Update on Me

The past few weeks have really been great for me. The hardest part of becoming a mom and staying home all these weeks has been that I feel like I've been losing me. When friends call, I feel tied down and incapable of leaving to go out for a little while. Micah's eating had been a huge consuming part of my life, and has left me a bit unsure about stepping away for too long. When I have friends on the phone, I have lost my ability to hold a conversation - I have nothing to discuss other than Micah. I can talk about poop, or sleeping, or breastfeeding, or how many ounces I can pump. I can tell you the last time I fed the baby, and how many outfits he has worn in any given day . . . but most of these things probably aren't interesting to anyone other than me . . . or possibly Elliot. I don't do anything else during the day, so it is quite difficult to find interesting topics to discuss. I have felt a bit starved for grownup interactions, and I miss doing my work and being able to go to meetings and schedule my calls. I definitely needed this time off, and I'm not ready to fully return to work, but I miss me.

So, the past few weeks I've tried to get a life. I joined a Baby & Me class at the JCC, which has been wonderful! It gets us out of the house once a week, and we interact with other mommies. I don't feel quite so boring because I have lots of other mommies who don't care if I talk diapers and pumping. I have been going to a breastfeeding support group (BEST) that gets me out of the house a second day and I usually go out to lunch after that as well. I am certain I will develop a nice playgroup for Micah from all of these activities. Next month, I am joining the OnesiesDC group - each week for 6 weeks, we will go to a different location for a baby-friendly activity - infant massage, a yoga class, a pottery class, a visit with a pediatrician, a photo session, etc. I am excited to learn what activities are out there for Micah and me!

Perhaps the best things that have happened are Micah finally nursing "normally" and sleeping through the night. Nursing normally allows me the freedom to just feed him - when he wants, when we are out, etc. I now have a stash of breast milk in the freezer, so I don't have a panic about what to do if I have to (or want to) run out. It has been unbelievably freeing! Even better, Micah is now sleeping through the night. We put him down at 8:30 and he sleeps until 6:30 or so. What is amazing about that is I can go out after he is asleep! I can even miss the last feed and go out to dinner and have an evening out. On Wednesday, I left Elliot with a bottle of milk, nursed Micah at 7, then went out to dinner with a friend. It was so freeing to be able to just go out and do my thing for a few hours.

My mom and dad have been great about babysitting. On Sunday night, they came over and watched Micah for a few hours. Elliot & I were able to go out for dinner to celebrate a belated Valentine's Day - our first "date night" since Micah was born. It was some time we needed to recharge our relationship. Of course, we spent the whole time talking about Micah, but at least we got out! Now that we officially have a bedtime routine and Micah is sleeping through the night, I think we are going to start having them babysit AND put Micah to bed so we can take a longer evening to ourselves. My mom actually asked if she could come and do this one night a week!

So, slowly but surely, I'm trying to find myself again. The new me . . . the one that is a mommy, and the one that has a life beyond being a mommy, too. The balance is so important to me - I really want to "have it all." Wish me luck!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's SUPER MICAH!!

Part of our new bedtime routine is to swaddle Micah in the Halo SleepSack Swaddle. We were swaddling him in the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe, but he managed to get his arms out of the middle and kind of wrap it around his neck a few weeks ago, so we switched to a different swaddle for our own peace of mind. Well, the new swaddle is sort of a dress . . . with a cape on the back. Anyway, we couldn't resist taking these pictures:



Here are some other adorable videos of our little Micah man this past week:





Oh, and as promised, here is my dog loving the playmat:

Let's Talk About SUBs

If you are squeamish . . . or easily offended by slightly foul language. . . I urge you to stop reading this post immediately. Today, we will be discussing SUBs . . . and PUFs. No, I do not mean the yellow underwater kind of SUBs, or even the foot-long kind of sandwich. Nor by PUF do I mean a facial tissue or cotton ball or even one of those body cleansers sponges.

The term SUB, we believe, was coined by our friend Ellen. It stands for Shit Up the Back. PUF is something we take full-credit for . . . it stands for Pee Up the Front. I impart these definitions to you at the outset of this post, because they are the centerpiece for my blog today. Feel free to frequently return to this section if you become confused.

So, here is the first topic we will be discussing - Did you know that it is possible to poop through a diaper and up your armpit? Because that is EXACTLY what happened to my cute little Micah tonight. We've had quite a few SUBs over the course of Micah's infancy, but tonight was the first time a SUB required an emergency run to the bathtub for a head-to-toe cleansing.

I had changed Micah's diaper about 2 or 3 hours earlier, and I suddenly noticed a faint smell of poop. I had determined that he did, indeed, require a diaper change, but was hoping to wait a bit longer until after I fed him (as feeding generally prompts some poop). I stood up and walked with Micah into the other room, and I heard another mild explosion coming from his behind . . . and the telltale smile on his face that follows that sound. I knew immediately that we had another poop. Micah has actually outgrown the newborn-sized diapers and should be wearing size 1 diapers, but we still have about 15 newborn diapers left and have been trying our darndest to use them all up this week. Consequently, it doesn't take much poop (or pee, for that matter) to cause a leakage. Once I heard this second explosion, I knew it was time to change his diaper.

