Amelia's First Plane Ride

Does this bow make my hair look big?!

The first two weeks in June, we traveled to Minnesota for Grandma's (my mom's) surprise 60th Birthday & Retirement Party. It was a Red Hat Society theme--complete with the big red floppy hat and opulent purple boa. The surprise went off without a hitch. In fact, it was a double-layered surprise! Mom's family surprised her at the house in the morning--a caravan of cars honking their horns down the driveway at 10:00 am. The three sisters, most of their kids (first cousins) and their kids (second cousins) got together to play, eat & reminisce. Later that evening, we pulled off the big bash at the 71 Bar with friends, neighbors & family. There was a nice turnout (despite Dad not being able to hold her off any longer and arriving 15-minutes early!) Everyone jumped up and yelled surprise as she walked into the party room. The party, surprise and all, was quite a success! Amelia seemed to enjoy being passed around, too! :)

All the cousins after Dairy Queen ice cream cake on Grandma's birthday proper

Before the party, I managed to survive the solo trek North with two kids in tow. Jason stayed in Texas to finish his last clinical rotation of third year (Family Practice). The kids were wonderful in the airport and on the plane. I'm usually pleasantly surprised at how well they travel (except for the time I actually brought Nate's car seat on the plane. The Britax seat sits up higher and put him about five inches from the seat in front of him--perfect kicking distance. He kicked for two straight hours. What could I do? There's really no rationalizing with a two-year-old. My options were to 1) hold his feet and let him scream, 2) put him in time out--hah! he's in a three-hour "time out" already, or 3) let him kick--with strong verbal reprimands after each thrust. I opted for #3 and apologized to the young lady in front of us after the flight.) But back to the present day...they did a super job (partially thanks to the portable DVD player available after 10,000 feet--one of our best travel investments to date). Amelia was an angel baby, too! One lady on the plane asked me if I had a real baby in the Baby Bjorn--she didn't make a peep for the entire 3.5 hours on board!

Mia's First Plane Ride

We were in Minnesota during the plethora of rainstorms that flooded the Midwest this June. In fact, Bemidji was in a tornado warning at one point (a true rarity that far North). The funny part is we got a call from my in-laws in Texas to alert us. I'd had enough of HGTV and kids programming that morning, so I shut the TV off (an even greater rarity up there!) Jeanie saw the warning on CNN while waiting for her doctor and Bill found our phone number and called to see if we were all right! Well, Mom gathered the phones and flashlights, I got Nate and some snacks. As we were heading for shelter downstairs, we heard a "goo-gaa" from the swing...oh, where's Amelia? Don't forget the baby!

I'm right here, Mommy! Don't forget me!

(Amelia impersonating an 80's aerobic instructor!)

Amelia got to partake in another birthday party while she was up North as well. Her cousin, Sarah, turned one on Friday the 13th! She had a strawberry shortcake-themed party. Mia slept most of the party and Nate was sick with a stomach bug that hit about half of the cousins (surprise, surprise!); but, no matter, a party is always fun!

Big Brother and Little Sis

Great Grandma Breyen came up to Bemidji from the Twin Cities for a little fishing, backyard wildlife and time with the gaggle of great-grandkids. She got to meet the rest of the list--Adam, Sarah and Amelia. It was really fun to spent time with her. Amelia loved waking up and going right to "Great Grandma Lucy" for a chatty conversation every morning! Grandma could get her to smile every time.

Two camera-shy kiddos with Great Grandma

It's always play time with Great Grandma!

Grandpa and I decided to take three of the grandkids fishing--Nate (3), Ashley (3) and Anna (4). We drove to the landing, put the boat in the water, headed to a spot where Dad thought the bluegill would be biting, rigged up the kids' lines, got all three set with a rod in the water and exactly 30 seconds later; Anna declares, "Grandpa? I'm done." Followed by Ashley's, "Me, too." Nate brought up the rear, "I'm done, too." Huh. Well, that was worth the effort! They played around the boat pretty well for the next hour (except when Nate turned on the trolling motor while it was stored and cut up the boat's carpet with the prop).

Out and about in the boat

While home, we also got to tour Aunt Ju-ju's new house. They're renting a large, timber-frame house on Little Bass Lake while they start building their dream home. It took Nate a while to realize we were going to Anna & Ashley's but the downstairs toy room (Nate's paradise of solitude) no longer exists (they sold their house in Des Moines last month).

