7 Weeks Old February 27, 2012

So many changes in a week, Frances. This weekend you started sleeping in your crib in your own room. You’ve taken to it like a champ, and I think we are all sleeping better now. (You see, Frances, you are a bit of a noisy sleeper, and your mama kept getting up with you thinking you were awake, when really you were just making noise). You go to bed now around 8 and usually get in two 4-5 hour chunks of sleep between feedings, plus another 1-2 hours in the morning. (Of course this is a pattern of 3 days, but still, your mom and I are impressed and encouraged!)

You also started your “social” smiling this week – right on schedule, if the books are to be believed. You have always been a smiler, since you were born, but now you smile AT us. You recognize our faces and smile back, which is pretty awesome. It’s nice to be smiled at.

You and I have a bit of a routine going now. You wake up in the morning and I change you, get you dressed and feed you. Then you hang out on our bed, squirming and looking around, while I get dressed. Squirming and looking around are the height of entertainment when you are 7 weeks old.

You have also discovered a love of your swing in the last week, which is pretty great. It’s always good to have you happy and entertained, and if your mommies can have their hands free (to eat some breakfast or do some dishes) at the same time, so much the better. One thing you don’t like – the sniffles. No, not your own, your mommies’. You are very offended by the sound of sniffling. It’s the one noise we know will upset you.

You are still figuring out your hands. You try to get them in your mouth and you are quite good at grabbing the rings of the elephant toy when you are playing on the play mat with your mommy. You are also good at holding my fingers, which is probably my favorite thing. We try to leave hands out of their mittens for a good chunk of the day so that you can play with them (although, your little hands do get so cold. It’s that poor circulation that babies have).

Lots of love, Your Mama.

6 Weeks Old February 21, 2012

I can hardly believe, Frances, that many women only get 6 weeks maternity leave and would have to be heading back to work today. While you are so much bigger and stronger than when you are born, you are still changing so much every day. I can’t imagine having to leave you in daycare now.

This was quite a week. You celebrated your first holiday – Valentine’s Day – with a very cute outfit. (Your mommies celebrated with desserts from Sticky Fingers. Thanks, Jami!)

Of course, my favorite part was the rear:

(Clothing Designers: Words on grown women’s butts? No. Animals on tiny baby butts? YES!)

We did two more solo excursions… to get the car inspected and to Children’s Hospital to get a hip ultrasound (requested because breech babies can sometimes have hip issues – but yours look totally normal. Hooray!). You are a champ in the car. I’m feeling much more comfortable with the idea of getting out and about with you.

That’s good, because this is also the week that you apparently learned that babies are supposed to be fussy and decided to work on meeting that expectation. We had three rough evenings before your mother and I figured out a plan (you still get fussy, but now if we can’t interest you in other things, we bring out the secret weapon… The Boob. Shh, it’s a secret). Things are a little calmer now which is good. (There is nothing more heartbreaking – and frustrating – than a little baby that you just can’t soothe).

On Sunday, we had your first restaurant experience – Brunch at Meridian Pint. Huge success. You slept and had a bottle and were generally a delightful brunch companion. So lovely.

You are getting much stronger – especially your neck (that’s where it’s starts they say) and you are starting to discover your hands (such fascinating appendages). Your long stretch of sleep at night has gotten longer (you usually sleep between 4.5 and 5 hours after your last pre-bedtime feeding – and this mommy thanks you for that).

I still feel like every day is new with you. We find ourselves saying, Frances does X now, and realizing we mean Frances has been doing X for a day and a half now (what? You are only 6 weeks old, 36 hours totally constitutes a pattern!). Let’s see what new things this week brings!

Love, Your Mama

5 Weeks Old February 13, 2012

Frances, Baby Girl, you just keep growing. You had your one month pediatrician appointment today and we got your official numbers. You are now 8 pounds, 11 ounces and 21 inches long. So big! And yet, I am amazed to think that there are newborn babies that are your size (or bigger!). Your cheeks are getting chubbier, which just makes you that much cuter! You have outgrown most of your newborn clothes and are now wearing 0-3 months (which are still a little big on you, but the newborn things were a little snug, so there you go).

You had a shot today – quite the unpleasant surprise for you, but so far you seem to handling it pretty well. The nurse practitioner warned that you might be a little sleepy today, but you scoffed at that. In fact you have been awake since 8 AM with just about an hour and half total of napping. I’m hoping that means you will sleep well tonight!

