...and he's down!

Baby Rory just put himself to sleep! It's maybe the second or third time he's done it. Granted, it's the morning, he's on his tummy, and he's on the bed. For safety's sake, yes, I'm watching him. He'll probably wake up as soon as I sit down on the bed, but still, it's progress. He's also fallen asleep in the swing a couple times (which is good for when I go back to work), even at night.

Sleeping was our biggest challenge with our firstborn. We co-slept and nursed to sleep. We held hands and sang songs in the crib, then patted down and even slept in the toddler bed. We all finally agreed that big Kindergarten boys didn't need help going to sleep, and now it's not a problem. #1 son still comes in to snuggle with us in the mornings, but only if it's still dark.

With boy #2, I'm making some of the same mistakes (like nursing to sleep. Oops.), but I'm also learning to let baby fuss to a small degree. I still really don't want to go the Ferber route, but if it's small, "I'm tired" crying, it's not that bad.

the most pumpkin-y time of the year

Enter the pumpkin: one of the many reasons why I love the fall! Pumpkin beer is one of the best things. Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Post Road, and Dogfishhead Punkin Ale are all good. A friend recommends Southampton Pumpkin, but I haven't found it up here. Dunkin Donuts has trotted out their pumpkin muffins and donuts; I also like the low-fat (!) apple caramel muffin. I've had my obligatory decaf skim no-whip Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Trader Joe's no longer makes pumpkin ravioli, but their pumpkin whoopie pies make up for it; tomorrow I'll try the pancake/waffle mix. Au Bon Pain has the wonderful pumpkin harvest soup. Last week, I made the Weekly Yelp touting the charms of Donovan's pumpkin ravioli & chicken, sauteed in a cream, cheese, and maple syrup sauce. While it's all in moderation, it's not the time of year to start Weight Watchers!

On the flip side, I haven't been able to find pumpkin spice flavored coffee, either being served or ground & bagged (like New England Coffee).

6 weeks of daily dilemmas

Eat, sleep, bathe, pump, or go on the computer to check email or shop online? Never mind trying to clean, do laundry, switch the seasonal clothes, write thank you notes, blog/yelp, or knit. The best days are sitting on the couch, nursing, having the baby sleep on my chest, and reading on my iPhone Kindle and/or watching all-day marathons of Dr. Who or Torchwood on BBC America, with the only interruptions being diaper changes, bathing the baby, and picking-up #1 son from school. (Yes, I went with the iPhone. Yes, I love it.)

The first 6 weeks have flown by, and I'm sure the same will be true of the next 6 weeks.

lazy days

After our jaunt back in the hospital for jaundice, we've been having a steady two weeks of getting acclimated to something like a schedule consisting mostly of sleeping in 2-4 hour shifts, nursing, and changing diapers. While I had high hopes of reading, catching up on my yelp reviews, and trying to get back into knitting, I've mostly been enjoying the days with the baby, feeling lucky if I can shower in time and get the baby fed and dressed so we can go pick up the O-man from school. You'd think I'd have tons to write about, and it's not like I don't--I just don't have the energy to pull my thoughts together enough to put them down, then finding a chunk of uninterrupted time to sit down and write.

With the O-man, my mother was always saying to put the baby down. But there's nothing like having a baby fall asleep on you, and it's precious when they're still small enough that the baby fits perfectly on your chest & under your chin.

It's also funny to think that theoretically, I should be still pregnant, and that Rory is really only 39 weeks old. Guess it's time to take down the Baby Namey link!

he's just a little guy

two weeks ago, Rory arrived weighing 6lbs, 9oz! With one week of bed-rest, we almost made it to 36 weeks. Labor was roughly 5-8 hours with 5 minutes of pushing and no epidural. It was a very different experience--more medicalized, more on the clock. He still had to go to the NICU, but he came down to our room at 2am. It was weird in a great way being able to bring him home and get to know him.

the decaf coffee meth lab

Husband refused to touch it, and told me it looked like a meth lab. And for wont of something fun to post, here it is.
I use Smitten Kitchen's recipe for cold brewing, Trader Joe's Smooth and Mellow or French Roast Organic Fair Trade, a Mason pint jar from Grandma's Lemonade, and filter with a cone & paper since that's easier than trying to use a sieve.

at least my feet are almost back to normal

...but I can't get a pedi. :( It was a gorgeous day outside,, so I lay in bed with the window wide open to enjoy what sun & fresh air I could. Yesterday we went through the boy's old clothes, only to find that his infant wear is MIA. My mom found some things, but not a lot. Like either of us needs the excuse to do some shopping. Thank heaven for the internet.

People have said this is a great time to catch up on books, TV, scrabulous on FB, but I'll be doing as much work-work as I can. My awesome boss understood my STD plight and approved me to work from home, which I great. Super-husband has taken up food shopping, cooking, cleaning and getting ready for the baby. He's been driving (yay!) too, which has given him lots of confidence as a new driver. I've been napping now while I can, and I also seriously need to catch up on my Yelp reviews.

I tried to knit today, only to be defeated after 1 mere row. It also is a pain to not only type sideways while laying down, but my hands do get pins and needles even with the brace after a bit.

The overall upside is the baby is still active, and today makes 35 weeks. From here on, I'm more pregnant than I ever was with Owen. Even better is that if boy #2 is born now, he won't have to automatically go to the NICU. Tomorrow I/we have a doctor's app't, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.