I have so much for which to be thankful! Ella is at the top of my list, but my husband and family and friends are right up there as well. God is so good, and I'm so thankful for all of the blessings in my life. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!
Today's blessing--among so many others--is that Ella slept seven hours last night! It's great to feel extra-rested today so that I can thoroughly enjoy the holiday with my family.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Happy-Baby-Wisdom
I don't claim to be an expert on parenting, or even on parenting books. Nor do I claim to be a good critic. When it comes to books, I don't think I'm very critical. If someone makes a good argument, I tend to agree and say "sure--that makes sense". Like I said before, I try to take it all with a grain of salt; but for the most part, I'd say that I lean more towards the "agree" side than the "disagree".
So when my mom suggested that I read On Becoming Babywise, I did; and thought "sure--that makes sense". And when my colleague (the one who left who I really appreciate) recommended that I read Happiest Baby on the Block, I did; and thought "sure--that makes sense". And when it comes down to it, I think that they both offer some valuable input...though I wouldn't say that either of them is perfect (I do, however, wish I had read them in reverse order--I think that the techniques in Happiest Baby would have been helpful to learn before Ella arrived, and perhaps now would/could have been the right time to implement Babywise).
And while all of the "expert knowledge" in the books is helpful, I feel like the true wisdom in caring for Ella in the day to day moments has to come from God. There are so many times throughout the day that I pray "God, please give me the wisdom and the patience to care for Ella". Sometimes it's a desperate prayer when she's crying and I'm exhausted; sometimes it's a prayer of admiration when she's sleeping peacefully or smiling at me; but usually it's just a constant I-want-to-do-what's-best-for-her prayer throughout the day.
So I guess when it comes down to it, I've created my own "Happy-Baby-Wisdom" approach to incorporate all three--with an emphasis on relying on God's wisdom to help me know what to take and what to leave from the "experts". So with that, let me share some of the things that I like--and a few that don't work for us--from On Becoming Babywise and Happiest Baby on the Block (and if you have any other parenting books that you've enjoyed, I'd be open to reading them as well!).
Let me start with Happiest Baby on the Block. The book is really about colicky babies, and Ella is definitely not colicky (at least by the rule of threes), but she does get fussy at times (definitely less and less as time goes on, but she's a baby...and she's bound to fuss). Because colic seems to end by around 12 weeks (when babies can sooth themselves), the author argues that babies get colicky because they are missing the "fourth trimester". So he advocates that parents simultaneously use the "5 S's": Swaddling (keeps them tight), Side/Stomach (minimizes Moro Reflex of feeling like she's falling), Shhh-ing (any white noise), Swinging (any quick, little, tight movements), and Sucking (pacifier, boob, finger). He says that parents of fussy babies should recreate a womb experience. He looks at babies from other cultures, throughout history, etc. It was written as a really light and pleasant read, with lots of analogies and parental quotes. I kind of wished that I had read it before Ella arrived because I think I would have been able to better help her through the couple of sad fits that she had (there weren't many, but my heart broke when I couldn't easily console her). By the time I read it, we had either figured out some of the techniques on our own, or Ella had grown out of her fussy-phase, or a combination of both. As for the techniques, we stopped swaddling Ella around three weeks...and she doesn't really rely on a pacifier too much. But we do a lot of Shhh-ing and Swinging, and those seem to work. After looking at the book a bit, my husband developed what he calls the "airplane hold", and now drapes Ella across his arms on her stomach, thus applying the Stomach/Side position...and she absolutely loves it! He had her from almost-fussy to fully-asleep in less than five minutes last night. He's my hero--I'm so proud of him!
As for On Becoming Babywise, I hadn't originally realized just how controversial it can be. If I had to sum up in one word what I liked about Babywise, I would say "routine". I recognize that the book is all about establishing a "schedule", but that doesn't really work for us. Rather, I like that the book suggests a routine of Eat-Play-Sleep. Even though I'm the oldest in my family and did plenty of babysitting through high school, I admit that I was a little bit lost when it came to figuring out what to do with Ella once we brought her home. So the routine of Eat-Play-Sleep really helped us. Even though the author suggests that parents control the schedule, he does advocate for flexibility, so I've taken fully advantage of that freedom. On the other hand, the author does suggest that parents allow babies to "cry it out". We tried a handful of times...and it broke my heart each time. My husband and I said we would give it fifteen minutes...and then we would sit there, just watching the clock, counting down to when we could rescue her. So I don't think that we'll really let her cry herself to sleep much in the future (on the other hand, if she's crying and I have to pee or get something out of the oven, I'm not about to pee my pants or burn the dinner, so I'm not afraid to put her down for a moment to attend to whatever it is I need to do).
