Let the Preparations Begin...

We've begun to make some changes recently in order to prepare for my return to work and for Lily's school debut. We've bought some daycare-friendly cloth diapers, crib sheets, a little laundry bag, sleep sacks, extra pacifiers and other odds and ends necessary for her time at school.

We have also started the process of transitioning Lily from sleeping in the bassinet in our room to the crib in her room. She has graduated to a larger size swaddler, and we purchased a nature sounds machine (thanks to Roger for the advice) for some background noise (she seems to like the "wind" setting). Last night was the first time Lily slept in her crib, and she did beautifully. She only woke up at 2:00 am and 6:30 am for changings/feedings and went back to sleep each time, sleeping from 8:00 pm to 9:00 am - a very successful night.

I am also trying to gather recipes that are either very fast or very slow (using the slow-cooker). I'm going to prepare a menu for dinners for the next 2 weeks - sticking with the adage "failure to plan is a plan to fail".

If it wasn't already obvious, I am trying to keep busy while soaking in every moment with Lily. So we have a very ambitious agenda this week: the movies today, a sing-along at a bookstore/cafe tomorrow, and a story hour at the library on Thursday. Hopefully, these activities along with nightly pep-talks from Carl and encouragement from friends and family will help me to keep my sanity this week and in the weeks ahead. Thanks to everyone for putting up with me while I go through this transition and experience the joys of "hurried woman syndrome".

Countdown to Work

So, I officially have 1 week before I go back to work, and the anxiety is beginning to set in. I'm nervous about so many things.
I only have 10 4-ounce bottles stored in the freezer. I'm sure that it will be okay, but I already feel behind in pumping. I am also just guessing about how many ounces to put in a bottle; breastfeeding doesn't really lend itself to precise measurement. I'm also guessing that she will need about 3 bottles while she's at school, but I really don't know for sure.
I'm probably most anxious about the time issue. I won't get home until around 6:20/6:30 pm. So how do you get dinner ready, do laundry, give her a bath, feed her, and get her in bed at a decent hour? Then, where is the time for me to do my things like work out or even update the blog?
Then there is the sleep issue. Now when she doesn't sleep well at night, it doesn't affect us as much because we can sleep in in the morning or catch an afternoon nap. Those days are soon to be gone. How do you function in the real world on 1/2 the required amount of sleep?
Then, of course, there is the issue of handing her over to someone else for the day. I know that I am lucky because I will still be in the same building that she's in, so I can check-in on her and be right there in case she needs me. But, the fact is that someone else will be her primary caregiver for 9 hours a day. That is a little hard to swallow.
I know that going back to work is good for professional fulfillment and for financial reasons, but I am just mystified at how this is all going to come together. I know that many, many women do this but I guess you just can't truly appreciate or understand it until you do it yourself.

Happy New Year!

Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Dog in the Chinese zodiac. Pretty much every year since Terra was born has been her year, but this year this is shaping up to be even better than the rest for her. Lily has taken to protesting when I talk, laugh, cough, sneeze or basically breathe wrong when I'm feeding her. She lets out a small but distinct wail as a warning the first time I do any of the above mentioned which can progress to louder protestations, depending on her mood. Terra has actually learned to capitalize on this situation. She knows that as long as I'm feeding the baby, I can't really yell at her. As a result, Terra gets away with barking, chewing on things that she knows are forbidden, and just being a brat in general without any fear of punishment (the dreaded harsh tone of voice). Below, you can see one of her most recent naughty escapades:

Terra, The Wonderdog

It is hard to see in this picture because the blanket is black, but Terra has managed to rip several holes in her blanket and completely entangle her right hind leg while putting her head and right foreleg through one of the holes. Notice the innocent look mixed with the plea for help.

I love my Great Grandma Murphy!

