) Cleona has slept for nine hours straight. I don't know what we are doing to cause this, or if its just happenstance, but still. She was sleeping seven before, and removing the rest of the incline in her bassinet brought it to nine. It's super fab and I feel really fortunate and hope she keeps this up! And I really appreciate the "mommy gift." :)
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
"cultivate flowers."
...continued from the previous post, with an update...
On Saturday my adorable gal was my wedding reception date! Matt got to come for just a little while but had to leave to okay soccer. The reception was for my good friend Gurdas. He was married in India to a really fantastic gal! I feel honored to have helped him in the ring-buying process (I'm a professional hand model, don't you know?!) and it was great to be there today!
And then on my way home I thought about how cool it was that I knew him. And not just because he's such a phenomenal person (though he is!) but because of how we became friends. In a grad school class I mentioned that I might like to find some people to work with on homework and whatnot. The professor suggested I stay after class and if anyone was interested to come talk to me. I expected no takers as I was a part time student and everyone seemed to know one another. But this fellow in a turban came to introduce himself to me...and the rest is history :) For some reason something that sticks in my mind about becoming friends with Gurdas is the day that our professor asked a question in class and immediately followed with--"but Carrie and Gurdas can't answer any more questions" because he and I had been answering them all! I loved how we were both so pleased to have been silenced, and how it showed how well we worked together!
Anyway...it just goes to show how friends can be found in the most unexpected of places! And I am so grateful to have celebrated with him today! He and I both became part of a family of three within a few weeks of one another--him by marriage, me by giving birth, and I think that's extra fun too! :)
and then today...I attended a memorial service for a 21 year old, Kyle, who had some physical and mental disabilities. He passed unexpectedly on Thursday. I didn't know him very well, but I remember that every time I saw him he made me smile--he knew my face and my name (which I learned tonight was because he loved to study the church directory) and he was always glad to see people he knew!
During today's service a man got up to speak during the memories-of-Kyle's-life portion of the service. He said he wanted to come up to the front and see everyone's faces--he wanted to see Kyle's flowers. He explained that his granddaddy had taught him that in life you need to cultivate flowers. That you need to have a whole garden.
I can guarantee this image will stick with me for the whole rest of my life.
If you are reading this, there's a very good chance that you are one of my flowers. (and thank you ever so kindly for that!) My friends are my flowers. Gurdas is one of my flowers. Matt and Cleona are my flowers, too. Jennifer and I talked about this briefly tonight before our amazing six plates date, and said how it's a much better phrase than "collecting people." She and I have realized that unlike many of our other friends, we "collect" people everywhere we go--aka we make new friends (but keep the old) everywhere we go. We don't know why and we don't do it on purpose--we just do. But now we are going to call it collecting flowers. :) And it makes me envision a flowerbed full of lilies and daisies and venus fly traps and pea shoots and basil plants and orchids and cacti and who knows what else. I think I might just have to paint it. If you'd like to request to be a certain type of flower, let me know. :) (Cleona will be a Petunia, just FYI)
On Saturday my adorable gal was my wedding reception date! Matt got to come for just a little while but had to leave to okay soccer. The reception was for my good friend Gurdas. He was married in India to a really fantastic gal! I feel honored to have helped him in the ring-buying process (I'm a professional hand model, don't you know?!) and it was great to be there today!
And then on my way home I thought about how cool it was that I knew him. And not just because he's such a phenomenal person (though he is!) but because of how we became friends. In a grad school class I mentioned that I might like to find some people to work with on homework and whatnot. The professor suggested I stay after class and if anyone was interested to come talk to me. I expected no takers as I was a part time student and everyone seemed to know one another. But this fellow in a turban came to introduce himself to me...and the rest is history :) For some reason something that sticks in my mind about becoming friends with Gurdas is the day that our professor asked a question in class and immediately followed with--"but Carrie and Gurdas can't answer any more questions" because he and I had been answering them all! I loved how we were both so pleased to have been silenced, and how it showed how well we worked together!
