Sleep Deprivation

It's really tough to sleep in 1-4 hour increments night after night after night. I never knew I could be this tired and still function. I think another factor that makes sleeping tough is that you never know how long the next stretch of sleep will be. Will Adam sleep 1 hour or 4 hours? The best plan is to sleep whenever the baby is sleeping. But that doesn't leave much time to spend with the hubby, put stuff away, or just relax. But sleep deprivation can play tricks on your mind. Some days when Adam is crying, I think that if I were a better mother, Adam wouldn't cry so much. When Adam wakes up 10 times a night (it's happened), if I were a better mother, Adam would be sleeping better. And when you are really sleep deprived, you wonder how other new mothers are able to function every day when you feel like you can barely get by. None of these thoughts are based on reality. Adam is eating well and has almost doubled his birth weight. He is thriving. No, he doesn't sleep that great but he's only 3 months old. And he spends the majority of the day talking and cooing or putting his newly discovered hands in his mouth. He's a very happy and healthy little boy. See how sleep deprivation can play tricks on your mind?!

3 Months

Time is flying by!  Our little guy is now 3 months old!  My apologies for the negligence of the blog lately.   A few weeks ago I felt like I was crying more and having difficulty falling and staying asleep.  I think my anxieties over being a new mom were starting to become too much. Some nights it would take me an hour to fall asleep after feeding Adam, which is tough when he wakes up every 3 hours to eat.  And some nights I would wake up at 3am and be unable to fall back asleep.  I decided before things got worse, I would see by OB.  In hindsight I'm really glad I sought help early on because I'm already feeling better and sleeping more.

A few weeks ago Adam and I flew solo to Florida to visit my Oma and Opa.  Adam did super well traveling.  We had a great visit, Oma loved holding Adam and talking with him and Opa loved having a baby in the house.

Two weeks ago we moved to a new apartment.  It was a lot of work for Jeff and I to pack the entire place and physically move.  But it's worth it because we really like our new place.  We are still in West Hartford, about 2 blocks from our old place.  Our new apartment has 3 bedrooms, wood floors, and an updated bathroom.

We had a great weekend just now.  Lynn came for a visit!  She drove 8 hours from Pittsburgh just to meet Adam.  On Friday night we relaxed at home.  Saturday we went to West Hartford Center and had lunch.  Adam was very well behaved.  Afterwards Lynn and I got pedicures and massages.  Felt sooooo good!  And today we went for a walk before Lynn had to hit the road again.  Jeff, Adam and I then left to visit Nana and PopPop.  We had a great time visiting and are happy to be back home.

For Father's Day I made a collage with Adam holding letters. 

I think it turned out pretty well!

His shirt also says Daddy's All Star :)

Look who's three months old!!!

Bath time fun

Lynn came for a visit!

First visit with Nana and PopPop

8 Hours of Sleep!

On Thursday night I got 8 hours of sleep all in one stretch!  Nope, it was not because Adam slept that long.  I had been sleeping very poorly this week and I have not had more than 5 hours of sleep in one stretch for the past 10 weeks.  Usually I sleep in 2-3 hour spurts with my Little Dude.  On Thursday I had never felt more tired in my entire life.  I honestly felt like I could not keep going and I was in tears because I was just. too. tired. to. continue.  I told Jeff that I had to have a break, I needed to get some sleep, and it could not wait.  Jeff was a great sport and happily agreed to bottle feed Adam expressed milk while I got some rest.  I was there for Adam's last feed at 8 and then got in the car for Tolland.  I went to bed and slept 8 divine hours!  No crying, no fussing, no nursing.  Just 8 hours of straight sleep.  I was then back at our apartment by 7 so that Jeff could get ready for school.  8 straight hours of sleep just felt so good, I might have to make this a regular habit every so often.

How could I forget, on Wednesday Adam went to the pediatrician.  Adam weighs 13 pounds, 12 ounces and is 23 inches long.  Jeez, he's getting some healthy doses of breastmilk ;)  The pediatrician said that Adam has moderate to severe eczema and recommended stronger corticosteroids for treatment.  Eczema in infants can be triggered by food allergies.  I am giving up nuts, peanuts and eggs because these are common triggers and also the foods that Jeff has allergies to.  Anything I can do to help my Boo Boo!

But I did not agree with all of the pediatrician's recommendations.  Keep in mind this is our regular pediatrician's part-time partner.  She feels that Adam should not comfort nurse.  I allow Adam to comfort nurse because then he doesn't scream and will actually take a nap when he's tired.  He can be so fussy and colicky that nothing calms him except comfort nursing.  If it keeps him happy, he continues to be healthy, and I'm not negatively impacted by it, then we'll keep going with what works for both of us.

The pediatrician also did not think that cloth diapers would keep Adam dry enough for his sensitive skin.   Regular cotton prefolds will hold dampness on his skin.  She told me that she thinks he should be in disposables.  I informed her that we use microfiber which wicks moisture away, feels dry to the touch, and can contain a lot of fluid.  She brushed me off.  Some battles just aren't worth arguing over.

Now for a week of pictures:

Adam's shirt says "All I need is Grandma"

This is my favorite from the week