Being away for long stretches of time means that things at home that ordinarily I wouldn't notice changing on a day-by-day basis all of a sudden pop when it's been a week or two. Perhaps the best case of this is Nicholas's bedtime routine, which is intricate enough to make your average government functionary right at home.
It started so simply. Even at just a few months old, we'd read a few books before bed. When he was an infant, it was mostly to set the routine of bedtime reading, and to make it clear that this was the signal for "it's bedtime now, time to wind down." Good enough. I don't remember exactly when I started adding a song, but I would do it occasionally. (When he was a newborn, I spent many an hour in the middle of the night pacing the apartment singing every Billy Joel, Beatles, and Glee Club song I could remember to try to get him back to sleep.) At some point singing became an official part of the routine, usually some kid's song -- the ABC's, or Baa-Baa Black Sheep, or some other lullaby. When he was about one or so, we started to add a little prayer.
All well and good, right?
Well it's grown some. By the end of this past summer, the bedtime routine included teeth-brushing (and Nicholas always gets a turn and always insisted on rinsing off the brush afterwards), at least two books (he picks), the prayer, THREE songs--always the same ones, always the same order. Ask Nicholas and he'll tell you:
"Take Me Out to the Ball-Game Baa-Baa Black Sheep ABCD's!!"
That brings me to this past weekend. In addition to everything else, it's now apparently a requirement to include "keep us safe" as the last part of his prayer. Fine. Plus I had to stand at his crib-side and rub his back while singing his songs. Okay, whatever. Then I had to give him a kiss while still at the crib. Oh, and his Elmo doll too. Then he demanded I blow him a kiss from the door. Then he demanded I blow him a kiss from outside the door. You are not allowed to skip steps.
Sarah hypothesized, and I'm in general agreement, that part of the problem is that she always does bedtime, and so whatever gimmicks and tricks she throws in on occasion are now all he ever gets, so they're not variations between the two of us but rather part of a strict routine.
It's good that he likes order (probably). It's fabulous that he has a good memory to keep track of all of these rituals. But boy is it tough to keep up with them when you've been away for a week. Sometimes I need a handbook.
Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleep. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Labor and Delivery, Part II
Okay. So it's 2:30 a.m., we've each slept about an hour, and we're watching Friends. Oh, and the contractions have basically stopped.
We decided we would go ahead and go back outside for a few more laps around the parking lot. The contractions came back, at least a little bit, and then would subside, and then came back again. It was now nearly 5 a.m., and no longer dark out. We decided that it was time to go to the hospital and find out what was going on, because we're just not good at waiting and not knowing things.
It was a drive I'd visualized a number of times in the previous few months. I thought about it during the trip to each of the last several doctor's appointments, since the practice's office was part of the hospital complex. And I thought about it on the way to and from work, since the routes overlapped a bit. And oddly, I'd always assumed a middle-of-the-night drive: no traffic, dark out. I'm not sure whether I absorbed too much culture, or that I remember my parents leaving for the hospital at 2 a.m. when my baby brother was born (I was 12 at the time). In any event, that five minutes was about the only period of any length during the entire process that went about how I imagined it.
Alright, so we're at the hospital. We're calm. We're nervous. We're freaking out because the labor can't decide whether it wants to proceed or not. When we got upstairs to the evaluation room, the midwife on duty examined Sarah and determined that she was just shy of the threshold where they keep you, but thought we were close enough. She called our doctor, who asked that we stay there and wait for her to arrive. So we ended up sitting in the evaluation room for several hours. We were exhausted at this point, we both were hungry, Sarah was getting a little dehydrated, Peanut was all sorts of discombobulated and not behaving properly for the montiors. And then the doctor came in and told us to go home. She cautioned us before she examined Sarah that this particular midwife is known for being overenthusiastic in her estimates of labor progression. Then she sent us home to rest and wait, and to come back when "you can't stand it anymore."
So at 9:30, in the midst of a bright, sunny day, we headed home. It was a very odd experience. We thought we'd be leaving with a baby. We'd been there through sunrise, so all of a sudden the day had started (though it was Memorial Day, so everything was rather quiet).
Most of that day (Monday, May 25) was quiet. Sarah had some contractions, but nothing particularly intense. We tried to sleep for a few hours in the morning. We played some games.
While we were napping, we missed the only phone call that could possibly distract us that day. Two weeks earlier, some of you may recall, our car had been stolen while parked near campus. We had assumed it was gone for good (Civics are the most stolen car in America, and it's because they have very interchangeable parts), and went out and bought a new (to us) car. But during our nap, the Baltimore police called to let us know that they'd found our car! [ed.: "Found" may imply that the police were "looking" for the car, when we suspect that someone saw the car parked in front of their house with no license plates and informed the police of a suspicious vehicle.] Because it was Memorial Day, I could not get anyone on the phone back to confirm what was going on, and it would take an awful lot of work to actually get the car back (another story for another time), and we didn't know if it was drivable, but it was good news about the car!
Maybe Peanut sensed our happiness, because it was not long thereafter that Sarah's contractions picked up in intensity. Now, as I mentioned yesterday, her labor had not been textbook. Instead of the contractions starting at 15 minutes apart and getting progressively closer, they'd been about 2-3 minutes apart for over 24 hours. So with the increase in intensity the contractions actually slowed down, but now they were real. By 6pm, after another round of prep and the first half-hour of Back to the Future, we were back on our way to the hospital.
From here things seemed to go really fast. They took us upstairs. The nurses didn't believe that Sarah would stay, because she looked too calm. Then the midwife did an exam and they were amazed that she wasn't screaming bloody murder based on how far along things were. They checked Sarah in. The anesthesiologist did the epidural, after which Sarah wasn't in much pain. At about 9 p.m., the doctor came in and said she would check in again at midnight. We tried to rest with the lights down. Because of the medicine, we were both able to a little bit. Finally, we realized we couldn't sleep, and put on bad television. As I recall, we ended up watching part of Leno's last week on the Tonight Show, with Mel Gibson trying to do a redemption interview after his divorce.
At 12:30 the doctor came back, took one look and said, "time to push!"
[ed.: Gory details here.]
Then, at 1:31 a.m., Nicholas arrived, screaming his little head off. I don't think he stopped until they wheeled him out of the room an hour later for his bath.
We decided we would go ahead and go back outside for a few more laps around the parking lot. The contractions came back, at least a little bit, and then would subside, and then came back again. It was now nearly 5 a.m., and no longer dark out. We decided that it was time to go to the hospital and find out what was going on, because we're just not good at waiting and not knowing things.
It was a drive I'd visualized a number of times in the previous few months. I thought about it during the trip to each of the last several doctor's appointments, since the practice's office was part of the hospital complex. And I thought about it on the way to and from work, since the routes overlapped a bit. And oddly, I'd always assumed a middle-of-the-night drive: no traffic, dark out. I'm not sure whether I absorbed too much culture, or that I remember my parents leaving for the hospital at 2 a.m. when my baby brother was born (I was 12 at the time). In any event, that five minutes was about the only period of any length during the entire process that went about how I imagined it.