Anyway...it just goes to show how friends can be found in the most unexpected of places! And I am so grateful to have celebrated with him today! He and I both became part of a family of three within a few weeks of one another--him by marriage, me by giving birth, and I think that's extra fun too! :)
and then today...I attended a memorial service for a 21 year old, Kyle, who had some physical and mental disabilities. He passed unexpectedly on Thursday. I didn't know him very well, but I remember that every time I saw him he made me smile--he knew my face and my name (which I learned tonight was because he loved to study the church directory) and he was always glad to see people he knew!
During today's service a man got up to speak during the memories-of-Kyle's-life portion of the service. He said he wanted to come up to the front and see everyone's faces--he wanted to see Kyle's flowers. He explained that his granddaddy had taught him that in life you need to cultivate flowers. That you need to have a whole garden.
I can guarantee this image will stick with me for the whole rest of my life.
If you are reading this, there's a very good chance that you are one of my flowers. (and thank you ever so kindly for that!) My friends are my flowers. Gurdas is one of my flowers. Matt and Cleona are my flowers, too. Jennifer and I talked about this briefly tonight before our amazing six plates date, and said how it's a much better phrase than "collecting people." She and I have realized that unlike many of our other friends, we "collect" people everywhere we go--aka we make new friends (but keep the old) everywhere we go. We don't know why and we don't do it on purpose--we just do. But now we are going to call it collecting flowers. :) And it makes me envision a flowerbed full of lilies and daisies and venus fly traps and pea shoots and basil plants and orchids and cacti and who knows what else. I think I might just have to paint it. If you'd like to request to be a certain type of flower, let me know. :) (Cleona will be a Petunia, just FYI)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
a third of cleona's life ago...
I suppose I should say--if you don't like hearing about boobs or breastmilk, or rather if you don't like hearing about boobs in the context of breastmilk, then this is a post you should skip. Well, until the picture. begin reading there. Moving on...
So, at that point we found out I was dealing with two issues--an oversupply of milk and a forceful letdown. I was (and am) grateful for too much milk rather than two little--though now we are up to 72 frozen feelings of milk. The forceful letdown means for Cleona it's like drinking from a fire hydrant at the beginning. Awesome, right? The problem is solved by pumping a bit before I feed her--which is a pain in the rear BUT has such a positive effect it's worth it. And that's part of how I've built up my supply. And did I mention I'm grateful for our upright freezer?!
Anyway. We went to the LC because CeeCee would only latch right in the football hold. Lets just say that everything else did damage. Turns out the two things were related...and that we needed to do angled football hold, feed her upright (like she was sitting up) or feed lying down. And maybe, just maybe, some day other positions might be possible.
Well today my little petunia successfully fed in the cradle position!!!! It was kind of fantastic to see that work and expand our options!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
maternity leave...
Let me be clear--I LOVE being home with this adorableness all day long--even when she isn't being adorable.
But daaaang sometimes I just want to, say, take a shower when *I* want. Or eat when I'm hungry. Or take the night off. Not so awesome.
Also not awesome? Vaccines. The vaccines they wanted to give her today required SIX different pieces of paper, two representing multi-vaccines. UGH. We are giving her all of her vaccines but at a delayed pace--because I'm a grown up and I wouldn't let them give ME that much at once!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
another adventure in parenting...
Cleona poops. Just FYI. That's the topic here.
That and the quick change.
It's 5am. I'm holding her while Matt prepares to change her. And Cleona poops three times why I am holding her. There's a blowout.
I go to get a new sleeper and discover there's a wet spot on my leg. Time for fresh pj shorts! I bring back the sleeper, sit down and discover there's a wet spot on my tank top too. Time for a fresh one of those.
I pump and feed (forceful letdown coping mechanism!) and she is still hungry. I go to pump on the other side and cold milk (from a previous pumping) somehow comes out of the pump and gets all over my tank!
yaaay fun. Three changes in total, lucky us.
Oh and tonight's second sleeper has an extra snap. So random. I think it is from Canada. (Yes, really)
That and the quick change.
It's 5am. I'm holding her while Matt prepares to change her. And Cleona poops three times why I am holding her. There's a blowout.
