Sophia’s Second Week

Tags

family, friends, motherhood, sophia

I can’t believe how much I love this little girl! She’s amazing & I really don’t know what we did before she came into our lives…

Oh yeah, SLEEP.  I used to sleep at least 8 or more hours at night.  Sometimes LOTS more…those were the days…

Now I catch some sleep whenever I can.  Thankfully, Sophia does these long cluster feeds that do eventually result in a few hours of sleep, anywhere from 2 -6 hours…which are so wonderful. Unfortunately, these usually occur twice a day, like at midnight and 2 pm or some other random time.  Thank goodness for my eye mask…

Jon is doing everything around the house (and outside it!) these days – he’s wonderful!!!!  Couldn’t do this without him.

Lucy is constantly guarding Sophia – from intruders, visitors, and those pesky Fed Ex trucks – cuz, you never know just what they may bring…

Speaking of what they (fed ex or postal people) bring, there have been so many wonderful gifts arriving for Sophia!!!!  I just want to say thank you – and I’ll try to get some photos up of all the lovely things – beautiful girly dresses and lovely onesies…so sweet & generous!

Here are just a few:

onesies by the keiths

cupcake onesies

And another visitor this week: Amy and her son Xander.  All the kids who visit just LOVE to play with Jon…

Sophia this week:

• she makes some cooing noises at times…
• she likes to be sung Ella Fitzgerald songs (like “love you madly”) & be jiggled when she’s fussy
• shes likes to listen to music or nrp during the day while she nurses
• I think she’s beginning to recognize my voice (she at least likes my singing – for now)
• those long legs really like to kick & push off your arm – like she’s going to launch herself somewhere
• she likes daddy’s scruffy cheeks – just like her momma!
• during those cluster feeds, we change her name to Ms. Fuss Bucket
• she seems to be more aware of her surroundings – even though I know she can’t focus more than a few inches from her eyes…
• her umbilical cord fell off while nursing a day or so ago…but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I just hope the dog didn’t eat it…
• she sometimes sleeps right on my chest instead of me trying to put her in the bassinet…it’s just easier and it doesn’t wake her up (or she sleeps in her vibrating chair)…
• we were able to nurse (in a sling! no less) at two doctor’s appointments this week…

Motherhood, despite the lack of sleep, is pretty wonderful!

Oh – and the things I miss, being tied at the boob and on the couch all day: our night blooming cereus bloomed! This only happens once a year and at night.  Here it is just as the flower closed…

visits from friends…

the keiths & sophia

gail & becca

zuzu and stehanie (not pictured)

and more lovely gifts by antje arrive for sophia & momma…

i will get a photo of sophia using the blanket, not just momma!!!

so nice…

Sophia’s First Week

Tags

handmade, parenting, sophia

The fabulous:

• My mom is amazing – she cooks, cleans, does laundry, walks the dogs, feeds all the furry & feathered munchkins (chickens included), grocery shops, waters plants, holds the baby – you name – she’s either already done it or is doing it.  We’re going to miss having her here when she leaves tomorrow – but she’ll be back in a few weeks.
• Jon is the “poop master” – he tends to do all the dirty diapers during the day. What more could a woman want? And he is great at this – I totally put the diapers on wrong for a bit.  It helps that we got some new “newborn” diapers that fit better.
• Breast feeding is going well.  We’re using the football hold, as it helps teach me to control her head and gets her to latch on well.  I plan on branching out on holding methods soon.
• Nipple shields rock – these have been a lifesaver in terms of drawing the nipple out so Sophia can latch on.  We had a tough couple of days without these.
• Milk production is ramping up – up to almost 2 oz pumped for supplemental feeding. We just need to get some slow flow nipples for the bottles so Jon can do a feeding.
• Sophia is sucking more vigorously – she was often sleeping or dawdling during feedings (as still is a bit), but this has improved.
• My incision is healing nicely as well. I have a check up on Tuesday.  It will be at least one more week until I can do more than feed Sophia and walk a little bit around the house. I can’t wait to go for a walk & wear the sling or push the stroller!

A few tough things:

• Lack of sleep is tough at nights, but I can catch some cat naps while breast feeding during the night.  I’ve been taking a short nap in the morning after breakfast and trying to get one again in the afternoon.
• There is not much time between feeds to do much of anything.  Feeds usually take an hour or more (with pumping)
• Sophia has a fussy period during the day – usually between 4 and 9 pm (after one feeding and sometime straight through to the next and fussy again afterwards).
• Getting her to nap/sleep during this time is challenging – and we’re learning new tricks every day.  What works one time might not work again – at least not immediately. The afternoon heat & humidity is a concern (with our swamp cooler), but cooling her off with damp rags and trying to hold her without transferring our own body heat is working.  It helps that the last two days have been cooler.

