Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Friends for Life

These two are buddies. 


Rocky wouldn't have it any other way.



Talk about persistence....won't take no for an answer ;-)


                           

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Post Partum Support and Suggestions Part 2

I bow down to all of those ladies that go it solo or without support from a significant other, friends or family the first few weeks post partum. It's a busy, often hectic time even with the support of loved ones.

Not only has your body gone through one of the toughest adventures but you also have this new little person, that you just met (and don't fully understand), to care for. I must say I think that little person serves as an AMAZING distraction from the awkward and sometimes uncomfortable things your body is going through as it heals. I'm quite certain that if I didn't have the little girl around needing my attention I would have sat on the couch all day thinking how badly hemorrhoids hurt.

The hubs literally hit the ground running. He did an amazing job jumping right into daddy/mommy caretaker from the get-go. Newborns certainly don't follow any kind of schedule but we tried to get ourselves into a routine to help things run more smoothly.

For those that are curious, here are the post partum support tips for the first couple weeks home that worked for us...

1. Mama: Nap when baby naps. I'm serious. When the nurses at the hospital first suggested to me I admittedly thought "umm yeah right. THAT's realistic." But it is a life/sanity saver. I know for most of us this is only a feasible "task"for the first few days, but it will make a world of difference. Sometimes I had to force myself (okay Tim forced me) to nap, but I was always glad that I gave in. The dirty dishes, and the to-go containers that are piling up will still be there. You'll get to them when you get to them, and if you're lucky your support person will take care of all that.

2. Mama: Do what you need to do to make you feel good or normal. Before I had the baby, I didn't know what this would be. I envisioned myself rocking out sweatpants or yoga pants all day e'ryday but after spending a few days in loungewear at the hospital I actually wanted to wear "regular clothes." For me it felt good to know that I was still ME and not "mommy monster." Don't get me wrong, by late afternoon I was in loungewear, but that ME time to shower and actually get myself ready made me feel good. So do what makes YOU feel good, whatever that may be.

3. Daddy or main support person: Don't ask, just do. Tim did an incredible job taking care of things. He didn't ask "what do you want me to do?" or say "just let me know what you want me to help with." He just knew. If it was lunch time, he made lunch. If the baby filled her diaper, he changed it. If the laundry was piling up, he washed it. This was such a wonderful gift. I know there are countless things he did without me even knowing. It was so nice to not even have all those "to-dos" on my radar. And honestly, if he would have asked "What can I do to help?" I probably would have given the generic "It's okay, I've got it!" response.

4. Mama and Daddy: Decide if and when you want visitors. Since we live far from our family all of our family visitors were scheduled in the form of advance purchase plane tickets. We had decided we didn't want family to fly in for the delivery. It just wasn't our style, and we also didn't want someone to spend the money on plane tickets and then have the little nugget not arrive until they day they were scheduled to depart. We scheduled the first visitor for 2 weeks after her due date. We knew that that would mean we would have at least 1 week for ourselves, to get used to everything that being a new parent brings. For us, this was the best decision ever. For example, there were a few days early on that I had trouble breastfeeding, and having visitors staying with us while we were trying to figure things out would have stressed me out. By the time we had our first visitor we were more established in our practices which meant this girl was a heck of a lot calmer. This definitely may not be the best approach for everyone, so I think it is important to figure out, especially if you are going to have visitors actually staying in your home.

5. Mama and Daddy: Share baby duty. It's not a race. It's not a competition. Turns out you DON'T get a gold star for being a supermom who does it all during your baby's first week of life. Split the responsibility. Tim and I didn't have a plan with regards to this; it just sort of happened. He took care of the little one all day, aside from feedings because I was nursing (more on that in a different post). This allowed me to rest and recover, so that I could be fully alert and not overwhelmed when it was my turn to love on the little lady. I took care of her at night. I had to be up every few hours to feed her anyway, so this just made sense. Tim got a full night of sleep and then he could be the best dad ever during the day. I know a lot of people have the mentality of "if I have to be up all night so should he!!" but for us that just didn't make sense. We felt like Miss Makaela benefited more from having alert (read: not cranky) parents.

