The last week or so has been interesting, to say the least. Last week, Isaac was in a growth spurt, so he ate more than usual. I knew it was coming, because I'd read about it in books and the pediatrician warned me. I dealt with it much better than I did the last one, since I knew what to expect. Even still, I was completely exhausted! Last Monday and Thursday, I felt like all I did was feed the baby. Those were the two days he ate the most. The other days? Honestly, they're all a blur now. Thankfully, I've been able to get more rest in the last few days.
I've been able to get out of the house more lately, which has been nice. Yesterday, I took Isaac to my workplace so I could drop off my contract for next year. I visited everyone who wasn't teaching at that time, as well as some of my students. I was hoping I could get there close to the class change so I could see both of my eighth grade classes, but I quickly realized that I just needed to go whenever I had the opportunity. Isaac was tired, but he most definitely did not want to sleep, so I left as soon as he finally did take a nap.
We also made it back to church last week. Last Sunday, I was really proud of the fact that we arrived a little early for Sunday school. Wes had to be at the church much earlier than I did, so we rode separately, and I was a little nervous about having to get the baby ready by myself. I put Isaac in a sling and took him to Sunday school with me since he was sleeping. He didn't stay asleep for long though. Even though I fed him before I left, he was hungry an hour later. I anticipated that, though, and brought some milk that I'd pumped. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough, so I ended up leaving Sunday school so I could nurse him. By the time he finished and I talked to a few people, Sunday school was over. I went to the nursery to change him, thinking that he'd settle down after that. It didn't happen though. I was really looking forward to having him in the morning worship service with me, but I ended up having to leave him in the nursery. Mrs. Rosie was all too happy to watch him though. She said he stopped crying after everyone left the nursery, so maybe all the people and noise was a little too much for him that day.
This past Sunday, I decided to leave him in the nursery during Sunday school. I didn't think he would need to eat until after church, but I figured I'd leave him in there just in case. After Sunday school, he was just as calm as he could be, so I decided to take him into the church with me. He stayed up for the first part of the service. After "meet and greet," though, he went to sleep and stayed asleep for the rest of the time. Everyone was really excited to see him and told me they're glad I'm back. I was glad to be there. It's hard to put into words, but I just felt better when I got home.
It's amazing how much you take for granted...that is, until you have a baby. Since Isaac has been born, these are some of the things I've really come to appreciate:
Hot Showers. I never take my shower until after Wes gets home so that it won't be interrupted. That is probably the best 20 minutes of my day now!
Exercise. I started going to Body Flow again last week, and it felt GREAT.
Coffee. Every morning, without fail, no matter what time it is, Isaac always fusses when I'm trying to drink my coffee. After my Body Flow class tonight, I stopped by the Daily Grind to get a cup of coffee (decaffeinated, of course). It was so nice to be able to drink it without interruption.
Reading. While I was at the Daily Grind enjoying my coffee, I also read the newspaper for 15 minutes. I love to read, so it wouldn't have mattered what I read. But it was nice to be able to catch up with what's going on in the world lately.
Conversation. I've always appreciated my time with Wes, but now I cherish anytime we get to have a conversation without being interrupted. It's also been nice to get out of the house more and talk to friends in the process. The interaction makes a world of difference in my day!
Sleep. Isaac slept so much in the beginning that I was starting to take his naps for granted. Now, whenever he sleeps during the day, I can't wait to take a nap myself.
Speaking of which, it is definitely time for me to get some rest now. Pictures coming later on this week.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Update
We've been very busy the past two weeks, as I'm sure is evident by the lack of posting lately. As I mentioned in a previous post, Isaac breastfed successfully for the first time a few Fridays ago. It was a little painful for me, though, so I knew that I wasn't doing something right. Well the following Monday, I went to see the lactation consultant. Of course, Isaac breastfed perfectly while I was there. She did show me one little trick to get him to latch on properly though, and that has made all the difference in the world. Beginning last week, I was breastfeeding more and supplementing less.
Last Tuesday, Isaac had his one month checkup. He weighed in at 10 pounds, 7 ounces! Dr. Feldman asked me a bunch of questions and told me that he is developing normally. He also gave me some great news. I no longer have to wake Isaac up to eat! He said now that he's put on some weight, I can let him tell me when he's ready to eat. He said just to make sure he doesn't go more than four hours without eating during the day, and five hours at night. So far in two weeks, there's only one time I've had to wake him up for his next feeding. Let me tell you, he is a much happier baby now.
This week, I had my final checkup with Janice, and she released me to do all of my normal activites. I can't wait to go back to the gym next week! I am going to take it easy though, because I still get really tired during the day if I do too much. Janice was also a huge encouragement to me regarding breastfeeding. Isaac had been doing much better with it, but it was still inconsistent. Sometimes he'd do it perfectly, and other times he wouldn't even latch on. On one hand, I knew we'd come so far and didn't want to give up. On the other hand, I was pretty frustrated, impatient, and was ready to throw in the towel. Talking to Janice really helped though. After I told her about our progress and how much more milk I was able to pump, she told me, "I think it's time for you to get rid of the formula. Or if not, you're really close. You're just going to have to draw your line in the sand like you did that first day he breastfed and say, 'We're not doing this today.'" My eyes widened, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Could I really do that? Did I really have enough milk to meet his needs? So the next day I decided to try it and find out. And we went the entire day without supplementing! That was monumental for me, a milestone. Our day was so much better too. Isaac was happier, I was happier, everyone was happier.
