Milk Cycling

Dear Friends and Family,

I obsess about being able to provide for P. And, my latest thought obsession is whether or not to cycle through the frozen milk. It's an insurance policy, but one, that in all theory, I shouldn't let go to waste. Ideally, in a perfect world, P drinks all of it before we wean her. Therefore, even if in the short term it makes sense to continue to feed her fresh, in the long term it makes sense to feed her some frozen even if it means freezing some fresh.

Fortunately, this also coincides with her peak milk consumption so we were going to have to defrost some milk sometime in the near future anyway.

Here's my initial thoughts. We'll defrost one 2.5 ounce vial every weeknight starting 11/1. Then, we'll freeze one fresh vial every even numbered night starting 11/1. That means we'll be consuming 5 vials a week and freezing 3-4 vials a week for a net consumption of 1-2 vials a week. If we need more milk, we'll defrost to maintain the steady freezing of a vial every other day. Overage, we freeze extra, although I don't see that happening. We'll see how November goes and reassess plans for December.

I guess, theoretically, we should cycle through all of the milk. Then, the stuff in the freezer should be good to go until we need it. If, for some unknown reason it's still available, we can cycle one more time when she hits nine months old.


Cheers!
mouse

Sick Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Pioneer and I took the day off yesterday. Neither of us was so sick we couldn't go in, but both of us were marginally enough sick to make the combined effort less motivating. It was nice to spend the day at home together - like when I was on leave, only with a good ankle and a lot more self confidence.

We slept in until 8AM. Then, P had her medicine and breakfast. We played until 9:30. Then, she napped until 11 while I showered and did my morning thing. She snacked, then I ate. I fed her about a quarter ounce of milk - half with a spoon, the rest through a nipple. We played some more. She micro-napped. She ate lunch at noon. Then, we played a bit before she fell asleep in my arms and we napped on green chair.

We got up at 3, and she had her bottle right on schedule at 3:30. Then, we played some more until she tired out around 5:30. She slept in her swing while I rocked her. I can sit there all day and watch her. She's so precious when she sits there watching you and then slowly falls asleep. She woke at 6:30 right when Mr. mouse came home, had dinner at 7 and then we went out for dinner - P and two unicorns.

What is play? Play is reading books together, playing "who's got your face" with a pink towel (our version of peekaboo), gnawing on all toys, flying in the air like an airplane, tickling her belly with kisses, flash cards, and sitting together and talking.

And, now, it's Wednesday and we're back to work.


Cheers!
mouse

10.26.09: A Weekend to Remember

Dear Friends and Family,

We couldn't have had a better weekend.

Friday, Mr. mouse and I picked P up at daycare. And, she took her first "step" while we were packing up her stuff. Granted, it was a backward step while crawling that she hasn't done again since, but still, it was fun to see it live together.

Saturday, we spent the day shopping for fall clothes for P and then we went over to a friend's house for an impromptu dinner. P showed off her sitting up skills (she can sit without leaning on her hands for support now) and the girls took turns reading P's books to her. It was so cute to watch.

Sunday, we sorted through P's clothes and packed away most of her 0-3 months clothes. Then, we took P out for fall pictures. She was precious in her Halloween costume. And, we got some great family pictures amongst the foliage. P fell asleep, and Mr. mouse and I took the opportunity to enjoy the fall weather and took a walk with her asleep in her stroller. The weather was perfect. The leaves were beautiful. I brought home six leaves to press in a book and save for P.

I'm glad we had the time to go out and enjoy it all and to capture the moment.

And, to cap off the weekend, Mr. mouse and I fed P. She had some mashed avocados mixed with milk. I'm not sure if she's a fan. We'll try again tonight. She's a big girl now. And, I've made it past the toughest (at least the toughest one I anticipated) hurdle with breastfeeding.


Cheers!
mouse

Another Baby Milestone

Dear Friends and Family,

I've got the sniffles so we'll be staying in town this weekend. No need to bring germs home to grandma.

And, because P's at three eight ounce bottles now, we're toying with experimenting with solids this weekend. If not, it'll be a couple of weeks from now, on her six month birthday. Choices, choices. I don't know why I've got the mental hang up that we should make it to the six month point. She's five and a half now. Hmmm...


Cheers!
mouse

H1N1 in the House

Dear Friends and Family,

I got to daycare yesterday to find a letter taped to the check-in station.

One of the kids in the center had been diagnosed with H1N1. It was bound to happen. And, not having a ton of good options, I got over my initial shock and moved on with my day. I dropped P off and figured we would deal with the repercussions, if any, as they come.


Cheers!
mouse

Another Baby Milestone

Dear Friends and Family,

Someone's getting a haircut today. I'm not naming names, but if you guessed P, you probably guessed correctly.


Cheers!
mouse

10.19.09: Quiet Time

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a quiet weekend at home and it was perfect.

