January 30, 2012

We had a fun day today. This was our first night-to-morning without doggie 'episodes'. Hooray! Everyone, dogs included, got some good sleep. We were in great shape for the day ahead.

After a quiet lie-in, we put on a spiffy outfit and went out to pick up Morgan. This was the first time Olivia stayed awake for the car ride. I'm not exactly sure what she was looking at, but she was busy observing something. Morgan & I got some lunch and ate in the car and then we went to Blueberry Baby. It was recommended to me by Adam, who's been doing lots of research even while he's in Afghanistan. It's a fantastic shop! I saw many things that I liked, bought a few, and have a few on my list for our next trip. I didn't want to over-do all in one day. On my shopping list (from reading ahead of time) were reusable nursing pads, a baby wrap and a *new* tub designed for babies who don't like baths. We found all that and more! I splurged and got some cute organic toys, some locally made, since I really haven't bought much in the way of toys myself.  We've been so lucky to be showered with gifts, that I haven't had any need to go shopping!

I also picked up some literature on cloth diapering. I've been thinking a lot about how many diapers we use and when I saw a mother using a cloth diaper in a cover the other day, I was newly intrigued. When I read how much money we could save, and the new ways that there are to care for cloth diapers, (such as using  biodegradable, flushable liners) I was even convinced that this was worth investigating further. I've been doing a bit more reading, and have set Adam on the task as well. We 'talked' about it tonight and we're going to give cloth diapers a try. After pay day, I'm going to go back to Blueberry Baby to get some supplies. We've got a stash of disposables still, and I plan to use them up, so we can start slowly. If anyone reading has experience with cloth diapering and cares to share advice, I'm happy to listen!

When we got back from our bonanza shopping adventure, it was time to eat. Today we introduced Olivia to a bottle. She was great! Took to it like a duck to water. Morgan was the one to start it out, because I didn't want her to be confused by my wonderful 'eau de milk'. I am so glad that this was an easy step. This affords me a little more flexibility, especially since I'm building up a store of frozen milk, and will allow Adam to participate in the feeding, too. For the second bottle, I gave it a try and she even took it from me. Boy she can put away a lot of milk!

Olivia seems to love her new toys. She has a new little baby doll that's easy to grab and is already a big hit, but the big winner for today was a present from Morgan - a stuffed endangered sea otter. His name is "Slow" and Olivia was mesmerized by him. Later, she preferred to watch Morgan & Slow having conversations than simply to 'play' with Slow herself. This was very entertaining for all of us.

All said, today was pretty productive, enlightening and fun. The evening closed with a delicious meal from Erica and a movie (Detroit Rock City - I think Olivia likes KISS). Olivia & I took Morgan home and now she's in a milk coma. Since it was such an interactive day for her, I'm expecting her to sleep well tonight. (I hope I didn't jinx it!) Just before her last feeding, she was entertaining herself in the nest - looking at her books and blowing bubbles. She's getting more and more fun to watch every day. The best part of the day was that we had the most 'Olivia smiles' to date. Best smiles I've ever seen.

January 29, 2012

This morning was interesting. We thought we were going to sleep in, but the dogs had other plans for us. Instead of going out to breakfast, as was our intention, we decided to invite the Abel ladies over for chocolate chip pancakes and French toast. They were very brave and ventured out into the -50s, with fruit salad no less, and joined us for a fun morning in. Olivia even joined us at the table and watched us chow down on pancakse - I think she may have wanted one too!

Sarah likes to help take care of Olivia and she does a really good job. She makes sure Olivia isn't crying, sings to her, and watches her on the swing. Olivia is very lucky to have her as a 'big sister'.

Olivia got a sponge bath and put on a new outfit for a Skype date with Nana. She wore a sweater from Jane, (which she hadn't worn yet), and looked so pretty. It kept her nice and warm! We had such a nice time 'seeing' Nana. Olivia really focused on the screen. I think Skyping, although she may not recognize faces, is going to go a long way in helping her learn the voices of her loved ones.

