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.

Oh, Baby! (Part 4)

I know, there are a lot of parts to this story, but the goal was to not overwhelm anyone with a single massive post. 

My husband entered the room and I told him I was going to start pushing soon.  We were on the verge of becoming parents, weeks earlier than what we expected or were prepared for.  Nurses and staff were walking around the room, they brought in equipment, altered the bed, and at 9:00 p.m. they told me the doctor was on her way and I would be pushing around 10:00 p.m. 

10:00 p.m. My doctor arrives.  I remember some things, but not too many details, which I am okay with. 

"Dad, do you want to watch?"
"No," Matt said with a big grin on his face.
"Mom, do you want a mirror?"
"No," I said with a smile.
"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?"
"No," he said with another smile on his face.

With this taken care of, it was time to begin pushing.  Thanks to my new best friend, the epidural, I could not feel contractions.  Doctors explained they would watch the monitor and wait for me to have a contraction.  I would take a breath and push for ten seconds, take a breath and push for ten second, and one last breath and ten second push.  In four or five sets of pushes, Eleanor was here.  It was 10:24 p.m. and Matt's phone had just died.  Luckily, he had his iPad which allowed him to take pictures.  Matt was suddenly a busy man.  He was all over the hospital room taking pictures, asking questions, and soaking everything in.

Matt later told me that Eleanor and I had surprised the doctor and the staff.  Apparently I could birth babies for a living according to the folks in the room.  From water break to baby in under 12 hours.  What is your hurry, kiddo?  Eleanor came so quickly that the doctor was not quite ready and had to juggle her a bit.  Good thing he had not told me that until recently.

There you go, that is the story of how 6 pound, 3 ounce; 19.25 inch Eleanor Grace entered the world.