A New Day

Today started out better than most. Martin slept for over six hours in one stretch and I feel like a new human-being.
Because his morning started at 8:15 instead of 9:00 our schedule took some tweaking as the day went on. Needless to say, Martin woke up in a good mood, and after I fed him he even talked to me for awhile. He said many interesting things, such as: "allgh, oooooh, gah, and nnnndaa." He's more vocal than I expecting him to be at 6 1/2 weeks old. His dad was very vocal from a young age, but I didn't speak until I was almost two. So, I guess I didn't know what to expect from my own child--just not cooing at this age. Or smiling...

We played for about thirty minutes before I put him down for a nap. I spent his nap eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and tidying the kitchen. I've found that I really enjoy being a housewife. I thought I would go crazy never leaving the house, but it is so rewarding to stay at home with Martin. Although we do go work out in the gym about my parents' garage on a daily basis, so I can't say I never leave.
I'm trying to get him on a 3-hour schedule, so when he woke up happy in his crib, I let him stay there for about twenty minutes until 11:15. I fed him, I let him practice his version of rolling over and holding his head up until 12:30, then I put him down for a nap.
He woke up at 2 to eat, and I fed him while spending time with my husband. Martin hung out with his dad while I got ready for the gym and then we left. Martin napped in his car seat while I worked out as hard as I could (which is not very hard) until about 4.
He once again slept well so I didn't get him up until 5 to eat again (completing a three-hour schedule).
My husband's grandfather died this morning, so we've been contemplating if the baby and I should make the 15+ hour drive to Florida. A part of me wants to stay home, but I know that when life happens you must happen with it even if it does mean throwing Martin off of his schedule a little bit, or having to pump and feed him from a bottle in the car. The Lord has given us so much, I don't want to be selfish when someone needs us.
So, if everything goes according to plan, Martin and I will accompany Everett and his family to Florida the day after tomorrow.
Anyway, after his 5:00 feeding, I let him practice rolling over again and  practice holding his head up as he found our voices across the room.
My day hadn't happened exactly right, so Everett got pizza for dinner and we watched the storms bellowing outside our front door. Martin was a little nervous, so we let him sleep in his bassinet in the living room as we ate dinner. I fed him again at 7:30 then gave him a bath. He's been crying in his bed since about 8:30, but he just got quiet so I'm hoping that means he'll sleep until ten when I can give him his "dreamfeed," and then maybe he'll sleep through the night again.
He is so precious. I can't get enough of him. I thought I would have to force being happy with him. I thought I would be bored hanging out with him all day, but I'm not. I love him to death and I miss him every time he goes to sleep.
Wow! Being a mom is awesome.

Trying Something New

I like having a firm routine. I like to have the same time to wake up every day, same time eating breakfast, same time exercising, etc. Having a baby has changed everything.
I strive to do all that Babywise requires of me but it's difficult sometimes. My little Martin is changing so much every day that it seems like no day is exactly the how I plan for it to be.
I'm not good at keeping up with subtle changes or even noticing them until I've had two whole days that are just off-kilter and I'm so exhausted I can barely handle it anymore. So I decided this will start being my "Babywise Log." If I keep up with how every day goes maybe I can start to notice trends that are consistently messing up his schedule.
I know that what we're doing with his feeding/wake-time/sleeping routine is better than the alternative, but sometimes I just get frustrated that I can't seem to really ease into a comfortable rhythm. As soon as I start feeling in step, he wakes up thirty minutes early from his nap and the whole day is shifted.

But it's okay. I know that I eventually will reap the rewards of a well-trained child. But I am tired. I do know, however, that he will take some form of a nap even if it's only fifteen minutes of actual sleep-time and I can rest. I know other mothers don't always have that opportunity. So, here's how today went.
Last night was a terrible night. He woke up every 1.5 hours starving.
Our first feeding is usually between 6:30 and 7am, but today he woke up at 5. I fed him a small meal and put him back to bed until 7:30am. I woke him up, fed him, and usually I would keep him awake for this playtime, but I was so exhausted I just put him back to bed until 10.
We stayed awake for awhile, he played with his daddy for awhile while I cleaned up the kitchen and got ready for the gym. He slept in the carseat while I worked out, but woke up at 12:10 to eat instead of 12:30.
I fed him and then he lay on my bed while I cleaned out my closet before I put him to sleep. He cried for about twenty minutes then slept until 2:30. I fed him and we hung out for awhile, then I ran some errands. I put him down for a nap at 3:30 and he woke up at 5, starving. I fed him, we hung out for awhile in his room and then we were off to family dinner where he was held by family until 6:30--he then slept until 7:25, but self-soothed and went back to sleep until 7:45. He was happy with a pacifier, so I let him suck on it until 8:15 then I fed him.
He was happy and alert, not sleepy at all, so I let him stay awake until about 9:30 then he fell asleep for about fifteen minutes. I fed him the Dreamfeed and then put him to bed. He cried for approximately twenty minutes and is now fast asleep in his bassinet. I am not far behind him.
Let's hope I get a good stretch of sleep tonight. Babywise promises that babies will sleep through the night somewhere between 7-9 weeks. So I hope my Martin is closer to the 7 week mark, that would be this weekend.
Until tomorrow then...