But last night the fussy period extended from 8-12, with no breaks from an hour of feeding, then fussiness while trying to get her to sleep (gas issues????), another hour of feeding a bit early…and more fussiness.  Last night was HARD.  If anyone has advice/trucks on how NOT to have this happen for an extended period of time or even ideas period, I’d love hear…

Sophia:

• She has these long gangly arms and legs – these arms have a mind of their own!  They knock the nipple shield off, fly about uncontrollable, and if you try to contain them – woe for you.  These arms are attached to really long feet & fingers – she gets these from her daddy’s side.  She loves to put her hands ion her mouth – often, you can find one or both arms have escaped from the snuggle and one hand is resting on the side of her face & the other is in her mouth!
• Beautiful eyes – she does this pirate thing with one eye open – often while feeding or burping.  Or just in general!  It’s a hoot! And she does this eye brow raised thing during breast feeding, which is also funny…
• She is so long and narrow!
• Her ears somewhat curl or flop over like a puppy – though it could also be from me occasionally (I hold my fingers behind her ears from the football hold).
• She’s just so sweet – even during that fussy time of day.  I can’t believe how quickly I’ve fallen in love with her.  Even though I hold her a good portion of the day, when someone else holds her, I find myself offering to take her…and I know Jon feels the same way…even  I need to eat & really need a break…

We just want to thank everyone for their good wishes and all the lovely gifts that have been sent!  Just to highlight the handmade, check out what Antje made for her (and me) – truly lovely works of art! Sophia is one lucky girl to have such talented Aunties!

We can’t wait for everyone to meet her!

I will work on the birth story & Jon is gong to write his perspective as well, since he had such an active role in labor. Stay tuned…and we’ll post more photos as we can.  Posting may be a bit sporadic, given the time constraints & one-handed typing…

Sophia Audrey

Tags

celebration, le bebe, pregnancy, sophia

Sophia Audrey

Born July 17,  2009 adter 40 hours of labor  & delivered via cesarean at 12:29 AM

7 lbs 11 oz

20.5 inches

She’s doing great & nursing is going well now that milk is here.  Lots to discuss on that end.  Birth story is to come.  Need  some sleep first..

Lexi’s Gifts…and Going Past the Due Date

Tags

canning, crocheting, friends, handmade, le bebe

Here are some of the little gifts I made for Trinka & Aaron’s little girl, due at the end of August:

Some doctored onesies – inside some nice cloth bags that can be used to keep things in the diaper bag organized!

A handmade crocheted blanket

A close up of the blanket

Some fun soft toys

The smaller toy is supposed to be a lady bug, but it is kinda small and looks more like a bed bug.  Oh well!

Here’s the blanket I made for le bebe.  This blanket was suppose to keep my mind off the wait…but I finished it.  So I started another one…

And a closeup of the double crochet stitch (knit?)

In the interest of keeping myself occupied, I canned some pie filling yesterday.  Our neighbor brought us over a large bag of apples from his tree and I had these two large bags of cherries that needed something done with them.  We just weren’t eating them fast enough!

Cherry & Apple Pie filling

Somehow, all that fruit only came out to two jars apiece of pie filling.  Oh well – at least it will be nice to have this fall when we want some yummy pie!

*******

As for the 40 weeks and 5 days status, I’ve decided it’s time to try the mind-body connection.  I have been drinking a ton of raspberry tea and doing all the homeopathic things that the midwives recommend.  But now, I need to put my mind to work.  Here’s my thinking – I need to just repeat this mantra: “I will go into labor today.  My water will break today. This baby is coming out today.”

I did have contractions off and on all last night that kept waking me up, and I just kept repeating this mantra to myself as I got out of bed to squat or move around.  This baby will come out….

Of course, Ms. Core says I just need to give up completely and then le bebe will come.   I am a fairly patient person and don’t feel like I’m losing it yet…

We have an appointment today, so we’ll see what they say!

****

Read a very funny book yesterday – Momzillas by Jill Kargman – check it out

The Complete Nursery

Tags

handmade, le bebe, nursery

Here are some photos of the nursery (more on flickr to the right):

The beautiful diaper bag by Antje

The diaper bag is such a work of art that it deserved its very own spot in the room.

Crib & closet

Here’s the crib with the handmade sheet, the unbelievable blanket also by Antje and the crane mobile.  The cran mobile was made by this wonderful shop on Etsy.  Totally cute & from France!

Close up of crane mobile

The crane mobile is origami and each shape is a fun green color and different size.

View of nursing chair from doorway

Here’s the view to the chair I slip covered for nursing. It’s a very comfy chair and I am sure le bebe will like it too.  The wall behind the chair is bare.  This is to inspire someone artistic in the family  to make a piece of art for le bebe to look at!  Hint Hint!

