And I Thought Bathing Suit Shopping Was Difficult

As of today my daughter is six weeks, four days, and nineteen hours old. 

There is no "size" for her age. There is newborn clothing and then there is three month clothing. And baby clothes are nothing like pads and tampons, the sizes are not standardized across brands. While a newborn onesie from Carter's might fit her, the Circo newborn onsie is too lose. Where Carter's onsies are longer and narrower, Circo onsies are shorter and wider (meaning they might never fit!). 

It's a tricky game, baby clothes shopping. And how do you know what size they'll fit in come November? Sure, you want to buy that adorable turkey dress for Thanksgiving, but technically she'll be almost four months old, so will she really fit in a three month dress? Shoot, I bought turkey pajamas on clearance this past spring and they might not fit her then because boy is she a long baby. 

Shopping for a bathing suit is nothing compared to buying baby clothes, hoping and praying you're not wasting money on something your little one might never fit in to. Because if you're anything like me, the thought of buying stuff in multiple sizes and attempting to tug the tiny little onesies on and off baby's sweet little head is horrifying. Not only does the baby scream as you gently tug that itty bitty onsie over her head, but the screeching only gets louder as you struggle to get her wiggly little arms through the holes and navigate the snaps on the bottom. The thought of trying all that only to see if something fits, not to actually wear the item, is just crazy. 

At least with bathing suit shopping you don't hear screaming from the fitting room . . . hopefully. 

Less Sleep = More Life?

Slowly, very slowly, Helen is developing a sleep pattern. Not the best pattern, but a discernible pattern.

But, whoever said newborns sleep eighteen hours a day never met Helen. Somehow she just doesn't need that much sleep. Between naps and nighttime she probably sleeps eleven hours a day. Which is not that much . . . J and I both love sleep, so you'd think we'd have a sleepy baby. I swear, if I hadn't pushed her out of me I'd think she was someone else's baby.

But hey, when you sleep fewer hours you live more life, right?

The Land of the Living: Are We There Yet?

I woke up this morning after a very sleepless night feeling awful. My husband left for work, I fed Helen for a bit longer and she went down for a morning nap around 9:30.

It was only then that I looked in the mirror.

Eesh.

I am counting the days until Helen sleeps more through the night and eats less so I can permanently re-join the land of the living. Sure, I've taken a few day trips there in the past six weeks, but have never stayed overnight.

So today begins my countdown . . . though how I cam countdown when I don't know the end point is beyond me.

My One Pregnancy "Must-Have"

Every mommy-blog I've ever read includes a list of pregnancy "must-haves." While I found some of these lists to be helpful, I'm not going to write my own. Because there is one item, and only one item, I think is a true must have.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter.

Buy it. Use it. Love it.

Slather is over your butt, belly, boobs, and thighs and thighs after every shower. And if you don't shower every day, put it on that day anyways. Sure, everything you'll read about stretch marks indicates there is more to it than just wearing lotion every day. Many will tell you that your genes, the amount of exercise you do, the general condition of your skin when you got pregnant, etc. can contribute to the appearance of stretch marks.

Well, I didn't really exercise regularly before pregnancy. And my sister and I have the same genes and she had a ton of stretch marks and I don't.  Other than a few on my butt and two on my boob I am free and clear.

Why?

Because she did not apply cocoa butter every day. Maybe I was a bit of a nut about the whole thing, and I have always been a habitual lotion-er because I have dry skin, but I will sing the praises of cocoa-butter to anyone who will listen.

Characteristics of a Four Week Old Baby

Things I've learned about Helen in just 4 weeks:

- The act of pooping is the worst. She cries while pooping and then once it's out, bam! Whole new woman.
- A wet diaper (from pee) is the worst. The worst.
- Helen likes The Ugly Duckling, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Pride & Prejudice
- Sleeping on her belly is her preferred way to sleep, SIDS be damned. Even better? Sleeping on her belly on daddy.
- Helen is a little lukewarm on the whole pacifier thing . . .
- She can already hold her head up pretty well. If only it wasn't so dang heavy!
- J and I are confident she will crawl pretty early. Sure, we might be biased, but she already kicks her legs so much and actively tries to push against whatever she's laying on. Sometimes when I get her up from napping she has kicked so much she's actually rotated her little body around in a half-circle.
- She eats as if it's her last meal. Every. Time.
- She is totally okay with being fed from a bottle. Which is so reassuring to this soon-to-be working again Momma.
- She snores ever so slightly, just like her Momma :-)

Mom & Baby: An Outing

So Friday morning rolls around. It's time for my four week check up at the OB. Helen and I are headed out of the house together, just the two of us, for the first time. We'd driven places already, but only with Daddy at the wheel. Suffice it to say, Momma was a little nervous.

But we made it! Out of the apartment, in to the car seat, to the office, out of the car, in to the stroller, in the waiting room, in to the appointment room . . . all without even waking from our morning nap. Doctor comes in, we chat for a bit, and just before getting to the exam portion of the program, we burst in to tears because we peed our pants (did I mention Helen hates to have a wet diaper?).

Luckily my doctor's sweet nurse came in and held crazy pants while we he finished up.

After changing Helen's diaper I got her back in the car and made it over to work without any incident. Then we swiftly turned our paperwork in to the HR office, visited with friends who wanted to meet Helen, and proceeded to get all strapped in to the car and head home.

And then.

Key.

Ignition.

Turn.

Nothing . . . the car wouldn't start.

I was able to get jumped after calling J and the security office at work. I just thank my lucky stars I was at my office with plenty of helpful, nice people who know me to assist. There I was with a four-week-old baby and car that wouldn't start. Replacing the battery is another story . . . as is the hole in the muffler of our other car we discovered that night. When it rains, it pours, right?

You'll Miss This When They're Bigger . . . Um, No, No I won't.

Everyone and their mother (and my mother) has said some reiteration of "you'll miss the newborn stage!"

Um, no. No, I definitely won't. I didn't like roommates in college who think midnight to three a.m. is the perfect time to be awake. I certainly won't miss a ravenous little baby who thinks 3 a.m. is playtime. I don't care if she's awake to eat at night or because her diaper is dirty, but just wanting to be awake? Eeeeek.

Being awake during those hours has given me new perspective on kids and family. I might max out after two of these little buggers . . . as cute as they are. I am sure my struggles are small compared to some (every new mother has her battle), but man if this doesn't change my whole "wanting a big family" shtick.