Various Musings, etc
Nathaniel's doing well. I know that's all I have to talk about these days, but he is kinda the main time consumer in my life right now.
He's eating well, and not giving me ANY trouble about feedings anymore. Well, except that he likes to eat for 5 minutes every 30-60 minutes, instead of 10-20minutes every 2 hours, which would be a lot easier. Especially when we're visiting with people. I try to make sure I have some pumped milk now when I leave the house, because at least that way I only have to find a way to nurse once during a visit usually. Instead of like 5 times, lol.
Today and yesterday were our first days at home without Dad. It was kinda rough. Yesterday, I got virtually nothing done (well, not exclusively true, as I did get the towels folded and the clean/dirty laundry that was on the floor from the hospital separated...but nearly nothing). Every time I went to do anything, he would get fussy about being left in the bouncer or whatever. I did get chicken marinated, too, but then I didn't make dinner when Daniel got home, which I felt pretty bad about...
Today was somewhat better. First, we dropped Dad off at Lloyd Center, and then we went to Starbucks because I had to get a prescription filled at Freddy's but they don't open until 7(?) and it was like 6:40 when we got there. I had a mocha, my first coffee since ... well, the last one I had before this was like 3 months into the pregnancy because I didn't realize that "decaf" meant "not as much caffeine as regular" instead of no caffeine. Anyway, in retrospect, it was a bad idea to get the coffee, but at the time, it seemed really appealing!
We met some elderly gentlemen who apparently spend way too much time at Starbucks and consider themselves the resident grandpas. I sat and listened to them for a while. Didn't share my own life with them, particularly, but allowed them to talk. They seemed like nice old guys, but you never know who's a creep, so I was very cautious. I don't believe we'll be making it a habit to visit that particular Starbucks in the future.
Left Starbucks and went to Fred Meyers, where I discovered that the pharmacy doesn't open until 9. So we wandered Freddy's for a while. We got a hamper for the nursery, 2 pairs of 3mo pants (because we had lots of onesies but few pants), boxers for Daddy (Superman, because he's our hero), some necessities (breastmilk storage bags and various other items), a little makeup for Mommy (though who knows if I'll ever use it lol I just got coverup because I figured I could carry it around and it's simple enough I might just use it)... and some groceries and whatnots.
We also looked at the Men's section for a shirt and tie for Daddy. I really want to get a shirt and tie that I can match to a shirt and tie for Nathaniel when he's older, but I can alway wait for that. For now, I really would like to get Daniel a nice burgundy-colored button-up. I really think it would look spiffy on him, and I figure if I can get a nice one cheap, all the better.
I don't do shopping for men's clothing usually, though. This is a new thing for me. Funny, somehow it's more acceptable to buy clothes for him when he's a daddy than it was when he was just my husband. But anyway, if anyone has suggestions for somewhere to get nice men's clothing without spending an arm and a leg, I'd love to hear them!
So then we bought our stuff, and went and placed our prescription, and went to the car, where I put everything in the car and breastfed Nathaniel (which was an odd experience, but I was very successful at NOT flashing the world, so that's a good thing!), and then we went in and got the prescriptions (Vicodin, well, hydrocodone, and ibuprofen 600mg).
Then we stopped by the post office after a brief stop at home, where we mailed a check.
Then we went home and I began the complicated process of bringing Nathaniel, his bouncer, and a bag of dirty/new baby laundry out to the laundry room, placing the bouncer and the baby on the top of the dryer (VERY securely, I promise!), and starting a load of laundry. It was complicated, because I had to unlock the laundry room before I could get in, and I was carrying quite a bit and couldn't exactly "juggle" the stuff I was carrying.
We were, however, successful, and we then went inside where I tried to start preparing skewers for dinner, but Nathaniel fussed (this happened often throughout the day) and I fed him and then went back out to the laundry room (a process again) and got the laundry which I brought to the backyard, where I placed him in his bouncer and hung up the laundry.
Finally, we got to preparing dinner, got everything put away, got into the carseat to go to the Ostroms (after another feeding of course), and as I was about to walk out the door, he decided to throw a FIT! He was just feeling a little abandoned, I think, because it's the most I haven't held him during the day, but I had to calm him down, which involved extracting him from the carseat, and then put him back in to whimpers, reassuring him the whole time.
Finally, we got to the Ostroms, where they were very happy to see him. When Daddy called for a ride, I left him *with expressed milk* with Hannah and the others while I went and picked him up (BTW, how liberating to drive at a normal pace again! I wasn't terrified of a wreck the whole way to the max station!). Daniel and I hung out at the Ostroms for a while, then off to home, where I remembered that I had not gotten as much done as I'd wanted, but was exhausted and in pain (yes, still healing), so I took one of the hydrocodone which I hadn't ever intended to actually use (after I'd fed him, although the doc said it's fine to feed him with the drugs in my system still) and I laid down with Nathan and fell asleep for about 2 hours.
10pm I made dinner, ate, fed Nathaniel, and now Daddy and Nathan are up in bed asleep and I'm thinking about all the work I *could* get done while they're sleeping...but I know that I should sleep, too, so I'll be going up there soon to join them. Besides, he's going to be hungry again soon, because he always eats before I fall asleep.
Anyway, I don't know why I went through my whole day in such detail. I guess to reassure myself that I did something, and that it's not completely unimpressive to do what little I did just a week after giving birth.
I think it's best to keep busy.
Also, I got some really excellent photos of DanO holding Nathaniel. Going to post them on myspace/facebook before I go to bed. Which will be happening very soon.
Hope everyone else's day went well.
Oh, also, I think the caffeine from the coffee got into my milk (even though I fed him literally 2 hours later-he was sleeping, I'm not just mean), because he was totally twitchy for a few hours today. So coffee is out while I'm breastfeeding.
