Monthly Archives: February 2020

convalesce

We’re on Day 5 or so of a cold.  Maybe only 4.  It’s funny how the days seem longer when either you or baby is sick, or both of us in this case.  It’s supposedly a very mild cold, but it’s still quite difficult when layered on top of what is not exactly a leisurely lifestyle.  Currently baby is sleeping on my chest.  I often try to do a little sewing at times like this, but I’m just not feeling up to it today, so my everlasting quilt is stagnating this week.  Not having sick days is very high on my list of things I dislike about being a SAHM.  If I were working, I would definitely have taken a couple days off this week to convalesce.

I’m currently going through a minor English Paper Piecing obsession.  As in, I’d really like to try it, but because I have almost zero free time right now, it’s a purely theoretical obsession.   I am mentally planning a very simple quilt with a *little* bit of EPP for my brother’s baby, expected in August.  (I’m so happy for him, as it’s a double rainbow.)   He and my SIL do not find out gender in advance, so it needs to be gender neutral.  I’m thinking squares on point, perhaps in white or mostly white, with a simple hexagonal flower appliqued on top, probably in blue.  Hand sewing is where it’s at for me these days.  I’m even contemplating doing some hand quilting.

This weekend is the marathon Olympic trials.  In my opinion, it’s the women’s race of the year.  (Men’s marathoning isn’t in a great place right now in the US.)  I’m more excited about it than the Olympics.  I’ll be cheering for Jordan Hasay and Sara Hall, not to mention all the sub-elite women who are living a dream by merely competing.

the virus

A friend of mine lives in Japan.  She is Japanese, but lived for a while in the PNW before moving back to Japan.  She has a sweet little girl L’s age.  Anyway, she’s been posting on FB about her experiences with Coronavirus, and it’s alarming to say the least.  For example, today she posted about how nice it was to be able to go out without a mask because they were “in nature” as opposed to in a place with other people.  Then, she posted that school is canceled until April, and likely until the end of the year.  Her daughter will be homeschooling online.

There is a very legitimate possibility school will be canceled in the US as well.  How would that even work?  Unlike in Japan, where most moms stay home, in the US most mothers work, meaning that one parent would have to stop working.  I can’t even imagine how that would work.  As in, it wouldn’t.  Also, shaking in my boots at the thought of having to try to entertain my kids for months without going anywhere with people.

Fatality rates for this thing are about 20x that of the flu.  They seriously need to speed up work on the vaccine!  If a vaccine is even possible for this.

Buttigieg

I can’t believe that we only have 75% of the results back from Iowa.  If I were Buttigieg, I’d be furious.  Speaking of Mr. B, am I the only one who has no idea how to pronounce his name?  I like Buttigieg, I do, but I have to say that I do not think being mayor of South Bend qualifies you to become president, even if you are smart, good-looking and a veteran.  We set the qualification bar pretty low with Obama (who turned out to be awesome) and lower still with Trump (not so awesome), but honestly, I think you could argue Buttigieg is even less qualified than Trump, if that’s possible.  But seriously, the head of the Iowa Democrats needs to step down.  Also, this debacle is why having the government stage a massive takeover of healthcare is a terrible idea.  Having a government health insurance *option* is the right choice.  If it’s run well, everyone will choose that option, and private healthcare will mostly disappear.  If it’s run poorly, we’ll all be glad we’re not forced to use it.

S is sleeping on my chest, and I’m tempted to put her down, but she’ll likely wake up.  I’m desperate for a nap, though.  We went to the grocery store together today, for the second time, and she was awake the whole time, looking around, just drinking in the scenery.  It must be an amazing thing, seeing a grocery store for the first time.

 

 

3 months

Saoirse is three months old.  It’s been a blur.  We had such a difficult start, and it’s gradually becoming easier and easier ever since, but it still doesn’t feel easy.  I guess as a general rule, caring for a three month old baby is not easy, no matter how things started.  S is now 11 pounds 6 ounces, which is between 15 and 20% for weight.  (We have an appointment at the doctor tomorrow for a weigh-in to find out exactly.)  We are still fortifying her food to 24 calories, and I still set alarms at night so she eats every four hours, but she is doing very well.  I am mostly pumping, but I’ve started breastfeeding her twice a day in the morning, and I’m going to discuss adding a third feeding with the doctor.  I’m not making enough milk to exclusively breastfeed (we supplement with formula), but I make the most in the morning, and so I can nurse at that time of day.  It still requires discussion, even if I make enough milk, since my milk is obviously not fortified to 24 calories, and whereas I can basically pour the bottled milk down her throat, I need her to participate and eat sufficient calories when she nurses.

When we got home from the hospital, it took me upwards of 90 minutes to feed her, sometimes 2 hours.  She needed to be fed every three hours around the clock, no exceptions.  You can see how this would be challenging.  H took one of the night feedings, giving me four hours of contiguous sleep, but it was still extremely hard.  My parents left (after staying more than three weeks to help), and I literally sobbed because I didn’t know how I could do it without their help with the girls.  Well, H took on most of the work.  He got them up in the morning, gave them breakfast, made lunches, worked with them on their homework, did the laundry, made the formula and on and on.  And I spent 12+ hours a day feeding her, took all the nighttime wake-ups except one feeding, dealt with the feeding tube, pumped and fortified breastmilk and so on, picked up the girls from school and put them to bed.  It was HARD for both of us.

Since then, we got rid of the feeding tube.  We started letting her sleep four hours at night.  We have fewer doctor’s appointments.  I feel so much better physically after struggling with blood pressure for weeks after her birth.  S also initially had her days and nights reversed, and that got fixed, thank God.  I’ve taken over homework and laundry and do all the night feedings four nights a week.  So, it’s still hard – easier, but not easy.  The most important thing is that she has been gaining weight, and the terrible fear and anxiety have lifted for the most part.  I was having nightmares about her funeral.  Those have stopped.

S herself is becoming more and more interactive.  She started smiling at 10 weeks and loves her toys.  She loves baths.  She loves animal noises and likes to be sung to.  She loves interacting with us and is generally a happy baby.  She cries if I don’t hold her for naps, but usually sleeps pretty well at night between feedings.  In general, she likes to be held.

She dislikes tummy time and being put down.  She hates hats.

We’re looking forward to another month.