The battle rages on

The one with my gut that is. So apparently a ton of wedding cake, vino, and various sweets a plenty from certain mini-moons can have a damper effect on efforts to return to pre-pregnancy body types. Sigh. It's much easier to gain ten pounds than lose ten pounds. Double sigh.

Anyway....

Slight mishap at work today. I forgot to bring extra breastmilk storage bags :0!!! I usually use the Lansinoh storage bags and tape them to the machine so I pump directly into the bags. They're perfect for storage since they freeze flat and they're high quality plastic and BPA free. The medela bags are good too but incredibly over-priced. A box of 20 runs at about $10 compared to $6 for Lansinoh. And in general, that's my experience with the two brands: Lansinoh makes the same exact product for nearly 2/3 the price. I digress...

Luckily for me, my office has a supply of plastic sandwich bags in the kitchen and...oh yes I did...I used them in my desperation. I washed it out thoroughly and later transfered the milk to more...ah...appropriate storage. I came close to pumping directly into a plastic cup! *shrug* If there's anything you learn how to be in motherhood, it's resourceful!

Well, tonight I am going to my first post baby band practice. Babysitter is lined up and my violin is sitting at a ready. I'm so excited I could sing and dance except for little sleeping things are in the next room. Instead, I'm twiddling my toes and fingers in anticipation.

Wriggle Worm

5 Months

The move

I have pictures. Yes. I do. But frankly, I'm just too darn lazy to track down the box that has the cord thingy that transmits the pictures from my camera to the computer. I promise I will follow up with some dandies.

Anyhow, no move is stress-free - particularly if you have an almost-five-month-old (gosh really? Already?). However, my Dad graciously granted us some movers to help haul all of our things to the new place and thus avoiding so much chaos. It's still a move and it's still chaotic but it was that much less so in this case.

We're kind of half living in boxes right now but it's in a delicious (can you tell I love this word?) beautiful house with hardwood floors and original mid-century charm. We also have the luxury of tossing the stash of I-have-know-idea-what-to-do-with-this-stuff in our garage. Out of sight, out of mind. I am also currently doing a load of laundry in the basement. Yes, you heard me...laundry in the basement. Eeek! We also happened upon a new microfiber plush couch and oversized rocker at Fred Meyer for waaaay cheap and pounced on them. They are now emitting their newness and shine gracefully in the middle of the disarray that is currently our living room.

To add more enthralling adventures to the charm of our new abode, Thurston is now settling more into a routine. If it is severed (heaven forbid), he goes ballistic and we learn the necessity of adhering to his schedule. However, if all goes well (as it has today), he is the perfect little thing. Last night I nursed him to sleep in the living room and then placed him in his crib at 9:15. I fell asleep around 10:30. The next thing I know, my alarm is going off at 5. Immediately this sends me into an all-out panic thinking that Thurston cannot possibly have slept this long and therefore must not be breathing. However, when I went to check on him, he was fast asleep (and breathing quite well thank you very much).

Now, he might have looked quite cozy and happy in sleepy goodness at 5:00 in the morning but I was quite uncomfortably full, having not nursed in 8 hours. I gently woke him into a half sleep to nurse and then laid him back down in his crib. He rolled to his side, sneezed and was out for the count. I found out later from Dave that he slept until 10:30! He's currently on his third nap since then, which means we'll have a happy baby who'll probably sleep well again tonight (I hope). More sleep=better sleep.

Weight check

Thurston had his weight check yesterday and is up 14 ounces since August 26. I thought it'd be so much more since he seems to have started to get some flab. That's right, he's got a belly roll when he sits up...albeit a small roll. He's now upgraded to the...dun dun dun 7th percentile in body weight, clocking in a hefty 13 pounds, 1 ounce.

I've noticed my milk supply is slowly starting to increase and I've added 6 Blessed Thistle pills to my already 12 Fenugreek pills I take a day.

Have I mentioned I hate swallowing pills? Emphasis on the "hate".

For reference, Fenugreek seed is often used as a seasoning in curry. It also has use as a galactagogue, which stimulates lactation. kellymom.com has tons of literature on it.
















Blessed Thistle has been shown to help increase lactation in conjunction with Fenugreek seed. It is also a galactagogue.

