1st check-up

we had a good report from the doc today. i was a little concerned about whether noah had been getting enough to eat, since he gets hungry so often after eating sometimes...but i need not have worried over such a thing. while the goal for most babies is to regain their original weight by the time he/she is two weeks old, noah weighed in at 11 lbs 1 oz and measured 23 inches long! when the doctor learned that he's grown that much solely on mommy milk, he said that if it weren't for the bird flu, he'd send me to far away countries to feed malnourished children. so apparently my supply is nutritious and plentiful enough for noah! :)

the doctor we are seeing was ryan's pediatrician and he is just wonderful. he was so funny and had a sweet spirit about him, while at the same time seemed to know what he was doing (he must be good since he's been in the business at least 26 years!). he talked to me a good bit about how things are going on my end and was careful to explain things to me all along the way (like why noah's umbillical cord hasn't fallen off yet and other things)...he also told me that all that stuff you hear about what you need to not eat while breastfeeding is hogwash. he said i could eat and drink pretty much whatever i want...i think his exact words at one point were, "have a few beers, it won't hurt him...just stay away from herorin and you'll be good to go!"

here's some pictures from our visit...notice his shirt, which i managed to get almost in focus, but unfortunately i missed most of his hair in the picture (which is what makes the outfit so funny)..see previous pictures

first day on our own

ryan went back to work full time today (full time between his two part time jobs) and it has been a little tough without him, especially this morning. noah was super fussy and apparently all he wanted to do was eat...i fed him 3 times between 6:55 and 8:30, and we aren't talking short feedings. he kept pulling away, thinking he was full...only to realize 15 minutes later that he was actually starving still. then he'd start sucking on his little hands like a crazy fella. i cannot believe how much he can eat. by the end of the 3rd feeding, i was pretty sure i was out of milk for the time being, so i had to console his fussiness in other ways. i'm interested to see what the doc will say tomorrow about whether he is getting enough milk. i hope he is, but i worry sometimes that he might because of his hunger binges. on top of all the eating, he refused to take a nap. i've been trying hard to not let him always fall asleep while he's feeding so that he won't get too used to that...but it's hard laying him down when he starts crying a minute later. he gets so worked up, it's just pitiful. and it breaks my heart. but, i think it's the best for him-at least from what i've been reading...we are going to try it for a while and see how it works for us. we are learning that babies everywhere are not the same, so what works for others might not work for our little one. it'd be nice if there was something that always worked for everyone everywhere, but then-we'd probably miss out on individuals having personalities, and that would be terrible. even at 2 weeks, we can see noah's little personality developing and it's so neat to see!

2 weeks

it's hard to believe noah is already 2 weeks old. i know 2 weeks doesn't sound like much, but he's already changed so much in such a short time-it's crazy! he is awake and alert more often these days, which is fun. he even smiles at us occassionally, and we'd like to think it's because he thinks we are funny-we tell him jokes and he smiles, it's great! ;)
*we are amazed at how much he goes to the bathroom. in the morning, he seems to have a hard time controlling himself, or he just enjoys the free feeling of no diaper. the routine goes like this usually-he has a dirty diaper, so we start the process of changing that...once he's wiped clean, he starts to poopie, which we quickly grab a diaper, wipe, or the nearest blanket to try to catch some of the poopie (usually to no avail)..once he stops, we wipe his cute little bottom clean and then by the time we grab a new diaper, he has peed all over himself, the changing table, and sometimes even me or ryan...so, we wipe him again and reach for another diaper, only to hear the unfortunate sound of him pooping everywhere AGAIN. what a mess! it's funny to think about happening, but reallllllyyy not fun during the early morning hours. so, we are thinking about starting potty training in a month or so...
*we had some wonderful company today! my dad and bette came by for a visit-noah showed his love by teeteeing through his diaper, onesie AND blanket-soaking even through pop's jeans! pretty impressive stuff! additionally, my cousin jamie came over with her 8 month old twins. we have talked about getting together for months and it just never quite worked out, so i was so glad when she called and said she was coming to surprise us today! her kids are adorable, and catching up with her was great! plus, she told me all about how to use my pump to get some extra milk, which i am quite thankful for! i have been scared to even try because i had not a clue as to what i'd be doing. it was so great for her to walk me through it-i think i know enough now to give it a try when i'm ready. i have been nervous about introducing noah to the occassional bottle for fear he will stop nursing so well...but ryan and i both think it might be worth it, so we will see.
*noah is sleeping better at night, for which we are all thankful. it is crazy that we feel like sleeping 3 or 4 hours at a time is the most wonderful thing in the world right now. but it so beats half an hour or an hour!!

