Aunt Flo

When I was discharged from the hospital, I was told my post partum bleeding would last 2-4 weeks, getting ligher every day. That happened as promised, and I even got down to wearing pantyliners vs. big bulky pads. I am not a pad wearer, so I was very happy about that. Then, strangely enough, about 10 days ago, I started bleeding again and had to go back to heavier pads. Yesterday, I realized that something might be wrong with the fact that I was STILL bleeding and I got concerned enough to ask a few freinds, do some internet research, and then, finally call my doctor.

The doctor called me back and you guessed it, told me I was on my period. What the heck?!?!? I'm breastfeeding! From what I've heard, it's very uncommon to get a period while breastfeeding, and all the new moms I know did not get a menstrual cycle until after they stopped. Why me? Aunt Flo is not welcome here! I feel robbed.

Visitors, Butt Woes and More

It's been a busy few days! Last week, Heather, Jay, Roux and Daisy spent a long weekend with us. Avery really enjoyed cuddling with her Aunt Heather and found that baby bumps are quite comfortable to relax on. Heather and Jay also got a good dose of life with a newborn and a bit of Baby 101. How they escaped without changing a diaper though, I will never know.

Speaking of diapers, Avery had a rough few days after our company left due to a raging diaper rash. We'd gotten lazy with the Balmex and the notion that breastfed babies are not as susceptible to diaper rashes, so we accept total fault for her discomfort. After two cranky days, Avery's juicy double is now healed up and she's in much better spirits.

Now that she's approaching 6 weeks old, I'm really trying to work on a schedule to get her ready to go to school in a few weeks. That's been going well during the day; the exception is getting her down at night. We have no established bedtime yet, so are working on that now by trying to establish a bedtime routine. She has started sleeping for longer stretches, which is awesome. I never thought I'd be so happy to get 5 consecutive hours of sleep! Or feel so well rested on such little sleep....

One Month Old

Avery is officially one month old and had her check-up with the pediatrician yesterday. She is very healthy and topped the scale at 8 lbs. 2 oz.! She's gained almost 2 lbs. since birth and 2.5 lbs. since leaving the hospital. I felt pretty good about that until Dr. Cheek told me she was in the 50th percentile for her weight and head circumference. Again, he told me to diligently feed her 35 minutes every 3 hours during the day. She almost never eats that long and the Dr.'s advice always makes me doubt that breastfeeding is the right choice. She often dozes off while feeding or just latches off. I have tried undressing her and try to stimulate her as much as possible while eating, but there is only so much I can do. If she doesn't want to eat, I can not force feed her!

Anyway, from what I've read, she's gaining weight a little ahead of the curve (about an ounce a day is normal), so part of me feels like I have nothing to worry about. Despite Dr. Cheek's kind bedside manor and gentleness with Avery, his bad novelty ties and discouraging opinion about her weight make me consider switching pediatricians.

I'm sure none of you are surprised to hear that Avery is in the 90th percentile for her height. With her Dad topping 6' 4'' and me at 5' 9'', that's no shock. All she needs is a pack of Malboro Reds and a liter of Ketel One and she's ready to sport some high baby fashion on the runway!

The Many Faces of Avery

"There's a lot more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out just what that is."
-Derek Zoolander

Avery's signature "Magnum" look.

Prefecting "Blue Steel."

Unleashing "Le Tigre!"

A Belated Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. While there was no romantic get away for us, we did have a really nice day as a threesome. But somehow, I don't think this was quite the threesome Daddy had in mind....

Anyway, we spent the afternoon out at the Kahlans' house eating oysters. Yum! Avery got to meet lots of new friends, including Baylor and Emme. Baylor was pretty taken with Miss Avery and plans to date her when she turns 30. Emme wasn't so sure about her though and kept her distance. For Avery, the whole experience was just so exciting that she slept right through the whole day. How she slept through Emme and Baylor's karaoke/live band show, I'll never know. My ears were ringing the whole way home!

Up in the Gym

Over the weekend, I broke out Avery's "Tiny Love Gymini" and it's been a big hit. She likes to spend time up in the gym, working on her fitness. She'll lay on her back and kick and bat her arms at the hanging toys, or just look at herself in the mirror. During tummy time, she scoots her legs and lifts and turns her head to watch the lights on the flower pad. She also likes to taste the mat and finds it to be minty.

In other news, Avery made her first trip out of Canton last night to attend book club. She really enjoyed meeting Kathy, Dana, Jill and Angela! She was a very good girl and slept on the car ride there and home again. Hopefully, she will be a good traveler!

Ew! What's that in the water?!?!

Exciting news! Avery lost her cord stump yesterday! I changed her after her afternoon nap to find it missing. Further investigation yielded the dried up stump in her swaddle blanket...ew! As a side note, I had a dream that her stump fell off and that I could not find it, so I am happy that it turned up. Anyway, I am more happy that it's gone because I was the one cleaning it, and I found that job more gross than changing dirty diapers or getting spit up on. I just am not a fan of wounds - poo and curdled milk I can take.

Anyway, her cord falling off meant that she could take a real bath, so this morning, I broke out the newborn lounger and all the bath necessities, and went for it. At first, Avery was not so sure about the water, but relaxed enough after a minute to poop, requiring me to fish her out, clean out the tub, and fill it for round two. On our second try, she seemed to really enjoy the warm bath and though she spit up a little, no further fussing, or potty-going, ensued. All in all, I think bath time will be a fun time for Avery! Photos are courtesy of Baby Daddy who stayed behind the scenes to photograph the event. Someone had to do it!

Little Cuties Make Big Messes

Avery's shirt says "Mommy's Little Cutie." Well, last night, Baby Daddy and I witnessed just how much of a mess this little cutie can make. Avery was very fussy last night and would not burp after eating. It turns out that was because she didn't feel good, leading to her spitting up all over herself, Baby Daddy, and the floor. This marked our first wardrobe change of the evening.

After being awake from about 7pm to 2am, despite falling asleep only to wake herself up several times, little miss finally went down. I woke to feed her sometime around 3am and found that she had blown out her diaper. The poor thing has poo all up her back and on her sleeper, requiring another wardrobe change. Now I know why I have a drawer full of sleep dresses! Stock up, moms-to-be!

P. S.
Does anyone else think Avery looks like a body builder in this outfit?!?

Brrrr! It's cold out there!

While it's been so cold, we've been housebound. We are looking forward to it warming up this weekend so that we can go for a few walks in the park! Maybe Avery will actually wake up for one of them and enjoy the experience of being outside...she has no idea she's been to the park several times and to Bruester's for ice cream!

2 Weeks Old!

Wow. It's hard to believe that two weeks ago today I launched Avery out my vag sans epidural! Time flies when your days become nights and vice versa.

We don't have much new to report, except the very exciting news that little Avery has packed on quite a few ounces since last Monday's weigh in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. Today, she weighed a whopping 6 lbs. 10 oz. That's a 12 oz. gain in a week! Guess milk (from mom) does do a body good! I have to say that I am super relieved that she's gained weight because I've been totally stressing over whether she is eating enough or not. I will let that neuroses go now and find something new to worry over :)