6. Get out of the house. Change up your environment. Anyone who knows me knows I'm GREAT at being lazy. I can keep the couch comfy all day while watching marathons on HGTV or Netflix. But this girl actually started to go stir-crazy! After a couple days it began to feel like that movie Groundhog's Day. The days just sort of rolled into one another and each action was just repeated over and over. I found that having an outing or different activity each day to shake up the mix was a wonderful thing. Somedays that outing was just a walk around our community, other days it was a meal out or a trip to the grocery store. Baby girl travels well, so this was really enjoyable for us.

7. Mama and Daddy: Don't be afraid to seek help. Our hospital did a great job of educating us about the signs of baby blues and post partum depression. Both are very common and neither are anything to be ashamed of. I didn't run into this personally, but both Tim and I made sure we knew the signs and were familiar with the resources available to us. Your whole world changes QUICKLY when you have a baby and it is easy to become overwhelmed. Trust me, we did a lot of "is XYZ normal" or "what should we do if...." GOOGLE-ing.

8. Mama and Daddy: Trust yourself.  There isn't a "Complete Guide to being a Parent" book out there with the answers on how to raise YOUR baby. Right from the get-go Tim and I tried to trust ourselves and didn't let worry get out of proportion. It is scary at first thinking that you are responsible for another life, but it is totally manageable. We operate on trial and error. If the baby was fussy we just tried different things until we found the solution. Maybe she wanted to eat, maybe she needed a diaper change, maybe she wanted to snuggle, maybe she wanted to be rocked, maybe she needed her belly massaged. We kept the mentality of "you can't expect different results if you keep doing the same thing." For example, if I was rocking her and she was getting fussy, I wouldn't keep rocking her, I'd try something different! Everyday your confidence in your own ability grows.

9. Savor every moment. So many people told me the time will fly by and "enjoy it" because they'll grow up before you know it. This is so true. Babies change EVERY day. Remind yourself how new they are to this world and that your job is to love them and support them through all of their daily challenges. Heck, I wouldn't want to be a newborn - no control of your hands, can't hold up your own head, and your only way to communicate is through crying....no thanks! For some, it is love at first sight when their baby is born. For others, it takes time to get to know this little person and REALLY fall in love with them. Both are okay! There really is nothing better than that feeling you get when your little one looks into your eyes; you are their world.

10. Also, I would highly recommend The Wonder Weeks. There is a book and a basic app. For some reason, this book just really made sense to me. It explains that different "leaps" a baby goes through. Just when you think you've figured out your baby and their routine, all of a sudden they wake up and you wonder who replaced your child with another baby. This book explains when to expect those changes, and how to get through them. So far it has been spot-on for us, and it helps me to be confident in my abilities. I actually get proud of myself that I recognize the "signs," haha.  Around 5 weeks, all of a sudden Makaela became a little fussy and clingy. This was not typical of her. It was at this time that I discovered this book, and it totally calmed my nerves. Just this past week her behavior became a little out of the norm again, and sure enough when I pulled out the book I discovered she was right on schedule for another "leap" period. I promise you won't see me on a informercial, I just liked the book!

Someone is hungry, but I still have a few other post partum suggestions in mind with regards to feeding, working out etc. Another day, another post I suppose :)

Monday, May 27, 2013

We're here!

It's been far too long since our last post but in our defense we've had a couple full-speed-ahead-life-isn't-waiting kind of weeks.

Tim lost a friend tragically and had to travel out of town for a week. We watched our cousin marry the love of her life. Our friends welcomed their new baby girl (we love her to pieces). Tim got news of a new career opportunity. We had to major life decisions about our future.

Oh and of course we had to spend quality time with this little nugget.....


And she needed lots of snuggles....



And we had to go on a few outings...



And we had to practice things like being a ballerina, giving the thumbs up and holding up our head...





So please accept our virtual apology in the form of these photos...


Now how could you be mad at a face like that??

And seriously, I'm going to try and post a ton this week. We have LOTS to share. So much that you'll be annoyed. And you'll tell me to shut up. Just wait for it. 




Saturday, May 18, 2013

Infant Rash

Last week we took monkey to the doctor for some concerns we had about her skin. She had a few spots of typical baby acne on her face which didn't make us think twice, but then she woke up one morning with quite a few bumps on her arms, neck and chest. Of course I didn't think to take a picture but it looked similar to this (thanks Google).


