Ever since I became pregnant, I've become hyper-sensitive to stories of children getting ill or hurt. Casey used to come home to me bawling my eyes out early on in my pregnancy because I had stumbled upon some blog of a mother having a stillborn or losing her child to some awful disease. Somebody just posted this blog on facebook http://prayingfornina.blogspot.com/ and it's definitely making me well up. I am going to have to squeeze Elle extra tight when she wakes up from her nap.
What's new on the Thormahlen front? Well, let's see...I started work yesterday. My last day was November 5th. So bizarre being back after 3.5 months. My life has completely changed since then and it felt so normal to be back. Like nothing had ever happened. I'm so grateful that I love my company--it made the "transition" so much easier. I had been really emotional about it since last week but felt fine once I was there yesterday. Poor Casey had to deal with me over the weekend. Casey took a vacation day and watched Elle while I was at work yesterday. Our roles completely reversed--he was the one texting me at 4:00 PM that there were only 2.5 hours left. Taking care of an infant is SO exhausting. Being back at work yesterday felt like a break for me and I hadn't had that much energy in awhile. Being a mommy is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and work is cake compared to it. We are still figuring out how my work-from-home days are going to work. It's impossible getting anything done during the day. And I absolutely do not want to plant my sweet angel in her bouncer while I type away at the computer. I wouldn't be able to get anything of quality done and I want to enjoy every second I have with her.
In case you were wondering, Elle is now sleeping basically full-time in her crib. We sometimes move her to her bassinet when she wakes up at 4 AM for a feeding for her final 3 hours but that's it. She really is getting too big for it. I want to take a picture of her in it to compare it to her first picture in it before we put it away. I'll try to remember to do that soon. I can't believe Elle is already 3 months old.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Elle's First Big Trip
We flew up to Ukiah yesterday so that Elle could meet her great grandmother. We left our home at 8:00 AM and were back around 6:00 PM. Our baby was a jetsetter! I was really nervous about how Elle would do and how we would squeeze in her naps and her feedings but everything went really smoothly. Casey and I definitely gave eachother high fives on the drive home for how well we "managed" our baby on the-go. Although I know she should be able to go 4 hours without eating at 3 months, I feed her on demand... which for Elle is every 1-2 hours while awake. I was a breastfeed-in-public pro by the end of the day. I fed her before we left, in the car at the airport, in the airport "terminal" when we arrived, at Casey's grandma's condo, in the car at the restaurant, and in flight. Here we are in flight on the way there...
Elle slept in the plane on the way there and didn't start fussing until the descent. We were contemplating putting her down for a nap immediately upon arrival but once we fed her and changed her diaper, we decided that since she was socially engaged with us, she was fine to go a little while longer. We took her to Great Grandma's nursing home and she was waiting outside for us! It was the sweetest thing. Elle gave her a big silly smile.
We then got some lunch and Elle joined us for a bit, too.
And we were back in the plane by 4:30 PM and off. Elle didn't do as well on the flight back but she still did pretty awesome. She spent more time out of her carseat and in mommy's lap. She got a little fussy during the end of the flight and was making funny faces in between short cries so we wondered if her ears were popping. All in all, her first trip was a definite success and I am so glad she was able to meet her Great Grandmother!
Elle slept in the plane on the way there and didn't start fussing until the descent. We were contemplating putting her down for a nap immediately upon arrival but once we fed her and changed her diaper, we decided that since she was socially engaged with us, she was fine to go a little while longer. We took her to Great Grandma's nursing home and she was waiting outside for us! It was the sweetest thing. Elle gave her a big silly smile.
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| Great Grandma's Poster |
We then got some lunch and Elle joined us for a bit, too.
And we were back in the plane by 4:30 PM and off. Elle didn't do as well on the flight back but she still did pretty awesome. She spent more time out of her carseat and in mommy's lap. She got a little fussy during the end of the flight and was making funny faces in between short cries so we wondered if her ears were popping. All in all, her first trip was a definite success and I am so glad she was able to meet her Great Grandmother!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Something to smile about
My sweet child laughed for the first time on Wednesday. I wasn't positive but then it happened a couple more times Thursday and today. It's a mix between a cough and choke with a big silly grin. I was tickling her little tummy today and she was giggling up a storm. I love her.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Valentines Day
Before I forget, here are a few more pictures from Valentines Day.
