Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend! Saturday we went with our friends Scott and Amanda and their almost 1 year old Calvin to some of our favorite wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was a great day to get together, and it's amazing how much there is to talk about when it comes to having babies! Elsa has really changed in the past few days maybe the last week, from pooping every hour, to going 1-2 times a day. Her gas isn't as severe, and she has been sleeping pretty well, all the time! We have noticed though, in the evening when it comes time for me to go to bed and Jonas to take her, she starts to cry and we have figure that the reason is simply because she wants me to hold her. Well, now this can't work because I need to sleep, so somehow Jonas figures out how to calm her down. The latest trick I use is to put an item of clothing near her that I have worn so she thinks I am there, so I can get stuff done around the house. Elsa is also starting to make a lot more eye contact and give us little smiles here and there, she is so adorable. Jonas and I can't get over how cute she is, we definitely think she is the cutest baby ever! Here are some pictures

Update...

So it's been another week, they go by so fast! Some nights we sleep well and some we don't and it's just part of the first 100 days, which a friend of mine told me she calls " hell" and she is a very Christian girl, about to have her 5th baby. She stopped by yesterday and we talked about the GAS problems Elsa has, because her first son had it really bad too. She showed me the best way to burb, suggested I drink Tummy Tea, which I know works because I saw it work with her kids, and that driving at 3am with your kid in the car is sometimes the only way to get them to settle down and go to sleep, which I told her I did the other night. She also suggested mylicon drops, which I started using consistently in the last 18 hours, she still has gas but it doesn't seem to be quite as bad or last as long. I guess my feeling is that these things need to 100% solve the issue, but I don't think that is realistic.

Another Mother friend of mine I met at the Mommy and Me class I've been attending at Day One in Palo Alto, texted me, "can you believe how much stuff we have to keep buying!?" My response, it's because we are so desperate to sleep that we will try anything to get our baby to sleep! I think I will sell sugar water with a dropper bottle and label it "Sleep all night tonic, calms colic", and become a millionaire! Today at the class, Elsa had a huge blow out, and poop went up the front and out of her diaper into her shirt, gross. Luckily I had an extra outfit. So while I was cleaning her off and changing her diaper, I put her naked little body on the scale, and guess what, she is now 10.2 lbs! And that is after excreting everything in her bowels!

Anyhow, it's beautiful weather and with that comes long walks with our awesome bumbleride stroller. One day we go through the hills for a good workout and the next we go down to Chipotle for lunch and through downtown. The days go by fast and I am really looking forward to getting through "the first 100 days of hell," and by that time, Jonas parents will be here yipee!

Great News

We had an extra appointment for Elsa today with a different doctor to check on her weight. She weighs a whopping 9lbs 7 oz now! We knew she was getting heavier, and shes sooo long, that some of the 3 month size clothes pull at the feet already. The funny thing is these clothes are made for short fat babies, because there is so much extra fabric around the midsection. Costco is selling Hanna Andersson onsies not footed with a zipper, I love them because they are $13.99 at Costco (vs $32 at Nordstrom!)very narrow and have a zipper, win, win and no feet 3rd win, so she can wear them longer! But the bottom line is there is just no consistency between baby clothes brands and sizes.

The Doctor Elsa and I met with today was so awesome, his name is Dr Clark.  I was so happy to have met him. Not only is his wife Danish but his Mother In Law is the President of the Danish Women's Club around here. So we talked about Denmark and beer, and of course about Elsa. I told him I was over the breast feeding thing, that I have been pumping and am slowly weaning off of it, and going to formula and he was like that's fine, don't worry about it. He said " this is not the first decision she will make for you." That was an interesting thought, that Elsa has an opinion, ha! Anyhow, he was so matter of fact about it all, I felt much better about my decision and now I am surfing the internet for Gerber Good Start coupons!

