PK is fast asleep on my chest. My neck is killing me, I'm thirsty, and I really have to pee, but I don't dare move. Nor do I want to.
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Naps.
1 day ago
October 28, 2008
October 27, 2008
Eleven Weeks Old
PK turned 11 weeks old last Wednesday. With each passing day, she becomes more and more interactive. It also means that she naps less, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've really enjoyed playing with her these days. While I miss the fact that she's no longer teeny (though still dainty compared to other babies at this age), I love that she's reacting to things.
Last Wednesday, for example, when we took my mom to the airport, we brought PK along, and she was completely fascinated by it. Today we went to Ikea to buy a couple of wardrobes and again, she was totally taking in her surroundings. She's also very much into looking at the TV and at pictures on the wall. I'm not sure what's so fascinating about them - maybe the colors? I'd love to know what's running through that little mind of hers!
On a sadder note, I think that my breast-feeding days are numbered. PK has been constantly hungry for the past week or two, and I mean REALLY hungry. Since she sleeps for 8 hours at a time at night (hopefully this is not short-lived), she wakes up famished, so I often find myself feeding her non-stop in the morning. She takes a bit of a break in the afternoon since I usually go out with her and she tends to fall asleep in the stroller. Anyway, during this feeding frenzy, she is so hungry that she often refuses to take the breast. In fact, offering it to her seems to greatly offend her. I've been in situations where offering her the breast makes her scream even louder, and she only calms down once I switch to the bottle. Unfortunately, this means that less demand for boobie results in less production of breast milk.
I'm sure that the stresses of the past couple of weeks with the Thanksgiving fiasco and the death of my dear grandmother coupled with her sleeping for 8 hours straight at night haven't helped the situation either. In case you're wondering, her sleeping 8 hours straight means that instead of breast-feeding her at 5 or 6am like I usually did, I end up breast-feeding her at 9 or 10am instead, which throws off milk production. Anyway, I am trying to rectify this milk supply issue by pumping more often, but I think that the damage has been done. As for boobie rejection, she seems to be taking the breast again somewhat, but I can't keep her on for more than 5 minutes at a time. Phooey. C'est la vie, I guess. At any rate, I will keep pumping for as long as I can, but I think that I won't be lasting much past the 3 month mark.
Bath time these days continues to be one of the highlights of the day. PK really really enjoys her baths, especially after I started playing her some Sesame Street bathtime music. She really really enjoys listening to Rubber Duckie! The hubby and I each have our own rubber duckies and we're trying to find one for PK to call her own. Before she was born, we'd see them everywhere, and now it seems that we can't find them anywhere. Argh! Anyway, today I decided to lend PK my rubber duckie for bathtime until we can get her her own, and she totally loved it! She kept kicking at it. So freaking cute!
Last Wednesday, for example, when we took my mom to the airport, we brought PK along, and she was completely fascinated by it. Today we went to Ikea to buy a couple of wardrobes and again, she was totally taking in her surroundings. She's also very much into looking at the TV and at pictures on the wall. I'm not sure what's so fascinating about them - maybe the colors? I'd love to know what's running through that little mind of hers!
On a sadder note, I think that my breast-feeding days are numbered. PK has been constantly hungry for the past week or two, and I mean REALLY hungry. Since she sleeps for 8 hours at a time at night (hopefully this is not short-lived), she wakes up famished, so I often find myself feeding her non-stop in the morning. She takes a bit of a break in the afternoon since I usually go out with her and she tends to fall asleep in the stroller. Anyway, during this feeding frenzy, she is so hungry that she often refuses to take the breast. In fact, offering it to her seems to greatly offend her. I've been in situations where offering her the breast makes her scream even louder, and she only calms down once I switch to the bottle. Unfortunately, this means that less demand for boobie results in less production of breast milk.
I'm sure that the stresses of the past couple of weeks with the Thanksgiving fiasco and the death of my dear grandmother coupled with her sleeping for 8 hours straight at night haven't helped the situation either. In case you're wondering, her sleeping 8 hours straight means that instead of breast-feeding her at 5 or 6am like I usually did, I end up breast-feeding her at 9 or 10am instead, which throws off milk production. Anyway, I am trying to rectify this milk supply issue by pumping more often, but I think that the damage has been done. As for boobie rejection, she seems to be taking the breast again somewhat, but I can't keep her on for more than 5 minutes at a time. Phooey. C'est la vie, I guess. At any rate, I will keep pumping for as long as I can, but I think that I won't be lasting much past the 3 month mark.
Bath time these days continues to be one of the highlights of the day. PK really really enjoys her baths, especially after I started playing her some Sesame Street bathtime music. She really really enjoys listening to Rubber Duckie! The hubby and I each have our own rubber duckies and we're trying to find one for PK to call her own. Before she was born, we'd see them everywhere, and now it seems that we can't find them anywhere. Argh! Anyway, today I decided to lend PK my rubber duckie for bathtime until we can get her her own, and she totally loved it! She kept kicking at it. So freaking cute!
One More Day
You were taken from me just far too soon
Could I have just one more morning,
One more afternoon?
If I had just one more day with you,
What would I say?
What would I do?
I would make you crêpes!
I'd bake you a cake!
I would make you anything your tummy could take!
We'd take a walk and you'd tell me all
About your life
As you grew up tall.
I'd tell you about my hopes and dreams,
About my adventures,
About all my schemes.
We'd watch TV,
We'd sing some songs
Until our vocal cords were gone!
And at the end of our lovely day,
You'd get a hug and great big kiss,
And I'd tell you how you would be missed.
As we said goodbye
I would be so sad,
Yet forever grateful for the day we'd had.
You were always there for me,
Through thick and thin,
Unconditionally.
I'll miss you dearly,
For I love you lots
But our special day will be forever in my thoughts.
Dedicated in loving memory of my grandmother, Vovó Vera.
(c) 2008, IndyComp0T1
Could I have just one more morning,
One more afternoon?
If I had just one more day with you,
What would I say?
What would I do?
I would make you crêpes!
I'd bake you a cake!
I would make you anything your tummy could take!
We'd take a walk and you'd tell me all
About your life
As you grew up tall.
I'd tell you about my hopes and dreams,
About my adventures,
About all my schemes.
We'd watch TV,
We'd sing some songs
Until our vocal cords were gone!
And at the end of our lovely day,
You'd get a hug and great big kiss,
And I'd tell you how you would be missed.
As we said goodbye
I would be so sad,
Yet forever grateful for the day we'd had.
You were always there for me,
Through thick and thin,
Unconditionally.
I'll miss you dearly,
For I love you lots
But our special day will be forever in my thoughts.
Dedicated in loving memory of my grandmother, Vovó Vera.
(c) 2008, IndyComp0T1
October 23, 2008
Memories of My Grandmother
Yesterday, I saw my mom off at the airport as she headed off to Brazil. I wish I could be there with her, to give her some emotional support. She's there all alone and has a lot of annoying legal things to take care of. My dad is joining her later this week, so at least she'll have some help. If I sound like a broken record, my apologies.
I am still crushed by my grandmother's death. Death always takes us by surprise, doesn't it? We're seldom ever ready for it. If we knew that day X would be the last time we'd speak to a loved one, would we act differently? I should hope so. Unfortunately, we don't know, so doesn't this mean that we should always treat each day like it would be someone's last, and make it count? I think this is one of the lessons that I've taken away from all of this. You never know when people close to you may be taken away from you. You must cherish every moment with them. I've also realized the importance of family. I've had my issues with my mom, and as I reflect on things of years past, I've realized that we haven't been listening to each other. We were too busy being angry and resentful towards one another on the inside, while pretending that everything was okay on the outside. That will no longer happen. Happy thoughts now!
I would like to share a few fond memories that I have of my grandmother. I want these memories documented so that I don't forget them, and so that I can tell PK about her great-grandmother.
Vovó Vera always had cards for EVERYTHING: birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Easter, Christmas, or just because. You name it, she had a card for it. Now, with her gone, I will never receive those cards again. I will miss them dearly. Mom always got my sister and me to write her a few words in the cards. We often wrote the same old thing, but I don’t think that it mattered to her. She just loved getting cards from us. I sometimes used to draw little pictures in the cards for her. Flowers, hearts, and a little cartoon frog. I still have her cards.
When we lived in Brazil, my sister and I would spend weekends at her house. How I loved spending weekends there. Her apartment was tiny, but she always made us feel loved and welcome. There was always “bifinho com farofa” and Guaraná to drink. my sister and I loved to crack eggs and mix them around in a bowl and she always let us do that even though we wasted eggs in doing so.
When I was preparing for my first communion, it was Vovó Vera who always came to pick me up from school. She always brought me a McDonald’s cheeseburger when she came to pick me up. She was a very religious woman, and one of her greatest wishes was to see PK baptized. I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly keen on having PK baptized, but now there’s no doubt in my mind about baptizing her. It’s something she wanted and I’d like to honor her memory by doing so.
After we moved away from Brazil, she tried to visit us as often as she could. She visited us when we lived in New Jersey, Portugal, Ottawa, and Toronto. The last time she visited us is when she came for my university graduation. Having her there made a special day even more special. I’m so glad that she was able to come. Every time she came, she came with tons of gifts. She even brought us farinha de mandioca and Guaraná. When we lived in Ottawa, she came with my mom’s old guitar to give to me. I still have that guitar.
Whenever we came to Brazil for a visit, she’d start preparing for our arrival at least one week beforehand, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d start preparing one month beforehand. She never slept well on the night before we arrived, because she was so excited that we were coming. When her health was better, she’d always be there to welcome us at the airport, and would always drive with us to the airport to see us off. When we arrived at her house, we were greeted with can only be described as a food feast. Feijoada, bifinho com farofa, brigadeiro, bolo de chocolate, pão de queijo – the list was endless. One of the last times we were there, my grandmother had the Christmas tree set up in her house, with a bunch of presents under it. Even though we were there in the April/May timeframe, she set up the Christmas tree so that we could celebrate a belated Christmas together.
My grandmother wasn’t huge on baking, but she made a fantastic chocolate cake (bolo de chocolate). I love the cake so much that I got the recipe from her and now bring it to my parents’ house for birthdays and holidays. She also sent me a few other recipes which I still have, including bolo de cenoura (carrot cake) and bolo de milho (corn cake/corn bread).
Due to health reasons, she was unable to come to my wedding or my sister’s wedding. She wanted to go so badly. She had even purchased dresses to wear for both weddings. I wanted her there too, but there was no way that she could come, given her poor health. Even though she never came to either of our weddings, she did have the opportunity to meet our respective husbands. the hubby always talks about meeting Vovó Vera for the first time. Without even knowing him, she greeted him with a great big hug. When she found out that the hubby liked to eat chocolate, she showered him with chocolate. She always treated the hubby and Josh with love and respect, as if they were her own grandsons. Whenever I spoke with her on the phone, she always asked about the hubby.
We left Rio about 20 years ago. When we left, I gave Vovó Vera my stuffed Garfield and asked her to take care of it for me. Every time I came back to visit, I asked if she was taking care of Garfield for me. I never once asked for Garfield back. In my mind, I thought that if Garfield was under her care, then it would give her a reason to live. Speaking of stuffed animals, I made her a sock monkey which I gave to her when we were in Brazil in April of 2007. I named her Lulu. My grandmother loved Lulu and even gave Lulu a personality.
Vovó Vera was extremely excited when she found out that she was going to be a great-grandmother, and even more excited when PK was born. She never met PK, but mom and I sent her pictures. Last time mom came to my house, we were on the phone and she heard PK give a little cry. I’m so saddened by the fact that my grandmother never met PK. And yet, she loved PK completely unconditionally.
When PK was born, she sent me a great big care package. It was delivered to mom and dad’s place since I knew that mom would at least be home to receive the package. It arrived the day we were up at my in-laws, who live pretty close to mom and dad. I never swung by my parents' place to pick up the package and instead waited until we were there for lunch the following weekend. My grandmother was crushed that I didn't want to pick up the package on that very day. I now know why. The package was filled with clothes for PK, all chosen with such overwhelming love and care. Although I thanked her for it, I never told her just how much I appreciated the gesture. I wish she knew that it meant the world to me.
My grandmother loved it whenever I called her. When she’d pick up the phone, she sometimes sounded sad, but hearing my voice just brightened her day. Knowing that I brightened her day like that made me feel so happy. I’m going to miss calling her up so very much.
One of the things that most impressed me about my grandmother was her memory. She had the most unbelievable memory. She always remembered birthdays – my birthday, my sister’s birthday, mom’s birthday, and even dad’s birthday. And if you asked her to, she would be more than happy to sing the French national anthem and “God Save the Queen” in their native languages. If I remember correctly, she could even conjugate some Latin verbs and knew a few Latin words too. This was all stuff she’d learned as a child and could still remember!
She always found a way to try to communicate, even if you didn’t understand her. I remember one time when she visited us in Ottawa and we were at the checkout counter at the supermarket, and she started talking to the bagging guy in Portuguese. He couldn’t understand a word she said! Thinking about it still cracks me up.
In 2001 she came for my university convocation. At the time I was dating this annoying guy with an equally-annoying mother. There was a reception for graduates after the ceremony, and this guy’s mom came up to us to talk. Well, my grandmother, my sister and I all bolted, going our separate ways, leaving my mom stuck with her. Even though my grandmother couldn’t understand a thing that the woman said, she still wanted to stay away. We later found my grandmother sitting on a bench talking to this other elderly woman. Neither of them spoke English, and the other woman certainly didn’t speak Portuguese, but it didn’t matter, because they were chatting up a storm!
The two times that the hubby was in Brazil with me, she always tried to speak to him, even though he didn’t speak Portuguese and she didn’t speak English. Still, they tried to speak to each other. the hubby knew a few Portuguese phrases, which he said to her, but his pronunciation was so horrible that she’d always whisper to me in Portuguese, “What’s he saying?” She knew a few English words and phrases so she’d throw whatever she had at him. And when all else failed, she’d start chanting, “I like coffee, I like tea. I like you, do you like me?” When she called my house and the hubby picked up the phone, she would try her hardest to tell the hubby, “Hubby, this is IndyComp's grandmother.”