You’ve been using a pacifier for about a week now – solving the problem of “baby has had enough to eat, but still wants to suck”. We started putting you down to nap in your crib this weekend, which worked pretty well – although today hasn’t been so successful (what with the not napping). As with many things, Jami is better at putting you down in your crib than I am. I think it’s that she expects success while I fear meltdowns.

I never knew I could like weekends more as a parent, but I do – and I’m not even working right now. It’s just so nice to have your Mama home with us and spend quality family time.

You still enjoy your playmat and also have started liking your swing in the past week. You sometimes hit the dangling toys now, which makes your enjoyment that much greater.

Lots of love for you, little girl.

Your Mama

4 Weeks Old February 6, 2012

My darling Frances,

You are 4 weeks old today! I can’t believe that you have been with us that long! I feel like in the last week, we have settled in to each other. You are no longer this new little baby that I don’t know what to do with. Not that I feel like an expert, but I no longer live in fear of you crying or not knowing what you need.

Your Grandma went home this weekend and your Mama is at work, so today has been our first day alone together. I think it has gone pretty well, don’t you? We may not have left the house, but we got a few chores done (dishes, laundry), and kept you fed and mostly happy. We even got a little nap in (to be fair, you have gotten several naps in, but I got to join you for one of them!).

You have now been alive long enough to repeat activities. You had your second bath this weekend – water is still a hit and have gone on 5 or 6 walks at this point. Last night you went out for your first social engagement – watching the Superbowl at the neighbors. Too bad the result wasn’t better! You like playtime with your Mama and even have a favorite toy – the blue elephant in the picture above. You are becoming more and more your own person every day and it is awesome to see.

You are growing so much. I can’t wait to see how big you are and what all you are doing in another 4 weeks!

Love,

Your Mama

January Round-up February 1, 2012

I read 7 books in January, 2 Non-fiction, 5 Fiction, all on my Kindle. Not too bad for a lady who had a baby!

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. I’m not sure where I first heard about this book, but it’s been on my To-Read list for a while (I’m making a concerted effort to actually read the books on my To-Read list this year). It’s vaguely a fantasy book (set in some made-up dynasty of the indeterminate Chinese past), which isn’t usually my thing, but mostly it was just a really good, really engaging story. I was into it the whole way through (and often with more contemporary fiction there are parts that drag for me). Just a really good read.

Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky. Kurlansky is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. He writes interesting social histories bound around a fairly specific topic (in this case, Cod). I can easily recommend anything he’s written. I mean, if you are into nerdy history things.

Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre. This is the first book I’ve read by le Carre, who writes spy novels. This is the first book I read after Frances was born and it was mostly read in the wee hours of the mornings. I thought it was really great and was very into it – right up until the ending which I found wholly unsatisfying. I’d try him again though.

Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton. I love a memoir and if the memoir talks about food, so much the better. This book got mentioned in a bunch of 2011 year-end wrap-ups, and I’m glad I gave it a try. It was a good read.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. When Dr. Singh’s colleague dies on a visit to the Amazon (checking on the progress of an elusive drug researcher), she is chosen to complete his mission (and bring back his effects to his family). Really well written and interesting book. One of my favorites of the last year or so.

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. Christine has suffered memory loss as a result of an accident that she can’t remember. Every day she wakes up not knowing who she is or what has happened to her. She can remember things throughout the course of the day, but forgets everything again overnight. At the suggestion of a doctor, she begins keeping a journal to help her remember, but it also makes her realize that all is not as it seems with her devoted husband, Ben. Interesting premise and very suspenseful.

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie. The next Miss Marple mystery (although Miss Marple doesn’t make an appearance until 2/3 of the way through the book) features anonymous “poison pen” letters. As always, Ms. Christie does not disappoint.

3 Weeks Old January 30, 2012

What a difference a week makes – last week at this time, we were having to wake Frances up every three hours to make sure she was getting enough to eat. A week later, we have a voracious eater on our hands, one who always seems ready to have just a little more milk.

There have been several exciting developments this week – Frances went for her first (and second and third) walk. We have been having a very mild January, and have taken good advantage of that. I even managed to get the stroller out and car seat attached by myself today, since Jami is at work (boo!).

Frances also had her first bath this week. The books all warned us that babies often cry through their first baths because they don’t like them, but Frances was a definite fan. (She wasn’t a fan of the naked time required right before and after the bath, but the water she liked).