I go to get a new sleeper and discover there's a wet spot on my leg. Time for fresh pj shorts! I bring back the sleeper, sit down and discover there's a wet spot on my tank top too. Time for a fresh one of those.
I pump and feed (forceful letdown coping mechanism!) and she is still hungry. I go to pump on the other side and cold milk (from a previous pumping) somehow comes out of the pump and gets all over my tank!
yaaay fun. Three changes in total, lucky us.
Oh and tonight's second sleeper has an extra snap. So random. I think it is from Canada. (Yes, really)
Monday, October 15, 2012
a little over the top perhaps...
but you know how sometimes the universe seems to be showing you that you're doing something right? well, I kind of feel like its reaffirming my maternity leave choices.
y'see, I am off through the end of december. for lots of reasons not worth listing right now, but all are extremely logical. also, after finding out we were pregnant we saved enough to pay our mortgage for three months and then some. but then we bought a car, and a little savings went to that, and then we found ourselves with a car payment we hadn't been planning on when we saved cashola for my leave. we knew it would all work out and all bills would get paid, we just might not put a dent in our debt. anyway.
so, fast forward to now....and since late september...photography is, once again, going gangbusters. I have booked a newborn, a first year package, two weddings, six family sessions, a lab shoot (which will have follow up work), an engagement and had three people ask about minis. It makes me think of earlier this year when I took a leap of faith and bought my worth-an-old-Honda camera and suddenly so many opportunities appeared before my very eyes.
thank you, universe.
also, this surge in photography is totally making me want to consider going back to work part time. that might not be in the cards...but even working only four days a week and doing photography work the fifth day would be pretty spectacular :)
y'see, I am off through the end of december. for lots of reasons not worth listing right now, but all are extremely logical. also, after finding out we were pregnant we saved enough to pay our mortgage for three months and then some. but then we bought a car, and a little savings went to that, and then we found ourselves with a car payment we hadn't been planning on when we saved cashola for my leave. we knew it would all work out and all bills would get paid, we just might not put a dent in our debt. anyway.
so, fast forward to now....and since late september...photography is, once again, going gangbusters. I have booked a newborn, a first year package, two weddings, six family sessions, a lab shoot (which will have follow up work), an engagement and had three people ask about minis. It makes me think of earlier this year when I took a leap of faith and bought my worth-an-old-Honda camera and suddenly so many opportunities appeared before my very eyes.
thank you, universe.
also, this surge in photography is totally making me want to consider going back to work part time. that might not be in the cards...but even working only four days a week and doing photography work the fifth day would be pretty spectacular :)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
adventures in parenting, take one.
It's 450 am, everyone is fast asleep. Periodically baby girl squirms and grunts and dad lightly snores.
Cue high pitched screaming noise from baby. Parents wake in panic, turning every single light in the room in the process. Mom grabs baby from bassinet and holds her upright.
Baby seems to be out of it, but fine. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Time for a diaper change and feeding now that she's up...three minutes later...
Dad grabs the diaper-changing stuff, puts baby girl on waterproof pad, the unzips cute gray and like green zebra sleeper with ruffles on the butt. He un-fastens the tabs, folds the diaper under and begins wiping. There's a little passing of gas, followed by projectile poop! It's everywhere--all over the waterproof pad, the floor, the bedspread and the dad! Pandemonium ensues as parents try to manage the still-flying stream of poop and clean the affected areas.
Throughout it all, baby girl smiles, coos and looks cute.
--------
I told her she didn't need to do all this to get us to feed her--some simple fussing would suffice. :)
This is the second projectile poop of the day. Apparently we need to rethink our diaper changing strategy?!
--------
Also, earlier this week (and don't worry this one doesn't involve poop!) Matt was holding her while I got ready to feed (I have to pump before I feed). She was squirming a little and flailing her arms, hitting him in the face/chin.
Matt said "c'mon, punch me!"
Cleona stayed still.
Again--"c'mon, punch me!"
She gently lifted her arms like she was conducting and orchestra.
A third time, still nada. I said "check out this kid, not punching you when you ask. She has such timing!"
