Day 14 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Before I go into yesterday, I need to get my chest cleared of this morning because Mr. mouse and I got off to a flying start:

1. Just because he stayed up too late last night surfing randomness online is no reason to be obnoxious this morning.
2. You don't get to abdicate all decisions to the other party, it's just a cheap way of dodging responsibility - the buck has to stop somewhere.
3. If you need to say it say it to me, not to Pioneer, this isn't about her - be a grown up about it, please.

Okay, back to yesterday.

Pioneer and I had a great day yesterday. Instead of trying to get her down at her first yawn, I decided to give her ~2 hours of alert/awake time with each session. She did a lot better and went down a lot easier for her naps. I was able to come downstairs during her morning nap and do stuff around the house. And, while I slept with her for her second nap, I really slept, not just lay next to her and play pacifier retriever. And, while her third nap was a little shorter than ideal, it wasn't bad either.

We spent most of yesterday just talking. It's what I was in the mood for and I figured she would indulge me. We skipped the walk because it was raining and my ankle is still bothering me.

And, last night, we cooked a couple of bento boxes and popped some popcorn and headed out to the drive-ins to watch Harry Potter 6. It was a long drive out and I was on edge on how she'd do. She was fussy until she had her bottle and then she needed a little cajoling before going down. But, shortly into the movie, Mr. mouse put her down on the back seat and she slept through the entire movie. She had a couple of moments on the drive back, but overall she was a rock star about letting us get out and watch a movie. I have to say, the drive-in was both fun and practical.

She had a midnight snack when she came home and went down for the night. She woke on schedule this morning so I'm optimistic about today. Now, if I could only do something about Mr. sleep deprived, life would be good.

I take that back, life IS good.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 13 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, if it were all fun and games every day, why would anyone go back to work?

Pioneer and I had a good nap Wednesday morning. But, it was tough getting her down and I played pacifier retriever for the nap. Her head control's gotten so good now, when you put her down, she assumes it's tummy time and wants to play. Then, you need to hide all of her toys, hold her head and create a mini tent. How is girlfriend going to manage daycare? Or rather, how is daycare going to manage?

It began to unravel after the lunch nap/feeding. She slept in my arms in green chair until 2:30 and then had an unscheduled feed. Then, we played, but she didn't want to go down after her play time. I dosed her with some Maalox at 4 and after her feeding, she did sleep for 30 minutes. Then, it all went downhill in a hurry - squirmy, crying baby until I loaded her up in her stroller to meet Mr. mouse at the train station.

She cried the whole walk over. And, when he picked her up out of the stroller, she fell asleep almost instantly in his arms. We walked to pick up our CSA. Then, he took her on a longer walk while I came home to rest.

She had her bottle at 8 followed by 3 giant burps, 1 dirty diaper and still no sleep. She finally passed out close to 9 on the love seat and we let her sleep there until 3 AM. I slept on the sofa and Mr. mouse took the chair. Sigh.

We gave her a 2 oz topper this morning. Perhaps it's a growth spurt. Perhaps she just needed a topper. It sounds like Mr. mouse is still trying to put her down. I'm going to do my morning routine (short of shower) and then sleep until her next feeding.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 12 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Girlfriend's transition to daycare is going to be a rude awakening - going from 1:1 care to 4:1 care.

Tuesday morning, Pioneer and I read books in bed followed by fun conversation time. Afterward, I made a mini tent to darken the room and we napped together - Pioneer and her personal pacifier retriever.

She had an off-schedule mid-morning snack. And, then, after a tour of the house in mom's arms, she fell asleep for her morning nap with me in green chair.

Lunch = food, big diaper, giant burp, happy baby. Then, she sat in the swing and watched me eat. The fried rice was only marginally interesting, but the cherries... She followed each one intently. I think it's important to have her watch me eat, to see how we get our nutrition. One day she'll be doing the same, this can get her semi-aware.