Alright, so we're at the hospital. We're calm. We're nervous. We're freaking out because the labor can't decide whether it wants to proceed or not. When we got upstairs to the evaluation room, the midwife on duty examined Sarah and determined that she was just shy of the threshold where they keep you, but thought we were close enough. She called our doctor, who asked that we stay there and wait for her to arrive. So we ended up sitting in the evaluation room for several hours. We were exhausted at this point, we both were hungry, Sarah was getting a little dehydrated, Peanut was all sorts of discombobulated and not behaving properly for the montiors. And then the doctor came in and told us to go home. She cautioned us before she examined Sarah that this particular midwife is known for being overenthusiastic in her estimates of labor progression. Then she sent us home to rest and wait, and to come back when "you can't stand it anymore."
So at 9:30, in the midst of a bright, sunny day, we headed home. It was a very odd experience. We thought we'd be leaving with a baby. We'd been there through sunrise, so all of a sudden the day had started (though it was Memorial Day, so everything was rather quiet).
Most of that day (Monday, May 25) was quiet. Sarah had some contractions, but nothing particularly intense. We tried to sleep for a few hours in the morning. We played some games.
While we were napping, we missed the only phone call that could possibly distract us that day. Two weeks earlier, some of you may recall, our car had been stolen while parked near campus. We had assumed it was gone for good (Civics are the most stolen car in America, and it's because they have very interchangeable parts), and went out and bought a new (to us) car. But during our nap, the Baltimore police called to let us know that they'd found our car! [ed.: "Found" may imply that the police were "looking" for the car, when we suspect that someone saw the car parked in front of their house with no license plates and informed the police of a suspicious vehicle.] Because it was Memorial Day, I could not get anyone on the phone back to confirm what was going on, and it would take an awful lot of work to actually get the car back (another story for another time), and we didn't know if it was drivable, but it was good news about the car!
Maybe Peanut sensed our happiness, because it was not long thereafter that Sarah's contractions picked up in intensity. Now, as I mentioned yesterday, her labor had not been textbook. Instead of the contractions starting at 15 minutes apart and getting progressively closer, they'd been about 2-3 minutes apart for over 24 hours. So with the increase in intensity the contractions actually slowed down, but now they were real. By 6pm, after another round of prep and the first half-hour of Back to the Future, we were back on our way to the hospital.
From here things seemed to go really fast. They took us upstairs. The nurses didn't believe that Sarah would stay, because she looked too calm. Then the midwife did an exam and they were amazed that she wasn't screaming bloody murder based on how far along things were. They checked Sarah in. The anesthesiologist did the epidural, after which Sarah wasn't in much pain. At about 9 p.m., the doctor came in and said she would check in again at midnight. We tried to rest with the lights down. Because of the medicine, we were both able to a little bit. Finally, we realized we couldn't sleep, and put on bad television. As I recall, we ended up watching part of Leno's last week on the Tonight Show, with Mel Gibson trying to do a redemption interview after his divorce.
At 12:30 the doctor came back, took one look and said, "time to push!"
[ed.: Gory details here.]
Then, at 1:31 a.m., Nicholas arrived, screaming his little head off. I don't think he stopped until they wheeled him out of the room an hour later for his bath.
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| From Nicholas Is Born |
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Labor and Delivery Story, Part I
With Nicholas's birthday coming up, I've been reading over our posts from last year around the time he was born. In doing so, I realized that we never told The Story, or, What Happened the Day (and Two Days Before) Nicholas Was Born.
So, to set some context. The due date for Peanut was May 22, a Friday, which came and went with no excitement whatsoever (so little, in fact, that we managed not to mention it on the blog). That Sunday, Sarah woke up and thought her stomach felt funny, but couldn't quite place why. So we went to church, then to our friend Eddie's for an already planned brunch. Towards mid-afternoon, Sarah noticed while resting her hand on her belly that it was tensing up in rhythmic waves at relatively predictable intervals. Hmmm, we thought. So we timed it, to see if it might be real. And sure enough, the tensing up lasted about 30 seconds, and occurred every two to three minutes. Holy cow, we thought, Peanut might actually be on his way! (Though of course publicly we still referred to "its way.") On the other hand, this was not "textbook" early labor, which involves contractions every fifteen minutes or so. But we just hoped that would speed things up; this was back in our naïve pre-parenting stage, you see.
We had already arranged to play games and have dinner with Sarah's parents, and we went ahead and told them to come up. Every book, every mother, every class instructed us that early labor is characterized by three things: pain, anxiety, and boredom at the slow passage of time. Might as well play Ticket to Ride, right? Sarah at this point was uncomfortable but not in pain, and the social time made life move a little quicker through the evening hours.
Once Sarah's parents left, we figured we should get things set to go for the hospital for when the time came, so we did our final preparations of bags and snacks (for me), the kinds of things we couldn't have packed earlier because we used them frequently. It was a nice evening, so we headed outside to walk, both because it helped Sarah feel better as things progressed, and because walking is supposed to help things progress. We were very grateful that we'd decided to leave the city, because we felt no worries wandering our complex's parking lot at 10pm (or 11pm, or midnight ...), or the parking lot of the small office park next door. I have no idea how far we walked that night (May 24 to 25), but we spent hours doing laps, then coming back inside. As the night went on, the contractions got more intense. At some point (maybe 9pm or so?) we called the doctor to check in, and she told us to come in "when you're starting to have to really work through" the contractions. She also said she thought she would see us that night, in large part because the contraction timing was already at a place where you'd normally go to the hospital.
At some point we decided to try to sleep a little while, maybe at like 11:30, but I don't think either of us fell asleep for more than a few minutes at a time between then and 1am. Sarah woke up with somewhat more intense contractions, we went walking again, and then decided it was time to think about heading to the hospital. We went back inside and took showers (not knowing when we'd get the chance again). I had something to eat, since I was allowed and am generally a pansy about these things (Sarah acquiesced because she'd rather be jealous of watching me eat than have to deal with a cranky father-to-be). We put on an episode of Friends as we did our final final prep (using the counter on the DVD player to track contractions) and steeled ourselves for what was about to happen.
Sometime around the ten-minute mark the contractions began to subside.
[Stay tuned for the rest of the story tomorrow, including the surprise ending!]
