Monday, January 29, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
More mobile!
We bought two strollers this week--I took Jeremiah to the mall with Katharine (my first outing without Jeremy!) for lunch, and we wanted to shop a bit, but I had to carry his car seat.... That thing is heavy! But we're all good now. We got a stroller frame, which folds up to hardly anything, and you just snap your car seat into it and go; And we also got a full size stroller from Target, for those family outings (it's pretty heavy and bulky, so I'll let Jeremy handle that until he gets older).
I was actually very surprised to find the Target one. Y'see, Babies R Us was the only store to carry the stroller that matches our car seat--and it was discontinued! I was pretty sad about that, because nothing else really matched (or was even appealing to me)... Hence, the stroller frame purchase. But then I was at Target with Jeremiah, trying to find deals (heard they'd been clearancing out all their older model strollers and car seats--hoping to find a good buy!) and what did I find....? This! It's not exactly the same pattern, but pretty gosh darn close! Not as fancy as the one we'd registered for, but better than something totally different! So I'm happy about it.
Now, we're waiting for Jeremiah to wake up so that we can go for a walk. He's been stirring for a bit... probably waking up very soon. And later, we're going out to Chantilly to see my Uncle and his family--my cousin's gonna be 8 on Monday, so it's a birthday party of sorts, I think. It will also be a good chance for everyone to meet Jeremiah.
Oh, he's up. That's all for now!
I was actually very surprised to find the Target one. Y'see, Babies R Us was the only store to carry the stroller that matches our car seat--and it was discontinued! I was pretty sad about that, because nothing else really matched (or was even appealing to me)... Hence, the stroller frame purchase. But then I was at Target with Jeremiah, trying to find deals (heard they'd been clearancing out all their older model strollers and car seats--hoping to find a good buy!) and what did I find....? This! It's not exactly the same pattern, but pretty gosh darn close! Not as fancy as the one we'd registered for, but better than something totally different! So I'm happy about it.
Now, we're waiting for Jeremiah to wake up so that we can go for a walk. He's been stirring for a bit... probably waking up very soon. And later, we're going out to Chantilly to see my Uncle and his family--my cousin's gonna be 8 on Monday, so it's a birthday party of sorts, I think. It will also be a good chance for everyone to meet Jeremiah.
Oh, he's up. That's all for now!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Mohel.
No comment!
Jeremiah seems to be doing alright. A bit fussy... a bit cry-ey... My poor baby.
And the stupid cat is back.
What a great night.
Jeremiah seems to be doing alright. A bit fussy... a bit cry-ey... My poor baby.
And the stupid cat is back.
What a great night.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
Same page??
Seriously, I don't understand why there's such a disconnect in the medical field, when it comes to breastfeeding. I have heard SO MANY conflicting theories/reports/suggestions on how to do it, what to do, when to do it, so on and so forth. One minute I think everything is okay, the next I find out it's not, and then I find out that while not ideal, it's normal, and AHHHHH!
I've received much Godly and encouraging words, though, from women I trust (nothing against our Pediatrician, but I'll take the word of a woman who's done it before over his professional medical opinion) which have helped me tremendously. We're still struggling, but I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is HOPE! I'll be so glad when we get the hang of this--I just hope that's before Jeremy goes out of town in a week... I would love to have him off the bottle by then. Oh Lord, please let him--us!--get the hang of this in the next week!
We're gonna go at this gung ho this weekend and see what happens. If we're struggling on Monday, I'm gonna go see a lactation consultant in person, even if I hafta pay outta pocket--it'll be cheaper than buying formula in the long run!
So thank you to everyone who's been encouraging/praying for me/us. It means so much! We'll keep you up to date on our progress.
I've received much Godly and encouraging words, though, from women I trust (nothing against our Pediatrician, but I'll take the word of a woman who's done it before over his professional medical opinion) which have helped me tremendously. We're still struggling, but I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is HOPE! I'll be so glad when we get the hang of this--I just hope that's before Jeremy goes out of town in a week... I would love to have him off the bottle by then. Oh Lord, please let him--us!--get the hang of this in the next week!
We're gonna go at this gung ho this weekend and see what happens. If we're struggling on Monday, I'm gonna go see a lactation consultant in person, even if I hafta pay outta pocket--it'll be cheaper than buying formula in the long run!
So thank you to everyone who's been encouraging/praying for me/us. It means so much! We'll keep you up to date on our progress.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Feeling better!
