6 weeks, the debut of the smile, a return to fitness (hopefully)

I. 6 Weeks Old
Our little doodlebug is 6 weeks old. Wow! 
He is growing and acquiring new skills at a dizzying rate. 
As of Tuesday, he weighs in at 11 lbs, 9 ozs. He is plumping up nicely. 

 

Buddha baby

  He has begun to track things with his eyes, make noises to get your attention, and attempt to touch items with his hand when they are dangling above. 

FRK has begun to give him a bottle of pumped milk every day.  Bunting has no issues with taking a bottle, and they have some very nice bonding time whilst he is eating. FRK is amazing; he dances around the house with the baby to keep him happy so I can shower, eat with two hands, etc; he has become an expert diaper changer, no mean feat, since we use cloth diapers-for a variety of reasons, the main one being that they are just much kinder to his bum. When I first brought up the idea of cloth diapers, and showed him a how-to video, he broke into a sweat (literally) and refused to consider it. There is lots of folding and pinning involved, though no actual pins any longer. Example: (the fastener thingie is called a Snappi)

But he has mastered it, as I knew he would. He takes his time, and turns diaper changing time into bonding and chatting opportunity. Bunting loves it, and I have learned to emulate his method, and to take my time and not just treat it as a mission to be accomplished.

Cloth diapers require a waterproof cover over them; isn't it cute? Goes without saying that the Man and the Baby are the cutest evah. 

II. The Debut of the Smile

This week Bunting has cranked up the dial on the mindblowing cuteness, and has begun to smile with intent. I'm really not sure if I can handle it. 

 

I warned you.

However most of the time he looks like this: 

 

Because he is a Kraft male, he is frequently quite dubious:

 

  Really? 

Sometimes quite confused: 

what?!

Always devastatingly cute: 

 

III. A Return to Fitness (I hope)  

Bunting is 6 weeks old, therefore I am 6 weeks post-partum, and cleared to exercise. Yesterday Bunting and I went for a jog/walk for the first time. Gigi (the artist formerly known as great-grandmother Florence) generously gifted us a fantastic jogging stroller. The BOB Revolution is the Rolls Royce of strollers; incredibly well made, it glides like buttah, and the front wheel swivels, which makes it much more maneuverable than those with a fixed wheel (though you have the option to lock the wheel as well):

 

This thing is nicer than most people's vehicles

Overall, it went quite well. Bunting fell asleep immediately, and I am not as out of shape as I feared. I was in fantastic shape when I got pregnant (kickboxing 4 nights a week; bloody knuckles and all, it was a fantastic way to manage my anger and grief), and I moved around a lot for my job, which helped.  It will take me a while to figure out a good method for pushing the stroller and swinging just one arm. It felt so darn good to get out and get the blood really moving. 

  

Bunting would rather sleep. 

Milestone: First Poop Through

The force and volume was impressive. 
I'll stop there.

First "Date", Cleaning Gutters, & Our Good Luck Kitten

I. We are so very lucky that my sister lives so near, and we are so close.  She has been of invaluable help and support with Bunting, and on Sunday she came over for some 1:1 Mepher (for those of you unaware of the bizarre name situation 'round these parts- my sister's name is Wendy Sue, I call her Mepher and she calls me Jo) and Smithy time, so that FRK and I could go and see Avatar. My brief review: some very impressive special effects, excellent first half, trite and cliched second half. What in the first half seemed like clever nods to the James Cameron filmography (FRK and I are big fans of his films) eventually began to seem like laziness-slash-he ran out of new ideas. 

 I love Auntie Mepher

 I had a few intense pangs of longing for the baby, but mostly I just enjoyed myself.  I trust Mepher so completely.  Of course he was an angel, took a bottle of breast milk like a pro and slept 90% of the time.   

II. When we got home, Mepher stayed so that FRK and I could clean out our gutters (I know. We party like freakin' rock stars up in this piece. Which reminds me, I should tell you the Mama Lucy/Whitesnake story someday). Just in time, for we are currently getting hammered by four storm fronts in a row.  Buckets of rain, thunder, lighting- the whole shebang.

III. Our sweet boy continues to sleep for 4-5 hours at a stretch at night, ensuring that his mother will not lose her mind (not today at least), and that his father will not flee the country due to the raving sleep-deprived banshee in his midst and set up shop in Thailand. 

Bunting has really big hands and feet, and he frequently clenches his hand and holds it up by the side of his head. He looks just like those good luck cats that are often displayed in Asian restaurants.  Observe:

Our good luck kitten (look at the size of those mitts)

For comparison:

 

At my breastfeeding group there is a scale, and our boy is weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs, 13 ozs. He gained almost a pound in a week!  I guess I can stop obsessing about my milk supply. 

 

All that growing is exhausting

 New pics here (click)

How To Impress Your Mother (If She is I)

1. Sleep five hours in a row at night.  
2. Repeat again the following night. 

He's a keeper for sure. 

He has my nose and my talent for sleeping. Huzzah!

One Month, A Lovely Visit, and the Return of Nerve Function

 I.  Milestone

Our boy is one month old today!  Can you believe it?  It seems like he just arrived. 

Checkup stats- 9lbs 15 ozs, 22.5 inches long, 39.5 cm head (translation: Still Big).  His ped declared that (please imagine this in a female Czech accent), he had the head and limb control of a 2 month old.  Also, he can do this: 

Self soothing! Hooray!

Clearly he is a genius.

In four short weeks he has gone from this: 

To this: 

Why is there a toy raccoon, owl, and hedgehog (?) attached to my bouncer, Smith would like to know. 

Just in the last few days he has begun to vocalize, cooing and chirping as he stares at the ceiling (or his "woodland friends"-whatever, Fisher Price).  It is devastatingly cute. You know that with Peng, Kraft, and Smith DNA in the mix he is going to be a talker.  Might as well start practicing early. 

