Pregnancy Update: Week 34 Recap!

How far along?  35 weeks today, so I’ll do a recap of week 34.

Total weight gain:  33 pounds so far…

Baby’s size/development this week:  OMG, the little internal parasite is 5 ½ pounds!  That is HUGE.

Maternity clothes:  I bought 4 dresses and a tank top off the Buy/Sell/Trade for $10 and 3 large maternity tees for $6.  God, I love the BST.  I’m so happy because everything is super cute, in good condition, and super cheap.  Not to mention, several of the dresses will be GREAT for nursing in the first couple months postpartum so I feel even better about the money spent.

Miss anything?  At this very moment I am sitting at a desk and I miss being able to sit so that the edge of the desk isn’t cutting into my stomach.  I miss being able to move like a normal person.  I’m so over waddling.  I miss my back not hurting.  I miss glasses of wine.  I miss being able easily to run around after my toddler.

Food cravings:  Just give me a nice brownie or piece of cake with lots of ice cream and whipped cream on top and I’ll be fine.  Still trying to eat like a relatively healthy person though.

Anything making you queasy or sick?   I have started to feel slightly queasy lately.

Sleep:   Sleep is awesome.  I slept so great last night and it was truly wonderful.  I just wish I could do more of it.

Best moment of the week:   There were a lot!

• Everett’s birthday bash was pretty freaking awesome.  Friday was wonderful spending the day with Chad and Everett.  Things have been so busy lately, we REALLY enjoyed a day with no pressure, no stress, no plans, and nothing in particular to do.
• Saturday was another great day, with family visiting from both in and out of town.  We went to the Conservatory, walked around German Village, and had dinner at Black Creek Bistro.
• Picking up my new maternity swag was pretty awesome as well, and I shopped for new nursing bras which I DESPERATELY needed (still waiting on those to show up though!)
• We also got a new stroller which will be able to accommodate Everett and the new little one, which we were super excited about!
• I also had my 35 week appointment with the midwives, which Chad was supposed to go to, but ended up having to work open to close. L  I was sad about that!  But the appointment was good though – baby’s head is DOWN, so that was a reason to celebrate!  We discussed more of the birth in detail and things started to feel more real, the excitement for the baby’s imminent arrival is starting to ramp up.

Nursery:  Eh.

Weddings rings on or off?   I was really swollen last week and took my ring off.  I feel LOTS better this week and could probably put it back on, but I think I’ll just forgo the stress and forget about it until after I give birth.

Belly Button:  The belly button of steel is in and shall forever remain so.  

Movement?  All the movement!  Elbows and feet and hiccups!  I also sometimes feel the baby is ramming its head into my pubic bone too, which is particularly jolting.

Labor signs?   So yesterday, at 34 weeks 6 days, I felt the first signs pointing to the fact that labor is just around the corner, how far of course nobody yet knows.  I took the day off work because I woke up feeling super tired and lethargic.  Except for after lunch when I dragged myself out for a slow, leisurely two mile walk, I laid around in bed all day.  Around 4:00, I was getting ready to go pick Everett up in the upcoming hour when I started getting some pretty intense Braxton Hicks contractions and my stomach felt super hard.  The baby also did this thing where it lodged its back firmly against the left side of my stomach and seemed to be pushing out HARD.  I couldn’t tell if it was a contraction or just the baby moving and pushing.  Then I started to feel some low abdominal cramping, much akin to a period pain.  I was all alone, about to pick up Everett, and starting to *freak out.*  I was just praying that it was a false alarm, but the last time I went into labor (a month early), I started by feeling super lethargic for a few days, and then when the contractions started, they came on FAST.  And so did the baby, so I was super concerned that if these were indeed the beginnings of labor, that the baby would arrive in just a few hours and I would be screwed.  I started out to go pick up get Everett and figured I would go get him and take things a step at a time.  I tried to get a hold of Chad and couldn’t (he was in a meeting), which made me freak out even more.  So then I contacted my midwife and she told me that it could be preparatory labor, which is very common at this point in a second pregnancy, but to stop drinking pregnancy tea (which I was drinking at that moment) and to lay down for the rest of the evening.  Given my prior pre-term birth, she wanted to keep a closer eye on me, but didn’t feel any urgent action was necessary.  Chad wasn’t supposed to get home until 7:30 or so, but I got a hold of him around 5:30 and he came right home, made dinner, and was on toddler duty for the night while I lay around upstairs watching the Gilmore Girls.  Once Chad got home and nothing seemed to progress, I felt less stressed, at least in an immediate sense, but I still feel on high guard and will probably remain so for the next two weeks.   I’m just praying I make it to 37 weeks.  NO PRETERM BABY!  NO ASSOCIATED POSSIBLE HEALTH CONCERNS! NO HOSPITAL BIRTH! (Especially since I’m all paid up with my midwives!) …After 37 weeks, the rest is just icing, but I REALLY want to make it at least to 38 weeks, so that I can go to my prenatal yoga seminar and labor preparation with Chad and have a few days at home to relax and get my head in the right space before the arrival of our new one, which holy shit, could be arriving anytime from the next few days to the next five weeks.