After our date, Olivia ate and then took a very long nap. She had fallen asleep laying on my leg, and then I transferred her to her side on the couch. She slept soundly and happily for more than four hours. This just confirms in my mind how much she likes to lay on her side. I think as long as I'm able to watch her, I'm going to position her like that whenever possible.

Since she slept so well in the afternoon, she was up & alert long into the night. She wasn't fussy, just not tired. I couldn't blame her. So we spent a lot of time 'playing' together. By the time we finally got to sleep, I was very tired and she was sleeping lightly. I didn't want to risk disturbing her with the clickity click of the keyboard. So we postponed the blogging until later.

January 28, 2012

Brrrr! This morning got off to a chilly start. We were nice and warm inside for a while...until the heat went out. Olivia and I were taking a nap and I didn't realize that I was slowly adding more and more blankets. When I woke up my face felt chilly. I checked the thermostat and ... no heat. Olivia and I got our things together, bundled up and went out for some lunch and to visit the Abel ladies. We weren't going to stay in a cold house. (It never got too cold, probably in the 50s.) But boy was it cold outside! The ice fog was thick and we hit temperatures in the -50s! Not a good day for Fairbanks Utilities to run out of natural gas!

Olivia really enjoyed visiting Jessica & Sarah. She sat up, with some assistance from Jessica, most of the time and was holding her own head up and turning it from side to side. Sarah held her and sang her some pretty songs, so sweetly. I got to eat my lunch not over Olivia's head! Once we got the call that the heat was probably fixed, we went back to check on it. It was! Hooray!

This morning, before we went out, I brought the Boppy back downstairs. I'd left it upstairs a few days ago and we've been nursing without it. However, I think Olivia really prefers it to a regular pillow. It keeps her head up and she seemed to be able to nurse with more ease. She also likes to stay squished inside of it for a post-nursing nap.

Olivia was very snuggly this afternoon. She's also gotten very good at pulling hair. It might be time for me to start keeping my hair tied back. I've also learned that Olivia really prefers to sleep on her side. Her hiccuping and some other symptoms she's been exhibiting during feedings make me wonder if she's got a little acid reflux problem. Two of the main ways to deal with this, according to the internet, is to have the baby sleep on a slight incline and/or to sleep on their left side to aid digestion. Perhaps this is why Olivia likes to sleep in the 'nest'. It keeps her on a modest incline. Since I propped her on her side after our last feeding, she's been sleeping for about four hours. I would say that's a success! Any time she starts to cry I just reach over and hold her hand, and she stops right away.

Olivia's eyelashes have darkened. They were so very blonde before, but now it's very clear how long they are. Her eyebrows are still very light though. So many changes, little ones and big ones. It's hard to believe that she's five weeks old today. The time is flying. One part of me doesn't want this time to fly, because it is so precious, while the other part is happy that it is flying because that means that Daddy will be home soon! It'll probably be a while before we go to bed in earnest, but I thought I'd take advantage of the quiet(er) moment and get this post up. Hopefully the night continues in this vein...

 

January 27, 2012

Uff da. That's all I have to say about last night. Between Paula needing to get up every two to three hours and Olivia feeding every three hours, it was a night of little sleep for me. I even tried ignoring Paula's 5am request, thinking surely she must be alright...bad idea. Always listen to a dog who has explosive bowels, they don't ask twice. After cleaning, I didn't want to disturb Olivia, who was sleeping in the nest, so we both had to suffer through the lingering stink. I had the blankets up over my nose, and Olivia kept trying to pull hers over her face too. I sympathized, but kept pulling them back down. Things settled down at about 7am and we all slept well until just before noon.