II. Visit

Last week Grandma Joanne and Grandpa Richard flew out from Virginia to meet Bunting.  Alas, I have no documentation of this, because all of the photog-ing was done by Grandpa.  However, rest assured that a wonderful time was had by all.  

We went for a hike amongst the redwoods at Henry Cowell State Park, to the Santa Cruz wharf, Fritz cooked a delicious Thai dinner, and there was much cuddling and admiring the boy.  Fritz and Richard  listened to our stereo system (loudly) whilst Joanne, Mepher and I hung out in the baby's room and dished. Super fun.

My sister and I grew up without any grandparents; the fact that Bunting has two sets of doting grandparents brings me great joy. 

III. The Return of the Nerves: What They Don't Tell You About Caesarean Sections (and by 'they' I mean the Internet)

The c-section that delivered Bunting is the first surgery I have ever had, and so I was quite anxious at the prospect, and as a result did a lot of research so I would know what to expect.  I showed up at the hospital with my own supply of Colace, underwear, feminine products, ibuprofen, pillows, nightgowns.  All in all, I was quite prepared, from a practical standpoint. 

What I didn't know, that I didn't read EVER in my dozens- possibly hundreds- of Google searches, was that often you end up numb around the incision, due to the severing of nerves during surgery, and that the feeling might never return. Oh. 

It is very odd indeed to have a section of your skin be numb, so I am happy to report that the feeling is returning.  Unfortunately, as the nerves come back online it is kind of uncomfortable; it is akin to the sensation of tingling/pain that you experience after your foot or leg falls asleep and the blood begins to recirculate.  I really should just shut up about the whole thing, because I have to admit that this nerve thing is the most discomfort I have experienced to date.

I know.  I must have been really good in a former life, to have been blessed with such an easy pregnancy and delivery, AND a healthy and magnificent baby boy. 

FRK is such a good daddy

Dateline: San Jose- Baby Continues to Be Adorable, New Mom's Brain Continues to Behave Like Sieve

What big eyes you have
Originally uploaded by Fruganzee

Bunting is three weeks old! 


He continues to eat every 2 hours or so, though for the last two nights he has slept for 4 hour stretches between feedings. Yay! 


His wakeful periods are increasing, and when he is awake he is so curious.  He has begun to look deliberately at people; right before he nurses he makes eye contact with me and smiles, as if to say "Fancy meeting you here!" 


Re: the sieve like brain- Do you know how difficult it is to get the Post Office to retrieve a very important letter that a person may have dropped into the outgoing mail slot sans stamp?  I won't keep you in suspense. VERY.

 

This is brief, because the Virginia grandparents are here, and we are going to see redwoods.



New pics here (click the link): The new photos are at the beginning now

Two Weeks

Can you believe it? Bunting is two weeks old.
Stats:
9lbs, 4 ozs (re-attained his birth weight, put on 16 ozs in 10 days! Thank goodness the incessant eating is paying off- this nursing business is such a leap of faith. I can't actually see the milk that he is consuming, there are no ounce markers on my breasts, dammit)

Exhibit A: Cheeks!

 
21 1/4 inches (has grown 3/4 of an inch since birth)
37 cm head (noggin has grown 1 cm)

He is a delight. I always knew I would love babyhood (I had such an incredibly good time with the babies when I was a nanny), I just didn't know how fun it would be right off the bat. I figured that I would just have to sort of survive the first weeks, and after the fabled 'fourth trimester' things would get fun.  I think that I am able to enjoy these early days so much because:

A) I have Mepher and FRK.  Mepher and I are as close as sisters can be, plus she is super baby competent.  I know I can just hand him over and she will take care of things, whilst I eat, shower, etcetera.  FRK has been around babies more than most men, is very hands on, and is a naturally cautious but very affectionate person;  I know how lucky I am.

B) Just say no to drugs!!! I am very sensitive to pharmaceuticals, especially narcotics.  I refused anything in my epidural except for the numbing agent (bupivacaine). Which worked disturbingly well; I was advised that I would be able to feel pressure, but I felt nothing. Nada. I could hear them operating, but no sensation.  Usually the protocol also includes a long acting morphine, which I explicitly refused.  I have heard so many anecdotal stories of women who are woozy and out of it after a c-section, so much so that they don't have a chance to begin bonding with their baby for hours (which is proven to hinder breastfeeding). Though my legs were numb for hours, I was mentally alert every single moment.  Also, narcotics are binding, and the hospital requires that you display that 'all systems are go' before they will release you. Their solution is to give you stool softeners.  So the drugs bind you up and make you woozy and unsteady on your feet; yet you cannot have the godawful catheter and IV removed until you can demonstrate that you can take yourself to the bathroom.

C) Perspective.  When Mama was dying, we were up two or three times a night, tending to her needs. We all managed to haul ourselves out of bed and to work every day (we felt like shit, but what other option was there?) and there was no upside.  Just the knowledge that things would inevitably get worse, and then she would die.

So along comes Bunting;  every night I am wakened every 2-3 hours by my baby.  Big deal.  Truly.  We have this beautiful baby boy to love. I don't have to get up at a certain time in the morning. Win-win!

 Bunting is just hilarious- he makes the funniest faces, and lately he has been trying to get his eyes to focus, which he cannot yet do; he just ends up cross eyed, and we (his loving parents) hoot with laughter.

Yesterday F had a meeting, so Bunting and I went to see the pediatrician, ran an errand, met Mepher for lunch, and went for a walk.  A very busy, enjoyable day by my current standards.  Just two short weeks ago, a day like this would have been filed under 'what the hell did you do all day, you lazy layabout'.  I couldn't be happier.