Mother - Daughter Moments

Growth Spurts and Sleep Deprivation

For the past few days, Lily just hasn't been herself. She hasn't slept for more than 2 hours straight at night, and we're lucky if we get in a 1 hour nap during the day. Naturally, she hasn't been a ball of joy while she's been awake. She has been what Carl and I affectionately call her during these moods, a "grumpy grumpster". We were naturally concerned about the cause of this recent change. The thermometer assured us of no fever. I haven't changed my diet recently, so not likely an issue with her food. No changes in environment or routine either. After talking it over with the nurse at the Pediatrician's office, we came to the conclusion that it is most likely a growth spurt.

It is funny how just knowing the probable cause of her grumpiness is so comforting even though there's nothing we can really do about it. I think the real solace is actually in the fact that we can't do anything about it. I would hate to think that she is uncomfortable for any reason and that there is something that I could have done to prevent it or could have done to make her feel better. With a growth spurt, we just have to ride it out and know that our typical, pleasant little Lily will return soon.

Lily's lack of sleep of course led to my own dose of sleep deprivation. This made life much more colorful over the past couple of days. Here are a few examples of mundane tasks that seemed near impossible to complete recently:

• Going to the grocery store. I had approximately 8 items on my list that I had written, yet I could not keep track of what I had gotten and what I still needed which resulted in circling the entire grocery store about 5 times.
• Making a phone call. After I went to get the Pediatrician's number (which was upstairs), I could not remember where I put the phone. I honestly looked for the phone for a full minute or two before realizing that it was in my hand.
• Doing laundry. Washing Lily's diapers is fairly easy: cold soak (no detergent), hot wash (with detergent), and dry. After many weeks of repeating this process, I just could not get it together enough to match the right temperature with the right setting.
• Speaking. Forming sentences requires being able to form coherent thoughts, and this just wasn't happening yesterday. Carl was talking about a group that he co-founded in college, the League for Environmental Awareness/Protection. And I said, "Oh yeah, LIFT." Even had I not gone to the same college as Carl and been there when he started this organization, a normal functioning person could have come up with the correct acronym - LEAP.

Luckily, growth spurts are short-lived, and I can already detect a difference in Lily's demeanor today. I think the sweet little girl that we know and love is beginning to peek through the altered version that we've experienced recently. We are hoping to have a pleasant weekend, especially because Lily's Granny Janny and Great Grandma Murphy have come all the way from Illinois and Indiana, respectively, to visit us. We are keeping our fingers crossed...Happy weekend to everyone!

The Lily Bug

Before we had Lily, I'd heard that pretty much no matter what you name your baby (aside from Gertrude or the like), you'll start hearing it everywhere. I cannot even tell you how many Lily's we have heard of since having our own Lily. The first one we knew about is in her class...that's right, in a class of six, there is another Lily. The second Lily we met was at her one month doctor visit. Not only was this Lily going to the same Pediatric practice as ours, but she had an appointment scheduled on the same day 1/2 hour before Lily's appointment. Then, I was watching the Today show, and they had the world's fattest baby on (weighing in at an enormous 14 pounds at birth). And, what do you think her name was? You guessed it...Lily.

Lily and I just returned from the movies for the Reel Moms Program (which I love, by the way) where we sat behind 2 moms and their 3-month olds. The babies' names? Nathan (my friend Jen's baby's name) and Lily. I just can't believe the prevalence of this name. These were just chance occurrences, so how many Lily's are actually out there? I knew that it was not a completely unique name, but come on!

I read in one book that Lily is more prevalent on the coasts, so my only hope is that when we return to the midwest, we won't hear it quite as often. I just don't want her to grow up being Lily D. in school, like all the Jennifers of my generation.

Best Friends

Before Lily arrived, we worried that Terra would become jealous since she was used to being the star of the show. But Terra loves Lily, and Lily is equally enamored with Terra. Terra loves to give Lily kisses on her ears and toes, and Lily could stare at Terra for hours. Terra always stays close by to Lily and when Lily cries, Terra looks at me as if to say "Are you going to do something about this?" They really are quite the pair. Even though I post a lot of pictures of Lily, you can always bet that Terra is right there with her. Case-in-point:

This is the picture you see...

