Coordination

Lena's hand-eye and hand-mouth coordination have greatly improved this past month. In the beginning, she had no interest in toys. Then, she slowly moved to looking at them or watching them hang on her car seat bar. Next, she started bringing her mouth to the toy to suck or chew on it. Just this past week, she's begun bringing the object to her. If you hold out a toy (or teething ring, holy teething Batman!) she'll take it from you. This morning we were in the backseat of the car waiting for daycare to open when she reached out, grabbed the foot of the birdie, and pulled down. The birdie's on a chord that winds back up. I've done this for her hundreds of times but have never seen her do it herself. Exciting stuff for a parent!

Watching the birdie wind up

First Day at Work

My first day back to work went really well. Thankfully, Lena is working her way into having a schedule and it held true this morning, so my timing was right on. It was hard to say goodbye so I did it quickly and practically ran out of the door before I got cold feet. Little stinker wouldn't look me in the eye - she was too busy looking at daddy. The 8.5 hours at work did really drag (especially since I started at 7 am!) but I found that when I'm in work mode, I really focus on work (hallelujah!) so my "I miss my baby!" moments weren't excessive. And it was very nice to see my coworkers and go out to lunch and catch up.

In many ways, I felt like I'm living two realities- my old life, where I work full-time and don't have a baby and the other one where I'm just a mom. To be honest, this makes me feel guilty! Hopefully, as I adjust to this new lifestyle, I can mold that into one new reality.

I did take a few breaks to watch Lena videos on my iPhone though. Now that I'm on BART on my way home, I'm so emotional with excitement to see her - I'm practically crying!

Motherhood has turned me into a big 'ole softie.

Lena at 2 Months

Lena,
You are 2 months old! Remember how last month I said time was creeping by? Well it's flying by now (i.e. it's back to normal)! It amazes me how much I love you when we can't even verbally communicate yet! At two months, you are:
- so smiley. You have two emotions: happy (smiley) and hungry. You especially love to dole out grins and smiles after you eat. Uniquely, you're also super smiley during diaper changes. Is it because you're getting a fresh, soft diaper? Is it because I'm standing directly over you and smiling? Only you know. But your smiles and high level of interaction are infectious. You are quick to give your dad smiles, second only in frequency to giving your mom smiles.

- are a bit of a mama's girl. Don't get me wrong, you love your dad (more on that soon), but you seem to melt into me. If you're fussing, you quiet down and sink into my chest when you're handed to me. We are simpatica.

-a music lover. Nothing gets you smiling and giggling like someone singing to you. And are you in luck because your daddy loves to sing! He'll find karaoke songs on YouTube, lay down, prop you on his chest, and sing his heart out. You contribute by dancing (with a lot of help from dad). You absolutely love this (and so does your dad)! I've been putting on the Christmas station and singing Christmas carols to you. You are the only person on earth who would smile at my singing voice! I've got at least one fan out there! Your favorites are "Sleigh Ride," "Jingle Bell Rock," and "The First Noel."

-tall (or is it long?). At your 2 month checkup, you measured 23.5 inches, which is the 100th percentile for height. Your head and weight were at the 50th percentile. You must get your height from your dad.

-seriously cute. Today a UPS driver and two pedestrians stopped to tell me how cute you were. In SLO yesterday, you were dubbed "the cutest baby in SLO" by a stranger walking by. Every time I share a picture of you, people gush.

-a good sleeper.... at night. You now sleep about 6-7 hours in a row. (Thank you, by the way, because I feel like a human being again). During the day... not so much. You'll take little cat naps but usually wake within 30 minutes to eat. I think you take after me in this regard.

I love you baby!

Ten Tips

Motherhood has reinforced my opinionated nature. There's been a lot of trial and error during these first couple months of parenthood (or is that just part of the definition of parenthood?). I've even been told to retry certain things that don't work with Lena/that she doesn't like later, as babies are constantly switching preferences and may eventually like it. So for those of you with infants, expecting a baby, thinking about having kids, or are buying for friends who are expecting, here are my tips on what worked for Lena these first two months. Maybe they'll work for you baby, too?

1. Perfect the almighty swaddle. Using the instructions from our baby care class, Lena's arms woukd wiggle out of the swaddle as soon as I put her down. Then we watched The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD. Dr. Karp has the best method for swaddling babies. No more arms wiggling free! For Lena, swaddling never got her to stop crying in and of itself, but when combined with rocking/bouncing, and shushing, it was a lifesaver. Even now, she sleeps much longer (by 1-2 hours) when she's swaddled, even if it's loose.

2. Find your bounce or swing.
Lena's a sucker for bouncing up and down or swinging in Figure 8s. Two to three minutes of bouncing on an exercise ball will absolutely quiet her, if not put her to sleep. Swaddle her, bounce on the exercise ball, and...

3. Put a sleeping baby down on a warm bed. I can't tell you how many times I'd get Lena to fall asleep and then put her in her Rock and Play cradle and she's wake up 60 seconds later. Blerg! (By the way, getting a Rock N Play cradle is Tip 3b. If your baby's born in the summer, I suggest one like ours without padding that breathes. For winter babies, I'd spend a little extra and get the lined ones with the soft pads). Put a heating pad down for a few minutes before putting the baby in the bassinet/crib (testing to make sure it's not too hot first). Problem solved. Bonus is putting that heating pad on my lap afterwards. Cozy.

4. Purchase a few sleeping gowns. You know those long outfits that look like cute potato sacks with elastic at the bottom? When you wake up blurry-eyed in the middle of the night to change his/her diaper, you'll love not having to undo snaps or even a zipper. Which brings me to #5...

