Sleep

Sleeping. Napping. Dozing off. Getting some zzz's. Pulling a Rip Van Winkle. SLEEP! I dream of getting some sleep. Actually, I hardly dream at all any more because I can't get enough sleep! And the one time I DID dream, it was that horrible one where I've been missing class all semester (in this instance, Geometry) and when I finally show up we've got an exam I didn't know about. How unfair is that!

My little angel, shown here in a rare moment of repose, started out being a good little sleeper (2-3 hours at a time). But recently she has only been sleeping 45 minutes to an hour tops, unless she's held in someone's arms. 45 minutes at a time is not nearly enough... by the time I fall asleep she's awake again! I've become a walking zombie.

In the hope of her and I getting more sleep, I've ordered the Amazing Miracle Blanket. According to the website, this blanket is supposed to "help fussy babies sleep great". I've read about this blanket on various parenting forums, and people rave about it, claiming their babies slept all night with the first use. I'm not asking for all night, Isabel, just 2, maybe 3 hours tops!!! I wish I'd chosen overnight shipping on that blanket. I hope it lives up to the hype!

Four weeks old

Today is Isabel's 4 week birthday! We haven't measured her yet but she looks and feels a lot bigger. Her lungpower has definitely increased too!

I was mulling over how the first 4 weeks with her have been, and I think motherhood is both easier and more difficult than I thought it would be. The difficult part is obvious; why did I think I would be immune to sleep deprivation? Taking care of a baby is hard work, and my grumpiness at being woken from a deep sleep is the stuff of legend.

So what's easier than I thought it would be? Well, I've never had that "maternal instinct". When someone would point out a cute baby at a restaurant, my response would be to shrug my shoulders and continue chowing down. I was worried about how I'd respond to my own baby. I was sure the doctors and nurses at the hospital would be able to tell I was a fraud and not let me leave the hospital with Isabel. I shouldn't have been concerned though; loving her is the easiest and most natural thing I've ever done. I felt like "a mom" as soon as I held her. Of course, there are times when I'm overwhelmed, grumpy, and desperate for a full night's sleep. But hey, what new mom isn't?

New pictures

http://public.fotki.com/pandojc/isabel_12706_to_21506/

Didn't I forget something?

I finally have a few minutes to write about a major part of this whole process... the labor & delivery. I think I must have had one of the most ideal experiences possible. I was already at 5 or 6 centimeters when I went in to get induced, so I skipped what for most women is a long and painful ordeal. Yay me! So here's the play-by-play breakdown (I'm not sure if I used that durn sports vernacular correctly...) Big props to Kyle for taking such accurate notes.

7:00 AM Check in to the hospital
7:30 AM IV is put in and pitocin is started. Pitocin is an artificial hormone used to start labor.
7:45 AM Contractions have started, but Yay me! again, I don't feel any pain! I can feel the muscles contracting and loosening, but it doesn't hurt at all. At this point, I was really glad they induced me because I wouldn't have known I'd gone into labor since I was in no pain.
9:10 AM Kyle and I start a game of dots to pass the time. Painless labor rules! I am a superwoman! Epidurals are for wusses!
9:20 AM Dr. Paul breaks my water using an amniohook. Immediately I start being able to feel pain with each contraction. Ouch! I am a wimp! Epidurals are a miracle!
10:20 AM Epidural is put in. I went through an hour of real labor. Been there, done that. Now take my pain away!
10:43 AM A little scare. The baby's heartbeat dropped, and suddenly there were two doctors and two nurses in the room. They had me get on all fours and put an oxygen mask on me. They also put in an internal monitor to better track the baby's hearbeat. After a few minutes of this, her heartbeat was back to normal.
12:44 PM Dr. Paul examines me and says I am completely dilated.
1:05 PM Time to start pushing! This goes on for some time. There's no pain thanks to the epidural, but pushing is hard work. Kyle helps out by holding my back up (he complained of tired arms!). The nurse also had him pull one end of a sheet while I pulled the other - this was to help me focus my pushing.
2:00 PM We all decide to turn off the epidural so I can better feel what I'm doing. The pushing hasn't been that effective so far.
2:30 PM Dr. Paul comes in to deliver the baby.
2:34 PM Hello Isabel!!!!!

I know how cliche this is, but when they handed her to me I burst into laughter and tears. I couldn't believe I'd really been carrying this beautiful little girl inside me. It still makes my eyes water to think of it. We're so glad she's here!

Typical day

Isabel is kindly giving me a few moments to describe a typical day as a new mom. Activities like writing a post for this blog, showering, even using the bathroom, have become luxuries, not rights. I am routinely covered in baby puke, and at least once daily I am pissed and/or shat upon. Since I am breastfeeding Isabel, the aforementioned shit is a delightful shade of neon orange which has so far defeated all attempts to remove it from clothing. I try to sleep when she sleeps. However, she's taken to making odd sounds during her sleep (kind of a cross between a hiccup and hocking a loogey) which terrify me by making me think she's going to pull a Hendrix and choke on her on vomit. So sleep is something of a luxury now, too.

Luckily, she is so damn cute. She looks up at me with those big eyes and when she has gas she seems to smile in the most wonderful way. I guess I'll keep her for a few weeks more, so I can see what her real smile looks like. It better be cute, kid, or I'm shipping you back to the maternity ward!

First post as a mom!

Isabel Alexis Keeper was born at 2:34 PM on Monday, January 23rd. Since her arrival, I've been too busy to post anything until now. More details about her first two weeks will follow soon, but for now I just wanted to jot down a few thoughts. First, my completely unbiased opinion is that she is the most beautiful baby ever. Having her here has been wonderful, exhausting, and all-consuming. I think about her all day long and see her face when I close my eyes at night. This is my first week at home alone with her and it hasn't been nearly as scary or overwhelming as I feared it would be. We're slowly settling into a routine and learning about each other. I can't believe Kyle and I created something so perfect!