As you can see, there are elements from each book that we are taking into account in how we care for Ella. Like I said before, I'm open to other approaches as well, so please feel free to make suggestions. We're not perfect--but our favorite pediatrician told us it's okay. He pointed out that we live in an imperfect world, and the best thing that we can do for Ella is model for her how we adjust to imperfections--starting with ourselves. And that's where the wisdom from God comes in. I need to listen to Him everyday in how He guides me to be the best mother I can be.
Thoughts? Reactions? Feedback? I'd be interested in hearing what you think (I'm even open to criticism--just please don't "attack" me if you think I'm doing something wrong).
Today's blessing is that I get to see my parents! They are about an hour away, and I am so excited to see them! This is the first time that they are coming to our place for Thanksgiving, and let's be honest--they are really coming mainly for Ella. But I'll gladly share her with them. Besides, today is my dad's birthday. It really will be such a blessing to celebrate and give thanks with them.
So when my mom suggested that I read On Becoming Babywise, I did; and thought "sure--that makes sense". And when my colleague (the one who left who I really appreciate) recommended that I read Happiest Baby on the Block, I did; and thought "sure--that makes sense". And when it comes down to it, I think that they both offer some valuable input...though I wouldn't say that either of them is perfect (I do, however, wish I had read them in reverse order--I think that the techniques in Happiest Baby would have been helpful to learn before Ella arrived, and perhaps now would/could have been the right time to implement Babywise).
And while all of the "expert knowledge" in the books is helpful, I feel like the true wisdom in caring for Ella in the day to day moments has to come from God. There are so many times throughout the day that I pray "God, please give me the wisdom and the patience to care for Ella". Sometimes it's a desperate prayer when she's crying and I'm exhausted; sometimes it's a prayer of admiration when she's sleeping peacefully or smiling at me; but usually it's just a constant I-want-to-do-what's-best-for-her prayer throughout the day.
So I guess when it comes down to it, I've created my own "Happy-Baby-Wisdom" approach to incorporate all three--with an emphasis on relying on God's wisdom to help me know what to take and what to leave from the "experts". So with that, let me share some of the things that I like--and a few that don't work for us--from On Becoming Babywise and Happiest Baby on the Block (and if you have any other parenting books that you've enjoyed, I'd be open to reading them as well!).
Let me start with Happiest Baby on the Block. The book is really about colicky babies, and Ella is definitely not colicky (at least by the rule of threes), but she does get fussy at times (definitely less and less as time goes on, but she's a baby...and she's bound to fuss). Because colic seems to end by around 12 weeks (when babies can sooth themselves), the author argues that babies get colicky because they are missing the "fourth trimester". So he advocates that parents simultaneously use the "5 S's": Swaddling (keeps them tight), Side/Stomach (minimizes Moro Reflex of feeling like she's falling), Shhh-ing (any white noise), Swinging (any quick, little, tight movements), and Sucking (pacifier, boob, finger). He says that parents of fussy babies should recreate a womb experience. He looks at babies from other cultures, throughout history, etc. It was written as a really light and pleasant read, with lots of analogies and parental quotes. I kind of wished that I had read it before Ella arrived because I think I would have been able to better help her through the couple of sad fits that she had (there weren't many, but my heart broke when I couldn't easily console her). By the time I read it, we had either figured out some of the techniques on our own, or Ella had grown out of her fussy-phase, or a combination of both. As for the techniques, we stopped swaddling Ella around three weeks...and she doesn't really rely on a pacifier too much. But we do a lot of Shhh-ing and Swinging, and those seem to work. After looking at the book a bit, my husband developed what he calls the "airplane hold", and now drapes Ella across his arms on her stomach, thus applying the Stomach/Side position...and she absolutely loves it! He had her from almost-fussy to fully-asleep in less than five minutes last night. He's my hero--I'm so proud of him!