Weird pregnancy thing of the week:   See above stupid story.

Daddy is feeling:   Super stressed.  Between finals and papers and work being super insane, things have been rough for him lately.  I think we both deserve a break.

Mommy is feeling:   Yesterday when I went on a nice leisurely walk, I could feel myself turning inwards in a more reflective, contemplative, slowed down world sort of way that I experienced after I gave birth the first time.  Work will be wrapping up soon and the immediate matters of my body and family are starting to take precedent both physically and mentally.  I’m really looking forward to this weekend where Chad, Everett, and I get a chance to spend  it just the three of us for one of the last times evarrr before we become a family of four.  Since shit is getting real and I’ve been woken up to how quickly things are progressing, I have really, really been hit with the strong desire to savor the last few days and weeks of our awesome little threesome.

Workouts this week:  I’ve done the 2 mile Walhalla Loop at least 3-4 times in the past week or so, and it’s been good for my body and spirit, but I’m wondering if I should stop the walks until I hit 37 weeks.  Bah.

Books I'm Reading/Media I'm Ingesting:  I’m on my last season of Gilmore Girls.  I have no idea what I’ll do after that!  Actually, I might read another Ina May Gaskin book I picked up on breastfeeding…it might be a good idea to get my head back in the game again after a 6 month hiatus.  I also need to delve back into the book I’ve been reading (First Bite:  How We Learn to Eat) about food and developing healthy eating habits in our children without going insane (not really sure if I believe this is actually possible).

Looking forward to:  

• The first Clintonville Farmer’s Market of the year!!!
• A full weekend off with Everett and Chad!!!
• Preparing and organizing for the birth on Sunday!!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 33 Recap!

How far along?  33 weeks on 4/15.

Total weight gain:   30 pounds on 4/15…ugh.

Baby’s size/development this week:  I don’t know.  This thing is freaking huge, get it out of me!

Maternity clothes:  I’m getting too fat for some of my maternity clothes.  Go figure.

Miss anything?  Not being huge.  Not being slow.  Not being swollen.  Not having an achy pelvis.  Not having a sore back.  Being able to roll over without pain when I’m sleeping.  Being able to sleep on my stomach.

Food cravings:  I just want to mindlessly eat, which I’ve been doing too much of, which has been making me gain more weight, which is probably contributing to my being swollen and unhappy.

Anything making you queasy or sick?   Nope!

Sleep:   Sleep is still going pretty well!  I have been enjoying sleep a LOT.

Best moment of the week:   I had a great weekend with Chad and Everett!  We got LOTS done in preparation for the baby.  We cleaned up all the stuff from our new mattresses that we just got, Chad put screens in all the windows, we cleaned off our back patio, did a little gardening, went through all the baby clothes.  We also had lunch with a friend and talked running, which was fun!

Nursery:  We started making room for the baby’s clothes.

Weddings rings on or off?   OFF, oh god!  My fingers are so swollen!  And last night when I got home, I realized that I no longer have ankles…I am so depressed!

Belly Button:   It’s somehow still in.

Movement?  The tiny human is just bopping around in there, keeping me engaged with it.  One of the few PERKS of late pregnancy – it’s really fun to feel the little human you created moving around and swishing all around your stomach.

Labor signs?   No…and I know I’m not supposed to wish for them yet (and I don’t, not *really*), but I’m starting to be ready to get this thing out of me.

Weird pregnancy thing of the week:   I had a nose bleed when I woke up the other day.  I have no ankles.  That’s just great.

Daddy is feeling:   Busy with work!  Busy with finals at school!

Mommy is feeling:   Blah.  Like I can’t wait for this to be over.  Large.  Overwhelmed.  Tired.  Fat.

Workouts this week:  I went on a couple walks and am planning on upping my walking game in the next couple weeks.  It makes me swollen while I’m doing it, but it’s supposed to be good for you…

Books I'm Reading/Media I'm Ingesting:

Mostly just the Gilmore Girls because I am too lazy and tired to care.

Looking forward to:  OMG MY SON IS TURNING TWO ON FRIDAY (4/22)!!!!!  I’m super excited about spending the day with Chad and Everett on Friday!  Then I’m looking forward to a visit from relatives and grandparents on Saturday.

Pregnancy Update: Week 31 Recap!

How far along?  I was 31 week on Friday (4/01) and am currently finishing my 31^st week.

