Process of Elimination

Here is what I learned between 3:30am and 6:30am this morning.

1) He's wet-change him
2) He's hungry-feed him
3) He's not sleepy-try 15 positions, several night lights/musical machines (swing, crib thing, rocking, sitting, standing, walking, tummy, etc.)
4) Are you sure he's not wet? Check diaper again.
5) He's got gas-burp him

The "Ah Ha" moment. His pj's are too small, he can't fully stretch out to fart. So...derobe him, massage his belly, do bicycle and "jump" with legs, wait for the poop, change him again.

He's wide awake now, turn on lights, act like it's his normal 6 am wake up time and start talking to him. Pump before you explode. Get Ryan up again to help (he took the brunt of the changing position hour and some odd minutes. Thank God he's more patient than I am).

The worst part is this took 3 hours to figure out and technically it's time for him to eat again. F-me!

Good Day?

Yesterday was a little trying running on no sleep but last night Miller slept pretty well without any tantrums (the only one was at 3 in the afternoon which I will take any day over midnight or 3 am). I got a glorious 3 hours of sleep in one stretch! It was awesome. I never thought I would be able to function on so little sleep. It's amazing what the body will do for survival.

This morning Miller didn't want to go back to bed like normal so neither of us got a morning nap in. We did however break into the toys. One of his toys is a surfboard looking thing that has a spot at the top where you fill it with water and 3 little fish are in it. Then it has a pillow like thing to help prop him up and toys attached. It's for putting him on his tummy to develop neck strength. He did pretty good for a few minutes and then got tuckered out. It's hard holding that noggin' up for long when you are built like Gumby. I will try to take a picture this afternoon when we attempt it again. He was dressed cute this morning but peed on his outfit. So, now he's a mismatched baby who needs a bath.

I also attempted to put together one more item but it required batteries we didn't have. He will have to wait until Mom or Dad makes a trip to the store to experience that one.

Thanks for the comments to yesterday's post about the pacifier. I really do hate those things but desperate times call for desperate measures. It's good to know the other parents are able to use them in emergency situations and are working on weaning. It is much easier to kill a Nuk than to chop off a thumb!

To Pacify 0r Not To Pacify

pacify
Verb
[-fies, -fying, -fied] to soothe or calm

Yes, the dilema has now struck us. Both Ryan and I are against pacifiers but after a night of pure evil brought on by Miller, we decided today that using a pacifier may not be that bad after all. It will surely save our sanity and prevent us from shaking the baby. I think the definition to "soothe or calm" is more for us rather than Miller.

I am still torn on the great debate. It's similar to the formula vs. breastmilk debate. It seems to be a fad like trend. Now the medical journals state that using a pacifier may help prevent SIDS. I am all for that but at the same time, I don't want a 4 year old sucking on a pacifier and have to deal with breaking the habit in the future. Then again, sucking his fingers or thumb isn't much more appealing.

We are dealing with a baby right now that I think is borderline colic and borderline growing and can't decide what he wants in life. More food, less food, to be held, to poop, to pass gas, to be walked, to be rocked, to have the light on, etc. (I forgot to mention that the original night light we bought didn't work so we bought another and even that is questionable. No one seems to carry a normal flipping night light so we are still searching.)

Well, I think the dear old pacifier just fell out of his mouth cause the whining has commenced. Seriously, I now know why people shake babies and also how they can forget them in the car. I love routine and this kid is messing with my routine! Too bad he's so darn loveable 90% of the time. Otherwise I would put him up on eBay.

He's Awake!

