Introducing… Elliot and Winston!

Born April 2012 and May 2015

First milestones

Yesterday, the Dyers came over and Gam Gam and Logan mulched and weeded. Then they planted tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. Tom came over and started some pumpkins and watermelon from seeds. It looks like Tom will be staying with us this summer, so that will be fun!

We had another marathon feeding session from 6-11pm. Mommy did not use enough Gas-X throughout the day and I think he was using me as a giant pacifier (which as Logan said at the hospital “Two out of three people in the room have no problem with that!”) I was pretty sure I was out of milk at 11, but Elliot was wide awake and crying. It was time for a change of plans. Logan got some laundry started and we took Elliot for a soothing dryer ride. We also got him to take a pacifier for a bit. He was still fussy afterwards but consolable. Logan was playing with him and his Simon, The Hedgehog Rattle and Elliot tracked it! He even batted at it a few times! We tried again this morning and he could still do it, so it wasn’t a fluke. Hooray for development!

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We’ve come a long way, baby!

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Old enough to drink milk

Elliot is 3 weeks old today! Some observations:

1. Guess who is not allowed to carry Elliot anymore… Me. That’s right. Elliot is 10.8 lbs. according to the Wii Fit Baby Stats. Part of my discharge instructions included not lifting anything heavier than 10 lbs, which of course when the nurse told me that I looked at her like she had 3 heads ’cause there was no way I was going to follow that one. He ain’t heavy, he’s my baby.
2. It has been about 2 months, but I can finally get my wedding band on my finger. There is still an issue with getting it off, but I’ll take whatever victory I can get!
3. Elliot still gets the hiccoughs, especially after a good burp. It’s cute. He goes “Hup!” He used to get them while he was inside of me, which was how I knew he was head down. Either that or he had a twitchy foot.

Yesterday, we took Elliot to his Great Granny Dyer’s 86th birthday party at Great Aunt Cathy’s house. He was well behaved (i.e. sleeping) for most of the party and, despite my fears, did not get ripped in half by his well meaning but enthusiastic relatives. We put him in his froggy sweater from Gam Gam with the top unbuttoned since it was too tight for his neck. At least we got a picture.

Four generations of Dyers!

Then we took a quick drive to Target to try to get this Table Lamp but they were out. I still haven’t really been able to get Elliot to take a pacifier, so when he started crying on the drive there was little that I could do…

Cousin Bart came over for dinner and we had a pleasant time hanging out on our deck. We also got to talk to Uncle Art on the phone, who had a successful day of apartment hunting. Then, Elliot and I turned in early at about 9PM. Then we got up at 11 for food and diaper change. Then we got up at 2AM for a marathon 6 boob binge with just as many diaper changes. In fact, he was so awake at 3AM, daddy and I ended up watching the first half of Office Space while we distracted Elliot to give me some time to build my milk stores back up.

This morning Elliot soiled his nursery door. It was impressive! He was wide awake afterwards, so we did tummy time and played with his Gund My First Doctor Kit Playset.

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Thanks

I appreciate the kind comments and encouragement after yesterday’s post. We had a better day yesterday. Aunt Linzy, Uncle Tom, and Slappy came over. Linzy held Elliot for awhile while I took care of a few things. Don’t get me wrong, I love holding my son, but there is so much to do around here that I greatly appreciate the occasional break. Not to mention, the company is nice.

We moved into our first house when I was 39 weeks pregnant, which was not ideal but the opportunity was too good to pass up. The house still needs a lot of unpacking. In fact, Tom and Slappy were here to help set up the entertainment room. I love living here, but I wish we were more settled. We will have to get it together before Elliot is mobile, for sure.

Also, I figured out what I want for my first Mother’s Day: a visit from the housekeeper!

First house!

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“At least you don’t have to go to work…”

Yeah, but with work, I was finished with at the end of the day and if I don’t get a good night’s sleep then that was usually on me. Plus, I could have a few drinks when I got home and I got thrown up on less at work… Maybe the person who had the gall to say this to me meant at least I don’t have to go to work too. Or maybe they were just being mean. Logan frequently reminds me that they don’t just give you 6 weeks off to be nice. They do it because it is necessary…

Anyways, whatever mommy adrenalin I had for the first 2 weeks is gone. I am exhausted. What I wouldn’t give or a full night’s sleep. When do we get to the sleep through the night stage? I probably don’t want to know. I bet it’s not tonight…

Elliot and I spent the day together yesterday. He is lucky he is so cute, because he is sleeping less and I am having a hard time getting anything done in between trying to entertain and feed him. We did manage to push the laundry through barely.