We took Jeremiah to the pediatrician today to check up on his weight--wanted to make sure he was getting enough to eat (he's a big baby... we've had to supplement a bit to make him full, but hopefully we'll be able to cut back on that as my milk comes in.) And the report was good--he's up to 9lbs 13oz, a half pound gain in 6 days! That's pretty good. So we don't have to go back now until his one month visit, which will be the beginning of February. Everything else is looking really good, which was a huge relief. Not that I expected there to be any problems, but y'know, as a Mom (so weird...) I worry (not too much, though.)
I told him of my frustrations with having to supplement with so much formula, and he simply said, "He's a 10 lb baby! The average baby is 7 lbs 10 oz, Jeremiah is the equivalent of a one-month old--you can't expect to have enough milk at this point to satisfy him!" While I'm sure there are women out there who have done it (my MIL nursed twins successfully, after all!), it's just not happening yet with me. So for now I pump and hope that soon I won't need to anymore. I'm gonna talk to our midwife about it, too, on Thursday at my appointment, and hope she has some good suggestions for me.
Otherwise, all is well with us! I tried getting some more cute shots to put on the blog, but Jeremiah wasn't feeling very photogenic. Oh well. Perhaps tomorrow. :-)
I told him of my frustrations with having to supplement with so much formula, and he simply said, "He's a 10 lb baby! The average baby is 7 lbs 10 oz, Jeremiah is the equivalent of a one-month old--you can't expect to have enough milk at this point to satisfy him!" While I'm sure there are women out there who have done it (my MIL nursed twins successfully, after all!), it's just not happening yet with me. So for now I pump and hope that soon I won't need to anymore. I'm gonna talk to our midwife about it, too, on Thursday at my appointment, and hope she has some good suggestions for me.
Otherwise, all is well with us! I tried getting some more cute shots to put on the blog, but Jeremiah wasn't feeling very photogenic. Oh well. Perhaps tomorrow. :-)
Monday, January 15, 2007
I love my son soooo much!
I really do! He's just so wonderful, I'm the luckiest gal in the world. Between him and Jeremy, I am just abundantly blessed!
That being said, I will be glad when this week is over. (Highlight below to find out why--will bore our casual readers/most guys...)
I read somewhere today, in my quest for answers to my breastfeeding issues, that the first two weeks are simply "survival mode", and the worst to deal with. Both Mom and Baby are learning things, recovering from the delivery/birth, and if anyone is going to quit, it's during these first two weeks.
I really thought things were getting better... I thought when my milk came in on Wednesday/Thursday that we would just work on getting the hang of this nursing thing, and everyone would be happy.
Not so.
Starting Saturday night, we've had to supplement his feedings in order to satisfy him... It seems like no matter how long he nurses, he's still hungry, whether for 20 minutes or over 2 hours. He could be going through his first growth spurt, which supposedly happens at 7-10 days, but I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of women who have been able to successfully breastfeed a 10+lb baby without the use of formula.
Basically, right now I feel like a failure as a mother. And this may be TMI for the casual readers of our blog, but gosh darnit, I'm just really frustrated right now. I'm usually the optimistic one of our family, but I gotta tell ya, right now, it's really hard. Really hard. I'll deal with the pain... I'll deal with soreness, scabbing, cracking, dryness, painful breastfeeding sessions--just let him get what he needs without formula! I don't understand why that's asking so much.
We're going back to the pediatrician in the morning to see how well he's gaining. Since we have been seeing plenty of wet diapers, I'm guessing he's finally getting the nutritian he needs. I just hope we're not sabotaging our "quest to breast"-feed by supplementing as much as we have. I really hope this ends soon...
I should probably call a lactation consultant or a La Leche League Leader for help, but I'm hesitant because it's something I can't talk about without sobbing... I doubt I'd be able to get passed my name without crying into the phone.
My friend Sunny is coming over tomorrow--she successfully breastfed her daughter for 9 or 10 months. I'm hoping she has some helpful tips for me. And I emailed the gal I took a Mom's class with at Mclean Bible with my questions--she used to be a lactation consulant (or still is... not sure), so I figured she'd be a good resource to tap. Hopefully she writes me back soon.
In the mean time, I'm gonna just hang in there... We're going to get the fancy Medela pump (Charity got us a hand pump for Christmas, which works great, but I'm gonna start pumping after every feeding, even at night, and it's just easier to have the pump do all the work--at least I can sleep for 15 minutes while the machine does its thing... The hand pump will come in handy for travelling, which we'll be doing quite a bit of this year--Hawaii, Mexico and probably Portugal in the summer!) and hope that that helps boost production. I need to get out of the house, anyways... I've been home since Wednesday. Thank God for the internets--keeps me sane.
So please continue to pray for us. I can use all the help I can get right now! 5 more days....