Last night (and several other nights this week) Miller has decided he's a night owl and likes to be awake at night. Very disheartening for two parents that like to go to bed early and are dead tired. Last night I was scrutinizing my parenting skills. I was up at 2 am for a feeding, rocked, burped, waited a good half an hour before I put him back down and guess what, he was wide awake again! I swear his crib is the baby waker and not a sleeping place. He talked to himself for 45 minutes which kept me up until 3:30 when I decided to check on him since this was obviously not tiring him out. Needless to say he was laying in a wet spot. He must have spit up a little after I put him back down. So, I got up with him and decided since I was up, I would pump. Wouldn't you guess, 10 minutes into my session he decides to scream bloody murder. He wasn't wet, he wasn't hungry, he just wanted to be held and walked around. Ryan ended up getting up to help me out since my hands were tied. This was the point where I got super mad at myself. Why couldn't I soothe him? Why did it take over 2 hours from when I got up to feed him to get him back to sleep when during the day, he can't keep his eyes open?

Today he is wide awake. Maybe this is the beginning of switching his sleep cycle? I can only dream right? He is a smart one though. He knows as soon as those eyes are open, I come at him with his eye drops. He closes them every time. I figure dribbling a little on his eye counts as a partial dosage. Ryan is much better at catching him off guard.

Now that he's awake, what do I do with him? He's not quite into looking at toys or reading books. He isn't ready to sit up and bounce around...I guess I will put him in his swing or chair and let him work out another poo. I figure he can also come with me to the bathroom while I shower. Yesterday he didn't give me a chance to accomplish that task. Stinky mom and stinky baby. Ah, the joys of motherhood!

Caffeine Please

I am not a huge caffeine drinker so going off of it for my pregnancy wasn't too bad. Now, I am severly sleep deprived and I know I am supposed to continue to watch what I eat and drink. One bad habit that developed this past week; drinking a Mt. Dew every day (and craving more caffeine all day long!). I am usually not a full sugar soda drinker much less a one a day Mt. Dewer (I actually like the Dt. stuff but it has aspartame in it). I am even thinking about starting to drink coffee.

You guessed it, this means I am severly sleep deprived. I no longer know what the date is, what Ryan said to me at 2 am, or what I said to him at 4 am. The little guy is good 90% of the time but that 10% that starts in as we want to nap or go to bed is what drives me insane. I can't stand the crying. Give me the grunting or the dog barking at the vacuum cleaner any day. Ryan on the other hand can tune out the crying and gets annoyed by the grunting and dog barking. It is a good matching for our sanity. I seriously can't wait until the kid sleeps better at night. One-two hours of sleep at a time, then being up for 1.5 hours is rough on the body. Not to mention I am so sick of pumping. I foresee a switch to formula in the future and it will be much sooner than originally anticipated.

Nappin' with Miller

Today Miller and I took a nice nap on the couch together. I am usually scared to fall asleep with him on me or in my arms since I am afraid he will suffocate or I will drop him but today-there was none of that fear. Pure exhaustion took over and we had a little snuggle time on the couch. He is such a lover and so peaceful when he's sleeping.

After a long, hard day of nothing, I decided it was time for a glass of wine. I have been super good with only having my one drink and then waiting 2-3 hours before pumping. Tonight I couldn't take it and had two glasses of wine. It was glorious. I did pump and dump because I felt guilty but I did learn something after a little surfing on the world wide web. Supposedly a drink or two isn't bad as long as you wait to feed the munchkin after it leaves your system. The pump and dump myth is mainly to keep your supply up and prevent engorgement. Tonight I did dump some of that liquid gold mainly because it was pumping time. It made me tear up to poor two meals down the drain-especially after I spilled a whole container today. Oh well. At least I know I am not poisoning my kid and the supply is still flowing strong.

I am going to go read for a little bit since there is NOTHING on tv or pay per view. Ryan's out with the boys. Man, he is going to owe me some serious girl time in the near future. I just have to plan it wisely...shopping, spa time, concerts, etc.

Speaking of-I need a babysitter for Wednesday, August 20th. I am going to the STP concert. I was bummed when they split up since I had only seen them once in concert and it was at one of those all day events where you only want to see 1-2 bands and they don't play until the end of the day when you are hungry, sun burned, and ready to go home. In fact, I am pretty sure we left before the show ended.

Scattered Post

I made my "Carmel Cashew Chewies" yesterday and they are delicious. I will see if I feel like giving up part of the pan and have Ryan bring some to bowling. In fact, I may make him stay home and babysit while I get out of the house tonight and come visit everyone.

