Saturday, September 26, 2009
14 Weeks Old
It is getting hard to even remember how many weeks old Eli is now! Time is flying by. The past few weeks have been extra busy for us because I was first preparing to return to work and trying to get lots of last minute cleaning done around the house and working on Christmas stuff, and then I started back to work this past Monday (9/21). All in all it went smoothly and is going fine.
We started Eli in daycare the week before I went back to work, and I know now that this was a good decision. The first day he only stayed for 4 hours, the next day 5 hours, then by Thursday spent a full day, then just a half day Friday so I could spend more time with my little man. The first day was quite an adjustment for him, he only napped for 15 minutes that day from the time he got up at 6:30 am until I got him down for a nap that afternoon around 3 or 4 finally. He was not a happy camper that day! He was really fussy that night because his routine was thrown off and he was really tired. The next day was a little better but much the same, but after that he started napping more at daycare and by the end of the week he was doing just fine. I am SO GLAD that we didn't have to go through the no-napping cranky-baby phase on the same day I went back to work, that would have been a lot to deal with. He seems to really like daycare and the women who work there are great, very loving and attentive and I can tell he is well taken care of. He doesn't cry when I drop him off and they say he isn't cranky during the day. And of course the best part is going to pick him up at the end of the day and when he sees me or Jeff he gets a huge smile and is really excited to see us. He really does love us!
The daycare is great too because they let me use cloth diapers, I take a bunch in every other day then bring them home at the end of each day and throw them in the diaper can then wash diapers pretty much every other day. It hasn't been bad and doesn't take up nearly as much time as washing and prepping bottles does. I highly recommend it! Still no diaper rash and I'm sure we have already paid for the cloth diapers by our savings from having to buy disposables (or at least are getting close).
He goes through about 6 cloth diapers a day plus one disposable over night (I'm not brave enough yet to leave him in cloth over night but here some day soon I should give it a try), and is drinking 5 5-oz bottles plus one 2-oz bottle a day (9:30 pm feeding), every 3 hours or so. He naps about 4-6 times a day. He goes to sleep usually at 6:30 pm but sometimes is up as late as 7:30 pm, and wakes up at 6 am -- he sleeps this entire time except when I wake him up around 9:30 pm to give him a small bottle to hold him over until the morning. I tried skipping this feeding once, and yeh, he woke up at 2 am hungry! I think I will wait another month or two before trying to eliminate that one. I know I shouldn't complain about my baby sleeping so much, and really I know I am a very lucky mommy and I love getting my sleep, but the one hard thing is that I get off work at 4:30 pm, get him home from daycare by 5:30 pm then only have an hour or so with him to play, get a bath, maybe a walk, and feed him by the time he gets tired and cranky. I'm hoping as he gets older he will start staying up a little later.
We are adjusted now to formula feeding and I made myself stop feeling bad about it (thank you everyone for your help with that!). He is thriving on it, no more blood in the poo, and he seems to be gaining a ton of weight, I am looking forward to his 4 month appointment next week to see how big he has gotten, I am guessing over 13 pounds by now! He drinks the formula no problem and will even drink it at room temperature, although he won't drink it straight out of the fridge. I have been adding a touch of organic pear juice to help avoid constipation (big problem for formula fed babies apparently) and gas drops to help with that. And good news: Tricare agreed to pay for the formula!!! $35 a can at 9-10 cans a month, thank goodness they agreed to pay for it or we would have gone broke! They even ship it straight to my door every month. We are so lucky.
Work is going well, I was really tired and had problems focusing on my work the first few days but by the end of the week I felt more in my groove and was actually getting quite a bit of work done. I do love my job and I enjoy being back, and I really don't feel that bad about leaving Eli in daycare. I do wish I could see him awake more every day so I can see how he is developing, but I make time to play with him every morning and afternoon so that helps, and of course we have the weekends. I also am realizing how close to impossible it is right now to be able to find time to work out. Jeff was able to pick Eli up one day this week and watch him so I could go run at the gym (I got in a nice 5k run - 3.1 miles, yay!). But other than that I haven't been able to do anything - Jeff's work is really busy and it is way too hot still to run outside with Eli after work. I did find a gym right down the road that has child care but I don't feel comfortable leaving Eli in child care at a gym after him being in daycare all day. So for now I'm at a loss... I have to figure something out though because I don't want to have to go buy a whole new wardrobe this winter! Any suggestions???
So what is new with Eli lately?
- He has started using his hands a lot more, usually this means me putting a toy in his hand and the toy then going straight into his mouth :-)
- He will roll from his back onto his side, but he still won't roll from belly to back or back to belly. He is getting better with tummy time, probably thanks to daycare, but it still isn't his favorite activity.
- We bought him a jumping chair for him to hang out in while we are in the living room, see the pics and video below. He likes looking at all the colors and shapes, but doesn't play in it too much yet, and he is too short to really jump much.
- He giggles and smiles a lot now. He is also ticklish!!! Often when I take a onesie off, it tickles him and he will roll around and giggle, it is the cutest thing ever, I need to try to get it on video. He smiles at us and other people all the time. He also likes me to rub a finger up and down on his lips, for some reason this is really funny to him. Sometimes I will get him going and tickle his belly, armpits and neck and he just laughs and laughs.
- He still doesn't like the bumbo chair much. Maybe he just isn't a bumbo boy!
- His neck is really strong and can hold it up really well in tummy time and in the jumper chair. His abs are starting to get stronger too, he is already trying to sit up when I recline him back against my legs. He will put quite a bit of his weight on his legs too, and we practice this at least once a day and he seems to love it, sometimes he does squats and when he pushes up to stand he will smile.
