Tired. Good, But Tired.

I often think among all of the things I have to do, that blogging should be one of them.  I can honestly say I am truly honored by all of the people who take time out of their busy lives to read about mine.  It is 10:30 at night and I have been looking forward to bed since around 8 PM.  I have plans to interview my husband about his week going solo with Eleanor and to my mom who is happy to say she stays at home with her newest and youngest grand baby.  Those two items do require time and planning and I currently spend any time not at work with my husband and with Eleanor or sluggishly wandering the kitchen or living room trying to figure out something small I can do to make my husband's day a little bit easier.  Currently, he is in the bedroom asleep and I am putting E to sleep in the living room.  Once she is out, we head to the bedroom, sparing Matt her cries and grunts.  Don't worry, I take the night shift and Matt takes the morning shift.

In any case, many folks who visit the library are excited to see me back behind the reference desk.  Many people talk about my sudden departure and are happy to hear how our little family is thriving.  People ask to see pictures and I must be one of the worst people in the world, because I show them all the photos of E where she's making funny faces.

Okay, I'll include at least one cute one, but she's still making a face.

Mommy, You're Doing What?

This was not quite the face E made when I reminded her that I was going back to work and she would be home alone with daddy. At my earliest I could have returned the Friday or Saturday before Labor Day. I cannot express how pleased I was to hear my superiors at work tell me they were flexible if I felt I should need or want extra time at home beyond the traditional six weeks. With E needing some extra care, I told work I wanted a full six weeks at home with her, not just six weeks total. You may remember Matt took two weeks off once E was home. That was a wonderful two weeks and then began four weeks of me staying at home.

Now it is Matt's turn to be a stay at home parent. Matt and I had a serious discussion last night about this role. I told him if he was accomplished he was not allowed to brag about it too much. With nursing and pumping I felt like a rock star when I was able to do anything else like wash clothes or dishes, or prep or cook dinner. I told him it was hard and I was constantly tired and occasionally exhausted. Tomorrow, I become a working mom. Wish my husband good luck. <3

A Quick Confession

I cannot recall the topic of conversation, but my husband told me this week he had a confession. Towards the end of my pregnancy I had acid reflux. Before my doctor gave me something for the issue, my wonderful husband assumed an additional role of providing me much needed relief by burping me. It sounds weird, it felt weird asking and being on the receiving end of such a task, but it was necessary. The big confession was my husband was glad I was no longer pregnant because he did not like burping me, but had no issue burping our daughter. You see, babies backs are about the size of your hand, making a baby much easier to burp. Yes, my husband and I are silly.

Adventures with Beer and a Baby, a Restaurant Fail

Labor Day was a wonderful long weekend for our little family. We had visitors and as tradition, we searched the city for a local eatery to provide everyone with a delicious and unique eating experience.  After some discussion, we excitedly ventured out to a new bar/restaurant called HopCat. This Michigan-based eatery boasts 130 beers on tap with a constantly changing beer menu. While this is a bar, their website states that anyone under the age of 21 is permitted to enter with a parent only before 9:00 p.m. As a side note, my husband and I recently discovered the above is permitted due to a metal railing around "the bar area" similar to those found in amusement park lines.

The food was yummy and I was told the beverages were enjoyable. I abstained, but they do provide three free samples. If you are not sure and your server does not offer, be sure to ask. The meal was a little less enjoyable when it became time for the necessary pre-meal diaper change. With no changing table in the restroom, we were fortunate enough to be seated at a table much like a picnic table, providing a surface larger than a traditional kitchen chair to change a baby. It is never my preference to change a baby IN a restaurant where people consume food, but this one gave us no choice, except to venture to the front of the restaurant and change a baby on a bench in the entryway. It was busy, said bench was far away with narrow passageways and was likely to be occupied by hungry guests waiting for a seat themselves. With the potential of having a squirmy baby, I wanted my husband to help hold her in place, so I started the deed where we sat. With no details required, this was one of those instances where running water would be required.

The sink was a trough that had three faucets, which to the best of my knowledge is the sink pictured here. The type of sink, the faucets and the shower head like base made it easy to stick a soiled baby bottom under running water.

