Six good things.

[rivka]

1. Alex had her two-week pediatrician check-up today. In the six days since her last weight check at the ped office, she's gained 5.5 ounces, which is great! So we no longer have to suffer through multiple weekly weight checks - just a follow-up at the end of this week with the lactation clinic, and at the end of next week with her pediatrician. He says that if she continues to gain well at that visit, we can discuss "liberalizing her feeding schedule," which I think means not having to set the alarm to feed her at night. (Right now I wake her up to eat every 3.5 hours at night - she usually eats at 10:30, 2, and 5:30. I bet she would go longer if I let her.)

2. Everything else at the ped visit looked great. Her hips have now been checked four times, and passed with flying colors each time. He admired her "great muscle tone," and her progress in holding up her head. The poor thing did have to get her heel stuck for the repeat PKU test, but at least there were no shots today. (I'm already dreading the two-month visit with its four vaccines.)

3. I finally figured out how to get the Maya wrap sling comfortably adjusted, which bought me the luxury of making myself an elaborate lunch and eating it in a leisurely fashion. Mmmm, homemade chicken salad with feta cheese and ham in a pita. And pretzels and carrot sticks and grapes and Carr's extra-dark chocolate cookies. Which is an especially good thing given that I weighed myself at the pediatrician's office, and if his scale is accurate I've lost nine pounds since leaving the hospital twelve days ago, which is probably not a very healthy rate. I'm five pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight, which would be fine under most circumstances but probably isn't if it's happening because I'm too preoccupied and tired to eat right.

4. Michael's birthmother is staying with us this week. And cooking! And cleaning! She drizzled pears and apples with olive oil and rosemary, baked them, and served them over vanilla ice cream, and they were amazing. Maybe I should go have some right now. And when she wakes up from her nap, we're going to take Alex out in the stroller for the first time.

5. I stopped bleeding yesterday, yay.

6. Just when I needed a reminder that there's more to me than breastmilk, I got it from an unexpected source. I was talking to my dad on the phone, and in the middle of a deeply technical discussion of what constitutes "failure to thrive" in a breastfed baby (according to him, much more than was ever wrong with Alex) he asked me, "Are you keeping up with the news? Are you going to get back to 'blogging'?" (When my father says "blogging," you can definitely hear the quotation marks that mean, "Dig it! I'm hip to the slang you crazy kids use.") "I want to," I said, "but this feeding program is incredibly time-consuming, and I just don't have the chance to get caught up." "Well, the world needs you," he said. Awwww, Dad.

Comments

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

Awww...

Yay for thriving, and also yay for non-mom things.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

"Well, the world needs you," he said.

Aww indeed.

Three other good things

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

1. Your dad is adorable.

2. I'm very glad to hear that things are going well with Michael's birthmother's visit!

3. Here's to eating well!

-J

P.S. Are you taking pictures? Can we maybe see some? (Like, maybe one in the stroller?)

Re: Three other good things

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The baked fruit and rosemary made me think of you, because I know how you feel about spices and ice cream. Rosemary works very well indeed.

I have some pictures in the camera, but I should take more. Thanks for the reminder. I'm also trying to decide if I am brave enough to photo-document my 36J figure.

What makes the thing with my dad even sweeter is the fact that his vision is so awful. He doesn't read very much these days, so it bowls me over that he reads my blog.

Re: Three other good things

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's tremendous. Go, dad.

-J

Re: Three other good things

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

P.S. Are you taking pictures? Can we maybe see some? (Like, maybe one in the stroller?)

My first thought upon reading this was, "Why would Rivka be in the stroller?"

My second thought upon reading this was, "Would she even fit?"

My third thought upon reading this was, "Maybe those 36Js need more support than I first imagined ..."

[txanne.livejournal.com]

Yay Rivka, yay Alexandra, yay Rivka's Dad!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

*smile* Six wonderful things indeed.

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

Huzzah! I'm so glad to hear things are going well for all of you!

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Well, I quite agree with your dad, as the e-mail I recently sent should tell you. (If you didn't get it, I don't have your correct e-mail address. If you did, and haven't had time to answer, as I said in the letter, don't worry.)

Hah. I was thinking "how could I explain how good it is to see Rivka explain something?" I came up with

"Imagine you're in a sappy Christmas movie, and for some ridiculously contrived reason, the orphanage will be shut down if a delivery of toys is not made in the next few hours. When you say "Well... I suppose it's time to call in a favor my friend owes me." "Your friend?" "Yeah, my friend, Nick. Niklaus, in the original German."

Anyway, when you say that, and people have a dawning realization that this is a Santa Claus movie, and the main part of the battle is clearly and obviously won, because, face it, Santa Claus, failing to make a toy delivery? Never happen! well, that's the same feeling of confidence you get when you hear Rivka's going to explain things.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

I know how time consuming babies are, so no pressure, but your Dad's right. : )

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Hoorays and happiness all around.

Re. the MIL - it's interesting how even annoying relatives can be welcome when they're doing things like cooking and cleaning.

Re. slings - very cool - you know how much I love mine, so I hope it works out equally well for you. Liam still rides in it pretty much everyday. And in the last couple/few months he's started getting really excited when he sees me putting it on, because he knows it means we're going out.

Re. bleeding - If you find that you start bleeding again in the short term, it's probably a sign that you're doing too much and you should slow down and take it easy. In India you'd stay in bed, be fed special foods and be massaged daily until 40 days had passed - that's how long they consider appropriate for recovery!