Miller has some gookiness going on with his one eye. I have to call the pediatrician today but from what I did (natural instinct aka maternal one) I think he might be ok and not need to go in. I washed it with warm cotton balls yesterday. It went from white to yellow to an icky green and back to a yellow, almost normal, eye booger color this morning. Ryan looked it up and thinks it's a clogged tear duct. So, we will see if our medical knowledge (thank the internet) and instincts are correct.

On the domestic front, I think I am going to be lazy today. The house can stay messy and I think I will skip any chores. The only items off my list will be calling HR and filling out paper work on Miller for insurance. His daycare paperwork can wait another day.

Being a domestic goddess is hard work. So far I have made 4 new dishes from scratch and they have all been time consuming except one. Tonight I am probably going with a standard-pheasant, cream of mushroom soup, chipped/dried beef, and minute rice.

As for an interesting tidbit for all the ladies out there...yesterday was the 2 week mark from Miller's birthday. I have lost all my pregnancy weight plus 1.5 lbs. Not too shabby. I wore another pair of jeans yesterday and a belt! Yes, the small victories in life are so shallow. The goal is to lose the extra tummy-not weight. I would like to get some darn cardio in but all it does is thunderstorm and rain around here. I just don't feel up to doing exercise videos quite yet. I am focused on some walking. I may need to bribe my walking partner to take me back or team up with Jerry. For now, I need to build my indurance up so I can power walk a longer distance. I am still a little sore and out of shape.

Try Again

Yesterday did not go as planned. Miller was fussy all day and occupied any free time I had hoped to use for baking. I did manage to get two loads of baby clothes washed, his sheet and mattress pad changed - baby spit up-nice, and started our own clothes. Plus I cleaned up the house and swept since we had a lady stopping by to sign our refinancing papers. Then when it was time to make supper he started in again with his fussiness. Ryan was at guitar lessons so that postponed my cooking of dinner. When Ryan got home, we decided Miller was grounded and dad had baby duty while I tried to gain my sanity back. Miller rebelled and didn't want to go to bed last night. Not as pleasant as Monday night. Uff!

Today I will try the baking idea again if I get a chance. Once it's made, I will let you know how it turns out. It is caramel/chocolate/cashew bars of some sorts. All from scratch.

One new dilema I have...showering. I am all for getting a shower in but is it worth taking the time to dry my hair and put on makeup? I do feel "complete" and ready for the world when I take the time to do this but honestly...is it worth it? I am going to go give it a whirl. I think I have a 20 minute window to get in and out of the shower before Miller starts making trouble for the day.

First Two

The first two items from my list yesterday were completed. What I didn't mention was that making the grocery list included cleaning out the fridge and washing the shelves in the door/main part. Check, check!

Today Miller and I are going to pick up the house and start some laundry. If we get that going I might practice being a domestic goddess and baking something! I will let you know how that goes. I don't remember the last time I baked anything other than a frozen pizza in the oven.

New List

With the arrival of Miller and me being home all day, I have this grand idea that I will get a ton of things done. That idea has quickly faded with the routine of change diapers, feed, change diapers, milk self, wash dishes, repeat. So, being the semi-realistic person I am, I am going to post my weekly list rather than a daily list.

1) Catch up/file work emails (DONE! All 400 of them)
2) Make grocery list
3) Do baby laundry (will have to dedicate certain days for baby clothes versus adult clothes otherwise I will live in the garage).
4) Set up online picture account and load pictures.
5) Read books and magazines
6) Watch dvds from 2 years ago (Grey's Anatomy)
7) Work on plants in porch (that might be a weekend deal)
8) Fill out baby daycare paperwork
9) Fill out insurance paperwork
10) Call HR about time off

That's enough for one week.