We played on the bed more and headed out for an afternoon stroll/nap. The new stroller is an excellent improvement over the old one - how sad we figured this out with three days left to my maternity leave. I guess there'll be plenty of evening strolls with Mr. mouse once I'm back at work, I hope.

We came home for "high tea" which is what we call her afternoon feeding. Then, Pioneer and I headed back out to meet Mr. mouse at the train station. The smile on his face when he realized we had come out was worth the extra effort to go out twice.

We ate dinner and Mr. mouse carried Pioneer home. Bottle. Nap (aka peaceful adult time). Late night snack. Sleep.

She's got it good. We've got it good.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I forgot to mention the comments still continue on our walks - both directly to us and/or in the background as we walk by: her cuteness, her tiny size and her hair. I'm just part of the entourage.

Day 11 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

To make up for Sunday's lack of sleep, we made Pioneer sleep up until her 8:30 feeding (target, not actual) and then with minimal play, we put her down again until her noon feeding (target, not actual). The second nap was rough, she woke often and I napped next to her and played pacifier retriever.

She was alert after her noon feeding. And, just when I had the thought "it'd be great if Mr. mouse could see her like this instead of the cranky baby we had all day Sunday...," he came up the stairs. I guess he had some free time over lunch and decided to come home to see us. I ate while he played with Pioneer. Then, I packed him lunch and we walked down to the train station together. Pioneer passed out on the way to the train.

I walked through the park on the way home, but since there were no shady spots, I continued on towards home. She woke briefly when we got home. And, I tried to put her down on the couch, hoping the roar of F1 engines would put her to sleep. She slept on the couch for the afternoon with me starring as pacifier retriever again.

After her 3:30 (target, not actual) feeding, we played until B and Chef M and Mr. mouse got home. Then, she was in hold mode and then bottle mode and then tired mode. We gave her a bath and then put her down. We had dinner and then I napped until midnight. We woke her then and fed her one more time before we all turned in for the night.

She got up for her morning feeding. And, Mr. mouse put her down on her back. We'll see how she does.


Cheers!
mouse

07.27.09: Prepping for Work

Dear Friends and Family,

One more week until I go back to work. This weekend was spent getting ready for the transition back to work. Well, and it was spent doing the things we need to do to take care of a two and a half month old, of course.

Saturday morning, after a week of "fussy" evenings we called the doctor's office to check if Pioneer needed an adjustment in her medication. And, because life wouldn't be complete without a bad weigh-in, she had one. Not only does her medication not need to be adjusted, but we're on the more frequent weigh in track AGAIN. So, instead of just living life as we know it between now and her four month weigh-in like NORMAL people would, we're scheduled for a two week follow-up. Honestly, I think her weight gain's fine. There's normal variation, and, as luck would have it doctor variation as well. I'm thinking of striking this one from the list.

From the doctor's office, we decided, impromptu, to go and pick up our package. As luck would have it, one arrived on Thursday afternoon, right after we checked the mail. This is becoming hassle central and I'll be glad once I start work again so I can check for mail on the way home. And, once the package stream dies down.

Package pick up turned into lunch which turned into clothes shopping (since my pre-maternity work clothes don't fit, and it was the dead of winter the last time I was this size) which turned into a blood donation for Mr. mouse (don't ask, when the urge strikes, you go with it, I guess) which turned into a Target run and an outlet run for one last batch of clothes. Needless to say, we were "winging it." But, it felt good to get a lot of it done instead of waiting until Sunday to do it.

Sunday, Mr. mouse let me sleep in - until noon. It felt heavenly. Unfortunately, Pioneer didn't have as much luck. She had some good play time with Mr. mouse. But, she didn't have good nap time - not for lack of trying. She just couldn't hit that tipping point that transitions from awake to asleep. The afternoon was spent trying to get her down. And, when we finally gave up and dosed her at 7PM with some good old Maalox, she went down until 4AM this morning. Poor girl needed the sleep SO bad.

In the queue for mail this week: pants for work, pre-natal vitamins and iron on labels for daycare. Oh, and a box to return our computer in. That was the package that came in on Thursday. We booted it up Sunday morning only to learn that it's missing a hard drive. Now, I don't need a large hard drive since we store all of our stuff centrally, but some hard drive is needed for things like, oh I don't know, my OS.