As for On Becoming Babywise, I hadn't originally realized just how controversial it can be. If I had to sum up in one word what I liked about Babywise, I would say "routine". I recognize that the book is all about establishing a "schedule", but that doesn't really work for us. Rather, I like that the book suggests a routine of Eat-Play-Sleep. Even though I'm the oldest in my family and did plenty of babysitting through high school, I admit that I was a little bit lost when it came to figuring out what to do with Ella once we brought her home. So the routine of Eat-Play-Sleep really helped us. Even though the author suggests that parents control the schedule, he does advocate for flexibility, so I've taken fully advantage of that freedom. On the other hand, the author does suggest that parents allow babies to "cry it out". We tried a handful of times...and it broke my heart each time. My husband and I said we would give it fifteen minutes...and then we would sit there, just watching the clock, counting down to when we could rescue her. So I don't think that we'll really let her cry herself to sleep much in the future (on the other hand, if she's crying and I have to pee or get something out of the oven, I'm not about to pee my pants or burn the dinner, so I'm not afraid to put her down for a moment to attend to whatever it is I need to do).
As you can see, there are elements from each book that we are taking into account in how we care for Ella. Like I said before, I'm open to other approaches as well, so please feel free to make suggestions. We're not perfect--but our favorite pediatrician told us it's okay. He pointed out that we live in an imperfect world, and the best thing that we can do for Ella is model for her how we adjust to imperfections--starting with ourselves. And that's where the wisdom from God comes in. I need to listen to Him everyday in how He guides me to be the best mother I can be.
Thoughts? Reactions? Feedback? I'd be interested in hearing what you think (I'm even open to criticism--just please don't "attack" me if you think I'm doing something wrong).
Today's blessing is that I get to see my parents! They are about an hour away, and I am so excited to see them! This is the first time that they are coming to our place for Thanksgiving, and let's be honest--they are really coming mainly for Ella. But I'll gladly share her with them. Besides, today is my dad's birthday. It really will be such a blessing to celebrate and give thanks with them.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Prayers for a Friend
Please keep my friend Nina in your prayers in the weeks to come. She is pregnant with her second child--a little boy they will name Lukas. She will be induced on Tuesday, November 23rd (unless he comes before then).
Halfway through her pregnancy or so, Nina noticed a lump on her thyroid. When she had it checked out, the doctors determined that the growth was cancerous, and that her entire thyroid would need to be removed shortly after the baby was born. So she will be induced this week, and will then have the surgery to remove the thyroid on December 9th.
Once the thyroid and the cancer is removed, the prognosis is pretty good. She and the baby have been monitored, and it does not sound like this has hurt Lukas at all. But I can imagine that it would be rather overwhelming to know that you're going to face surgery just over two weeks after giving birth. And it's always concerning to hear the words "cancer" and "surgery"--even if the prognosis is good.
Nina has been a great friend and support to me through our journey. Having faced some similar struggles, she has been really understanding. She has a great husband, and a beautiful three-year old little girl. Please keep their little family in your prayers in these next couple weeks as she gives birth, prepares for surgery, and then recovers.
Today's blessing is my brothers. As I mentioned yesterday, today is both of their birthdays. I love them both very dearly, and I'm so glad that they are part of my life. I admit that I was a rather bossy big sister when we were growing up, but I do pray that God has helped me to become a better sister in the last couple of years as I began to appreciate my family more and more.
Halfway through her pregnancy or so, Nina noticed a lump on her thyroid. When she had it checked out, the doctors determined that the growth was cancerous, and that her entire thyroid would need to be removed shortly after the baby was born. So she will be induced this week, and will then have the surgery to remove the thyroid on December 9th.
Once the thyroid and the cancer is removed, the prognosis is pretty good. She and the baby have been monitored, and it does not sound like this has hurt Lukas at all. But I can imagine that it would be rather overwhelming to know that you're going to face surgery just over two weeks after giving birth. And it's always concerning to hear the words "cancer" and "surgery"--even if the prognosis is good.
Nina has been a great friend and support to me through our journey. Having faced some similar struggles, she has been really understanding. She has a great husband, and a beautiful three-year old little girl. Please keep their little family in your prayers in these next couple weeks as she gives birth, prepares for surgery, and then recovers.
