As Promised, Cute Photos

Recovering...

So as it turns out, having a new baby really does take up all your time.  I knew they ate and slept a lot and needed to be changed and held, but somehow in my head, all those things did not add up to 24 hours.

Pretty much our days consist of sleeping as long as possible in the morning since we were up 3-5 times in the middle of the night for feedings that lasted at least 45 minutes because someone is finicky and has a hard time latching sometimes and falls asleep in the middle of eating and makes poopy diapers even though she was just changed.  Not naming names...

Then we get up and eat.  AGAIN.  Then I pawn MiniM.E. off on my mom (who thank God, is still here, because when would I have time to do dishes or laundry or anything else) so I can take a shower and check my e-mail really fast.  Because by the time I've done all that, guess who's hungry?

So she eats.  AGAIN.  Then, if there's anything we have to do, like buy groceries or stop at a store, or go outside for any reason, we have to get ready and do it really fast so we have the maximum time window possible, because chances are, before we are even finished with whatever errand it is, someone will be hungry.  AGAIN.

She does look really cute in the car seat though...

In the afternoon, after such a trying morning, we spend a lot of time doing this:

and this:

Before eating.  AGAIN.

Then Bob gets home and we have to eat ourselves... and Bob has to spend time with MiniM.E.

and I have to sit around and do nothing because the post-partum recovery stuff (I don't need to explain that here, do I?? No one wants to read about that...) hurts and my blood count is still low and did I mention that I was up every two and half hours last night??

And then MiniM.E. gets fussy and everyone tries their hardest to keep her quiet for "just another half hour" because I totally can't feed her again yet (why didn't anyone tell me breastfeeding HURTS!?!?).  And then finally I give in and feed her AGAIN.  And then I go to bed.

Which is why I have not posted in such a long time.  But, according to my doctor (and other women who've offered their advice and opinions- some helpful, some not) it will get better soon.  And by soon, they mean "three to four weeks".  WHAT?!?!

So until then... I will try, on occasion, to post cute pictures like this one.  Maybe.  Or I might just lie on the couch...

We're Home!

After another unit of blood on Monday, my numbers were finally high enough yesterday for the Dr. to say it was okay for us to leave!

It's so nice to be home.  Not that I didn't like being taken care of (though I do prefer privacy in the bathroom), or the extra attention from the "drama" I caused at the hospital (however, it is nice to wear actual clothes when talking with people), but there's only so much to do in a hospital room and it was tiny and I was some real food.

MiniM.E. didn't seem too excited to leave.  Apparently being a baby is rough- all that sleeping and eating and cuddling... but dressing has to be the worst.

I didn't think it was possible, but she is SO much cuter in clothes!

I couldn't help myself and had to take photos of everything...

Frowny car-seat face

Getting comfy and buckled in



In the car

 So far, it looks like MiniM.E. will be an excellent traveller- she seemed to love the car ride home (as shown by sleeping the whole time). 

Once we got here, she met the cats.  Hysterical!!  They sniffed and sniffed and cautiously approached... the hair on the back of their necks stood up and they fearfully backed away... Looks like it will take a while for them to get used to the new member of our family.

So, we've been taking it easy the past day and half... eating real food, lying on the couch, cuddling lots and sleeping - but only in 3-5 hour increments!  I still can't believe that I'm actually a mommy and that we really get to keep MiniM.E.  :)  Now back to recovering...

MiniM.E.!!

Finally the baby arrived Saturday night at 10:09!  Everything went really well until after she was born.  There were some complications, but I'll post that separately as some of the details are pretty gory- plus, not everyone wants to read a traumatizing birth story.

Recovering... but so happy to finally be a mommy!  She is perfect!

Dear Baby,

I'm sure you're pretty attached to the "house" you've been living in for the last 9 months.  I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a comfy warm hot tub?  You don't have to worry about food, you can sleep whenever you want, you never have dirty diapers, no crazy ladies are pinching your cheeks telling you how cute you are...

We love you already, so don't take this the wrong way, but GET OUT.  Yes, it's loud and bright and cold and scary out here.  You'll have to cry to let us know you're hungry or wet or tired.  But it will be worth it.  There are great things out here like Daddy and toys and blankets and food you can taste.

So be a big girl, suck it up, and come out.  Or you're grounded.

Love,

Mommy

Not yet...

Yesterday was not "baby day" either.  We went on another super long walk at the Saratoga Park, which was beautiful, but did not encourage her to make an appearance :(

Today... more baking and cooking and cleaning... I'm running out of things to "nest," so she better get here soon!

Still Waiting...

I thought the baby might actually come on her due date if she was like me and had a type-A personality, but maybe she's lucky and will be more laid back, like her dad... I guess she likes it in there, because we're still waiting...

I ate the pineapple.  Didn't really work.  I don't really like spicy food... so that was out.

Yesterday we did go on lots of long walks though.  But we're still waiting... so I guess those didn't help either.

We did find a really cool nature preserve near our house though, and I can't wait to go on walks there with New Baby once she arrives.

The foliage still hasn't peaked here, but the weather was gorgeous and the sun was shining and it was a pretty fantastic day for a walk in the woods.

Today's (probably not) The Day!

October 7th.

I should be having a baby today.  Am I?  Not yet.  Still hopeful though.  I like the number 7.  And now that everything's done, I'm pretty anxious for her to arrive.  But despite the entire pineapple I ate last night, nothing but some serious acid reflux (pineapple is really acidic!) and some "I ate way too much pineapple" stomach cramps.