Pioneer's sleeping now. One last week. Gotta enjoy it while I can.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 10 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

I know, it's Saturday. But, if I don't post now then my Monday will be off because I'll need to do the weekend recap and this post. So, I figured I'd do Friday now to stay on track.

Let's see, we took a walk after the noon feeding - this time to return library books and to walk the streets of the neighborhood. It's not as quiet as my 5K route, but I wanted a change of pace and P slept through it all anyway so I don't think she cared.

Some changes this week:

Pioneer prefers to sit upright by herself (propped up, of course) to being held. She continues to like to be held and walked - but only if you hold her head above your shoulder so she can see behind you.

She's gotten to be a pro at the conversation game - I say something she makes some baby noise back. I've even noticed a difference in her response based on whether I make a comment or ask a question. I guess she's responding to my tone of voice. She still wriggles and waves a lot to work up the energy to respond which only makes the whole thing that much cuter.

And, out of nowhere, she displayed some phenomenal head control on Friday. I'd call it baby cobra if I were a yoga instructor. It's too cute for words since her head is #1. ginormous compared to her body (size-wise) and #2. probably weighs more than the rest of her combined (weight-wise). It also highlights how skinny her poor neck is.

On the medication front, we had five fussy evenings in a row and I am of the belief that we should take her in to get her weighed to check her dosage. This is beginning to remind me of my own bouts with hyperthyroidism. Reflux isn't a YES/NO switch - well, it is a YES/NO switch in that you have it or you don't. But, if you have it, there's degrees of reflux from not so bad to very bad. And, the medication needs to be constantly adjusted to keep it from getting very bad.

The problem is that it creeps along the scale and the need for adjustment creeps up on you and you're not sure if it's just a bad day or the medicine or what. Well, either way, I'm going to call the office today about bringing her in and checking. I love that her office has weekend hours.

Well, off to get my weekend started. See you Monday.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 9 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

We went to daycare yesterday to meet Pioneer's teachers and to drop off some stuff. We went over Pioneer's reflux routines, her habits and other miscellanea with Kathleen and Amanda.

I'm still apprehensive. Right now, we have so much "data" on Pioneer since we see everything first hand. And, we have so much "control" since we make all of the decisions and execute against them. And, we have so much of the "experience" since we're with her seven days a week. And, we'll be letting all of that go. Somehow, I get the feeling this is rougher on the parents than it is on the child. Sigh.

We came home after our daycare visit and Pioneer ate lunch. Then, I ate lunch. Then, we both napped the afternoon away. She had her late afternoon snack and then we spent the remainder of the time listening to Human by The Killers until Mr. mouse came home. He gave her a bottle and put her down. She slept while we ate dinner and then she had her late evening feeding before turning in for the night.

She woke again at 2AM - this is the third night in a row. I wonder if it's something we should expect going forward. Guess we'll see tonight.

For now, I need to constantly remind myself that I need to focus on what's in my control and let go of what's outside of my control. Plenty of kids do perfectly fine in daycare. And, I'm sure both Pioneer and I will adjust to the new routine once we give it a chance. For now, I've still got one more week and a day to enjoy.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 8 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Tuesday, I had a revelation.

I don't want to be THOSE parents or to have THAT kid. The ones who've become social recluses who rationalize all sorts of monstrosities under the umbrella of mitigating circumstances who have a socially inept and/or spoiled monstrosity who rules their lives.

So, after multiple failed attempts, I decided to attempt, again, the walk around the neighborhood. Guess what? We succeeded. We walked for just under two hours following, roughly, my former 5K route. I bought tea at Starbucks. And, I bought a second drink at the neighborhood grocery store. I managed an exchange at the local children's boutique. And, we took a couple of pictures on the return leg.