We've had many firsts in the past couple of weeks:
~Last Monday was the first day that I took Isaac to Savannah, without any help.
~Last Monday was Isaac's first day meeting new people, as I stopped by my mom's workplace on the way home. Everyone oohed and aahed over him, saying he is a really "pretty baby." One person even said he looks like the Gerber baby.
~Last Thursday was Isaac's first visit to Grandma BJ's (my mom's) house. She LOVED having him there.
~Last Thursday was the first time I heard Isaac laugh. He did that while my dad was holding him and talking to him.
~Last Friday was the first time I took Isaac to a restaurant. We went to Applebee's to eat lunch with my grandfather, his great grandfather.
~Last Friday was also Isaac's first day in the swing. What a great invention!
~Last Saturday was Isaac's first visit to Grandma Terry's (Wes's mom's) house. She LOVED having him there too.
~This Wednesday was the first time that Isaac breastfed exclusively during the day. I was so proud of him...and myself!
~This Thursday was the first time that Isaac breastfed exclusively during the day and the middle of the night. That will definitely take some getting used to, at least for me!
~This Friday was Isaac's first trip to the mall. We went so I could get a birthday present for my grandmother, as well as some gifts for Mother's Day.
~This Friday was also Isaac's first trip to Wal-Mart. Wes and I took him there so we could do some grocery shopping. He was sleeping until we got in the store. He stayed up the whole time and, all things considered, was pretty good. He didn't start crying until he heard another baby crying. Even still, Wes and I decided to go back to the way we've done things the last few weeks. One of us will stay home with the baby, and one of us will go to the store.
~Today was the first day he took a tub bath. He really enjoyed it!
~Tonight will be the first night he sleeps in his own room. He is so big now that it's time for him to graduate from the bassinet to the crib. I must say, I am going to miss having him in our room!
Now for some more pictures:
Last Tuesday, Isaac had his one month checkup. He weighed in at 10 pounds, 7 ounces! Dr. Feldman asked me a bunch of questions and told me that he is developing normally. He also gave me some great news. I no longer have to wake Isaac up to eat! He said now that he's put on some weight, I can let him tell me when he's ready to eat. He said just to make sure he doesn't go more than four hours without eating during the day, and five hours at night. So far in two weeks, there's only one time I've had to wake him up for his next feeding. Let me tell you, he is a much happier baby now.
This week, I had my final checkup with Janice, and she released me to do all of my normal activites. I can't wait to go back to the gym next week! I am going to take it easy though, because I still get really tired during the day if I do too much. Janice was also a huge encouragement to me regarding breastfeeding. Isaac had been doing much better with it, but it was still inconsistent. Sometimes he'd do it perfectly, and other times he wouldn't even latch on. On one hand, I knew we'd come so far and didn't want to give up. On the other hand, I was pretty frustrated, impatient, and was ready to throw in the towel. Talking to Janice really helped though. After I told her about our progress and how much more milk I was able to pump, she told me, "I think it's time for you to get rid of the formula. Or if not, you're really close. You're just going to have to draw your line in the sand like you did that first day he breastfed and say, 'We're not doing this today.'" My eyes widened, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Could I really do that? Did I really have enough milk to meet his needs? So the next day I decided to try it and find out. And we went the entire day without supplementing! That was monumental for me, a milestone. Our day was so much better too. Isaac was happier, I was happier, everyone was happier.
We've had many firsts in the past couple of weeks:
~Last Monday was the first day that I took Isaac to Savannah, without any help.
~Last Monday was Isaac's first day meeting new people, as I stopped by my mom's workplace on the way home. Everyone oohed and aahed over him, saying he is a really "pretty baby." One person even said he looks like the Gerber baby.
~Last Thursday was Isaac's first visit to Grandma BJ's (my mom's) house. She LOVED having him there.
~Last Thursday was the first time I heard Isaac laugh. He did that while my dad was holding him and talking to him.
~Last Friday was the first time I took Isaac to a restaurant. We went to Applebee's to eat lunch with my grandfather, his great grandfather.
~Last Friday was also Isaac's first day in the swing. What a great invention!
~Last Saturday was Isaac's first visit to Grandma Terry's (Wes's mom's) house. She LOVED having him there too.
~This Wednesday was the first time that Isaac breastfed exclusively during the day. I was so proud of him...and myself!
~This Thursday was the first time that Isaac breastfed exclusively during the day and the middle of the night. That will definitely take some getting used to, at least for me!
~This Friday was Isaac's first trip to the mall. We went so I could get a birthday present for my grandmother, as well as some gifts for Mother's Day.
~This Friday was also Isaac's first trip to Wal-Mart. Wes and I took him there so we could do some grocery shopping. He was sleeping until we got in the store. He stayed up the whole time and, all things considered, was pretty good. He didn't start crying until he heard another baby crying. Even still, Wes and I decided to go back to the way we've done things the last few weeks. One of us will stay home with the baby, and one of us will go to the store.
~Today was the first day he took a tub bath. He really enjoyed it!
~Tonight will be the first night he sleeps in his own room. He is so big now that it's time for him to graduate from the bassinet to the crib. I must say, I am going to miss having him in our room!
Now for some more pictures:
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