May these memories be immortalized in this blog post and through the stories that I tell PK as she grows up, so that like my grandmother, she too may learn to love someone that she never even met face-to-face.
I am still crushed by my grandmother's death. Death always takes us by surprise, doesn't it? We're seldom ever ready for it. If we knew that day X would be the last time we'd speak to a loved one, would we act differently? I should hope so. Unfortunately, we don't know, so doesn't this mean that we should always treat each day like it would be someone's last, and make it count? I think this is one of the lessons that I've taken away from all of this. You never know when people close to you may be taken away from you. You must cherish every moment with them. I've also realized the importance of family. I've had my issues with my mom, and as I reflect on things of years past, I've realized that we haven't been listening to each other. We were too busy being angry and resentful towards one another on the inside, while pretending that everything was okay on the outside. That will no longer happen. Happy thoughts now!
I would like to share a few fond memories that I have of my grandmother. I want these memories documented so that I don't forget them, and so that I can tell PK about her great-grandmother.
Vovó Vera always had cards for EVERYTHING: birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Easter, Christmas, or just because. You name it, she had a card for it. Now, with her gone, I will never receive those cards again. I will miss them dearly. Mom always got my sister and me to write her a few words in the cards. We often wrote the same old thing, but I don’t think that it mattered to her. She just loved getting cards from us. I sometimes used to draw little pictures in the cards for her. Flowers, hearts, and a little cartoon frog. I still have her cards.
When we lived in Brazil, my sister and I would spend weekends at her house. How I loved spending weekends there. Her apartment was tiny, but she always made us feel loved and welcome. There was always “bifinho com farofa” and Guaraná to drink. my sister and I loved to crack eggs and mix them around in a bowl and she always let us do that even though we wasted eggs in doing so.
When I was preparing for my first communion, it was Vovó Vera who always came to pick me up from school. She always brought me a McDonald’s cheeseburger when she came to pick me up. She was a very religious woman, and one of her greatest wishes was to see PK baptized. I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly keen on having PK baptized, but now there’s no doubt in my mind about baptizing her. It’s something she wanted and I’d like to honor her memory by doing so.
After we moved away from Brazil, she tried to visit us as often as she could. She visited us when we lived in New Jersey, Portugal, Ottawa, and Toronto. The last time she visited us is when she came for my university graduation. Having her there made a special day even more special. I’m so glad that she was able to come. Every time she came, she came with tons of gifts. She even brought us farinha de mandioca and Guaraná. When we lived in Ottawa, she came with my mom’s old guitar to give to me. I still have that guitar.
Whenever we came to Brazil for a visit, she’d start preparing for our arrival at least one week beforehand, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d start preparing one month beforehand. She never slept well on the night before we arrived, because she was so excited that we were coming. When her health was better, she’d always be there to welcome us at the airport, and would always drive with us to the airport to see us off. When we arrived at her house, we were greeted with can only be described as a food feast. Feijoada, bifinho com farofa, brigadeiro, bolo de chocolate, pão de queijo – the list was endless. One of the last times we were there, my grandmother had the Christmas tree set up in her house, with a bunch of presents under it. Even though we were there in the April/May timeframe, she set up the Christmas tree so that we could celebrate a belated Christmas together.
My grandmother wasn’t huge on baking, but she made a fantastic chocolate cake (bolo de chocolate). I love the cake so much that I got the recipe from her and now bring it to my parents’ house for birthdays and holidays. She also sent me a few other recipes which I still have, including bolo de cenoura (carrot cake) and bolo de milho (corn cake/corn bread).
Due to health reasons, she was unable to come to my wedding or my sister’s wedding. She wanted to go so badly. She had even purchased dresses to wear for both weddings. I wanted her there too, but there was no way that she could come, given her poor health. Even though she never came to either of our weddings, she did have the opportunity to meet our respective husbands. the hubby always talks about meeting Vovó Vera for the first time. Without even knowing him, she greeted him with a great big hug. When she found out that the hubby liked to eat chocolate, she showered him with chocolate. She always treated the hubby and Josh with love and respect, as if they were her own grandsons. Whenever I spoke with her on the phone, she always asked about the hubby.
We left Rio about 20 years ago. When we left, I gave Vovó Vera my stuffed Garfield and asked her to take care of it for me. Every time I came back to visit, I asked if she was taking care of Garfield for me. I never once asked for Garfield back. In my mind, I thought that if Garfield was under her care, then it would give her a reason to live. Speaking of stuffed animals, I made her a sock monkey which I gave to her when we were in Brazil in April of 2007. I named her Lulu. My grandmother loved Lulu and even gave Lulu a personality.
Vovó Vera was extremely excited when she found out that she was going to be a great-grandmother, and even more excited when PK was born. She never met PK, but mom and I sent her pictures. Last time mom came to my house, we were on the phone and she heard PK give a little cry. I’m so saddened by the fact that my grandmother never met PK. And yet, she loved PK completely unconditionally.
When PK was born, she sent me a great big care package. It was delivered to mom and dad’s place since I knew that mom would at least be home to receive the package. It arrived the day we were up at my in-laws, who live pretty close to mom and dad. I never swung by my parents' place to pick up the package and instead waited until we were there for lunch the following weekend. My grandmother was crushed that I didn't want to pick up the package on that very day. I now know why. The package was filled with clothes for PK, all chosen with such overwhelming love and care. Although I thanked her for it, I never told her just how much I appreciated the gesture. I wish she knew that it meant the world to me.
My grandmother loved it whenever I called her. When she’d pick up the phone, she sometimes sounded sad, but hearing my voice just brightened her day. Knowing that I brightened her day like that made me feel so happy. I’m going to miss calling her up so very much.
One of the things that most impressed me about my grandmother was her memory. She had the most unbelievable memory. She always remembered birthdays – my birthday, my sister’s birthday, mom’s birthday, and even dad’s birthday. And if you asked her to, she would be more than happy to sing the French national anthem and “God Save the Queen” in their native languages. If I remember correctly, she could even conjugate some Latin verbs and knew a few Latin words too. This was all stuff she’d learned as a child and could still remember!
She always found a way to try to communicate, even if you didn’t understand her. I remember one time when she visited us in Ottawa and we were at the checkout counter at the supermarket, and she started talking to the bagging guy in Portuguese. He couldn’t understand a word she said! Thinking about it still cracks me up.
In 2001 she came for my university convocation. At the time I was dating this annoying guy with an equally-annoying mother. There was a reception for graduates after the ceremony, and this guy’s mom came up to us to talk. Well, my grandmother, my sister and I all bolted, going our separate ways, leaving my mom stuck with her. Even though my grandmother couldn’t understand a thing that the woman said, she still wanted to stay away. We later found my grandmother sitting on a bench talking to this other elderly woman. Neither of them spoke English, and the other woman certainly didn’t speak Portuguese, but it didn’t matter, because they were chatting up a storm!
The two times that the hubby was in Brazil with me, she always tried to speak to him, even though he didn’t speak Portuguese and she didn’t speak English. Still, they tried to speak to each other. the hubby knew a few Portuguese phrases, which he said to her, but his pronunciation was so horrible that she’d always whisper to me in Portuguese, “What’s he saying?” She knew a few English words and phrases so she’d throw whatever she had at him. And when all else failed, she’d start chanting, “I like coffee, I like tea. I like you, do you like me?” When she called my house and the hubby picked up the phone, she would try her hardest to tell the hubby, “Hubby, this is IndyComp's grandmother.”
May these memories be immortalized in this blog post and through the stories that I tell PK as she grows up, so that like my grandmother, she too may learn to love someone that she never even met face-to-face.
October 22, 2008
My Grandmother
I found out this morning that my maternal grandmother, PK's great-grandmother died of heart failure. I won't lie to you. I'm a wreck. I loved her dearly. What makes it worse is that because she lived in Brazil, she never got to meet PK. We were supposed to go there in March of 2009, but I guess now it's a moot point. Brazil will never be the same.
My grandmother and I had a special bond ever since I was little. My mom is an only child and my sister and I were her only grandchildren. To her, we were the world. I guess it tore her to pieces when we moved away from Brazil more than 20 years ago. In spite of the distance, we always stayed in touch. She always sent cards for everything. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Easter, Christmas. You name it, she had a card for it. I will miss those cards so dearly.
My family left Brazil when I was 8. When my sister and I were little, we used to go to her house every weekend to spend Friday and Saturday night. I loved it. She always showered us with love and with gifts. The gifts were a bonus. The love is what really mattered. I guess all of those weekends at her place is why we were so close. My paternal grandmother is still alive, but I've got a ton of cousins on my dad's side of the family and so my sister and I never had that special bond with her.
Even though we lived far from each other, we tried to visit each other. She came to visit us when we lived in Portugal, Ottawa, and Toronto. She came for my university convocation, which made a special day even more special. We visited her in Brazil as well. I brought the hubby to the last two visits to Brazil.
My grandmother never made it to my wedding, and she never made it to my sister's wedding either. At least she got to meet our respective husbands. I just wish that she could've held on a bit longer so she could meet PK. I'll be honest with you though. I was having second thoughts about going to Brazil with PK in 2009. The trip is long and annoying - there's no direct flight, and the time spent waiting at the connecting airport is excruciatingly long. The hotel we normally stay at is cramped for two people, let alone 2 adults plus a baby. We could've stayed at my grandmother's, but although her apartment was nice, the area was a bit creepy. Most neighborhoods in Rio not near the beach are kind of creepy in my opinion. Besides, PK needed a bunch of shots, a Brazilian passport, and a Canadian passport. All that is obtainable, of course. It just takes time. In hindsight, if she were alive at the time, I should've made an effort to go.
When PK was born, she sent me a great big care package. It was delivered to my parents' place since I knew that my mom would at least be home to receive the package. It arrived the day we were up at my in-laws, who live pretty close to my parents. I never swung by my parents' place to pick up the package and instead waited until we were there for lunch the following weekend. My grandmother was crushed that I didn't want to pick up the package right away. I now know why. The package was filled with clothes for PK, all chosen so carefully and with so much love. Although I thanked her for it, I never told her just how much I appreciated the gesture. I wish she knew that it meant the world to me.
I last spoke to my grandmother yesterday, and she was incredibly frazzled because she was trying to get a hold of my mom and wasn't able to. She said that she wasn't feeling well. I tried to calm her down because I knew she had a heart problem. I talked to her for a bit and made a mental note to call her later when she was feeling calmer. I never called back. I forgot. I feel horrible. I wish that our last conversation hadn't been with her in such a frazzled state. I wish that she was happy when she got off the phone with me. I wish that I could've seen her one more time before she died. But I guess those things won't happen anymore. I'm at least grateful that I was able to speak to her one last time. I wish I had told her that I loved her. I hope she knew that. I really do.
Now, as I sit here and take everything in, I'm really reminded of the importance of family. I think of my relationship with my mom. We haven't seen eye-to-eye for the past 10 years or so. There's been some friction between us since PK's birth because I wanted to do things my way with PK and didn't want her to interfere with PK's upbringing. I now realize how much I hurt her feelings by doing that. The more she nagged me about PK, the more I pulled away. It wasn't fair to her. She just wanted to love PK the way that my grandmother loved me.
When I found out about my grandmother, I texted the hubby since he was on the subway on his way downtown. He called me as soon as he got my message. As I sobbed on the phone, I told him to make sure that he gives proper attention to his own grandmother. She's 93. She's still alive. She lives in the same city. When everything else falls apart in the world, family is everything. Never take family for granted.
Being from Brazil, my family is catholic. My grandmother's greatest wish for PK was to have her baptized. I've been an atheist since I was 14 and the hubby is a non-denominational christian. I've never had any plans to have PK baptized, and the hubby expressed no interest in it on his end of things either. Now, with my grandmother gone, I am reconsidering it. I want to honor my grandmother in some way. It doesn't have to be a catholic baptism. I'm pretty sure that protestant christians have baptisms too (pardon my ignorance), so that could hopefully be a middle ground. I hope that the hubby understands.
I took my grandmother for granted at times, and I wish that I hadn't. I'm at least comforted by the fact that I was able to talk to her one last time, even if it was under slightly stressful circumstances for her.
Eu te adoro, Vovó Vera. Você sempre foi boa para mim. Você sempre foi ótima avó e sempre foi muito querida. Beijos saudosos e carinhoso para sempre. May you rest in peace.
1933-2008
My grandmother and I had a special bond ever since I was little. My mom is an only child and my sister and I were her only grandchildren. To her, we were the world. I guess it tore her to pieces when we moved away from Brazil more than 20 years ago. In spite of the distance, we always stayed in touch. She always sent cards for everything. Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Easter, Christmas. You name it, she had a card for it. I will miss those cards so dearly.
My family left Brazil when I was 8. When my sister and I were little, we used to go to her house every weekend to spend Friday and Saturday night. I loved it. She always showered us with love and with gifts. The gifts were a bonus. The love is what really mattered. I guess all of those weekends at her place is why we were so close. My paternal grandmother is still alive, but I've got a ton of cousins on my dad's side of the family and so my sister and I never had that special bond with her.
Even though we lived far from each other, we tried to visit each other. She came to visit us when we lived in Portugal, Ottawa, and Toronto. She came for my university convocation, which made a special day even more special. We visited her in Brazil as well. I brought the hubby to the last two visits to Brazil.