Today's blessing is my brothers. As I mentioned yesterday, today is both of their birthdays. I love them both very dearly, and I'm so glad that they are part of my life. I admit that I was a rather bossy big sister when we were growing up, but I do pray that God has helped me to become a better sister in the last couple of years as I began to appreciate my family more and more.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Birthday Celebrations
Yesterday was my Boppy's (my grandpa's) birthday. Today is my Sister-in-Law's birthday. Tomorrow is both of my brothers' birthdays (yes, they have the same birthday...no, they are not twins). And Wednesday is my Dad's (now Ella's "Boppy") birthday.
I admit that I've been so caught up in caring for Ella that I neglected to send cards or gifts. I will get to see my Dad and one of my brothers over Thanksgiving when they came to visit, and I sent my Sister-in-Law a text-picture of Ella with a sign that said "Happy Birthday Aunt Heidi". Oh well...I'm sure that they understand.
Today's blessing was watching my husband really step it up today in caring for Ella. He loves playing with her when she's happy...but he tries to hand her off to me when she gets fussy. Sure, I could "rescue" him each time...but I need him to be the care-giver that I know that he can be. So I gave him some pointers entrusted her to his care. Sure enough, he stepped it up big time, and even exceeded my expectations! He also effortlessly introduced a bottle to her for the first time! He was so proud of her, which makes me so proud of him. I really am blessed with this partner that God has given me, and Ella is equally blessed to have him as her Daddy.
I admit that I've been so caught up in caring for Ella that I neglected to send cards or gifts. I will get to see my Dad and one of my brothers over Thanksgiving when they came to visit, and I sent my Sister-in-Law a text-picture of Ella with a sign that said "Happy Birthday Aunt Heidi". Oh well...I'm sure that they understand.
Today's blessing was watching my husband really step it up today in caring for Ella. He loves playing with her when she's happy...but he tries to hand her off to me when she gets fussy. Sure, I could "rescue" him each time...but I need him to be the care-giver that I know that he can be. So I gave him some pointers entrusted her to his care. Sure enough, he stepped it up big time, and even exceeded my expectations! He also effortlessly introduced a bottle to her for the first time! He was so proud of her, which makes me so proud of him. I really am blessed with this partner that God has given me, and Ella is equally blessed to have him as her Daddy.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Office Visit
I brought Ella into my office for the first time yesterday. Aside from her little announcement that she was hungry about halfway through our visit, she was fabulous. It took her a moment to warm up to having so many people want to see her, and I'm sure that the florescent lights probably didn't help either. But soon enough, she was smiling and cooing for everyone. While they IT guy updated my computer, she was perfectly content to just happily squirm on a blanket on the floor in my office, much to my delight. Many people commented on how happy and content she was, which made me really proud of her (and myself).
The main purpose behind going in to the office was to attend a going-away party for a colleague who I really admire and respect, and will deeply miss when I return. She has been with our college for 12 years, and is quite popular, so plenty of people were in attendance to wish her farewell and good luck. I put Ella in the Baby Bjorn (which this colleague actually handed down to us, along with so many other helpful and thoughtful baby items), and she conked out and slept through most of the commotion. She woke up--happy--when everyone quieted down for the "good-bye" part of the party, but patiently waited till it was time to head out. Again, I was really proud of her for being so well behaved! I was a little worried that she might have a meltdown and ruin the party, but all my worrying was for naught.
It really was nice to visit with all of my colleagues again. I know that I'm good at my job, so I do feel like I am contributing to society (or at least the university) through my work with my students...but like I said previously, I'm still dreading leaving Ella and going back to work. At least it's nice to know that I'm missed and they will appreciate having me back when I do return in January.
It was such a blessing to attend the party and celebrate the 12 years that this colleague has contributed to our college. She brought so much joy and energy to our office, and she will really be missed. But she is leaving to pursue her dream of being a nurse, and I couldn't be more proud of her for listening to her heart. I know that she will be wonderful in her new role.