Total weight gain:   28 pounds so far.  I started out at 133 and currently weigh 161.  Hoping to gain no more than 9 more pounds….

Baby’s size/development this week:  OMG, the baby is almost FOUR POUNDS and over 19 inches long!!!  Oh yeah, at our last appointment at 31 weeks, the baby was apparently still in breech position.  Fewer than 5% of babies assume the bottom down position by full term, so I’m hoping this thing flips in the upcoming weeks!  The midwives were not concerned…

Maternity clothes:  I’ve started noticing that some of my “maternity” shirts are starting to get small or are having a difficult time covering my whole stomach.  Yikes.

Miss anything?  My pelvis not being sore.  Not having to make sure my stomach is too big to squeeze through certain Running.  Training.

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular.  Maybe a hamburger.

Anything making you queasy or sick?   Nope!

Sleep:   No one in our house is currently sick!  We are sleeping like champs for the most part!  Everett has been fighting bed time, but once we jump that hurtle in the evening things go pretty well.  Everett did wake up inconsolable in the night two nights ago and Chad applied what he calls “Cheese Therapy”.  I did wake up to find a partially eaten piece of cheese in the bed the next morning….

Best moment of the week:   Chasing my husband around Cuyahoga Valley for his 50K and taking lots of pictures and videos!!  Also having an easy week (Chad is not closing or working insane hours this week) after the insanity of last week.

Nursery:  No nursery.

Weddings rings on or off?   On and able to be taken on and off at any time except for the first hour after I wake up in the mornings.

Belly Button:   Still hanging “in” there!

Movement?  Every day!  It was doing some crazy stuff in there earlier today and I could see it moving from the outside.  Sometimes I’m sure that it’s trying to make its exit by kicking its way out of my groin.  So pleasant to be kicked in the groin from the inside….

Labor signs?   Lots of Braxton Hicks in the evenings when I overdo it, but no labor signs as of yet…

Weird pregnancy thing of the week:   The fact that there are only 8 weeks (at the most) left in the pregnancy is pretty weird.

Daddy is feeling:   Busy with finals coming up!!

Mommy is feeling:   Ready to get this show on the road!

Workouts this week:  I feel that chasing Chad around a national park on Saturday was a workout unto itself!!  We walked around the block with Everett yesterday after dinner, but I’m not sure that counts as a work out…

Books I'm Reading/Media I'm Ingesting:

·         First Bite:  How We Learn to Eat, by Bea Wilson

·         The Gilmore Girls

Looking forward to: 

·         The weekend!!

·         Chad not having some insane run to do on Saturday.

·         Prenatal yoga on Saturday.

·         Maybe some baby cows on Sunday??

Pregnancy Update: Week 30 Recap!

How far along?  I was officially 30 weeks on Friday (3/25).  I am officially ¾ of the way through this pregnancy!!

Total weight gain:   I currently weigh 160 (started off at 133)…I’ve gained 27 pounds so far and have 10 weeks left to go.  I will almost undoubtedly gain more than the 25-35 pounds recommended, but hopefully not too much more.  I’m currently at the weight I was when I gave birth to Everett (albeit I did go into labor one month early)

Baby’s size/development this week: The internet is telling me that the baby weighs 2 ½ - 3 pounds and is 16 inches long.  Wow!!

Maternity clothes:  It was 70 degrees on Sunday and I rocked my maternity cut offs when Everett and I went to the park!!  So excited for the opportunity to wear them more over the next 10-ish weeks!!

Miss anything?  Cuddling with my husband when we watch shows in the evenings.  Not having achy ligaments.  Not having a sluggish digestive tract due to all the space being taken up by the baby.  Being able to work out.  Not feeling exhausted (wait – will that one change!?)

Food cravings:  All of the food?  My dream in this pregnancy, as in last, is still to sit around and eat an entire box of berry Kix or Peanut Butter Bumpers with milk….I should really do that at least once before giving birth…

Anything making you queasy or sick?   No.  Although I ate two huge pieces of carrot cake on Saturday and I felt slightly sick after that, but that was more due to sheer quantity of food and not particular pregnancy related.  I still contend it was worth it!

Sleep:   We have a toddler, so everything is different than my updates from the last pregnancy!  I *THINK* Everett has been getting in his two year molars in the past week (and will continue to be for the next couple weeks?)  I can’t say for sure, but he has been difficult to put down to sleep in the evenings, and has often woken up screaming in the middle of the night, but other than that, we’re all sleeping through the night for the most part.

