The Frog Princess

Okay, I could post a new picture of something cute my daughter has done, wore or whatever in my blog just about every day. I never get tired of looking at this child. She's just SO darn adorable, I can't stand it! This is a frog sleeper and stuffed animal we got from a friend at work.

And here's another one...with Katie protectively looking on...



I don't really have much to report right now. Her jaundice is MUCH better and her pediatrician decided to wait on doing phototherapy since my milk came in the other day and we're actively supplementing. The next appointment after that day when her weight was 7 lbs, 15 oz, it jumped six ounces, which pleased her doctor immensely, so they want to just wait and see her at her next two week visit. We did switch to the powdered formula rather than the premade stuff since we can thin it out a bit more and it has cut down on the spitting up, which is great.

For now, I've discovered that the secret to me being able to hang tight with this mommy job is making darn sure that I don't get overtired and not even attempting to establish any kind of schedule. I've been really careful and diligent to make sure that I've been getting enough sleep and making sure to eat, and so far, it's paying off in spades. Our first outing on Thursday went great, and it was wonderful being able to do stuff for myself for a change. Yesterday, I went to bed at 10:30 and woke up at 10:30 am the next day...of course, I wasn't sleeping that ENTIRE time...I think I woke up four or five times for feedings...but the sleep that I did get when she was sleeping was wonderful. And I felt so good today, we've managed to get the house cleaned, take McKenna for a walk, make brownies for dinner at my father-in-law's house tomorrow, I finished thank you notes, and after she wakes up for her next feeding, we're going out to run some errands. I really feel like my old self, and it's a great feeling. It's amazing the little things that I'm treasuring. Such as...shaving my legs. Bending over to tie my shoes. Walking like a normal person with no waddle. Being able to eat plain grilled chicken and steak without gagging. Not craving ice cream and sweets 24-7 (which is something that went away almost immediately after birth). Being able to drink more than one glass of iced tea without feeling guilty. Being able to wear running shoes for a change and not my tired old beat-up flip flops. Sleeping on my back in bed. Being able to sit in the house with the air conditioner set at 75 degrees and not pouring sweat. Sleeping on my stomach in bed.

The only bad thing is that my carpal tunnel syndrome seems to have gotten worse instead of better. My hands and fingers hurt SO badly. My doctor told me to expect a lot of hand swelling for the next few weeks as the water retention drains away, but this is ridiculous. I can barely straighten out my fingers! So stitching, obviously, is out of the question, but we're going to get some pictures printed out this weekend so I can maybe try to scrapbook a little next week if I get some free time when she's sleeping.

So life is good. And I sure don't feel like I gave birth a week ago, that's for sure. I still am a little sore and my feet hurt a bit from all the swelling that they went through before she arrived, but it's not bad and overall, I feel really good. The only thing I've noticed is that apparently my hips have spread from the labor, because maternity pants that I was wearing the week I went into labor are now not fitting in ANY shape or form. It's just weird. I really hope it goes away, or I'm going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe for when I go back to work! (Anyone out there with experience in this, PLEASE tell me about your experience and encourage me that I won't be giving away my closet full of clothes?)

Now that the emails have slowed down a bit, I think I'll be able to start blogging more regularly, so keep tuned in...thanks for reading!