So, to set some context. The due date for Peanut was May 22, a Friday, which came and went with no excitement whatsoever (so little, in fact, that we managed not to mention it on the blog). That Sunday, Sarah woke up and thought her stomach felt funny, but couldn't quite place why. So we went to church, then to our friend Eddie's for an already planned brunch. Towards mid-afternoon, Sarah noticed while resting her hand on her belly that it was tensing up in rhythmic waves at relatively predictable intervals. Hmmm, we thought. So we timed it, to see if it might be real. And sure enough, the tensing up lasted about 30 seconds, and occurred every two to three minutes. Holy cow, we thought, Peanut might actually be on his way! (Though of course publicly we still referred to "its way.") On the other hand, this was not "textbook" early labor, which involves contractions every fifteen minutes or so. But we just hoped that would speed things up; this was back in our naïve pre-parenting stage, you see.
We had already arranged to play games and have dinner with Sarah's parents, and we went ahead and told them to come up. Every book, every mother, every class instructed us that early labor is characterized by three things: pain, anxiety, and boredom at the slow passage of time. Might as well play Ticket to Ride, right? Sarah at this point was uncomfortable but not in pain, and the social time made life move a little quicker through the evening hours.
Once Sarah's parents left, we figured we should get things set to go for the hospital for when the time came, so we did our final preparations of bags and snacks (for me), the kinds of things we couldn't have packed earlier because we used them frequently. It was a nice evening, so we headed outside to walk, both because it helped Sarah feel better as things progressed, and because walking is supposed to help things progress. We were very grateful that we'd decided to leave the city, because we felt no worries wandering our complex's parking lot at 10pm (or 11pm, or midnight ...), or the parking lot of the small office park next door. I have no idea how far we walked that night (May 24 to 25), but we spent hours doing laps, then coming back inside. As the night went on, the contractions got more intense. At some point (maybe 9pm or so?) we called the doctor to check in, and she told us to come in "when you're starting to have to really work through" the contractions. She also said she thought she would see us that night, in large part because the contraction timing was already at a place where you'd normally go to the hospital.
At some point we decided to try to sleep a little while, maybe at like 11:30, but I don't think either of us fell asleep for more than a few minutes at a time between then and 1am. Sarah woke up with somewhat more intense contractions, we went walking again, and then decided it was time to think about heading to the hospital. We went back inside and took showers (not knowing when we'd get the chance again). I had something to eat, since I was allowed and am generally a pansy about these things (Sarah acquiesced because she'd rather be jealous of watching me eat than have to deal with a cranky father-to-be). We put on an episode of Friends as we did our final final prep (using the counter on the DVD player to track contractions) and steeled ourselves for what was about to happen.
Sometime around the ten-minute mark the contractions began to subside.
[Stay tuned for the rest of the story tomorrow, including the surprise ending!]
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Nicholas' Busy Day
Nicholas had quite the active and exhausting day. So exhausting in fact that he put himself to sleep (and deep sleep at that) twice today in loud places and is in bed for the night already (knock on wood). He was awake all through church, looking at all the people and then the stained glass windows. He was so good that we made it until after the homily in the main part of church before going up to the cry room. And even then he was pretty good because of the change of scenery. We then went over to fellowship, where he proceeded to fall asleep in Joe's arms when we gave him a pacifier.
After some fun play time and another little cat nap in the afternoon, Joe discovered on facebook that some friends of mine from camp were on their way to the state fair, which is less than two miles from our apartment, so off we went to meet them at the fair. And it was great fun! Here is the fair in pictures:
Looking at the cows:
So much to see, but really Nicholas was most interested in chewing on the Baby Bjorn! But he was quiet and didn't need a pacifier, so I won't complain.
After all the excitement and stimulation, Nicholas was so zonked that all it took was putting him in the stroller and closing both shades so he couldn't see out and the next time I looked, he was out. And our child who usually can't stay asleep if you walk through a room or dare to open the fridge slept through music blaring from speakers and fair rides.
But after a nap, he woke up as we were leaving the fair and bestowed smiles on our friends and their sweetheart of a daughter as they said goodbye.
All in all, a wonderfully fun day, but I didn't get the work done that I needed to, so I'm off to work for a couple hours now even though I think Nicholas has the right idea with bedtime.
After some fun play time and another little cat nap in the afternoon, Joe discovered on facebook that some friends of mine from camp were on their way to the state fair, which is less than two miles from our apartment, so off we went to meet them at the fair. And it was great fun! Here is the fair in pictures:
Looking at the cows:
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| From Nicholas - Month 4 |
So much to see, but really Nicholas was most interested in chewing on the Baby Bjorn! But he was quiet and didn't need a pacifier, so I won't complain.
 |
| From Nicholas - Month 4 |
After all the excitement and stimulation, Nicholas was so zonked that all it took was putting him in the stroller and closing both shades so he couldn't see out and the next time I looked, he was out. And our child who usually can't stay asleep if you walk through a room or dare to open the fridge slept through music blaring from speakers and fair rides.
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| From Nicholas - Month 4 |
But after a nap, he woke up as we were leaving the fair and bestowed smiles on our friends and their sweetheart of a daughter as they said goodbye.
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| From Nicholas - Month 4 |
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
3-month update
As we knew it would, time has started going more quickly. I feel like I just wrote Nicholas' 2-month update, and here he is a big 3-month old already. He hasn't changed as much in this past month as in the previous 2 and looking back at his 2-month update, it still pretty accurately describes him. But here are a few things that are new this month:
This picture is from a few days ago, but it can serve as his 3-month photo:
- We won't have official stats this month (no doctor's visit--yay!), but according to our scale Nicholas now weighs in at over 15 pounds! He is getting so heavy in his carseat that I'm contemplating beginning to leave it in the car when he is awake and carry him up and down the stairs without it.
- He "talks" much more frequently and more expressively than he did a month ago. He obviously can't form words at all, but sometimes based on his tones and inflections it seems like he is having a real conversation with you. I wonder if he has thoughts he is trying to express or just playing with making sounds.
- He has learned to grab things, rather than just bat at them with closed fists. He sometimes still has trouble getting the fine motor skills involved just right, but is generally getting pretty adept at it.
- He has reached the age where he wants to put everything in his mouth. I think this is why he worked so hard to learn to grab his toys--because then he can pull them to his mouth. He also tries to jam his entire fist into his mouth to chew on it. Just in the past couple days he has started realizing that if he unclenches his fist he can actually get fingers in. Unfortunately, he hasn't yet figured out that the thumb will work better than other fingers and so sometimes gags himself by sticking his index and middle fingers too far back.
- He now basically has complete control of his head and can sit up with support. And since he loves so much to be able to see what is going on, sitting up against a soft chair or one of the chair-pillows is his new favorite position. We also discovered that in this position it is much easier for him to play independently since he can actually see and reach toys (an impossibility on his back unless on his playmat).
- He desperately wants to be able to move. When he wants to go somewhere he kicks his little legs so vigorously that he would be sprinting if he had the ability to stand up.