Best moment of the week:   A lunch date Franklin Park Conservatory with Everett on Friday followed by a visit to see Daddy at work was pretty fun.  So was a family walk in the park on Sunday afternoon!  Also, Easter dinner with Chad’s family on Saturday was pretty awesome:  ribs, scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, and a fresh asparagus/roasted tomato salad.  Followed by that carrot cake J

Nursery:  We don’t have a nursery, we have a play room, and it won’t be updated very much.  We do need to purchase a bigger bed soon though…

Weddings rings on or off?   On, although I have swelling in the mornings, so I can’t get them off for a couple hours…

Belly Button:   My belly button is a champion, so it’s in.  Or maybe it’s kind of been stretched into non-existence…

Movement?  Movement every day!  Shudders, kicks, and rolls.

Labor signs?   No labor signs yet (thank goodness!)  I have lots of uncomfortable Braxton Hicks each evening, which I really don’t like at all, but aside from that, I’m hanging in there.

Weird pregnancy thing of the week:   Nothing weird, I guess.  Everett and I went to the doctor on Friday to get a Rogham shot since I’m a negative blood type.  He was very well behaved and reserved the WHOLE doctor’s visit.  I was very proud J

OH – one weird thing is how sometimes I feel SUPER pregnant.  Just walking to the bathroom at work or rolling over in bed, my ligaments ache, my stomach feels huge, and I feel that I just cannot be pregnant another moment.  But then there were moments last week when I was staying home with Everett, and I had him hoisted on my hip, laundry basket in hand, running up and down stairs, when I would completely forget I was pregnant.  In those moments, I would think “Wow!  What a bad ass!”

Daddy is feeling:   “Daddy is very excited for the new baby to arrive, but can't believe the first eight months of the pregnancy have gone by so quick! Daddy is excited to greet the new baby also so mommy can be done being pregnant, because being pregnant is hard work! Not too much longer!”

Mommy is feeling:   Stressed, overwhelmed, and cranky.  Between me working full time, Chad working full time plus school which is coming up on finals, me being super pregnant and fairly uncomfortable, and having to take on most of the work at home, not to mention a cranky toddler due to teething, I am way super stressed.  I can’t wait until finals are over so that I can feel like we have a regular work load to balance.  I’m also fighting this feeling of wanting the next couple months to go slowly so that I can savor our last little bit as a family of three, but also wanting time to hurry up so we can stop being in limbo and officially start “the next phase.”

Workouts this week:  Ha.  I have no idea.  We have been on a couple walks.  I did do pre-natal yoga on Saturday!  Between ligament pain, an extended chest cold, teething, and general exhaustion, I haven’t been able to muster the energy to work out in the mornings.  I was kicking so much ass at this point in my last pregnancy, but I try to tell myself that hanging out with a toddler *HAS* to be a work out unto itself…right?

Books I'm Reading/Media I'm Ingesting:

·         First Bite:  How We Learn to Eat, by Bea Wilson.   So far, I am really enjoying this book, which delves into how we as humans pass on the knowledge of eating from one generation to another, and how things have changed so drastically in the past hundred years or so in this new era of plenty.

·         I’ve also been watching the Gilmore Girls intermittently and Chad and I have been watching House of Cards, but we’re almost done with the most recent season.

·         There are several podcasts I’d like to catch up on, but I have been reading in any quiet moments I have, and the rest of my time is taken up by crazy toddler!

Looking forward to: 

·         We have an appointment with our midwives on Wednesday, and we are supposed to go over our “Ideal Birth Plan,” which Chad and I have both written one from our own perspectives.  Chad’s is a story and mine is like a 5 paragraph essay with a lot of reflection on the previous labor and birth.  I like how Michael Jordan and knitting somehow make their way into Chad’s birth plan J  I think we both included marathon metaphors, of course J

·         Chad’s 50K (!!) is on Saturday and we’ll be staying at my parent’s near Akron this weekend, so that should be a fun trip!

Life as New Parents: Week 11

Everett turned 11 weeks old Tuesday and boy have we progressed since the early days!!!  Yesterday Chad and I packed up several outfits that no longer fit him - I can't believe it, but our little Everett Alan is growing like a weed and is way bigger than his original size!!  Most of what's on my mind these days is going back to work...I have two weeks from today and I intend to make the most of it!

Mommy's Physical /Mental State
For about a month now, I have felt like my old self again.  It took about two months, but I now feel I can do all the things I used to do prior to pregnancy with nearly the same energy levels.  It feels good to be back!

I am back to running again and I'm still pretty slow, but at least I'm out there!!  I ran my first race on July 4 - a 5K and it was a mix between humbling and exhilarating.  I was out there, running somewhere on the edge of my ability for 3 miles, and ended up running an average of 10:03 minute per mile pace, what once would have been a training pace.  What really kept me back was my lung capacity.  My body felt fine and if it hadn't been for lack of oxygen, I could have gone a lot faster!  Guess I'll have to build my lung power back up.