Based on the sound (relatively mild in comparison to his other explosions), I did not expect an emergency situation. I walked Micah to the changing table, set up his next diaper, pulled out a wipe, and took my sweet time getting down to business. I undid the diaper tabs, and as I picked up his legs to wipe everything up . . . . I saw it. There was shit up the back . . . and up his side reaching around to his armpit!! The onesie was totally covered in poop! It kind of reminded me of the BLOB . . . it was sort of growing and swelling and taking over. The longer I waited, the more . . . encompassing . . . the poop became. I quickly realized that merely wiping and changing the diaper wasn't an option. I began to fear that the poop would take over Micah's entire body, and begin to take possession of the changing table. I called upstairs to Elliot to come help (and help did not arrive), and I quickly began stripping my baby down. I suddenly decided that I would have to bathe him . . . immediately. I grabbed everything needed for the bath, and brought him to the bath to finish striping him. As I peeled back the layers, the poop blob continued to expand. The entire onesie was covered. There was poop on his tummy, and all over his back, and on his feet. It had begun dripping down his arm. I moved him to the tub and started hosing him off! As we finished up the bath, Elliot finally made it downstairs to help. So, I assigned him the task of washing out the poop-laden onesie, and bringing me a fresh diaper and a change of clothes. Yes, I was quite impressed by my little guy tonight.

This is not the first SUB we've had - they happen on a regular basis. What I don't understand is how does one poop out a diaper? Especially when sometimes, like tonight, there really isn't that much actual poop IN the diaper. Is it a physics equation . . . something like the force of the expulsion times the volume of the poop with the angle of contact with the diaper surface factored in? I would really like to understand the mechanics of this issue.

Speaking of baffling physics equations, this brings me to the PUF. I do not understand how the PUF happens. Here is a typical PUF . . . Micah is sitting around happily playing in his diaper, and suddenly a wet spot appears on his stomach. I quickly realize this is urine, and run to change the diaper. I can see that the diaper is on properly, and it is not wet. Somehow, he has managed to pee out the top of the diaper without actually having ANY urine come in contact with the diaper itself! This sometimes happens moments after changing a diaper. For example, after cleaning up a SUB, we have a nice new diaper firmly attached. I am getting ready to pull down and attach the onesie when all of the sudden, there is this fountain and a puddle on the belly. I sit there looking at the top of the diaper, taking note that both sides are fastened and there are no apparent gaps. I search desperately for big gaping holes or tears in the diaper, and finding none, I wipe up the puddle on his belly. As a precaution, I re-open the diaper, note that it is dry, and seal it again. I double-check Micah for any inexplicable holes in his belly (just in case his belly sprang a leak). I quickly realize Micah has soaked his hair, the onesie, and an outfit. I quickly change his entire outfit, wipe up his hair, then put him back on the playmat . . . only to find that he has PUF'ed again - as apparent by the big wet spot on his new outfit. (NOTE - I intend to revisit the topic of how Elliot DOESN'T notice the wet spot on the belly, or the onesie, when Micah has a PUF at a later date). And no, I'm not ashamed to admit that at this point I look at him and think - "it'll dry." So, if you can please explain this . . . I would love to know HOW a PUF can happen. Does it have something to do with the relative density of boy urine to the diaper when erupting in that fountain-like motion that makes it possible to pass through the diaper without being absorbed? Feel free to submit your scientific proofs as explanation. Inquiring minds want to know!

If I only knew . . .

That my dog would love the playmat as much (if not more) than my son, I would have bought the playmat years ago! My cute little dog has figured out how to make the lights go off, and she lies on her back and hits at all the animals, and pulls them with her teeth. When we go out for a few hours, I come home and find her napping on the playmat. Every time Micah gets on the playmat, she joins him - to sit, to snuggle, to just roll around. The playmat is an endless source of fun! So, for you animal owners out there - feel free to go out and buy a playmat - I'm sure your pets will love it! Here are some photos of my babies - I'll have to snap one when the dog is playing on the mat by herself! Maybe some video - she loves to start the music and hit all the toys while she lays on her back.

2 months today

I can't get over the fact that Micah is 2 months old today. We have been through so much already, and I'm amazed by how much he is growing and changing. Here is a general update on Micah at 2 months:

• Breastfeeding is finally going well! He is latching without a nipple shield, nursing efficiently and able to get what he needs from me without formula or even bottle supplements of breast milk. I'm even able to get in a pumping session every day and now have a bit of a stockpile of breast milk!
• He has graduated this week from the newborn size diaper to a size 1. What a road . . . we started out and the preemie diapers were big on him!
• Micah is officially able to wear the 0-3 month size clothing. He hasn't outgrown the newborn size yet, but that looks like it will happen in the next 2 weeks. I can't believe that the preemie clothes were huge on him when we first brought him home, and now he is wearing those "giant" 0-3 month outfits.
• Micah is holding his head up and can even roll over!
• He has started showing an interest in toys/objects. He is fascinated by the mobile and his playmat, and he now smiles at me and notices when I leave the room. He also recognizes me - he calms down when he sees me or I pick him up. He also is recognizing some of the songs I sing . . . "You are my Sunshine" immediately quiets him down now.
  
• Micah sleeps through the night! He is officially sleeping at least 9 hours at night (I hope I don't regret posting that)!
• We are starting to develop routines . . . for napping, nighttime sleeping, etc. I am actually liking the predictability right now - it is nice to know that I can go out and do something during certain times of the day.
• We've met some wonderful people through our Baby & Me class, and it looks like we have a playgroup forming!
• Micah now enjoys bathtime, and he doesn't shriek bloody murder when we change his diaper.
• Micah can sit quietly awake and not need to be held.
• He is starting to exhibit his personality, and has definite likes/dislikes. I think I have one stubborn little boy!
  

So . . . happy 2-month birthday, my little Valentine.