- He seems to have forgotten how to do some things he knew how to do a couple months ago, like rolling over and scooting forward on his tummy. Since at the time it was waaaay early for those skills and they are things he is just supposed to be figuring out in the next month or so, I'm assuming that those early incidences were some sort of fluke or reflex or something and that he'll learn them for real soon.
This picture is from a few days ago, but it can serve as his 3-month photo:
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| From Louisville-Cincinnati Trip, Aug. 2009 |
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Home Sweet Crib
Before we left on our trip many people commented that it was the perfect time to travel with Nicholas because babies this age can sleep anywhere. Well, in yet another example of Nicholas being more aware of his surroundings than people give him credit for, after only sleeping in 2-hour segments for 5 of the 6 nights we were gone, he slept for 10 1/2 straight hours last night.
Yes, 10 1/2 hours!!! From 8:30-7:00. I think someone missed his own bed.
I fully expect him to go back to his "normal" of 3-4 hour segments at night. Although if he does this another night or two I might stop automatically waking up every couple hours and feeling like I have to check to make sure he is still breathing. And then I could get more than 4 straight hours of sleep for the first time in 3 months.
Seriously--10 1/2 hours!
Yes, 10 1/2 hours!!! From 8:30-7:00. I think someone missed his own bed.
I fully expect him to go back to his "normal" of 3-4 hour segments at night. Although if he does this another night or two I might stop automatically waking up every couple hours and feeling like I have to check to make sure he is still breathing. And then I could get more than 4 straight hours of sleep for the first time in 3 months.
Seriously--10 1/2 hours!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
On the Road with Nicholas
Some of our readers (I can only assume the ones who don't know us personally) may still harbor delusions that Sarah and I retain even a shred of our sanity. Please allow me to correct the record with the following factoid.
When we left Baltimore yesterday morning to drive to Louisville, the clock in the car read 3:04. Yes, we decided to get on the road at 3am.
In a strange way, it made sense. We had meant to leave right after one of Nicholas's feedings during the night, so that we could get a few hours under our belts before he thought it was daytime. We packed up the car on Sunday afternoon/evening so that we could leave early -- we figured sometime like 4:30 or 5:00. But at about 2 am, Sarah and I were both awake with to-do (and shoulda-done) lists in our heads for the trip. Sarah said she felt good enough to drive, I was too tired to question her. So we finished loading the car and put Nicholas in his car seat. As I was buckling him in, he woke up and gave me a little smile, and then got a look on his face that said two things: 1. Where are we going in the middle of the night?!?! and 2. My parents have spent 12 weeks trying to get me to sleep at night ... have they lost their minds?!?!
With everything packed up, and Nicholas still looking completely puzzled, off we went, into the darkness of the Maryland mountains in the predawn hours. Near the city Nicholas was awake because of the street lights, but he soon enough fell back asleep. It was a little hairy for a few minutes when it was particularly dark and there weren't enough other vehicles on the road to help us navigate, but all in all it worked out fine.
It actually worked out perfectly for Nicholas. He slept until 7 or so, so we stopped at a McDonald's, got a little bite to eat, and fed him and let him be awake. Towards mid-morning, we stopped at a rest area in West Virginia, where we could walk around a little and give him some awake time. And of course we got to rest from driving. And we stopped about 3 hours short of Louisville to see one of Sarah's aunts, who was very anxious to meet Nicholas (and is a regular blog reader ... hi Aunt Peggy!).
So now we're in Louisville, where Nicholas has met four of his great-grandparents, and will be meeting a yet-to-be-determined number of great-aunts, great-uncles, and cousins. And so far he seems to be taking things well. He was up frequently overnight, with the new bed and unfamiliar surroundings, but he's had a great day today. Here's hoping he has a few more in him!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Daddy's Little Buddy
Mommy's going to be jealous (envious?) when she gets home. Nicholas and I had quite the fun day, and, save for a little fussiness right before bed, was very well behaved.
Okay, he also was a little fussy this morning, but he fell asleep in the car within two minutes when I decided we'd go out and run errands (the go-to way to trick Nicholas into taking a nap he needs but refuses to take). Then he slept for nearly 3 hours! It meant that he was awake most of the afternoon, but the long morning nap meant that I got some much-needed work done.
And we went for a walk after dinner in the Baby Bjorn (thanks again, Michelle!), and had a great time. He didn't cry once. And because he's getting big enough and strong enough, I put him in facing out, so that he could see everything that was going by, which he seemed to greatly enjoy.
Now, he did get a little fussy just before bedtime, but that was partly my fault. As I mentioned this morning, it's the first time Sarah's been away this long, so we're just guessing on how much milk he takes at each feeding, and I'm trying to match that to the little ziplocked packages that Sarah has been saving up. And I was a little off on how much he needed to fall asleep, so that what I thought would put him out just made him wake up and want more. Oh well. He's asleep now, and since I'm on 2am duty tonight, I really shouldn't be blogging.
All in all, though, a fun day, and we'll hope that tomorrow is just as good.
Okay, he also was a little fussy this morning, but he fell asleep in the car within two minutes when I decided we'd go out and run errands (the go-to way to trick Nicholas into taking a nap he needs but refuses to take). Then he slept for nearly 3 hours! It meant that he was awake most of the afternoon, but the long morning nap meant that I got some much-needed work done.
And we went for a walk after dinner in the Baby Bjorn (thanks again, Michelle!), and had a great time. He didn't cry once. And because he's getting big enough and strong enough, I put him in facing out, so that he could see everything that was going by, which he seemed to greatly enjoy.
Now, he did get a little fussy just before bedtime, but that was partly my fault. As I mentioned this morning, it's the first time Sarah's been away this long, so we're just guessing on how much milk he takes at each feeding, and I'm trying to match that to the little ziplocked packages that Sarah has been saving up. And I was a little off on how much he needed to fall asleep, so that what I thought would put him out just made him wake up and want more. Oh well. He's asleep now, and since I'm on 2am duty tonight, I really shouldn't be blogging.
All in all, though, a fun day, and we'll hope that tomorrow is just as good.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Perchance to Sleep
Nicholas is, by all accounts, very much his father's son. The number of times each day when I recognize a look (usually a sourpuss, not the stuff that gets posted in our photo albums) is growing as Nicholas does. And he shares my feelings about sleep: it may be necessary, but do I hafta?
He has, however, developed some very cute coping mechanisms, including what I would call the "woe is me" face.
As you can see, he's figured out that, if it's light out, he can block some of it out by putting his arm over his eyes. For one thing, it's hilarious to see it. And I actually think it's quite impressive. If you think about it, to do that requires a whole myriad of neurological and motor skills to accomplish. He recognizes the problem, understands that he needs to block out light, and knows that he can use his arm to shade himself and block out the light.
But of course, it still takes him several hours to fall asleep at night, starting from the time he starts yawning and looking glassy-eyed until we can reliably walk away from the crib. And it seems like he's down for the night now, so I should end this entry and get some sleep myself.