The main purpose behind going in to the office was to attend a going-away party for a colleague who I really admire and respect, and will deeply miss when I return. She has been with our college for 12 years, and is quite popular, so plenty of people were in attendance to wish her farewell and good luck. I put Ella in the Baby Bjorn (which this colleague actually handed down to us, along with so many other helpful and thoughtful baby items), and she conked out and slept through most of the commotion. She woke up--happy--when everyone quieted down for the "good-bye" part of the party, but patiently waited till it was time to head out. Again, I was really proud of her for being so well behaved! I was a little worried that she might have a meltdown and ruin the party, but all my worrying was for naught.
It really was nice to visit with all of my colleagues again. I know that I'm good at my job, so I do feel like I am contributing to society (or at least the university) through my work with my students...but like I said previously, I'm still dreading leaving Ella and going back to work. At least it's nice to know that I'm missed and they will appreciate having me back when I do return in January.
It was such a blessing to attend the party and celebrate the 12 years that this colleague has contributed to our college. She brought so much joy and energy to our office, and she will really be missed. But she is leaving to pursue her dream of being a nurse, and I couldn't be more proud of her for listening to her heart. I know that she will be wonderful in her new role.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
100
For the most part, I've done a really good job of not doing any work while I've been on maternity leave. To be honest, it takes more time to care for Ella than I had originally imagined. Prior to bringing her home, I think I had these grand illusions of having all sorts of free time. Yeah...that hasn't happened.
I've really tried to make a conscientious effort to leave work at the office, but I admit that I couldn't totally ignore it. I missed out on my students' registration time, and even though I had an out-of-office auto-reply on my email to explain that I was out and to provide them with their other options, I still worried about them. So all along, I've been logging into my email every other day or so to forward any necessary student emails on to the appropriate advisor (and to delete spam). But there were plenty of other "keep for later" emails that I left on the server. Oh--and I should mention that I was just checking my email remotely online through our home computer--my work laptop has stayed stashed away in the corner since I brought it home in late September (aren't you proud of me!?!?). Well, I got an email yesterday from our IT department explaining that they need to do some sort of conversion for our whole college, and they gave us some different dates and times of when we needed to schedule an appointment. Turns out that they are available tomorrow, and I'll actually be heading into the office to attend a going-away party for my colleague who I really admire and appreciate. So I figured it was about time to pull out my work laptop, see if I could remember the password, and download the remaining "keep for later" emails.
Perhaps I should have done this earlier...because I had 100 "keep for later" emails. 100! And like I said, I've already forwarded the student question emails and deleted all of the spam emails. Granted, I'm on a couple of listservs that don't necessarily know that I'm on maternity leave--I can delete some of those emails, but others I'll need to keep. And that information will still apply to me, so I feel like I'll have a pretty big learning curve when I go back to work in January. I'm afraid I'm going to be playing catch-up for a couple of days...if not weeks! I guess it's a good thing that I go back on January 3rd but classes don't get started until a week or so later. (How I dread leaving Ella to go back to work!!)
I'd like to say that I'm going to be more consistent about checking my email to avoid another 100 emails, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. After getting my computer updated tomorrow, something tells me that it will go back to its little corner and stay there until January. And why not? Ella deserves to have me focus on her as much as possible while I can. (I don't know how I'm going to balance it all out when I go back to work...but that's a problem for another day.)
Today's blessings is my OB/GYN. I had my postpartum follow-up appointment with her today, and got the all-clear to return to regular activities. She really was so good to us throughout the entire pregnancy, delivery, and even came by to check on me after my return trip to the hospital. As we said our goodbyes, she said "Well let's do this again sometime!". We'll focus on Ella for now, but I sure hope that we do have the chance to do this again in the relatively near future.
I've really tried to make a conscientious effort to leave work at the office, but I admit that I couldn't totally ignore it. I missed out on my students' registration time, and even though I had an out-of-office auto-reply on my email to explain that I was out and to provide them with their other options, I still worried about them. So all along, I've been logging into my email every other day or so to forward any necessary student emails on to the appropriate advisor (and to delete spam). But there were plenty of other "keep for later" emails that I left on the server. Oh--and I should mention that I was just checking my email remotely online through our home computer--my work laptop has stayed stashed away in the corner since I brought it home in late September (aren't you proud of me!?!?). Well, I got an email yesterday from our IT department explaining that they need to do some sort of conversion for our whole college, and they gave us some different dates and times of when we needed to schedule an appointment. Turns out that they are available tomorrow, and I'll actually be heading into the office to attend a going-away party for my colleague who I really admire and appreciate. So I figured it was about time to pull out my work laptop, see if I could remember the password, and download the remaining "keep for later" emails.
