The Two Stages

Yesterday, my friends, was a rough one.  Despite what the lovely Danielle told me in the hospital (she's the lactation consultant who I wanted to become real friends with, despite her references to my "equipment"), it seems that what I eat does have an effect on baby girl.  I'm guessing the culprit was pineapple, although it could have been the caffeine I had for the first time, or the Easter candy I've been downing by the fistful... either way, all three things are currently on the banned foods list, because there is no price to steep to avoid another yesterday.

Clearly, girlfriend hasn't been put off from eating all together...

So many tears.  And baby girl doesn't have functioning tear ducts yet, so... yeah, it was me.  The sound of your baby's pain, sadness, or whatever she was trying to tell me... totally undid me.  Like, totally.  In a "woe is me, I am undone" sort of way.  With crying.

But today, today is a better day.  Today, girlfriend has got her nap on, she chilled in her bouncy seat some, and I'm pretty sure I saw a smile, all before 9.  This new baby business, it's full of highs & lows.  Part of my dysfunction has been imagining that one day's events totally dictates the next 100 days.  If she doesn't sleep today during what I've dubbed her "nap time" then she's never going to sleep again.  If she does sleep, and puts herself on a tight little 4-hour schedule like clockwork, I get my hopes up that we'll be doing that until she's grown enough to sleep longer.  Basically, I'm nutso.

Baby Must Haves :: Hospital Edition

Hello, world!  It's been just over two weeks, and I'm slowing emerging from the fog that belongs to every sleep-deprived new parent.  Right now, my blessed MIL is here, which ups my time spent sleeping quite considerably.  It's fabulous.  That's pretty much the sole reason I have enough brain cells functioning to be able to write coherently.  Or whatever passes for "coherence" here at G&M Things.

Baby girl is doing peachy.  She spends most of her time "swelled like a tick" as her daddy puts it.  Girlfriend puts a new spin on the label "good eater", as she gained over 2x the recommended weight her first week home...  Some of you have asked for the birth story, and I'll probably write it, just for posterity, but not today.  Today is just a quick how-do-you-do and a short list of things that moms-to-be might want to have handy when they go to the hospital.

It struck me, a few days after getting our gal home, that we had prepared SO MUCH, and yet were still so unprepared.  I don't think having this list would have changed things, but I love a good list, and so here it is - my "What I wish/am glad I had at the hospital" in the "under $100 category".  I've seen some lists of "New Mother Must-haves" whose individual items cost more than my car payment.  This is not one of those lists.  Its a modest little list, but it's my list and I love it.

Tervis Tumbler.
Get you a nice big cup, preferably one with insulating capabilities.
And snag a straw or two to put in it.

Madela Lanolin
You nursing mommies out there, this is the stuff.
Other brands don't compare.
I'm just saying.
If you need to know why, feel free to email me and I can explain :)

Yes, the name of this little wrap says something about "sexy".
I'm not recommending it for it's "sexiness", however.
My baby girl loved to be skin-on-skin, and a wrap like this makes it easy.
I also rocked the gown all 3 days I was there, so don't be ashamed to do that, either!

A dear friend sent us these swaddling blankets.
Baby girl loved being wrapped in them, and they were much more attractive than the hospital ones.

And that's it.  You really don't need much.  A shirt or two for yourself, a blanket for the babe, and a few comforts.  Order some food in, sleep when you can, and revel.  Revel revel revel and take bunches of pictures.  Hand off the camera to others, and let them snap away as well.  It was a few days after we got home that I finally saw the pictures Handsome had taken, and I love them!

Off to snuggle my babe!

<3 M.

Welcome Baby!

We've been busy, and probably will be for a while yet, but in case you were wondering...

Oh, and we're in love.

<3 M.

Made Things :: Nesting?

If nesting is supposed to immediately precede labor, then no, I'm not nesting.  Because apparently, this baby is not planning on being born any time soon.  But all the same, I've had some time on my hands, and as a result, I've been making things.  Lots of things.  Here's some sneak peeks!

I wanted a bright, colorful purse to make it feel more spring-y!
These was the perfect color combo to fix my winter blues.

Next up, a bright little clutch for keeping my things separate from baby's.
Of course, I was anticipating needing room for baby things by now, but let's try not to dwell...

Wake Up Call

The following story is mostly for me, just so I don't forget.

****

Handsome woke me up this morning when he got home from work.  "Get up!" He said, and attempted to pull me out of bed by one arm and one leg.  "I have something to show you."

He dragged me to the baby's room.  For a brief second, I thought maybe he found the baby.  You know.   Because the baby was... lost??  Clearly I was still mostly sleeping at this point.  

And then he pulled up the window shade.  Told me to look.

It was the sunrise.

"I thought my truck was on fire" he told me, as he hugged me and let me soak in the beautiful, flaming sky that marked the morning of our bambino's due date.

****

I love this man of mine.  I love that he wants to share things with me, to show me stuff that he thinks is awesome.  That he tells me all of his stories, even when they're long.  And about the specific gun clips/magazines he wants to buy.  Even then.  

<3 M.

Things That Do & Don't Work

It is February second, in the 2013th year of our Lord.  And I'm still preggers.  I mean, this is not totally unbelievable, as my due date is still 2 days away.  There are even horror stories floating around about how sometimes people *gasp* are pregnant past their due date.  May I never learn that knowledge firsthand.

pleaseohpleaseohpleaseOHplease!

Amen.

Anyhow, when you get to be as pregnant as I am, and you live in an uber-friendly place like I do, you get a lot of... suggestions.  About how to get, as Handsome puts it, "un-pregnant".  Lots.  Weird ones, sometimes. Truck rides along bumpy roads, spicy food, and the running favorite (most awkwardly told to me by an elderly woman I had never met before), "What got you into this mess can get you out of it..."

Negative, ghost-rider.  

Truth is, it's all hormones, even if any of the suggestions given can jump-start contractions, they can't actually make those contractions turn into real live labor.  This baby is in control, and he/she is holding onto that control with all of his/her might.  While I am trying to not ascribe unfavorable character traits to this unborn babe, I'm all the same relieved that we decided to not go with the Enzo, which means "Ruler of the House".  Baby doesn't need an ego boost, as he/she is enjoying holding my entire future in his/her hands waaaaay too much already.

So the moral of the above story is, some things work and some things don't.  And it seems, when it comes to trying to birth a baby, pretty much nothing works.  Right now, I'm giving "excessive crying and pleading with God" a good effort, but still, it's a non-starter.

Now, let's pretend that I've segued in some smooth and sophisticated way.  From babies.  To laundry.  And now we're here, talking about laundry, and things that do and do not work when it comes to laundry.