Pioneer slept for most of the walk which was fine with me. We got her back on schedule yesterday (minus a 2AM feeding) and she was fun to play with for most of the day. There was a spell just before dinner that was rough, but other than that, I'd say it went well.

I'm just glad we were able to conquer the neighborhood walk. One small step for mouse, one giant leap for mousekind.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 7 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

In the continuing saga from Monday, Pioneer woke off schedule and stayed off schedule for the whole morning. It was like everything was happening in micro-segments. She'd eat for shorter periods and then play for shorter periods and then sleep for shorter periods. Then, repeat. I didn't get a shower in. And, I had a half completed blog post when Mr. mouse got home.

We did have interesting play time. Pioneer and I have been having conversations and yesterday's was pretty structured. I'd say something and then instead of going off on a monologue, I'd pause and wait... and she'd say something. Then, I'd say something and wait... and she'd say something. Too much fun!

By mid-afternoon, I had given up all hope of getting back on schedule. And, I was exhausted from the extra night feeding and the morning so I lay the two of down for an afternoon nap. We woke at 3:30/4:00 still not quite feeling on the ball. The afternoon continued with her fussy and me tired. And, by 5 it reached a climax and a lightbulb went off in my head. I've been here before!

I reached for the Maalox and poured out a teaspoon (the doctor said to continue to use it as needed so it's not like I'm home medicating my child here) and gave it to Pioneer. It soothed her immediately. And, shortly thereafter, she fell asleep in my arms. She slept for a little over an hour (her longest real nap of the day) and then woke, passed a fair bit of gas (EXCELLENT), and started crying. Hunger.

I made her bottle, added her vitamin and her Zantac and fed her. Giant burp (EXCELLENT). Poopy diaper (EXCELLENT). Mr. mouse came home and finished the last ounce of her bottle, changed her and got three more good burps out of her (EXCELLENT). And, after that it was like she was a brand new baby - happy, shiny, alert, and wanting to play.

I showed Mr. mouse her new found talking skills. And, then, I finished my blog and showered while Mr. mouse took some pictures of Pioneer. We finished it off by taking some pictures with her and she finished it off by peeing in my arms (sans diaper) and then falling asleep. Back on schedule!

We ate dinner and then woke her for her 10:30 feeding (to stay on schedule) and turned in for the night. She woke at 2:30 for a topper and then at 5:30 (back on schedule) for her first real feeding. She's asleep now and I'm using the time to do my morning things - coffee, blog, assemble pumping supplies, assemble morning medicine dosage, camera up, garbage down, eat breakfast, make lunch, and shower (not in that order).


Cheers!
mouse

Day 6 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Everyone knows to:

1. never wake a sleeping baby
2. never say never

Therefore, sometimes it's in everyone's best interest to wake a sleeping baby.

Huh?!?!

Pioneer went down at 1:30 for nap #2 of 3. Usually she sleeps until around 3:30 and gets up to eat and play. Yesterday, 3:30 came and went and I figured she was tired from the travel. 3:45 came and went. 4:00 came and went. 4:30 came and went. 5:00 came and went. 5:10 she woke up. And, she's been off kilter since.

We had three cluster feeds followed by cranky baby. We got her down, but instead of sleeping through until around 5AM, she awoke at 11PM for a midnight snack. Then, she awoke again around 3AM for breakfast.

I know it feels criminal to wake a sleeping baby, but I may in the future if it means we get to sleep through the night and stay on some sort of schedule.


Cheers!
mouse

07.20.09: Seasoned Traveller

Dear Friends and Family,

We did it! We took Pioneer on a flight and made it there and back in one piece.

We flew home to go to a wedding. One of my close friends from college was getting married and it was an excellent chance to catch up with all of my closest friends from school and have them see Pioneer. We also got to spend time with both sets of grandparents which is always a good thing.

We drove out to the airport on Friday night and checked into a hotel by the airport. This way, we wouldn't have to deal with feeding, holding, driving, soothing back to sleep on Saturday morning for a 6AM flight. Instead, we could get up, feed and walk to the terminal with Pioneer (hopefully) asleep in our arms. And, it worked perfectly. She slept until we got on the plane. We had a whole row to ourselves. I took the window seat and fed her on the way up (to help keep her ears from popping) and on the way down. In between, I slept, but Pioneer was up with Mr. mouse.