First race in nine months!!

I'm mentally back to my old self as well - no more tender days with weepiness sprinkled in.  Most days we're just trucking along!  In the first month or so, I didn't want to watch TV, listen to the radio, or read books that weren't related to our baby.  I really didn't care what was going on with the world outside our little cocoon, and we enveloped ourselves in quiet days and nights.  Gradually though, my interest has come back and I'm reading books about running, listening to Fresh Air, or having conversations about the Israeli-Palestine conflict, etc. everyday.

The only remaining physical symptoms is tenderness of where the stitches were - something I don't think about 90% of the time, but am still looking forward to a day where that too is completely healed...although I know it will take time.

Everett's Development
Everett seemed to go through a growth spurt in the last week!  He was sleeping and eating a lot for 2-3 days.  He's probably close to 11 pounds by now.  

We had our 2 month check up on my birthday - June 27.  He weighed 9 pounds 15 ounces (damn, I knew we shoulda fed him in the waiting room, ha!)  He's on the low end of weight for his age but the doctor was not concerned because she said he's gaining weight at an appropriate rate, especially considering that he started out small as well.  She said that Everett would be tall and skinny.  That's right!  That's my boy!  He also got two vaccines while he was at the doctor's office - I held his little hands while they gave him the shots and both Mommy and Everett cried.

Everett is definitely filling out - he has a double chin and fat on his arms, legs, and cheeks.  All his diapers fit now - we don't usually have leakages anymore.  Yay!!  Before his little legs were so skinny that even the smallest diapers didn't fit snugly around him and they would frequently leak.

Fat rolls!!!

He's also building a personality - He spends quiet alert periods lasting anywhere from 10-30 minutes smiling and laughing at us.  Bouncing on our knees and kisses always bring reliable smiles!!

Especially with the recent hot days and muggy nights, we've been throwing Everett into the shower with us before bedtime.  Every time without fail, he quietly enjoys shower time, blinking at us when water inadvertently sprays his face.

Everett always enjoys shower time together with Mommy or Daddy

The past week or so we have been working on standing while supporting Everett under his arms and he does great!  Lots of strength in his legs as well as his neck!  He has bared weight for up to 30-40 seconds.  We can always tell when he's tired because he'll stop bearing weight on his legs and will let his neck loll.  He may have been born a month early (according to the doctors), but our baby was ready to come out and is on track with his development.

Look at that neck control!!!

Everett is usually a pretty happy baby.  He doesn't cry too much and when he does we usually can figure out what he wants - we have a mental check list of about 20 or so things that MAY work.  What worked yesterday will almost definitely not work today, but since the list is only about 20 options long, we always figure out what he wants relatively quickly.  One frustrating thing that sometimes happens is when he's in a cranky mood or has gotten himself worked up, he gets into a frustration loop.  He's hungry, and he wants to eat, but he's so upset that he can't realize he has the tools right in front of him.  On the plus side, these frustration loops are usually broken fairly quickly, usually within 10-30 minutes.

Our Typical Day
3:00 AM 
Everett wakes up for a nighttime feeding.  Daddy usually changes his diaper at this time. (1:30 or 4:00 AM feedings optional)

5:00 AM
Everett wakes up for a morning feeding OR for the day.  When he's really alert and ready for the day, which is a couple times a week, one of us will get up with him.  Usually, he falls back asleep just as one of us has accomplished enough that we're up for the day.  If we stay in bed during this time, nursings are frequent/constant until we all get up for the day.

8:00 AM
Chad and I eat, straighten up, or get ready for the day while Everett sleeps.

9:00 AM
Everett is usually awake from his 6:00/7:00 AM nap.  During this time we nurse, sit on the porch, change diapers, laugh at each other, and Everett gets a lot of kisses to make him smile.

11:30 AM
Everett gets fussy and cranky, at which point I know it's time for his morning nap.  In the sling he goes, around the block we walk, and within 10 minutes he's asleep!  I go back home and do laundry, do some prep work for dinner, do the dishes, and eat lunch and listen to Fresh Air.

1:00 PM
Everett wakes up from his nap and we nurse. Then we have some afternoon play time, he lazes about on my lap while nursing, or we sit on the porch and check out the world.

3:30 PM
Everett needs another nap so I throw him in the sling and around the block we go again.  Often I will go on a long walk while he naps.  Yesterday I walked the 3 mile round trip to the Wednesday farmer's market while he slept.

6:00 PM
Daddy comes home and we make dinner, eat dinner, sit on the porch, water plants, and chat.

8:00 PM
We are getting tired by this point, so we watch an episode of Parenthood.

9:00 PM
Sometimes Everett gets fussy during this time so we take another walk.