- He had his first cold this past week :-( Of course he starts in daycare and immediately gets a cold. It wasn't bad though, and he got over it pretty quickly and never had to stay home from daycare or let it bother his sleep.
One thing I can definitely say now is that having a baby is better and more fun than I imagined it would be. I thought I would never get any sleep and be tired all the time and never have any time for myself. It was that way at first, and those days were rough, and I still can't go to sleep as early as I would like or sleep in and can't just pick up and go somewhere, but I don't mind it at all! I love this little boy and will do anything for him. Having him is something I couldn't understand until actually going through it myself. I love being this little boy's mommy and I'm so happy.
We started Eli in daycare the week before I went back to work, and I know now that this was a good decision. The first day he only stayed for 4 hours, the next day 5 hours, then by Thursday spent a full day, then just a half day Friday so I could spend more time with my little man. The first day was quite an adjustment for him, he only napped for 15 minutes that day from the time he got up at 6:30 am until I got him down for a nap that afternoon around 3 or 4 finally. He was not a happy camper that day! He was really fussy that night because his routine was thrown off and he was really tired. The next day was a little better but much the same, but after that he started napping more at daycare and by the end of the week he was doing just fine. I am SO GLAD that we didn't have to go through the no-napping cranky-baby phase on the same day I went back to work, that would have been a lot to deal with. He seems to really like daycare and the women who work there are great, very loving and attentive and I can tell he is well taken care of. He doesn't cry when I drop him off and they say he isn't cranky during the day. And of course the best part is going to pick him up at the end of the day and when he sees me or Jeff he gets a huge smile and is really excited to see us. He really does love us!
The daycare is great too because they let me use cloth diapers, I take a bunch in every other day then bring them home at the end of each day and throw them in the diaper can then wash diapers pretty much every other day. It hasn't been bad and doesn't take up nearly as much time as washing and prepping bottles does. I highly recommend it! Still no diaper rash and I'm sure we have already paid for the cloth diapers by our savings from having to buy disposables (or at least are getting close).
He goes through about 6 cloth diapers a day plus one disposable over night (I'm not brave enough yet to leave him in cloth over night but here some day soon I should give it a try), and is drinking 5 5-oz bottles plus one 2-oz bottle a day (9:30 pm feeding), every 3 hours or so. He naps about 4-6 times a day. He goes to sleep usually at 6:30 pm but sometimes is up as late as 7:30 pm, and wakes up at 6 am -- he sleeps this entire time except when I wake him up around 9:30 pm to give him a small bottle to hold him over until the morning. I tried skipping this feeding once, and yeh, he woke up at 2 am hungry! I think I will wait another month or two before trying to eliminate that one. I know I shouldn't complain about my baby sleeping so much, and really I know I am a very lucky mommy and I love getting my sleep, but the one hard thing is that I get off work at 4:30 pm, get him home from daycare by 5:30 pm then only have an hour or so with him to play, get a bath, maybe a walk, and feed him by the time he gets tired and cranky. I'm hoping as he gets older he will start staying up a little later.
We are adjusted now to formula feeding and I made myself stop feeling bad about it (thank you everyone for your help with that!). He is thriving on it, no more blood in the poo, and he seems to be gaining a ton of weight, I am looking forward to his 4 month appointment next week to see how big he has gotten, I am guessing over 13 pounds by now! He drinks the formula no problem and will even drink it at room temperature, although he won't drink it straight out of the fridge. I have been adding a touch of organic pear juice to help avoid constipation (big problem for formula fed babies apparently) and gas drops to help with that. And good news: Tricare agreed to pay for the formula!!! $35 a can at 9-10 cans a month, thank goodness they agreed to pay for it or we would have gone broke! They even ship it straight to my door every month. We are so lucky.
Work is going well, I was really tired and had problems focusing on my work the first few days but by the end of the week I felt more in my groove and was actually getting quite a bit of work done. I do love my job and I enjoy being back, and I really don't feel that bad about leaving Eli in daycare. I do wish I could see him awake more every day so I can see how he is developing, but I make time to play with him every morning and afternoon so that helps, and of course we have the weekends. I also am realizing how close to impossible it is right now to be able to find time to work out. Jeff was able to pick Eli up one day this week and watch him so I could go run at the gym (I got in a nice 5k run - 3.1 miles, yay!). But other than that I haven't been able to do anything - Jeff's work is really busy and it is way too hot still to run outside with Eli after work. I did find a gym right down the road that has child care but I don't feel comfortable leaving Eli in child care at a gym after him being in daycare all day. So for now I'm at a loss... I have to figure something out though because I don't want to have to go buy a whole new wardrobe this winter! Any suggestions???
So what is new with Eli lately?
- He has started using his hands a lot more, usually this means me putting a toy in his hand and the toy then going straight into his mouth :-)
- He will roll from his back onto his side, but he still won't roll from belly to back or back to belly. He is getting better with tummy time, probably thanks to daycare, but it still isn't his favorite activity.
- We bought him a jumping chair for him to hang out in while we are in the living room, see the pics and video below. He likes looking at all the colors and shapes, but doesn't play in it too much yet, and he is too short to really jump much.
- He giggles and smiles a lot now. He is also ticklish!!! Often when I take a onesie off, it tickles him and he will roll around and giggle, it is the cutest thing ever, I need to try to get it on video. He smiles at us and other people all the time. He also likes me to rub a finger up and down on his lips, for some reason this is really funny to him. Sometimes I will get him going and tickle his belly, armpits and neck and he just laughs and laughs.
