Crib Sleeper!
October 15, 2003 - 7:17 p.m.
Guess who slept all night in their very own crib? Yep - we put her down at 9pm after a bath and a very intense sreaming session (really, who LIKES to get out of the bath?). She was up in less that 10 minutes, screaming again, just because she fell asleep in the middle of her rant and wanted to finish it off. at 9:30 I put her into her swing to ensure she'd doze into a coma-like state, which she did, and at 10pm she was back in her crib and I was in bed. And I stayed in bed until 1:15am - when I awoke in a panic because there is no way she was still sleeping - I must not be able to hear her???
Nope, I go in her bedroom and she's still sleeping. A little restless and noisy, but asleep. I creep back to my bed and lay awake, mentally (ok on my fingers) counting the hours. Shouldn't she be awake? Is she ok? I go back to her room the next time I hear her make a peep. Still sleeping.
This goes on until 2:30 when she really wakes, and this time I can hear her. I go in, feed her and change her. She falls back asleep. I put her back in her crib. And she stays asleep.
I am amazed.
At 5:30 I hear her crying again. I go in, repeat the routine only this time, the girl is so tired, she barely eats. She just wants to get back in that crib! So I set her in, go back to my bed.
Then she wakes up again at 6:30. And then again at 7. And again at 8. By this time I didn't even have the energy to feed her, so I just brought her back to bed with me - and the angel slept until 9:30.
Then we woke up, had a great morning and a wonderful afternoon - my grandma came and made lunch and we put her in her stroller and went for a long walk.
We're paying for this tonight - with an uber fussy baby! Who will be 4 weeks old - TOMORROW!
Balding Baby 101
October 14, 2003 - 4:36 a.m.
I'm finally starting to figure some of these things out. I can't force this child to sleep, so I have to learn to make the most of it. Whatever I can do one-handed, including diary updates and balancing my checkbook.
Friday night we left Marlee with Tim's mom and a 4oz bottle while we went for a 4-wheeler ride and then to pick up dinner. All-in-all we were probably gone for an hour. I didn't miss her as much as I assumed I would, probably because I knew she was in capable hands.
For some reason I missed her so much more when she went to bed and Tim and I were 2 floors away watching a movie. I was actually kinda happy when she woke up crying about halfway in. I went up to console her and get her back to sleep.
But then I started to feel guilty for it ruining my time with Tim, and so I just scooped her up and brought her down with me. Originally I set her down in the bassinet next to the couch, but she was stirring too often and I was getting up to check her too much so I finally just brought her back to the couch with me and let her sleep in my arms. Of course Tim doesn't have a problem with this but I do. I have been working on getting her to fall asleep on her own - and I was just ruining all that work by giving in to her and not spending the time to really get her to fall asleep in her bassinet UPSTAIRS like I should have.
And I come to realize that the reason I do things like that (and I suspect a lot of us do it) because I am fighting for normalcy. Some pre-baby expectations that life won't change "too much". Well how the heck is that possible?
One thing is for sure. Tim sure loves this baby. Monday mornings are so hard for him...he picks her up out of her bassinet and tells her how he'd rather stay home and hold her all day. Then when he comes home from work he takes her from me and talks to her (and only her-I swear I don't even get a hello). And last night he helped with her bath and to put her to bed...
On Sunday I left her with him while I went to the store BY MYSELF. I actually missed her in my belly then- I was laughing at some funny looking dog and I realized for a better part of a year, she could hear me laughing, and I was never alone. Not that I would ever want to be pregnant again...it was just sad.
Know what else is sad? This kid is losing her hair. Like an old man. Just the top is gone now. She looks soo funny. But it's not funny at all!
Good Thing She's So Cute
October 08, 2003 - 2:34 p.m.
Maybe a Breakthrough?
October 06, 2003 - 8:35 p.m.
This morning I was all set to take Marlee to the doctor for her thrush. And her blocked duct, which I thought to be infected because the crusty stuff had turned dark green. Well she woke up with a crust-free eye and half of her pink little tongue!!!!