We spent Saturday with my mom. She was delighted to see Pioneer. And, she's so good about learning and adapting. She picked up the new ways we play. And, the new ways Pioneer likes to be held. And, I was able to use her room for feeding Pioneer. And, I got a good nap in while they had their fun. It was an excellent day.

Saturday night we drove over to Mr. mouse's folks' house to spend some time with them. Pioneer fell asleep on the couch and slept through to the next morning. I woke her at 5:30 to feed her because I was getting a little stumped as to how long she was going to sleep for. And, I was getting a little uncomfortable so I figured feeding and then pumping was a good option. It worked out well because the extra milk gave us some flexibility at the wedding and on the return trip.

The wedding was beautiful. Catching up with friends is always fun. Pioneer slept for most of it and spent the rest of the time dancing with her dad. I held her for a little bit at the end and it made me cry - thinking of how quickly the time will go and one day she'll be leaving us to live her own life and everything. What's a wedding without a couple of tears?

Sunday night, we spent with Mr. mouse's folks, one of their friends, and one of my friends who stopped by with his family, briefly, after dinner. Then, we turned in early since we had an early flight today.

We got upgraded to First Class for the return trip. So, at two months old, Pioneer has already sat in the front of the plane. She slept the whole flight and woke when the pilot's announcement (flight attendants take your seat) woke her. We stuffed a bottle in her mouth to help with the descent and since we knew she had a diaper. She went through the bottle and then I fed her - it was a comfort feed, but that's okay every once in a while.

Now, she's asleep and I'm unpacking and doing laundry and organizing. She should be waking soon.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 5 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

What'd we do on Friday? More of the same. There's a cycle of sleep, change, eat, hold, play, sleep that Pioneer's fallen into. And, for me, the cycle is comforting. We change up the play (read, talk, mirror, reach, swing etc.) and we change up the hold (on bed, tour the house, deck, dance, etc.) and we change up the sleep (in bed, in green chair, on couch, etc.) but overall, it's feeling manageable. Some of it is the amazing day-by-day development and some of it is the Zantac and some of it is the pacifier. Not sure what to attribute to what... all I know is I like it.

I know I've been bemoaning how quickly the time has been going. But, now that we've settled into a routine, oddly, I'm more okay with going back to work. I see that although she's growing more and more each day I also see that the lightening quick growth of the first two months has tapered into something more sustainable, albeit still quicker than I want. I see that time with Pioneer would continue on this routine and while I'm enjoying it, doing it 2 days a week vs. 7 days a week is okay with me. So, I'm going to make the most of my remaining 2 weeks on leave. Then, I'll turn the page to the next chapter of our lives and continue to explore it all.

Some notes, she's been suffering from dry scalp. Today, I brushed her hair and a ton of flakes fell out. The nurse said it's cosmetic so we'll just wait it out. And, her skin has been drying and toughening, it's still baby skin, but it's not newborn skin anymore. What else? Lots of smiles. She's beginning to drool. And, her cries are becoming more distinct - generally they're a signal - please transition me to my next phase (see cycle above).


Cheers!
mouse

Day 4 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

There was a sweet justice to yesterday. Pioneer is usually an angel in Mr. mouse's arms and a mixed bag in mine. Yesterday, Mr. mouse drew the short straw and had a fussy morning and squirmy evening while I had a mostly happy baby all day.

She slept most of the morning. Then, we played again, more talking, books, mirror and reaching for toy time. She waited patiently in the swing while I ate lunch. And, then we napped away the afternoon. She didn't want to nap, but I took her to her room, sat in Green Chair with her, and put her blanket over her head to block out distractions. She was asleep within 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, we slept a little too long and she was ravenous when she awoke. She couldn't get to food fast enough. I was comical watching her latch - her eagerness only too apparent.