"I am so sorry and I know this is not very sanitary, but does anyone have any objection if I rinse my baby off in the sink?" The three ladies did not object and inquired where the changing table was. After a very brief conversation and at least one parent advising a school-aged girl to wait for one of the other faucets to become available, I swept E's bottom under the faucet and was incredibly thankful for such an understanding crowd. I wondered if my husband, or any man, needed to change a diaper if he would be afforded the same kindness. I will also add that E does not like having her diaper changed and this experience often yields a 90% chance of E using her entire lung capacity to show her dislike of the process. With bright eyes and no screams or tears (thank the heavens), I was faced with yet another issue. The two trash cans were labeled for paper towel disposal only since all of the towels were placed into compost. This was another great restroom conversation involving all of the women in the immediate area.

We spoke with our server and asked to speak with a manager. We wanted to be sure we were consulting the highest tiered employee who may likely have the power to be able to change this situation. Unfortunately, HopCat is part of a chain with locations in a few different states. He agreed that there needed to be changing tables and it is not a question of cost, but that permission would be required by the owners to install one. We also voiced our concern about having no where to dispose of a dirty diaper. I could tell he was distressed by the situation and he stated this was not the first time he had heard this. He told us he would pass the complaint to the owners in his notes and encouraged us to contact the top most tier of the company, which we plan on doing in hopes that a change can be made.  Who knew a simple piece of plastic attached to a wall would make an eating experience more enjoyable?

Mommy Favorites

Eleanor is just over a month old and in the three weeks she has been home I have found a few a things that I am incredibly lucky to own.

Matt and I received a Keurig as a wedding gift about two years ago.  We are big coffee drinkers.  My preferred drink is a no foam sugar free vanilla latte. A few years back, while working two jobs (one of which required me to be at work at 3:00 a.m.) I invested in an espresso machine.  My lattes have taken a back seat to the Keurig for the simple fact that I can operate the Keurig with one hand.

Anything with a handle makes the list.  Again, the importance of doing things with one hand is underestimated.

Our cloth wipes warmer also makes me pretty happy.  E has been unfortunate enough to have had diaper rash for over a month, the kind where a layer of skin has worn away exposing the under skin.  A warm wash cloth is gentle on her skin and having it on demand means less tears and crying during changing. Plus, who would want a cold wipe on their bottom?

Car seats are a necessity, buy E really enjoys hers. Last night I needed more sleep and decided to put Eleanor in her car seat, which was secured in her stroller and placed at the foot of the bed. 

Last night also introduced us to the value of this owl. It is available only at Target and is possibly the best $12 Matt and I have spent recently. This little guy has two vibrating speeds, providing comfort for baby, and runs for 5 minutes before shutting off automatically.  It came with two AA batteries that are easily replaced by way of a zipper on the back. I was pretty exhausted last night, but I believe I heard my husband utter the words, "I love that owl."

My wonderful husband also makes the list, but he is always at the top despite this placement. After a day at work he comes home to a messy house ready to cook dinner, wash dishes, get bottles and materials ready for pumping, and more. He often takes an overnight feeding so I can get a bit more rest, which is a gift that makes a HUGE difference in my day.

New Photos and a Scheduled Visit!

In her swing

Eleanor is nearly a month old.  She does a pretty good job of sleeping at night, but she still needs to eat every three hours, leaving me to sleep in two hour chunks, which was not something I had expected.  Matt does a phenomenal job of helping by either taking care of the feeding and letting me sleep or feeding E while I pump.  I would love to save time and just have her drink what's "on tap," but the hospital had her on a pretty strict eating schedule and the little girl has a history of falling asleep at the bar.  However, she drinks from a bottle in her sleep and as long as she is eating and gaining weight, I can't complain... too much.

Check out the cat in the background

Kiddo with a soiled diaper

Eleanor makes some pretty fabulous faces.  There are so many I could watch her all day, which is partially why the blog is not updated on a regular basis.  So many people know that writing is a passion of mine and I would love to pour my heart and soul into this and other projects, but babies are just so hard to peel from the arms of their mommies.  Here's a taste of Eleanor.