That being said, I will be glad when this week is over. (Highlight below to find out why--will bore our casual readers/most guys...)
I read somewhere today, in my quest for answers to my breastfeeding issues, that the first two weeks are simply "survival mode", and the worst to deal with. Both Mom and Baby are learning things, recovering from the delivery/birth, and if anyone is going to quit, it's during these first two weeks.
I really thought things were getting better... I thought when my milk came in on Wednesday/Thursday that we would just work on getting the hang of this nursing thing, and everyone would be happy.
Not so.
Starting Saturday night, we've had to supplement his feedings in order to satisfy him... It seems like no matter how long he nurses, he's still hungry, whether for 20 minutes or over 2 hours. He could be going through his first growth spurt, which supposedly happens at 7-10 days, but I'm pretty sure there have been plenty of women who have been able to successfully breastfeed a 10+lb baby without the use of formula.
Basically, right now I feel like a failure as a mother. And this may be TMI for the casual readers of our blog, but gosh darnit, I'm just really frustrated right now. I'm usually the optimistic one of our family, but I gotta tell ya, right now, it's really hard. Really hard. I'll deal with the pain... I'll deal with soreness, scabbing, cracking, dryness, painful breastfeeding sessions--just let him get what he needs without formula! I don't understand why that's asking so much.
We're going back to the pediatrician in the morning to see how well he's gaining. Since we have been seeing plenty of wet diapers, I'm guessing he's finally getting the nutritian he needs. I just hope we're not sabotaging our "quest to breast"-feed by supplementing as much as we have. I really hope this ends soon...
I should probably call a lactation consultant or a La Leche League Leader for help, but I'm hesitant because it's something I can't talk about without sobbing... I doubt I'd be able to get passed my name without crying into the phone.
My friend Sunny is coming over tomorrow--she successfully breastfed her daughter for 9 or 10 months. I'm hoping she has some helpful tips for me. And I emailed the gal I took a Mom's class with at Mclean Bible with my questions--she used to be a lactation consulant (or still is... not sure), so I figured she'd be a good resource to tap. Hopefully she writes me back soon.
In the mean time, I'm gonna just hang in there... We're going to get the fancy Medela pump (Charity got us a hand pump for Christmas, which works great, but I'm gonna start pumping after every feeding, even at night, and it's just easier to have the pump do all the work--at least I can sleep for 15 minutes while the machine does its thing... The hand pump will come in handy for travelling, which we'll be doing quite a bit of this year--Hawaii, Mexico and probably Portugal in the summer!) and hope that that helps boost production. I need to get out of the house, anyways... I've been home since Wednesday. Thank God for the internets--keeps me sane.
So please continue to pray for us. I can use all the help I can get right now! 5 more days....
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Friday, January 12, 2007
A Name & a Belly Button!
Busy day for Jeremy Jr...
Or should I say...........
JEREMIAH ZACHARY!
That's his name. We finally settled on something. It's probably a good thing we're going to Mexico in March, because we have to get him a passport before we can go. We can't get him a passport without a birth certificate--we can't get him a birth certificate without giving him a name!!! So there ya have it. May we present, our son, Jeremiah Zachary! Jeremy is still calling him Jeremy Jr, which kinda works. I'm calling him "Jermy" or just Jeremiah. It's taking some getting used to, because he's been Jeremy Jr/baby for so long, but hey, we're learning!
And in other news, he now has a belly button! His 'stump' fell off today (yay!) and he now has a real belly button. SOOOO CUTE!! We thought about saving his stump for his baby book (on the same page as his placenta.... kidding, of course--we threw that in the dumpster. Hee hee hee...)
Awww... he's got the hiccups. Have you seen a 5 day old with the hiccups?? So cute!
Or should I say...........
JEREMIAH ZACHARY!
That's his name. We finally settled on something. It's probably a good thing we're going to Mexico in March, because we have to get him a passport before we can go. We can't get him a passport without a birth certificate--we can't get him a birth certificate without giving him a name!!! So there ya have it. May we present, our son, Jeremiah Zachary! Jeremy is still calling him Jeremy Jr, which kinda works. I'm calling him "Jermy" or just Jeremiah. It's taking some getting used to, because he's been Jeremy Jr/baby for so long, but hey, we're learning!
And in other news, he now has a belly button! His 'stump' fell off today (yay!) and he now has a real belly button. SOOOO CUTE!! We thought about saving his stump for his baby book (on the same page as his placenta.... kidding, of course--we threw that in the dumpster. Hee hee hee...)
Awww... he's got the hiccups. Have you seen a 5 day old with the hiccups?? So cute!
