Heaven

A Clean Pair of Eyes

The swing's magic has not worn off.

Wednesday
In bed 12:30
Diaper change & bottle 2:30
Back to sleep 3:30
Up for the day 7:00

Thursday
In bed 11:30
Diaper change & bottle 2:30
Back to sleep 4:00*
Up for the day 6:00

Not too bad. When she wakes in the middle of the night she is easily put back to sleep. Also, she is actually going to bed rather than being up fussing/crying between 12 - 4am. Thank goodness.

*My kid will not go poop and pee in the same diaper. I am serious. If I change a pee diaper, no sooner do I slip the clean diaper under her and she starts to grunt and the poo starts flowing. So was the case on Thursday night. She actually went through 3 diapers for 3 separate bowel movements. I say she inherited that habit from the Chunn side of the family.

It is amazing what some sleep in the middle of the night can do for one's outlook on life. Even though I am still getting up every 2 - 3 hours, the fact that I am able to go to bed with Reagan makes all of the difference.

Worth Every Penny

Last night we went to Target and bought a swing. I'm not sure why it took us this long to get one, but on the advice from a co-worker we decided to give it a shot to help console Melita in the middle of the night since all she wants to do is be held at that time and all I want to do is be horizontal with my eyes shut.
OMG. This swing was well worth the $149.99 + tax. I got my first sleep without the 1am - 4am nightmares in 3 weeks:
In bed at 12:30
Diaper change and bottle 2:30
Back to sleep 3:30
Up for the morning 6:00

I can't believe it. She actually slept past midnight AND it only took an hour to change and feed her when she woke in the middle of the night. Why didn't somebody tell me about the power of the swing sooner? I have also noticed that with the re-sizing of the harness and the fact that she is getting more restful sleep (or so it seems) she actually is awake a little more during the day and we can actually play and have some fun.

I like to call this 'Melita as Thom Yorke with Blue Octopus.'

Mr Froggy Went A Courtin'

Melita is still in her harness. I was right and she had outgrown the current settings, so the doctor re-set them and we have a follow-up on July 3. Then 2 weeks after that she will have an ultrasound of her hip done and we will then find out the next course of action. Although, she seems to be a little more comfortable, I think she is sick of being stuck in one position and this is the source of her fussiness at the end of the day. The doctor did mention to us yesterday that some people believe that the position the harness forces the legs into causes colic! Although, Melita is the most fussy between 1am - 4am, she is not unconsolable. The minute you pick her up she stops fussing. Definitely not colic.

Last night I was at my breaking point with the early AM crying after I had tried for the ten millionth time to put her in her crib after she had fallen asleep in my arms, so I just let her cry. She was fed and dry and she wasn't bleeding anywhere, she just wanted to be held. Sure, I checked on her every 5 minutes or so. But I didn't pick her up. Today I feel terrible about it, but I need some sleep at night. It's fine to nap with her during the day, but in the evening I would like to chill with Reagan rather than head straight to bed when he gets home from work, so that I will be ready for her 3 hour crying fit. I worry about irreversible damage I may have caused by leaving a newborn to cry, but after a call to my mother this morning I feel OK about it. It was hard for me to do and I didn't sleep a wink through it, but it needed to be done. After about 30 minutes Melita did figure out how to comfort herself and she ended up sleeping for about 3 hours straight. Uninterrupted sleep she and I both needed. I'll try again tonight and hope that she goes to sleep a little easier.

Rubber Ducky You're the One

On Saturday, Melita's umbilical cord stump thing finally came off. This meant that on Sunday she got a REAL bath. No more sponge baths! I had a feeling she would like it since she would get slightly excited about merely being sponged off.

I can't believe she's growing up so fast.

Also, today I made an emergency appointment with the specialist. Our follow up appointment is this Friday to check the progress of the harness. However, Melita has been very cranky lately and trying to stretch her lower extremities to no avail. I did an experiment this morning and took off her harness and she immediately stopped fussing. I think she has outgrown it. She has gained over 2lbs since first being fitted two weeks ago. I'm guessing the doctor agrees with my assessment because he moved our appointment up to today. Let's hope we get to kiss the harness goodbye and our little froggy gets to be free!

Guilty

So, yesterday Reagan and I treated ourselves to our first outing together sans Melita. My parents agreed to watch Melita for a whole 5 hours while we indulged ourselves in whatever adult activity we wanted. We started with lunch at a semi-fancy restaurant that included adult beverages. We then went to a friends house and hung out by the pool and talked about everything that didn't include parenting and babies. And then for good measure, we popped into our local pub to do a shot before heading back home to resume our roles as parents. A couple of friends surprised us by coming over to keep the good times rolling. The evening ended early and Melita actually slept most of the night. But now, post-booze I feel guilty. Guilty for enjoying my childless self for a few indulgent hours. Guilty for imbibing and letting other people take care of my daughter. What kind of mother am I? I keep telling myself this morning that most certainly all new mothers feel this way after their first night out after baby is born but somehow I feel alone. It has to get easier.

Playing Catch-Up

For someone who has a newborn who really requires no maintenance besides feeding and changing with an occasional cuddle, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. At any rate, the last few days have been thankfully quiet.