10:00 PM
We start getting ready for bed.  Depending on Everett's mood we go to bed anywhere between 10:30 and 11:30.

Going Back to Work / Pumping / Bottle Feeding Breast Milk
I go back to work 2 weeks from today and I'm not particularly looking forward to it.  

There are aspects of work I'm looking forward to - problem solving and interaction on a professional level.  I'm pretty good at my job and enjoy it for the most part - I met with my bosses two weeks ago for my annual review which went really well.  We chatted for 30 minutes or so about the department and I realized afterward that I enjoyed the meeting and that I had relevant ideas and thoughts to add to the conversation.

On the other hand, I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks thinking about women's, mothers', and families' place in our society.  While I started learning how to pump milk for Everett when I'm not around, I listened to the coverage of the White House's Summit on Working Families, and I thought about how I personally fit into this picture.  I have a love-hate relationship with the breast pump I will be tied to for the remainder of Everett's breastfeeding years. I am coming to realize how little our society sets resources aside to support family values - it is the responsibility of individuals to figure out how to make their families fit into society without disrupting it.  Americans have come so far in the past several decades, with women entering the workplace in ways they never could have before.  The problem though, is that society hasn't struck a balance between workplace productivity and family life.  Chad and I are lucky that we've been able to share in taking time off for the first 5 months of Everett's life, but we've had to make that choice at a huge financial hit to do so.  For the most part, we're living on one paycheck and savings to make ends meet while we care for Everett in his infancy.  I wouldn't have it any other way, but the fact that the United States has zero support for young families is a travesty.  It's hard to believe United States is the ONLY first-world country without mandatory maternity leave.  Where is the balance between the rights of women as child bearers and care takers of young their infant babies and their role in society as strong, competent, and capable of careers and decision making?

Every time I pump milk to build a freezer supply for Everett, I think about how I shouldn't be worrying about how to feed my infant when I'm not around.  I shouldn't be worrying about whether Everett will easily take a bottle or not (he took his first bottle like a champ).  I shouldn't be worrying about whether or not my milk supply will weather pumping 5 days a week, or if it will take a hit and I'll have to think about other ways to supplement.  Most of the time, the natural and healthiest way to feed babies is through breast milk.  Babies and their mammas were not meant to be separated in the early days of life.  I am having to make decisions that are not in the best interest of my baby, because my society does not have social structures in place for families to care for and support young families.  If I had the option to stay home with Everett for a longer period of time I would, but alas what my family needs from me is to participate financially in supporting the household.  In the end, since I do have to go back to work now, I'm glad I have the technology to provide my own milk for Everett.  While the best case scenario would be for me to care for my son, the second best scenario is for other loving people to care for my son and provide him with pumped breast milk.

I don't have the time to do the research and write eloquently and thoroughly on the topics I've mentioned above - I know I've only just glanced the surface and have raised more questions and broad concepts than answers.  I don't even know emotionally how that first day/week/month back to work will be...I'll focus on that when I get there.

I AM looking forward for Chad and Everett to have two months together - I am so excited that Chad has the opportunity to get two months of quality time caring for his son full time, which will strengthen the father-son bond from the very beginning.  And I will be SO MUCH calmer going back to work knowing that Daddy is at home with Everett instead of leaving him in the hands of an outsider.  It will also be good to stave off for another two months wondering how in the world we are going to keep our house clean!

Weekly CSA
We signed up to be a part of Wayward Seed's CSA for the second year in a row (three years ago we had a Rock Dove Farm CSA - it was through them that we got into apple cider pressing!)  We really enjoy our CSA, although some weeks it really feels as though the pressure is on.  As in, "When the hell are we going to have time to eat the kale, chard, frisee AND two heads of lettuce in one week!?!?"  So far we've done a pretty good job though!!

Week One:  Baby Hakurei Turnips, Red Romaine Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Garlic Scapes, Bunched Arugula, Shunkyo Radish, Sugar Snap Peas, Oregano, strawberries

Week Two:  Lettuce, Frisee, Hakurei Turnips, Shunkyo Radish, Garlic Scapes, Arugula, Sugar Snap Peas, Oregano, Napa Cabbage

Week Three:  Summer Squash, Beets, Garlic, Purple Scallions, Green Cabbage, Skyphos butter head lettuce, Lacinato kale, Fennel, Cucumber, black raspberries

What We've Been Up To

July 16:  Visiting grandma's to celebrate all the June birthdays
(Everett, that was supposed to be you too, buddy!!)

June 22: Everett and I went on a farm tour of urban homesteader/blogger Harmonious Homestead

June 27:  Mommy's birthday celebrated at Comfest!

July 04:  Corey's first race since November 17, 2013

July 06:  Hiking in Hocking County!

Life as New Parents: Week 7

Let’s see…Everett will be seven weeks on June 10 and things are going well!! 