At first we attributed it to spreading baby acne, but as the day progressed it became more red and somewhat inflamed. We decided to wait and see what it looked like the next day, because she wasn't bothered by it at all, and had no fever. In fact she was down right happy (these photos were taken while she had the rash).



Since we had record breaking temperatures here in Washington, we thought the irritation may even be related to the heat. The next day the bumps were still there and still inflamed so we decided to make an appointment. Naturally, most of the bumps cleared up before the appointment but we decided we better still go. Yep, we're first time parents....better safe than sorry when it comes to bambino though!

Turns out she had a common infant rash. Totally typical, totally nothing to be concerned about. Especially since she wasn't bothered by it. The doc prescribed her an ointment and it cleared things right up!

Oh and since we were there they basically did a well baby check and little monkey weighed in at almost 12 pounds and 22.5 inches....you grow girl....ha.


Friday, May 17, 2013

Post Partum Check Up and Suggestions Part 1

My 6 week post-partum exam was Tuesday. I've been dreading it for weeeeeeeks, but I'm happy to report I survived!

Few things in life are as awkward as a gyn. exam and I had convinced myself that the doctor would tell me my uterus was falling out or that I'd have to wear adult diapers for the rest of my life. Luckily, neither of those things occurred.

It was just like an annual exam, except we talked about breastfeeding and the baby's growth too. Perhaps, the doctor was just trying to distract me because she knows I'm a spastic freak.

We also talked about birth control. I had been given the mini-pill which has low dose hormones and is safe to take while breastfeeding. Ladies who are nursing typically don't have periods (holla!) The doctor stressed the importance of taking the pill at the same time everyday, and to switch to the "regular" pill when done breastfeeding to avoid becoming the "1 in 20 who get pregnant within a year" statistic on the pill package. Can we talk about how terrifying that would be?!?! She also reminded me that "babies as cute and well behaved as Makaela aren't good birth control" and I reminded her that disgusting gyn exams are :)

Good news is that I'm healing just fine. I think I started to feel totally "normal" again at about 4.5 weeks. I had a third degree tear, so I imagine those with less trauma would heal faster and those with more (two become one in some ladies if you know what I mean...helllllo vagectum), or with a c-section would take longer. The worst part was the first couple weeks. There was just a lot of soreness and even walking seemed to put a lot of pressure on my lady parts. Oh and there was that point at about 3 weeks post partum when I thought "wow I feel GREAT" and then I attempted a jumping jack (Jillian Michaels made me)...that moment is what led to my fear of my uterus falling out. There was also the time when I googled something along the lines of "how long does it take for a 3rd degree tear to heal?" Let's just say I'm convinced people only like to share horror stories on the internet! A peek into my google search history over the past 6 weeks would provide quite a few laughs.

For those that are curious, here are the post-partum below-the-belt care tips and products that worked for me.

1. Tucks Witch Hazel Pads.....holy heaven. Buy LOTS. They are AMAZING. Trust me. I would be a spokesperson for these bad boys if they let me.

2. Stock up on what the hospital is offering you so you have "goods" for home. I don't know about you but I certainly don't know where to buy an ice-pack maxi-pad, and they really help provide short-term relief.

3. I had stocked up on the heavy duty overnight maxi-pads, but was surprised that I didn't even need pads by the end of the first week, so I would recommend purchasing pantyliners as well in case you get lucky like I did in that department.

3. Pat or dab, don't wipe. Thank you to the nurse that told me that early on.

4. Your doc prescribed you a stool softener for a reason. Don't be like me and not take it at first out of fear. It will make that first (okay, first several) bowel movements a lot less scary. Don't force things..and remember, you pushed a baby out...you'll survive this.

5. Don't overdo it. Everything in moderation or you WILL regret it later and you WILL be counting down until it is time for your next Motrin. Spend as much time on the couch as you can; your bum will thank you.

I still can't believe I pushed a human out of my hoo-ha. The human body is cray-cray. And to think, while you're busy healing you're even more busy taking care of a newborn, perhaps learning to breastfeed and trying to figure out the next time you'll get more than 4 hours of sleep at a time.

I've certainly got more to say about surviving the post-partum period, but enough is enough for now.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Sensory Bottles and Infant Massage

Guess what? Ver came to visit last week and we enjoyed some serious girl time. She flew out here the day after graduating with her M.S.W...yay!! Go Ver!