5. Make sure you have a few Sleep and Play onesies. I love these because they give her the coverage of a shirt, pants, and socks in one piece - important for the winter. Without elastic waistbands or socks that cut into their skin and leave red marks of fall off (socks). If you have the chance, go for ones with zippers over snaps. As my cousin told me, snaps are the invention of a childless man. At 3 am, they will not line up. Ever. Speaking of 3 am feedings....

6. Put a mini hair dryer by the changing station.. That white noise stops crying on a dime. The sound of a whirring hair dryer is much preferable to a crying infant.

7. Sign up for Amazon Prime. That $80 a year pays for itself in time, ease, and money fast. Diapers are super cheap on Amazon. Two day shipping is free and often results in overnight delivery. Going places is hard with an infant. I never know when she'll wake up crying. I've sat in the Target check out line many times giving apologetic looks to fellow shoppers. It's just easier sometimes to "order in."

8. If you'd like to breastfeed, ask to see a lactation consultant in the hospital. even if you think you're doing it correctly and a few well-meaning nurses tell you her latch looks good. I never pressed to see a lactation consultant (when I asked if I'd see one they said "we only request it if there's a problem") and I sooo wished I had. Her latch was not good and since I missed a window of establishing my supply level when my milk came in, my supply has suffered ever since. I've tried everything to increase it to no avail. So we have to supplement.

9. Wean off and onto new brands and formulations of formula. If you do supplement or exclusively bottle feed with formula, you'll want to wean off and on the brands/formulations. Just like you do with your cat or dog. Our pediatrician didn't tell us to do this when she gave us the sensitive formula and Lena was constipated for a week! Poor thing, it was awful! Do 75% old 25% new brand for two days, 50/50 for two days, and then 25/75 for two days before completely transitioning.

10. Pick at least one sanity saver a day and make it happen. This will undoubtedly require you to recruit help. For me, it was showering daily. I need it to feel human. Maybe yours is sitting with a cup of coffee and quiet for 10 minutes, going for a walk, etc.

So there are my 10 tips. Thanks to those who led me to these (you didn't think I came to these all on my own, did you?)!

Please leave a comment with yours! I may be opinionated but I'm always open to suggestions!

Perspective

Today we visited our friends Erin and Jerry in the hospital and met their precious two day-old daughter Olivia. Since Erin was seven weeks behind me, she was one of my pregnancy buddies. It was really fun to go through the roller coaster of a first time pregnancy with a friend of 17 years!

When Erin texted me Thursday night that she was in labor and they were headed to the hospital, it really brought me back. Even though I never went through labor, I was thinking about what it was like to drive to the hospital, knowing the next time I got in the car and drove home, it would be with our daughter. How surreal and scary it was to walk into the operating room and know that I was just minutes away from hearing my baby's first cry. The look of pure joy and excitement on Mike's face when he stood up and saw Lena coming out of my belly and turned to me and said "She's beautiful!" The feeling of relief and "oh I finally get to take a nap!" after Mike went into the recovery room with Lena (the spinal reeeeally relaxed me and I was struggling to stay awake). The feeling of completeness as Mike and the nurse brought Lena to snuggle against my cheek in the OR and we decided she would be Lena and not Isla.

I could go on and on. (And really need to finish writing her birth story before I forget it!)

I wouldn't say I was being nostalgic though. Because the truth is: I'm so excited Lena's getting bigger and older. I hope it goes without saying that I love my daughter to pieces. But I did not love the newborn stage - it's quite rough! I appreciate that Lena and I understand each other pretty well now. When she cries, I usually know why. I can find the rhythm she needs to put her to sleep. I love that that ability makes me feel like a good mother. I love how alert and active she's becoming. I love that she's becoming more independent. I can put her on her activity mat in her Pack N Play and she can entertain herself for 15 minutes now (I love the squeals of excitement that a hanging stuffed bird can elicit from an infant!) while I take advantage of having two hands to myself. I love that she thinks I'm the funniest person in the world at 5:30 am. I really love that she's sleeping in five hour stretches at night. It's fun to see her neck muscles getting stronger. I look forward to one day holding her on my hip while she looks around and greets the world. I can't wait for her to sit up in the tub and play with toys at bath time, or play with the dogs. I love how dang cute she is - that she looks quintessentially "baby" - and I can start to envision what she's going to look like as she gets older. It was really a trip to see Lena next to Olivia. Olivia is just a few ounces smaller than Lena was at birth and Lena looked huge and chunky-monkey next to her! I love that I'm 90% recovered from my surgery (could a return to running be in my future?) and my hormones are 90% back to normal (holy shit those first two weeks were rough!).

For now, I'm going to enjoy this "looking forward" to Lena growing up. I'm pretty sure in six months I'll be saying that time is moving too fast and she's getting too big. And when I do, please remind me to reread this post so I can make a new list of things I'm looking forward to.

I'm so excited for Erin, Jerry, and Olivia. They have so much to look forward to. Erin, over the next few weeks, time's going to feel like it's moving so slowly! But during those hard times, know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and now that I'm out of the newborn haze, it really does feel like that time passed relatively quickly!

1,000 Faces

This kid has so many different facial expressions! But they change within a millisecond. To score a funny picture of her, I need take MANY. Here's a series of pics I took trying to catch a non-blurry smile.

She's a Morning Person

Lena seems to take after both her parents in that she's a morning person (well, her dad used to be a morning person!  But it's 11 am and he's still in bed...) Our 5:30 am feedings are loaded with smiles and giggles.  The video was taken Thanksgiving morning (November 22, 2012) and the photo series was taken the next day.