Hugs.
He's eating well, and not giving me ANY trouble about feedings anymore. Well, except that he likes to eat for 5 minutes every 30-60 minutes, instead of 10-20minutes every 2 hours, which would be a lot easier. Especially when we're visiting with people. I try to make sure I have some pumped milk now when I leave the house, because at least that way I only have to find a way to nurse once during a visit usually. Instead of like 5 times, lol.
Today and yesterday were our first days at home without Dad. It was kinda rough. Yesterday, I got virtually nothing done (well, not exclusively true, as I did get the towels folded and the clean/dirty laundry that was on the floor from the hospital separated...but nearly nothing). Every time I went to do anything, he would get fussy about being left in the bouncer or whatever. I did get chicken marinated, too, but then I didn't make dinner when Daniel got home, which I felt pretty bad about...
Today was somewhat better. First, we dropped Dad off at Lloyd Center, and then we went to Starbucks because I had to get a prescription filled at Freddy's but they don't open until 7(?) and it was like 6:40 when we got there. I had a mocha, my first coffee since ... well, the last one I had before this was like 3 months into the pregnancy because I didn't realize that "decaf" meant "not as much caffeine as regular" instead of no caffeine. Anyway, in retrospect, it was a bad idea to get the coffee, but at the time, it seemed really appealing!
We met some elderly gentlemen who apparently spend way too much time at Starbucks and consider themselves the resident grandpas. I sat and listened to them for a while. Didn't share my own life with them, particularly, but allowed them to talk. They seemed like nice old guys, but you never know who's a creep, so I was very cautious. I don't believe we'll be making it a habit to visit that particular Starbucks in the future.
Left Starbucks and went to Fred Meyers, where I discovered that the pharmacy doesn't open until 9. So we wandered Freddy's for a while. We got a hamper for the nursery, 2 pairs of 3mo pants (because we had lots of onesies but few pants), boxers for Daddy (Superman, because he's our hero), some necessities (breastmilk storage bags and various other items), a little makeup for Mommy (though who knows if I'll ever use it lol I just got coverup because I figured I could carry it around and it's simple enough I might just use it)... and some groceries and whatnots.
We also looked at the Men's section for a shirt and tie for Daddy. I really want to get a shirt and tie that I can match to a shirt and tie for Nathaniel when he's older, but I can alway wait for that. For now, I really would like to get Daniel a nice burgundy-colored button-up. I really think it would look spiffy on him, and I figure if I can get a nice one cheap, all the better.
I don't do shopping for men's clothing usually, though. This is a new thing for me. Funny, somehow it's more acceptable to buy clothes for him when he's a daddy than it was when he was just my husband. But anyway, if anyone has suggestions for somewhere to get nice men's clothing without spending an arm and a leg, I'd love to hear them!
So then we bought our stuff, and went and placed our prescription, and went to the car, where I put everything in the car and breastfed Nathaniel (which was an odd experience, but I was very successful at NOT flashing the world, so that's a good thing!), and then we went in and got the prescriptions (Vicodin, well, hydrocodone, and ibuprofen 600mg).
Then we stopped by the post office after a brief stop at home, where we mailed a check.
Then we went home and I began the complicated process of bringing Nathaniel, his bouncer, and a bag of dirty/new baby laundry out to the laundry room, placing the bouncer and the baby on the top of the dryer (VERY securely, I promise!), and starting a load of laundry. It was complicated, because I had to unlock the laundry room before I could get in, and I was carrying quite a bit and couldn't exactly "juggle" the stuff I was carrying.
We were, however, successful, and we then went inside where I tried to start preparing skewers for dinner, but Nathaniel fussed (this happened often throughout the day) and I fed him and then went back out to the laundry room (a process again) and got the laundry which I brought to the backyard, where I placed him in his bouncer and hung up the laundry.
Finally, we got to preparing dinner, got everything put away, got into the carseat to go to the Ostroms (after another feeding of course), and as I was about to walk out the door, he decided to throw a FIT! He was just feeling a little abandoned, I think, because it's the most I haven't held him during the day, but I had to calm him down, which involved extracting him from the carseat, and then put him back in to whimpers, reassuring him the whole time.
Finally, we got to the Ostroms, where they were very happy to see him. When Daddy called for a ride, I left him *with expressed milk* with Hannah and the others while I went and picked him up (BTW, how liberating to drive at a normal pace again! I wasn't terrified of a wreck the whole way to the max station!). Daniel and I hung out at the Ostroms for a while, then off to home, where I remembered that I had not gotten as much done as I'd wanted, but was exhausted and in pain (yes, still healing), so I took one of the hydrocodone which I hadn't ever intended to actually use (after I'd fed him, although the doc said it's fine to feed him with the drugs in my system still) and I laid down with Nathan and fell asleep for about 2 hours.
10pm I made dinner, ate, fed Nathaniel, and now Daddy and Nathan are up in bed asleep and I'm thinking about all the work I *could* get done while they're sleeping...but I know that I should sleep, too, so I'll be going up there soon to join them. Besides, he's going to be hungry again soon, because he always eats before I fall asleep.
Anyway, I don't know why I went through my whole day in such detail. I guess to reassure myself that I did something, and that it's not completely unimpressive to do what little I did just a week after giving birth.
I think it's best to keep busy.
Also, I got some really excellent photos of DanO holding Nathaniel. Going to post them on myspace/facebook before I go to bed. Which will be happening very soon.
Hope everyone else's day went well.
Oh, also, I think the caffeine from the coffee got into my milk (even though I fed him literally 2 hours later-he was sleeping, I'm not just mean), because he was totally twitchy for a few hours today. So coffee is out while I'm breastfeeding.
Hugs.