Pediatrition, Snip Snip, and Randomness

Pediatrition:
Without having lists to make at work this past week, I made a list of questions for the pediatrition. He was good and covered most without me having to ask them. Miller checked out from his first check-up with an A. He gained half an ounce (which is good on two accounts, one it means my feeding techniques and worries are not warranted and two, most babies lose up to 10% of their birth weight the first week). He also gained half an inch in length (which could be some growth or just a better measuring technique than at the hospital). The bonus to it all is that the office runs a tight and efficient ship. Hardly any waiting and super friendly staff, nurses, and Dr.

Snip, Snip:
Yeah, that was not a pleasant experience but he's a trooper (and so are Mom and Dad). We had hoped to have had this done at the hospital but the Dr. wouldn't do it since he needed his jaundice treated. Back to OB/GYN we went today for the snipping session. Typical visit to that office, slow as molasses! Miller had a big feeding at the office, slept for over 4 hours and I survived my first changing after the "surgery." He's been wide awake for the past 2 hours...the kid just can't figure out night and day yet but at least or should I say I hope, that it means he will sleep longer tonight.

Shallow Randomness:
I put on a pair of my jeans today! I still have a big preggo belly that sticks out in front and have been mistaken for being pregnant but hey, I got them on and wore them without a hair tie. It was the self/mental boost I needed today. Yippee!!!

Picture Time!

In traditional Froyd fashion, Miller flips the bird too! Seriously, I don't know what is worse, a thumb sucker or a bird flipper? Either way, I swear he came out of the womb like this. It is rather ironic considering Ryan took a picture of me right after a massive contraction where I gave him the double bird. That wasn't supposed to go to anyone but he found it funny and sent it to a few people. Unfortunately, Grandma, Grandpa, and GREAT Grandma were on the distribution list. Not funny Ryan, not funny.

It's Miller Time!

That's right folks; I am back home with Miller and feeling up to posting and returning to the world wide web! Sorry for keeping you hanging. It was a rough labor and first week home.

The stats:
Born: 6/4/08 at 8:42 am ET (shares his birthday with Grandpa Sladky)
Weight: 7 lbs, 10 oz
Height: 21.5 inches

The facts:
Labor: started Monday. First trip to the hospital Tuesday morning (2:30 am ET) and then sent home (7 am ET) after 2 hours of walking the most boring halls of a hospital (4-6 am ET). Took a nice sleeping pill that made me slightly out of it (I fell out of bed!). Woke up still having contractions and toughed it out until 3:30 pm ET. My water broke shortly after (for those that have inquired, it did not get all over, I made it to the bathroom before any dripping or puddles). I called Ryan at work, told him to come get me and back to the hospital we went. Checked in and was set up in the room before 5 pm ET.

The fun began after that. Multiple attempts at IVs were the worst part until they turned my epidural off during labor. After 2 hours of pushing, I was told I had 15 minutes to turn things around or it was time for a C-section. #(*$&)#(& that! I didn't go through all that work to get cut open when I could have scheduled that appointment! I pushed like no other and 25 minutes later Miller was born! :) Ah...turn the pain meds back on!

The hospital stay:
Overall, the experience was good. It is something you can't really explain but I can say this; some nurses really pissed me off and made it much worse than it needed to be. My experience was the night nurses were all from the north or midwest, had good work ethic, were nice, and extremely helpful. My witch of a day time nurse pissed me off and made the whole experience stressful by her poor attempts to lecture rather than teach me anything. She was lazy and a witch in my opinion. The lactation ladies were sweet as pie and very helpful. If you are delivering a baby in Florida, think twice. No matter how many times you mention you are a first timer and try to ask questions, you will be ignored or given conflicting information; if any at all.

