Tuesday, March 08, 2005
7 lbs 5 oz
Yesterday's weigh-in reports that Nat is steadily gaining weight. I suppose that is truly a good thing, but given our love affair with slings, over here, I am appreciating her smallness. We are now at three slings and counting, plus a Bjorn handed down by our practice baby, Amaya's parents. Each has its own unique appeal, and we love them all.
Who knew that getting a baby would lead to such an onslaught of gifts? More than a wedding, more than Christmas when you were 8, more than that birthday party to which you invited the entire third grade! Every single day, packages arrive full of goodies. It's totally fun. I told my partner that we will never get gifts again. From here on out, everthing will go to the baby. But as she pointed out, we're pretty good at getting gifts for ourselves, and getting stuff for the baby is equally, even possibly more, fun anyway.
It's true. I got some gifts for myself just the other day. Remember the sad story of the Katherine Hepburn robe? The one thing I wished I had almost as soon as the baby came home was washable, yet pretty lingerie. That's my baby present to everyone from now on (well, not everyone but you know...). I went up to well-known-lingerie-all-made-in-the-seychelles-or-china-dot-com and got myself some pretty, cotton nighties in colors other than white. I can't wait 'til they arrive. My days of boxers and teeshirts dribbled with formula are numbered. Soon I will have gauzy cotton baby dolls dribbled with formula.
Motherhood need not reduce a femme to frumpiness girls!
In other totally boring and mundane news, we don't get much sleep around here anymore. It seems we got a baby bat or a baby owl or a baby something else totally nocturnal. I am a night person, so I take the pre-4am shift. But the post 4am shift is none too quiet, so that is a pretty restless time for me too. Once 8 or 9 am rolls around, I am wide awake and that's it. No more sleeping possible. I do believe my partner feels the same way about the other shift.
So we've been trying, for the past couple of days to teach Nat about day versus night. My partenr has added this information to her daily tutorial that includes things like "that's your hand. It's attached to your arm. That's your Mama Shannon. This is your crib. That is a door. That's the ceiling." For my part, I have introduced lighting, noise and activity contrasts (lots of them during daytime hours, few of them at night) in the hopes of getting the idea across more experientially.
Any estimates of how long it will be before she catches on and does the five-hours of deep sleep between 2 and 7am instead of between 2 and 7 pm?
Finally, watch this space for a forwarding address soon. Waiting for Nat is about to become something completely different.
Who knew that getting a baby would lead to such an onslaught of gifts? More than a wedding, more than Christmas when you were 8, more than that birthday party to which you invited the entire third grade! Every single day, packages arrive full of goodies. It's totally fun. I told my partner that we will never get gifts again. From here on out, everthing will go to the baby. But as she pointed out, we're pretty good at getting gifts for ourselves, and getting stuff for the baby is equally, even possibly more, fun anyway.
It's true. I got some gifts for myself just the other day. Remember the sad story of the Katherine Hepburn robe? The one thing I wished I had almost as soon as the baby came home was washable, yet pretty lingerie. That's my baby present to everyone from now on (well, not everyone but you know...). I went up to well-known-lingerie-all-made-in-the-seychelles-or-china-dot-com and got myself some pretty, cotton nighties in colors other than white. I can't wait 'til they arrive. My days of boxers and teeshirts dribbled with formula are numbered. Soon I will have gauzy cotton baby dolls dribbled with formula.
Motherhood need not reduce a femme to frumpiness girls!
In other totally boring and mundane news, we don't get much sleep around here anymore. It seems we got a baby bat or a baby owl or a baby something else totally nocturnal. I am a night person, so I take the pre-4am shift. But the post 4am shift is none too quiet, so that is a pretty restless time for me too. Once 8 or 9 am rolls around, I am wide awake and that's it. No more sleeping possible. I do believe my partner feels the same way about the other shift.
So we've been trying, for the past couple of days to teach Nat about day versus night. My partenr has added this information to her daily tutorial that includes things like "that's your hand. It's attached to your arm. That's your Mama Shannon. This is your crib. That is a door. That's the ceiling." For my part, I have introduced lighting, noise and activity contrasts (lots of them during daytime hours, few of them at night) in the hopes of getting the idea across more experientially.
