After 12 weeks of bonding time, it was time to get back to the "real world." I may have been dragged back kicking and screaming but back I went. I have now completed one week of work. Actually, I completed 4 days of work, since the claims management company called me on Friday to inform me I still had one day of leave left and didn't have to return to work until Tuesday. Yay!
My mom came back to town to sit for us last week. I'm glad she was able to do that because I don't know how well I would have coped with having to go back to work and put her in day care the same week. I am taking this Monday off and Chris is taking Tuesday off to watch Agatha, and she will officially start day care on Wednesday, which is also her three month birthday! I can't believe she is three months old already. Ca-razy.
Anyway, going to back to work wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The first two days weren't great, but it felt pretty normal by Thursday. A lot of time gets eaten up by the pumping process. The "Mother's Room" is in another building, so I have to walk over there, set up my machine, change into my make-shift pumping bra (psst...it's just a sports bra that I cut some slits into), pump, clean up, get dressed and walk back. The whole thing takes about half an hour. And I have to do that three times a day.
We also got our hospital bill the other day. Yikes. Luckily, my mom came in handy again and called the hospital which said based on our income we might qualify for a full or partial discount of the bill. That would definitely help. Did you know babies are expensive?
I managed to spend part of my birthday money. I bought a new bag for myself to lug my laptop, wallet, lunch, etc. to work. And I bought a duffle bag for Agatha and got it monogrammed. I know! I wasn't supposed to spend the money on stuff for her (per my rules) but I couldn't resist and it made me really happy. I'm very excited for it to arrive.
I also bought some crafting supplies. My mom got my a heat gun for my birthday to use for embossing and other crafty things, so I stocked up on fun stuff. I'm planning to try it out on some Halloween care packages for our nieces and nephew. I'll post pictures on the other blog.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
More Stuff, Random Stuff
I just finished reading a book, The Opposite of Me, and I enjoyed it but there was something off about the book. The story took place in 2009 or 2010 and the protagonist was a 29 year old woman. And:
- She repeatedly mentions "cyber cafes"
- Her twin sister lamented choosing between Calvin Kleins and Jordache jeans in high school
- Mentioned wearing Gloria Vanderbilt jeans in seventh grade
- Complained about lack of Mars bars in vending machine
Cyber cafes don't really exist anymore. People just go to coffee shops with wifi. I understand that you might go to a "cyber cafe" if you don't have a computer, but the main character has a laptop and mentions that she is in a coffee shop. But she keeps calling it a cyber cafe. This seems really dated to me.
I am basically the same age as the main character. Calvin Klein and Jordache jeans were not the "it" jeans to be wearing at that time. I grew up in a small town but even there those jeans were popular ten years earlier then when the main characters would have been in high school.
Same goes fro Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. Weren't these popular in the late seventies and early eighties? Not early nineties, when the main character would have been in seventh grade.
Mars bars were discontinued in the US in 2002. I don't think I've ever even seen one. Wikipedia says they were relaunched exclusively to Wal-Mart in 2010, however. That doesn't explain why anyone would expect them to be in a hospital vending machine in 2009.
Basically, the book was pretty good but I kept getting distracted by all the weird inaccuracies. I was talking to Chris about it and he said it sounded like someone wrote it with a different time period in mind and then decided to set it in modern day and forgot to change the details.
Other stuff, other stuff. I have to go back to work on Monday. BOOOOOOOOOO! I really don't want to. I like my job and I am sure after a few days it will be fine, but I already feel the overwhelming mom guilt of leaving my child in someone else's care.
I am almost done with Agatha's Halloween costume and it is The. Cutest. Thing. Ever. I can't wait to show pictures. I have to stop myself from dressing her in it every day.
Chris' parents sent me some money for my birthday and I am going to spend it ALL on MYSELF. Not stuff for the house or the baby or put it in savings. ME. I'm going to buy pretty, dumb, frivolous stuff just because I want it.
Chris got me the Rifle Paper calendar I wanted and the Design*Sponge book. I am so happy and look forward to enjoying both.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Reading Frustrations
It takes a lot for me to not finish a book. It has to be a pretty bad book. That said, that was not the case this week.
I was reading I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass and was really enjoying it. ***SPOILER ALERT - I am going to ruin the book for you***
***
Then with like twenty pages left in the book, one of the main characters dies. That was upsetting, but not that big of a deal. The part I couldn't handle was that for the rest of the book, it seemed like anyway, all they did was talk about the death and what was she thinking before she died, and just examining all the horrible things about death. Now, I was reading this at midnight right before I was supposed to go to sleep. And I do not deal well with death. I don't like to think about it, because once I think about it, it is all I think about it. And when you think about it, it's not fair, is it? Who came up with this system?? Love your life, have a great time, oh by the way some day you're going to die. If I was guaranteed to live to 90, fine, I could handle that. But I can't handle the thought that I could walk out my door and get hit by a bus. Or just fall down dead while doing the dishes. That is not fair. NOT FAIR.
Oookay...so I couldn't finish the book, because it kept me up all night THINKING HORRIBLE THOUGHTS. Thanks a lot, book.