Five Days Old
Opps... little bit of red eye in that one. Oh well.
So here we are, now 5 days old... Pretty crazy. Days don't seem to exist anymore--they kinda just bleed into one another. And nights aren't very long; Probably because it gets dark so eary now, and we usually don't 'go to bed' until midnight or so. By the time we're--well, I'm--getting up for a second or third feeding, the sun's about to come up! And then we sleep 'til noon or two or something. Overall, all is well.
And that's all I get to write for now--he's waking up, which means he's hungry. Oi vey...
Okay, I'm back. I must say, though, out of everything I needed to ready myself for, in regards to his arrival, breastfeeding was probably the biggest surprise. Sure, I'd read up on it, I've got La Leche Legue's book, but I was pretty naive to think that I would be exempt from 'issues'. I can totally understand now why some women don't even want to try--it's very frustrating. And very painful. I was prepared for labor and birth pain, but this... This is almost worse, because it doesn't have an end... I must be doing something wrong, though, because according to the gal we rented the Aqua Doula from (who's a La Leche Legue Leader), breastfeeding shouldn't hurt. And labor is also supposed to be an orgasmic experience (according to some...) I dunno... Everyone else I talk to say, "Yes, you're gonna be sore for a while, but you'll get through it." Well, hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, pray for us??
Four days old!
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Monday, January 08, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Baby Wilcox has arrived!
This is it!!!
Just wanted to drop a note to say....
MY WATER BROKE!!
We were at my parents house and I was watching Jeremy and my brother Stephin play Singstar tonight (kinda like a karaoke game...) and they were watching their playback (it records what you sing... they sang a duet to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police)
..................*contraction*............................
and one of the options the game gives you is to playback with a baby voice. Okay, you have to see it for yourself, but it's HYSTERICAL! I was laughing sooooo hard, I was LITERALY SOBBING!
.......................*contraction*...........................
Yeah, so, that's when I felt 'the gush'. Went to the bathroom, and well, things were pretty much soaked. It's all downhill from there! Right now, I'm home, sitting through contractions, waiting for them to get intense enough to call our midwife back for her to come and DELIVER THIS BABY! FINALLY!
Had I known he was going to be so punctual (today is his due date), I would have planned my holidays differently.
.............................................*contraction*..................................................
Okay, can't do this anymore... Gotta run. Will keep you posted!
MY WATER BROKE!!
We were at my parents house and I was watching Jeremy and my brother Stephin play Singstar tonight (kinda like a karaoke game...) and they were watching their playback (it records what you sing... they sang a duet to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police)
..................*contraction*............................
and one of the options the game gives you is to playback with a baby voice. Okay, you have to see it for yourself, but it's HYSTERICAL! I was laughing sooooo hard, I was LITERALY SOBBING!
.......................*contraction*...........................
Yeah, so, that's when I felt 'the gush'. Went to the bathroom, and well, things were pretty much soaked. It's all downhill from there! Right now, I'm home, sitting through contractions, waiting for them to get intense enough to call our midwife back for her to come and DELIVER THIS BABY! FINALLY!
Had I known he was going to be so punctual (today is his due date), I would have planned my holidays differently.
.............................................*contraction*..................................................
Okay, can't do this anymore... Gotta run. Will keep you posted!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Jeremy Jr Game, Part 2
Oooooohkay!
So, here we are, three days before our due date, and no baby...
For some reason, everyone thought he would be early (I dunno where they got that idea from... ;-)
So now, only a few people are still in the running (a co-worker, our Bradley instructor, my brother and my Uncle). And I think we're still no closer to seeing baby anytime soon.
So FOR FUN (no prize in this one), we're letting folks vote again at our new game page. Click the link above to get there--it should work! :-) I'm not voting this time, because I think I jinxed myself the last time... And I don't want anyone to follow my trend. :-)
And if for some reason he comes before you have a chance to vote, then great! Either way, it's a win-win situation! :-)
Happy voting!
So, here we are, three days before our due date, and no baby...
For some reason, everyone thought he would be early (I dunno where they got that idea from... ;-)
So now, only a few people are still in the running (a co-worker, our Bradley instructor, my brother and my Uncle). And I think we're still no closer to seeing baby anytime soon.
So FOR FUN (no prize in this one), we're letting folks vote again at our new game page. Click the link above to get there--it should work! :-) I'm not voting this time, because I think I jinxed myself the last time... And I don't want anyone to follow my trend. :-)
And if for some reason he comes before you have a chance to vote, then great! Either way, it's a win-win situation! :-)
Happy voting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