Olivia had my arm trapped beneath her, so I took the opportunity to call Uncle Kyle & Aunty Jeri. It's so nice to catch up with them. I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful and loving family. After our phone conversation and after Olivia finished nursing, I took advantage of a calm moment and did a bunch of chores. Olivia enjoyed swinging in her swing for about 45 minutes, so I got a lot done! After that we got bundled up - a snowsuit was required today because it was very cold - and went on a Wal-Mart adventure. It was just a quick trip (we managed to get only the things on our list - a real feat!) and then grabbed some lunch.

It was a good thing those were our only errands because as I was pulling away from Wendy's, Olivia began to cry. She cried all the way home which, fortunately, was not very far. The guard checking our ID was, mercifully, speedy and as soon as I could un-bundle her she had her lunch, and I had mine. I'm getting very good at eating over her head.

The evening was one of lots of eating and crying. Thankfully, the crying was punctuated by sweet moments when she would smile up at me. It made all the crying seem a distant memory. Olivia just seemed to feel a little insecure and wanted to be kept close. We tried out the baby Ergo, and that worked for a while. I think it will be more secure to wear if walking around a lot, while the Snugli is more comfortable for sitting. It's nice to have options. Fortunately, most of the things we 'needed' to do today were already done, so the evening could be devoted to comforting Olivia. She was particularly good after Jessica Abel called and spoke to her. The next time she woke up after that she was consoled by watching the end of The Longest Yard (Sandler version).

Things are winding down now. The dogs are tucked in their beds. One more feeding and I think we'll sleep well. Good thing because we have more 'adventures' planned for tomorrow! Time to snuggle up with a warm baby and be thankful that we're so cozy on such a cold night.

January 26, 2012

This will be a short entry tonight because Olivia feels like she needs to be held close to her mama - which is alright with me. Sometimes I think, "Oh my goodness, I've been holding this baby for hours. Why won't she let me put her down?" Other times I think, "Why is Olivia sleeping so soundly? Doesn't she want me to pick her up?" Poor baby, her mama can't make up her mind.

Today we got up a little earlier than usual because we had a 'play date' with Carmen & Cara Williams. Cara is almost exactly two weeks older than Olivia. Carmen is a lot of fun, and we're hoping that our little ones can continue to play together as they get bigger - since they're so close in age. It was also a nice thing for me because we got to share our similar situations and I also got to profit from Carmen's experience. (She is a mother of three girls.) The little ones slept most of the time and even when they were awake Olivia spent more time looking at Carmen than Cara. Maybe she thought she was looking in a mirror when she saw another baby?

After Carmen & Cara left, Olivia and I took a nice long nap. Olivia has gotten even snugglier since she's gained more dexterity in her hands & fingers. She's really touching things; feeling them. She especially likes to hold the lovie from Nana - it's really easy to grab and is so soft. I think I've landed on it's name. He's Pammy the Pink Lamby. I know Pammy is a girl's name, but the lamb is a he. Don't ask me why - I have no good explanation.

After our quiet afternoon, we got ready for our Skype date with Daddy. Olivia changed into an "I Love My Daddy" onesie and a pair of pink pants. I put on a shirt that hadn't been soaked in milk. It lasted about ten minutes into our date and then I needed to mop up some spit-up and couldn't find my handy cloth diaper. Oh well, Adam can't smell me through the internet. It's a good thing too because Olivia was very stinky. When they can smell your diaper all the way in Afghanistan - that's a stinker.

After we finished Skyping with Adam we woke up Mimi & Pop and Skyped with them for a little bit. We probably kept them awake too long, but Olivia is just so darned cute that they couldn't stop watching her. I'm thinking of setting up an "Olivia Cam", like the Panda Cam at the National Zoo, so that people can log in and watch her be her silly self. [No, I'm not really thinking of doing that. My dad wouldn't get any work done!]

Today my friend Michelle shared a very sweet video with me. I'm not ashamed to say that it made me teary-eyed. Here it is for all of you to enjoy as well. Reflections of Motherhood

Since I didn't get a lot of pictures today, here are some fun faces that Olivia was making last night.