Changing table & Shelf

Here’s the changing table all stocked with diapers! We have another large box in the closet as well.  My dad and Jon installed the shelf.  Mom found us  the changing table and I make the changing pad.  The kitties are up above on the shelf for decoration.

And no nursery photoshoot is complete without the most interested member of the family!

She’s doing a great job protecting me from those UPS & Fed Ex trucks, wood peckers, and other things.  She even guards my bedside when I take naps in the afternoon!    She’s never too far away!

40 Week Update

Tags

le bebe, pregnancy, waiting

Our 40th week midwife appointment was this morning (remember – due date is tomorrow). Everything looked good – I’ve gained a total of 26 pounds  (probably a 7.5-8 pound baby at this point).  My cervix is around 1 cm dilated and is soft.  Our midwife attempted to sweep the membranes, but couldn’t quite reach it (probably due to the fact I was in the middle of a contraction while she was trying).  I felt a lot of cramps afterwards and ended up losing some more of the mucus plug. All good signs…

Our midwife suggested we begin using some of the homeopathic remedies.  So, I got some black cohast tincture (seriously gross stuff) that you put 10 drops under your tongue four times a day.  I am sipping some red raspberry leaf tea as I type this.  This weekend I can (and may) try a lovely castor oil recipe they recommend.  If nothing has happened by Monday, then I get to try homeopathic pellets of black & blue cohast.  Should be as tasty as the tincture. This is all in addition to usual – walking, squatting, and sex  – that is recommend.

My grandma Mary keeps telling me how my grandpa took her driving over bumpy roads to try to start her labor.  It didn’t work, but she did get to get out of the house!

Our next appointment is Tuesday afternoon.  Of I haven’t gone into labor by Thursday, then the next steps are to do a fetal non-stress test and sonogram to check out the level of the amniotic fluid.  If everything looks ok, and I continue to dilate, then  the midwives are comfortable with me going to 41 weeks and 4-5 days before we should get to the hospital for induction.  I am just thrilled that hitting 41 weeks does not necessarily mean I need to stop and head to the hospital immediately for an induction.

This was a big concern of mine…of course, anything after 41 weeks means we will be giving birth at the hospital regardless (but still in the company of the midwives).  I know that they can help advocate for us there, if we have to end up going there.

Everyone keeps asking if I’m ok emotionally about the due date tomorrow and probably not going into labor by then…and I am really ok with if we aren’t in labor by tomorrow.  Most women don’t (probably due to the screwy way the due dates are calculated – you’re off by two weeks anyways).  I am more excited to go through the whole labor experience together with my husband and for us to finally meet this little one!

Of course, I say this today and everything may change overnight…but probably not.  In the meanwhile, I’m just trying to stay cool and busy, sipping my red raspberry tea…

*****

Funny story from this morning: I woke up early (far too warm these days) and took the dog for a walk around 6:30 am.  I haven’t joined the early morning walkers in at least six months…too busy getting some sleep.

One of the regular ladies was walking towards me and said “Oh bless my stars – are you with child????”  I responded that yes I was and tomorrow was my due date…and the other lady told me that that was not possible – I wasn’t big enough to be due tomorrow!  I explained that yes, I really was due tomorrow and I have gained 26  pounds after all…

What was I going to say – nope, not pregnant,  this is a rather large beach ball I felt like carrying under my shirt…just for fun…

Keeping busy…

Tags

creating, le bebe, pregnancy

Here we are, one day away from the official “due date” for le bebe and no sign of le bebe wanting to leave the comfy home inside my belly.  We have an appointment with the midwives tomorrow and then have one week left that we can deliver at the birth center before we have to end up at the hospital to be induced.  I would really rather not have to go to the hospital if we can avoid it.

So, to keep my mind off these details, we kept busy this weekend.  We grilled bugers to celebrate the holiday and spent time in the neighbor’s pool (and got sunburned).  It just felt so good to be in the water.

I finished a little blanket for someone…and come this weekend, I can post more of the items I made for this little one (her shower is Saturday). The I started on the blanket for our little one – here’s hoping I can get it done before le bebe arrives.  Though, honestly, I’d be okay if I didn’t get to finish it because of an imminent arrival!

Jon & I installed the new screen door on the patio – which was an adventure. The door frame was about a half inch shy to make the screen door flush – which meant we had to use spacers to make everything even out.  Several phone calls to my dad and a couple trips to the hardware store later – we were in business.  Now instead of having the front door wide open for the cats, dog, and bugs to come and go as they please – we have to open the door constantly for the dog and cats.  I wish there was some sort of device we could train them to push to open & close the door…but at least we’re keeping the bugs outside. It’s something.