And this is when she punched him in the face.
Cue high pitched screaming noise from baby. Parents wake in panic, turning every single light in the room in the process. Mom grabs baby from bassinet and holds her upright.
Baby seems to be out of it, but fine. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.
Time for a diaper change and feeding now that she's up...three minutes later...
Dad grabs the diaper-changing stuff, puts baby girl on waterproof pad, the unzips cute gray and like green zebra sleeper with ruffles on the butt. He un-fastens the tabs, folds the diaper under and begins wiping. There's a little passing of gas, followed by projectile poop! It's everywhere--all over the waterproof pad, the floor, the bedspread and the dad! Pandemonium ensues as parents try to manage the still-flying stream of poop and clean the affected areas.
Throughout it all, baby girl smiles, coos and looks cute.
--------
I told her she didn't need to do all this to get us to feed her--some simple fussing would suffice. :)
This is the second projectile poop of the day. Apparently we need to rethink our diaper changing strategy?!
--------
Also, earlier this week (and don't worry this one doesn't involve poop!) Matt was holding her while I got ready to feed (I have to pump before I feed). She was squirming a little and flailing her arms, hitting him in the face/chin.
Matt said "c'mon, punch me!"
Cleona stayed still.
Again--"c'mon, punch me!"
She gently lifted her arms like she was conducting and orchestra.
A third time, still nada. I said "check out this kid, not punching you when you ask. She has such timing!"
And this is when she punched him in the face.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
i love baby snuggles.
Cleona fed from 4-7am. I had a breakdown. Matt came home after teaching so he could watch her while I slept. This was NECESSARY. And I am grateful.
When he came to wake me so I could shower before the KD event (I'm an advisor and really needed to be there) he put Cleona down beside me to be cute since we were both wearing while. Immediately he said "wow, this is the calmest she has been in the last hour!"
Oh, the power of the momma. :)
We decided to try to nurse side-lying. And let me tell you--it combines cuddles AND relaxing. We will totally do it again.
Time for sleeping now. Fingers crossed that the growth spurt is coming to an end!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
okay, really?!
This growth spurt is turning me into a sleepy, punchy monster.
Also Auntie Jen and I said the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire theme song to Cleona in a storytelling voice today. It was fabulous. You should try it.
This lack of sleep is making me punchy. I feel drained. Literally AND figuratively. Cleona had been sleeping until some time between 5 and 6 most days. Now she is up at 4. She is overtired and so am I. :( if she wakes up at 8 again we are all in big trouble.
Also Auntie Jen and I said the Fresh Prince of Bel Aire theme song to Cleona in a storytelling voice today. It was fabulous. You should try it.
This lack of sleep is making me punchy. I feel drained. Literally AND figuratively. Cleona had been sleeping until some time between 5 and 6 most days. Now she is up at 4. She is overtired and so am I. :( if she wakes up at 8 again we are all in big trouble.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
holy crazy growth spurt, batman!
On the second night after coming home from the hospital (so Sunday night) Cleona cluster fed. She ate about every 45-70 min for four hours. It meant she slept/stopped for like 10-30 min each time before wanting to eat again. It was AWFUL. Thankfully, the pedi told us how to get her to do that in the day instead of the night. Plus I knew how much she needed it, and my milk was coming in, so it was tolerable.
She has had a couple of growth spurts now but this one takes the cake. LOTS of feeding. Last night she basically fed for 2.5 hours straight. I'm blogging at 6am because she just finished feeding from ~440 until now. CRAZY.
I need a nap. Hopefully she is done for real and I can get some sleep.
Also, if I needed motivation to learn to nurse on my side, this is totally it. YAWN.
She has had a couple of growth spurts now but this one takes the cake. LOTS of feeding. Last night she basically fed for 2.5 hours straight. I'm blogging at 6am because she just finished feeding from ~440 until now. CRAZY.
I need a nap. Hopefully she is done for real and I can get some sleep.
Also, if I needed motivation to learn to nurse on my side, this is totally it. YAWN.
since all I can talk about is babies...