On Sunday, Reagan enjoyed his first Father's Day. Melita and Bungy gave him some new boxers and he got breakfast in bed. Except that he was already up and showered by the time I got back from picking up his breakfast. Also, for some reason we don't have any photos from Father's Day. I'll blame it on the fact that we had MORE out of town visitors who wanted to see Melita and the day really didn't belong to us.

Monday we went back to the pediatrician where Melita tipped the scales at 8lbs 2oz. I was a little worried that she was bulking up too quick but the doctor was pleased with her progress and said to keep it up. Also, after measuring her head, the nurse commented that there was 'no way her head grew that fast' and re-measured it only to get the same results. No other explanation was given and so now I am little worried that my kids head is getting too big. I don't think it looks abnormally large but I'm starting to question what it is I think I know about babies. The doctor also checked Melita's hip and said that it feels tighter in the socket than before and thinks that we should be getting good news when we see the specialist on the 27th. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she's right.

Today, I popped into Wal-Mart to pick up bottles and formula and spent $60!!! I just don't understand. I purposefully go to Wal-Mart rather than Target so that I am not distracted by pretty stuff and end up walking out with more than I came for. Kids are expensive.

Lastly, in an attempt to show how much Bungy loves his baby, Reagan put Melita in her bouncy chair and walked her out into the middle of the backyard and waited to see what would happen.

Another photo of Melita and her new best friend:

PS Bethany don't worry about the blanket and the doll and the sleeping baby. One positive side to the harness is it prevents Melita from wiggling around when she sleeps :)

Dancing Queen

Yesterday, in a quest to ease Melita's fussiness Reagan put on the Devo radio station on Pandora. Melita boogied in her bouncy chair for a couple of hours without dozing off and without crying! Who knew my kid would end up liking 80's new wave?

Melita Loves Her Ugly Doll

A big shout out to Isla B. for picking out Melita's new friend. Although she is sleeping in this picture, seconds before she was gazing intently at him. I think she really does love him.

Mother and Daughter

As if there is really any question who Melita's mom is. This picture explains it all.

A Trifecta of Experience

At 2 days old, Melita was suspected to have a hip 'click' and we were told she had slight jaundice. The hip 'click' would require an appointment with a orthopedic pediatric specialist to fully diagnose and she was prescribed window treatment for her jaundice. We were discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. On Friday we had a follow up appointment with the pediatrician to assess the jaundice.

At 4 days old, we were told that Melita's jaundice had gone up to the point that she needed to be treated medically with a bili-blanket which is essentially a fiber optic blanket that is wrapped around the body and emits an ultra violet light. Reagan dubbed it her "Michael Jackson Hyperbaric Chamber."

Meanwhile, I had been breastfeeding Melita. When I found out her jaundice had gone up, our pediatrician recommended I see a lactation consultant a.k.a. La Leche Nazi to get help with the breastfeeding. The level of jaundice Melita had caused her to be very lethargic and fussy thus making feeding a nightmare. After trying for 45 minutes to get her to latch, she would then feed for about 4 hours on and off only to never be able to suck hard enough to get any sustenance. The decision was made to pump and supplement each feeding with formula until the jaundice was brought under control i.e. Melita pooped. My weekend was spent alternately putting Melita under her bili-blanket and pumping for 30 minutes in 2 hour increments. And anticipating our appointment with the orthopedic pediatric specialist on Monday. It was a looooong weekend.

On Sunday morning, after giving Melita her last ounce of breast milk, I made the decision to stop pumping. Honestly, at this point we had more important things to worry about than pumping breast milk. Reagan agreed with my decision and apparently so did my body. The minute I decided not to breastfeed/pump, my boobs immediately dried up. There was no engorgement and my boobs are actually the smallest they have ever been in my entire life. Of course, Reagan was the one to notice how small they had gotten. I sat back and (tried) to enjoy my first stiff cocktail in 32 weeks.

At 7 days, we learned Melita has hip dysplasia. It's not very common-only4 in 1000 births. But is treated very easily when discovered at birth. Melita will have to wear a Wheaton-Pavlov Harness that holds her hip into place while she grows for a maximum of 12 weeks. We have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks to check the progress. At that time, if things are looking good, she will only have to wear the harness when she sleeps. The harness makes everything look much worse than it is. Where we used to call Melita our little monkey, she is now undoubtedly our little froggy.


And so goes my first week of motherhood. I feel like I have barely had time to breathe yet I feel so different and excited and happy and in love. I never knew I could be so giddy even when working on 3.5 hours of sleep or that I would ever be okay with not keeping to a schedule. But I am. I think becoming a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me. It also helps that Reagan is the best husband /dad on the planet.

And Bungy, he is over the moon about Melita as she has quickly become his baby to take care of. He is constantly watching over her and is the first to rush to her side when she cries. When we go for walks, he insists on being right beside her stroller and is quick to let out a warning growl whenever anyone gets too close.
All in all we are doing okay and are looking to many more adventures.

Welcome to the World

Melita Corinne
6/02/08
7lbs 6oz
20 ins

OMFG I'm a MOM!

Here's how last weekend ended...


And this week began...