Halloween!

It only seemed appropriate that Screamfest continued today for Halloween.  Jonah and Mommy dressed up like a screaming spider (Jonah in the front carrier and providing the additional limbs and soundtrack) which seemed to be scary enough to keep most of the neighborhood kids away!  

Screamfest 10-30

Daddy is on a two-week hiatus between jobs, so Mommy went into work today (still officially on maternity leave for the next two weeks, but logging some hours to reduce workload on my return) while Daddy stayed home with Jonah.  Thus was the circumstance of Screamfest 10-30.  Daddy, a bit leery, had been foretelling the event for days... and it went just as predicted.   Poor Jonah must have been so confused that Mommy was suddenly MIA!  It sounds like it was quite traumatic for them both.  :*( 

Hurricane Sandy

Today we were hit by the very fringe of Hurricane Sandy, a "hybrid" superstorm centered over Atlantic City.  Winds picked up to 100mph and knocked down a giant pine in the neighbor's yard (into ours)!  Fortunately, no buildings or people were hit.  Jonah stayed home and practiced sitting up on Daddy's lap and turning his head from one side to the other... and back... and forth.  For one with so little control of his own faculties, I'm sure there is some great independence in having control over which way he is looking!  Today was one of the first days Jonah and Mommy had a little conversation, with Jonah contributing a few "ahh" and "gaa" sounds.  Mommy and Daddy also received a few genuine happy baby smiles... that is to say not produced by mere contentment from a meal or processing gas.  They melt my heart!

Tracking

Friends Dave and Kate came over the meet Jonah and add to his scientific instruction.  Dave and Daddy did an experiment to see how well Jonah would track a flashlight beam on the ceiling!  He would follow the light a full 180 degrees around the room!  Next time: object permanence.

Visiting

Jonah visited with Grandpa and gave him a lesson in diaper changing.  They had a full audience of interested puppies watching!  Mommy was nervous... Grandpa's four Shelties were curious, but pretty good at keeping their distance.

We also stopped by to meet Great-Grandma Lil, Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim.  Great-Grandma was so happy to hold a baby!  She even leaned down to give him kisses.  So sweet!

Jonah Ba-Ba- Boo

Aunt Pamela has been telling us stories of what an impression Jonah made on his cousin, Cailin.  Cailin was reading the story of Curious George Goes to the Hospital, and she smartly proclaimed, "I went to the hospital to visit my cousin Jonah!"  (For an hour, while being distracted by birthday gifts, several weeks ago!)  She's also recently discovered that she can name her dolls and animals things other than Baby or Doggie.  Now they are all named Jonah, Jonah Ba-ba Boo, or some other suffix!  Such an impression he made!  Cailin seems particularly infatuated with the possessive of Jonah being HER cousin.

Maestro or Fight Club?

Jonah thinks he is a master of his hands... but he could use a little practice!  He is getting better at purposely moving his arms, usually with tight little fists, to suck his hand, free himself from a swaddle or bat at things.   He rubs his eyes, pushes against my breast while eating (or when finished) and points a finger (well, waves it around aimlessly) when excited.  Still, his little fists sometimes seem to punch him in the face fight club style (who's punching me?) or make other unexpected motions that startle him.  

Celebrity Status

Jonah and Mommy went to visit Mommy's office this afternoon.  Jonah was greeted with great fanfare - Don (my boss) took his carrier right out of my hands and walked him around saying, "Christina, Drew and I are proud to introduce Jonah!"  He was the perfect little angel while the entire staff drank in his cuteness during almost an hour of baby viewing.  We were slightly less successful at our second stop to see Mommy's friends at the ACE mentor program.  Hunger hit and poor Jonah was completely confused by Mommy feeding him with a bottle!  Mommy was having a tough time too... I might have anticipated that a high school women's room would not have baby changing station and the faucets would only spit luke-warm water in 5 second increments with motion activation (tough for bottle warming!)  We finally made our escape, but hit rush hour traffic on the way home.  Jonah had no patience for the traffic, it kept us from moving in a nice soothing pace!

Market Day

Jonah loves the supermarket!  The ceiling is full of lights to stare at.  A nice shopper even stopped and commented that perhaps he will be an electrician - wasn't she thrilled to learn that Daddy is an electrical engineer!  (As if either has anything to do with the ceiling fixtures in the supermarket!  Perhaps a physicist?)  We did have a little bit of a breakdown midway through, but everyone was so nice "isn't that cute!" rather than staring like Mommy was a bad parent.  Phew!

We are learning as we go... the nice "reserved for customer with infant" parking next to the HC spaces is rather useless because I still had to schlep the carrier across the parking lot to the door to find a carriage.  Then we returned to an awkward situation of either leaving Jonah by himself in the car to load the bags and return the cart (a few spaces suddenly seems so far away!) or leave him in the cart while unloading (hoping Jonah and the cart don't roll away!) then lug him back from the cart return.  Better to be next to the carriage return with a slacker employee having left us a cart!

Mommy!