- He still doesn't like the bumbo chair much. Maybe he just isn't a bumbo boy!
- His neck is really strong and can hold it up really well in tummy time and in the jumper chair. His abs are starting to get stronger too, he is already trying to sit up when I recline him back against my legs. He will put quite a bit of his weight on his legs too, and we practice this at least once a day and he seems to love it, sometimes he does squats and when he pushes up to stand he will smile.
- He had his first cold this past week :-( Of course he starts in daycare and immediately gets a cold. It wasn't bad though, and he got over it pretty quickly and never had to stay home from daycare or let it bother his sleep.
One thing I can definitely say now is that having a baby is better and more fun than I imagined it would be. I thought I would never get any sleep and be tired all the time and never have any time for myself. It was that way at first, and those days were rough, and I still can't go to sleep as early as I would like or sleep in and can't just pick up and go somewhere, but I don't mind it at all! I love this little boy and will do anything for him. Having him is something I couldn't understand until actually going through it myself. I love being this little boy's mommy and I'm so happy.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Doing Good!
Ok so I just have to brag on myself a little :-)
I fit into my black formal size 2 dress! Yes it does have an empire waist so it isn't tight over the biggest part of my body, my hips and thighs. But it zips and everything!!! I'm so unbelievably happy about this. Now I don't have to spend money buying a new (bigger) dress for the Air Force Ball that is in 2 weeks. Yay!!! I'm getting there :-)
I fit into my black formal size 2 dress! Yes it does have an empire waist so it isn't tight over the biggest part of my body, my hips and thighs. But it zips and everything!!! I'm so unbelievably happy about this. Now I don't have to spend money buying a new (bigger) dress for the Air Force Ball that is in 2 weeks. Yay!!! I'm getting there :-)
11 Weeks Old
Another week has gone by in our little man's life :-)
This week, Eli has been working on trying some new things and getting stronger. We put him in his jumping chair for the first time. It hangs from a doorway, which is why the first time he was in the closet! Ha. He isn't too sure about it yet but every day he seems to get more used to it. The second day I used a pad from his car seat to support his head, this helped a lot. Here are pictures from his first time in the jumper, there is also a video of this at the bottom of this post.
This week, Eli has been working on trying some new things and getting stronger. We put him in his jumping chair for the first time. It hangs from a doorway, which is why the first time he was in the closet! Ha. He isn't too sure about it yet but every day he seems to get more used to it. The second day I used a pad from his car seat to support his head, this helped a lot. Here are pictures from his first time in the jumper, there is also a video of this at the bottom of this post.
Eli has started "talking" more, he likes to make little "woooo" sounds when he is playing. And a few days ago he laughed then made a sound just like a dolphin! It was so cute but weird. He smiles all the time, especially at daddy when he gets home. Sometimes Jeff will be feeding him at night and Eli can't eat because he is too busy smiling at daddy!!! And every time I get close to him and say "I love you" he gets the biggest grin. I love it!!!
Eli has also been working on sitting upright on my lap while I hold his hands, he seems to like this, but he still doesn't like the bumbo chair! And we are practicing standing and putting some weight on his legs, he is getting so strong! Then we play Super Baby and fly around like Super Man, I'm not sure if he likes that or not but I think it's pretty fun! He is also getting better at playing on his own and not wanting to be held all the time. Still no rolling over yet, but when laying on his back he will raise his legs up really high and will twist them sideways and almost roll onto his side. Now when I put him on his tummy he will just stick his thumb in his mouth and go to sleep! Silly boy. When I prop him up on a pillow though, he is able to hold his head up to look at his books for a long time!
Eli is not a morning person, at least not the first 10 minutes or so after waking up. This picture below shows how he sleeps every single night. Now I know some people think crib bumpers are a huge no-no, and I know this may look like he is about to smother himself. But he can breathe just fine, and no matter where I put him at night in his crib this is always where he ends up! I don't want to duck tape him to the mattress and I don't want him pressing his face up against the crib bars so I just let him be. He sleeps in long sleeve footed pajamas with a sleep sack over it because he always kicks off his covers.
This is Eli's morning face!
Eli is not a morning person, at least not the first 10 minutes or so after waking up. This picture below shows how he sleeps every single night. Now I know some people think crib bumpers are a huge no-no, and I know this may look like he is about to smother himself. But he can breathe just fine, and no matter where I put him at night in his crib this is always where he ends up! I don't want to duck tape him to the mattress and I don't want him pressing his face up against the crib bars so I just let him be. He sleeps in long sleeve footed pajamas with a sleep sack over it because he always kicks off his covers.
This is Eli's morning face!
Mom got us a BOB jogging stroller, it is awesome!!! Great suspension and it handles really well. I can't wait for Eli to be strong enough so I can actually run with it instead of just walking. Here we are out one evening for a walk in the jogging stroller.
I made my decision about daycare last week as well and got Eli signed up. We are taking him to a Kindercare center. I have been there twice and it has a nice infant room and nice teachers, and they offer a military discount. He is also on the waiting list for the daycare on base, though, and we will probably move him there once a spot opens up because it is a super nice daycare and costs about $50 less a week! However the base daycare infant program has a 8-12 month wait -- yeh no one told me that before!! Apparently you need to get on the waiting list when you find out you are pregnant. What?!?!? Ok well now we know. So I decided it would be best for both Eli and myself to start daycare the week before I go back to work (next week). This is so Eli can get used to daycare slowly, I can get used to him being away from me, we can work on Eli's schedule at both the daycare and at home, and we can figure out how much formula and diapers he needs at daycare (by the way they are letting me use my cloth diapers and wipes!!!). The first day I plan to take him in mid morning and only leave him 3 hours, then gradually increase the time there and get him there earlier in the day until by Friday he spends a whole day there. I think that will make my first day back at work MUCH better on both of us. That is worth an extra week of daycare to me! Plus I can get a lot of stuff done around the house before heading back to work.