All-in-all it was a great trip to Grandma & Grandpa's! We ate great food--fresh fried walleye, grilled venison fillets wrapped in bacon, chocolate pecan pie, venison ring bologna, pulled pork BBQ, corn casserole, baked potato wedges, cauliflower, snap peas, banana pudding, etc. The 65- to 72-degree days with an afternoon rain shower every now-and-then were perfect (and a welcome relief from the upper-90s to 100-degree drought Texas has been stuck in since May--they say the driest 9 months on record!) It was too cold to swim in the pools Grandma bought, but there was still plenty of backyard time--bubbles, swingset, ball pit, sand pile, dandelion picking (at a penny-a-piece for Grandma--Nate made 75 cents in one go!), etc. I did remove a deer tick from Nate--but he never got the bulls-eye rings associated with Lyme's disease. (Scary.) Amelia seemed to love the commotion. She's still not on a predictable clock schedule, but her signs of hunger on sleepiness are pretty reliable ("eh-eh-eh" and sucking her hands vs. "ewwww" kicking her legs & arms and fussy faces when she's tired!) She babbles a lot more than Nate, but her smile is not quite as at-the-ready as his was. And then there is the other noticeable difference...THAT HAIR!

Any suggestions for her rock star HAIR?!

2 Months Today

I'm a bit late with my 2-month update. Time seemed to run away from me this past month. We took the kiddos (aack...plural!) to the lake over the long Memorial Day weekend. The weather was perfect--mostly sunny (with enough clouds to cool you off a bit), 85 degrees, 70-degree water! Nate enjoyed riding the jet skis and jumping off the dock with Mommy or Daddy...oh 218 times or so! "Do a funny jump! Do a jumping jack jump! Do a somersault jump! You jump too!" The water was so nice, Amelia even got wet feet--a dip in Lake Limestone!

Pretty Baby

She looks thrilled.

I think she liked it! (More smiles from our happy girl!)

This lake-living is exhausting!

Nate, checkin' on his little sister.

Amelia had her 2-month well check this morning with Dr. Grant. As you can see in the classic kitchen-sink bath photos, she's thriving! She's 24.25 inches long and 13 pounds 8 oz (90th percentile on my pediatrician's charts) at the two-month point. She also got rammed with 5 needles and one oral dose (rotavirus) for a total of 7 immunizations! Poor baby. She had been in the middle of her morning nap and ready to nurse before the shots came...she was not happy about the whole ordeal! We leave tomorrow on our plane trip to Minnesota. Hopefully, there's no reaction. I had her appointment scheduled for Friday so we'd have a few days before our flight, but Dr. Grant's office needed to change her appointment to today. C'est la vie! It is what it is.

Rub-a-dub-dub, Amelia's not in the tub!

How clean is Baby? So clean!

Grandmother and Granddaddy also drove up to the lakehouse from Port Arthur to see their great-grandkids and meet Amelia for the first time. The dress Mia is wearing in the photo was a baby gift from her great-grandparents!

All done!

6 Weeks

OOOH! That HAIR!
Some might say that six weeks marks the beginning of the end of the newborn phase. I'm more of a "three month" person. I subscribe to the theory that the newborn phase is the "fourth trimester" of pregnancy, it just happens to take place outside the womb. The theory being human babies are born about 3 months too early (in terms of biological development and survival in the outside world) because if they stayed in the womb longer, they would rip their Mommas apart trying to pass through a birth canal that's too narrow (thanks to the hips changing position as we started to walk more upright). This is the period where you cannot spoil a baby. She came into this world early to spare me injury and death; I can at least pick her up when she cries and feed her when she's hungry. ;)

What has Amelia been up to these last few weeks? We survived the 10 days with my sister's clan in from Iowa (sister, hubby, 4-YO Anna, 3-YO Ashley and 1-YO Adam)! It was actually a very enjoyable stay--in retrospect. My sister has a problem allowing herself down-time, so we compromised and filled our days with one activity away from the house and a lot of backyard pool time here at home (the small, portable pool--we're not "movin' on up" in our residential status!) Mia had her first outing to the zoo. She got to hear the lions roar, have a picnic and watch the hippos swim. She slept through the rest of it. She saw Shamu's show at Sea World and watched us feed the dolphins. The cousins had picnics, went on nature hikes and played on the "rainbow toys" at several parks around town. And for those who know my sister, it goes without saying that Amelia also had her first photo shoot while Aunt Ju-Ju was in town (see some sample photos below).