Jonah is so calm all day, but the evenings are still tough on him.  Poor Daddy!  He spends all day at work while Mommy and Jonah enjoy snuggle time, meals, walks, etc.  (My very favorite place in the whole world is laying on the recliner with my snuggle-bug napping on my chest!)  Then Daddy comes home looking for some quality Jonah time just as Jonah becomes tired and irritable. Tonight, the only thing that would keep him calm was to come into the kitchen where Mommy was making dinner.  It sounds like Daddy needs some more quality bonding time...

1 Month!

I can't believe it has been one month already!!!  Mommy did an unofficial weigh-in at 11.5lbs and 22in, though by the ever-shrinking size of his onesies, I'm sure he is longer than he was 2 weeks ago.  The size 1 diapers are getting small, as are the 0-3 month clothes.  Jonah still eats on a varied schedule, usually every 2-3 hours during the day with a 4-5 hour stretch overnight.  The end of his sleep cycles usually include an hour or so of grunting, throat-clearing, and other heinous glutteral sound that only he can sleep through.  It isn't uncommon to find him with his hands completely free of the swaddle and fist in his mouth.

He is now very adept at the cobra during tummy time - he pushes up on his arms and lifts his head to full vertical.  Rolling over is getting more difficult with the extra pounds, but he can still succeed at times when he doesn't give up half way upon realizing that laying on his side isn't so bad.  He is also tracking objects with his eyes in all directions, but he prefers to look at lights.

Trick-Or-Treat!

Daddy's (soon to be former) office hosted trick or treating for employees' kids this afternoon.  Ironically, his last Friday in the office was Mommy's first invitation to visit after over 4 years!  It seems spouses are only tolerated with a little costumed offspring in tow!  Daddy enjoyed introducing/showing off Jonah to all his bosses and colleagues.  He was probably the youngest trick-or-treater in the office!  Mommy loaded up on candy for him to enjoy later during midnight snack.  :-)

Earthquake!

Jonah and Mommy experienced their first earthquake today!  A 4.0 magnitude quake hit Maine this evening at 7:12 and we heard a rumble and a few creaks from the house over dinner.  Mommy thought it was a passing train and the house moving with the cooler temperature.  Fortunately, Daddy is an expert seismometer from his years in CA and recognized the quake!  Jonah was dozing in his swing and slept right through.

Smile!

Jonah likes to give a nice smile... not at Mommy or Daddy, but a huge eye-closed content grin when he sees food is coming or after a nice meal!

"Like a Baby"

Whoever coined the phrase "sleeps like a baby" didn't have Jonah!  Wow, he can make the most awful noises.  Mommy and Daddy frequently wake up to monstrous grunts, throat-clearing and other sounds that you would only expect from an old man... and Jonah is still fast asleep!  Even after a week of this, we haven't learned to sleep through - I'm not sure anyone could at that dB level!  Weird that it only happens at night and correlates to the end of his sleep rather than after feeding.  Inclining his mattress doesn't help (nor did Daddy's earplugs).

Bath Time!

Mommy gave Jonah his first bath this evening.  (We had been doing sponge baths up until now.)  Jonah accumulates lint between his fingers and toes and balled in his tight little fists... it seemed high time to see what else is hiding in those little baby folds!  Jonah took to the water with curiosity and let me wash each part while he watched with great interest.  I think he will enjoy bath time!

Daddy's New Job!

Daddy received an offer for a new job!  He is very excited about the opportunity to work in a start-up right here in town.  Tomorrow he will be putting in his 2-week notice, after which Daddy is planning to spend a couple weeks home with Mommy and Jonah.  :-)

Postpartum Meltdown

This week I had an emotional meltdown, while I was trying to cook dinner, take care of Jonah, do laundry, and all the things a good mother should be able to juggle at the same time.  Drew is back to work, and it has been 3 weeks after all.  Except I still can't stand for more than 2 minutes before I ache.  Maybe 5 if I sway my hips, clench my jaw, and tell my wimpy self through the tears that merely standing is not a difficult task.  Then I collapse in a chair to recover.  All I want to do is be able to take care of my family!  I just physically can't.  Yet.

Bottle

Jonah took his first bottle from his Daddy.  He chugged the 2.5oz wile giving Daddy this incredulous stare - "Not the Mama!"  I think Mommy needs to pump more milk for my hungry boy!

Diaper Change

Daddy and I finally gave up on the AIO cloth newborn diapers we had been using, which leaked frequently.  (Besides, having only 12 diapers meant daily laundry!)  We are now trying out our stash of one-size pocket diapers.  They are a bit bulkier, but have already saved us many leaks and outfit changes for both Jonah and ourselves!  I'm hoping to stock up on our favorites soon as we get into the groove... in the meantime it has been helpful to have a stash of disposables on hand!

Uncle K

Jonah met his Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lindsay today!  They brought him a cute yellow Tour de France jersey from their trip to Paris the weekend of his birth.  Jonah took to Uncle Kevin immediately (Uncle K is a pro!) and after a long stare, Jonah snuggled in for a nap while we enjoyed a photo tour of Paris. 

