Over 2 months now and still growing like a weed. I am starting to feel like she really recognizes me and smiles at ME... as opposed to just smiling and cooing randomly. What an amazing feeling.
Sad news is that I start back to work full time tonight. I can feel the tears welling up just thinking about it. Thankfully, my mom is still in town and will be for another week or two to help make this transition as smooth as possible... but after spending basically 24 hours a day with my baby girl since the moment she was born, the thought of leaving her home while I go to work is just not something I am ready for. As a matter of fact, I don't think it's something I will ever be ready for. But such is the life of a working mom. Add me to the ranks.
Sad news is that I start back to work full time tonight. I can feel the tears welling up just thinking about it. Thankfully, my mom is still in town and will be for another week or two to help make this transition as smooth as possible... but after spending basically 24 hours a day with my baby girl since the moment she was born, the thought of leaving her home while I go to work is just not something I am ready for. As a matter of fact, I don't think it's something I will ever be ready for. But such is the life of a working mom. Add me to the ranks.
How Big Is Baby?
- I'm sticking with 12 pounds. I don't feel like she has gained much more weight, but I have noticed that she is definitely gaining in length. She is one big girl!
- Mostly 0-3 and 3 month cloths. She is even sporting some 3-6 month outfits too. The newborn clothes are almost completely retired. (same as last week)
- Full time cloth diapering. We have moved up one snap in length and are kind of in between snaps (which is a pain!) in the waist.
Development & Milestones
- Kennedy has been enjoying lots of tummy time on her play mat. She really likes to look at herself in the mirror and kick the singing monkey.
- When lying on her back on the mat, she is very interested in the hanging toys. She bats at the and grabs them with her hands. Sometimes it still seems to surprise her when she hits one... then she gets a huge smile. It's to cute!
- She till loves being up on her changing table and coos/talks up a storm when getting changed.
Diet/Nursing
- Still nursing well.
- This week we started taking older frozen milk and giving Kennedy that through the bottle (vs freshly pumped through the bottle). We noticed that she gets very fussy and refuses the bottle with the frozen milk. On further inspection, I noticed that the milk smelled like soap!!! After doing some research, I learned that this is likely due to an excess of lipase in the milk and, although not harmful, many babies do not like the taste (well, no kidding! I wouldn't want to drink soap milk either!). This was the last thing I wanted to deal with before I head back to work next Sunday (now, today)!! After a total melt down with lots of tears (I was afraid that my 200+ bags of pumped milk, aka liquid gold, were useless) I spoke with a wonderful woman from the La Leche League (a breastfeeding advocacy and support group). She suggested mixing the frozen milk with fresh milk to see if it improved the taste enough for Kennedy to drink it. If she did, gradually increase the amount of frozen milk and decrease the fresh until she is ok with drinking just the frozen. What a life saver! So... we did exactly as she suggested and I am proud to say that Kennedy has adjusted to the frozen milk. Thank goodness.
- *Side note... If you or someone you know is struggling with or has any questions about breastfeeding, I cannot recommend LLL enough. The have counselors all over the country, likely one in your community. They are available by phone, email or face to face meetings and there is no charge for their services. These women have been there, done that. They are very knowledgeable, but even more importantly, supportive. They have a "You can do it" attitude that is contagious and can lift your spirits. They give you the tools and advice to truly empower you. I can't tell you how upset I was thinking that I would have to throw away all the milk I had saved and possibly supplement with formula when I returned to work. The LLL counselor helped to calm me down and assured me that I can make this work. She even called back a few times to check on me and see how everything was going! So yeah... La Leche League... kind of awesome.
- Kennedy's sleeping habits are steadily improving. She is going 4 hours on average at night between feedings.
- She continues to nap well in the mornings, but turns into Little Miss Cranky Pants at night. (good thing I work nights and Daddy has bed time duty) :P
PP Mommy Check In
- STILL.... at 129... which is 1 pound below my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't made any progress toward my goal in a few weeks now... but it could be worse.
- Only 4 pounds to go to goal #2, my final goal.
- had my 3rd chiropractor visit. My back feels pretty good now.
- Right now I weigh about 129 lbs.
- *For reference, my highest pregnancy weight was 162, my pre-pregnancy weight was 130 and my goal weight is 125*
How Is Daddy?
- Kevin is doing wonderfully. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband, partner and father to my baby girl.
- This week we have really focused on the bed time routine and making changes to make things as easy as possible for Kevin to handle himself. My mom is still in town helping out (what a life saver!!) but Kevin really wants to make sure that whatever routine we have in place, he will be able to keep up on his own.
Any appointments, visitors or outings? Anything else new?
- Kevin's parents and brother headed back to Pennsylvania on Monday... we were all sad to see them go... especially Lucy, since they took her BFF (Trapper) and her other playmate (Hogan) with them. We really need to get Lucy a playmate... she is so lonely without the other dogs around.
- My Dad headed back south on Wednesday. It was also sad to see him go. Kennedy really enjoyed meeting her grandpa and we're not sure when she will get a chance to see him again. :(
- Cloth diapering is still going great!!
Love/Hate:
- Love: Kennedy's new super cute jean print cloth diaper. How adorable is this?
- Hate: That I have to go back to work tonight. You know, I never thought I would be the type of person who would actually want to be a stay at home mom... but having these past 9 weeks with my daughter has been the best experience of my life. I wish more than anything that I could stay home with her every day, watch her grow and change. It breaks my heart to know that I will have to leave her in the care of someone else every day, so I can go to work and care for others.
Any upcoming developments, milestones? What's next?
- Next appointment for Kennedy is Tuesday! I'm not looking forward to the shots, but I am very excited to see how much she has grown.
Picture Time!!