...but this is the whole picture

Daddy and baby ready for a day out on the town.

Cutie Pie

On a Mission

Searching for that thumb...

Almost there...

I did it!

Hooray!!

A Day in the Life of Lily

This book is the coolest!

CAUGHT...in a Calgon moment

Daddy was on duty last night while mommy went out to dinner with co-workers.

Lily thinks daddy is the greatest!

2 Month Check-Up

Ready for her visit to the doctor. Little does she know...

Lily is 2 months old today, and so she had another doctor's appointment. She nows weighs 11 lbs. even and is 22 3/4 inches long, which puts her roughly in the 50th percentile for both weight and height. Everything went really well. She had three shots. I couldn't watch the nurse give them to her, so I just focused on Lily, talking to her and holding her little hands. I can't believe that she only cried for a couple minutes while we got her ready to go. By the time we walked out of the room, she had stopped crying. What a little trooper! (She must have a higher tolerance for pain than her mommy.) We won't have another appointment until she is 4 months old, but it looks like everything is right on track so far!

Lefty Lily?

Lily continues to suck on her hand and occasionally find her thumb. It wasn't until recently that Carl noticed that she strongly favors her left hand for this activity. After he pointed this out, I also noticed that she tends to lie on her left cheek while most babies prefer lying on their right cheeks. Nobody in our immediate families is left-handed, so this would be a first. Maybe her parents' political views have caused Lily to go left in multiple ways, who knows? Time will tell...

My Baby

Great Grandma Lillian

I think that Lily looks more like my Grandma Lillian (her namesake) than either Carl or me.

A Face Shot (for Ingrid)

Ingrid requested a baby picture that shows my face more. This is the best I have - most of my baby pictures are with my mom and dad. Lily's on the left; I'm on the right.

Survey Says...

We are often asked who we think Lily looks like. To me, she looks like her own little person with maybe a couple of distinctive family features. I think that she has her mommy's legs (based on baby pictures of me at her age) and she definitely has her daddy's curved toes (a feature from the Fiandt side of Carl's family). She also has features that we can't really attribute to anyone, like her very long fingers. Granted, it is still very early on in the game and time will reveal a lot more. But, I thought that I would post our baby pictures so that everyone can decide for themselves (Lily is on the left; I'm the top right picture; and Carl is the bottom right).

The 7-Week Skinny

Lily is 7 weeks old today and already she (and I) have changed so much. The following are some of the new things that our little pumpkin is doing these days:

• Sleeping: Lily's sleeping routine at night has pretty much remained consistent. She typically gets up twice per night for about an hour each time to eat, change, rock in the glider, and return to the bassinet. Not to say that this is always the case (like the past two nights) but that's the way it goes more often than not. However, the day routine has changed. Lily, as I suspect most newborns do, first slept and ate for the majority of the day with little time awake. Then her time awake increased, but she was pretty fussy. Now she seems to be transitioning to more time awake that is spent playing and looking around happily.
• Expressions: Lily has been a smiler from birth. Even during the first couple of weeks, she seemed to respond to people with fleeting smiles. Now there is no doubt that she is smiling in response to our interaction, and her smile is SO big, like she is absolutely overcome with happiness. She gave me one of those huge smiles this week when I went to pick her up in the morning, and it just made my day. Absolutely amazing.
• Sounds: Lily has begun to make her first sounds! It is so adorable. When we talk to her, she is totally fascinated and watches intently. Then she makes her own sounds - nothing really discernible yet - but it is so fun to hear her little coos. She also makes these sounds when she looks at the black and white photo of a baby face that is above her changing area; a very beautiful (albeit one-sided) relationship is definitely forming. Lily has also discovered a different kind of sound: screaming. Her cry thus far has been endearing, but now she has found her "you-will-feel-my-pain" cry. Still a little endearing (in small doses).
• Interests: The black and white baby photo gets top honors from Lily. Christmas tree lights, the Gymini, and her swing all run a close second. The dryer, dishwasher, and vacuum all receive honorable mentions.
• Awareness: Lily has been enjoying sucking on her hand for some time now. Recently, she discovered her thumb and has sucked on it three times now. Orthodontics, here we come!