And of course, the best thing about the bath, was the chance for Frances to wear her teeny baby bathrobe afterwords. I think the bathrobe was Jami’s favorite gift from our Maine shower (and you can see how happy it still makes her!)

Grandma is still here visiting (and helping). Next week I’ll be totally on my own for the first time and I’m a little worried about how that will go (right now it’s so easy to say “hold her for a minute” and go to the bathroom, do some small errand, write a blog post, etc.), but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!

Two Weeks Old January 24, 2012

Amazingly, our baby girl turned two weeks old yesterday – and the day was appropriately momentous. It is Jami’s first day back at work and my first day handling feedings all by myself. The overnight feedings were a little rough, but we’ll figure it out, Frances and I.

Frances also lost her cord stump yesterday – another milestone. Now she has the cutest little belly button.

Finally, this was the first day that Frances began demanding food. Up to this point we’ve been having to wake her up to eat. Good news in terms of her growth and development, although it has meant less sleep for her and for me.

My mom is here now helping out, which is great. So nice to be able to focus on Frances and not worry about food or laundry. My dad was here too for a brief overnight (he dropped my mom off, but had to get back to the farm) and he spent as much time as possible holding Frances, which was sweet (and which Frances enjoyed)

My parents have both commented on how tiny she is, but I keep thinking how big she has gotten. Her cheeks are chubbier and her arms and legs have little fat rolls now. It’s good to see. She weighs 7 pounds even now – an ounce past her birthweight at the two week mark which is encouraging. We are doing our job!

2011 in Book Statistics January 21, 2012

Here’s how 2011 shaped up. I am very interested to see how many books I read in 2012, now that I have a little one competing for my time!

Total Books Read in 2011: 130

• Number Read in Best Month: 16 (December)

• Number Read in Worst Month: 6 (Tie between June & July)

Total Books Read in 2010: 130

Total Books Read in 2009: 200

Total Books Read in 2008: 80

Total Books Read in 2007: 122

Total Books Read in 2006: 70

Fiction/Non-fiction Split:

2011: 70%/30%

2010: 68%/32%

2009: 84%/16%

2008: 63%/37%

2007: 50%/50%

2006: 59%/41%

Percentage of Books by Women (Overall/Fiction/Non-fiction):

2011: 59%/58%/62%

2010: 55%/54%/59%

2009: 44%/44%/ 42%

2008: 68%/70%/67%

2007: 60%/57%/68%

2006: 74%/88%/55%

Five Star Books of 2011:

Room by Emma Donoghue

Waiting for an Ordinary Day: The Unraveling of Life in Iraq by Farnaz Fassihi

I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene

More Recommended Books (Not Quite 5 Stars, but definitely worth reading!):

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

True Grit by Charles Portis

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

December Round-up January 19, 2012

I read 16 books in December, 3 non-fiction and 13 fiction. I read 6 of the books on my Kindle.

Nina in That Makes Me Mad by Hilary Knight. Hilary Knight is one of my absolute favorite illustrators. You may know him as the artist who illustrated the Eloise books, but I have loved everything he has done – and this graphic novel for young readers is no exception.

The Canterbury Tales adapted and illustrated by Seymour Chwast. I had never read Canterbury Tales (just a few select stories in high school), so I was eager to read this graphic novel adaptation. It seems to me that the Canterbury Tales is a collection of fart jokes and sleeping with someone else’s wife. I don’t feel like I missed much not reading it.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. An amusing, quick read on my Kindle. I really like Kaling.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. This book is set in World War II and shifts perspectives from the home front on Cape Cod to the Blitz in London to the deportation of Jews in Europe. It was one of the popular fiction books of 2011, and while I enjoyed it, I think the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a more enjoyable read of a similar type of book.

Feynman by Jim Ottaviani. A graphic novel biography of the brilliant physicist, Richard Feynman. I wasn’t familiar with him at all before reading this, but I really enjoyed the book a lot.

Bake Sale by Sara Varon. Another sweet Varon graphic novel about friendship (and baked goods).

Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking by Philippe Coudray. A Toon book (so a graphic novel for early readers) that show a series of comics featuring the none-to-logical Benjamin Bear.

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang. A graphic novel that explores the protagonist’s conflicting love of video games and his family expectations that he go to medical school.

The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray. The Gingerbread Man is a classic tale that lends itself well to reinterpretation. In this version a school class bakes a gingerbread man and then leaves him to cool in their classroom. Thinking he has been left behind, the Gingerbread Man races off to find his class.