My grandmother never made it to my wedding, and she never made it to my sister's wedding either. At least she got to meet our respective husbands. I just wish that she could've held on a bit longer so she could meet PK. I'll be honest with you though. I was having second thoughts about going to Brazil with PK in 2009. The trip is long and annoying - there's no direct flight, and the time spent waiting at the connecting airport is excruciatingly long. The hotel we normally stay at is cramped for two people, let alone 2 adults plus a baby. We could've stayed at my grandmother's, but although her apartment was nice, the area was a bit creepy. Most neighborhoods in Rio not near the beach are kind of creepy in my opinion. Besides, PK needed a bunch of shots, a Brazilian passport, and a Canadian passport. All that is obtainable, of course. It just takes time. In hindsight, if she were alive at the time, I should've made an effort to go.
When PK was born, she sent me a great big care package. It was delivered to my parents' place since I knew that my mom would at least be home to receive the package. It arrived the day we were up at my in-laws, who live pretty close to my parents. I never swung by my parents' place to pick up the package and instead waited until we were there for lunch the following weekend. My grandmother was crushed that I didn't want to pick up the package right away. I now know why. The package was filled with clothes for PK, all chosen so carefully and with so much love. Although I thanked her for it, I never told her just how much I appreciated the gesture. I wish she knew that it meant the world to me.
I last spoke to my grandmother yesterday, and she was incredibly frazzled because she was trying to get a hold of my mom and wasn't able to. She said that she wasn't feeling well. I tried to calm her down because I knew she had a heart problem. I talked to her for a bit and made a mental note to call her later when she was feeling calmer. I never called back. I forgot. I feel horrible. I wish that our last conversation hadn't been with her in such a frazzled state. I wish that she was happy when she got off the phone with me. I wish that I could've seen her one more time before she died. But I guess those things won't happen anymore. I'm at least grateful that I was able to speak to her one last time. I wish I had told her that I loved her. I hope she knew that. I really do.
Now, as I sit here and take everything in, I'm really reminded of the importance of family. I think of my relationship with my mom. We haven't seen eye-to-eye for the past 10 years or so. There's been some friction between us since PK's birth because I wanted to do things my way with PK and didn't want her to interfere with PK's upbringing. I now realize how much I hurt her feelings by doing that. The more she nagged me about PK, the more I pulled away. It wasn't fair to her. She just wanted to love PK the way that my grandmother loved me.
When I found out about my grandmother, I texted the hubby since he was on the subway on his way downtown. He called me as soon as he got my message. As I sobbed on the phone, I told him to make sure that he gives proper attention to his own grandmother. She's 93. She's still alive. She lives in the same city. When everything else falls apart in the world, family is everything. Never take family for granted.
Being from Brazil, my family is catholic. My grandmother's greatest wish for PK was to have her baptized. I've been an atheist since I was 14 and the hubby is a non-denominational christian. I've never had any plans to have PK baptized, and the hubby expressed no interest in it on his end of things either. Now, with my grandmother gone, I am reconsidering it. I want to honor my grandmother in some way. It doesn't have to be a catholic baptism. I'm pretty sure that protestant christians have baptisms too (pardon my ignorance), so that could hopefully be a middle ground. I hope that the hubby understands.
I took my grandmother for granted at times, and I wish that I hadn't. I'm at least comforted by the fact that I was able to talk to her one last time, even if it was under slightly stressful circumstances for her.
Eu te adoro, Vovó Vera. Você sempre foi boa para mim. Você sempre foi ótima avó e sempre foi muito querida. Beijos saudosos e carinhoso para sempre. May you rest in peace.
1933-2008
October 18, 2008
Sleepy Baby
It has been interesting to observe PK's sleep patterns over the past two months. In her first month of life, PK used to sleep quite a lot during the day, waking up only to eat and for diaper changes. The wake-ups during diaper changes were against her will. She used to always cry during diaper changes. I think it had to do with feeling cold during the diaper changes. Being stripped down during a diaper change and having a cold diaper wipe against her butt was probably not her cup 'o tea. Somewhere along the way, however, diaper changes stopped bugging her and now she's actually both happy and grateful when I change her diaper. Yay! But I digress...
So back to the sleep thing. She'd sleep during the day in 3-hour spurts, and she'd sleep during the night in 1-2 hour spurts. Day and night were reversed in PK Land. I really should've napped during the day while she napped, but I'm not much of a napper. Besides, I wanted to take the opportunity to catch up on housework and other tasks while she slept. You can imagine how tired I was in those early days.
Somewhere along the line, PK started becoming more alert during the day and decided that nighttime was for sleeping. By that point, I'd learned to appreciate nap-time, but unfortunately, it was too late - PK no longer slept for 3-hour stretches during the day. Nowadays I'm lucky if I get 45 minutes out of her. The good news is that she sleeps longer at night. I'd like to think that this is partially a result of the introduction of her nighttime routine quite early on. It took us a while to get it down and make it consistent, but I think we've finally got a good routine going.
We begin PK's nighttime routine with her bath. We used to bathe her every 2 days, but I started feeling that bath nights became a chore since we had the day off from baths. It also didn't help that PK HATED baths. Switching to daily baths helped PK get into a her nighttime routine and made bath time less of a chore for us. It also made us feel less guilty about missing a bath for one reason or other. If we missed a bath on bath day, then PK could end up going 2 days without a bath instead of 1 day.
After her bath, we feed PK. Even if I've got boobs full of milky goodness at the time, we tend to formula feed her before bed more often than not. Besides, I like to have my boobs nice and full at night so that I can pump right before bed. So why the formula feed before bed, you ask? Well, formula knocks her out for longer than breast milk does, which means that mom and dad get to sleep too! Granted, the first time that PK slept more than 3 hours, both the hubby and I got less sleep because we were worried about why she wouldn't wake up to feed. Can't win, eh?
Since PK has a formula feed before bed, the hubby can feed her while I read her a bedtime story. I love reading to PK at night, especially Dr. Seuss stories. We bought her a big book with a collection of 12 or so Dr. Seuss stories (did I mention this in a previous post already?) from which I read almost every night. We also read her Goodnight Moon and The Bear Snores On just to shake things up a bit.
Storytime usually leaves her a bit drowsy, so after I'm done reading, we put her in her Grobag and put her in her crib. She's not necessarily asleep when we put her in her crib, but she seems to actually fall asleep on her own these days, as long as her pacifier is in her mouth.
These days, PK seems to go to bed between 7:30 and 9pm, and usually winds up sleeping for 8-hour stretches. The 8 hours of consecutive sleep is new and has only started happening over the past week. We'd managed to get 5 hours of consecutive sleep out of her in the past, which in itself was a godsend to us. Waking up after 5 hours of sleep felt refreshing compared to waking up after 3 hours of sleep. I don't know these 8-hour sleeps will last, but I hope they do. Some of my mommy friends tell me that their little ones went through a phase of sleeping for 8 hours at night, but that was short-lived, lasting about one week. Let's just hope that PK's newest trend sticks of a little longer than that, because my week is almost up!
So back to the sleep thing. She'd sleep during the day in 3-hour spurts, and she'd sleep during the night in 1-2 hour spurts. Day and night were reversed in PK Land. I really should've napped during the day while she napped, but I'm not much of a napper. Besides, I wanted to take the opportunity to catch up on housework and other tasks while she slept. You can imagine how tired I was in those early days.
Somewhere along the line, PK started becoming more alert during the day and decided that nighttime was for sleeping. By that point, I'd learned to appreciate nap-time, but unfortunately, it was too late - PK no longer slept for 3-hour stretches during the day. Nowadays I'm lucky if I get 45 minutes out of her. The good news is that she sleeps longer at night. I'd like to think that this is partially a result of the introduction of her nighttime routine quite early on. It took us a while to get it down and make it consistent, but I think we've finally got a good routine going.
We begin PK's nighttime routine with her bath. We used to bathe her every 2 days, but I started feeling that bath nights became a chore since we had the day off from baths. It also didn't help that PK HATED baths. Switching to daily baths helped PK get into a her nighttime routine and made bath time less of a chore for us. It also made us feel less guilty about missing a bath for one reason or other. If we missed a bath on bath day, then PK could end up going 2 days without a bath instead of 1 day.
After her bath, we feed PK. Even if I've got boobs full of milky goodness at the time, we tend to formula feed her before bed more often than not. Besides, I like to have my boobs nice and full at night so that I can pump right before bed. So why the formula feed before bed, you ask? Well, formula knocks her out for longer than breast milk does, which means that mom and dad get to sleep too! Granted, the first time that PK slept more than 3 hours, both the hubby and I got less sleep because we were worried about why she wouldn't wake up to feed. Can't win, eh?
Since PK has a formula feed before bed, the hubby can feed her while I read her a bedtime story. I love reading to PK at night, especially Dr. Seuss stories. We bought her a big book with a collection of 12 or so Dr. Seuss stories (did I mention this in a previous post already?) from which I read almost every night. We also read her Goodnight Moon and The Bear Snores On just to shake things up a bit.
Storytime usually leaves her a bit drowsy, so after I'm done reading, we put her in her Grobag and put her in her crib. She's not necessarily asleep when we put her in her crib, but she seems to actually fall asleep on her own these days, as long as her pacifier is in her mouth.
These days, PK seems to go to bed between 7:30 and 9pm, and usually winds up sleeping for 8-hour stretches. The 8 hours of consecutive sleep is new and has only started happening over the past week. We'd managed to get 5 hours of consecutive sleep out of her in the past, which in itself was a godsend to us. Waking up after 5 hours of sleep felt refreshing compared to waking up after 3 hours of sleep. I don't know these 8-hour sleeps will last, but I hope they do. Some of my mommy friends tell me that their little ones went through a phase of sleeping for 8 hours at night, but that was short-lived, lasting about one week. Let's just hope that PK's newest trend sticks of a little longer than that, because my week is almost up!
October 17, 2008
For Everything Else...
One soiled change pad: $5
One soiled onesie: $15
One pooped up gDiaper cover: $15
One pooped up gDiaper liner: $2
One soiled onesie: $15
One pooped up gDiaper cover: $15
One pooped up gDiaper liner: $2
The big smile on your baby's face after getting out a big poop that she's been working on all day: PRICELESS
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October 16, 2008
And What About Daddy?
Apart from story time at the library, PK's first Thanksgiving unfortunately turned out to be a complete and utter disaster of epic proportions. I won't go into details except to say that one of the things that came out of it is that the hubby admitted to me that he had been feeling the strain of trying to balance work with being a good husband and father. I would've never known except for the fact that the weekend's drama finally flung this out into the open.
So it got me thinking. Our husbands/partners are constantly told in various parenting classes that they're supposed to support the mom and baby. No complaints there. The hubby's support over the past 10 weeks has been phenomenal, and I don't know what I would do without him. I can't even imagine a time when dads were a lot more hands-off than they are now. At the same time, while they're supporting us, who's supporting them? Sure, as moms during mat-leave (or even stay-at-home moms), we find ourselves spending our days running around caring for a child. Sounds simple enough, but it's a LOT of work. Dads, on the other hand, are expected to care for mom and baby, AND work to support mom and baby. (Please note that I am generalizing here in order to simplify things.) That too is a LOT of work.
As a new mom, I have a great support network of new moms that I met through my pre-natal fitness classes. We meet up once a week to shoot the breeze, talk baby stuff, and just decompress. It lets me have a life and quite frankly is probably what keeps me away from post-partum depression. I'd probably go bonkers if I had to spend my days at home alone taking care of PK. Having family around to help out is also good. Knowing that my mom and my mother-in-law are a phone call away makes my days that much easier to deal with.
But what about daddy?
Dad is expected to do a lot of stuff too (different stuff), but it's almost as if he's expected to do all these things and not complain, which of course is completely unfair. On my end, now that I know that the hubby feels overwhelmed, I can at least begin to help him. I've put him in touch with some dads that I know, so that he to can have his outlet to vent his frustrations and/or share his experiences about being a dad.
I'm not at all offended by the fact that he wants to talk to someone else about these sorts of things. After all, it's great to get some tips and different perspectives from other dads. That's something that I could never help him with because I'm a mom, not a dad. It's an entirely different experience. I'm just glad that now he'll finally have his outlet.
So it got me thinking. Our husbands/partners are constantly told in various parenting classes that they're supposed to support the mom and baby. No complaints there. The hubby's support over the past 10 weeks has been phenomenal, and I don't know what I would do without him. I can't even imagine a time when dads were a lot more hands-off than they are now. At the same time, while they're supporting us, who's supporting them? Sure, as moms during mat-leave (or even stay-at-home moms), we find ourselves spending our days running around caring for a child. Sounds simple enough, but it's a LOT of work. Dads, on the other hand, are expected to care for mom and baby, AND work to support mom and baby. (Please note that I am generalizing here in order to simplify things.) That too is a LOT of work.
As a new mom, I have a great support network of new moms that I met through my pre-natal fitness classes. We meet up once a week to shoot the breeze, talk baby stuff, and just decompress. It lets me have a life and quite frankly is probably what keeps me away from post-partum depression. I'd probably go bonkers if I had to spend my days at home alone taking care of PK. Having family around to help out is also good. Knowing that my mom and my mother-in-law are a phone call away makes my days that much easier to deal with.
But what about daddy?
Dad is expected to do a lot of stuff too (different stuff), but it's almost as if he's expected to do all these things and not complain, which of course is completely unfair. On my end, now that I know that the hubby feels overwhelmed, I can at least begin to help him. I've put him in touch with some dads that I know, so that he to can have his outlet to vent his frustrations and/or share his experiences about being a dad.
I'm not at all offended by the fact that he wants to talk to someone else about these sorts of things. After all, it's great to get some tips and different perspectives from other dads. That's something that I could never help him with because I'm a mom, not a dad. It's an entirely different experience. I'm just glad that now he'll finally have his outlet.
The gDiaper
Now that PK is a bit bigger, we've decided that it was time for us to try out the gDiaper on her. In a nutshell, the gDiaper, is a cross between a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper. It has a cloth outer shell with a plastic inner liner which houses a flushable insert (the "diaper"). Technically, you could even use a cloth diaper in there. The nice thing about the gDiaper is that the flushable insert is planet-friendly - i.e. biodegradable and free of the nasty chemicals that you'd find in most disposable diapers.