We'll see though.  She still has another 13 hours or so.

Maybe if not today, then this weekend...

I DID find another project to keep me busy this morning.

Introducing.... Project : Baby Mobile!!

Using digital images of the jungle animal artwork on the wall, I printed out three sets of my 7 favorite animals.  With a couple of wooden dowels painted pink, some embrodery floss, and a few pieces of foam core, I now have a mobile full of high-contrast images for New Baby to look at.
(Also, for people who walk into the room to look at, as seen in the two photos above.)

The coolest part of the mobile?? This is what it looks like if you are lying in the crib.

Note: I did not actually get into the crib to take this picture.  I probably would have broken it.  I just set the camera on the mattress.

Nesting: Day 3

Yes!  Finally... today was a day full of cleaning and straightening energy!  I finished unpacking the rest of the boxes.  I did loads and loads of laundry.  I picked up all the stray items lying around the house.  I cleaned the bathrooms (and scrubbed the floors).  I cleaned out and vacuumed my car.

And now... I am done.

There is no room in my freezer for more food.  My counters are covered with baked goods.  My house is clean and ready.  I've even done everything I can do for the birth announcements (aside from adding a picture of New Baby)...

What will I do next?

I'm antsy and anxious as tomorrow (her due date) approaches.  What if she's late?  What project can I tackle next?  Should I weed the garden?  Rake the yard?  Make some artwork?  Pace anxiously around the house???

Maybe to help her along and make sure she comes tomorrow, I will eat a whole pineapple.  It contains bromelain, which is thought to possibly bring on labor.


I will keep you posted...

Nesting: Day 2

So I really hoped I would wake up today filled with lots of "nesting energy" to straighten up, clean the floors and finish unpacking.  But, of course, my nesting could not be a productive, cleanly nesting... it could only be a nesting that would inevitably cause my floors to become dirtier and my kitchen to become 4 times messier.  (*note: having a dishwasher is amazing.  I didn't realize how much I missed it in Germany, but when you cook four dinners in one day, being able to run the dishwasher twice and have sparkling clean dishes is fantastic.  Especially when you plan to re-invade your kitchen the following day and create an even larger mess.)

So following yesterday's cooking-nesting-fest, I present you with today's baking-nesting-fest!

Now, my ability to remember things during pregnancy has gone down drastically.  Recall the unfortunate "Un-cinnamon rolls"... And the more recent "I think I'll make chicken pot pie for dinner and NOT buy chicken at the grocery store..."  So by the time I decided I wanted to post pictures of my baking extravaganza, it was too late, as the baking was done and the kitchen was a flour covered war-zone.

Fortunately, I chose my baking recipes from some of my favorite baking blogs, and the women who write them are fantastic at documenting the baking process.

So I present my two delectable baked goods for today:

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Bars (which I made without maple...)

courtesy of Gingerbread Bagels

and

Apple Pecan Muffin Cake

courtesy of Lethally Delicious.

I was also going to make a pumpkin quick bread, but the pumpkin bars were kind of a mix between a pumpkin bread and a pumpkin pie so I decided to hold off.  AND, who the heck is going to eat all these treats?  I, of course, devoured a good portion of both recipes "trimming off the ugly edges no one wants" and making sure neither was toxic... however, Bob doesn't like sweets... and unless I go into labor REALLY SOON, the remainder will probably go bad and I'll have to throw it away.  :(

Nesting: Day 1

So I've heard that towards the end of pregnancy most women experience "nesting".  (Read more here)

Well, today was not the day for hoarding newspapers, scrubbing floors or even finishing the last of the unpacking.

It was a day of cooking like a mad woman.

I went to the store, bought 4 lbs. of ground beef and spent the day in casserole making oblivion.

Four frying pans, five spatulas, 3 casserole dishes, 5 other ceramic dishes I dug out of the back of a cabinet, and the rest of my ziplock containers later, my freezer is now stocked with meals for after the baby arrives.  And I have dinner for two more nights this week.

Unfortunately for any other frozen food that wants to reside in my freezer, things will be kind of cramped in there for a while...

Weekend Foliage (or lack thereof) Drive

Since there's a good chance we'll be spending next weekend at the hospital rather than enjoying the mid-70 degree weather coming our way, we decided to take a drive to see the foliage... I've been so excited about fall in the northeast that this was one more thing I couldn't miss.  I'd been tracking the foliage progress on the news with the "foliage map" and even though we were at the "beginning to turn" stage, I figured we'd at least get to see a few nice trees and take a nice Sunday drive.

Unfortunately, the weather didn't really cooperate.  And by didn't really cooperate, I mean it was cold, damp, cloudy and drizzly.  Pretty much a miserable day for doing anything but sitting inside with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate watching movies.  Yet there were were, driving miles from our house to see some trees in the rain.

On a positive note, I've heard that the best foliage viewing is on a cloudy day is best, especially for taking photos because direct sunlight is too harsh and a cover of clouds produces soft, uniform lighting.  It was definitely cloudy... with a smattering of showers...

Fortunately (or unfortunately) there were about seven trees the whole trip that were in full color so even if the conditions weren't exactly perfect for photographing (and were certainly not perfect for getting out of the car for a bit of hiking or leaf collecting), we didn't miss much.

Sweet artsy-looking mushrooms

Awesome store design... At least we saw something cool on the drive.

Hopefully New Baby loves driving in the car and we can go on a foliage drive when the "foliage map" shows that we're in "peak" foliage season...