Any estimates of how long it will be before she catches on and does the five-hours of deep sleep between 2 and 7am instead of between 2 and 7 pm?
Finally, watch this space for a forwarding address soon. Waiting for Nat is about to become something completely different.
Comments:
By any chance do you cloth diaper your little one? If so, do tell me; I have a stack of cloth dipes my kids have outgrown (and my brain has outgrown too, if you must know the truth)..I have three kids in diapers. Cloth? What was I thinking? You are more than welcome to them if you'd like them. I'm glad Nat is doing so well. She's a beauty.
I was wondering about the address... now that you are no longer "waiting" for Nat... :)
Congrats again!
Congrats again!
If it's any comfort (and it's probably not) both of my kids started sleeping through the night (and by that I mean TWELVE HOURS!!!) by 6 or 7 weeks old. Not a comfort *now* while you're both bleary-eyed, but there is hope! All I can say is try to sleep when she sleeps.
Way to grow and thrive darling Nat :) ::::pssst let your parents sleep a bit at night:::::: ;)
Way to grow and thrive darling Nat :) ::::pssst let your parents sleep a bit at night:::::: ;)
way to grow Nat! and congrats to moms for making it through the first week. it takes a bit to get your body used to little amounts of sleep.
can't wait to see the new blog!
can't wait to see the new blog!
The updates have been just wonderful. I know I'm not the only one anxiously waiting to hear about the blog changes.
Sounds like Nat is doing great! I'm so glad. Just wanted to add, you've got lots of good sling time left. My son is 25 pounds at 18 months, and I still sling him all the time (not much at home anymore, except to get him to sleep at times, but we use it a lot when we're out).
Can't wait to see the new blog! I think Alena was sleeping "through the night" (not waking up for her 1AM feeding) at 3 months. Of course, she was placed with us at 6 weeks, so I think that her adjustment time had more than a little to do with that. Take naps during the day whenever you can.
It sounds like Nat is doing great! Congratulations again.
It sounds like Nat is doing great! Congratulations again.
can't wait to see the new webpage!!!
and thanks for the updates... it is so fun to read (and remember and prepare for the future).
and thanks for the updates... it is so fun to read (and remember and prepare for the future).
I think she'll sleep better after her 6-week growth spurt. Kids usually do better with sleeping once they hit 10 pounds, also.
As far as the 'noctournal' things goes, you're right; all newborns are. That's because they know for sure they can get nourishment during the darkened hours, when our ancestresses were resting with their babies. Yes, they 'learn to sleep through the night'...right around the time their tummies get big enough to make an 11pm feeding last until dawn. No rushing nature, so good luck in the meantime and don't be afraid to NAP.
You can learn a lot about newborn behavior, and understand a lot about adoption and its biological roots, by reading Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's excellent book 'Mother Nature'. I read it right before our daughter was placed with us, and it helped me a lot to form rational, loving thoughts about her birth family and our role in her life. I highly recommend it for new moms.
Congratulations and best of luck with the bleary days of spring. By summer she's going to be a little peanut, beloved for her smile throughout the neighborhood.
You can learn a lot about newborn behavior, and understand a lot about adoption and its biological roots, by reading Sarah Blaffer Hrdy's excellent book 'Mother Nature'. I read it right before our daughter was placed with us, and it helped me a lot to form rational, loving thoughts about her birth family and our role in her life. I highly recommend it for new moms.
Congratulations and best of luck with the bleary days of spring. By summer she's going to be a little peanut, beloved for her smile throughout the neighborhood.
# posted by 
: 2:56 PM
: 2:56 PM
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley is a terrific book...attachment parenting style ideas for getting a babe to snooze. She would probably recommend gently waking Nat if she is taking such a long nap during the day, 3 or 4 hours should be a daytime nap max...and also starting a bedtime ritual, like bath, massage, song type thing. By the way, my Jasper started sleeping through the night (10 hours or more) at six weeks...so hang in there!
# posted by : 6:03 PM
: 6:03 PM
I am not sure how I found your blog, but I am really enjoying reading it. I am 1/2 of a lesbian couple, and we do foster care for medically fragile babies. We are hoping to adopt the 2 we have. I have a diary at opendiary.com called "Hormone Hell." Feel free to stop by even though I know free time is hard to come by! Congratulations on your daughter!!
Post a Comment