So the big news this week is that we finally decided to quit breastfeeding and exclusively formula feed. It seemed like no matter how strict I made my diet, nothing worked and he continued having tummy pain and blood. And I was getting pretty tired of not being able to eat anything!!! He has been on nothing but formula since the middle of the week, and I am happy to say that the bleeding has stopped! His poo is still really green and sometimes still has mucus in it like before, but I think that should change as his system heals and gets used to formula. His eczema has also pretty much gone away - apparently eczema can be associated with food allergies. The pediatrician says some babies are sensitive to something in the breast milk that isn't caused by the food the mother eats but rather is something else in the milk and that for some babies, no matter how strict the mother's diet it, nothing works. The main drawback of this is that his formula costs $35 a can, and we go through a can in 3-4 days!!! Our pediatrician thinks our health insurance will pay for it since it is due to a severe food allergy and I can't breastfeed. Hopefully we will hear soon, keep your fingers crossed for us! I do still have around 200 ounces of frozen breast milk so after 2 months or so I might try giving it to him again and if he can handle it then, I will mix it with his formula so he gets more breast milk benefits.
But as of yesterday, I am letting my milk dry up. Man does that HURT!!! I look like I had DD breast implants put in, and they feel like rocks. I couldn't even sleep in my left side last night because it hurt so bad. Hopefully it will start getting better today, I definitely can't exercise like this, a boob might explode! Ha. I'm honestly at peace with the decision now and I feel ok about it. I REALLY wanted to breastfeed for a year, but it just didn't work for us. I know I did everything I possibly could to make it work, and I was able to nurse him 2+ months at least. I know formula fed babies turn out just fine and my little man won't be any different. And bottle feeding isn't as bad as I thought it would be, just expensive! And now I can eat whatever I want and have a glass of wine (or 3), exercise and diet without worrying about drying up my milk, let Jeff help with feeding, and get things done in the time I used to spend pumping (it would take me 30-45 minutes to pump each time). Now I don't have to worry about finding time to pump at work, carting milk home, and nursing in public (which isn't really so bad just a little strange). Jeff and I feel that at this point this is the best thing to do for Eli and we are happy with our decision. I packed away all my breastfeeding supplies yesterday which was a little sad. But I know we want another baby (in a few years!) and hopefully I will be able to nurse that one, at least for a little while, so I should be able to use all my supplies again.
I made my decision about daycare last week as well and got Eli signed up. We are taking him to a Kindercare center. I have been there twice and it has a nice infant room and nice teachers, and they offer a military discount. He is also on the waiting list for the daycare on base, though, and we will probably move him there once a spot opens up because it is a super nice daycare and costs about $50 less a week! However the base daycare infant program has a 8-12 month wait -- yeh no one told me that before!! Apparently you need to get on the waiting list when you find out you are pregnant. What?!?!? Ok well now we know. So I decided it would be best for both Eli and myself to start daycare the week before I go back to work (next week). This is so Eli can get used to daycare slowly, I can get used to him being away from me, we can work on Eli's schedule at both the daycare and at home, and we can figure out how much formula and diapers he needs at daycare (by the way they are letting me use my cloth diapers and wipes!!!). The first day I plan to take him in mid morning and only leave him 3 hours, then gradually increase the time there and get him there earlier in the day until by Friday he spends a whole day there. I think that will make my first day back at work MUCH better on both of us. That is worth an extra week of daycare to me! Plus I can get a lot of stuff done around the house before heading back to work.
Here are some videos from this week, enjoy!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
10 Weeks
I can't believe our little man is 10 weeks old today! I haven't done a good update on things in a long time so my goal today is to get a nice long update done on this blog. For now Eli is still sleeping so hopefully I can get this done before he wakes up! I warn you, this will be long and I might start ranting and rambling at some point.
We had his 2 month pediatrician appointment on Friday. He is doing great! He was 11 lbs 7 oz and 24 inches long. This puts him at the 76.79 percentile for length and 36.55 percentile for weight. Looks like we have a tall skinny boy! He is growing great, at his 12 day old appointment he was at the 74.18 percentile in length and only 16.69 percentile for weight. I'm happy with it!It is crazy to think that in a month or two he will have doubled his birth weight (6 lbs 14 oz). He is also now outgrowing a lot of his clothes. He is pretty much out of his newborn size clothes, a few still fit but not many, and he is even outgrowing his 0-3 month clothes because they are for babies up to 23 inches and Eli is 24 inches! I put him in 3-6 month onesies and they fit well, especially over the bigger cloth diapers. Little man is growing up!
He also had his first set of shots at this appointment. 3 shots in his little chubby thighs. The nurse was great, she had them done in about 10 seconds! Poor little Eli, he was so upset that at first he didn't even make a sound, just opened is mouth wide, closed his eyes and his face turned deep red, then once it was over he started screaming. He did much better than I thought he would, I got him calmed down within 2-3 minutes and he was back to normal by the time we walked out of the office. I was worried it would upset me, but after watching his circumcision at the hospital, a few shots were nothing! He has had no side effects from the shots that I can tell, he wasn't any more sleepy or fussy, no redness or swelling at the injection sites. Good job little man!