New screen door

I finally decided to make a slipcover for a chair I’ve had my eye on for some time.  The fabric is by Amy Bulter and it was leftover from another project.  It’s quite pretty.

Slipcover

I didn’t have enough of the fabric to do a proper slip cover – and this chair is somewhat odd in its construction, so I added velcro to the sides of the chair pad and to the fabric – instant slip cover!

This morning I made a couple more meals – for the week and for the freezer – which should help put some whenever le bebe decides to arrive.  Which hopefully will be soon.  Not that I’m overly anxious about labor – it will be the toughest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m actually looking forward to it – but mostly I just want to meet this little one who keeps doing those yoga moves inside of me. And I’d like to sleep on my back again one day soon.

And before anyone says I should be spending my time resting – please note that I have been resting and napping every day.  I just have this insane need to create or do something productive each day – and then spend the afternoons resting. To keep my mind off things, I’ve gone ahead and scheduled outings or lunches this week – just in the hopes that I get to call and cancel because le bebe is arriving!

Summer Loving

Tags

cooking, garden, summer

I love summer in the desert.  Call me crazy, but I love the build up of the heat to the breaking point when the monsoons finally arrive.  I think it’s because everyone always complains about how we have no seasons here in the desert except HOT, more HOT, and mild.  To me, we have several seasons, if you just pay attention and monsoon season is my favorite part of summer. The heat (and humidity) of the day build up, as the the clouds gather around the mountains and swoop down into the valley.  Violent storms can erupt and rains falls and flows everywhere.  Following the downpour, the roads (especially in our neighborhood) are covered with debris and gravel and you can see where intermittent streambeds decide to overflow or change course.  It’s amazing to watch and observe. Our two creeks in the back often flow fast and furiously, if only for a little while.

Panda watching the monsoon rain and the creek beds flow from the safety of the window (sorry for the blurry photo!)

Not to mention, I love the sounds following the monsoon storm.  Desert toads come out of hiding from underground and begin croaking.  Not just croaking, but they begin their mating songs that can last throughout the night. The crickets begin their symphony, and depending on the time of day, the birds add to the chorus.  It’s amazing.

All that water is good for the plants in the garden.  However, in the three years we’ve been at this house, this is the first year my garden really has flourished.  My tomatoes and basil are producing like crazy (though, I’ve never had a problem growing basil anywhere) and the peppers, eggplant, and squashes are doing decent. This is all due to the wonders of the irrigation system in the front courtyard. The problem in the past has been the main garden – with the lack of consistent watering and the attacks by the ground squirrels (who I despise more than anything).  We haven’t fixed the lack of an irrigation system in the main garden, but I am confident I can install a system myself this fall.  Until then, the herb bed is getting somewhat consistent water from the hose and the main beds are resting until it’s cool enough to plant the autumn greens.

In the meanwhile, we have been enjoying the harvest.  Here’s last night’s easy dinner of gazpacho soup and mozzarella-basil paninis.

Gazpacho soup with mozzarella-basil panini

I never made gazpacho before but it was so simple.  I simply threw a bunch of tomatoes, a peeled cucumber, some basil and cilantro in the food processor – and voila! – soup.  Add some salt & pepper – and chill for a bit and you’re good to go.   The panini was also simple – cut up some mozzarella, add whole leaves of basil – and put between slices of bread in the sandwich maker.  Instant dinner!

I also fulfilled my quest to add to the larder – here are some banana-berry muffins and banana-blueberry muffins (an experiment in using leftover fruits).  I put one container in the freezer for after le bebe arrives. By the time I took the muffins out of the oven, finished breakfast on the patio, and come in to sort muffins, one muffin had disappeared from the pan.  No complaints must mean they were okay!

Fixing up the onesies…

Tags

handmade, le bebe, monsoon, sewing

So, in an effort to use up my fat quarter scraps from making toys, I decided I needed to do something about those plain white onesies and blanks shirts.

After all, white can be boring.  We like color in this house! And shapes of kitties, dogs, and rabbits.  Well, the rabbit shape might surprise you, but that’s what Jon picked.

Kitty onesie

Doggy onesie

Doggy & Kitty Kimono style shirts

Rabbit shirt

Rabbit kimono shirt & matching pants

Here’s the pants I made to coordinate with the rabbit shirt.  The pants turned out pretty good – I used a pattern from Simple Sewing – but modified the inseam & total pant length.  I based it on the 0-3 month pants I already had.  These turned out a bit short, but now I have perfected the pattern and plan on making a few more pairs.  The material is still cotton, just a lighter weight cotton.

Close up of cotton pants

And to leave you with the beauty of the monsoon storm we had last night:

While we have a week until le bebe’s due date (and I know it is possible we will go beyond this date), I was glad not to have to drive in this last night! It poured!!