I'm going to talk about not-babies. Ready?
Even more so than I was before, I am OBSESSED with sparkling water. I found a local farmer who makes syrups to put in unflavored sparkling water, and I have an actual bevy of flavors of l@ croix waters too. Yes, I said bevy.
I am currently reading aloud to the smallest person in our household (I avoided the word baby, SEE?!?!) I was going to read her Charlotte's Web since it was once upon a time my very favorite book, and was also the first chapter book I read by myself. (an aside--I read the book in like a week in first grade. we were supposed to read along with the class. and I got in TROUBLE for being ahead in reading. this was a trend. third grade, fifth grade, tenth grade...and many times between, I am sure. learning faster than your classmates is, apparently, horrid at TPS. yeah, yeah, I get the whole discipline part of things, but for reals?!)
However...I couldn't find my copy or get one for my kindle. And I chose it because of the awesome vocab in it. So instead? Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Terribly sciencey, a huge vocab used in the book and right now? She doesn't care. So I'm reading it. And omitting his cussing. :)
Oh, remember this? Yeah, I am crazy obsessed with mellowcreme pumpkins right now. Like, I've eaten four bags (with help) since they came out.
The other night, I ate a whoopie pie, had a glass of wine and held the smallest human in the house. And I talked about mason jars. It was like I suddenly became southern.
BOULEVARD WHEAT is HERE, friends! In one year my fave icecream AND fave beer arrived in my state. Not to mention my favorite daughter, favorite aunt, favorite in-laws, favorite all sorts of things. I probably sounded like a raging alcoholic when I expressed my enthusiasm...and since buying it have had one beer. But seriously....it's imported from KANSAS :) And it makes me happy. Mission for tomorrow: buy a lemon and REALLY have one!
I am such--nay, SUCH--a mom. It took me forever to come up with things to mention so as to avoid discussing breastmilk and pumps and bottles and pumping bras. And that's just the list on a single subject!
Even more so than I was before, I am OBSESSED with sparkling water. I found a local farmer who makes syrups to put in unflavored sparkling water, and I have an actual bevy of flavors of l@ croix waters too. Yes, I said bevy.
I am currently reading aloud to the smallest person in our household (I avoided the word baby, SEE?!?!) I was going to read her Charlotte's Web since it was once upon a time my very favorite book, and was also the first chapter book I read by myself. (an aside--I read the book in like a week in first grade. we were supposed to read along with the class. and I got in TROUBLE for being ahead in reading. this was a trend. third grade, fifth grade, tenth grade...and many times between, I am sure. learning faster than your classmates is, apparently, horrid at TPS. yeah, yeah, I get the whole discipline part of things, but for reals?!)
However...I couldn't find my copy or get one for my kindle. And I chose it because of the awesome vocab in it. So instead? Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Terribly sciencey, a huge vocab used in the book and right now? She doesn't care. So I'm reading it. And omitting his cussing. :)
Oh, remember this? Yeah, I am crazy obsessed with mellowcreme pumpkins right now. Like, I've eaten four bags (with help) since they came out.
The other night, I ate a whoopie pie, had a glass of wine and held the smallest human in the house. And I talked about mason jars. It was like I suddenly became southern.
BOULEVARD WHEAT is HERE, friends! In one year my fave icecream AND fave beer arrived in my state. Not to mention my favorite daughter, favorite aunt, favorite in-laws, favorite all sorts of things. I probably sounded like a raging alcoholic when I expressed my enthusiasm...and since buying it have had one beer. But seriously....it's imported from KANSAS :) And it makes me happy. Mission for tomorrow: buy a lemon and REALLY have one!
I am such--nay, SUCH--a mom. It took me forever to come up with things to mention so as to avoid discussing breastmilk and pumps and bottles and pumping bras. And that's just the list on a single subject!
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
oh, the cuteness.
I feel like maybe the sleep deprivation has something to do with it. But I also know I get more sleep than most. She's sleeping 6 hour stretches most nights, which is freaking fantastic! I never knew I'd be so grateful for six hours of sleep!
But anyway, back to the cuteness...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