Saturday was a bunch of errands. We gassed the car, picked up mail, picked up groceries, got an oil change, ate lunch, bought a rice cooker, picked up makeup, picked up P clothes, and still made it home to spend time with P in the evening. Pile on laundry and some mouse pad organization and it was a full day.

Sunday, we went to our favorite bar to watch our favorite auto racing series. Then, we dropped off forms at the doctor's office for P. And, we came home and spent the rest of the day playing and folding laundry.

P's been spending a lot of time in nuestra cama (aka our bed) this weekend. She's been sick and waking in the middle of the night. I guess it's okay, but I'm aware that she may be sleep training us.

She's also gotten uber-dexterous at picking up items and sticking them in her mouth. She'll reach for items and hold them for extended periods of time now. I've been encouraging her to play with a spoon we bought for her under the premise that that's step 1 in feeding her. Step 2 will be feeding her milk with her spoon. Step 3 will be "human" food. The reasoning is that feeding can be broken down into a series of steps which ultimately culminate in eating. I'm assuming steps 1 & 2 can be an any night of the week activity. And, step 3, we'll probably attempt on a Friday night and over the weekend so we can monitor her and take it slow. Mr. mouse bought rice cereal, carrots, peas and sweet potatoes for us to experiment with. I'm still lobbying for homemade mashed potatoes.

And, now, it's Monday. P has a cold, but I'm going to bring her into daycare anyway. I may bring her home for the afternoon depending upon my schedule. We'll see how the day plays out.


Cheers!
mouse

In Love All Over Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Half way through dinner last night, P fell asleep in my arms. And, watching her, it was like magic. She's so warm when she's curled around you. And, she's so trusting and so happy. And, just like that, you fall in love all over again.


Cheers!
mouse

Crying on the Way Home

Dear Friends and Family,

Three days in a row P cried most, if not all, of the way home. Not sure what's causing it, but it makes for a really long drive home. We'll see if she's four for four today.


Cheers!
mouse

Overslept

will write tomorrow

Keeping Up

Dear Friends and Family,

I knew P's milk intake would peak between four and six months and I knew that would be the toughest hurdle in the decision to feed her breast milk over formula.

She turned five months yesterday which means we're half way through the hardest part. And, so far, miracle of miracles, I've been able to keep up. (Way to jinx yourself, mouse)

The routine, not that you care, but I will when I look back:

• 5:00 AM breast feeding
• 8:30 AM bottle 1 at daycare (8 ounces)
• noon bottle 2 at daycare (8 ounces)
• 3:30 PM bottle 3 at daycare (6 ounces)
• 7:00 PM breast feeding

We have a "stockpile" in the freezer that we can draw against if we need to. And, if we need to, we can also introduce solids. Lots of options.


Cheers!
mouse

10.12.09: Marathon Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

I couldn't have asked for a better weekend to recharge both physically and emotionally.

I took Friday off and flew home to see my grandmother. P stayed home with Mr. mouse. While it would have been nice to go as a group, this way I didn't have to worry about packing all of her gear, getting her on a plane, and then getting home on what promised to be a crazy Friday night. I went round and round before landing on this solution, and, in the end, it worked out perfectly for me.

Grandma was doing, well, not great, but better. They had her heart rate under control and her infection was doing better. But, she's still not eating. Honestly, I think it's only a matter of time. So, that makes it that much more important to enjoy the time we do have left with her.

Friday afternoon, I flew home. P was sleeping by the time I got home which made Friday her first 100% bottle fed day - she ate after I got on the plane and before I got home. My girl's growing up.

Saturday and Sunday, our Quebecois friends were in town for the marathon. We had brunch with Fred and Gen. Then, we stopped by a baby store to have a look see. We picked up a little something something for them since they're expecting in December. Then, they headed back to the hotel and we headed home. I spent the afternoon with P while Mr. mouse took Fred and Gen and Chantal and Eric to see the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.

We all converged on the mouse house for the traditional pasta dinner before everyone turned in for the night.

Sunday morning, Mr. mouse, Fred and Gen headed out as race support. It was Chantal's first marathon and Eric was attempting qualification for Beantown. In the end, they both accomplished their respective goals. P and I took the train out and met up with everyone for the champagne toast. Cheers!

It was nice spending the morning napping with P and playing with her. She's at a very cute age now. And, our P and Two Unicorns saga continues when we go out. Mr. mouse wonders what it'll be like when she regresses to the norm. I think he's being optimistic. She's going to be a head turner for awhile if she continues on her current trajectory.

P and I had more nap time in the afternoon while Mr. mouse ran errands. Then, the happy six plus one met up for dinner before we all turned in for the night. I'm looking forward to next year. We promised to make it a ritual. Eric laid down the gauntlet, he'll defer Beantown for a year (if he can) so that Gen can qualify - then they can run Beantown together.

