Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Crazy!

Well, I've been back to work for a solid week now (actually just over a week) and it has been crazy! Work has been good, and it is nice to get back into a routine. But I want to spend all of my time in the evenings with Raelynn and the house is a MESS! I'm not organized at all and things are spread out all over the place. It seems like every flat surface has become a place for what ever happens to be dropped on it.
Last Tuesday was my first day back and it was SO hard to leave her although I only cried when I left. It was mainly hard because she was crying when I left her. She has done so good at the sitters since then! Last week when I went to get her, she would immediately come home and sleep, eat a bit, sleep again, eat a bit, get her pjs on and go to bed. This week, not so much! Which is great with me because she has really started talking more and finding your face to smile at you!
I'm glad I'm able to get back into the swing of things at work. I feel though, like I'm not getting anything but pumping and teaching done durring the day. I'm always thinking about one or the other. Pumping will just become second nature soon, but making enough food for her is about all I can think of. Which I've been able to do, but its just stressful.
The sitter is the neighbor who has been babysitting for years! She writes me a note each day to let me know how she did, when she ate, and when she napped. She has 2 bouncy seats and a swing for Rae to be in. She is more than willing to do my cloth diapering and she is feeding her the milk I take her. I could not be happier with our choice in daycare.
This past weekend Mom and Emily came out to see us. We went shopping on Saturday which was nice to get out and get some of the things done I needed to get done and wanted to get done with extra hands. Shopping by yourself is hard! Sunday we just hung out, watched her talk to us for a good hour, and then Granny and Aunite Em made her into a dolly changing her clothes and taking pictures.
This weekend we're just hanging out at home. Ryan's changed shifts so he's working 12 am to 11 am. It has been nice durring the week because he gets up right as we get home, we can eat dinner together, and then he goes to bed before us.
Raelynn has been sleeping pretty good at night. Last night I thought she was ready for bed at 8, but she had other plans! She was up until about 11 and slept until 4:45. Unfortunately we get up at 5:30 and she was up and ready to start her day by 4:45. Last week she was sleeping a good 4 hours her first stretch and then every 2 hours she was up to eat. She is ready to go by about 5:30 every day.
The cloth diapering is going very well! I'm enjoying saving money for other things, like jeans for her! I've started using cloth wipes as well. Just an old t-shirt cut up into squares, squirting them with water and done. Often her poops have exploded out of the diaper but remain in the cover which is great! The disposable ones just blow right out of the diaper. I'm still looking for a few more prefolds to fit her so I don't have to fold them.
She is enjoying her bath time. I've just been taking a shower on Thursday nights with her because of how chilly our house is. With a regular bath, she just gets cold too fast and starts to cry. She seems to like the water running on her, but she sure does get slippery!
Other than being exhausted, we are two of the happiest people in the world! I can't believe how much she has changed in almost 7 weeks and I don't want to miss anything!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
The Thomas Family

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

She's still sleeping...shhhhh!

She ate at 5:30 and she's still sleeping! Don't worry, she'll be up in a little bit to eat again!
Things are going good. We went to mom and dad's last weekend and the newborn clothes I packed, that fit, on Thursday were all of a sudden tight on Friday. So, I packed all of her newborn clothes up. :( Our little girl is growing up. :(
The question everyone asks is "How's she sleeping?" or "Are you getting any sleep?" Yes and more so since I put her to sleep on her belly. She is usually in bed between 8:30 and 10 and sleeps until between 12 and 1 at night. The she goes right back to sleep and is up at about 3:00-3:30. That is the time she has a hard time falling back asleep. So we sit in the recliner and rock, also putting me to sleep. So sometimes we sleep in the chair until sometime in the 4:00 hour. Then she goes back to bed and we're up between 5 and 5:30. Often when I lay her back down in the 4:00 hour she doesn't sleep very soundly and I'm up putting her pacifier back in her mouth. This doesn't happen as much after she eats in the 5:00 hour. So, I'm getting sleep most nights. My biggest thing is that I like to sleep in my own bed! I sit up all day and I'm ready to lay flat at night. Some nights of course are worse than others. A few nights ago she cried and screamed from 3-4 and I had no idea what was wrong.
During the day she is usually awake for about an hour after we get up and get our day started. She is very content and happy to sit in her bouncy seat and talk to us. (Which she has been doing A LOT more of and it always makes me smile!) Then she is down for a nap and we do it all again a few times a day. She usually cluster feeds from about 3-5 and then takes another nap before she goes to bed.
Lately I've been wondering if something that I'm eating is making her belly upset. I'm thinking it is dairy and therefore I've given up milk for starters. I'm thinking dairy because we didn't have any milk in the house late last week, but when I went home, mom and dad had some so I drank like 3 glasses in one day. Well, her belly was upset the next few days. Then the night she screamed from 3-4 and kicked her legs, I had a glass of milk before bed that night. So I've not had a glass of milk for 2 days now and she's not had nearly as bad of a kicking screaming episode as she did. So, I'll keep giving up milk (although I'm craving about 3 glasses right now) to see if that helps her belly. I'm also not eating any plain cheese or cheese in huge amounts or any other dairy. (I'm also missing my coffee.)
Cloth diapering is going great! Except for the blow out we had yesterday that resulted in her having poo all down her leg, socks, sock-ons, clothes, and my moby that she was chilling in. The washing is easy, the folding is easy, and I'm enjoying it! Some of the prefolds I have are thinner and don't take the wetness away as much. So sometimes she cries because she is wet, but other than that she seems to be doing well with it too.
Breast feeding is also going well. I've pumped some to get a stash started for when I go back to work. She cracks me up because she is either massaging me like a kitten does its momma or she is trampolining her face off of my boob. But she eats between 10 and 15 minutes on one side. I've been trying to burp her about half way through, thinking that could also be part of her tummy trouble (gas).
I am so in love with our little girl. I knew our lives were going to change, but I never knew it would be this hard, this rewarding, this fun, this exciting. I love kissing her and holding her while she sleeps! My favorite thing is to talk to her and read her books! Although I have TONS of sleeping pictures :) Ryan loves when she holds his finger. Not that he has said anything, but he is always putting his finger in her hand. I wish he were here more so he could spend some time with her. He's here in the mornings to be with her and he got to feed her her first food out of a bottle. He was excited about that too! "You did!" was what he said when I left him a bottle in the fridge. We just haven't had a weekend to just be at home since she was born, but Ryan's off this Saturday and we're going to spend it together at home.
Well, she is starting to squeak and wake up. Tonight is shower night! (Which she likes MUCH better than a bath!) More later.

Love,
The Thomas Family