Undoubtedly, everyone changes when they become a parent. Priorities definitely change, and you certainly have to redefine your standard for hygiene. But, here are a couple changes that I have experienced over the last 7 weeks:

• Increased confidence. Overall, I was fairly confident that I could become a mom and have fun in the process, but there were a few things that scared me. The main fears were: childbirth itself, breastfeeding, and cloth diapering. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle these things, but I've found that I survived childbirth, I'm tolerating breastfeeding, and loving cloth diapering. Who knew?!
• A greater appreciation of infants. I have to admit that I was not a "baby person" before Lily was born. I love children, but my main interest was in the 3-5 year-olds. I have much more knowledge and experience with this age group which probably contributes to my fascination and love of preschoolers. However, Lily has turned over a new leaf for me and has shown me how much fun infants can be. Now I find myself looking at all the babies whenever we are out - watching what they are doing, wondering how old they are, and what sorts of things Lily will be doing at their age.

So that's the 7-week wrap-up, for better or worse.

It seems like so many people in our lives have young children and even more are on the way. I thought that I would share some of their pictures with everyone. Boy, do we know some gorgeous children!

My sister, Suzanne and Tim's 17-month-old, Mary Mackenzie.

Carl's cousin, Roger and Nadine's almost-one-year-old, Lucy.

My friend from high school, Ali and Matt's little girl, Julia.

Our friends, Gretchen and Tiffany's toddler, Rachel Grace.

My friend, Jen and Aris' baby, Nathan, born Nov. 9th 2005. Jen was due in February '06 but an infection caused Nathan to be taken by c-section much sooner than expected. Unfortunately, Jen happened to be on a one-day trip to Chicago at the time and will not be able to return to Baltimore with Nathan until next month. However, mom and baby are doing quite well and Nathan now weighs 4 lbs. (compared to 2 lbs. 3 oz. at birth). We can't wait to see them!

Carl's friend from Rutgers, Angela and Leo's baby, Zachary, born 1/1/06

This is only a partial list of our friends' and families' little ones. This doesn't include my cousin Mark and Buffy's baby, Lauren; my cousin Andrew and Estelle's toddler, Gannon; or my friend, Bev and Tom's baby, Monica, only because I don't have updated pictures of them ;) Lily is one lucky little girl to have playmates across the country from New Jersey, Baltimore, Indianapolis, St. Louis, St. Joseph, MO and Newburgh, IN.

The Many Faces of Lily

Peaceful

Pensive

Playful

Intrigued

Amused

Happy

Not happy

It's a Wonderful Life

Carl and I knew that we would not be able to travel for the 2005 holiday triad (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years) with our little pumpkin in tow so we anticipated a bit of a lonely holiday season. We couldn't have been more off-base. In Lily's 6 1/2 weeks of life, she has met her Grandma Meyer, Grandma Deetz (Granny Janny), Grandpa Deetz, Aunt Angela, Aunt Ingrid, and Uncle Alexander. We just have to say that our families rock. We want everyone to know how much we appreciate them coming all the way to Baltimore to see Lily and to be with us for the holidays - it was the best gift we could have possibly gotten. And, we want to say a special thank you to Aunt Ingrid for allowing Carl and me to go on two dates while she was here - to see Hairspray (the musical) and Fun with Dick and Jane (the movie). Our first family travel plans are a trip to St. Louis sometime in the month of February to meet Lily's Pellerito and Meyer relatives, and we can't wait! Hopefully, a trip to the farm to see Carl's relatives will not be far behind. We will let everyone know when we nail down definite dates. Happy New Year to everyone!!