Perhaps I should have done this earlier...because I had 100 "keep for later" emails. 100! And like I said, I've already forwarded the student question emails and deleted all of the spam emails. Granted, I'm on a couple of listservs that don't necessarily know that I'm on maternity leave--I can delete some of those emails, but others I'll need to keep. And that information will still apply to me, so I feel like I'll have a pretty big learning curve when I go back to work in January. I'm afraid I'm going to be playing catch-up for a couple of days...if not weeks! I guess it's a good thing that I go back on January 3rd but classes don't get started until a week or so later. (How I dread leaving Ella to go back to work!!)
I'd like to say that I'm going to be more consistent about checking my email to avoid another 100 emails, but I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. After getting my computer updated tomorrow, something tells me that it will go back to its little corner and stay there until January. And why not? Ella deserves to have me focus on her as much as possible while I can. (I don't know how I'm going to balance it all out when I go back to work...but that's a problem for another day.)
Today's blessings is my OB/GYN. I had my postpartum follow-up appointment with her today, and got the all-clear to return to regular activities. She really was so good to us throughout the entire pregnancy, delivery, and even came by to check on me after my return trip to the hospital. As we said our goodbyes, she said "Well let's do this again sometime!". We'll focus on Ella for now, but I sure hope that we do have the chance to do this again in the relatively near future.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
New Appreciation
I have developed a new appreciation for mothers of twins.
My very-dear friend's son will be five weeks old tomorrow. She and her husband are in their very busy season of finishing up med school and interviewing all over the place for their upcoming residencies. I know that they are juggling a lot, and I have the luxury of staying at home and doing nothing with Ella (and "nothing" actually turns out to be quite a lot!), so I offered to try to help out today. Since she pulled an all-nighter last night at the library and left her husband home with bottles, she took me up on the offer so that she could first sleep, and then study.
I arrived around 9:30 am (it really was the earliest I could be there--getting myself and Ella ready and out the door is proving to be more time-consuming than I imagined), and her son, Silas, was fed, wide awake, and happy. Ella, on the other hand, was ready to eat again. So I sent my very-dear friend to bed, fed Ella, and entertained Silas to the best of my abilities in his bouncer. When Ella finished up, she was more than happy to check out Silas and all of his toys. Aside from a few little squawks from each of them, I was able to avoid any complete meltdowns, and miraculously was able to get each baby to sleep for a little bit, thus allowing my very-dear friend to get in a much needed nap.
When everyone woke up, we all ate, and my very-dear friend headed to the library to finish up a project. Again, both babies were happy. I'd like to think that they were curious in each other, but really--that probably won't happen for another fifteen years or so. We joke that it would be great if they did grow up and fall in love, but we'll just let them be "best buddies" for now. Here they are..happy as can be:
(Did I mention that Silas is just about two weeks younger than Ella...and yet he's so much bigger!)
And then, not even two minutes after I snapped the picture, it all fell apart. I heard a big poop from Silas, and knew it was the type that would require some changing. My very-dear friend had mentioned that he needed a bath, so I had planned on trying to cover that for her to make her life easier. Ella was really content at that time, so I put her in his bouncer, brought the hangy-toy within reach, and headed upstairs with Silas to change and hopefully bathe him. On the way to the nursery, I started the water to get it warm enough for a quick bath. By the time I had the dirty diaper off, I could hear Ella crying from downstairs. So I decided to forego the bath efforts, and headed back down. Halfway down the stairs, I hear a knock at the door, and am pleased to see that it's the parents of my very-dear friend. So with Ella crying, I hand over their grandson and go to console Ella...only to find that Silas' bouncer has the same effect as our bouncer at home: major diaper blow-out. So there I am with my screaming and poopy baby in front of my very-dear friends parents, looking totally incompetent. But they were wonderfully understanding, and were more than happy to take over the care of Silas--who, even without the bath, was much cleaner than poor Ella. So even though I had intended to bathe Silas for my very-dear friend, it was Ella who ended up getting the bath. By the time that I had her, the bouncer, and myself cleaned up, Ella was fast asleep and my very-dear friend was home to feed Silas.