I also talked more to his pediatrician about the blood in his poop that just won't go completely away. He went almost a week without any then the day before his appointment some came back. Talk about a frustrated momma! I have even been mostly pumping my milk and feeding it to him in a bottle mixed with some hypoallergenic formula given to me by the allergy specialist we saw (he wasn't much help, just pressured me to put him on formula while I DO NOT WANT TO DO and scared me and made me feel like a bad mother). I like my pediatrician, Jessica Schultz, much better! She is actually trying to work with me to make Eli better and allow me to continue breastfeeding.
So now I am going on an even stricter diet for about 3 weeks to see if we can clear it up - nothing containing dairy, wheat, barley, oats, fish, red meat, eggs, or soy. What does this leave you ask? Chicken and turkey (I'm going to stay away from pork as well), fruits and veggies, rice, beans and potatoes. And of course I am taking a vitamin as well as a calcium and vitamin d supplement (both chewable!). It sounds horrible but now that I have been going without wheat and dairy for over a month, it isn't so bad! The thing I miss the most is yellow cheese, which Jeff loves to eat in front of me. It is good for me because it is forcing me to actually eat fruits and veggies every day, because otherwise I would starve! And it pretty much eliminates all my favorite junk food: cheeseburgers, cookies and poptarts and most chocolate. I'm sure it is helping make me healthier, although I still haven't lost much weight but I'm sure I will. And honestly I now suspect that I am also sensitive to wheat and/or dairy products, because now that I don't eat them I feel really good, and when I do eat a little of one of those to see what would happen to Eli, I also start feeling bad again. I have more energy during the day and I rarely have the bad blood sugar fluctuations and cravings for sugar I used to have. I can easily go from breakfast to lunch without getting hungry. The only time it really affects me is after working out when my body really needs carbs, I am usually really tired the next day. I'm going to stay on this super restricted diet for 3 weeks then if the bleeding has stopped, start adding things back in, one by one, to see what affects him. If we still can't figure it out by the time he is 4 months, he will be old enough for allergy blood tests. Hopefully we can figure it out before then!
Other than the diet restriction, breastfeeding is going great. No more pain (usually) and I make so much milk that I have 110 ounces in the freezer including 15 oz just from yesterday! I seriously considered giving it up due to his problems, but I just don't want to at this point. We have worked SO HARD these past two months to make breastfeeding work that I would hate to give it up, and we have seriously spent probably $600 on breastfeeding equipment (the pump and accessories, breast milk freezing bags, nursing bras and shirts and pads, and a visit to a lactation consultant) and I just can't bring myself to throw that money away! After the allergy specialist appointment, I was so upset by the thought of giving up breastfeeding that I cried for hours. I don't really understand why I am so attached to breastfeeding, I think it may be a hormonal thing and a symbol of motherhood to me, I just can't give it up! So we are going to continue, hopefully for a year, and pray that we can make it work.
So speaking of weight loss, I'm working hard at it but not seeing many results. Everyone said it would be so easy to lose the weight if I am breastfeeding, apparently not! I read online that for some women, breastfeeding causes our bodies to actually hang on to body fat to ensure we can continue nursing. When I had Eli I had gained 50 pounds - when I got pregnant I was around 125 lbs and went up to around 175 lbs!!! And Eli only weighed 6 lbs 14 oz. Yes some of it was all the other stuff and some water weight, but not 43 pounds! Within the first 2 weeks I had lost around 20 pounds but then everything slowed down and I have had to fight hard to lose every pound since then! After eliminating wheat and dairy I lost another 5 pounds then got stuck again. After my doctor gave me the go ahead at my 6 week post partum appointment, I started exercising again, and I am finally now down to 145 pounds but I still have 20 more to lose, and I have been stuck here for a week now. This is frustrating because not only am I breastfeeding but I am eating a super healthy diet and working out several times a week - I lift weights 2-3 times a week and I run or cycle 2-4 times a week. What gives??? Thankfully my maternity jeans I have been living in are finally getting loose! But not thankfully, I tried on the work pants I bought during my first trimester (which were loose on me then everywhere except my waist) and they won't even zip now! And they are a size bigger than I was pre-pregnancy! Oh well, I will just keep at it and I know it will come off eventually.
Cloth diapering is going well, much easier than I thought it would be! We use the Bum Genius 3.0 diapers which are great because they are almost exactly like disposables except they have a liner that goes inside a pocket of the diaper. They go on Eli with Velcro tabs, then when I take them off I just pull out the liner and throw everything in a lined trash can -- no rinsing required! To wash (which I do every 2-3 days), I throw everything into the washer and run it on hot/cold stain cycle with an extra rinse cycle with a tiny bit of dye and scent free detergent, then I hang them on a wooden rack to dry, then throw them in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up, then sit in front of the tv while I stuff the liners in and they are ready to go again. It really is easy! And we are already saving so much money, we buy one pack of Luvs diapers for $11 about once every 3 weeks or so, to use at night and for long trips outside the house. I highly recommend making the investment! And unlike what one would think, they diaper pail has NEVER smelled and it isn't gross putting everything into the washer since I use the liner. Also using cloth wipes and a diaper spray work so well, I haven't had to buy wipes once! One great advantage of cloth diapers - not one bit of diaper rash since we stared using them a lot! Oh and the Bum Genius diapers grow with him, by adjusting the snaps on the front, so he should be able to wear these until he is potty trained, then I should be able to use them on the next baby! Talk about savings!