Game on.


Cheers!
mouse

Overslept

Dear Friends and Family,

No post this morning. Hit the snooze button once too often.


Cheers!
mouse

Sleep Bank Deposit

Dear Friends and Family,

After running a sleep deficit for longer than I should have, I caught up last night. I came home, pumped, ate dinner and crashed by 8. Mr. mouse woke me at 10:30, I pumped again. I slept until 3 this morning when P woke.

I can't say how refreshed I feel. I have work to catch up on tonight, but it was worth it.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: P has the cutest dimple on her elbow now.

Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I know my Top 3. It's just that I get the feeling I only have bandwidth for a Top 1 and I'm having trouble force ranking my Top 3.

There's P. There's my grandmother. There's work.

And, everything else can fall by the wayside for now. Weight Watchers can wait. Counting pennies can wait. Being green can wait. Mouse pad work can wait. Everything else needs to be put in a little box that I can open later once I have more time.

Time to contemplate a forced ranking.


Cheers!
mouse

10.05.09: Mile High City

Dear Friends and Family,

We flew out Saturday to go to my friend's wedding. We were a little discombobulated on the way out. We left a bag at home that had P's bottle and milk for Saturday in it (along with my pump). The wheel on the stroller broke. We almost left Mr. mouse's bag in the wrong rental car. And, the list goes on from there. Fortunately, we were able to break the streak and get back to our normal selves.

We met up with KAR for lunch - only the line was too long for dim sum. So, we had Vietnamese before going for dim sum. Then, we went back to the hotel, changed and headed out for the wedding. P slept the entire evening. I had a chance to catch up with a ton of friends from grad school. I was toying with skipping the wedding and going home to see my grandmother. I'm glad I went.

Sunday, we slept in one extra hour. And, we enjoyed the morning with P. The sun was streaming into the room (I miss the sun) and we took a ton of pictures of our almost five month old. This past month really flew.

We packed up and headed out for the airport. And, then the fun and games began. Our flight was delayed for mechanicals. Sensing impending doom, we headed over to the gate for the St. Louis flight, but it was full. We did some math and headed over to the Omaha flight and got on standby. We hung out in Omaha for two hours eating and feeding P. Then, we missed the first of the Omaha flights home, but caught the second flight home. P had a melt down in the car because she was hungry.

I ended the weekend tired from a day spent trying to get home, with two phone calls I need to return (my sister and my cousin), and a mountain of email for work. But, it was worth it. I wish we had made it back earlier since my sister was driving through town and a direct flight is always easier (btw, our original flight eventually cancelled).

Now, the question looms about the upcoming weekend. I would love to spend it at home, resting, catching up on work, and seeing our friends in town for the marathon. But, I'm torn. Should I go home to see my grandmother? She's back in the hospital and I know it's only a matter of time.

I feel like a horrible person. I know for the sake of my sanity I need to simplify my life. I have to prioritize. And, I resent that my priorities are being forced. Instead of enjoying time with P, I need to balance the needs of my family - to go home to see my grandmother, to call family members with updates, to do the things that need to be done.

This week, I need to squeeze in a manicure (my nails have gotten obscene), a bath for P (because our flight was delayed yesterday), gas fill up (this one should be self evident) and errand catch up from the weekend. Let's hope 1. traffic isn't a disaster like it was last week and 2. P sleeps through the night - she didn't last night.

I guess what it comes down to is the last month flew by. And, I don't want the next two or three months to fly by with us doing what needs to be done for my family. Then, we wake up and find P's grown up a ton and we missed it because we weren't there for it.

There's never a right answer, is there?


Cheers!
mouse

Mental Fog or Sheer Exhaustion

Dear Friends and Family,

Traffic's been tough all week (with the exception of Monday). And, for some reason daycare (and P, it takes two to tango) can't seem to get the basic job of food in baby done in time for us to go home on time (with the exception of Monday). Add to the mix the fact that P's been crying in the car (with the exception of Monday). And, that work is building up since we had a doctor's appointment and a concert this week and Mr. mouse had a haircut as well. And, top it off with a wedding this weekend and the fact that my grandmother's back in the hospital.

And, I am ready to throw in the flag and bolt myself in my room for a couple of days to lock out the world. Only, it'd all be there waiting for me when I came out. And, would probably be worse for the wear.

This mental fog needs to lift. I should look at my calendar for next week and plan on a couple of days off.


mouse

Young at Heart

Dear Friends and Family,

One of Mr. mouse's friends came over last night to watch P. And, Mr. mouse and I went to a concert - Moby. On the way home, we were reminiscing about fun times in the past - going to clubs and dancing.

It's nice to be able to go out on a school night still and enjoy ourselves.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: No set list as I don't know many of the titles of his songs.