It was one good time after another. We spent time at the beach, downtown Seattle and of course got our  share of couch time and stuff-our-face-with-delicious-food time. There were many cupcakes, cookies and brownies to be had. Did I mention the visit conveniently fell over Cinco de Mayo?? That happens to be a special holiday for Ver and I. We didn't disappoint and were sure to celebrate with enchiladas and margaritas. And of course Makaela's lesbian mamas also caused a spectacle at the restaurant by not knowing how to properly secure her carseat in the (jacked-up) high chair. Hey lady sitting across from us, we could do without the stares, order a shot of tequila and simmer down.



So at this point you're probably wondering why the heck this post is titled "Sensory Bottles and Infant Massage." Well, anyone who knows me and Ver knows there had to be craft time. Since Ver has tons of experience in child development she suggested we make sensory bottles for baby Mak. And when I say we, I mean she, because I was really no help at all.


She dyed pasta, filled a bottle with water and red/white/blue glitter, filled a bottle with pom poms, dyed rice and added glitter, filled a bottle with dyed water and oil, and filled a bottle with glitter. To dye the pasta and rice she mixed food coloring with alcohol to make sure the dye adhered to the items. The bottles stimulate Makaela's little baby senses and will be great as she gets older and can shake, rattle and roll them on her own. Currently her favorite is the pom pom bottle. Thank you Ver!!

And the fun didn't stop there. Ver has taught infant massage to many of the families she works with, so when Tim mentioned I was going to take a class to learn, Ver offered to teach me! Makaela was in heaven. She loves it!! It calms her and she makes the most adorable oooo's and coo's. We've done it on our own a few times since Ver left and are trying to work it into our nightly routine. We like to turn down the lights and turn on the Toddler Tunes music channel which plays soothing music in the evening. If anyone is interested, YouTube also has lots of helpful videos. 

I love learning new, fun ways to spend time with my girl and help her learn <3







Sunday, May 12, 2013

First Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the strong and beautiful female role models out there! Alright that was maybe a little too Beyonce-esque, I admit.

I have only been a mom for shy of 6 weeks now and it has been an incredible journey. Thank you to my wonderful friends and family that gave me shout-outs and made me feel extra special today!

I'm lucky to have the best mom a girl could ask for. She has taught me countless lessons and we have shared millions of laughs and smiles. I continue to learn from her everyday, especially now that I'm a mom. Even though we live thousands of miles apart, our daily conversations make it feel like she's right next door. Thank you for loving me unconditionally mom....even when I was a sass-box teen.



Now, thank you to the little girl that made me a mama... 



You woke me up this morning with projectile poo...you sure do know how to make a girl feel special. Let's not make that an annual tradition though. Heart you boo.



I love love love you and look forward to many years of dress up, fort building, ice cream sundae making, manis and pedis and everything else in between.

And of course muchas gracias to my wonderful husband. Breakfast was delicious and I LOVE the Vera Bradley carry-on luggage and awesome card you "helped" Makaela pick out. Thanks for photobombing canine Vanna White.



You're my other half hubs and I couldn't do it without you. You made my first Mother's Day perfect!


Friday, May 10, 2013

New sounds and buh-bye


Someone waves buh-bye at the end of the video. Nice work baby genius.

I can't seem to get the video to embed in the post right now, but this link will take ya to it.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

1 month photos!

Better late than never right?!

These were taken the day she turned one month old, I just haven't had the chance to post them until now.

Narrowing it down to these select few photos was harder than labor the hardest thing I've done all week, so don't be surprised if I sprinkle in the "extras" here and there.

And I pinky promise new posts very soon with what we've been up to for the past week :-)



I'm sexy and I know it
I'm here for the party
Baby blue eyes
Fist pumping




Thursday, May 2, 2013

Back to work...

Back to school  work, back to school  work...

After 30 days off that flew by, it's daddy's first day back at work. Noooooo!!!


In true Rocky fashion, he thinks he's the man of the house and primary caretaker. The dog has no faith in my parenting skills.

No joke, if Makaela starts fussing and I'm not tending to her within 4 seconds Rocky takes matters into his own hands  paws. And by that I mean I have caught him kissing (read: sticking his tongue down her throat) countless times this morning. To give him some credit, he has also pawed some of her animated toys to make them light up and sing for her. Thanks bud.

Taylor has stayed true to herself...