I have to admit that the gDiaper is a bit more complicated to deal with than regular disposables, especially if you opt to flush the diaper insert. The entire insert isn't flushable. Rather, you need to tear it open and pull out the inside, toss it in the toilet, and use a little swish stick which comes with the gDiaper starter kit to break apart the diaper bits. The flushable part kind of looks like cotton balls, with the difference being that you can't flush a cotton ball down the toilet. After a few days of flushing the insert down the toilet, we've decided to just throw the damn think out. Since it's biodegradable, it won't matter if we flush it down the toilet or dump it in the trash. It will break down anyway. Besides, the toilet in PK's room is a bit finicky and I'm pretty sure that we'd end up clogging it up sooner or later, and I refuse to clean and/or unclog toilets. I delegate (force) that task upon the hubby.
Overall, I'd say that I'm pretty happy with the gDiaper. It definitely generates less waste than a regular disposable, and it's nice to know that since it's chemical-free, it's good for both PK and the environment. Now that we've had a bit of a taste of what cloth diapers are like, we might just take this one step further and go with ComfyCotton, a cloth diaper service available in the GTA. Many of the girls in my mommy use the ComfyCotton diaper service and use the gDiaper shell and liner, and insert the cloth diaper inside the liner in lieu of the disposable insert. Brilliant!
I have to admit that the gDiaper is a bit more complicated to deal with than regular disposables, especially if you opt to flush the diaper insert. The entire insert isn't flushable. Rather, you need to tear it open and pull out the inside, toss it in the toilet, and use a little swish stick which comes with the gDiaper starter kit to break apart the diaper bits. The flushable part kind of looks like cotton balls, with the difference being that you can't flush a cotton ball down the toilet. After a few days of flushing the insert down the toilet, we've decided to just throw the damn think out. Since it's biodegradable, it won't matter if we flush it down the toilet or dump it in the trash. It will break down anyway. Besides, the toilet in PK's room is a bit finicky and I'm pretty sure that we'd end up clogging it up sooner or later, and I refuse to clean and/or unclog toilets. I delegate (force) that task upon the hubby.
Overall, I'd say that I'm pretty happy with the gDiaper. It definitely generates less waste than a regular disposable, and it's nice to know that since it's chemical-free, it's good for both PK and the environment. Now that we've had a bit of a taste of what cloth diapers are like, we might just take this one step further and go with ComfyCotton, a cloth diaper service available in the GTA. Many of the girls in my mommy use the ComfyCotton diaper service and use the gDiaper shell and liner, and insert the cloth diaper inside the liner in lieu of the disposable insert. Brilliant!
October 15, 2008
Ten Weeks Old
PK turned 10 weeks old on Wednesday. I can't believe how much she has developed in the last week. Do I say this every week? If I do, it's because I am just in awe!
The biggest changes I've noticed are the following:
1. Smiling
I've probably said this before, but I'll say it again. PK is smiling A LOT. Sure, she still gets those gassy smiles too, but I'm talking about genuine smiles here! These smiles are usually accompanied by a gurgly giggle. It just makes my heart melt! This week she has added some new gurgly sounds to her repertoire.
2. Swatting
PK has been swatting me quite a bit when I breast-feed, but she has put her swatting to good use now on her bouncy chair, which has a couple of rattle toys hanging off of it that she likes to swat. She had started swatting them inadvertently maybe a week or two ago, but this week I think she has discovered that she has the power to swat these toys. It's great because she's definitely entertained while she does it. Of course, she gets annoyed after a while and starts to cry.
3. Neck Control
Her neck is getting stronger, thanks in part to tummy time, and also thanks to our lovely burping sessions. She usually doesn't like being burped (which means that she needs to be burped), so she tends to straighten her entire body - including her neck - in protest when I sling her over my shoulder.
4. Bath Time
At last PK doesn't hate bath time anymore! PK started digging bath time a little more after we moved away from the sponge bath. At that point, she'd sit in the tub filled with water and not cry, but she'd make faces at us which I interpret as the "Just because I'm not wailing doesn't mean that I'm not mad at you for putting me in this tub" face. Nowadays, she genuinely enjoys her bath. She's even started splashing the water with her feet. The only thing that she didn't like about bath time was having her hair washed, but I think that we may have finally gotten past this hurdle by modifying how we wash her hair. Before we used to swaddle her (with arms free since she hated having her arms inside the swaddle) and the hubby would hold her over the bathtub while I would wash her hair.
5. Burping
Burping PK is still an ordeal (see point #3 above), but these days, I find that when she does burp, they're these great big belches! On Saturday, PK was wailing while I was trying to burp her, and then in the middle of the wail, she lets out this great big belch and continues wailing, without missing a beat.
The biggest changes I've noticed are the following:
1. Smiling
I've probably said this before, but I'll say it again. PK is smiling A LOT. Sure, she still gets those gassy smiles too, but I'm talking about genuine smiles here! These smiles are usually accompanied by a gurgly giggle. It just makes my heart melt! This week she has added some new gurgly sounds to her repertoire.
2. Swatting
PK has been swatting me quite a bit when I breast-feed, but she has put her swatting to good use now on her bouncy chair, which has a couple of rattle toys hanging off of it that she likes to swat. She had started swatting them inadvertently maybe a week or two ago, but this week I think she has discovered that she has the power to swat these toys. It's great because she's definitely entertained while she does it. Of course, she gets annoyed after a while and starts to cry.
3. Neck Control
Her neck is getting stronger, thanks in part to tummy time, and also thanks to our lovely burping sessions. She usually doesn't like being burped (which means that she needs to be burped), so she tends to straighten her entire body - including her neck - in protest when I sling her over my shoulder.
4. Bath Time
At last PK doesn't hate bath time anymore! PK started digging bath time a little more after we moved away from the sponge bath. At that point, she'd sit in the tub filled with water and not cry, but she'd make faces at us which I interpret as the "Just because I'm not wailing doesn't mean that I'm not mad at you for putting me in this tub" face. Nowadays, she genuinely enjoys her bath. She's even started splashing the water with her feet. The only thing that she didn't like about bath time was having her hair washed, but I think that we may have finally gotten past this hurdle by modifying how we wash her hair. Before we used to swaddle her (with arms free since she hated having her arms inside the swaddle) and the hubby would hold her over the bathtub while I would wash her hair.
5. Burping
Burping PK is still an ordeal (see point #3 above), but these days, I find that when she does burp, they're these great big belches! On Saturday, PK was wailing while I was trying to burp her, and then in the middle of the wail, she lets out this great big belch and continues wailing, without missing a beat.
October 11, 2008
Storytime at the Library
Today was PK's first storytime session at our local public library. The hubby took the day off so we'd have an extra-long Thanksgiving long weekend together, so he was able to tag along. I'm so pleased that he was able to come for PK's first storytime. These milestones are so precious.
I found out about the program through a friend. We signed up together, so it was cool to already know someone there. I want to make reading a huge part of PK's life, and this type of program is perfect. I make it a point to read to her every day, no matter what. My favorite stories to read to her are anything by Dr. Seuss. I've also got some other kiddie classics, like the complete works of Beatrix Potter and of course, what child's book collection would be complete without some sort of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes book. A word about Beatrix Potter - WTF? I thought these were supposed to be cute kiddie stories. Instead, the story of Peter Rabbit has his father being made into pie. Another story (can't remember what it's called) has a squirrel almost skinned alive by an owl. He manages to escape but goes crazy in the end. WTF??? Not sure I want to read those types of stories to PK. Then again, I may be a bit of a hypocrite because I swiped a really old book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tails from the in-laws' house a couple of weeks ago, and I read those stories to PK often. For those unfamiliar with Hans Christian Andersen's works, he's the guy who brought you The Little Mermaid. But buyer beware: this is NOT the Disney version. In fact, the original Andersen fairy tale ends quite tragically. So yeah, I'm kind of a hypocrite.
But I digress...
Back to storytime. The lady who runs the program seems quite nice. She's a middle-aged woman who really seems to be into it. The program is intended for kids aged 0-12 months, so we've got kids ranging from very mobile to not very mobile at all. PK, being 2 months old, can only squirm around, but some of these other kids were running around all over the place. A preview of things to come! I think she was the youngest kid in the crowd there. From what I could tell, the average age was maybe 9 or 10 months. Most of the kids there were accompanied by their mothers, some by their nannies, and I noticed one other couple there besides us. Funny side note: the woman looked like Jack Nicholson's wife in the movie "The Shining". :P
The program itself consists of singing and story-telling. Most of the emphasis, however, is on the singing component. Thea, the lady running storytime, leads the singing, but parents are highly encouraged to sing to their kiddies. The hubby and I tried to sing along, but we didn't know most of the songs. I'm hoping that we'll pick these up in no time.
PK was pretty well-behaved through the whole thing, though she did decide to feed partway through. I was both tapped out and not too keen on breast-feeding in public, even with one of those breast-feeding cloaks, so I bottle-fed. The funny thing is that she was the only baby there needing to be fed. After we fed her she calmed right down, much to our relief.
The whole thing only lasted about 30 minutes. The other 30 minutes are dedicated to playtime, but there's no real organized activity around that. Personally, I would've preferred more time dedicated to the singing and story-telling, and less time dedicated to playtime. Oh well. Maybe they have a comment card that I can fill out.
After storytime was over, we decided to check out some books from the library. I grabbed a few books for really young children, a couple of CDs (including a Sesame Street CD which featured the classic "Rubber Duckie" song), and two French books. I was told that the library had a small collection of French books, so I didn't get my hopes up. The pickings are definitely slim (Indigo had a better selection), but something is better than nothing. Speaking of which, I did come away with a single solitary Dr. Seuss book. I wish I could remember what it's called. At any rate, I was a bit disappointed by their collection of Dr. Seuss books. I expected to see more of them. Of course, for all I know, there might be an entire Dr. Seuss book shrine in the library. Tee hee!
Overall, it was a great start to our morning and to our weekend. I'm so pleased that the hubby was able to come to this first session. It's definitely something that I hope we can do as a family again soon.
I found out about the program through a friend. We signed up together, so it was cool to already know someone there. I want to make reading a huge part of PK's life, and this type of program is perfect. I make it a point to read to her every day, no matter what. My favorite stories to read to her are anything by Dr. Seuss. I've also got some other kiddie classics, like the complete works of Beatrix Potter and of course, what child's book collection would be complete without some sort of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes book. A word about Beatrix Potter - WTF? I thought these were supposed to be cute kiddie stories. Instead, the story of Peter Rabbit has his father being made into pie. Another story (can't remember what it's called) has a squirrel almost skinned alive by an owl. He manages to escape but goes crazy in the end. WTF??? Not sure I want to read those types of stories to PK. Then again, I may be a bit of a hypocrite because I swiped a really old book of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tails from the in-laws' house a couple of weeks ago, and I read those stories to PK often. For those unfamiliar with Hans Christian Andersen's works, he's the guy who brought you The Little Mermaid. But buyer beware: this is NOT the Disney version. In fact, the original Andersen fairy tale ends quite tragically. So yeah, I'm kind of a hypocrite.
But I digress...
Back to storytime. The lady who runs the program seems quite nice. She's a middle-aged woman who really seems to be into it. The program is intended for kids aged 0-12 months, so we've got kids ranging from very mobile to not very mobile at all. PK, being 2 months old, can only squirm around, but some of these other kids were running around all over the place. A preview of things to come! I think she was the youngest kid in the crowd there. From what I could tell, the average age was maybe 9 or 10 months. Most of the kids there were accompanied by their mothers, some by their nannies, and I noticed one other couple there besides us. Funny side note: the woman looked like Jack Nicholson's wife in the movie "The Shining". :P
The program itself consists of singing and story-telling. Most of the emphasis, however, is on the singing component. Thea, the lady running storytime, leads the singing, but parents are highly encouraged to sing to their kiddies. The hubby and I tried to sing along, but we didn't know most of the songs. I'm hoping that we'll pick these up in no time.
PK was pretty well-behaved through the whole thing, though she did decide to feed partway through. I was both tapped out and not too keen on breast-feeding in public, even with one of those breast-feeding cloaks, so I bottle-fed. The funny thing is that she was the only baby there needing to be fed. After we fed her she calmed right down, much to our relief.
The whole thing only lasted about 30 minutes. The other 30 minutes are dedicated to playtime, but there's no real organized activity around that. Personally, I would've preferred more time dedicated to the singing and story-telling, and less time dedicated to playtime. Oh well. Maybe they have a comment card that I can fill out.
After storytime was over, we decided to check out some books from the library. I grabbed a few books for really young children, a couple of CDs (including a Sesame Street CD which featured the classic "Rubber Duckie" song), and two French books. I was told that the library had a small collection of French books, so I didn't get my hopes up. The pickings are definitely slim (Indigo had a better selection), but something is better than nothing. Speaking of which, I did come away with a single solitary Dr. Seuss book. I wish I could remember what it's called. At any rate, I was a bit disappointed by their collection of Dr. Seuss books. I expected to see more of them. Of course, for all I know, there might be an entire Dr. Seuss book shrine in the library. Tee hee!
Overall, it was a great start to our morning and to our weekend. I'm so pleased that the hubby was able to come to this first session. It's definitely something that I hope we can do as a family again soon.
October 10, 2008
Office Visit Part 2
On Thursday PK and I met up with my co-workers for lunch. Given how cranky PK has been lately (a direct result of having her shots on Monday), I'm really surprised that we actually arrived on time. I'm especially surprised since the place where we had lunch (a restaurant in the building where I work) was a little difficult to access because of the stroller. First off, I had to get off one subway stop earlier than I normally would since my normal stop isn't stroller-friendly (no elevators). Also, the restaurant was located at the back of the building, and for some retarded reason, you need to go down a set of stairs to get in the back entrance of the building. The front of the building is a little more accessible and does not require going down any stairs. Since the building is rather large, this little detour ended up being an extra block.