Someone told me to spray some breastmilk in her eye...and I debated a long time before I took aim. Then after I did it, I thought, HOW STUPID, what if she gets a yeast infection in her EYE??? But this morning it looked a TON better so I guess it's ok. It still gooks up when she cries a lot but the gook is clear. YAY!
And, I guess the yogurt I've been chowing on has been helping because her tongue, which was completely white and chunky covered yesterday...was almost all pink! Just the back half was barely covered, I could see pink through the white except on the back left side. Is this the break through I had been hoping for?
And her diaper rash... we're down to a few red bumps and a seriously red crack...the skin there is so irritated it's almost rough, but it looks to be healing. I am not giving up on this, we will get it cleared up. I've upped the amount of times I apply the Lotrimin to her backside, and I've been scrupulous about boiling her pacifiers and everything else that comes in contact with her...I clean my nipples off each time she feeds and I have been putting Lotrimin on them too afterwards. I hope I can clear this up on my own...I've read some pretty sucky stuff about this coming back a hundred time in the first year and the medications the prescribe not working.
Whoooo.
Last night was rough, actually YESTERDAY was rough. Marlee didn't think she had to sleep. I didn't think I would have to fight with a 2.5 week old to take a nap...but she was up at least 4 hours every time she woke up. Can you say overtired? She usually sleeps good at night, too, but last night she woke up at 2 and stayed up till 3:30 and again at 6 until 7:30.
I like when she barely wakes up to eat and doesn't notice me changing her diaper and slides right back into her bassinet like nothing ever happened.
I've been trying to get her used to sleeping in her crib...she slept in it for 10 minutes today!! That's an improvement because usually I set her in there and she screams!!!
You Make BathTime So Much Fun!
October 04, 2003 - 9:24 p.m.
Did I fail to mention the nasty diaper rash that this thrush has caused my poor baby? IT seems like I get it cleared up in one spot and it comes back in another. I'm using Lotrimin on her twice a day plus heavy barrier creams...Poor little button.
She had her first bath tonight - she LOVED it. But she screamed when we took her out. She wasn't cold or anything, I think she just would have been happy lounging in the water all night. Afterward we got her all dressed for bed and she fell right asleep...at 9PM! That is sooooo unusual - at least for the last 4 or five nights she's been awake until the wee hours of the morning. So maybe we have a new bedtime ritual? We'll have to see if it works tomorrow.
Marlee's 3rd week - Problems begin
October 04, 2003 - 11:45 a.m.
This week has been much more challenging that the first two. Marlee�s thrush has gotten so much worse. Her entire tongue is covered and I can tell it really bothers her. She fusses when she nurses and has been taking more bottles. I think she somehow passed it on to me too�my nipples are killing me and I have these weird sharp pains in my chest.
I�m pretty sure she�s colicky�when the sun goes down and we start getting her ready for bed � my angel turns into a MONSTER. She fusses and must be carried around and jostled constantly�the fussing turns into crying and eventually screaming. She doesn�t like to nurse � she just plays around and cries more. She�s been taking more bottles too. The last two nights we had to put her to bed with a pacifier. I hate that! I don�t understand why she can sleep so good during the day without it but then she needs it at night? And I also don�t understand why she can sleep all day in her bassinet by herself but at night she NEEDS to sleep with us. I don�t sleep when she�s with us � I worry all night about the blankets and about the sideboards and she also grunts and whimpers and coos in her sleep. I end up just staring at her. She has been sleeping with us until her first feeding and after that I can move her to her bed for the rest of the night. Last night she wasn�t satisfied with just sleeping with us � she needed to be cuddled.
I�m starting to not feel very well�this is the closest I have gotten to the baby blues. It just seems like whatever I do, she fusses and isn�t happy. I plan to call the doc on Monday and inquire about the thrush�hopefully when that gets taken care of she�ll be much happier.
Tonight we are planning to give her the first tub bath � I hope she likes it! I�ll be sure to add the pictures to the yahoo album tomorrow.