So I return to work in a few weeks - September 21 to be exact. This is a complicated subject for me and one I think about often. My issue isn't leaving Eli in daycare and wanting to be a stay at home mom. Quite the opposite - I feel bad because I WANT to work! I sometimes feel like a bad mother because I have absolutely no desire to be a stay at home mom and because I miss my job and am looking forwards to going back to work. I feel like I should be upset to leave Eli in daycare and that I should want to stay home with my baby all day. But I just don't feel that way! I feel like all I hear from society is that leaving my baby in daycare should be a heart wrenching decision and that I should cry the entire first week I am back to work. I am just not that kind of woman. I didn't cry when Eli was born or when he got his 2 month shots, and I doubt I will cry when I go back to work. I do absolutely love this little man with all my heart and I now can't imagine living life without him. But I don't feel like I have to spend every waking moment with him in order to love him! And honestly I feel like daycare can offer him much more than I can, such as interaction with other children and learning lessons. I honestly think that being away from him some during the day will make our time together much more meaningful to me. And I think that as he grows older, I will be a good example to him (and hopefully to a little girl some day!) that women can work hard and be very successful too and that sometimes we have to make sacrifices to do the best thing for our families. I truly feel that me working is the best thing for our family. I have worked way too hard my entire life to graduate from college with honors then have a full ride scholarship to grad school and finish my Master's degree near the top of my class then get into an awesome accelerated program at the most profitable auto insurance company in the country and build a promising career... to just give it all up to stay home and change diapers. No thanks. I am meant to be a successful working mommy and Eli will grow up very happy and healthy and we will be able to provide for Eli and hi sibling(s) and still retire wealthy. That is my idea of a good family life! I just wish society would stop making moms who CHOOSE to go back to work feel bad.
I also feel like all I hear is that being a stay at home mom is the hardest job on the planet. Now I am not saying that being a stay at home mom is easy by any means, because with more than one child or even with a toddler I'm sure it is really hard (honestly caring for just one baby all day is not hard at all, just gets a little boring sometimes)! But come one, give working moms some credit!!! Working moms have to do most of the same things as stay at home moms except do it on top of a full time job outside of the house. How could that POSSIBLY be easier than being a stay at home mom??? Ok I will leave it at that because writing about it just makes me mad.
So what is Eli up to at this 2 month mark?
- He sleeps well at night! He will go to sleep between 8 and 9 pm then wake up around 3-4 am to nurse then go back to sleep, wake up around 6-7 am to nurse again, then back to sleep until 8-9 am. Then he will nap from 10-11 am until 12-1 pm, then usually take another nap sometime in the afternoon or early evening. I like this routine!
- He loves to suck on his hands and he drools a lot. The pediatrician says this does not mean he is teething, thank goodness! I'm so not ready for that yet.
- He still hates tummy time, but he has started sucking on his thumb to sooth himself when on his tummy, and I let him because this is the only time really he does that. The little stinker still hasn't rolled over since he was about 4 weeks old, the doctor says this is also normal. Come on little boy, you can do it!
- He LOVES to watch his mobile while laying in his crib, he will be content for half an hour by this.
- He now loves his bouncy seat. The seat has a bar that has 3 animals hanging from it, and they sway when the seat bounces. He has learned in the past week that he can kick his legs and wave his arms and make the animals move. He loves doing this and this can also keep him happy for half an hour or more! He is going crazy in it right now, I took a video that I will try to post soon.
- He smiles a lot now and has started laughing! He laughs the most if I clap his hands together while singing "yay Eli!!!". He also seems to be a bit ticklish. So cute! I love the smiles, after so many weeks of him just staring at us like we were crazy people, it is nice to get that smile now. He really does love me!
- His eyes haven't changed colors yet. What will the be??
- He is losing his newborn hair! It seriously has been falling out in clumps but just on the top of his head so now he has none left on top but lots on the sides, ha. He does already have new hair growing in, I can't really tell yet what color it will be but it looks lighter, he might be a little blond baby like his daddy was!
- He doesn't have nearly as much gas as he used to, thank God.
- I think he knows who Jeff and I are now, which is really cool!
- He really doesn't fuss much, usually just if he needs something or is bored or tired.
- He loves to ride facing forward in his new carrier (Belle carrier sold by Babies R Us, same price as a Bjorn but so much better in my opinion, very comfortable, we all love it!). He rode in it during an entire trip to Target a few days ago and didn't make a peep. He loves looking around at everything.
- His bumbo chair freaks him out.
- He loves bath time and loves kicking and splashing.
- His eczema and cradle cap are finally clearing up.
Well I think that is about everything on the top of my mind for now :-) Here are some pictures from the past 3 weeks.
(the bath water looks dirty like that because we put an Aveno oatmeal powder in it to help with his eczema)
Mommy get me out of here!!!
In his cloth diaper!
Naked baby! His little butt is just too cute!
Aunt Laura says "get that thumb out of his mouth!"
We had his 2 month pediatrician appointment on Friday. He is doing great! He was 11 lbs 7 oz and 24 inches long. This puts him at the 76.79 percentile for length and 36.55 percentile for weight. Looks like we have a tall skinny boy! He is growing great, at his 12 day old appointment he was at the 74.18 percentile in length and only 16.69 percentile for weight. I'm happy with it!It is crazy to think that in a month or two he will have doubled his birth weight (6 lbs 14 oz). He is also now outgrowing a lot of his clothes. He is pretty much out of his newborn size clothes, a few still fit but not many, and he is even outgrowing his 0-3 month clothes because they are for babies up to 23 inches and Eli is 24 inches! I put him in 3-6 month onesies and they fit well, especially over the bigger cloth diapers. Little man is growing up!