He has, however, developed some very cute coping mechanisms, including what I would call the "woe is me" face.
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| From Nicholas - Month 3 |
As you can see, he's figured out that, if it's light out, he can block some of it out by putting his arm over his eyes. For one thing, it's hilarious to see it. And I actually think it's quite impressive. If you think about it, to do that requires a whole myriad of neurological and motor skills to accomplish. He recognizes the problem, understands that he needs to block out light, and knows that he can use his arm to shade himself and block out the light.
But of course, it still takes him several hours to fall asleep at night, starting from the time he starts yawning and looking glassy-eyed until we can reliably walk away from the crib. And it seems like he's down for the night now, so I should end this entry and get some sleep myself.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Two month update
Nicholas turns two months old today. It seems like he is so much older than that, but then I realize that he is 1/6 of a year (and so once we go through 5 more times equal to that which has passed he will be starting to walk and talk) I am in shock with how quickly it is going. And he has already gotten so big and so grown up (comparatively speaking, of course). A little bit for you, but even more for our sake as a record to look back at, here is a snapshot of Nicholas at 2 months:
- He has smiling and laughing down pat. He smiles in response to smiles or fun "games," when he can make toys move, or when he sees someone he recognizes. He laughs when other people are laughing. Since most of the time we laugh it is at something silly he did, this leads to him laughing at himself, which of course makes us laugh more. He also laughs at all of Daddy's stupid jokes, if only because Daddy laughs at them and he follows suit. He started smiling at Joe first and even once he started smiling at me and other people, saved his biggest grins for Daddy. This is just now starting to even out.
- He is starting to get control of his head. He still needs some backup support because he loses control, but in the past week he has gotten so much stronger. When he is awake and in someone's arms he is moving his head back and forth so rapidly I think he'll get whiplash, but he just wants to use his new skill to see everything.
- He remembers games and will get excited by knowing what is coming. I've mentioned in other posts how he remembers that he can make the toys on his chair move. After I did the "charge" game a few times, he started smiling as soon as I started rather than waiting for the "charge" on his nose. (See the video in the Peanut Gallery.)
- He is freaked out by mirrors. There are mirrors on his playmat and his swing because supposedly babies love them. He didn't take any interest in them until last week, but now he notices them and hates them. But he won't take his eyes off of them. He just stares intently and gets upset. We now have a blanket over the one on the playmat.
- There are still a few 3-month outfits that he can fit into, but for the most part he is wearing all 6-month clothes now. We have been sad to say goodbye to some of his old outfits, which are now overflowing the "Cashew drawer" (so named because it holds the things that are in storage for hypothetical younger sibling, nicknamed Cashew). Since poop now frequently seeps out of his diapers, we think it is time to move him up to size 2 . . . in 3-4 days when we use up the rest of the size 1s.
- He "talks" to us some, but started talking to "his animals" (the animals on his playmat) first and does so more frequently. Probably because unlike us they actually let him get a word in. We're trying to work on this.
- Much to our disappointment, he is not a big fan of being read to. He wants to be moving or doing something all the time, so sitting still (or even rocking) and being read to is not active enough for his taste. We're hoping this will change. Right now the only way I can get him to be happy through a whole board book is if I have Chompy (the beanie baby alligator) read it to him in a funny voice and act it out.
- He does not like to sleep. Or, more accurately, he does not like to fall asleep. He fights sleep with everything he has. We'll watch his eyelids get heavy and close, only to pop back open . . . over and over again. We often have to use some combination of movement, rubbing his back, and a pacifier to overwhelm his defenses and get him to relax enough to let himself fall asleep. I know he comes by it honestly, but we have to find some way to get this kid to relax and take a nap on his own or the toddler years are going to be a nightmare.
- He has recently taken to demanding being walked around, and so we've been doing laps around the living room and apartment complex parking lot. I do not like this development, but when the choices are walk with him or have him screaming, I'll choose the former.
- He is sleeping in his crib in the nursery at night. Some nights he sleeps 9:30-7ish with only waking up once or twice to eat. Other nights he is up every couple hours and needs to be coddled back to sleep. We're trying to only feed him the times when it seems he could reasonably be hungry in hopes that he will stop waking up the other times. I think part of the problem is that his nursery is over the stairwell and some of our neighbors come and go (and close doors loudly) at all hours of the night. He will not sleep in his crib during the day. On good days he sleeps in his chair. Other days he'll only nap in his carseat (i.e. in the stroller in motion) or in our arms. We'd love to enforce naps in his crib, but sometimes you have to live to fight another day.
- He in general likes baths, but hasn't yet started to play in them. He likes them enough that he sits patiently through them without crying, but he doesn't smile. A couple times he has kicked around and seemed like he was exploring, but for the most part he just sits there looking stunned. This is great for us, as it makes it much easier to keep ahold of him.
I'm sure there are a ton of other things I can't think of right now, but in summary Nicholas is a happy 2-month old who makes us smile at least as often as he frustrates us. And whether because we have 2 months of experience or because we're getting more sleep, even the frustrating things aren't getting under our skin these days.
Nicholas and Mommy at 2 months old:
Sunday, July 19, 2009
So sick of feeling sick
I haven't posted an update on my health in awhile, largely because things were going well and I was afraid of jinxing them. Well, things have gone steeply downhill again and I feel the need to whine, so here it goes.
In terms of nausea, after the first two weeks were awful, the days varied between medium and medium-bad for a few weeks. Thanks to the amazing arm-twisting of our school health center, I got in to see the gastrointerologist 2 1/2 weeks ago (instead of 3 days ago like was originally scheduled). He didn't really know what was going on, but had a couple theories that he could test without invasive procedures. One of these was basically that for some reason the hormone shift at Nicholas' birth got my stomach off and for some reason my body hadn't been able to get it back on track and so it was producing too much acid, making me so sick. He wanted me to take a high-power acid reducing medicine to jolt it back into shape, but we didn't know if it was safe for Nicholas, so we decided to start with an over-the-counter version instead. And for the first week it worked beautifully! I actually had a few days where I felt perfect, mixed in with days where I felt pretty good. And then the second week switched to more like a mix of pretty good and not quite as good. I talked to the doctor in the middle of this week and he proclaimed success and said that after one full week of feeling good to wean off the medicine and see if my stomach could maintain the proper levels on its own. And then it went to a mix of not quite as good and a little bad and then out of the blue this morning was awful. I haven't felt that bad in weeks. And it just wouldn't go away! The worst of it faded within a couple hours, but the lingering nausea just wouldn't die. In fact, it is still hanging around, although right this second it is better than it has been all day. I am actually fixing some food for dinner. Let's hope I feel up for eating by the time it is ready.