Personal Accomplishments of the Week:

On Friday I ran for the first time in almost 5 months.  I went one mile at a 15 minute pace (before pregnancy a nice comfortable pace would have been a ten minute mile).  It went so well I did two miles on Sunday morning (at a 12 and a half minute mile pace) while Chad and Everett happily slept at home.

My first run since January!!

On Saturday I drove for the first time since giving birth.  Everett and I went somewhere without Chad!  We went to have dinner at a friend’s house and it gave us so much confidence that we surprised Chad at work the next day by visiting him.

I’m within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight!!  I’m not actively looking to lose weight at all, (Hello Mister Bowl of Ice Cream after Dinner!) but I’ll take it!  I eat 3 good meals a day plus dessert in the evenings and usually get in some sort of walk (or more recently run) in.  I make sure not to do a lot of mindless snacking during the day, but even if I did have the urge to do so, it would probably be more of a pain in the ass to get up and get it!!

Visiting Daddy at Work!

Challenges:

Honestly, the further out we get, and the more we get to know our little boy, the more comfortable we become with him, his personality, and the decisions we are making.  I’ve been reading a blog/listening to a podcast called the Longest Shortest Time, which is about some of the (more extreme) challenges of early parenthood.  A lot of the mothers on the podcast had challenging starts to life with their baby and ended up having to cope with feelings of failure in a particular area of parenting (birth experience, breast feeding, etc.).  The podcast is interesting, but I can’t relate to a lot of it, because while life now is extremely challenging at times, the three of us are doing pretty damned good!  Below are some of the challenges we have been working to become more comfortable with:

Giving Up Control

In the past several weeks, I have found that I am generally happier when I stop having expectations. Much in the way that the labor experience was about giving up control of my body and working with it instead of against it, so too is that a good approach for parenting in the early days. I have given up expectations for how long it will take to complete a specific task, about getting all my sleep at night time in one uninterrupted stretch, or whether Everett “should” be asleep (not wide awake) at 4:30 in the morning. A week ago I was freaking out when we couldn’t get him to relax and go to sleep at 4:00 AM. But in this morning’s predawn light, when Everett looked at me with his slate colored eyes open as wide as could be, I got up, put him in a sling, and cleaned the kitchen. The walking around put him back to sleep and around 6:30 we crawled back into bed and went right back to sleep. Of course this doesn’t always work. Sometimes (okay a lot of times) the only thing that will make him happy is nursing, and he will scream if we try to put him in a sling. At those times, Chad and I forget about that walk we had planned to take, I put my feet up, and we nurse away. Everything takes forever and a lot of times Everett has different ideas than me about what we should be doing and I have to be okay with that – and when I am, everybody’s stress levels go down. On the positive side, Everett may have times of fussiness, but he very rarely screams and cries for prolonged periods. For me at least, with this particular baby, I know what he wants and how to quiet him. It may not always be “convenient” for me, but it beats the hell out of hours of screaming without knowing what he wants.

Being Publicly Confident with Our Parenting Choices

Pretty much every person that you run into out in the world has ideas about what you should be doing. When we venture out in the world and come in contact with other humans, I have struggled with how other people might be perceiving our parenting choices. Everett, Chad, and I will spend days at home, feeling perfectly confident with our days and how we occupy them. Then we go out into the world and other people SEE us parenting. I wonder if they’re thinking “You feed him too much,” or “You should put him down more,” or whatever. Whatever other people’s opinions are though, my thoughts most likely aren’t going to change. I’m pretty confident with what we’re doing when it’s just the three of us, so I’m determined to become more comfortable with our choices out in the world.

Breastfeeding

Everett likes to breastfeed. A lot. It makes him happy and keeps him from screaming his brains out. Right now, I’m perfectly happy to do whatever it is that will keep him from crying, and in fact think it’s the right thing to do (and we’re sailing right along with it too – no issues here. I have fed him going up and down stairs, unloading the dishwasher, on the porch, sitting up, laying down, etc. etc.) I guess you could file this under the “Being Publicly Confident with Our Parenting Choices” category, because I don’t know if people think I feed him too much (constantly) or if they care that my breasts are always hanging out, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t care. It seems to make Everett pretty happy, and a happy Everett is a happy Mommy!!

This isn’t a challenge per se, but just something funny about our new life breastfeeding. Last night Chad and I were watching Orange is the New Black (watch it!) and there was a scene where Jason Bateman’s character goes to visit his friend who is a new mother. When she opens the door, she’s holding the baby in one arm and her shirt is all pulled down so her nipple is showing, so he says “Um, your nipple is showing,” and the new mom friend replied “Oh god, yeah, I know, they’re ALWAYS showing.” Chad and I looked at each other and laughed because that scene was SO relatable. Breasts have lost all mystique to me in the past 7 weeks. They’re out and about. All the time. If you have spent more than 30 minutes with me, you have probably seen my nipples.