Oh, and a note for those who are local, Eleanor will be heading to Zionsville on Friday, August 22.  Anyone who is interested can meet us at the Starbucks in Boone Village around 1:15.  Yes, the library is the natural place to meet, but it is closed that day.

Eleanor's Rough Start

Today is Eleanor's due date and yet she is nearly three weeks old. While the delivery was smooth, Eleanor had a rough start. She did not go to the NICU, but into a middle-grade nursery for babies who needed a little extra care. The evening of her birth E got to spend a bit of time in the room with us, but staff wanted to quickly get her into the nursery. I knew she was in the best of care and told nurses to take her away and to give her whatever she needs.  We did get to see E whenever we wanted, but holding time was limited. In short, an infection, low blood sugar, mandatory tanning bed sessions, four IVs, a week of antibiotics, and quick breathing that led to a feeding tube which prevented us from feeding her was all on the list of what E did during her first week of life. Despite all this, E was always breathing on her own and this gave us great comfort.

Friday: E was finally able to visit our room. Only Matt and I were allowed to hold her, no one else. The same went for when Matt and I visited E in the nursery. It felt like we were on vacation. Staff visited us frequently, answered all of our questions, were incredibly accommodating, unbelievably supportive, and polite. Matt and I agreed that it felt like we were on vacation, in a nice hotel.

Saturday: I was released from the hospital. Matt and I soon began a weird week. I was no longer pregnant, but there was no baby at home.

Sunday: Matt was not feeling well and made a decision to return to work and delay his time off.  I spent as much time at the hospital as I could so I could hold and bond with E since our time had been so limited.  My mom joined me so she could see the baby and I appreciated having the company. 

Monday: Matt returned to work.  I returned to the hospital with my mom. E had specific times she needed to eat and only had 30 minutes to eat.  Nursing proved not to be too much of an option since there was such a short and small window.  This left me with the option to pump and bottle feed her.  I felt it was the only thing I could do, so I ran myself ragged running all over the hospital during the day and waking up in the middle of the night so I could give her more milk.Also, Matt and I kept a scheduled meet and greet with a pediatrician. I did what I had to do and pumped in the car, in the waiting room, and in the exam room using a jacket. The doctor was impressed with how positive and calm we were, while we were impressed with her warmth and honesty.  In about a minute we declared her E's doctor.

Tuesday: Another day at the hospital, but this time I was flying solo.  I was delighted that a coworker offered to visit, who I knew was familiar with the situation of not being able to bring your baby home.

Wednesday: Another solo day at the hospital.  This day brought about a visitor from work, who brought E her first summer reading prize.  Yes, I had been reading to her and I was super excited to hear she had been registered for the reading program at work. 

Thursday: Another day at the hospital and another visit from a coworker.  This was the day that threw me into a frenzy.  We were being told each day from the hospital that the earliest E would get to go home was Friday, but no one was giving us additional information or any updates.  This was the day I arrived at the hospital at 11:00 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m.  I underestimated how taxing it was to spend so much time at the hospital.  When I arrived, the doctor said, "How'd you like to take her home today?"  I immediately burst into tears.  I was prepared to go in that day and be told that E could come home late Friday or that she needed a bit more time and would not be released until the weekend.  I was so incredibly overwhelmed and excited.  My daughter was finally going home and my husband would be seeing her for the first time in five days.

I cannot remember what time I arrived home that afternoon.  I wanted to sit down to dinner with Matt and get ready to bring our girl home, finally.  I asked Matt what we should bring her home in.  With nearly three weeks to go, that was yet another task that we were going to do at a later time.  We decided on a green Hawaiian shirt (Matt loves Hawaiian shirts) that was a size too big, but we didn't care.  Matt put on a shirt that matched E's and I changed into the closest thing I owned to a Hawaiian shirt.

The nurse took pictures for us and we tried hard not to be too happy, knowing that so many other parents and babies would be spending yet another night in the nursery, but we couldn't help ourselves.  I drove our family home and had banished my husband to the back seat of the car for some long overdue bonding time.


We arrived home and my husband parked himself on the floor in the first room he set foot in, the library. 
We arrived home around 9:30 p.m.  In an hour, E would officially be a week old.