Re. vaccines - I think you get all four in one shot. Maybe two. So that should help. Don't know what technique your ped uses for giving shots, but mine has a little toy that with lights and music. Mom (or dad) holds the baby, and pushes the button that turns on the toy to distract the baby just as the doctor gives the shot. It's over before they've even realized what just happened. This seems so much more humane than the stories I've heard about nurses holding the baby down in the table for the injections, so I thought I'd share it.

[ailbhe]

Yes, here we hold the baby on our lap for jabs, *and make sure we're not alone the rest of the day* because being alone with a slightly feverish baby in the early stages of motherhood can be very draining. Folks from my antenatal classes sat with each other for these days and it worked beautifully.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Most of moms I know who vaccinate have been fortunate that their babies mostly get sleepy rather than fussy following vaccinations. They don't seem to bother Liam much, thankfully.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Re. the MIL - it's interesting how even annoying relatives can be welcome when they're doing things like cooking and cleaning.

Oh no, this is the good mother-in-law. The one you're probably thinking of is Michael's stepmother, and if she were cooking for us you wouldn't see me raving about it.

Re. bleeding - If you find that you start bleeding again in the short term, it's probably a sign that you're doing too much and you should slow down and take it easy.

I am trying to do very little besides eat, sleep, and feed the baby. Today was perhaps a bit too ambitious, what with the pediatrician visit and the walk. But yes, I've gotten this same advice from my midwife and my childbirth instructor.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Good for you and for her on the feeding! And for the stroller-walk - we're planning our first tomorrow...

[ailbhe]

Yay! Hurrah for thriving and no need to worry. And congratulations on the proper lunch; I am *still* using a list on the kitchen door with "breakfast, lunch dinner" on it, so I can check if I've eaten enough or at all. Trail mix - it's not just for gestation!

Also, lochia can start up again when you start to do things but it's not necessarily a bad thing if it's, you know, not vast amounts. ("If you're bleeding a normal postnatal amount, there's no need to worry." "This is my first pregnancy and birth, you nutcase bookwriting vague - oh, it's a man in a white coat. Hm." etc, but even so...)

I am *so* hip to your Dad's crazy kids. And grandkids. *splorf*.

I know - breastfeed in public somewhere and blog about it. Politics and motherhood! Perhaps it would need to be done in Texas for best effect, though. I'm not sure. In a RC church! It's acceptable where I come from.

Hm.

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

Just a great big round of applause for your support system, whether it's the bmil or your dad or the other women online who give you good info. You deserve good things and you're getting some now and that's GREAT.

And yay, 5 ounces!!!

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Hooray for six good things!

[edschweppe.livejournal.com]

Tremendous news all around! Especially that Alexandra is gaining weight, and you are gaining support.

Oh, and your Dad's right; not only is there much more to you than just breastmilk, but the world does need you. Just so you know, I've got Respectful of Otters (http://respectfulofotters.blogspot.com/) set as the first of my "Lefty Blogs" tabs in Firefox.

[minnaleigh.livejournal.com]

Yay for all the happy things!

When things have settled down and the timing works for you, I want to come meet your daughter and visit with you.

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

I'm envious. I cannot imagine either of my parents ever saying anything even remotely cool as that to me.

Eat more. No, more than that. You're feeding 2 people now; while you've been doing that for 9 months already, she's more active now and needs more food. So have some more chicken salad and another dessert.

MKK

[jmhm.livejournal.com]

Not that you shouldn't eat well and fully, but breastmilk is very high in calories and you're producing it, which may be where some of the weight is going.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they tell me that a nursing mother needs 500 extra calories a day. Damn.

I did notice that my appetite increased dramatically when I started pumping. That was my first clue that she really wasn't getting enough food before.

[mcduff.livejournal.com]

The world does need you. I haven't known what to think about anything since Otters stopped updating as much!

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Alex is gaining weight!

Down here, we were concerned, although we believed that you would work it through.

A friend of mine who has given birth recently and is, ahem, "well-built" recommended something called the "cross-cradle hold" and suggested you ask the lactation folk about it if they haven't talked about it. It might not be appropriate, but it might also work for you.

Anyway, much rejoicing and happiness in this neighborhood.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Yay for pudgy cheeks. And no wonder you're losing weight, you're manufacturing food.

And laurabel had her Abigail yesterday.

[elusis.livejournal.com]

You are a fine mother. You have a fantastic dad (and partner). And you are apparently eating great food.

You get an A+++++++.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Hooray for all good things!

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

So glad to hear your news!

[xopher-vh.livejournal.com]

Yay. And I like your dad. He's right, btw.

[lisajulie.livejournal.com]

Oh, and apart from general well-wishes, there is starting to be a modest (*cough, cough*) pile of books for Miss Alex. It is only a small start, but I am having a wonderful time finding them.

Thank you for this opportunity!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It's so kind of you to have done this! I really am very excited about it. We'll have to get together sometime so you can read to her. :-)

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I'm woefully behind in LJ (but I plead the excuse of a visiting Lioness - who, by the way, is very much hoping you're up to a brief visitor when her Expotition reaches Baltimore, about which you will no doubt hear), but I wanted to pop in and add to the chorus of universal "yays."

Your dad is, of course, right. But Alex needs you, too, and the world can wait.

[lcohen]

so far behind. *big smoochy hug* and an awwww, for your dad.