Logan got a big frame for our family portrait. I put the black and white photo in it and Logan commented that it looked like the photo came with the frame. It was kind of funny.

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Sometimes babies cry…

And sometimes mommies cry too.

We had a pretty peaceful evening again last night. Elliot did his normal routine of wanting to feed all evening long. We managed to distract him with tummy time (he is getting pretty good at lifting his head already) and some basic vocalization (some adorable “oohs” and “aahs”). Logan found Elliot a digital copy of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which we read through on his TouchPad. We got him in the bed by about 11PM, but at a little after midnight he was hungry again. As he ate his midnight snack, I heard the familiar sounds of an impending diaper change. Once he was done eating, I took him to his changing table where he immediately started crying. From there we performed a tragedy of errors where the warmer was out of diaper wipes, there were no more Huggies, and his PJs were soiled. I placed him safely on the floor while I gathered more (cool) wipes, his less preferred Babies R Us brand diapers, and new PJs, all while his crying escalated. By the time we reached the costume change portion of the production, I was doing everything I could to focus on the task at hand and tune out the sobbing. That’s when I suddenly was aware of someone behind me! I went into hysterics as I looked into Logan’s blood shot eyes. Apparently, he had called to me that he was coming to help, but I missed the message in my trace state. We got Elliot dressed together and Logan took him for some burping. I fed him again and we went to sleep, thankfully for more than one hour this time.

This morning Elliot got to take a shower with daddy and I got my first experience with projectile poop. Now Logan is at work (after being a really good sport over the night’s events) and I am pushing laundry through in between feedings. Elliot and I spent some time looking at the thunderstorm this morning while I sang him some CCR, which was nice.

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First trip to Gingy’s and Grandpa’s

After the successful trip to Pigeon Forge on Sunday, Logan and I were feeling brave and decided to make a trip to Tullahoma, my hometown. I usually make a trip to my parent’s house about once a month, but since I was so late in pregnancy I had not traveled more than an hour from my hospital since February.

We packed our bags Sunday night and Monday morning I put everything that Elliot could fit into in a suitcase as wells extra receiving blankets and the spare Boppy cover. We loaded Elliot and all of his accoutrements into the car and headed out at about 11AM eastern time (we thought we would be able to leave at like 6AM). Elliot did well until we pulled off the interstate in Crossville. We stopped at Sonic and ordered lunch while we ran our “Crying Baby” protocol. I have a new appreciation for Sonic and any other drive-in. It’s much easier to breastfeed in the comfort of your own car…

The remainder of the drive was uneventful except that Logan had Desitin on his sunglasses. We arrived in Tullahoma. Gingy held Elliot for awhile, and when my dad came home we took Elliot to his parent’s house to surprise them. My dad called ahead and told them that he wanted to show them something. We took our car since it has the carseat base and when we arrived, my grandad thought that my dad had bought a new car! They were pleased to meet Elliot in spite of his late afternoon fussiness. I told my grandmother that I must have inherited her uterus since she is the only other person in my family to have 9+ lbs. babies.

That evening we got to surprise my mom’s mother with Elliot. She was pleased with him as well. My Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Craig, and Cousin Matthew came over for dinner and to see the baby. They brought him several books, including one called Little Gorilla, which seemed appropriate given his size.

That night Logan set up the Pack ‘N Play bassinet that my mom bought next to our bed. We put Elliot in it twice but he cried immediately. So we let him sleep in the middle of the queen size bed with Logan and me as far to either side as possible. The next morning, Logan got up at about 6AM and took Elliot so I could sleep. However, Elliot had other plans and decided he was hungry at 6:30. Logan brought him back and I fed him piglet style and then he took him back when we were done. I must have been pretty fast asleep because I didn’t remember Logan taking him away. When I did wake up, I panicked! I dug through the bed sheets but I could not find my baby anywhere. I ran downstairs and found Elliot fast asleep in the rocking chair with my mother.

We got a visit from Marianne, Suzanne’s mom, who commented that Elliot “felt good.” We also got a visit from my childhood friend Sarah and her adorable daughter Claudie, who is 3 and thrilled that Elliot has the same name as the boy from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. She even had Sarah’s 20 something year old E.T. doll! Sarah and I swapped our horrible birth experiences. Sarah advised me follow the direction on Elliot’s new toothbrush, in spite of the fact that he won’t have teeth yet. It’ll be easier to get him in the habit of brushing earlier.