In spite of these little hardships, we actually arrived before everyone else. Once my co-workers arrived, I became invisible and PK became the center of attention. I don't mind, since she is pretty damn cute, if I do say so myself. My only beef is that everyone kept touching her hands. I HATE it when people touch PK's hands because you never know what germs people are carrying, and PK always puts her hands in her mouth. Of course, you might be wondering why I don't just tell people politely to not touch her hands. I suppose I could do that, but the truth of the matter is that I'm a pussy. I can't do it. I don't want to offend anybody, so I just say nothing. I wish I had the guts to say something, because I really hate it. I hate it more than when people used to rub my belly when I was pregnant - and I really really really HATED the belly-rubbing.
PK was pretty fussy through lunch, so I had to take her out of her stroller, and wound up holding her in my lap the entire time. You can imagine how much this hurt my back, given that little missy weighs in at just under 10lbs. In hindsight, I should've put her in my sling. It would've still hurt my back, but at least I would be a bit more hands-free. Since I was holding PK the entire time at lunch, I wound up having to hold her while eating. This is why I chose I dish that could be easily eaten one-handed: pasta! Unfortunately, I'm left-handed and was already occupying my left hand with PK, I had to eat right-handed. All things considered, I didn't do too badly.
Lunch lasted about 2 hours. It was great catching up with my co-workers. I even met the guy who replaced me. He was an outside hire, which means that when I return from leave, there will be two senior devs in the team. I am told that there's room for both of us. I really hope so. At any rate, it was nice of him to show up to lunch; after all, he doesn't even know me. I'm told that he's doing a pretty good job in my absence, which is nice to hear. It is also nice to hear that I am sorely missed, especially when it comes from the mouths of the big cheeses themselves. Ah, what a lovely ego boost!
After lunch, I had arranged to meet the hubby at his office, since he was working downtown that day. The meet-up was a bit spur-of-the-moment. I only thought of it en route to lunch and frankly, I thought that the hubby might tell me to buzz off, and that he needed to get work done. I would've been okay with that. After all, it was very spur-of-the-moment. At any rate, he was more than happy to have me drop by with PK. Honestly, I think it made his day. When PK and I got to his office, he pulled her out of the stroller and carried her around the office. It was very very cute. PK was more well-behaved around the hubby's co-workers than she was around my co-workers, though she started to get fussy towards the end. I hadn't changed her diaper since 11am, so I imagine that she was none too pleased about it. She also hadn't really fed very well since 10:30am. I did offer her a bottle when we were at the restaurant, but she took maybe one-third of it. Too bad since it was one of those pre-mixed, just-add-a-nipple bottles, which tend to be more expensive than the super-concentrated and powder formulas.
The subway ride home was uneventful, thank goodness. I think that the subway itself managed to keep her calm until we reached our destination. We we got home, however, all hell broke loose.
I put PK in her bouncy chair when I got home since I still had to carry the stroller up the stairs to our front entrance. I tried to tidy up a bit once I got everything inside the house. Unfortunately, PK had an agenda of her own. I was about to get her off her bouncy chair when all of a sudden, I hear what the hubby and I dubbed the "cosmic fart". The cosmic fart is basically a big wet pooh. I didn't want to wait for PK to get all finicky because of the poop, so I opted to change her ASAP.
Changing her proved to be an adventure. First off, the poop was really stinky. Secondly, little missy was a bit fidgety and kept flailing her legs and feet the entire time I was changing her. Needless to say, she got poop all over her feet. After I finally managed to clean her off, she decided that it was time to pee on the change table. Oh, how lucky for me.
I don't know how, but I did somehow manage to clean up that mess - three diapers and several (10-ish) baby wipes later. Also, in spite of the fact that it was a giant, disgusting, runny, smelly poop, I was thrilled that she pooped. These days, since we supplement with formula, the poops tend to be a bit more infrequent (and smellier).
All in all, it was a good day, in spite of the poopy surprise. I'm hoping to be able to take PK to the office again in a couple of months. Hopefully she'll be less finicky next time.
In spite of these little hardships, we actually arrived before everyone else. Once my co-workers arrived, I became invisible and PK became the center of attention. I don't mind, since she is pretty damn cute, if I do say so myself. My only beef is that everyone kept touching her hands. I HATE it when people touch PK's hands because you never know what germs people are carrying, and PK always puts her hands in her mouth. Of course, you might be wondering why I don't just tell people politely to not touch her hands. I suppose I could do that, but the truth of the matter is that I'm a pussy. I can't do it. I don't want to offend anybody, so I just say nothing. I wish I had the guts to say something, because I really hate it. I hate it more than when people used to rub my belly when I was pregnant - and I really really really HATED the belly-rubbing.
PK was pretty fussy through lunch, so I had to take her out of her stroller, and wound up holding her in my lap the entire time. You can imagine how much this hurt my back, given that little missy weighs in at just under 10lbs. In hindsight, I should've put her in my sling. It would've still hurt my back, but at least I would be a bit more hands-free. Since I was holding PK the entire time at lunch, I wound up having to hold her while eating. This is why I chose I dish that could be easily eaten one-handed: pasta! Unfortunately, I'm left-handed and was already occupying my left hand with PK, I had to eat right-handed. All things considered, I didn't do too badly.
Lunch lasted about 2 hours. It was great catching up with my co-workers. I even met the guy who replaced me. He was an outside hire, which means that when I return from leave, there will be two senior devs in the team. I am told that there's room for both of us. I really hope so. At any rate, it was nice of him to show up to lunch; after all, he doesn't even know me. I'm told that he's doing a pretty good job in my absence, which is nice to hear. It is also nice to hear that I am sorely missed, especially when it comes from the mouths of the big cheeses themselves. Ah, what a lovely ego boost!
After lunch, I had arranged to meet the hubby at his office, since he was working downtown that day. The meet-up was a bit spur-of-the-moment. I only thought of it en route to lunch and frankly, I thought that the hubby might tell me to buzz off, and that he needed to get work done. I would've been okay with that. After all, it was very spur-of-the-moment. At any rate, he was more than happy to have me drop by with PK. Honestly, I think it made his day. When PK and I got to his office, he pulled her out of the stroller and carried her around the office. It was very very cute. PK was more well-behaved around the hubby's co-workers than she was around my co-workers, though she started to get fussy towards the end. I hadn't changed her diaper since 11am, so I imagine that she was none too pleased about it. She also hadn't really fed very well since 10:30am. I did offer her a bottle when we were at the restaurant, but she took maybe one-third of it. Too bad since it was one of those pre-mixed, just-add-a-nipple bottles, which tend to be more expensive than the super-concentrated and powder formulas.
The subway ride home was uneventful, thank goodness. I think that the subway itself managed to keep her calm until we reached our destination. We we got home, however, all hell broke loose.
I put PK in her bouncy chair when I got home since I still had to carry the stroller up the stairs to our front entrance. I tried to tidy up a bit once I got everything inside the house. Unfortunately, PK had an agenda of her own. I was about to get her off her bouncy chair when all of a sudden, I hear what the hubby and I dubbed the "cosmic fart". The cosmic fart is basically a big wet pooh. I didn't want to wait for PK to get all finicky because of the poop, so I opted to change her ASAP.
Changing her proved to be an adventure. First off, the poop was really stinky. Secondly, little missy was a bit fidgety and kept flailing her legs and feet the entire time I was changing her. Needless to say, she got poop all over her feet. After I finally managed to clean her off, she decided that it was time to pee on the change table. Oh, how lucky for me.
I don't know how, but I did somehow manage to clean up that mess - three diapers and several (10-ish) baby wipes later. Also, in spite of the fact that it was a giant, disgusting, runny, smelly poop, I was thrilled that she pooped. These days, since we supplement with formula, the poops tend to be a bit more infrequent (and smellier).
All in all, it was a good day, in spite of the poopy surprise. I'm hoping to be able to take PK to the office again in a couple of months. Hopefully she'll be less finicky next time.
October 9, 2008
Nine Weeks Old
PK turned 9 weeks on Wednesday, and I just can't believe a) how much she has grown and b) how much more interactive she is. I can't remember if I'd mentioned this before, but she has started making these gurgling sound over the past week. It's funny to watch because her lips don't move while she makes these sounds - it's almost as if she were a ventriloquist. It totally cracks me up! The gurgling is usually accompanied by a great big smile and some major arm and leg flailing. Actually, it's more of a kicking motion with her legs - as if she were crawling on her back. Her left leg in particular kicks quite a bit. The hubby and I refer to this kicking motion as "ho-down legs". I get such a kick out of the whole thing (no pun intended, seriously!) - it makes me smile just thinking about it.
Yesterday we were playing this game where I'd prop her on a pillow on our leather couch, her legs against mine. She'd use her legs to push off against my body, thereby moving her away from me. She always got such a kick every time she moved away from me - she had this "look what I can do" look of mischief on her face. It was great. Every time she'd push away, I would subsequently bring her in closer. I could've gone on for hours. Unfortunately she had a big giant poop, so we had to stop playing.
Though she doesn't have a whole lot of control over her hands, she's definitely starting to grasp on to things. I notice it especially when I feed, be it breast-feeding or bottle feeding. She'll tend to grab on to my shirt while she feeds, happy as can be. It's really cute.
Oh, heck, everything she does is really cute! I can't wait to see what new things she'll get to experience next week!
Yesterday we were playing this game where I'd prop her on a pillow on our leather couch, her legs against mine. She'd use her legs to push off against my body, thereby moving her away from me. She always got such a kick every time she moved away from me - she had this "look what I can do" look of mischief on her face. It was great. Every time she'd push away, I would subsequently bring her in closer. I could've gone on for hours. Unfortunately she had a big giant poop, so we had to stop playing.
Though she doesn't have a whole lot of control over her hands, she's definitely starting to grasp on to things. I notice it especially when I feed, be it breast-feeding or bottle feeding. She'll tend to grab on to my shirt while she feeds, happy as can be. It's really cute.
Oh, heck, everything she does is really cute! I can't wait to see what new things she'll get to experience next week!
Gaga Over Baby Accessories
I think I have a thing for baby accessories. I definitely have a thing for diaper bags. There are so many different stylish ones out there that they are as addictive as purses. One that caught my attention in particular is the Diaper Dude, a line of diaper bags aimed mostly at guys (though they have ones for the ladies too). These things look sooooo freaking awesome. I totally want this one (and I like my diaper bag).
Speaking of accessories, I am totally decked out in Bugaboo accessories. We currently have the baby cocoon, the foot muff, the cup holder, and the sunshade. I think accessories alone amount to over $200. I know it's pricey, but the accessories are totally worth it - seriously. The baby cocoon keeps PK nice and snug, and can be used with or without the top. Now that the weather is cold, I put on the top and don't need to wrap her in a blanket. The foot muff is a big version of the baby cocoon. The cup holder is great for when I buy bubble tea (I loooooooooove bubble tea) or some other drink (anything but coffee). The sunshade not only blocks out those pesky UV rays, it also doubles as a mosquito net. Very handy-dandy given the fact that I've got wasps living in the bushes near my front steps. Bleh.
My latest baby accessory is a version of the baby nest for the car seat. It basically looks like a car seat sleeping bag. Totally awesome purchase given that the temperature has cooled down in the past few weeks.
Speaking of accessories, I am totally decked out in Bugaboo accessories. We currently have the baby cocoon, the foot muff, the cup holder, and the sunshade. I think accessories alone amount to over $200. I know it's pricey, but the accessories are totally worth it - seriously. The baby cocoon keeps PK nice and snug, and can be used with or without the top. Now that the weather is cold, I put on the top and don't need to wrap her in a blanket. The foot muff is a big version of the baby cocoon. The cup holder is great for when I buy bubble tea (I loooooooooove bubble tea) or some other drink (anything but coffee). The sunshade not only blocks out those pesky UV rays, it also doubles as a mosquito net. Very handy-dandy given the fact that I've got wasps living in the bushes near my front steps. Bleh.
My latest baby accessory is a version of the baby nest for the car seat. It basically looks like a car seat sleeping bag. Totally awesome purchase given that the temperature has cooled down in the past few weeks.
Packaging WTF
What exactly is the deal with packaging for children's products? For example, my in-laws bought PK a bath towel that was all nicely folded up, and when I went to wash it for the first time, you can imagine my surprise when I was greeted by TONS of those annoying plastic thingies like the ones used to attach price tags to clothes. (What the heck are those things called???) I absolutely hate those things to begin with, because when you rip off the tag, you're always left hunting around for the other end of the plastic thingie. Now, a little piece like is not something you'd want your kid swallowing. It's a choking hazard, for one thing. So why is it that manufacturers think that they're so smart by putting DOZENS of these stupid things just to neatly fold a stupid bath towel??? It makes no sense, and I'm surprised that nobody in the US has bothered suing over this.
The other thing that bugs me is the amount of packaging found in children's toys. My sister-in-law gave PK this caterpillar toy that had tape and twist-ties up the wazzoo. Not only that, it was impossible-to-remove tape and twist-ties up the wazzoo. Again, WTF is up with that? What kind of moron thought that it would be such a brilliant idea to do this? I'm SURE that there are better ways to package such products. The manufacturer might as well plaster a sign all over the product that says, "We want to try to kill your child!"
I really see no need for so many twist-ties and price tag holder thingies or whatever other moronic packaging that manufacturers seem to come up with for children's products. Not to mention the fact that all of this useless packaging ends up in our landfills, taking eons to decompose since most of it is plastic anyway. Whatever happened to less is more? As morbid as it sounds, it will take some poor kid getting hurt (or worse, heaven forbid) to maybe talk some sense into these idiots. Oy...
