scrap the cradle

Last night I had the scare of my life; I thought Alex broke her little leg.
I woke her up around midnight to feed her and when she was asleep I placed her back in her cradle on my side of the bed. Seconds after she woke up screaming and I instantly knew she was in pain, it was definitely a pain cry.
I quickly looked her over and realized her leg was caught between the bars of the wooden cradle. I had to maneuver her leg out between the bars, I lifted her out and held her tight. I walked her around the house and then I checked her leg to see if it was broken. It seemed OK but I worried about it all night.
We put her playpen in our room and she slept there for the night. She didn't sleep well at all and she woke up in a miserable mood that lasted all day. I continued to check her leg for bruises, swelling or signs of a broken bone. Everything seems fine but what a scare.

3 months old today

Well today Alex is 3 months old and we spent part of the afternoon at the doctor's, yet again. Man, I wonder what they think when we walk in there. Some of the nurses know us well. No doubt they're talking about us behind our backs, "Man, I know they're first time parents but they are truly far too paranoid."
Alex's eye has been watering goopy stuff since Friday and by Day 3 we got a bit worried. At times throughout the three days we talked ourselves out of going, hoping it would clear up. Plus we didn't want to look like idiots if it WAS something minor....
Well it turns out it is something minor; she has a blocked tearduct. We are to apply warm compresses for 15 minutes (good luck) three times a day and clean it constantly. There is a 10 percent chance it could require surgery to clear it up...maybe not so minor.
On the bright side, we got out of a parking ticket because the bylaw officer fell for Alex.

Alex's routine, yes routine

I'm not one to be strict about routine, I always thought I would just let my baby do whatever she wanted; whatever made her feel comfortable. Well I found that a routine is what makes her feel comfortable and makes life that much easier for both of us.
The most important part of the routine is nighttime, we pretty much do whatever we want during the day. Every night between 8 and 9 p.m. I give Alex a bath, followed by a massage, feed her and she goes to bed for the night. It's wonderful!

transition to the crib

They say that everything changes at 3 months, including sleeping arrangements. Well I don't think I'm quite ready for Alex to leave our bedroom. I love having her beside me in her cradle. I can sit and watch her sleep for hours. Mostly though it's easy to feed her in the middle of the night and I can keep my eyes and ears on her. All the information on SIDS can scare a parent into sleeping with their child until they're a teenager.
Alex has many naps in her crib and she quite like them. She loves to stare at her mobile and her battery operated aquarium. We don't even know she's awake because she lies there quiet as a mouse and content as can be.
I have a monitor but that doesn't make me feel better about leaving her in her crib all night. Most people think she should be in her crib, they ask, "Is she sleeping in her crib yet?" A few women have told me not to worry about it and to do whatever makes me feel better. These women had their children sleep with them until both parent and child felt comfortable with the transition to their own room. If Alex's crib could fit in our room, believe me it would be in there.

Watching daddy figure it out

Lately, Alex has been fussy when others hold her, now she seems to be starting the strange behaviour with her daddy. It saddens me when he says, "She hates me," especially considering today is his birthday.
She doesn't hate him, he just has to figure it out. My husband is on vacation and caring for Alex is a whole new experience for him. As I've had to do for the first couple of months, he has to figure out what's wrong. He gets slightly frantic and worried that he can't help her as she screams in his arms. I tell him that he has to find out why she's crying; is it gas, tired, hungry?
This morning it was a combination of slight hunger and really tired...he persevered and together we figured it out.

Daddy saves the day

My husband is on vacation this week and today, the first day, he has been a lifesaver. I have been able to get so much more done, I've actually had a bit of time to myself.
He has taken over a feeding or two, he has put her to sleep several times and even more helpful is that he has played with Alex, occupied her awake-time and kept her busy. Most important is that they are taking the time to bond even more. Daddies are special.
I wish we could both be on maternity leave.

Home bound for 40 days?

My husband calls me paranoid and sometimes says, "You can't have Alex live in a bubble." But I think he's a bit too much the other way, a little paranoia would do him good.
For example, I'm a little worried about the dog and Alex because I've heard horror stories of dogs biting new babies. My husband would be OK with the dog licking Alex and I wouldn't.
When Alex was first born my mom tried to insist that I stay home for the first 40 days of her new life, as the Greek culture believes. I thought, "no one can tell me to stay home for 40 days! That traditional way of thinking is just crazy."
They also believe that there should be no visitors during the 40 days. The main thought process behind it is so that the baby stays as healthy as possible and takes the time to get used to her surroundings and parents.
Having far passed 40 days I tend to think it's not so crazy. Alex has already had a cold in her first few weeks of life and now she is not keen on being away from home (as you are all well aware). Besides maybe feeling a bit isolated, I now think the 40-day ritual is a good idea.
See mom, I eventually get it...sometimes.

Losing my weight

It's not just a myth that if you breast feed you'll lose weight quicker. I gained a total of 50 lbs. during my pregnancy and I lost 40 of it almost instantly. I've been struggling with the last 10 lbs. but I recently noticed my weight is going down again since Alex started eating from the breast again.
When she wasn't eating from the breast and I was pumping 90 percent of the time, the last 10 pounds just hung around. I can actually hear my stomach grumbling when Alex eats! It has something to do with my uterus contracting...all I know is that I'm slowly shedding the last 10 lbs.

No formula for Alex, breast it is

To date, I (well daddy and grandma) have tried to feed Alex three different brands of formula and she absolutely refuses. She cries and screams like never before and it breaks my heart. Today I even tried to mix in a bit of breast milk with the formula and she wanted nothing to do with it. Is breast milk that good? I guess so.
It looks like I'll be persevering through all the trials and tribulations to keep on breastfeeding. But on the bright side, Alex has started to eat directly from the breast again (although she refuses the left one) and my milk seems to be increasing!

Not a happy Canada Day

Alex's grandparents decided they wanted to take Alex and I to a couple of Canada Day celebrations in the area. The crying started as soon as we put her in her car seat and continued practically the whole day.
Of course she had her reasons; being squished into her seat, gas, hunger, poopy diaper, tired, hot. You name it. And this was only a 4 hour outing down the road!
Alex really prefers surroundings she's familiar with, mainly her home. So home is where we'll be for the next while.
When we told people we were heading to NS this weekend they looked at us as if we were insane. Needless to say we have cancelled our trip, we will go when Alex is a bit older. It's too bad because I really miss my uncle G and aunt D and I really wanted them to meet Alex! I'm sure our vacation will be much better if we postpone it.