So, I need to find a new book. I have two more from the library, but after re-examining the book jackets, one contains "an unthinkable tragedy." No, thanks. This is why chick lit is so popular.
In other book-related news, I took Aggie to the library today and we picked up:
Good choices, Agatha!
I was reading I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass and was really enjoying it. ***SPOILER ALERT - I am going to ruin the book for you***
***
Then with like twenty pages left in the book, one of the main characters dies. That was upsetting, but not that big of a deal. The part I couldn't handle was that for the rest of the book, it seemed like anyway, all they did was talk about the death and what was she thinking before she died, and just examining all the horrible things about death. Now, I was reading this at midnight right before I was supposed to go to sleep. And I do not deal well with death. I don't like to think about it, because once I think about it, it is all I think about it. And when you think about it, it's not fair, is it? Who came up with this system?? Love your life, have a great time, oh by the way some day you're going to die. If I was guaranteed to live to 90, fine, I could handle that. But I can't handle the thought that I could walk out my door and get hit by a bus. Or just fall down dead while doing the dishes. That is not fair. NOT FAIR.
Oookay...so I couldn't finish the book, because it kept me up all night THINKING HORRIBLE THOUGHTS. Thanks a lot, book.
So, I need to find a new book. I have two more from the library, but after re-examining the book jackets, one contains "an unthinkable tragedy." No, thanks. This is why chick lit is so popular.
In other book-related news, I took Aggie to the library today and we picked up:
Parents in the Pigpen, Pigs in the Tub
Babar's World Tour
There's Something in My Attic
Madeline and the Gypsies
Good choices, Agatha!Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Sleep!
I hope I am not getting ahead of myself, but the last three days have been so wonderful sleep-wise with Agatha.
Our routine before was just waiting for Agatha to fall asleep. During the day this meant she would normally fall asleep after nursing or while we were rocking or bouncing her. Then we would lay her down and she would inevitably wake up twenty minutes later. Or I would put her in her bouncer chair and she would continue to sleep, but I wanted to break that habit.
At night, she wouldn't fall asleep until sometimes two in the morning, and only after being walked, bounced, sat in front of the stove fan, sang to, etc. It was very frustrating. She would sleep for 3 to 5 hours at a time once she fell asleep, so that was fine, but the timing was not acceptable. Or the amount of time it took to get her to fall asleep.
I read a few books on sleep and they all said to put the baby down and let her fuss and cry. I could check on her every so often but she would have to learn to soothe herself and would have to "cry it out." I tried it one night for about five minutes. It just wasn't for me. First of all, Agatha is still very young and I want her to trust me. Chris and I are her whole world right now and she looks to us for all her needs. I thought there had to be a better way for all of us.
I heard about The No-Cry Sleep Solution and requested it from the library. I started reading it the first night I had it and immediately had a few major breakthroughs. That night around 12:00, I laid with Agatha on the bed for awhile and just spent some quiet time with her. When she started to get quieter and looked drowsy, I moved her to the Pack n Play and swaddled her with her arms in. (We had stopped doing this several weeks ago because she seemed to fight it.) Then, I stayed in the room with her and soothed her by putting my hands on her when she started fussing. I also gave her a pacifier to suck on. When she started to look like she was about to fall asleep, I took the pacifier away, to try to encourage her to learn to fall asleep without sucking. It took about ten minutes total and she slept for seven hours straight!
The next day I started doing the same thing for naps. And I did the same thing that next night. That night she slept from 10:45 to 3:45 and then from 4:00 to 8:30, nursing in between. Last night she slept from 10:30 to 2:20, then 2:30 to 5:30, then 5:50 to 9:30, nursing at wakings. Every nap I have done the same thing and it takes her about five minutes to fall asleep.
I know it has only been a few days, but I am amazed. Instead of waiting for her to fall asleep, I pay attention to when she looks like she is getting tired and get her ready to sleep. Maybe this is a big DUH! thing to other moms or more experienced moms, but it was like a light coming on for me. There are lots of other great tips and insights in the book that I am looking forward to utilizing as she gets older.
Hopefully, we will continue to have success.
Our routine before was just waiting for Agatha to fall asleep. During the day this meant she would normally fall asleep after nursing or while we were rocking or bouncing her. Then we would lay her down and she would inevitably wake up twenty minutes later. Or I would put her in her bouncer chair and she would continue to sleep, but I wanted to break that habit.
At night, she wouldn't fall asleep until sometimes two in the morning, and only after being walked, bounced, sat in front of the stove fan, sang to, etc. It was very frustrating. She would sleep for 3 to 5 hours at a time once she fell asleep, so that was fine, but the timing was not acceptable. Or the amount of time it took to get her to fall asleep.
I read a few books on sleep and they all said to put the baby down and let her fuss and cry. I could check on her every so often but she would have to learn to soothe herself and would have to "cry it out." I tried it one night for about five minutes. It just wasn't for me. First of all, Agatha is still very young and I want her to trust me. Chris and I are her whole world right now and she looks to us for all her needs. I thought there had to be a better way for all of us.