The other thing that bugs me is the amount of packaging found in children's toys. My sister-in-law gave PK this caterpillar toy that had tape and twist-ties up the wazzoo. Not only that, it was impossible-to-remove tape and twist-ties up the wazzoo. Again, WTF is up with that? What kind of moron thought that it would be such a brilliant idea to do this? I'm SURE that there are better ways to package such products. The manufacturer might as well plaster a sign all over the product that says, "We want to try to kill your child!"
I really see no need for so many twist-ties and price tag holder thingies or whatever other moronic packaging that manufacturers seem to come up with for children's products. Not to mention the fact that all of this useless packaging ends up in our landfills, taking eons to decompose since most of it is plastic anyway. Whatever happened to less is more? As morbid as it sounds, it will take some poor kid getting hurt (or worse, heaven forbid) to maybe talk some sense into these idiots. Oy...
October 6, 2008
Two Months Old
PK turned 2 months old today, and what better way to "celebrate" (if you can call it that) than to take her to the pediatrician to get her first set of shots!
Now, if you ask me what shots she got today, I couldn't tell you exactly. I know that she got her DPT (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis) shot, and some meningitis shot as well, along with some other stuff. This basically amounted to two needles, one on each thigh. Both shots are covered by OHIP. I also elected to give her the vaccine against the Rotavirus, which protects her against certain some common causes of diarrhea. The Rotavirus vaccine is not covered by OHIP, so I had to pay out-of-pocket for it. It is also an optional vaccine. This vaccine would normally be covered by my health insurance, except that I kind of forgot to update my insurance information to include PK as a beneficiary. I ended up having to pay $72 for the vaccine. I really need to get around to updating my health insurance policy at work.
My doctor's appointment was for 1pm today, but the doctor was running late (as usual) and so we weren't seen until around 3pm. If it weren't for the fact that my pediatrician is freaking awesome, I would've definitely been pissed off. Especially since I dragged my mom and my sister along with me today for moral support (the hubby wasn't able to make it).
When the doctor finally came in to see us, she did the usual - checked PK's heart rate, weighed her, and measured her length. As it stands right now, PK weighs in at 4.360kg, or just under 10lb. Her current length is 58cm, which still puts her on the long side. According to the doctor, her weight gain still continues to be good, so no need to worry. Hurray! :) Oddly enough, there were no pees or poops while she was being weighed. She DID need to be breast-fed in the waiting room though, and that was an adventure in itself. First, she was fussy at the breast because she was gassy. Secondly, when I went to burp her, I bonked her head on the wall behind me. I felt like SUCH an idiot for having done that, especially with all the other moms watching. Oy!
At any rate, back to the shots. I was okay all day about PK getting her shots, but as the doctor went to get the vaccines, I found myself on the verge of tears. After all, I knew that she would be in a LOT of pain, and what mother likes to see their child in pain? To prepare for the shots, I told her what was going to happen, I gave her her pacifier, and put on her onesie so she wouldn't be too cold while getting her shots (one vaccine on each thigh).
The first vaccine went okay. She cried a bit, but it didn't bother her too much. When she got her second vaccine, however, all hell broke loose. Her little face went all red, and she just wailed and wailed. Oddly enough, it wasn't her most blood-curdling cry. I held her, and hugged her, and swayed her, telling her that everything would be okay. She didn't calm down until the doctor gave her the Rotavirus vaccine, which is an oral vaccine. Although PK can't have cried for more than 1 minute, it felt like an eternity. I'm just glad that she calmed down enough to be able to ride the subway without fussing too much.
It was a whole other ballgame when she got home. She was already a bit hungry because the breast-feeding I did at the doctor's office didn't give her quite as much milky goodness as she'd wanted. I didn't feed her quite yet because she just sat there in her playpen, making gurgling sounds. I sat with her for a bit and repeated the sounds to her. She even smiled a bit for me! After playing with her for a bit, my sister helped out with bath time, though she was a tad cranky because we put her on her tummy before her bath. It was rather dumb on my part, because she was already hungry, and doing tummy time before her bath only made her crankier, especially when I washed her hair. Fortunately, she calmed down during the bath itself, but started wailing as soon as I took her out of the water.
I managed to get a bottle together to feed her, and she took most of the bottle. Unfortunately, I think she was still experiencing some discomfort from the needles, so the feed took a bit longer than usual. We did eventually manage to calm her down and put her to sleep in her Grobag at around 8pm, and she has been asleep ever since. It is now almost midnight. I hope that she doesn't have a fussy night, because last night was pretty rough and I already feel like a zombie.
All in all, it was a productive PK day. Her next appointment with the pediatrician will be at the 3-month mark for a weigh-in.
Now, if you ask me what shots she got today, I couldn't tell you exactly. I know that she got her DPT (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis) shot, and some meningitis shot as well, along with some other stuff. This basically amounted to two needles, one on each thigh. Both shots are covered by OHIP. I also elected to give her the vaccine against the Rotavirus, which protects her against certain some common causes of diarrhea. The Rotavirus vaccine is not covered by OHIP, so I had to pay out-of-pocket for it. It is also an optional vaccine. This vaccine would normally be covered by my health insurance, except that I kind of forgot to update my insurance information to include PK as a beneficiary. I ended up having to pay $72 for the vaccine. I really need to get around to updating my health insurance policy at work.
My doctor's appointment was for 1pm today, but the doctor was running late (as usual) and so we weren't seen until around 3pm. If it weren't for the fact that my pediatrician is freaking awesome, I would've definitely been pissed off. Especially since I dragged my mom and my sister along with me today for moral support (the hubby wasn't able to make it).
When the doctor finally came in to see us, she did the usual - checked PK's heart rate, weighed her, and measured her length. As it stands right now, PK weighs in at 4.360kg, or just under 10lb. Her current length is 58cm, which still puts her on the long side. According to the doctor, her weight gain still continues to be good, so no need to worry. Hurray! :) Oddly enough, there were no pees or poops while she was being weighed. She DID need to be breast-fed in the waiting room though, and that was an adventure in itself. First, she was fussy at the breast because she was gassy. Secondly, when I went to burp her, I bonked her head on the wall behind me. I felt like SUCH an idiot for having done that, especially with all the other moms watching. Oy!
At any rate, back to the shots. I was okay all day about PK getting her shots, but as the doctor went to get the vaccines, I found myself on the verge of tears. After all, I knew that she would be in a LOT of pain, and what mother likes to see their child in pain? To prepare for the shots, I told her what was going to happen, I gave her her pacifier, and put on her onesie so she wouldn't be too cold while getting her shots (one vaccine on each thigh).
The first vaccine went okay. She cried a bit, but it didn't bother her too much. When she got her second vaccine, however, all hell broke loose. Her little face went all red, and she just wailed and wailed. Oddly enough, it wasn't her most blood-curdling cry. I held her, and hugged her, and swayed her, telling her that everything would be okay. She didn't calm down until the doctor gave her the Rotavirus vaccine, which is an oral vaccine. Although PK can't have cried for more than 1 minute, it felt like an eternity. I'm just glad that she calmed down enough to be able to ride the subway without fussing too much.
It was a whole other ballgame when she got home. She was already a bit hungry because the breast-feeding I did at the doctor's office didn't give her quite as much milky goodness as she'd wanted. I didn't feed her quite yet because she just sat there in her playpen, making gurgling sounds. I sat with her for a bit and repeated the sounds to her. She even smiled a bit for me! After playing with her for a bit, my sister helped out with bath time, though she was a tad cranky because we put her on her tummy before her bath. It was rather dumb on my part, because she was already hungry, and doing tummy time before her bath only made her crankier, especially when I washed her hair. Fortunately, she calmed down during the bath itself, but started wailing as soon as I took her out of the water.
I managed to get a bottle together to feed her, and she took most of the bottle. Unfortunately, I think she was still experiencing some discomfort from the needles, so the feed took a bit longer than usual. We did eventually manage to calm her down and put her to sleep in her Grobag at around 8pm, and she has been asleep ever since. It is now almost midnight. I hope that she doesn't have a fussy night, because last night was pretty rough and I already feel like a zombie.
All in all, it was a productive PK day. Her next appointment with the pediatrician will be at the 3-month mark for a weigh-in.
The Coveted Burp
I hate burping PK. Not because of the spit-ups that sometimes accompany her burps, but rather because it is so freaking difficult to get her to burp!!!
When she was first born, I tried burping her by sitting her on my lap and supporting her neck with one hand while patting her back with the other. Not only did she look like a sad little frog, this position made her squirmy, did not usually produce a burp, and more often than not made her barf out her food because I sometimes got the angle she used to sit on m lap wrong and it put pressure on her teeny diaphragm.
I soon gave up o the sitting down burp and moved to the over-the-shoulder burp. While I burp her I usually move my hand up her back as I pat it. This type of burp was definitely easier than the sitting down burping method and is my method of choice, namely because it produces some good (although sometimes infrequent) burps. Even though this is my method of choice, however, I can't seem to get her to burp as often as I'd like, which of course can be really frustrating because oftentimes she'll refuse to burp but actually should burp because the gas makes her cranky. I worry about putting her down for a nap after a burpless feeding. Who knows if she can end up gagging or something from spit-up as a result of not burping!
Today I tried a slight variation on the over-the-shoulder burp, courtesy of my sister-in-law. Basically, while PK is slung over my shoulder, I slowly yet firmly smack her mid-back while burping. This definitely seems to work better, so I think I'll stick with that.
When she was first born, I tried burping her by sitting her on my lap and supporting her neck with one hand while patting her back with the other. Not only did she look like a sad little frog, this position made her squirmy, did not usually produce a burp, and more often than not made her barf out her food because I sometimes got the angle she used to sit on m lap wrong and it put pressure on her teeny diaphragm.
I soon gave up o the sitting down burp and moved to the over-the-shoulder burp. While I burp her I usually move my hand up her back as I pat it. This type of burp was definitely easier than the sitting down burping method and is my method of choice, namely because it produces some good (although sometimes infrequent) burps. Even though this is my method of choice, however, I can't seem to get her to burp as often as I'd like, which of course can be really frustrating because oftentimes she'll refuse to burp but actually should burp because the gas makes her cranky. I worry about putting her down for a nap after a burpless feeding. Who knows if she can end up gagging or something from spit-up as a result of not burping!
Today I tried a slight variation on the over-the-shoulder burp, courtesy of my sister-in-law. Basically, while PK is slung over my shoulder, I slowly yet firmly smack her mid-back while burping. This definitely seems to work better, so I think I'll stick with that.
October 5, 2008
Laundry Queen
I cannot believe how much laundry we've been doing lately. For someone so small, PK definitely produces the biggest pile of dirty laundry. I think that lately we're averaging 1 load of laundry per day. Sometimes we'll do laundry even more often, if she soils her clothes due to spit-up or a big giant poop. Before her arrival, we'd be averaging a load every week. Oh, how times have changed!
Unconditional Love
It's funny how life turns upside-down with the birth of one's child, but I wouldn't change a darn thing. I feel privileged to have had a hand in creating her. I love the fact that the hubby and I will teach her the ways of the world. I love the way she follows me as I walk out the room, and I love the way she cuddles up to me when she's done breast-feeding. I love her smile. I love her babbling. I love the pouty face that she makes when she's upset. There was a time when I questioned how it was I could just love someone so unconditionally, and now I know. You just do. It didn't come to me immediately, but it did eventually materialize, and it's SUCH a cool feeling.
The Grobag
Yesterday, PK started sleeping in her Grobag - a baby sleeping bag - instead of being swaddled. I found out about the Grobag from Fawn, who sent me one after PK was born - thanks Fawn! Even though it's a bit big for her, it still works remarkably well. It keeps PK warm and cozy, and since it's a bit big for her, it will have a few months of use. Yay! Thanks Fawn!!!
Feeling Un-Smart
The other day I caught a movie near the downtown core, and as I walked past my workplace on my way home, I couldn't help but feel like a stranger in a foreign land. And yet, the downtown core had been my work home for the past 3 or so years.
I've been on mat-leave for about 2 months, and yet my former life as a Java developer/team lead seems like a dream. I haven't looked at any code in weeks, and I feel completely out of touch with the world of IT now that I'm fully-immersed in Mommyland. I've managed to retain work e-mail access while I'm on mat-leave, and I make it a point of checking my e-mails at the end of each workday to stay in the loop so that I'm not in for a shock when I return to work. I even replied to an e-mail the other day (I couldn't resist). That being said, I'm still an outsider. My co-workers are at work doing their thing every day, and I'm at home taking care of PK. There's nothing wrong with that. I think it's important for me to devote my attention to PK. She needs me. Still, I do feel guilty that I haven't done any coding in a long time. I used to be such an über-geek. I'd code for fun, sometimes staying up until all hours on Friday and Saturday nights working on little side-projects.
A few weeks ago, my dad, a fellow über-geek (even more of an über-geek than I am) asked me what I'm doing to further myself. What could I say? My days are spent taking care of PK. I hardly have any time to myself except when I work out or when I pump milk late at night. I suppose I could use one of these time slots to geek out, but to be perfectly honest, after a long day of taking care of PK, I really need to do something completely mindless. Of course, part of me wonders if I'm just making up excuses. I MAKE time to work out. Can't I just make time to geek out? After all, it's for my own good. It would make re-entering the workplace seem like less of a shock. And yet, I can't bring myself to do that, so I sit here feeling guilty and un-smart. Bleh. (BTW, I know that un-smart is probably not a word, but it sounds nicer than saying dumb. :P) The only thing keeping me from feeling less un-smart is that I've been keeping up with current events by watching TONS of CBC news. I knew that TV was good for something!