He also had his first set of shots at this appointment. 3 shots in his little chubby thighs. The nurse was great, she had them done in about 10 seconds! Poor little Eli, he was so upset that at first he didn't even make a sound, just opened is mouth wide, closed his eyes and his face turned deep red, then once it was over he started screaming. He did much better than I thought he would, I got him calmed down within 2-3 minutes and he was back to normal by the time we walked out of the office. I was worried it would upset me, but after watching his circumcision at the hospital, a few shots were nothing! He has had no side effects from the shots that I can tell, he wasn't any more sleepy or fussy, no redness or swelling at the injection sites. Good job little man!
I also talked more to his pediatrician about the blood in his poop that just won't go completely away. He went almost a week without any then the day before his appointment some came back. Talk about a frustrated momma! I have even been mostly pumping my milk and feeding it to him in a bottle mixed with some hypoallergenic formula given to me by the allergy specialist we saw (he wasn't much help, just pressured me to put him on formula while I DO NOT WANT TO DO and scared me and made me feel like a bad mother). I like my pediatrician, Jessica Schultz, much better! She is actually trying to work with me to make Eli better and allow me to continue breastfeeding.
So now I am going on an even stricter diet for about 3 weeks to see if we can clear it up - nothing containing dairy, wheat, barley, oats, fish, red meat, eggs, or soy. What does this leave you ask? Chicken and turkey (I'm going to stay away from pork as well), fruits and veggies, rice, beans and potatoes. And of course I am taking a vitamin as well as a calcium and vitamin d supplement (both chewable!). It sounds horrible but now that I have been going without wheat and dairy for over a month, it isn't so bad! The thing I miss the most is yellow cheese, which Jeff loves to eat in front of me. It is good for me because it is forcing me to actually eat fruits and veggies every day, because otherwise I would starve! And it pretty much eliminates all my favorite junk food: cheeseburgers, cookies and poptarts and most chocolate. I'm sure it is helping make me healthier, although I still haven't lost much weight but I'm sure I will. And honestly I now suspect that I am also sensitive to wheat and/or dairy products, because now that I don't eat them I feel really good, and when I do eat a little of one of those to see what would happen to Eli, I also start feeling bad again. I have more energy during the day and I rarely have the bad blood sugar fluctuations and cravings for sugar I used to have. I can easily go from breakfast to lunch without getting hungry. The only time it really affects me is after working out when my body really needs carbs, I am usually really tired the next day. I'm going to stay on this super restricted diet for 3 weeks then if the bleeding has stopped, start adding things back in, one by one, to see what affects him. If we still can't figure it out by the time he is 4 months, he will be old enough for allergy blood tests. Hopefully we can figure it out before then!
Other than the diet restriction, breastfeeding is going great. No more pain (usually) and I make so much milk that I have 110 ounces in the freezer including 15 oz just from yesterday! I seriously considered giving it up due to his problems, but I just don't want to at this point. We have worked SO HARD these past two months to make breastfeeding work that I would hate to give it up, and we have seriously spent probably $600 on breastfeeding equipment (the pump and accessories, breast milk freezing bags, nursing bras and shirts and pads, and a visit to a lactation consultant) and I just can't bring myself to throw that money away! After the allergy specialist appointment, I was so upset by the thought of giving up breastfeeding that I cried for hours. I don't really understand why I am so attached to breastfeeding, I think it may be a hormonal thing and a symbol of motherhood to me, I just can't give it up! So we are going to continue, hopefully for a year, and pray that we can make it work.
So speaking of weight loss, I'm working hard at it but not seeing many results. Everyone said it would be so easy to lose the weight if I am breastfeeding, apparently not! I read online that for some women, breastfeeding causes our bodies to actually hang on to body fat to ensure we can continue nursing. When I had Eli I had gained 50 pounds - when I got pregnant I was around 125 lbs and went up to around 175 lbs!!! And Eli only weighed 6 lbs 14 oz. Yes some of it was all the other stuff and some water weight, but not 43 pounds! Within the first 2 weeks I had lost around 20 pounds but then everything slowed down and I have had to fight hard to lose every pound since then! After eliminating wheat and dairy I lost another 5 pounds then got stuck again. After my doctor gave me the go ahead at my 6 week post partum appointment, I started exercising again, and I am finally now down to 145 pounds but I still have 20 more to lose, and I have been stuck here for a week now. This is frustrating because not only am I breastfeeding but I am eating a super healthy diet and working out several times a week - I lift weights 2-3 times a week and I run or cycle 2-4 times a week. What gives??? Thankfully my maternity jeans I have been living in are finally getting loose! But not thankfully, I tried on the work pants I bought during my first trimester (which were loose on me then everywhere except my waist) and they won't even zip now! And they are a size bigger than I was pre-pregnancy! Oh well, I will just keep at it and I know it will come off eventually.