Then, we played and I caught up on some TV while she had her late afternoon feeding.

I made dinner while Mr. mouse coped with some early evening fussiness. She went down early and I iced my ankle while Mr. mouse did a Target run. Ideally, she should have eaten one more time before the day was out (she only had 5 feedings yesterday), but Mr. mouse was loathe to wake a sleeping baby so we let her go until 1:30 when she awoke for her late night meal. She was up for a little bit but fell asleep on her own.

This morning, we had a nice cooing conversation and I remarked how her eyebrows are coming in. She's looking more and more like my brother nowadays.

It's Friday, and I have to say I've enjoyed the Zantac week with her. I haven't had the crying without end. We've had fun playtime. And, with a slow down in the visitor caravan, we've fallen into a bit of a routine. I'm looking forward to the next two weeks.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 3 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Someone got up a little off schedule this morning... P?

Yesterday was an excellent day minus one incident when I tried to take Pioneer for a walk.

I kept track of Pioneer's sleeping schedule, and she's pretty close to the average 15 hours, if she naps in the afternoon. I guess Mr. mouse was right.

We had three nice stretches of alert time. Pioneer and I talked again. We read more books. We played with her friends (monkey, ladybug and little Mookie) with me holding them up and her reaching for them. And, we checked in with Baby in Mirror who's doing well. For play, Pioneer and I both lay on our back on the bed - that way I can read the book with her.

I'm most proud of P's afternoon nap. We played and then she got tired. I put her in sleep position and propped up the coral flashcard. She slowly put herself to sleep looking at the flashcard. Good girl!

She also had a moment in the morning when I was reading. And, I said poops (part of the book) and she made a sound like poops and looked at me with a huge smile on her face - totally coincidental, but heart melting nonetheless.

One more funny - when she was waking up from sleep, she kicked enough to kick her pants off. Twice. Nicely done.

Mr. mouse and I took Pioneer for a walk last night. The new sling works great, except our marsupial daughter burrows her head into a corner and mashes her face against the sling. Will need to experiment some more.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I'm thinking about taking a long weekend in September to spend more time with Pioneer.

PPS: Mr. mouse surprised us by coming home for lunch. We ate together and then he held her for a little bit before putting her down and heading back out.

Day 2 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

The alert phases are fabulous; the sleep stretches are relaxing; the crying moments are nerve wracking. Pioneer had a mix of all three yesterday.

She slept straight through to ~10AM (minus her morning feedings). Then, we played for an hour - both reading and talking to each other. She's gotten better at smiling and cooing and making other noises so I consider those as her contribution to the conversation. Then she ate and slept (or slept and ate, I can't recall) until 1.

We had another stretch of fun at 1 - playing with toys. She's learning to reach for them. 1:30 to 5 was a mix of sleeping and eating - most of it in my arms. She had one nap during which I watched an hour of TV - my first solo TV time since she was born. 5-5:30 we played again.

Then, she was on edge for the next two hours until Mr. mouse got home - not quite sleeping, not quite awake, not quite doing much of anything. Mr. mouse says she needs more sleep, so I may attempt to get her to sleep through a piece of that this afternoon. See how she does.

Pioneer went for a walk with Mr. mouse last night while I got my haircut. Then, she had her bottle on the roof before they came out to meet me for dinner. We went to a local restaurant. It was really loud. She slept through it like a champ. Frankly, I've been amazed and impressed with how she well she does when we go out.

She's sleeping now. I'll go make breakfast. Mr. mouse was a champ and sterilized all of the canisters we bought off eBay for her.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 1 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

Since I've only got three solid weeks with Pioneer, I'll be writing about each day for the next fifteen posts.

Yesterday, she fell asleep in my arms and we slept together until around 10. Then, it was cluster feed central while I tried to figure out if it was the vaccine or the zantac setting her off schedule. After awhile, I succumbed and offered her the pacifier and we played until noon.

