wow, i can't believe she's been here two months already--and i can't believe it's only been two months! seems like she's been in our lives forever...
things are really great despite having had no income for the last two weeks (or the next two for that matter...); rowan is such a good baby and we have really settled into an understanding, if not a full-on schedule. last night was her first night sleeping alone in her bedroom and she did great. i'm working on helping her learn to fall asleep on her own; up until now she has always nursed all the way into sleep, and it caused trouble when i'd put her down because she would wake up instantly and start crying to nurse again. so we're using the techniques from the no-cry sleep solution and even after just two nights i can tell she's learning/accepting that sleep can come without the help of my boobs. lol. it was weird to go to bed without her just a few feet away though--i kind of missed her. *sigh* evolution did a really good job ensuring moms would attach to their babies...
our typical day right now goes like this:
wake up around 730, may or may not get out of bed (if not, she's in bed with me nursing while i rest). when we finally do get up, diaper change and then she gets playtime in the swing or bouncer while i make coffee and eat breakfast. then we hang out...we dance, go for a walk, play cooing games, etc for as long as she will tolerate it.
nurse again, then usually she naps for an hour or so (11am-1pm on a good day) while i do the day's chores
she wakes up, nurses, then playtime again until around 3pm or so when she usually nurses and then naps again until 5pm. repeat, but replace playtime with daddy-time while i make dinner.
bedtime routine starts between 7-730pm: she gets a bath, then swaddled, then we nurse and sing in the rocking chair for 20-30 minutes or until she falls asleep, at which time i put her in the crib and start the "no-cry" techniques (assuming she is awake, which she usually is). she falls asleep by 830pm 99% of the time.
wake up around 2am for a nighttime feeding, and again around 5am. by this point i usually bring her to bed with me and let her nurse at will until i feel like getting out of bed...
all in all, it's nice. she's very regular unless something interrupts her, though even through a day at the mall all today she slept on her usual schedule. two perfect naps and in bed at 730. she's awesome.
i wanted to update my feelings on cloth diapers too--i still love them, but dappi covers aren't our main staple anymore (they were just too big and the velcro kept scratching her as a result). i had a single gdiaper that was my favorite, so i was looking on ebay for a used lot of them when i stumbled on a $30 off coupon someone had posted! i went to the gdiapers site and managed to get a $70 box of 6--which is about 4 more than we need--for only $40! freakin' fantastic, and i have to say these diapers are awesome. i don't use the flushable bits because we are on septic, so i use a prefold stuffed in there instead and it works like a charm. i highly recommend these diapers as they create hardly any laundry, the covers almost never get soiled, and the plastic liners are really quick to wash out when they get messy. plus they fit well! the only downside is they are definitely pricey; but it's a worthy investment. i will be buying more when she outgrows the ones we have.
also: breastpumps. i bought a medela pump-in-style on ebay ($70 all told; they normally cost $300!) and i LOVE it. it's quick and very effective, plus it's adjustable in terms of suction power and speed. i can drain myself in about 7 minutes with that thing which will come in very handy at work. and i think it has helped me increase milk production.
speaking of which, i have been drinking the traditional medicinals mother's milk tea since the beginning, and i do think it has helped a bit (i chug about a quart or so a day b/c i make a big batch and pop it in the fridge), but i wanted a more powerful increase since i know i will be having to pump a lot soon... so i started taking some fenugreek tincture. it worked, and i smelled like maple syrup, but watch out! it gave me and rowan both terrible gas, and she was miserable for a few days as a result. so i had to quit it, unfortunately, but it definitely upped my production. i'm trying to maintain the increase by pumping as much as i can.
and finally, work. *sigh* i am going back part time starting next week, i just have to figure out when and how many hours. my mom will most likely be taking care of rowan while i am away, since matt is back at the hipp next week full-time *growl* so at least she will have a loving caretaker... but i still don't really like it. i just don't have a choice. so today my sister and i went to the mall and i spent a $50 gift card i had on some shirts, a fabulous lip color that i plan to wear every single day, and a new pair of shoes (same as an old pair i wore out). it was nice--i haven't bought clothing since november, and i was pregnant then. made me feel a little more positive about going back to work.
i'm also actively beginning some "anti-aging" skin treatments since i realize now how easy it is to completely neglect myself in favor of the baby, and how easy it is to become a frumpy soccer-mom type... i'm on guard now. i'm back to a largely raw diet, i'm going to the gym regularly (30 pounds takes a long time to come off), and it's time to get serious about my skin, since it's obvious i'm not 21 anymore. i broke down and bought a commercial product but now i think my own concoction will actually be better in the end... we'll see.
so that's about it... not much, but at the same time a lot. rowan is growing so fast it's scary.