Cloth diapering is going well, much easier than I thought it would be! We use the Bum Genius 3.0 diapers which are great because they are almost exactly like disposables except they have a liner that goes inside a pocket of the diaper. They go on Eli with Velcro tabs, then when I take them off I just pull out the liner and throw everything in a lined trash can -- no rinsing required! To wash (which I do every 2-3 days), I throw everything into the washer and run it on hot/cold stain cycle with an extra rinse cycle with a tiny bit of dye and scent free detergent, then I hang them on a wooden rack to dry, then throw them in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up, then sit in front of the tv while I stuff the liners in and they are ready to go again. It really is easy! And we are already saving so much money, we buy one pack of Luvs diapers for $11 about once every 3 weeks or so, to use at night and for long trips outside the house. I highly recommend making the investment! And unlike what one would think, they diaper pail has NEVER smelled and it isn't gross putting everything into the washer since I use the liner. Also using cloth wipes and a diaper spray work so well, I haven't had to buy wipes once! One great advantage of cloth diapers - not one bit of diaper rash since we stared using them a lot! Oh and the Bum Genius diapers grow with him, by adjusting the snaps on the front, so he should be able to wear these until he is potty trained, then I should be able to use them on the next baby! Talk about savings!
So I return to work in a few weeks - September 21 to be exact. This is a complicated subject for me and one I think about often. My issue isn't leaving Eli in daycare and wanting to be a stay at home mom. Quite the opposite - I feel bad because I WANT to work! I sometimes feel like a bad mother because I have absolutely no desire to be a stay at home mom and because I miss my job and am looking forwards to going back to work. I feel like I should be upset to leave Eli in daycare and that I should want to stay home with my baby all day. But I just don't feel that way! I feel like all I hear from society is that leaving my baby in daycare should be a heart wrenching decision and that I should cry the entire first week I am back to work. I am just not that kind of woman. I didn't cry when Eli was born or when he got his 2 month shots, and I doubt I will cry when I go back to work. I do absolutely love this little man with all my heart and I now can't imagine living life without him. But I don't feel like I have to spend every waking moment with him in order to love him! And honestly I feel like daycare can offer him much more than I can, such as interaction with other children and learning lessons. I honestly think that being away from him some during the day will make our time together much more meaningful to me. And I think that as he grows older, I will be a good example to him (and hopefully to a little girl some day!) that women can work hard and be very successful too and that sometimes we have to make sacrifices to do the best thing for our families. I truly feel that me working is the best thing for our family. I have worked way too hard my entire life to graduate from college with honors then have a full ride scholarship to grad school and finish my Master's degree near the top of my class then get into an awesome accelerated program at the most profitable auto insurance company in the country and build a promising career... to just give it all up to stay home and change diapers. No thanks. I am meant to be a successful working mommy and Eli will grow up very happy and healthy and we will be able to provide for Eli and hi sibling(s) and still retire wealthy. That is my idea of a good family life! I just wish society would stop making moms who CHOOSE to go back to work feel bad.
I also feel like all I hear is that being a stay at home mom is the hardest job on the planet. Now I am not saying that being a stay at home mom is easy by any means, because with more than one child or even with a toddler I'm sure it is really hard (honestly caring for just one baby all day is not hard at all, just gets a little boring sometimes)! But come one, give working moms some credit!!! Working moms have to do most of the same things as stay at home moms except do it on top of a full time job outside of the house. How could that POSSIBLY be easier than being a stay at home mom??? Ok I will leave it at that because writing about it just makes me mad.
So what is Eli up to at this 2 month mark?
- He sleeps well at night! He will go to sleep between 8 and 9 pm then wake up around 3-4 am to nurse then go back to sleep, wake up around 6-7 am to nurse again, then back to sleep until 8-9 am. Then he will nap from 10-11 am until 12-1 pm, then usually take another nap sometime in the afternoon or early evening. I like this routine!
- He loves to suck on his hands and he drools a lot. The pediatrician says this does not mean he is teething, thank goodness! I'm so not ready for that yet.
- He still hates tummy time, but he has started sucking on his thumb to sooth himself when on his tummy, and I let him because this is the only time really he does that. The little stinker still hasn't rolled over since he was about 4 weeks old, the doctor says this is also normal. Come on little boy, you can do it!
- He LOVES to watch his mobile while laying in his crib, he will be content for half an hour by this.
- He now loves his bouncy seat. The seat has a bar that has 3 animals hanging from it, and they sway when the seat bounces. He has learned in the past week that he can kick his legs and wave his arms and make the animals move. He loves doing this and this can also keep him happy for half an hour or more! He is going crazy in it right now, I took a video that I will try to post soon.
- He smiles a lot now and has started laughing! He laughs the most if I clap his hands together while singing "yay Eli!!!". He also seems to be a bit ticklish. So cute! I love the smiles, after so many weeks of him just staring at us like we were crazy people, it is nice to get that smile now. He really does love me!
- His eyes haven't changed colors yet. What will the be??
- He is losing his newborn hair! It seriously has been falling out in clumps but just on the top of his head so now he has none left on top but lots on the sides, ha. He does already have new hair growing in, I can't really tell yet what color it will be but it looks lighter, he might be a little blond baby like his daddy was!
- He doesn't have nearly as much gas as he used to, thank God.
- I think he knows who Jeff and I are now, which is really cool!
- He really doesn't fuss much, usually just if he needs something or is bored or tired.
- He loves to ride facing forward in his new carrier (Belle carrier sold by Babies R Us, same price as a Bjorn but so much better in my opinion, very comfortable, we all love it!). He rode in it during an entire trip to Target a few days ago and didn't make a peep. He loves looking around at everything.
- His bumbo chair freaks him out.
- He loves bath time and loves kicking and splashing.
- His eczema and cradle cap are finally clearing up.
Well I think that is about everything on the top of my mind for now :-) Here are some pictures from the past 3 weeks.
(the bath water looks dirty like that because we put an Aveno oatmeal powder in it to help with his eczema)
Mommy get me out of here!!!
In his cloth diaper!
Naked baby! His little butt is just too cute!
Aunt Laura says "get that thumb out of his mouth!"
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