So I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed, in addition to feeling physically awful. Add to that the fact that Joe left an hour ago for 5 days in Philly (which I was already nervous about), and I feel a little like the walls are closing in. Allison has agreed to come over this evening and overnight and a couple other friends have offered to come up for periods of time to help, which I am extremely grateful for. But even with that help, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to make it if I continue to feel this sick.
I am definitely calling the doctor in the morning, but am not very optimistic because I don't think I'm going to like any of the next set of options. I had just in the past week or so gotten to the point where I actually wanted to keep breastfeeding and was no longer half looking for excuses to stop, so it would be incredibly ironic if now I have to stop because of a medicine. But if that is the best option I guess I have no choice because I just can't take care of him while feeling this awful. I just want to feel better for real and have this behind us. I have been praying so hard for so long that this morning in church I broke down, overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and desperation as I prayed yet again to beat this.
But at least Nicholas is sleeping right now. He needed a nap so desperately and I need a little time to mentally regroup. I think in many ways the disappointment and frustration of today have been as exhausting as the physical feelings. For the first time in weeks I am scared to wake up in the morning tomorrow and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.
In terms of nausea, after the first two weeks were awful, the days varied between medium and medium-bad for a few weeks. Thanks to the amazing arm-twisting of our school health center, I got in to see the gastrointerologist 2 1/2 weeks ago (instead of 3 days ago like was originally scheduled). He didn't really know what was going on, but had a couple theories that he could test without invasive procedures. One of these was basically that for some reason the hormone shift at Nicholas' birth got my stomach off and for some reason my body hadn't been able to get it back on track and so it was producing too much acid, making me so sick. He wanted me to take a high-power acid reducing medicine to jolt it back into shape, but we didn't know if it was safe for Nicholas, so we decided to start with an over-the-counter version instead. And for the first week it worked beautifully! I actually had a few days where I felt perfect, mixed in with days where I felt pretty good. And then the second week switched to more like a mix of pretty good and not quite as good. I talked to the doctor in the middle of this week and he proclaimed success and said that after one full week of feeling good to wean off the medicine and see if my stomach could maintain the proper levels on its own. And then it went to a mix of not quite as good and a little bad and then out of the blue this morning was awful. I haven't felt that bad in weeks. And it just wouldn't go away! The worst of it faded within a couple hours, but the lingering nausea just wouldn't die. In fact, it is still hanging around, although right this second it is better than it has been all day. I am actually fixing some food for dinner. Let's hope I feel up for eating by the time it is ready.
So I am incredibly frustrated and disappointed, in addition to feeling physically awful. Add to that the fact that Joe left an hour ago for 5 days in Philly (which I was already nervous about), and I feel a little like the walls are closing in. Allison has agreed to come over this evening and overnight and a couple other friends have offered to come up for periods of time to help, which I am extremely grateful for. But even with that help, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to make it if I continue to feel this sick.
I am definitely calling the doctor in the morning, but am not very optimistic because I don't think I'm going to like any of the next set of options. I had just in the past week or so gotten to the point where I actually wanted to keep breastfeeding and was no longer half looking for excuses to stop, so it would be incredibly ironic if now I have to stop because of a medicine. But if that is the best option I guess I have no choice because I just can't take care of him while feeling this awful. I just want to feel better for real and have this behind us. I have been praying so hard for so long that this morning in church I broke down, overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness and desperation as I prayed yet again to beat this.
But at least Nicholas is sleeping right now. He needed a nap so desperately and I need a little time to mentally regroup. I think in many ways the disappointment and frustration of today have been as exhausting as the physical feelings. For the first time in weeks I am scared to wake up in the morning tomorrow and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nursery in Use
We started transitioning Nicholas from the pack n' play in our room to the crib in his nursery two nights ago and so far, so good (knock on wood). The first night he did a series of 2-hour-ish shifts, which isn't good but honestly is as good as he generally does in the pack n' play. And last night he did two 3-hour shifts. Now, I know 6 hours of sleep is not nearly enough, but it is as good as we get from him, so I'll take it. We can't get our monitor to work without crazy beeps, but the apartment is small enough that with both doors open we can hear him, at least by the time he is screaming. I'd like to hear him before that, but on the other hand it means we can stop being woken up every time he makes noises in his sleep. I think last night I had the best night's sleep I've had since he was born.
On a related note, we've started using the term "big boy" to refer to older baby (as opposed to newborn) things, leading to some oxymoronic terms, such as "big boy crib" and "big boy pacifier." But he does seem so grown up these days. And he definitely is growing. We've had to put away some of our favorite sleepers because he couldn't straighten out his legs anymore. (I haven't been too big on the newborn stage (which may be a post if Nicholas stays asleep a little longer), but I got really sentimental at putting some of those away.) Even though his legs seem really short, for some reason the 3-month onesies still fit fine (well, most of them) but the sleepers with feet are just too short. He looks like he is swimming in the 6-month sleepers and shorts outfits we picked up, but I'm hoping that means he can wear them through the summer.
On a related note, we've started using the term "big boy" to refer to older baby (as opposed to newborn) things, leading to some oxymoronic terms, such as "big boy crib" and "big boy pacifier." But he does seem so grown up these days. And he definitely is growing. We've had to put away some of our favorite sleepers because he couldn't straighten out his legs anymore. (I haven't been too big on the newborn stage (which may be a post if Nicholas stays asleep a little longer), but I got really sentimental at putting some of those away.) Even though his legs seem really short, for some reason the 3-month onesies still fit fine (well, most of them) but the sleepers with feet are just too short. He looks like he is swimming in the 6-month sleepers and shorts outfits we picked up, but I'm hoping that means he can wear them through the summer.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sleepy Mommy
Nicholas doesn't really sleep any more at night now than he did at a week old and apparently my body has decided that it has had enough and is taking matters into its own hands, falling asleep while I'm nursing at night. (And, yes, that is intentionally written in the third person because I'm not making any conscious decision.)
The up side to this is that I get a little more sleep. In fact, it really is the only feasible way to piece together anything resembling a reasonable amount. However, it means I can't monitor Nicholas' eating. Don't worry, he is perfectly safe and between my arm and pillow is in no danger of falling. But one of two things happen. Either he comes off at some point and falls asleep and by the time I wake up is so deeply asleep that I can't wake him enough to eat on the other side (in which case I put him in bed and he is up in half an hour hungry), or (as happened last night) he just keeps going for the entire time (1 1/2 hours!!!) until I wake up.
In addition to the ouch factor of the second scenario, these both have the effect of getting him in the habit of snacking all night, precisely the opposite of what I want. If this keeps happening Joe might have to forgo the couple extra hours of sleep he's been getting a night to get up with us and keep me awake.