highlight of my day

nursing in the car while parked next to this old man who sat in his car nearly the whole time noah was eating. good stuff.

thoughts

in the wee hours of the morning when ryan leaves for work, i find myself a little jealous that he gets to leave while i stay home with the crying baby. noah's prime time is somewhere between 3 am and 8 am-he's awake and fussy constantly. it makes it awfully hard when ryan leaves between 5 and 6...hard for me, and i'm sure hard for ryan as he has to leave not only a crying baby, but also a sobbing wife...
i also find myself thinking things are a bit unfair-i mean, most of the time, i enjoy feeding noah because it means a little special one on one time with him (and i'm amazed at the way our bodies are built for taking care of babies), but i'd be okay with ryan having just one boob...you know, to help out with the feedings every now and then...

thank goodness!

i forgot to mention in my previous post that i got my staples out yesterday! i was nervous about going to get this done, as i have never had staples anywhere in my body-and, well, the prospect of having someone take them out of me was a bit terrifying. i just kept imagining those little staple pullers that you use at work and how they always rip the paper regardless of how careful you are when you are using them....and imagine that happening to my tummy. not a pleasant thought. i just kept telling myself, "i made it through birthing a baby...i can do this!" even so, i was terrified. i was also nervous about leaving noah with ryan in the waiting room-scared he'd wake up hungry and not be consolable...that's the only drawback about breastfeeding-kinda of leaves daddy in a pinch when i'm not around! anyway, we made it to the doctor fine, albeit a few minutes late (getting a newborn ready takes a little extra time) and way too soon, they called me to the back. the nurse had a handful of tools as she laid me back and prepared my stomach for the removal. i guess i must have looked a bit pale because she kept asking if i was okay. after cleaning me and chatting for a bit about the baby, she apologized for what she was about to do. that's never a good sign, huh? but, as she pulled out her pliars and began to pluck, i was amazed at how little sensation i was feeling. it just felt like a little tug-nothing too terrible. as she finished up, i was tempted to ask her if i could take the staples with me-you know, like a little suvenior..but i lost the courage in the end. after she taped me up-like those thin strips of tape are really going to hold me together-she began to recite all the things i needed to be careful about doing/not doing. at the top of her list, "no sweeping, vacuuming, or mopping for you." thank the Lord! i was so glad to hear that news...because, a week and a half after having my newborn wrestled from my tummy, i have really had a hankering for mopping our house!

glorious sleep

we got some much needed rest last night thanks to our wonderful grammie! noah spent the first part of the night upstairs, and then after he got a clean diaper and a full tummy, he went downstairs to spend some quality time with grammie. she stayed up with him for about an hour and then slept with him in "noah's room" downstairs. i woke up a few hours later ready to feed him...when i came downstairs to get him, i discovered he was just getting ready to eat (the body is an amazing thing, huh?). after he ate around 6:00, he was wide awake...so ryan got all ready to take him for a spin around the block..he loves his car seat-so much so that by the time ryan put him inside and walked down the stairs, he was already asleep. ryan kept him by his side while he did some work on the computer-which allowed me a few more hours of sleep..all in all, i'm pretty sure i got around 9 hours of sleep total-which hasn't happened in a LONG time (since way before noah was born, i think)! i feel like a new person! and now, ryan and noah are napping upstairs and grammie is napping in her room, so i don't feel quite so bad about them staying up with him earlier... :)