Then, she slept a piece of the afternoon. At three, she ate again and then we attempted a walk. We went out for 40 minutes, she cried about 15 of it. We came home, and I let her decompress on our bed, on her belly, with the pacifier. It was major "comfort sucking" for her along with startling and finding it reassuring that the bed was there.

When she awoke, we played pass the baby while making and eating dinner. Then we fed her and all piled in the car to go to Mr. mouse's haircut so that his haircutter could meet Pioneer. She was alert and happy for the first 15 minutes and then fell asleep in my arms for the rest of the cut. As a result, she woke with a diaper when we went to put her in her car seat (aka safety pod). She cried most of the way home and then Mr. mouse comforted her until just before 10 when I finally caved and fed her.

She slept until 3:30 this morning.

Cheers!
mouse

07.13.09: Two Month Birthday

Dear Friends and Family,

My sister and brother-in-law came over for a low key weekend.

Saturday, Mr. mouse picked up the mail, I got a manicure, we celebrated Pioneer's two month birthday with cupcakes, we bathed Pioneer, and Mr. mouse and I went out to dinner while my sister and brother-in-law played with P. They joined us for dessert and we walked home afterward.

Sunday, Mr. mouse and I took Pioneer in for her two month check-up. She's doing well growth-wise. Ms. Kate Moss continues to be 50th percentile height and head with a 10th percentile weight measurement. She got two shoots and one oral vaccine. And, we filled a scrip for Zantac. The doctor thinks P has acid reflux and that's what's been causing all of the fussiness, crying, etc. We're going to give the Zantac a shot to see if it makes her happier and by extension me happier.

What's new with Pioneer?

Her hair continues to grow in like a bed of weeds. She's grown 2 inches. We've switched to weekly weigh ins on the big scale. She's addicted to her pacifier. She sleeps from ~11 to ~5 every day. She naps until ~10/11 and then plays for an hour. Then, she naps again until ~3 and then plays until she goes to sleep at night. I've been trying to train her to sleep on her own, but I'll admit there are times I still like to hold her to sleep. She eats between 6 and 7 times a day, although this morning was a mess. And, she's doing lots more cooing and smiling now. They say it keeps getting better. I keep saying I'm completely happy with it the way it is. It keeps getting better. I keep loving it more.

It is nice to have 3+ hour stretches between feedings to allow us to go out and get food ourselves. And, it is nice to have the crazy crying reduced - there's nothing like non-stop crying to cause a parent to drink or to fall down the stairs...

Speaking of which, my ankle is still mending. I've still got bruising and I've still got swelling. I can make it up the stairs without too much difficulty now, but going down is still tough. I think I may see a specialist when I get the chance to see if I did any permanent damage. Mr. mouse thinks there's a 80% chance I'll need a second round of surgery. I'm pegging it at 40% chance. Sigh.

Over dinner, we were talking about my leave. It hasn't been what I imagined. It went a lot quicker than I thought it would. Most of my time has been dedicated to feeding Pioneer. And, just when I have four weeks on my own to do my thing with P, my car gets clipped and I sprain my ankle essentially leaving us housebound. I've got this week and two more weeks and then we're off to daycare and work.

Perhaps I'll take a week off in the fall to make up for it.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: My sister pointed out that the reason P may love chicken parm is because it's one of first meals I had (lunch day 2) post partum.

Mom Guilt

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, after a full day of sleeping, Pioneer was fed, alert and happy. We packed her up and took her to Whole Foods. It was a zoo and a circus all wrapped up into one. By the time we left she was crying, exhausted and hungry. I felt so bad that we "wasted" her alert time on something as basal as grocery shopping. But, it needed to be done.

Mr. mouse thinks I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill. But, those moments are so precious, I hate to squander them or make her feel we don't appreciate them. Sigh.


mouse

Expectation Management

Dear Friends and Family,

She's asleep. I think.

There are moments when I'm ready to go back to work early. And, then there are moments I'm ready to call and let them know I'm not coming back. And, like the weather in Texas, I can go from one extreme to the other in a matter of moments.