After my 48 hour stay and doing quite well with hormones, lack of sleep, and pure fear that I was doing something wrong our release day came but we weren't released. Miller's umbilical cord got slit by his diaper (not a big deal but scared the crap out of Mom and Dad). Then he came back to us with the news that his belly button was fixed but he had jaundice and had to stay another night. I lost it. All emotions came out in the form of tears and the not so nice people were like fuel for the fire. I was a mess and I had to stay another night in the hospital! I hadn't been home since Tuesday afternoon and it was now looking like a Saturday and possibly a Sunday release :(

We spent Friday and Saturday with Miller on his "tanning bed" hoping his biliruben levels would come down enough for us to take him home. They drew blood in the morning (6 am ET on Saturday) and we were told we know by 7 am what the plan was. Well, 7 am came and went and nothing. We heard the machine to test the blood was broken and they sent his blood to another hospital. Then we heard that hospital doesn't test babies so the blood they sent wasn't enough. The nurse and doctor didn't want to re-prick him for more blood (thank god!) so they performed the same test they initially did (isn't a blood draw). Luckily the levels dropped more than aniticipated and we were given the ok to go home BUT we should stay until 3 pm to get the maximum exposure to the "tanning bed." That was the longest 3 hours of my life. We just wanted to go home with him.

At home:
So far everything has gone pretty well. We have had our moments where we second guess ourselves and I have worried a ton. My parents were very helpful in their short stay and reassured us we are doing everything right. We were put at ease after our first pediatrician visit on Wednesday. Today, the little guy got his wanger snipped. Hopefully their will be no more trips to any doctors until his 1 month check up and my six week check up.

The toughest part is getting a routine established. Right now we are at the whim of a newborn who doesn't know morning from night. He is a great baby and sleeps 4-5 hours at a time (until he has those so called moments every parents dreads where there is no sleep from 12 am to 3 am or longer). I thought I would have more "time" to sleep or do things but right now all we do is eat, poop, change diapers, and do laundry/wash bottles.

I know this is a long one so I will post pictures in a separate post and some other random funny things that have happened since we got home.

Sorry to keep you waiting so long. I just didn't have it in me until today. Thanks for all the well wishes, dishes of food, and thoughtful gifts! Your love and support is appreciated. :)

False Alarm

Labor pains were off and on all day. I started seriously watching them around 7pm. I even went for a walk by myself. From 10-1 they stayed pretty consistent so I asked Ryan to get up and time them accurately. At 1:30 we called the doctor. She said take your time but come on in. At 3am we were admitted to the hospital. Somewhere between the check in and the nurse upstairs things SLOWED down. After a brutal exam, I was told to walk the halls from 4am to 6am. Talk about double misery. One, walking sucks at a snails pace with no scenery and now my hip is killing me since it hasn't been exercised in months. At 6 we headed back to be rechecked. Contractions were definitely stronger but the painful exam stated nothing changed. They sent me home with an Ambien (holy tripping balls) and I slept for a few hours. I am not fully out of that drug yet but I feel worse than before this whole thing started and now I am not even having strong contractions.

I am severly disappointed in the whole deal. I don't want to go back. Maybe I will have Ryan deliver the kid in the tub.

Target Trip

Man, I forgot to replenish my supply of Tums today when at Target. I only have enough to get me through a few more days...might have to make a trip tomorrow.

Speaking of my Target trip; I have mentioned many times how "nice" people have been since I am visibly pregnant. Scratch that. Some asshole driver today thought it would be fun to get all road ragey on us in front of Target. Ryan pulled up in front of the doors to let me out while he parked since sometimes leaving the car at home seems like the closest parking spot. This BMW driving freak must have thought he was on the autobon and that it is appropriate to swerve in front of us and start honking, rolling down his windows and yelling at us. I stared in disbelief wondering if he was yelling at us. Yep, he was, so I flipped him the bird and told him to get a life.

Seriously, if you have driven in front of any mall store, Target, Walmart, etc, you know that you must watch for darting children, rogue carts, and absent minded shoppers. He acted like we were hauling butt at 65 mph and slammed on the breaks in front of him on the highway. What a jerk. I kinda hoped he had parked next to Ryan so when we left I could give him a nice door ding or scratch but he didn't.

Other than that excitement, I didn't do a whole lot today. I read for a few hours, watched some crappy tv, and pretty much just chilled. Ryan was more productive with putting a coat or two of primer on the window cornice we are making and mowed the lawn. Yep, that's it. Pretty uneventful weekend here in the Froyd household.