Bad Island by Doug TenNapel. This is sort of a graphic novel version of Lost for the late elementary school/middle school set. It was a good read, and I enjoy TenNapel’s illustrations.

Mangaman by Barry Lyga. This book was just weird to me, set in current times, but with a really ’80s look to it. It did do a good job of illustrating the differences between graphic novels and manga though.

Americus by MK Reed. My final graphic novel of 2011, Americus tells the story of a battle to ban a YA fantasy series from the public library. It’s hard for me not to love a book with a librarian battling censorship, and I found this one quite good.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. Bryson uses the concept of his home to ramble on about the history of, well, pretty much anything that interests him. I really like Bryson – his writing style and his curiosity – so anything that interests him is pretty much guaranteed to interest me. Very enjoyable.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. This is another book that was very popular a few years ago. It imagines the history of rare book and that hands that created and cared for it. It was a good read, although I kind of got bogged down in the middle. Glad I read it.

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie. This is my least favorite Miss Marple so far – mostly because it was a series of short story mysteries (the 13 problems), instead of one real meaty book length one. An interesting concept, but I’m not much of a short story girl.

True Grit by Charles Portis. I think that I could have only loved this book more if I hadn’t already seen the movie and known what happened. The version I read had a postscript by Donna Tartt, and she mentioned how we talk about books we love and one of the measures of that is if we reread the book. I could definitely see rereading this book. It was good and fast and I love Mattie’s voice. I am not a Western reader, but I highly recommend this book.

Motherhood: Week One January 15, 2012

Frances Gloria made her way into the world on Monday, January 9th at 12:39 PM. She was 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 20 inches long. She is just perfect. We didn’t know if we were having a boy or girl and we were both sure she was going to be a little boy. When Jami told me she was a girl, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Best surprise ever.

Her arrival itself was a bit of a surprise – I had a regular midwife appointment Monday morning, and when I went in I had elevated blood pressure and protein in my urine – signs of preeclampsia. My case was pretty mild, but the midwife wanted us to go to the hospital for evaluation and said it was likely that I would deliver today. Indeed, at the hospital, my blood pressure remained high and the bloodwork showed that I was beginning to have some liver enzyme abnormalities, so, since Frances was full term, it was time to get her out.

We had known for the previous week that Frances would be delivered via c-section (after the external version was unsuccessful in turning her), and while it was sooner than we expected, I think it actually worked out for the best because I didn’t have time to stress or obsess about this surgery I was about to have. Our midwife appointment was at 8 AM and we had a baby at 12:39 PM – things moved quickly. A c-section wasn’t the birth I wanted, but the recovery hasn’t been as bad as I feared. The pain was the worst the day after surgery, but has greatly improved and is now being controlled by Advil. I’m taking it as easy as possible to help myself recover faster, and it’s definitely helping. Every day I’m a little more mobile than the day before.

As is the case with most c-sections, we stayed in the hospital for 3 days and have now been home for 4. Every day is new with Frances. The biggest focus of our time and energies as far as she is concerned is feeding. Every feed is different, sometimes she latches easily and feeds well. Sometimes she fusses and squirms and can’t latch. Sometimes she’s too sleepy to be interested in food. I am pumping after every feeding and we are supplementing her breastfeeding with expressed breast milk, trying to ensure she gets enough food and is back up to her birthweight, hopefully by her next pediatrician appointment later this week. We closely follow Frances’ diaper changes and marvel over her noisy pooping. I am reminded of this blog post, I read a few weeks ago about parenthood and pride in pooping. I definitely feel like that.

Jami’s mom has been here this week and it has been a real help – running errands, doing laundry, cooking food, and being an extra pair of baby holding arms (her favorite part of the job, I’m sure). She flies back home tomorrow and then Jami and I are flying solo for a few days until my mother arrives next weekend. We are so lucky to have so much help.

Jami and I are making a good team – every feeding is a joint affair. Jami is good at positioning Frances and much better than I am at burping her. She handles feeding Frances the expressed milk while I pump another round and I can honestly say that I would not be breastfeeding if it wasn’t for her and all her hard work. It’s definitely a team effort. In addition, she is so good about making sure I’m feeling okay, remembering to take my pain medication, making sure I have food, plenty of water, lots of love. I am so lucky that she is my wife.

This week has been both harder and easier than I thought it would be, but so, so good. I feel like we are doing well for one week in and I am so proud of us and of Frances Gloria.