rowan, 7 weeks
things are really great despite having had no income for the last two weeks (or the next two for that matter...); rowan is such a good baby and we have really settled into an understanding, if not a full-on schedule. last night was her first night sleeping alone in her bedroom and she did great. i'm working on helping her learn to fall asleep on her own; up until now she has always nursed all the way into sleep, and it caused trouble when i'd put her down because she would wake up instantly and start crying to nurse again. so we're using the techniques from the no-cry sleep solution and even after just two nights i can tell she's learning/accepting that sleep can come without the help of my boobs. lol. it was weird to go to bed without her just a few feet away though--i kind of missed her. *sigh* evolution did a really good job ensuring moms would attach to their babies...
our typical day right now goes like this:
wake up around 730, may or may not get out of bed (if not, she's in bed with me nursing while i rest). when we finally do get up, diaper change and then she gets playtime in the swing or bouncer while i make coffee and eat breakfast. then we hang out...we dance, go for a walk, play cooing games, etc for as long as she will tolerate it.
nurse again, then usually she naps for an hour or so (11am-1pm on a good day) while i do the day's chores
she wakes up, nurses, then playtime again until around 3pm or so when she usually nurses and then naps again until 5pm. repeat, but replace playtime with daddy-time while i make dinner.
bedtime routine starts between 7-730pm: she gets a bath, then swaddled, then we nurse and sing in the rocking chair for 20-30 minutes or until she falls asleep, at which time i put her in the crib and start the "no-cry" techniques (assuming she is awake, which she usually is). she falls asleep by 830pm 99% of the time.
wake up around 2am for a nighttime feeding, and again around 5am. by this point i usually bring her to bed with me and let her nurse at will until i feel like getting out of bed...
all in all, it's nice. she's very regular unless something interrupts her, though even through a day at the mall all today she slept on her usual schedule. two perfect naps and in bed at 730. she's awesome.
i wanted to update my feelings on cloth diapers too--i still love them, but dappi covers aren't our main staple anymore (they were just too big and the velcro kept scratching her as a result). i had a single gdiaper that was my favorite, so i was looking on ebay for a used lot of them when i stumbled on a $30 off coupon someone had posted! i went to the gdiapers site and managed to get a $70 box of 6--which is about 4 more than we need--for only $40! freakin' fantastic, and i have to say these diapers are awesome. i don't use the flushable bits because we are on septic, so i use a prefold stuffed in there instead and it works like a charm. i highly recommend these diapers as they create hardly any laundry, the covers almost never get soiled, and the plastic liners are really quick to wash out when they get messy. plus they fit well! the only downside is they are definitely pricey; but it's a worthy investment. i will be buying more when she outgrows the ones we have.
also: breastpumps. i bought a medela pump-in-style on ebay ($70 all told; they normally cost $300!) and i LOVE it. it's quick and very effective, plus it's adjustable in terms of suction power and speed. i can drain myself in about 7 minutes with that thing which will come in very handy at work. and i think it has helped me increase milk production.
speaking of which, i have been drinking the traditional medicinals mother's milk tea since the beginning, and i do think it has helped a bit (i chug about a quart or so a day b/c i make a big batch and pop it in the fridge), but i wanted a more powerful increase since i know i will be having to pump a lot soon... so i started taking some fenugreek tincture. it worked, and i smelled like maple syrup, but watch out! it gave me and rowan both terrible gas, and she was miserable for a few days as a result. so i had to quit it, unfortunately, but it definitely upped my production. i'm trying to maintain the increase by pumping as much as i can.
and finally, work. *sigh* i am going back part time starting next week, i just have to figure out when and how many hours. my mom will most likely be taking care of rowan while i am away, since matt is back at the hipp next week full-time *growl* so at least she will have a loving caretaker... but i still don't really like it. i just don't have a choice. so today my sister and i went to the mall and i spent a $50 gift card i had on some shirts, a fabulous lip color that i plan to wear every single day, and a new pair of shoes (same as an old pair i wore out). it was nice--i haven't bought clothing since november, and i was pregnant then. made me feel a little more positive about going back to work.
i'm also actively beginning some "anti-aging" skin treatments since i realize now how easy it is to completely neglect myself in favor of the baby, and how easy it is to become a frumpy soccer-mom type... i'm on guard now. i'm back to a largely raw diet, i'm going to the gym regularly (30 pounds takes a long time to come off), and it's time to get serious about my skin, since it's obvious i'm not 21 anymore. i broke down and bought a commercial product but now i think my own concoction will actually be better in the end... we'll see.
so that's about it... not much, but at the same time a lot. rowan is growing so fast it's scary.
rowan, 7 weeks
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