Boring Post

So, here I am almost 6 weeks in and I'm exhausted. I don't know if it is the rainy day I'm experiencing, or if it is just utter tiredness, but I can't get out of this funk. I should probably just go to sleep with Martin after he eats this next time.
Today, I did accomplish something. I went to the grocery store, bought a comforter set for Martin's crib, annnd did some laundry. I also visited with my mom (twice) and drank way too much coffee.
I'm going to the doctor tomorrow for my 6 week check-up and I hope this means he will give me clearance to get back to all of my normal activities even though I don't quite feel up to anything today.
I'm eating healthier these days. I just ate shrimp, lima beans, corn, and an apple with peanut butter for dessert. I even managed to buy healthier food without going very far over my budget. I'm hoping eating mostly raw fruits and vegetables will help me lose the rest of this baby weight fairly quickly.

This is a very boring post.
In the next few days I'm hoping to try my hand at writing another short story, pick Middlemarch back up, and just sit in the quiet of my house while my baby boy sleeps. I haven't been fully enjoying the quietness of naptimes, but I really should take advantage of it.
Well, I'm back to the joys of Mommyhood.
JW

Exercise Among Other Things...

Today I did my first workout (real workout) since Martin came. I guess it was the total unfamiliarity I feel with my body after childbirth that made me hesitate when it came to working out. I couldn't really bring myself to do anything besides walking, which I don't think was a bad idea considering that I just gave birth a month ago. But nonetheless, I eased back into my old workouts today.
I didn't do much, just a little ab work, some push-ups, and fifteen minutes on the stationary bike. I'm going to wait to see what I feel like in the morning (soreness-wise), and decide how to proceed from there. I am so ready to be rid of these lingering few pounds. I am down 32lbs, and I just have a few left, but I know I won't get back to my pre-pregnancy body and fitness level without a lot of hard work. Don't be concerned, however, I am not rushing anything.
Well, my baby is crying so now it is time to go get him and shed a few ounces of weight.

Back to the Land of the Living

I'm back... well, I'm off the couch.
Today is Martin's one month birthday and I finally got moving. I kept getting motivated to start moving again, even just to clean up the kitchen or fold laundry, but thing after thing came up every week that would set my recovery time or sleep time back.
I was getting really frustrated about how long it was taking me to get back to my former energy level, and suddenly... today I was back.
I cleaned my kitchen (per Flylady instructions I shined my sink and swept/mopped the kitchen floor), I did two loads of laundry all the way to completion, had a devotion, and I took a walk with Marty in tow.

Martin loves to be awake. I'm attempting to do the Baby Wise program (which calls for a routine of Feeding time-Wake time-sleep time), but when I put him in his crib to take his nap this morning he just lay there looking at the ceiling and making noises. I love that boy so much I can't stand it. Needless to say, when I took him on a walk he fell sound asleep almost as soon as we set foot on pavement. It's okay, I'm nothing if not flexible.
Now he is sleeping soundly in his crib and I'm needing a cup of coffee... annnd I need to go to the grocery store so that we finally have some food in the house.
I guess that's all for today...
JW

The Heart of a Man Plans His Way (Part ll)

After the Pitocin began the contractions got increasingly more intense until I could barely stand it anymore. I knew labor was going to be difficult, but this was more mentally draining than anything else. I can handle pain, but this was wearing me down. I felt like little Martin would never come and my body wasn't making any progress which was the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal.
Finally, at 9:45pm, I was at 2cm and they could administer the epidural. At 11:00pm I was given the epidural and almost immediately I felt the effects.
I thought the epidural would mean a solid night's sleep, but complications arose despite my body being numb from the waist down.
Martin's heart rate began dropping with every contraction (still every minute), so they put me on oxygen to help control it, and I was flipped side to side every five minutes. After all of this my blood pressure started dropping to a dangerous 80/50, so I was put on more fluids to elevate it. I thought for sure this meant that I was going to be forced to have an emergency C-section.
It was in the wee hours of the morning and my mom had gone home earlier to get some rest. I texted her to let her know what was going on and she headed back to the hospital. In the time it took for her to drive down to the hospital, I progressed from 5cm-9cm. It was time to push!
By the time I was pushing my epidural had almost completely worn off. I started getting nervous about the pain I was about to experience, but at the same time I was excited to have control to push.
Pushing did hurt, let me tell you! But I have never felt anything so wonderful in all my life! I laughed as I pushed my baby into the world and I enjoyed every moment of it. It took 55 minutes for him to be delivered. I loved him the moment I laid eyes on him. There is nothing more beautiful in the whole world.

Nothing in this process went according to "plan," but it was all under the wings of my Maker, and I wouldn't have it any other way.