I think we all imagine shiny, happy babies that never cry, sleep a lot, and when they're awake they want to play. It's always sunny. The baby weight melts away. And, you spend your days enjoying the summer out with your friends.

And then you wake up.

And, the car is in the shop. And, the baby hates the car seat/stroller. And, you've sprained your ankle. And, it's raining. And, all your friends are at work. And, you realize, it's not all fun and games. It's work.

But, it's okay. Because when she smiles at you, you forget everything and realize how fortunate you are.


Cheers!
mouse

Still Gimpy, but Happy

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, the ankle is still bandaged up. I've got bruising on the inside, outside and top of the foot. The swelling has gone down on the inside of the foot, is going down on the top of the foot, and is still pretty substantial on the outside of the foot. I've been using an ACE bandage at home and my heavy duty air cast (not to be confused with my light duty air cast) + 1 crutch when we go out.

My sister came over yesterday to play with Pioneer and to catch up with me and to help out. We had fun with P. Pioneer and I played with Monkey and Ladybug yesterday morning. We had a good talk while waiting for my sister. Then, we had reading time in the afternoon and dance time after that. All in all a good day.

Hopefully today is a good day as well.


Cheers!
mouse

07.06.09: Weekend with Friends

Dear Friends and Family,

We had friends in town for the long weekend from the Motor City. They came in Thursday night and stayed through Sunday morning.

Friday morning, we split up - Mr. mouse and I stayed home while they went to a local surplus store. Some of Mr. mouse's friends from the Emerald City were in town for the weekend and wanted to see Pioneer. We got a chance to see their daughter for the first time as well. It was funny - we could peer forward to what Pioneer will be like in a year and they could reminisce about what their daughter was like just a year ago.

Friday afternoon, we headed out for free Fridays at the museum. I hobbled along and Mr. mouse played human marsupial holding Pioneer for the whole trip. We went through the museum at record pace since it didn't hold a lot of allure for a 13 year old and an 11 year old so I'm glad it was free night.

Saturday, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the train exhibit, ride the flight simulator, and see Harry Potter. We went out for fajitas afterward and then climbed up to the deck for the annual contraband fireworks display.

Sunday, they headed out after breakfast and Pioneer and I napped the entire day.

She's gotten really good head control now when she's on her belly - good side to side and great elevation. Her lashes are gorgeous. And some of her hair is beginning to lay flat although both Mr. mouse and I like the faux hawk look better. And last but not least, we've gotten some big smiles out of her now.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Takes a Tumble

Dear Friends and Family,

You could blame it on a million and one possible reasons, ultimately it really doesn't matter why... The long and short of it - I missed a step while taking the garbage out and sprained my ankle. Did a real number on it too, judging by the swelling.

Ice, Advil and elevation for the first 24 hours. Then, heat, compression and rest. Sigh.


Cheers!
mouse

Evicted

Dear Friends and Family,

Confession: under the context that you can't spoil a newborn and that our sanity is worth some compromises, we've been spoiling Pioneer

For the first two weeks, when she was lethargic and we were trying to play by all of the rules, she slept swaddled in her crib. Even then, she slept in my arms one night in the hospital, and we slept on the futon in her room when we came home. If it wasn't for the light box constraint, we might not have made it even that long with the crib.

Once she was freed of the light box, we couldn't hold her enough. She slept in our arms - day and night. She was so small and it felt so good. Then, about a month in, she progressed from sleeping in our arms to sleeping on the bed in between us. I'd stay up watching her, totally infatuated.

Well, on our trip, they ran out of king sized beds, so we got a room with two full beds so there wasn't room for three of us in one bed. We set up the pack and play and that's where she slept while we were on the trip. When we got home Monday night, Mr. mouse put her to sleep in the pack and play instead of in our bed. I think he may put her down in it again tonight and our shared bed time may be coming to an end.

Maybe we'll do weeknights in the pack and play and weekends in the bed. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to switch it up like that, but, I miss sleeping with her.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: more eyelashes in, baby acne improving, and both Mr. mouse and I noticed that her head stability is improving