I forgot a few more...

Riding in the car:

1.5 months: Screaming baby the second he was strapped in

4.5 Months: Coos and babbles, often falling asleep after a little while


Riding in the stroller:

1.5 Months: Screaming baby within 5 minutes

4.5 Months: Coos and babbles, shows interest in the outer world and stays mostly content as long as I keep him moving

Oh and did I tell you he's giggling now? I'll post a video as soon as I can catch it in action!

P.S. I smell like maple syrup now because of the Fenugreek supplements.

Sweet Baby

1.5 Months verses 4.5 Months...

1.5 months: A two minute shower while little thing screams in his bouncy seat in the bathroom. Don't even think about drying that hair!

4.5 Months: Up to a ten minute shower plus partial or full blow dried hair, contacts, brush teeth, and maybe even make-up! This may require some singing but he's chill just cooing and playing with his toys.

1.5 Months: Me....Cook? Ha! Not likely! Unless I want to strap the screamer into a carrier and attempt to saute (kidding...usually it was involving a sandwich or something non-heat related). Once in a while he'd let me put him in his bouncy seat (as long as I was in sight) for a few minutes while I used two hands to strain pasta/cook veggies/ etc.

4.5 Months: Coos happily a few feet away as he watches me clean the kitchen and cook dinner. (2nd photo below was taken while I was cooking dinner last night).

1.5 Months: If I need something quickly from another room, chances are I'm grabbing it with baby in tow.

4.5 Months: He's happy as a clam for a few minutes if I set him down with a toy.

1.5 Months: Getting anything done around the house while the little guy naps? Not likely unless I want to string him up to me in his carrier! This guy will not sleep anywhere except on me!

4.5 Months: As I type, he's snoozing in his crib. Yes, you heard me right, ALONE in his crib. Thank you Grandma! (for she's the instigator on this phenomenon)

And the past two nights? Well, let's just say I've been able to roll over and swash about as much as I want (well, within reason...since I still share the bed with a certain other blanket hog). The little thing has been sleeping in his own room!!!!!



P.S. We like our car seat again....:) :) :)























And we LOVE watching me cook....



















Getting big!






















Look at those stems!























Notice the content happy baby post bath time?

4 & 1/2 months

Wedding & Mini-moon

(Photo taken by Angel Tasso)

The wedding was delicious. Delicious weather, delicious dancing, delicious views, delicious food, delicious wine, delicious cake, and a random tree knocked down by car (which will make out ok as it turns out).

I remember nursing Thurston for the last time and peeing for the last time around 4:30 (right before go-time) and then it was non-stop, no breaks for pumping or bathroom or anything until we collapsed into our room at 10 pm. It was incredible. The ceremony was held outside, which was a last minute decision made by my husband-to-be and yours truly. The clouds grew ominous and expressive as the ceremony began and as there were no chairs outside, guests lined up on either side of the 'aisle'. It was all incredibly enchanting. I feel like I can recite a hundred cliches from movies to describe the feeling of walking down the aisle and none would come close. Enchanting is really my best description here.

Following the wedding, Krista, Duncan, and Krista's mother graciously watched Thurston over night so that Dave and I could have a night to ourselves (and my breast pump). The latter aside, it was wonderful to have time to ourselves. I did suffer some separation anxiety but I knew Thurston was well taken care of.

The next morning, we sent Thurston home under the care of Dave's mom, with help from my dad as we whisked off for a three day adventure in wine country and then to the coast. We stayed in the lap of luxury at the Stephanie Inn for three nights. It was incredible.

I had to make fast friends with my pump over the week, which ended up breaking the first night. I was only able to express milk from one side-taking me 45 minutes at a time! I ended up buying a battery operated electric single-side pump for the rest of the trip. I pumped and pumped and pumped some more every three to four hours around the clock. I don't know how people could stay sane doing that! However, my milk supply, although in a bit of a dip, seems to be going ok. I started taking Fenugreek this week to try and boost it up a bit more.

And Thurston? Well Grandma got him to sleep through the night in his crib! She's magic.

I have no energy to post all the beautiful photos I have but here are some links to the photos I took on the wedding day and of our trip: Wedding & Mini-moon