The up side to this is that I get a little more sleep. In fact, it really is the only feasible way to piece together anything resembling a reasonable amount. However, it means I can't monitor Nicholas' eating. Don't worry, he is perfectly safe and between my arm and pillow is in no danger of falling. But one of two things happen. Either he comes off at some point and falls asleep and by the time I wake up is so deeply asleep that I can't wake him enough to eat on the other side (in which case I put him in bed and he is up in half an hour hungry), or (as happened last night) he just keeps going for the entire time (1 1/2 hours!!!) until I wake up.
In addition to the ouch factor of the second scenario, these both have the effect of getting him in the habit of snacking all night, precisely the opposite of what I want. If this keeps happening Joe might have to forgo the couple extra hours of sleep he's been getting a night to get up with us and keep me awake.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Snugglesaurus
Thankfully Nicholas has always liked to be held more than his daddy did as a baby (at least from the stories I've heard), but he's never been a big fan of snuggling while awake. If he fell asleep eating he was more likely to stay asleep if we were holding him than if we put him down, but that was about it. But several times this past week he has been awake when he finished eating and then curled up into me and snuggled in until peacefully until he drifted off to sleep. I absolutely love snuggle time! It really is the best thing ever.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Reassurance
I worry. It's just what I do. And, actually, I've been much better with Nicholas than I would have expected. (No frantic late-night calls to the pediatrician or my mom!) But I still sometimes worry. Is he getting enough to eat? Is his food nutritious enough given my frequent diet of saltines? Is he getting enough sleep? Too much since we tend to put him in sleep-inducing places when he gets cranky? Do we talk to him and hold him enough? And millions more.
But you can't look at the child in this video (or the other new ones in The Peanut Gallery) and worry at all about his well-being.
Thanks, buddy, for the reassurance that you are doing just fine.
But you can't look at the child in this video (or the other new ones in The Peanut Gallery) and worry at all about his well-being.
 |
| From Nicholas - Month 2 |
Thanks, buddy, for the reassurance that you are doing just fine.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Nap Wars
I don't think Nicholas has taken a nap longer than 30 minutes in a bed in probably 3 weeks. Usually we can't even finish setting him down before he is screaming bloody murder. It isn't that he isn't tired or that he won't sleep, but just that he won't sleep in his crib or pack n' play. He'll sleep in our arms, in his swing, in his carseat, in the stroller, in his vibrating chair, but not in a bed.
Currently he is sitting next to me asleep in his chair. I'm not really complaining because at least he is asleep, but I worry about this becomming a long-term habit (as well as the effects on his back if he always naps in these weird positions). And since I wasn't able to get him properly belted in before he fell asleep, I don't feel comfortable going to take a nap myself. At least I can get some schoolwork done, something he hasn't let me do yet during my morning childcare shift.
Currently he is sitting next to me asleep in his chair. I'm not really complaining because at least he is asleep, but I worry about this becomming a long-term habit (as well as the effects on his back if he always naps in these weird positions). And since I wasn't able to get him properly belted in before he fell asleep, I don't feel comfortable going to take a nap myself. At least I can get some schoolwork done, something he hasn't let me do yet during my morning childcare shift.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Expanding Horizons
In the past week or so Nicholas has become much more aware of what is going on around him and much more expressive of those things he likes. He has started smiling and occassionally doing something that resembles laughing. His smiles are most frequent when Joe is entertaining him with silly voices or songs. Who would have thought that Joe would be the sillier parent?
He has also started interacting with toys, showing an interest in them that extends beyond following them with his eyes. We brought out the playmat with hanging toys and he is fascinated by them. At the beginning of each play session he accidentally hits them while he is flailing around in excitement, but often by the end he seems to be consciously aiming for them. You can practically see the synapses firing as he plays. It is amazing to watch!
The other day he was also captivated when I read to him, the first time he seemed to really pay attention. And while I wasn't reading age-appropriate books, I switched from historiography to Berenstain Bears and Curious George. Since he is still too young to follow, I figure there is no reason to torture myself by reading books with one sentence per page.
He has been awake and alert most of the afternoon, which was fun, but he was starting to get fussier and we decided it was time to encourage a nap and since putting him in his bed wasn't working, he is now in the swing and after about 10 minutes of looking around his eyes are closed. And I am feeling the best I have felt all day, so I can't decide whether to try to nap or work while he sleeps.
He has also started interacting with toys, showing an interest in them that extends beyond following them with his eyes. We brought out the playmat with hanging toys and he is fascinated by them. At the beginning of each play session he accidentally hits them while he is flailing around in excitement, but often by the end he seems to be consciously aiming for them. You can practically see the synapses firing as he plays. It is amazing to watch!
The other day he was also captivated when I read to him, the first time he seemed to really pay attention. And while I wasn't reading age-appropriate books, I switched from historiography to Berenstain Bears and Curious George. Since he is still too young to follow, I figure there is no reason to torture myself by reading books with one sentence per page.
He has been awake and alert most of the afternoon, which was fun, but he was starting to get fussier and we decided it was time to encourage a nap and since putting him in his bed wasn't working, he is now in the swing and after about 10 minutes of looking around his eyes are closed. And I am feeling the best I have felt all day, so I can't decide whether to try to nap or work while he sleeps.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
New Videos
We have posted some new pictures and--even more interesting--videos. Nicholas had a really great day today, sleeping most of 10-4 and then alert from 4 until now. Those 5+ hours of alert time means we had some great play time, as well as a nice long walk. We caught a little of the more expressive alert time I referred to in my last post on video, so that is posted.
In addition, we randomly discovered that Nicholas absolutely loves "Batter Bear," my stuffed Dodgers bear that got its name because Andrew as a toddler called baseball "batter up" and so dubbed the bear "Batter Up Bear," which was eventually shortened. We pulled the bear down randomly to see if it would distract Nicholas during a diaper change (the stuffed animals are in a hammock above the changing table) and he was so completely engrossed by it that he and Joe then had a good half hour of play time with Batter Bear. Some of this is also on video. Joe is crushed that Nicholas is a Dodgers fan. I think he likes the contrasting colors on the uniform.
Nicholas is currently still super alert. So alert in fact that he had trouble eating because he couldn't stop looking around. He is having more playtime with Joe as I type this. (And lifting and turning his head like it is nothing, and just flipped himself over again, although we aren't sure how much that is conscious and how much it is just frustration.) And while the alert time is fun, we're wondering if he will ever go to sleep tonight. It is not looking promising.
In addition, we randomly discovered that Nicholas absolutely loves "Batter Bear," my stuffed Dodgers bear that got its name because Andrew as a toddler called baseball "batter up" and so dubbed the bear "Batter Up Bear," which was eventually shortened. We pulled the bear down randomly to see if it would distract Nicholas during a diaper change (the stuffed animals are in a hammock above the changing table) and he was so completely engrossed by it that he and Joe then had a good half hour of play time with Batter Bear. Some of this is also on video. Joe is crushed that Nicholas is a Dodgers fan. I think he likes the contrasting colors on the uniform.
