Week 10

We've decided to let "Preston" write his weekly updates from here on out.


I'm becoming a seasoned traveler. My mommy (Danielle) jokes that she didn't leave Pittsburgh until she was 19 years old and here I am, 2 months old, and already I'm traveling here and there, flying on planes and staying in hotels. This week I went to Washington DC to see my godmother and then a day later I took my first airplane ride to visit Nana and Grandpa. Mama said that I was the best little boy ever because I did so well on both trips. You should have seen my mama working all of our gear by herself like a pro. She had me in my Ergo while we went through security and on to the plane so that her hands were free to carry our suitcase and diaper bag. I think people were quite impressed with how she was able to handle everything and if they weren't, well I was. I slept most of the time, because lets face it, I love being in the Ergo snuggled close to mama or in her arms. She nursed me during take off and landing to help prevent my ears from popping.

I had so much fun at Nana's and Grandpa's. My mother's cousin's 7 year old daughter was there for the summer and we went to the beach for my very first time. The warm water felt great crashing on my skin. Grandpa even took me and my cousin to the park one evening when the sun started to set. It was 100 degrees one day- yikes! Nana is awesome. She made all of mama's favorite foods and showed mama how to sew paci clips for me. Nana even made me a new wetbag for daycare and some new diapers. I can't wait to go back.

Milestones:
- I've started to take a pacifier. I would much rather use mom as a paci but she said she won't be there with me at daycare so there are times I will have to rely on the paci to help me sleep and soothe.
- I'm losing some hair on the side of my head. I'm still a stud muffin though.
- I can hold upper chest and head up for a long period of time when I'm on my tummy.
- I can use my legs to "stand" when held in that position.
- I'm growing out of my small cloth diapers.
- I consistently smile in response to others smiling and talking to me.
- I know how to bring things to my mouth and love to suck on my hands.

Week 9

This week brought about envy and other conflicting feelings. I've met some other new moms during my maternity leave. We've met for music time at the library followed by lunch, frozen yogurt, jaunts at the zoo or picnics in the park. It's been great. However, I'm reminded that this will not last and soon I'll return to work while some of my new found friends will remain home with their babies. On the one hand I know I will be grateful for the intellectual stimulation work brings. But on the other hand I desperately long to be home with my son.

Unfortunately, being a SAHM is not an option for me. However, working different hours is. Working the evenings 3:30pm to midnight would allow me to be home during the day with him but then it takes me away from my Danielle. Working 9am to 5:30pm as I am now allows me to be home in the evening with everyone but not spend as much quality time with Preston as I would like. How do you 9-5pm moms feel? Do you feel cheated by the small amount of time you get with your child during the week? Maybe this is just my anxiety about returning to work and separating from him. However, I am annoyed that a lot of enrichment activities are limited to morning and afternoon hours such as diaper gym, baby lapsit, swimming lessons, etc.

We had another exciting road trip this past weekend. This time we drove to Washington DC to visit Preston's godmother and her mother. I haven't partied like that in a long time and my body reminded me of that the following day.

And as always I'll leave you with a picture of my little stud muffin from last week's photo shoot.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

8 Weeks

My darling SugarPlum survived his first round of vaccinations. He was fussy in the evening and insisted on being cuddled while he slept. Of course, I eagerly obliged as cuddling him is one of my favorite past times. By 8pm he woke up and was back to his bright, bubbly self.

I feel like I write this every week, but he is truly growing like a weed. At his 8 week check up, my beautiful baby weighed in at 14 pounds, 12 ounces and is 24 3/4 inches long. He easily fits in to 3-6mo clothing and has grown out of his newborn prefold diapers. I remember not too long ago he had plenty of space to stretch out when we breastfed in the nursery rocker. Now, we have to find somewhere to put his legs and keep him comfortable. I can only imagine the scene when he's like 5 months old and still breastfeeding.

Speaking of breastfeeding, it is going unbelievably well. Preston is going about 3 hours now in between feedings and wakes up once between 10:30pm and 6am to eat which we both do half asleep while laying in bed. We are not starting solids for a while but I've already researched the food processor that I want and I'm excited to make his own baby food.

In other news this week also brought about Preston's first road trip. We went to visit my brother and family in Ohio. The little ones had a photo shoot which went incredibly well. It's very easy to get suckered in to buying lots of pictures. The kiddos had a great time, especially my 5 year old niece who hammed it up for the camera. However, note to self about going away for the weekend... ALWAYS remember to pack a pump, even if it's your manual pump. I woke up so engorged on Sunday and hand expressing helped but is not nearly as powerful as a pump.

We are gearing up for another road trip this weekend to DC to visit Preston's godmother and attend her mother's 55th birthday party. We've been looking forward to this road trip for a while. I hope Preston does well with this trip as well. The hardest part of a road trip with an infant is not being able to pick them up out of their car seat and hold them when they cry.

And as always, here's a picture of the little tyke:

7 Weeks

The reality of going back to work set in when I wrote the check for daycare. Preston starts Wednesday, June 30th and I go back to work July 1st. I'll spend the day with him at daycare that Wednesday to see what his day is comprised of, help the daycare workers learn his needs, and lets be honest... help me deal with my own issues of placing him in daycare and being away from him. I'm sure I'll be a mess at work on July 1st.

I was advised to go back to work on a Thursday or Friday to ease back in to the work week. That way I'll have the weekend to recuperate physically and emotionally with my baby and then start a full week the following week. Luckily for me, I have a 3 day weekend (4th of July) to recuperate.

On the agenda for week 8: Pediatric appointment with shots, first road trip- going to Ohio to visit my nieces and get professional pictures taken with them, and establish a nighttime routine. Preston's silly face.