I heard about The No-Cry Sleep Solution and requested it from the library. I started reading it the first night I had it and immediately had a few major breakthroughs. That night around 12:00, I laid with Agatha on the bed for awhile and just spent some quiet time with her. When she started to get quieter and looked drowsy, I moved her to the Pack n Play and swaddled her with her arms in. (We had stopped doing this several weeks ago because she seemed to fight it.) Then, I stayed in the room with her and soothed her by putting my hands on her when she started fussing. I also gave her a pacifier to suck on. When she started to look like she was about to fall asleep, I took the pacifier away, to try to encourage her to learn to fall asleep without sucking. It took about ten minutes total and she slept for seven hours straight!
The next day I started doing the same thing for naps. And I did the same thing that next night. That night she slept from 10:45 to 3:45 and then from 4:00 to 8:30, nursing in between. Last night she slept from 10:30 to 2:20, then 2:30 to 5:30, then 5:50 to 9:30, nursing at wakings. Every nap I have done the same thing and it takes her about five minutes to fall asleep.
I know it has only been a few days, but I am amazed. Instead of waiting for her to fall asleep, I pay attention to when she looks like she is getting tired and get her ready to sleep. Maybe this is a big DUH! thing to other moms or more experienced moms, but it was like a light coming on for me. There are lots of other great tips and insights in the book that I am looking forward to utilizing as she gets older.
Hopefully, we will continue to have success.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Weekend Fun
My weekend was awesome:
- Impromptu visit from my mom. She can't stay away from Agatha and I can't blame her. I love when she visits!
- AMK in town from Orange County! We shopped (but somehow did not buy anything) and gossipped and had an all-around fab time.
- Chris and I finally left the house to see Harry Potter 7 Part 2. AWESOMENESS.
- Agatha slept SEVEN hours straight Saturday night. Amazing. She woke up at 7:30 and went back down at 8:00 for another three and a half hours.
- I found a great dress at BCBG but the $250 price tag was ridic, but I found it on eBay for $106. Sweet!
- My scale told me I only have 2.5 pounds to lose to get down to my pre-baby weight. That means 5 or 10 to get down to fightin' weight, but I'll take it.
- Finally learning how to recognize that Agatha is getting tired and put her down so she'll sleep in her Pack n Play instead of my arms.
- Donuts from A Baker's Wife. Yum.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Uh oh
I get to spend a lot of time on the internet while on maternity leave - there isn't much else to do while nursing, although I have recently learned to hold a book while nursing - Go, me! So, I have discovered the online world of baby clothes.
Dangerous stuff.
Dangerous stuff.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Excitement Abounds
We got to enjoy a lovely weekend with Chris' family this weekend. His mom, dad, aunt, brother, sister-in-law and their two kids came up from Omaha to visit. We took Agatha to the pool at their hotel and she splashed around for a few minutes before remembering she was hungry. At least I got to put her in her suit (below).
Chris' new band played their first show on Friday night and his mom and aunt watched Agatha so I could go support him. It was the longest I had been away from her and I was told she did really well. I, however, should have pumped before I left and I would have saved myself some pain. Trying to express milk by hand in a dingy bathroom stall is not my idea of fun. The band was great and it was awesome to see Chris on stage again. He is so talented!
Today, our friends Noah and Michel are visiting from Brooklyn, with their one-year-old daughter, Margarita. We haven't seen them since before Margarita was born, so we are very excited to meet her and to catch up with them.
My goal this week is to take photos of my cards and actually put them on Etsy. I can't believe I have procrastinated this long. I did take some pictures about a year ago, but I didn't think the quality was good enough. I am thinking of getting a beginner DSLR camera, I think it would be nice to have some nicer pictures of Agatha, instead of just snapshots.
This coming weekend, we are planning on taking our first road trip. We'll be going to my brother and sister-in-law's cabin for Labor Day. It is ab out a 3.5 hour car ride, which I'm sure will be made longer with the baby. It should be good practice for a trip to Omaha we'd like to take before I go back to work. I'm excited to show her off and to see my family. My dad hasn't met her yet, so I am looking forward to that.
Chris' new band played their first show on Friday night and his mom and aunt watched Agatha so I could go support him. It was the longest I had been away from her and I was told she did really well. I, however, should have pumped before I left and I would have saved myself some pain. Trying to express milk by hand in a dingy bathroom stall is not my idea of fun. The band was great and it was awesome to see Chris on stage again. He is so talented!
Today, our friends Noah and Michel are visiting from Brooklyn, with their one-year-old daughter, Margarita. We haven't seen them since before Margarita was born, so we are very excited to meet her and to catch up with them.
My goal this week is to take photos of my cards and actually put them on Etsy. I can't believe I have procrastinated this long. I did take some pictures about a year ago, but I didn't think the quality was good enough. I am thinking of getting a beginner DSLR camera, I think it would be nice to have some nicer pictures of Agatha, instead of just snapshots.
This coming weekend, we are planning on taking our first road trip. We'll be going to my brother and sister-in-law's cabin for Labor Day. It is ab out a 3.5 hour car ride, which I'm sure will be made longer with the baby. It should be good practice for a trip to Omaha we'd like to take before I go back to work. I'm excited to show her off and to see my family. My dad hasn't met her yet, so I am looking forward to that.
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