I also saw my OBGYN for my post delivery follow up, I am only 7 pounds away from pre pregnancy weight. I guess that' is about 2/3rds of the way there, considering I only gained about 25 lbs. Obviously, the pumping helps burn calories so I need to start eating a little less and a little bit better than Pop Tarts and Eggo waffles, although they are so much easier to make when you have an infant crying to be held! Elsa is going through a developmental milestone right now I think. She hardly slept last night, and only wants to be held by Mommy. She is Clingy, Crying and Cranky all of this outlined in a book I am buying to see what is going on at these intervols of her life. It's called the Wonder Weeks.

Anyhow, I gave Elsa her first bath today, I think she liked it, she did not however, like the toweling off part! I think she was cold then.

Ok I'm exhausted and need to sleep!

Sing a song...

Elsa Elsa, please go to sleep! Elsa Elsa, please go to sleep....I just made up a song, telling her that I desperately need to pump and I can't hold her so to please go to sleep, please go to sleep! Mommy's Mastitis, is super duper painful, my boob will get cut off, if I don't pump right now, if I don't pump right now!! It's bright read and on fire, So Elsa Elsa, please go to sleep, PLEASE GO TO SLEEP!!!!! Holy crap the song worked...or the methodical pumping noise of my industrial sized hospital grade pump I rented.

This pumping thing will be done within the month, as sad as I am, I can't do it, hold my baby while she screams with gas or pooping pain(still trying to figure out how this suddenly came about) and pump on time, so pumping gets pushed back and back and I'm noticing production going down and it doesn't help with the Mastitis that's for sure!  Tried the Similac Organic formula, she NO likely, Gerber good start gentle seems OK, but I might try one of the samples I got for the colic/ gassy stomached baby. I've tried Mommy's Bliss Gripe water but it didn't do anything, unless you have to use it in every bottle feeding for a few days before you see results? But I didn't read that anywhere. My Mom comes over on Wednesdays since Jonas has a class at night and won't be home til 9pm or so, she thinks that the bottles are releasing too fast, even though they are the #1 for newborns. Elsa eats so fast, we are now both wondering if she is getting stomach aches from that, even though we burp her every 1oz. It just doesn't make sense because it just started in the past few days, I'm wondering if it is the dreaded colic that I heard comes around week 3. Luckily so far (knock on wood) she is not screaming continually, she stops when you hold her, hence why I can never pump! I've tried the boob over and over, and no luck. I'm over it. I just need to find the right formula for her tummy.

SLEEP and other things...

So, after ranting on in my previous post about breast feeding vs everything else, I have finally come to terms with it all. At the moment I am still pumping, which is getting painful and inconvenient. I have tried with nipple shied and without and she just fusses. She is not interested at all, she really likes the on demand flow of the bottle.  Last night my amazing husband took the whole night shift! I slept and I mean SLEPT aka OUT COLD from 7:30-2am! I pumped 7 oz at 2am, then pumped again at 6am, and got my normal 4.5oz. So I guess that big break didn't effect my output. In fact I have been freezing some milk, I am making more than she is drinking, I don't know how that's possible? She is drinking enough for her weight..hmmm Anyhow I've been thinking about trying out Organic Similac formula. I bought it before she was born "just in case." It is made with organic milks, so I could give her an ounce maybe to see how it effects her system and if she has a milk allergy. Although I can't understand if she does because her Dad and I blow through 2 gallons of milk from Costco every 10-12 days easily! I feel bad for people with milk allergies, too many of my favorite things are made with milk, like CHEESE! My taste buds are finally back to normal after 9 long months of not liking any of my normal foods. So I bought the biggest chunk of Manchego cheese at Costco the other day and 3 bottles of my favorite white wine. I tried to drink  a glass last night but yeah, was too tired and didn't want to dehydrate myself, boo =(


In Other News...her umbilical cord stump fell off yesterday and no I did not save it. It's kind of gross. This morning her Dad and I gave her a mini bath, Jonas thinks she really liked it, I'm not so sure....ok that's about it for now, enjoy some new pics!

Rock On!

Went to visit Bedstefar at his office

Sleeping Angel!

I was so happy to get these from family in Denmark! It means grandma and grandpas little girl!