January 25, 2012

Today was a wonderful, messy day. Olivia slept beautifully through the night (downstairs in the nest). I even had to wake her up to feed her. Figuring that two days of letting her sleep all day long was pushing my luck, I was in the middle of an internal debate about whether or not we should try Baby & Me Yoga when the decision was abruptly taken out of my hands. While Olivia was nursing, poor Paula, our rehabbing Husky, came into the room with a forlorn look. Unable to detach Olivia quickly enough, I had to sit and watch as Paula had wandering, explosive diarrhea all over the room. As soon as I could put Olivia down, I hurried the poor pup outside and set about cleaning.

One of the nice things about our house is that is has a fan which constantly circulates the air. Today, however, it was not nice. The smell of medicinal poop mixed with industrial strength carpet cleaner was immediately spread throughout the house - upstairs and down. Olivia & I, (I could see she agreed with me), decided to abandon ship. We got ready in a flash, packed an extra book and some toys, and got out of Dodge.

We headed straight for the Artisan's Courtyard where Infinite Yoga has its studios. This is the same place that I practiced prenatal yoga, and I think they are fabulous. Classes are held as long as the temperature is above -40, and even when it's pretty cold outside the studio is nice & warm - they have heated floors! We had a great time with the other mommies and babies. Our instructor, Gretchen, is just the best. She carried Olivia around for a little bit so that I could stretch. Her 2.5 year old, Ember, was very cute and kept a watchful eye on Olivia. Olivia was the youngest baby and the oldest was Ember. The babies could walk around and play and no one minded if someone started to cry (I suppose they would have wondered if the crying one was an adult) or needed to be fed or changed. I'm so glad that we went. We'll be going back next Wednesday. I highly recommend it. I hope that it begins a life-long way for Olivia and I to bond and relax.

When we got home the house smelled much better. (Thank goodness!) I was able to eat some lunch, then Olivia ate, and then we fed the pups. I scrubbed the carpet some more (there's probably still more to do but I'm done for today) and tidied the kitchen. Olivia obliged by taking some decent naps, one of which I shared, and by being easily amused. She stared at the mirror on the swing for a while. She read some of her books. She spent a long time staring at the map of Lewis & Clark's journey that hangs in the family room.

For dinner we had some more of Franziska's homemade lasagna and then cozied up for a nice evening on the couch. We 'saw' Daddy on Facebook, which is always a treat, and shared some pictures with him and chatted about the future. Olivia smiled a lot this evening, and it just makes my heart swell. When she smiles I hear The Temptations singing, "I got sunshine, on a cloudy day. When it's cold outside, I got the month of May." I know most mommies feel this way, but it's a whole new kind of love for me. It's the best.

January 24, 2012

Last night was rough. I thought Olivia was going to nurse all night long. No matter how long I nursed, she always seemed to want to return to the breast and definitely did not want to be put down. I was at my wit's end. Finally, out of fear that her crying was more disruptive to the neighbors from upstairs, I took her downstairs. I thought, at least down here she won't keep as many people awake and I can eat and watch television. As soon as I laid her down in 'the nest' she was silent and went right to sleep. A miracle. If only she had been able to tell me that she didn't want to sleep upstairs, perhaps it would have saved her lungs a workout.

She slept soundly once we were downstairs - in fact she missed a feeding. But since she'd eaten so much prior to falling asleep, I wasn't worried. I let her sleep. I was still very tired this morning, and clearly Olivia was too, because she has slept most of the day. After one of our morning feedings she decided she did not want t be in the nest; that she would rather sleep with me on my pillow & the couch. Sometimes she likes to be very close to my mouth and scoots herself up closer & closer. Perhaps my breath is soporific? Whatever fairy godmother was listening to my pleas for sleep sure took me seriously. Olivia slept on the couch, holding her 'lovie'. She slept on my chest half the day. She slept on Morgan. She slept and slept. I began to be worried, but she has eaten plenty and had enough diapers, etc. She started to wake up around 5pm and I thought we were 'in for it' this evening. However, it was only a minimal fussing. Now she's sleeping and smiling on my pillow (again). I think we will end up staying downstairs again tonight. I'm not 'fixing something that isn't broken!'