What a day! I didn't leave her house until almost 4:00 pm, so really, the first five hours were great! It was just that five minutes of chaos when first one baby, then the other baby, decided to poop. I joked with the parents that I don't know if they came at the absolutely best time, or the absolute worst! All I know is that I have a whole new appreciation for mothers of multiples, and I'm glad to be home where I can devote all of my time and energy on Ella.
Even though I didn't get my own nap in, it was still such a blessing to be able to hang out with my very-dear friend while we fed the babies and catch up with her. She and her husband--and now Silas--are a great source of fun and support to my husband and me--and now Ella. We truly are blessed to have them in our lives, and it was also a blessing to be able to help her out a bit today.
My very-dear friend's son will be five weeks old tomorrow. She and her husband are in their very busy season of finishing up med school and interviewing all over the place for their upcoming residencies. I know that they are juggling a lot, and I have the luxury of staying at home and doing nothing with Ella (and "nothing" actually turns out to be quite a lot!), so I offered to try to help out today. Since she pulled an all-nighter last night at the library and left her husband home with bottles, she took me up on the offer so that she could first sleep, and then study.
I arrived around 9:30 am (it really was the earliest I could be there--getting myself and Ella ready and out the door is proving to be more time-consuming than I imagined), and her son, Silas, was fed, wide awake, and happy. Ella, on the other hand, was ready to eat again. So I sent my very-dear friend to bed, fed Ella, and entertained Silas to the best of my abilities in his bouncer. When Ella finished up, she was more than happy to check out Silas and all of his toys. Aside from a few little squawks from each of them, I was able to avoid any complete meltdowns, and miraculously was able to get each baby to sleep for a little bit, thus allowing my very-dear friend to get in a much needed nap.
When everyone woke up, we all ate, and my very-dear friend headed to the library to finish up a project. Again, both babies were happy. I'd like to think that they were curious in each other, but really--that probably won't happen for another fifteen years or so. We joke that it would be great if they did grow up and fall in love, but we'll just let them be "best buddies" for now. Here they are..happy as can be:
And then, not even two minutes after I snapped the picture, it all fell apart. I heard a big poop from Silas, and knew it was the type that would require some changing. My very-dear friend had mentioned that he needed a bath, so I had planned on trying to cover that for her to make her life easier. Ella was really content at that time, so I put her in his bouncer, brought the hangy-toy within reach, and headed upstairs with Silas to change and hopefully bathe him. On the way to the nursery, I started the water to get it warm enough for a quick bath. By the time I had the dirty diaper off, I could hear Ella crying from downstairs. So I decided to forego the bath efforts, and headed back down. Halfway down the stairs, I hear a knock at the door, and am pleased to see that it's the parents of my very-dear friend. So with Ella crying, I hand over their grandson and go to console Ella...only to find that Silas' bouncer has the same effect as our bouncer at home: major diaper blow-out. So there I am with my screaming and poopy baby in front of my very-dear friends parents, looking totally incompetent. But they were wonderfully understanding, and were more than happy to take over the care of Silas--who, even without the bath, was much cleaner than poor Ella. So even though I had intended to bathe Silas for my very-dear friend, it was Ella who ended up getting the bath. By the time that I had her, the bouncer, and myself cleaned up, Ella was fast asleep and my very-dear friend was home to feed Silas.
What a day! I didn't leave her house until almost 4:00 pm, so really, the first five hours were great! It was just that five minutes of chaos when first one baby, then the other baby, decided to poop. I joked with the parents that I don't know if they came at the absolutely best time, or the absolute worst! All I know is that I have a whole new appreciation for mothers of multiples, and I'm glad to be home where I can devote all of my time and energy on Ella.
Even though I didn't get my own nap in, it was still such a blessing to be able to hang out with my very-dear friend while we fed the babies and catch up with her. She and her husband--and now Silas--are a great source of fun and support to my husband and me--and now Ella. We truly are blessed to have them in our lives, and it was also a blessing to be able to help her out a bit today.
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