Constant feeding frenzy!!

Hemorrhoids
In years to come (or 7 weeks after giving birth), what I WON’T remember are the pains of labor. What I WILL remember are the pains of hemorrhoids. Labor was one day of my life and all the hard work resulted in the truly spectacular miracle of life. Hemorrhoids just hurt like a bitch, with no end in sight, and the result of hard work is significantly less miraculous.

Fear of Dropping the Baby
These days, when I see a flight of stairs, they represent the risk of me falling down them and dropping him.  A coffee table is a tripping risk.  A door that is ajar is a risk to his little head.  Whenever I hand Everett to Chad, I say "Don't drop him!"  or "Careful!  Don't trip!"  Poor Chad!!  Sometimes I can't wait til he's bigger and less fragile, so I can worry less, but then I know he'll be mobile and I'll probably be even more terrified then!!

Things I’ve Stopped Caring about:
1.) As I mentioned previously, display of my nipples.
2.)  Getting peed on.  I’ve quickly accepted this new fact of life and have chosen the “Whatever, I just put those shorts on, and besides they’re not THAT wet.  I’m not changing those.”

What Everett Is Up To:
Everett spends a good portion of his time breastfeeding. When he’s awake, he’s most likely feeding. But there are times every day, probably an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, with little pockets thrown in here and there, where Everett just sits there looking around, happy as a clam. During those times we try to interact with him or “show him the world.” We go out on the porch and face him towards the street so he can see the sky, the trees, and people walking by. Or we face him towards us, so that we can drink in his huge slate eyes and connect with our alert little boy. His favorite place to be is cuddled up against Mommy or Daddy’s chest, which is where he spends 90% of his time. For at least a little bit each day during one of his quiet alertness periods, we put him down on the bed or on a blanket outside so that he can freely squirm around on his own.

Quiet alertness - our favorite times

He usually falls asleep between 8:00 and 10:00 PM and wakes up every three hours until 4:00 or 5:00 AM. Then he is wide awake, or waking every hour. Last night he slept until 3:00 and was up A LOT after that. It leaves me wondering if he’s having a growth spurt.

70% of the time he HATES having his diaper changed. I think it has less to do with him hating the actual process of diaper changing so much as it inhibits him from the activity he actually wants to be doing. If he’s well fed and totally happy, sometimes diaper change time goes uneventfully or with minimal whimpers.

Daddy getting his snuggle on!

For the most part, all three of us are falling into some sort of groove. As I mentioned before, that groove mostly involves lots of flexibility, lots of feeding, and a few moments to ourselves each day – even if it’s only the time it takes to shower. Incidentally, if you’re a new mom and you’re not finding the time to shower every day, PLEASE make the time! Hand the baby off to your husband before he goes to work, or WHATEVER. Just do it! I have read all these accounts of new mothers not finding the time to bathe or brush their hair – so I’ve made a point to make sure those things happen every day. Just taking 10 minutes to myself makes me more ready to handle the thousand tiny challenges each day has to offer!

Our first family vacation to Geneva on the Lake State Park

Top Left:  Around the campfire

Bottom Left:  Me and Everett on the deck of our cabin

Right:  Me and Everett at Markko Vinyard

Vacation!  

Top Left:  Dinner on the deck

Top Right:  Chad eating cake on his 30th birthday

Bottom:  Daddy and Everett photographing the sunset on Lake Erie

Media I’ve Been Ingesting

Podcasts/Blogs/Radioshows

The Longest Shortest Time, parenting blog / podcast

Birth without Fear Blog, a website compilation of birth stories. And I’ve read all the birth stories!!

Radiolab, science podcast (Saturdays on NPR). This week’s was good – it had a story about newborns’ perceptions of the world.

The Moth, storytelling podcast (Saturdays on NPR). One of my favorite shows!!

Books

The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd – pretty good/easy read which is a coming of age/Civil Rights era story with some bees thrown in.

Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving, and Not Lose Your Family, Job, or Sanity, by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea – good book about the basics of running with the motherhood angle thrown in. Of course I enjoyed and identified with the chapter about postpartum running.

Turn Here, Sweet Corn, by Atina Diffley – Chad reads this to me and Everett as our bedtime story. Per the University of Minnesota Press website “a master class in organic farming a lesson in entrepreneurship, a love story, and a legal thriller.” We saw the author speak at the OEFFA conference this year – she was inspiring so we bought her book.

Television

Game of Thrones – HBO, man that show is intense.  And complicated.

 Orange is the New Black –season 2 is out on Netflix.  Yay!