Today, since we were on a sort of 'reversed' schedule and I didn't want to wake her, Olivia doesn't have much to share. While she was sleeping I: finished a load of laundry, took Christmas ornaments off the tree, tidied and made a pot of chili. Later in the afternoon Morgan came over and brought Paula (Sophie's teammate - a 13+ year old Alaskan Husky), who is here at least as long as she needs to recuperate from a recent illness...if not longer. Morgan & I brought half the pot of chili to our friend Veronica, who is recuperating from a surgery, but Olivia stayed in the car.

A fun thing that happened today was that Olivia & I got to be a part of the house blessing at my parents', via Skype. We got to join in the singing and introduce Olivia to Matushka Suzanne and Father Vladimir. Olivia was blessed through the internet. It was wonderful to get to be a part of the tradition, even though we are far away. I feel very blessed that we have so many ways to stay connected to our loved ones.

January 23, 2012

I was pleasantly surprised that Olivia slept soundly after I posted yesterday's blog. (I'm hoping it works the same magic tonight!) Woke up about every three hours, but only to the soft burblings of a baby starting to wake up - not the shrieking I had anticipated. Excellent!

We started the day with a daring maneuver, one that I feared might be a tactical error, but since Olivia was so agreeable I charged ahead with...a bath! Don't mistake this to mean we haven't been keeping clean. Olivia's been getting her sponge baths and her hair & face are washed daily (no more baby acne break-outs, knock on wood!). But this is her first, all-out, immersed in water, tub bath since her umbilical cord stump fell off. I know I've been mildly dreading it since the last bath gave her a conniption. She was enjoying some 'naked time' - who wants to always be in a diaper?! - and I suddenly got up the nerve.

It was a success! And by that I mean she didn't hate it. She didn't enjoy when her head was on the real plastic-y parts of the tub, but she didn't cry about being in the water. She even seemed to enjoy holding onto the washcloth when I was through with it. It didn't help me dry her off, though, to have her clinging to a sopping wet washcloth. So there were a few tears as I took it away and navigated the transition to a towel. (In revenge?) Olivia peed on me for the first time, but fortunately all she got was the towel.

Today we wore an outfit that had cherries all over the pants and ruffles on the bum. Although the outfit was a size 0-3months, the top was a little short and the bottoms were so long that they kept falling off of her rear. The result was we had a bare midriff most of the day. Scandalous!

We spent a lot of the day in the nursery. Olivia laid on the blanket that Pop made her and looked around the room. She snuggled with the 'lovie' that Nana gave her. And she watched me put away laundry. We nursed and rocked in the glider and afterwards she slept in her big crib for a bit. But not too long!

We moved into my bedroom, so that I could watch a show 'with' Kari and Olivia would only be calm in she was lounging on me. That was fine. She stayed calm when Franziska stopped by with dinner (a yummy lasagna!) and had fun swinging in her swing. After Olivia & I both ate we talked on the phone with Uncle Grant and Olivia chimed in with a discerning grunt every now and again.

Since then we've been nursing & rocking & bouncing & singing for about three hours. Olivia does not want to go to sleep tonight. After I had almost given up hope for any peace, she seemed content to lay in my lap and listen to George Winston and stare at the screen. But it couldn't last. I've finally set her down in the pack 'n play and am going to try to let her calm herself down. [*Didn't work - have now nursed another 40 minutes and am trying again.] I hope that the walls are as insulated as, at least up til now, I've assumed they are. I may owe the neighbors a coffee cake...or two. Wish us luck!