Things I love - 1 month edition

I've seen other moms do this, so I'll jump on the bandwagon.

A few things that have made my first month manageable (and enjoyable, even!)

The Boppy pillow.  Usually I use it for setting David in when we're on the couch and watching TV, but it makes for a really easy way to nurse him, too.  It's definitely saved my back from being in too much pain from either hunching over or holding him up with one arm.

Thanks to this lanolin, my nipples are intact and are in fairly good shape (sorry if that's TMI for some of you!).  This stuff works wonders.  As do these:

These make it so I don't have to change my shirt 10 times a day.  Although I change them about 5 times a day and have gone through almost 3 boxes so far.

The ring sling.  I can do just about anything hands-free with this.  Even feed the kid, see?  Yes, I realize most of these items are breastfeeding-related but that's what takes up probably 75% of my days.

Finally, my phone:

My Blackberry died about a week after D was born.  My fabulous BFF Ashlee sent me this (she upgraded to an iPhone, tech savvy girl that she is!) and it's been AWESOME.  Especially during those late night feedings - I can use Facebook and post on The Bump while little man is pigging out.  It's about the only way I can stay awake at 2:30 AM when he's hungry.  Thanks Ash!

1 month

David was 1 month old yesterday.  Where does the time go??

Whoa, Mom... do something with that hair, will ya?

All in all it's been a great month.  We've had family and friends over to meet the little guy, he's been sleeping in 4-hour stretches at night which is GREAT for SP and I, and he's learned to love the ring sling so that we can get out of the house and be productive during the day.  He's still a little piggy - he eats around the clock during the day, and he's gaining weight like crazy which is exactly what his doctor wanted.  He's not such a great napper, unless he's laying in bed with me - then he could sleep all day.  Which is fine, some days I don't really need to get out of bed anyway.

Yesterday, we went to the local farmer's market.  We had to make it an early and short trip because it's summer here in Louisiana and my a/c isn't working in the Camaro (of course!).  I had my "mother of the year" moment on Friday when we took SP's paycheck to the bank, we were gone all of 15 minutes and by the time we got home, David was not only screaming at me from the backseat, he was bright red and sweating like crazy.  Naturally, I freaked out and simultaneously held him next to the open freezer while holding a thermometer under his arm (temp was fine).   And then I cried for being such a horrible mother and (almost) overheating my child, and so he got his favorite treat (the boob) and we napped for 4 hours.  Anyway, back to the farmer's market.  I used the ring sling to carry him so I could have my hands free to taste all the delicious goodies they had there, and man was he a rockstar!  Everyone wanted to come see the little baby (and no one tried to touch him, which was cool), and everyone thought the sling was the neatest thing (one guy about my age said, "dude, that is the coolest thing ever - I want to be carried like that all day!).  I usually take $40 with me, and I made out with 3 jars of jelly, a loaf of banana bread, and a big bag full of veggies for $21.  I need to shop there more often!

Snug as a bug.  And a way-too-big hat.

Today is Sunday, which means SP is off work.  Unfortunately, once he wakes up he's going to have to go to Home Depot and get some insect spray for the house.  I wanted to take a bath last night with the baby (it's way easier to do it that way!) but of course, my bathtub was full of ANTS!!  Big ones!  Coming out of the ceiling and into the tub!  So, that needs to be fixed asap.  (We ended up taking a bath in the guest bathroom, after I washed remnants of our termite swarm down the drain - ugh).  I should probably scrub the bathrooms down today, too... but let's not get too ambitious.

Quick! While the baby is asleep!

Well, this last week and a half has gone by so fast!  All of our help is gone and it's just been David and I at home during the day since last Tuesday.  The first two days were rough, we spent all day long in bed nursing non-stop (the 3-week growth spurt, I assume, is the culprit!).  It really wasn't horrible, but I got nothing done around the house and it's amazing that I even was able to break away to eat for a few minutes a day.

This week things are a bit easier.  David is napping longer so today, I managed to take a shower, dry my hair (which hasn't been done in months practically), start AND finish a load of laundry, and run the dishwasher - and as I'm typing this, he's still out cold!  Naturally, my mommy instinct causes me to get up and check on him every 5 minutes.  And he's just so darn cute when he's asleep!

This is a "food coma"

 

As far as David's progress, he's growing way too fast.  He gained 2lbs in 2.5 weeks.  He grew 2 inches in 3 weeks.  He's fitting into outfits that were too big 2 weeks ago.  He's getting even chubbier cheeks and thighs (you're welcome, little guy).  We still haven't decided who he favors more, so far he's a pretty good mix of both of us.

This week, my goals are to:
1.  Walk every day, starting with the stroller and graduating to the Moby or ring sling
2.  Practice every day with the Moby or ring sling.  We've done a few minutes in each one a few times, but D still isn't 100% content to hang out in one for a long period of time.  These will save my sanity if he learns to love them!
3.  Be diligent with the pump.  D is going to be babysat by my mama when I'm in a wedding in a few weeks, and so far all I've managed to pump is 4 oz a day.  That's not quite one feeding for him.  So I need to up my supply a bit so I'll be able to leave enough with Mom, especially since I'll only have 2 days to pump pre-wedding!

D only wakes up once or twice at night, so I'm plenty well rested.  He's napping better during the day, so I've had time to read some books on the Kindle and catch up on TV shows online.  If we can keep that pattern up, I'll be able to do this SAHM thing for awhile :)

Finally, some random pictures of the little man, because he's just too darn cute!