Casey came home with flowers for Elle. Casey and I also each got her a card. Mine is on the left, and Casey's is on the right. We took turns reading them to her later that evening.
Casey came home with flowers for Elle. Casey and I also each got her a card. Mine is on the left, and Casey's is on the right. We took turns reading them to her later that evening.
As for Elle right now, well...she is napping in her...
Napping
Working on trying to figure out Elle's sleep schedule is SO time-consuming. I'm watching her like a hawk to try to figure out when she is getting tired and playing with her like crazy when she's awake. So far, it seems like she sleeps for 30 minutes every hour or so. I logged her sleep yesterday and actually made a concerted effort to get her to take frequent naps and I found that she slept 15 hours. She slept for 13 (!!!) hours during the night with a wake-up at 12:00 AM and 4:00 AM for feedings/diaper changes when we put her down at 6:30 PM. The downside of the early bedtime is that is when Casey gets home. Also, that's when I'll be getting home when I go back to work next week. Maybe doing things by the book isn't for us. But I have to say that the best part of this so far is that everytime she wakes up from a nap, she greets me with a HUGE silly smile.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sleep
I just started reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth yesterday and I can't get enough of it. I haven't gotten very far yet but I've already learned so much about Elle's sleep needs. It's one of those books that I wish I had read while I was still pregnant, or even in the first few weeks. On a sad note, it seems like we're going to have to drastically cut our trips down to OC because they interfere with her sleeping needs. Adelie (she recommended the book to me) warned me that it's an absolutely amazing book but we're going to have to make a lot of social sacrifices. I'm starting to see what she meant. Casey and I had planned to run some errands yesterday evening but after spending the afternoon reading about how infants need an early bedtime (like 6:30-7:00 PM), we nicked the idea. I've learned that sleeping in the carseat, the bouncer, or in someone's arms absolutely does not count as a nap and is not restful sleep. So, taking Elle around a few stores while she sleeps in the stroller is not ideal. I've also learned that infants have a 1-2 hour max window of wakefulness between sleeps. I'm not sure where Elle is on that currently so I'm tracking her sleeping and eating times today to see how she's doing. This book could not have come at a more opportune time either. For about a week or so, she has become so much more vocal when she is tired and sometimes even works herself up in a frenzy she gets so upset (read: at my parent's house on Friday). Remember my posts about her early evening screaming fits? And now that I think about it, her last "real" sleep on Friday was from about 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Poor baby was hysterical by 6:30 PM. I also stopped going to my "Mother's Gathering" class a few weeks ago because we were either on the road or in class from 9:15 AM to 12:30 PM and Elle essentially cried the whole class, every class. I realized that if we were at home, she would be sleeping at that time. I also realized that I wasn't learning anything I didn't already know from all the grad/undergrad Developmental Psychology courses I took.
I go back to work a week from today and I feel like there's a lot to do to prepare for that. I have to sanitize Elle's bottles, pump a day's supply of milk, stock up on pumping accessories like storage bags and sanitizing tools, make sure all her essential baby things are easy to find, figure out what to do with the dogs while my mom is here, get my eyebrows threaded... JK but I do need to prim myself up a bit too and buy work-friendly, pump-friendly clothing. I also need to make sure my workspace at home is ready. And most importantly, I feel like I should finish up this sleep book ASAP so we can begin a schedule with Elle so the grandmas aren't left with an upset and tired infant. Motherhood is such a funny thing. It's literally the only job I've ever had, and will ever have, that I strive to be absolutely perfect in and feel pretty guilty when I fall short. I'm getting better on the guilt thing though--no more crying at the sight of neck rashes.
I go back to work a week from today and I feel like there's a lot to do to prepare for that. I have to sanitize Elle's bottles, pump a day's supply of milk, stock up on pumping accessories like storage bags and sanitizing tools, make sure all her essential baby things are easy to find, figure out what to do with the dogs while my mom is here, get my eyebrows threaded... JK but I do need to prim myself up a bit too and buy work-friendly, pump-friendly clothing. I also need to make sure my workspace at home is ready. And most importantly, I feel like I should finish up this sleep book ASAP so we can begin a schedule with Elle so the grandmas aren't left with an upset and tired infant. Motherhood is such a funny thing. It's literally the only job I've ever had, and will ever have, that I strive to be absolutely perfect in and feel pretty guilty when I fall short. I'm getting better on the guilt thing though--no more crying at the sight of neck rashes.
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