Grandpa’s parents came over for a pleasant dinner of chicken pockets and we finished watching The Sound of Music on Blue Ray. Conveniently, Elliot was 16 days going on 17. Elliot’s Great Grandpa finally got up the guts to hold him a bit, which went well.

Logan and Grandpa finished watching the Orange and White game while I breastfed and worked on physics modules. We went to bed with Elliot between us again and used the bassinet to store the diaper bag “at arm’s reach.” The next morning we packed up and met Gingy at Red Lobster. We were going to meet Great Gingy as well, but the lines of communication failed and Great Gingy ended up at Cracker Barrel in Manchester. As we were leaving, my mom kissed me and Elliot good bye and told me, “You’re a good mommy,” which choked me up briefly. We headed out after that and made a quick stop at the Sonic in Manchester for a diaper change and breast milk and route 44 refreshments. Elliot cried a bit near Harriman, which is the part of the trip where I used to cry as a baby. I got my first “sleep when the baby sleeps” nap the rest of the way. Now we are home and taking care of poopie diapers and empty bellies.

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Now, Back to Adventure!

Kate has gotten more and more restless over the last week, which came to a head Saturday night after two or three days without leaving the house. Once she learned that Motherhood Maternity was having a Nursing Event, our Sunday plans were made. We slept soundly until almost 2 A.M., and then until 5-ish, and then until just after 8:00!

After a quick breakfast and showering, we dressed Elliot, fed him, changed his diaper, dressed him again, changed his diaper again and then again, fed him again, and then headed out the door to visit Gam Gam and Slappy.

As Kate mentioned, we had delicious grilled Chilean sea bass and some cake. Elliot ate a few more times and then got himself into a deep sleep for well over ninety minutes. We intended to leave to visit Great-Granny Dillard and shop for blouses (separate stops) as soon as he woke up. After an hour of sleep we gave up and headed out the door.

Since it was still early afternoon, the second visit of the day was calm and enjoyable for all parties.

On a cuter note, I have a new favorite thing that Elliot does. He has figured out that burping makes him feel better. When I have him in burp position, now, he immediately starts making a grunting “ungh” that really sounds as if he is trying to burp.

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Them’s the rules…

As it turns out, there are way more rules for being a parent than there were for being a kid. Yesterday we had a little celebration at Elliot’s Gam Gam’s house for his 2 week birthday. Logan’s parents cooked us some delicious Chilean Sea Bass and provided a small cake for Elliot, which we ate on his behalf. Later on, Logan made some tuna salad and crackers for a snack. At that point, I was concerned about eating 2 fish meals in a day, due to the stupid mercury risk. Logan looked up Chilean sea bass, and to our surprise, the FDA lists Chilean sea bass in its moderate/high risk category, where as a lactating female they recommend that I have no more than 1 serving a month. Usually the higher risk seafoods are predatory, like shark. The risk would have been higher to Elliot if I had been pregnant. Plus, grilling the fish apparently helps decrease the risk. So, we are in all likelihood safe, but it just makes me mad since I like seafood and it is otherwise healthy. Stupid pollution… Happy belated Earth Day…

Fortunately, the dietary restrictions are much more relaxed for lactation as opposed to pregnancy. For example, I can eat cold cuts again without having my sandwich toasted. I also can have a small amount of alcohol and a medium/rare steak! Still probably shouldn’t start smoking, but I wasn’t going to worry about that one…

Another issue is the sleeping surfaces. In December, I read Dr. Sear’s Attachment Parenting Book, which promoted a very baby centered style of parenting that actually sounded like fun to me. Basically the idea is to really study your child and learn their cues so that you can hypothetically deal with problems before they arise. Dr. Sear’s postulates that keeping a baby happy makes them more receptive to their environment so that they can learn. Not to mention, my sanity is better preserved when Elliot is not crying. Obviously, nothing is perfect, and as Grandpa says, “Sometimes babies cry.”