Cluster Feeding

The last few nights, just as the doctor ordered, Jonah has been doing a 5-hr stretch between feedings, usually 10pm-3am.  He had been exceptionally cranky in the evenings, with Mommy and Daddy a little slow to catch on that he was looking for additional feedings after only 2 hours.  I later read about "cluster feeding" in the evening to help a baby sleep longer a night.  It seems Jonah knew about this before I did!  Mommy couldn't be more thrilled to get a 4-hr stretch of sleep!

Octopus

Jonah spent some time today on his play mat staring and batting at his stuffed Octopus to make it rattle.  Mommy isn't sure how much of the arm swinging is purposeful to make the noise and how much is due to lack of motor control.

2 Weeks Postpartum

Our pregnancy story is one of a happy and miraculous ending.  We surprised several doctors and nurses by the successful vaginal delivery.  The nurses were not optimistic about the slow progress.  The Anesthesiologist questioned the earliness of the Epidural (at 3cm) as a certain precursor to a C-section.  Even the eager doctor during induction showed a hint of hopelessness.

Two weeks later, a visit with our primary OB revealed that she too was surprised by the success (and size of the baby!).  It leaves me wondering what, if anything, we could have done differently and at the same time extremely thankful for the divine intervention that helped bring Jonah safely into our arms.  On his deceased Grandma Peggy's birthday.

Recovery has been harder than expected.  I like to think my experience was abnormal - the legend will be of 36 hr labor and extreme damage during delivery - but maybe that was all within normal and I was simply ill informed and ill prepared for the enduring pain and discomfort.

I can hardly even sit in the sitz bath, which is supposed to help ease the discomfort.  Getting myself into a sitting position is generally a little painful, getting up even worse.  And the term "constipation" doesn't give justice to the two full weeks it took to get things moving.  Wow.

That Face

Jonah celebrates his 2-week birthday today!  Mommy is sad to say how quickly he is growing... he has already lost much of the "newborn" quality and is moving directly into infancy.  For a fleeting moment, I distinctly saw his Daddy's face in his - whether it was the angle, his expression or my imagination, it was an amazing experience!  He also has this adorable old-man look when he's really grumpy.  It looks like Jeff Dunham's Walter puppet. (Not the best picture to show the resemblance, but you get the idea!)

 

Jonah now eats every 3 - 4hrs, and Mommy couldn't be happier to sleep up to 3hrs a time at night.  He also uses his hand to push away as a means to adjust his position or end a feeding.  He seems to be back to a 20-minute, more controlled feeding and the spit-up has almost completely stopped.

Postpartum Infection

I had a fever spike to 102.5 deg overnight, accompanied by heavy bleeding.  Worried for infection, we visited the OB in the morning followed by an ultrasound at St. V's.  Drew noted in inefficiency of the healthcare system as the 4th nurse asked me the same questions, a nurse took my vitals for the second time, and a different OB prepared to repeat an exam and suggested the same blood and urine cultures we did that morning.  With the fancy computer record-keeping, perhaps one should sit down and read the notes first!

Nothing came of the tests, which is good news.  I was put on something to help break up the unusual amount of blood left in my uterus.  The fever had broken by morning and I recovered quickly.  Perhaps it was simply a symptom of engorgement or a 12-hr virus from sleep deprivation.  Still, a fever is far more troublesome with an infant who needs his Mommy!

(We later learned it was a UTI and a few antibiotics cleared it right up.)

Check-Up #2

Jonah had his 2-week visit with his pediatrician today.  He weighed in at 9lbs 9oz!  The doctor didn't believe he had gained so much in 9 days, so after voiding his bladder a new measurement at 9lbs 6.5oz was put on the official record.  Still, that's more than a pound in a week!  If he had just reached birth weight (8lbs 11oz) the doctor would have been happy.  He measured 22in - another inch taller!  We also learned that the metabolic and genetic screening (for 21 different conditions) was all negative - yay!  The doctor, and the proud parents, are very pleased with Jonah's good health.

Roll Over!

Jonah rolled from his tummy to his back!  He has been doing this for a few days now, but I always chalked it up to a fluke or the help of the whale pillow he was propped upon.  But today, without any assist, he very purposely turned twice in a row.  "Mommy, I do not want to lie on my tummy!"  (I understand this is a 4 month trick.)

Barracuda

Almost overnight Jonah went from a leisurely Gourmand to a Barracuda feeder!  He chows down veraciously for only 5 minutes and is done.  Naturally, this seems to include swallowing many bubbles and is sometimes followed by a significant amount of spit-up!  I'm a little worried he hasn't eaten much by the time all is over!  We've tried taking burp breaks, but he's not a fan of having his meal interrupted.  Jonah has also taken to making loud grunting noises in his sleep, usually signaling that he will be awake soon.  It sounds like he s clearing his throat... perhaps he caught a little something and is fighting off congestion.