August 25, 2008

(copy/paste from myspace)

Here is an update on the first 6 weeks:

We ARE still nursing and it is going well-- so well, in fact, that our little chunk-of-love has gained almost THREE pounds already!!! He was 11lb 4oz last week. I am 95% breastfeeding but I am not crazy anymore about formula. I'll give him a little here and there. Like yesterday at the mall he ate twice... one feeding I nursed in the food court him while a nasty old man stared me down and the other I gave him a bottle. No I take that back… 3 times. I nursed him in Dillard's dressing room too. He never gets more than one bottle in a day-- and it is only if we are out and about or if he is having a growth spurt and I can't keep up one of his feedings.... but this 3 pounds goes to mommy not a bottle here and there.

For the most part Maddox is awesome. He cries when he is hungry or when he needs to burp and occasionally when he is dirty… but other than that he smiles and coos. He has even started laughing now! But he only does it when he is going to sleep. I wish so bad I knew what was so funny. I would do it over and over because he has the cutest laugh. I mean, what could he possibly be dreaming about? What does he even know at 6 weeks? Mommy. Daddy. Ceiling fan. Boob. Whatever it is, I love to hear him chuckle!

It is in those things where I can not wait to do this again… and then we have a bad day like today and reality sets in!

We are keeping my 2 year old niece, Ellie, tonight to give my brother and Randi a break. Their newborn, Gunner is 5 days old now and is having a horrible time with his bilirubin. He also has his days and nights all mixed up. Randi, who is never emotional or a worry wart, is beginning to get overwhelmed. Those first 2 weeks suck. You feel like you are living someone else's life—or at least I did! She is sleep deprived and is having to keep him under the lights all day and she needed a break. Not from Ellie—who is a very good 2 year old, just for some rest!

Well, I met my brother at Wal-Mart because I had to do some grocery shopping too but Sundays are horrible at Wal-Mart. My mom met me there to help but she had to leave because she had to meet with their builder. That would've been fine except Maddox decided he needed to eat just as we were checking out-- I nursed and him and he kept screaming...I burped him... still unhappy… I changed his diaper... still screaming, I made him a bottle... but he continued to scream. So I decided to drive on home with Ellie telling him, "Hey, NO"... over and over... even she was frustrated! I got home-- unloaded a 2 year old and 6 week old to find that Lance left the utility room door open and Macy had dug in the trash and found a chocolate donut-- you see Lance didn't go to WM with me because he had to stay home to work but he ended up getting lunch and going to the neighbor's house. He had not done a dang thing to the house, trash was all over the utility room, Macy was full of lethal chocolate and Maddox was STILL screaming-- for over an hour now... I had spent $200 at the grocery store on side things—we have a deep freeze full of organic meat and veggies-- I had intentions of a good meal but we ended up eating sandwiches tonight! And we had to make Macy throw up AGAIN... while the groceries stayed in bags and the cold stuff went hot. YAY.

Moral of the story: I'll wait a bit before we do this again. Ellie is great but I can see why another set of tiny hands just adds to the anxiety. When I get the baby itch, I'll go get a niece or nephew and see how 2 are so different from 1. GREAT BIRTH CONTROL.

But days like this are far and few between. He even has a schedule at night now... We feed around 10:00 or 11:00 at night and he sleeps until 3:30 or 4:00. Then sleeps after that feeding for another 4 or 5 hours! Can't beat it! I even have even found a way to cheat the system a bit... he starts squirming at about 3:00 or so and I get up and pump and then I feed him pumped milk at that feeding from the bottle! Too many nights I kept falling asleep while nursing him and this way I have to wake up and get out of bed but the whole process takes maybe 30 minutes rather than an hour. Last night Maddox ate at 9:30 and didn't wake up until 4:00 then didn't wake up until 9:45 for the next feeding-- Sounds great but OMG I was engorged both times—which is painful!

Well it is midnight and I better get to sleep because even though this little guy may sleep until 9:45... the Ellie belly will be up and excited come 7:30, I am sure! She is at a fun age and it is funny how she gets super excited about Maddox and Gunner-- sometimes I think she thinks they are the same baby! We like to say she looks like an excited deer in headlights when she sees them.