I've been on mat-leave for about 2 months, and yet my former life as a Java developer/team lead seems like a dream. I haven't looked at any code in weeks, and I feel completely out of touch with the world of IT now that I'm fully-immersed in Mommyland. I've managed to retain work e-mail access while I'm on mat-leave, and I make it a point of checking my e-mails at the end of each workday to stay in the loop so that I'm not in for a shock when I return to work. I even replied to an e-mail the other day (I couldn't resist). That being said, I'm still an outsider. My co-workers are at work doing their thing every day, and I'm at home taking care of PK. There's nothing wrong with that. I think it's important for me to devote my attention to PK. She needs me. Still, I do feel guilty that I haven't done any coding in a long time. I used to be such an über-geek. I'd code for fun, sometimes staying up until all hours on Friday and Saturday nights working on little side-projects.
A few weeks ago, my dad, a fellow über-geek (even more of an über-geek than I am) asked me what I'm doing to further myself. What could I say? My days are spent taking care of PK. I hardly have any time to myself except when I work out or when I pump milk late at night. I suppose I could use one of these time slots to geek out, but to be perfectly honest, after a long day of taking care of PK, I really need to do something completely mindless. Of course, part of me wonders if I'm just making up excuses. I MAKE time to work out. Can't I just make time to geek out? After all, it's for my own good. It would make re-entering the workplace seem like less of a shock. And yet, I can't bring myself to do that, so I sit here feeling guilty and un-smart. Bleh. (BTW, I know that un-smart is probably not a word, but it sounds nicer than saying dumb. :P) The only thing keeping me from feeling less un-smart is that I've been keeping up with current events by watching TONS of CBC news. I knew that TV was good for something!
October 4, 2008
Establishing a Routine
One of the cool things about raising PK is that I get to teach her all sorts of things. Mind you, it took me a while to get into a routine with her. To be perfectly honest, what really helped me was when the hubby went back to work and when my parents went on vacation for a couple of weeks. Both of these things really forced me to spend some real quality time with PK. I have this tendency of handing her over to others (i.e. family) to look after her on days when I'm not flying solo. This was especially prevalent in the early days, when I was constantly surrounded by family. This of course made it very difficult for me to spend any quality time with PK, and it made me feel incredibly guilty for not doing so.
Now that PK is into her 9th week of life, however, I feel as if I finally have somewhat of a handle on things. (You never have a complete handle on things, do you?) We have an established routine. Here it is:
Morning
- Feed PK at 6am or 7am
- Hang out in bed for a while with PK while watching CBC News
- Nap after feeding/watching news or haul butt out of bed if there is no opportunity to nap
- Get dressed
- Change diaper
- Change PK out of her sleeper and into her daytime clothes
- Put PK onto her Baby Einstein matt and play with her by waving various creatures in front of her
- Put PK on her tummy (inevitably followed by wailing)
- Read PK a story. My current favorite books to read to her are Dr. Seuss (I have a collection of 13 stories), a childrens' book on Greek Mythology, and a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales book. PK often falls asleep during storytime
- Read Pat the Bunny to PK. Yes, this can probably be lumped in with the item above, but I think that Pat the Bunny deserves a line all on its own.
- Feed again as needed
Afternoon
- Make lunch for myself. Sometimes this is interrupted by PK's loud "Give me food NOW, woman!" cry.
- Feed PK at various times
- Go for nice long a walk out with the stroller and run any errands as n
Evening
- Feed PK (usually the hubby does this for me)
- Give PK her bath
- Read her a bed-time story while the hubby feeds her
- Tidy up the house while the hubby puts PK to bed
- Work out
- Pump breast milk and blog (now you know why I make these late-night posts!)
I have to admit that storytime my favorite thing to do with her these days. I like to read to her even when she's asleep because it is said that babies still absorb information. Today I started speaking to her a bit in French. I used to be much much better at it back in the day (I used to be in French public speaking competitions and actually won a couple). It's always hard to keep up with another language if you don't really get to practice it. At any rate, I started speaking to her a bit in French in the hopes of improving my French and teaching her the language. I also started putting on the CBC in French. Doing so gets her used to the sound of the language and hopefully teaches it to her. I would also like to teach her how to speak in Portuguese, but I only speak to my mom and my grandmothers in Portuguese. I'm leaving that part to my mom.
Well, speaking of routines, my pumping is almost done, which is a good thing, because I'm totally dozing off as I write this post.
Now that PK is into her 9th week of life, however, I feel as if I finally have somewhat of a handle on things. (You never have a complete handle on things, do you?) We have an established routine. Here it is:
Morning
- Feed PK at 6am or 7am
- Hang out in bed for a while with PK while watching CBC News
- Nap after feeding/watching news or haul butt out of bed if there is no opportunity to nap
- Get dressed
- Change diaper
- Change PK out of her sleeper and into her daytime clothes
- Put PK onto her Baby Einstein matt and play with her by waving various creatures in front of her
- Put PK on her tummy (inevitably followed by wailing)
- Read PK a story. My current favorite books to read to her are Dr. Seuss (I have a collection of 13 stories), a childrens' book on Greek Mythology, and a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales book. PK often falls asleep during storytime
- Read Pat the Bunny to PK. Yes, this can probably be lumped in with the item above, but I think that Pat the Bunny deserves a line all on its own.
- Feed again as needed
Afternoon
- Make lunch for myself. Sometimes this is interrupted by PK's loud "Give me food NOW, woman!" cry.
- Feed PK at various times
- Go for nice long a walk out with the stroller and run any errands as n
Evening
- Feed PK (usually the hubby does this for me)
- Give PK her bath
- Read her a bed-time story while the hubby feeds her
- Tidy up the house while the hubby puts PK to bed
- Work out
- Pump breast milk and blog (now you know why I make these late-night posts!)
I have to admit that storytime my favorite thing to do with her these days. I like to read to her even when she's asleep because it is said that babies still absorb information. Today I started speaking to her a bit in French. I used to be much much better at it back in the day (I used to be in French public speaking competitions and actually won a couple). It's always hard to keep up with another language if you don't really get to practice it. At any rate, I started speaking to her a bit in French in the hopes of improving my French and teaching her the language. I also started putting on the CBC in French. Doing so gets her used to the sound of the language and hopefully teaches it to her. I would also like to teach her how to speak in Portuguese, but I only speak to my mom and my grandmothers in Portuguese. I'm leaving that part to my mom.
Well, speaking of routines, my pumping is almost done, which is a good thing, because I'm totally dozing off as I write this post.
The Breast-Feeding Tour
Although PK does get fed quite a bit of formula through the course of a day, I do try to get her as much breast milk as I can. After all, it's good for her, and it requires a lot less prep time. To put it crudely, all I have to do is just whip 'em out and shove her mouth onto the nipple. Contrast that to bottle-feeding, which involves sterilizing bottles (I have a bunch of sterilized bottles on standby), mixing the formula (I have a bunch of bottles of pre-mixed formula sitting in the fridge), and heating up the bottle. Even with the first two steps taken care of for me, heating up the formula seems like an eternity (even with a bottle-warmer, which is a great purchase to make if you're bottle-feeding) when you've got a wailing infant who wants food NOW.
The point of all of this is that I breast-feed when I can, and even when I divide my time between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding, I still manage to find myself feeding in the strangest of places. Here's a list of places to date:
1. The hospital
2. My house
3. My parents' house
4. My in-laws' house
5. Queen's Park
6. Two different movie theaters
7. Two different friends' houses
8. An Indian restaurant
I think that the Indian restaurant takes the cake because I was out with two other mommy friends of mine for lunch that day, and we spent most of lunch feeding and changing our babies. I still look back on that day and chuckle.
I'm sure that I will be breast-feeding in many other weird places, and I will be sure to update this list in a few more weeks with the latest and greatest breast-feeding conquests!
The point of all of this is that I breast-feed when I can, and even when I divide my time between breast-feeding and bottle-feeding, I still manage to find myself feeding in the strangest of places. Here's a list of places to date:
1. The hospital
2. My house
3. My parents' house
4. My in-laws' house
5. Queen's Park
6. Two different movie theaters
7. Two different friends' houses
8. An Indian restaurant
I think that the Indian restaurant takes the cake because I was out with two other mommy friends of mine for lunch that day, and we spent most of lunch feeding and changing our babies. I still look back on that day and chuckle.
I'm sure that I will be breast-feeding in many other weird places, and I will be sure to update this list in a few more weeks with the latest and greatest breast-feeding conquests!
Bladder Control
One of the nice things about PK no longer being in utero is that I finally have full control of my bladder back. I walked A LOT during my pregnancy (and still do), and towards the end of the pregnancy, I would have to plot out my route based on the location of public washrooms. Now that my bladder is no longer being squished and now that laughing, sneezing, and coughing no longer cause me to pee myself, I no longer have to worry about such things. And it's a good thing too, because sometimes I just don't have the opportunity to go pee if PK needs a diaper change or desperately needs to be fed (and by desperately I mean accompanied by a blood-curdling cry that wrenches your heart). Thank goodness for all those Kegel exercises I did during my pregnancy!
October 3, 2008
Post-PK Sleep
Sleep has never been the same since PK's birth. It is sacred and precious. Getting even a bit of sleep is a wonderful thing. Before PK was born, I was a zombie after 5 hours of sleep. Nowadays, I feel refreshed after 5 hours of sleep! I have to admit though, that the first time that PK slept for more than 2 or 3 hours scared the living daylights out of us. My pre-natal Yoga instructor said that babies sleeping for more than 3 hours can cause SIDS. I don't really know how true that is, but if it is, it's a scary thought. She said that if the baby doesn't wake to feed every 2 or 3 hours, then you should wake the baby. Ha! Easier said than done!
The first time that PK slept for more than 3 hours, we tried to wake her up, but to no avail. We tried changing her diaper to see if that would wake her up, since at that time, she used to wail during diaper changes. She woke up a bit, but lasted about 10 seconds at the breast (this was back when I was breast-feeding exclusively). After that, we learned to just let her sleep when she wanted to. When she's hungry, she lets us know. Nowadays, we're more than happy to let PK sleep for more than 3 hours at a time at night. Not that we sleep all that well when she sleeps that long. We spend more time worrying about her than we do sleeping.
I think that that's why sometimes late at night when PK is sound asleep in the crib in her room, both the hubby and I seem to experience these nighttime hallucinations where we think that PK is still in bed with us after a feeding and that we've somehow either dropped her or suffocated her. The crazy thing is that these hallucinations are so REAL! I often find myself cradling a corner of our duvet, CONVINCED that PK is there in my arms, and completely distraught when my eyes stop playing ticks on me and relay the fact that PK was never there to begin with.
Sometimes I'm not entirely convinced that that PK isn't in bed with us, so I end up going to her room just to make sure that she's where she's supposed to be (i.e. not in bed with me) and that she's still breathing.
The funny thing is that both the hubby and I experience these hallucinations, but not usually at the same time. This is good, because we need one of us to be sane enough to explain to the other that PK is not being smothered by one of us in bed and that she's perfectly safe in her crib in her own room.
Now that she's getting older and we have a nighttime feeding routine established, these hallucinations are becoming more infequent, thank goodness. It probably helps that the hubby takes the 3(-ish)am feeding and I take the 6(-ish feeding, since it allows us to get more sleep and therefore feel more refreshed and have fewer hallucinations.
Speaking of sleep, I'm totally starting to doze off. I'm lucky if this post makes any sense at all, so I think this is my cue for exit.
The first time that PK slept for more than 3 hours, we tried to wake her up, but to no avail. We tried changing her diaper to see if that would wake her up, since at that time, she used to wail during diaper changes. She woke up a bit, but lasted about 10 seconds at the breast (this was back when I was breast-feeding exclusively). After that, we learned to just let her sleep when she wanted to. When she's hungry, she lets us know. Nowadays, we're more than happy to let PK sleep for more than 3 hours at a time at night. Not that we sleep all that well when she sleeps that long. We spend more time worrying about her than we do sleeping.
I think that that's why sometimes late at night when PK is sound asleep in the crib in her room, both the hubby and I seem to experience these nighttime hallucinations where we think that PK is still in bed with us after a feeding and that we've somehow either dropped her or suffocated her. The crazy thing is that these hallucinations are so REAL! I often find myself cradling a corner of our duvet, CONVINCED that PK is there in my arms, and completely distraught when my eyes stop playing ticks on me and relay the fact that PK was never there to begin with.
Sometimes I'm not entirely convinced that that PK isn't in bed with us, so I end up going to her room just to make sure that she's where she's supposed to be (i.e. not in bed with me) and that she's still breathing.
The funny thing is that both the hubby and I experience these hallucinations, but not usually at the same time. This is good, because we need one of us to be sane enough to explain to the other that PK is not being smothered by one of us in bed and that she's perfectly safe in her crib in her own room.
Now that she's getting older and we have a nighttime feeding routine established, these hallucinations are becoming more infequent, thank goodness. It probably helps that the hubby takes the 3(-ish)am feeding and I take the 6(-ish feeding, since it allows us to get more sleep and therefore feel more refreshed and have fewer hallucinations.
Speaking of sleep, I'm totally starting to doze off. I'm lucky if this post makes any sense at all, so I think this is my cue for exit.
More Movie Time
I made it out to the movies on Thursday. Like last week, this matinée was aimed at moms and babies, though unlike last time, this was done through Movies for Mommies, not through Stars and Strollers. I think I prefer Movies for Mommies over Stars and Strollers. For one thing, it's cheaper. I paid $8.50 today, compared to $12.50 last week. Also, they had a change table set up, complete with diapers and baby wipes. Maybe Stars and Strollers had the same thing and I just didn't notice it last time since I came in 30 minutes late. The other nice thing about Movies for Mommies is that they have tons of freebies, including snacks for mom and baby, and if you get a membership, your 7th movie is free. Pretty cool.
The theater I went to this week was at Market Square, near the St. Lawrence Market. I've lived in Toronto for 11 years, and I never even knew that this theater existed. I guess there's a first time for everything, eh? While Stars and Strollers lets you pick between two movies, Movies for Mommies does not - there's only one movie and that's it. It's no biggie, really. I think the whole point of this program is to allow moms to get out and watch a movie, and most moms probably don't even care what movie they're watching. This week's feature was Nights in Rodanthe. It was a TOTAL chick flick and is definitely something that the hubby would NEVER EVER watch out of his own free will. Maybe if he were drunk... At any rate, the movie wasn't bad.