Nicholas is currently still super alert. So alert in fact that he had trouble eating because he couldn't stop looking around. He is having more playtime with Joe as I type this. (And lifting and turning his head like it is nothing, and just flipped himself over again, although we aren't sure how much that is conscious and how much it is just frustration.) And while the alert time is fun, we're wondering if he will ever go to sleep tonight. It is not looking promising.
List o' Updates
I can't write a coherent update post because every day is different depending on whether we have Sleepy Nicholas, Alert Nicholas, or Cranky Nicholas that day. The only patterns recently are ones we aren't big fans of: not going to bed until midnight and being his most alert during his middle of the night feeding. Other random things:
- He absolutely loved his bath earlier this week. I'm not sure what made it better than the first one, but he is due for another one today, so we'll see how it goes.
- Nicholas is becoming so expressive. During his alert time he now mixes in a variety of facial expressions, some of which are smiles or downright grins. Since they don't seem to be in response to anything, they are probably unconscious and not real smiles, but they are a fun glance at what the older baby will look like. And they are just absolutely adorable and heartwarming.
- Whenever we are out people comment at how tiny he is and yet to us he looks huge. He has definitely grown a lot recently, although we have no idea just how much. We go to the pediatrician in a little over a week, so we'll learn that info then.
- Nicholas is now old enough that we've been able to start introducing pumped bottles as an everyday occurrence, rather than just for emergencies. This gives me at least some degree of freedom, which is nice. Although, honestly, the taste of freedom makes it that much harder to go through each day having to choose whether I want to use my couple hours to go out somewhere without him or to get to go to bed early. I am hopeful that he will start spacing out feedings a little more soon so it doesn't have to be such an all-or-nothing proposition.
- The poor kid has developed baby acne. Apparently 40% of newborns get it at 2-3 weeks old and it sticks around for a few months. It appeared on Tuesday and has already gotten a little better now that we're washing his face a few times a day to combat it. Apparently there is nothing we can do to make it entirely vanish; we just have to give his body time to get rid of some of the hormones from being in utero.
- In a classic case of the double-edged sword, Nicholas has simultaneously started being able to fall asleep in ways other than nursing and has stopped reliably falling asleep by nursing. It makes me really happy that he is able to put himself to sleep with a pacifier or sucking on his hand or even just by rocking in the swing, but whereas I used to be able to count on just putting him down after nursing him, now there is sometimes a long process of holding him, rocking him, giving him a pacifier, etc before he falls asleep. On Tuesday while Matt was visiting he fell asleep in the midst of tummy time, sucking on his hand when he got frustrated and then falling asleep, staying asleep in half-crawl position long enough for us to play two full games of the train game. Right now he is asleep in the swing. I don't really like him sleeping in it because he is all stiff when he wakes up, but he was awake when I put him in and then fell asleep and since he has been up for the past 5 hours, I'm not about to move him and risk waking him up.
- After a week and a half of feeling almost normal, my nausea came back again yesterday. It was pretty bad yesterday and I had a medium bout again this morning. I can't think of a single thing that I did differently that could have triggered its return, and so am frustrated in addition to feeling bad physically. I'm hoping it goes away again on its own soon, since the earliest appointment I was able to get with a specialist isn't for over 3 weeks.
- Pacifiers are like magic. We have started letting ourselves use them some now that breastfeeding is well established and I am always amazed at how immediately he goes from inconsolable to content. We are trying really hard to use them sparingly and for short periods (such as to calm him down enough so that he is able to let the swing or the movement from the car or going on a walk keep him calm), but I still worry that we are fostering a bad habit. It is just so tempting to use them more often, though, since it works such magic.
- Stacy was here for most of the week, which was so amazing, but is going to make the next week that much harder. There are very few people that can lighten my load the way she does, both by being immensely helpful with Nicholas and around the house and by being someone who I feel completey comfortable breaking down in front of. I'm always sad when she leaves at the end of a visit, but saying goodbye this morning was particularly difficult.
- In a note that is only loosely related to Nicholas, other things in our lives are falling into place so perfectly that I have to pinch myself that I'm not dreaming. The Civic is still at the mechanic's, but both he and the insurance company are now almost certain that we will get it back and in working order. I wouldn't be surprised if the experience shortens its life a little or leads to a few more issues in later years, but having two reliable and freeway-worthy cars is a dream come true and simplifies our lives dramatically. The other news is that in a crazy twist of fate I have been asked to teach a class at Hopkins next year, providing me tuition and funding for the spring semester! The number of boulder-sized loads this takes off our shoulders is almost too numerous to list. The biggest effects are that I now have until summer to finish my dissertation (instead of Thanksgiving) and that we will no longer have to be living off our savings for those months. Both of these scenarios are absolutely tailor-made perfection, 100 times better than the best-case scenario I had been able to dream up, and I am trying really hard to use them to remind myself to trust God even when I'm frustrated at feeling nauseous again or that Nicholas is screaming for no apparent reason. I fail at least half the time, but maybe putting it in writing and in public will help me hold myself more accountable.
There is apparently a lot more going on here than I realized when I started this post. But since Nicholas is still asleep, I'm going to go find useful things to do. Do I have the courage and energy to make one of those things school related?
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Alert Baby
Nicholas has been much more alert recently and for longer periods of time. Today he had a particularly large number of these periods while Uncle Brian and Shayna were here, which was good because I had feared that he would spend the entire afternoon eating and asleep. But Nicholas seems to have decided he doesn't need the long afternoon nap he had developed. Or the first cycle of his nighttime sleep. The not going to bed until midnight thing wouldn't be so frustrating if he hadn't had those 3 days in a row where he went to bed at 8 and we were already on the first feeding at midnight. But right now it is 9pm and he is hanging out with Joe completely alert and looking like sleep is the furthest thing from his mind. I really love the alert periods and have so much fun watching him. Now if only we could combine these with some sleep, for all of us.
On a completely different note, since some of you care about me as well as Nicholas, I've been feeling much better the past few days. The nausea isn't completely gone, but it has decreased dramatically in intensity. Now instead of feeling completely ill for 4-5 hours each morning and then mediocre the rest of the day I feel a little gross for like 30 minutes each morning and then fine the rest of the day. And now that I am suddenly able to eat, I have been famished for periods each day. I never thought I'd be so happy to be starving.
And as another random note, there are some new pictures and videos for you to enjoy.
On a completely different note, since some of you care about me as well as Nicholas, I've been feeling much better the past few days. The nausea isn't completely gone, but it has decreased dramatically in intensity. Now instead of feeling completely ill for 4-5 hours each morning and then mediocre the rest of the day I feel a little gross for like 30 minutes each morning and then fine the rest of the day. And now that I am suddenly able to eat, I have been famished for periods each day. I never thought I'd be so happy to be starving.
And as another random note, there are some new pictures and videos for you to enjoy.
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