Anyways, the attachment parenting philosophy recommends things like baby wearing and bed sharing, which sounded pretty convenient to me as a mother who is currently exclusively breastfeeding. However, recommendations for preventing SIDS advise against bed sharing. Plus, there is the risk of squishing the baby. So our solution: the Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper Bassinet, a bassinet that attaches to the side of our bed for easy Elliot access throughout the night. The only problem, Elliot much prefers our bed, even after I wrote him a song the basically went “We like the bassinet so much!” Our bed is much softer that the extra firm surface in the bassinet, which is another preventing SIDS recommendation. So when I feed him I end up letting him rest on my chest for a few minutes afterwards. Then, I move him to my side in the bed for a few more minutes to let him get good and asleep, and then to the bassinet. Sometimes the move to the bassinet wakes him up and I have to start the whole process over. And in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes I fall asleep before we get through all of the steps. So far I have yet to squish him, but every time I wake up with him beside me I feel a pang of guilt. Fortunately, Elliot is so big and can already move his head so well that I have a little less fear for his survival in our bedroom, but still as a new parent, any advise I hear I am keen to do everything I can to follow, especially when they throw in the phrase “infant mortality.” New parents are such chumps… At least, I finally figured out how to get him to sleep on his back.

I could also discuss the craziness of “nipple confusion” from giving a pacifier too early or the fact that we are not suppose to use baby sunscreen on him until he is 4-6 months of age (which will put us to September for going out in the sun), but I think that I have already exceeded my word limit for the day.

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Elliot’s first shoes!

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2 Week Notice

Yay! I’m 2 weeks post-op! I can finally take of these surgical bandages and start showing off my badass scar!

I know, I know… Elliot is 2 weeks old today! I can hardly believe it. My baby is growing up soooo fast! There is this syndrome that moms get after their first baby, which gets worse with time. I like to refer to it as “Mommy Brain Damage.” It is the reason that kids have siblings and why moms will say crazy stuff like “Breast feeding is natural and easy!” and “They practically raise themselves!” Anyways, I am starting to notice the early signs of affliction with MBD. In spite of the tons of dirty diapers, 3 hour evening feeding sessions, and post-op discomfort, I start to tear up at the thought of Elliot getting older and find myself planning the timing of my next pregnancy. Going back to work is going to be so hard… There is no cure for MBD but symptoms can be treated with a splash of cold water in the face.

2 Week Birthday Lunch at Gam Gam’s

Aunt Jeanine and Uncle Mark stopped by last night with enough Cracker Barrel to feed 10 people and our new neighbors were having a party and brought us some BBQ and a cute outfit for Elliot. We are very lucky to have so much wonderful support from friends and family.

Elliot took a bath with Logan last night which actually went pretty well. Now that his umbilical cord has fallen off, Elliot can take a real bath instead of a sponge bath. We put him in the water and he made an upset face at first but then decided it wasn’t so bad. He did kick off from Logan at on point but fortunately I had my hands under him so he just floated on my hands for a bit. Everything was nice until he had to be taken out of the tub, which was like being born all over again! He howled pretty much until he was dry and breastfeeding. Logan suggested that next time we put Elliot’s towel in the dryer beforehand, which seems like a pretty good idea to me…

I clipped Elliot’s fingernails afterward, and I gotta say after years of clipping hedgehog fingernails, baby fingernails were nothing!

More fun facts about Elliot: He seems to be quite happy to be out of my uterus. I am told that when he was first extracted and put in the baby warmer, he stretched out his arms and legs as far as he could, which was disappointing to Logan since he was looking forward to sproinging some baby legs. He also does not like to be swaddled, so take that The Happiest Baby on the Block.

One time Logan attempted a swaddle and Elliot managed to get his feet free but not his hands. The way he was kicking and crying he looked like a mental patient in a straight jacket! We had a quick laugh and promptly unbound him.

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“I remember when I lost my mind.”

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Nothing Bad Can Happen

Last night was relatively peaceful and this morning uneventful except that Gam Gam and Slappy came to visit sweet little Elliot. They timed the visit well, as he finished breakfast at the same moment at which they arrived. Each grandparent held him for a while. As has been mentioned, Elliot is very strong and can hold his head up to look around for several minutes at a time. I’m not sure that I could do that while lying down.

Gam Gam changed a half-dozen or so diapers over the course of her half-hour visit and then she headed out for pizza. Elliot had lunch while I prepared a turkey sandwich for Kate and a cheeseburger for myself. Not everyone can hold a quiet baby and then leave for a nice lunch.

After the three of us had eaten, Elliot and I sat down to watch the Orange & White game streamed via foxsportstennessee.com through the projector. Elliot was mainly sleeping and after the Orange team scored the stream quit working. It was pretty much the 2011 Volunteer season in a nutshell. We watched the second half of Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona instead. Great Aunt Jeanine et al are scheduled to visit this evening and hopefully Elliot will remain content. We’ve made it all day with no crying unless he was on the changing table so we’re pretty much guaranteed a calm evening and night.

 

Woo Go Vols

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