I went to see the movie with yet another friend that I met through Baby & Me Fitness. The funny thing is that I'd lost touch with her after I gave birth to PK, having never gotten her contact info before I stopped taking the classes. As luck would have it, I ran into her last week when I went to see Burn After Reading with yet another friend from Baby & Me. Ironically, I'd also lost touch with her and ended up re-connecting after running into her in the street. Too weird, eh?
Anyway, I digress. Compared to last week, PK and I actually made it to the movie on time. And by on time, I mean that we got there just as the movie started (we'd missed the previews). Now, PK hadn't pooped for a little over 24 hours and had been trying to get a poop out all morning. I was really hoping that she'd get it out before we left for the theater, but that's not what she had in mind. Nope. She waited for me to sit down in my seat to let go a big wet fart. At first I thought it was just a fart, but the smell lingered on, so off I went to change her. Thank goodness they had the table set up outside the theater for changing babies. That's just so much easier than having to change her in a public washroom. Ugh!
She was pretty calm while I changed her. These days, she kicks around like mad whenever I change her, which makes it VERY difficult to change a poopy diaper. No kicking this time around, so changing her was a breeze. Once she was nice and clean, I put her in her sling (I took her stroller but I keep her sling handy just in case!) and headed back into the theater. She sat for maybe 5 minutes before she started wailing, wanting some food. So I breast-fed her. She was REALLY squirmy during the entire she fed, and I really really hope that she's not rejecting the breast. I'm a little suspicious because now, every time I try to breast-feed her, she ends up fidgety, like she's trying to fart. In spite of her fussiness, she still managed to tap me out, so when she kept crying for more food, I decided to give her some formula. She took about half of the formula before deciding that she was full, and ended up falling asleep on my shoulder while I tried to burp her. Miss Cranky Pants had finally tired out!
The theater I went to this week was at Market Square, near the St. Lawrence Market. I've lived in Toronto for 11 years, and I never even knew that this theater existed. I guess there's a first time for everything, eh? While Stars and Strollers lets you pick between two movies, Movies for Mommies does not - there's only one movie and that's it. It's no biggie, really. I think the whole point of this program is to allow moms to get out and watch a movie, and most moms probably don't even care what movie they're watching. This week's feature was Nights in Rodanthe. It was a TOTAL chick flick and is definitely something that the hubby would NEVER EVER watch out of his own free will. Maybe if he were drunk... At any rate, the movie wasn't bad.
I went to see the movie with yet another friend that I met through Baby & Me Fitness. The funny thing is that I'd lost touch with her after I gave birth to PK, having never gotten her contact info before I stopped taking the classes. As luck would have it, I ran into her last week when I went to see Burn After Reading with yet another friend from Baby & Me. Ironically, I'd also lost touch with her and ended up re-connecting after running into her in the street. Too weird, eh?
Anyway, I digress. Compared to last week, PK and I actually made it to the movie on time. And by on time, I mean that we got there just as the movie started (we'd missed the previews). Now, PK hadn't pooped for a little over 24 hours and had been trying to get a poop out all morning. I was really hoping that she'd get it out before we left for the theater, but that's not what she had in mind. Nope. She waited for me to sit down in my seat to let go a big wet fart. At first I thought it was just a fart, but the smell lingered on, so off I went to change her. Thank goodness they had the table set up outside the theater for changing babies. That's just so much easier than having to change her in a public washroom. Ugh!
She was pretty calm while I changed her. These days, she kicks around like mad whenever I change her, which makes it VERY difficult to change a poopy diaper. No kicking this time around, so changing her was a breeze. Once she was nice and clean, I put her in her sling (I took her stroller but I keep her sling handy just in case!) and headed back into the theater. She sat for maybe 5 minutes before she started wailing, wanting some food. So I breast-fed her. She was REALLY squirmy during the entire she fed, and I really really hope that she's not rejecting the breast. I'm a little suspicious because now, every time I try to breast-feed her, she ends up fidgety, like she's trying to fart. In spite of her fussiness, she still managed to tap me out, so when she kept crying for more food, I decided to give her some formula. She took about half of the formula before deciding that she was full, and ended up falling asleep on my shoulder while I tried to burp her. Miss Cranky Pants had finally tired out!
October 2, 2008
Playdate
One of the great things about taking the pre-natal exercise classes through Baby & Me Fitness is that I got to meet other moms-to-be, with whom I have stayed in touch post-partum. After having their babies, a few girls from my classes decided to meet up on a regular basis, and started a group on Facebook to organize the weekly meetings. The meetings range anywhere from getting together at someone's house to going out to a park. This week, I volunteered to host. There are 14 gals in total in the group, but only 4 girls showed up this week, which is fine by me. I have always preferred small groups anyway - better conversation and easier to handle.
We met after lunch, so I provided a bunch of snacks - coffee cake, Triscuits, rice cakes, and juice. I swear it felt as if I'd been eating all day, and I'm not even a snacker. Overall it was a very pleasant afternoon, albeit a bit tiring. Just try tidying up and hosting a small group of people while trying to cater to the needs of a crying baby and you'll see what I mean! :) One of the great things about the afternoon was that we got to trade war stories, hear birth stories, and hear about how everyone's baby is developing. PK was the second-youngest baby there. The youngest was a little girl named River, who is 6 weeks old. I believe that the oldest baby was a 4-month-old little girl named Presley, named after The King. What a cool name, eh? The next-oldest were Alejandro and Ben, who were both 3.5 months old. I got a real kick out of watching the older babies, as this was a preview of things to come.
The afternoon in a nutshell went as follows:
- Eat
- Change diapers
- Feed
- Change diapers
- Feed
- Eat
- Etc...
We had one baby spit up on our *lovely* (!) Ikea area rug in the living room, but it's no biggie. PK spits up more than I care to think about. What can you do? It comes with the territory!
We ended off the afternoon with a group shot of all 5 babies sitting on the couch. I crack up every time I look at the picture, because the younger babies are all slouched over and look like little drunks.
Next week the group plans on going to the ROM, and it looks like a Halloween party is also in the works. Hopefully I can make it to both of these events!
We met after lunch, so I provided a bunch of snacks - coffee cake, Triscuits, rice cakes, and juice. I swear it felt as if I'd been eating all day, and I'm not even a snacker. Overall it was a very pleasant afternoon, albeit a bit tiring. Just try tidying up and hosting a small group of people while trying to cater to the needs of a crying baby and you'll see what I mean! :) One of the great things about the afternoon was that we got to trade war stories, hear birth stories, and hear about how everyone's baby is developing. PK was the second-youngest baby there. The youngest was a little girl named River, who is 6 weeks old. I believe that the oldest baby was a 4-month-old little girl named Presley, named after The King. What a cool name, eh? The next-oldest were Alejandro and Ben, who were both 3.5 months old. I got a real kick out of watching the older babies, as this was a preview of things to come.
The afternoon in a nutshell went as follows:
- Eat
- Change diapers
- Feed
- Change diapers
- Feed
- Eat
- Etc...
We had one baby spit up on our *lovely* (!) Ikea area rug in the living room, but it's no biggie. PK spits up more than I care to think about. What can you do? It comes with the territory!
We ended off the afternoon with a group shot of all 5 babies sitting on the couch. I crack up every time I look at the picture, because the younger babies are all slouched over and look like little drunks.
Next week the group plans on going to the ROM, and it looks like a Halloween party is also in the works. Hopefully I can make it to both of these events!
Eight Weeks Old
PK turned 8 weeks old yesterday. I can't believe how time has flown by, and how much she has grown. As I look back on the past 8 weeks, my biggest regret is that I didn't get to just take everything in during those first few weeks of her life. I was so groggy, sleep-deprived, and stressed about her weight-gain that I feel as if I didn't get to truly enjoy having her around the way that I do now. Does this make any sense?
She has certainly changed from that squirrely little munchkin that we'd first brought home from the hospital. She's longer, heavier, and has filled in quite a bit - especially around her tummy and most noticeably, in her cheeks. She doesn't have chipmunk cheeks or anything, but they've definitely filled in more over the past several weeks.
PK is also a lot more alert. Gone are the days where she'd nap for 2 or 3 hours at a time after a feed. Now, she'll easily fall asleep in my arms after a feed, but as soon as I put her down in her crib, bassinet, or playpen, she'll wake right up. If I'm really lucky, I'll get a 20-minute nap out of her. I don't mind so much - I actually really love it when she falls asleep in my arms. The only time I really do mind her waking up after I put her down is when I'm trying to do something like sending an e-mail, preparing lunch for myself, or cleaning the house.
I try to take advantage of the extra alert time by playing with her on her Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym. Right now, however, the only thing she seems to react to is the music. Whenever I turn it on, she starts flailing her arms and legs. Unfortunately for me, I end up with the friggin' music stuck in my head all day and then some. I've tried dangling some of the little toys in front of her, trying to see if she could grasp them, but have had no luck thus far. The play gym also comes with a little pillow which a prop under her armpits for some tummy time play. Sometimes I can catch her in a good mood where she actually stays on her tummy for a few seconds without fussing. Other times, the mere sight of the play gym causes her to go into a wailing frenzy.
One cool thing that I've noticed over the past few days is her smile. Unlike the fake smiles of the early days - which some say can be attributed to gas - these smiles actually appear to be genuine. For example, the other day when she saw the hubby after he arrived from work, she gave him a big smile. Sometimes she'll even look up at me and give me a great big smile. It just makes your heart melt!
Her nighttime routine has also stabilized over the past few weeks. On most days, she has a 3am-ish feed and a 6am-ish feed. We usually begin her nighttime routine somewhere between 7 and 8:30pm, starting with a bath, a feeding, and story time. The hubby usually feeds her, and I read her a story. After the story, the hubby sits with her up in her room in the dark and waits for her to fall asleep before putting her into her crib. This gives me a chance to clean up downstairs and/or do my daily workout. It's the best of both worlds - the hubby gets to spend some quality time with PK, and I get some time to myself. Oh, and while we're on the subject of the nighttime routine, I am happy to report that PK does not wail during bathtime anymore. Two things did the trick: we stopped giving her sponge baths, and we got her a little chair to sit on in her bathtub so that she doesn't slide into the water while we bathe her. Now she only wails when we wash her hair, which we do at the beginning of bathtime. Strangely enough, washing her hair was the only calming thing about bathtime when we were giving her a sponge bath. Now it's the total opposite. She'll sit in the bathtub as calm as can be while the hubby constantly pours water over her and I wash her body. And then, when we take her out of her bath, she starts to wail again (even though she's wrapped in a towel).
Next Monday, PK goes for her first round of shots. I don't expect it to be the most pleasant experience for her, but I sure am relieved that she's finally getting her shots. Let's just hope she doesn't wail too much when she gets them.
She has certainly changed from that squirrely little munchkin that we'd first brought home from the hospital. She's longer, heavier, and has filled in quite a bit - especially around her tummy and most noticeably, in her cheeks. She doesn't have chipmunk cheeks or anything, but they've definitely filled in more over the past several weeks.
PK is also a lot more alert. Gone are the days where she'd nap for 2 or 3 hours at a time after a feed. Now, she'll easily fall asleep in my arms after a feed, but as soon as I put her down in her crib, bassinet, or playpen, she'll wake right up. If I'm really lucky, I'll get a 20-minute nap out of her. I don't mind so much - I actually really love it when she falls asleep in my arms. The only time I really do mind her waking up after I put her down is when I'm trying to do something like sending an e-mail, preparing lunch for myself, or cleaning the house.
I try to take advantage of the extra alert time by playing with her on her Baby Einstein Discovering Water Play Gym. Right now, however, the only thing she seems to react to is the music. Whenever I turn it on, she starts flailing her arms and legs. Unfortunately for me, I end up with the friggin' music stuck in my head all day and then some. I've tried dangling some of the little toys in front of her, trying to see if she could grasp them, but have had no luck thus far. The play gym also comes with a little pillow which a prop under her armpits for some tummy time play. Sometimes I can catch her in a good mood where she actually stays on her tummy for a few seconds without fussing. Other times, the mere sight of the play gym causes her to go into a wailing frenzy.
One cool thing that I've noticed over the past few days is her smile. Unlike the fake smiles of the early days - which some say can be attributed to gas - these smiles actually appear to be genuine. For example, the other day when she saw the hubby after he arrived from work, she gave him a big smile. Sometimes she'll even look up at me and give me a great big smile. It just makes your heart melt!
Her nighttime routine has also stabilized over the past few weeks. On most days, she has a 3am-ish feed and a 6am-ish feed. We usually begin her nighttime routine somewhere between 7 and 8:30pm, starting with a bath, a feeding, and story time. The hubby usually feeds her, and I read her a story. After the story, the hubby sits with her up in her room in the dark and waits for her to fall asleep before putting her into her crib. This gives me a chance to clean up downstairs and/or do my daily workout. It's the best of both worlds - the hubby gets to spend some quality time with PK, and I get some time to myself. Oh, and while we're on the subject of the nighttime routine, I am happy to report that PK does not wail during bathtime anymore. Two things did the trick: we stopped giving her sponge baths, and we got her a little chair to sit on in her bathtub so that she doesn't slide into the water while we bathe her. Now she only wails when we wash her hair, which we do at the beginning of bathtime. Strangely enough, washing her hair was the only calming thing about bathtime when we were giving her a sponge bath. Now it's the total opposite. She'll sit in the bathtub as calm as can be while the hubby constantly pours water over her and I wash her body. And then, when we take her out of her bath, she starts to wail again (even though she's wrapped in a towel).
Next Monday, PK goes for her first round of shots. I don't expect it to be the most pleasant experience for her, but I sure am relieved that she's finally getting her shots. Let's just hope she doesn't wail too much when she gets them.
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