"THE THINKER"

"THE SCOWL"

"THE BOBBLEHEAD"

"THE YAWN"

"THE ANGEL"

Since the last entry, we celebrated Mia's first Mother's Day, too. Amelia gave me a wonderful present...she slept for 6.5 hours straight! Well, it was from 9:00 PM to 3:30 AM, so it wasn't like I slept through the night; but it's a start! Her brother, Nate, made three Mother's Day presents in Sunday School (a relaxing tea-time poem with tea, a flower with his cute photo in the middle and a version of the handprint poem). Jason made a fancy-shmancy dinner with macadamia nut-oatmeal-crusted mahi-mahi; wilted chard, garlic and red pepper salad; rutabaga-pear puree (rutabagas are my favorite veggie) and banana's foster shortcake! Yummy. The kids gave me a CHI hair straightener, too (maybe they're sick of my morning bed head!)




Last Tuesday, Mia caught her first cold. We've been busy trying to help her breath through the congestion, using the nasal aspirator ("bugger sucker"), soothing, wiping her goopy eyes and just trying to make her as comfortable as possible until the bug passes. We realized that Nate did not have a cold as a newborn--we never had to use the aspirator with him. Amelia also started her social smiles on Tuesday (just shy of her 6-week birthday). I think she'll be as smiley as Nate was. She always seems to be smiling at something now (unless she's giving me her other look--"the scowl of concentration"). I hope it says something about her personality that she started smiling the day she got sick!

"CHEESE!"

On the parenting front, life here is in transition. Amelia's waking up from her newborn slumber (not sleeping 23 hours a day) but still not on a schedule--so life is reactive (rather than the proactive position we Type A personalities prefer). I'm finally having to deal with the challenges of two kids vs one--"OK there's only one of me and two kids are screaming. How do I divide me up? Do I go for 50-50% Or opt for a 30-70%? Does this call for a 0-100%?" Hmmmm. Since the cousins left, Nate's new phrase around the house is "I'm in charge!" (long story); so, he's spending a lot of time going to and from the time out step. Jason just started his last clinical rotation of third year (family practice), yah! Me? I'm driving to doctor appts, feeding Mia, cleaning poopy diapers, feeding Mia, cleaning poopy toilet training potties, feeding Mia, and otherwise walking around in a sleep-deprived state. That's the good life. ;)

Nate trying to help Sister, "She's fussin'!"

Nate's Hand-me-downs on Amelia!

Mia's First Month--the ramblings

Wow! Has it really been a month already?! I think I'm onto something here--just pack your schedule absolutely full with big-brother-commitments and out-of-town houseguests during the newborn phase; time will fly by and you'll forget how sleep-deprived you actually are. It's been a good month. Mia is maintaining her easy-going personality--she's a great eater, she sleeps during the night (minus a couple of feedings, of course) and is tolerant of her over-zealous brother. We're working on his boundary issues (see photo below of Nate trying to help Mia "play" in her swing).

She's developing a bit of a schedule:

• 7:00 wake-up & feed
• about 1 hour "awake time"
• 3 hour morning nap
• noon feed
• diaper change and 15-minutes or so of mental/physical stimulation
• 2-3 hour afternoon nap
• 2:30 or so, snack
• another nap
• afternoon awake period (starts anywhere from 4-6:00)
• dinner time
• 8:00-ish another feeding
• between 9-10:00, bedtime
• first night feeding between midnight and 1:00 am

She had her one month well-check today (an extra checkup due to a hint of jaundice at 2 weeks). Doctor Grant said she is doing very well--alert, taking in her surroundings, strong neck, etc. I had a list of questions that he answered.

1. When she feeds, she often pulls away and chokes, gags, gasps for air. Is this normal?
*Yes, especially at times when it's been awhile since she's fed and there's an "ample" milk supply.

2. Yesterday, I thought I saw some cradle cap, today it's not as obvious. Does it look like she has cradle cap and do you have any remedies?
*It's perfectly normal for babies to cycle in and out of what is called seborrhoeic dermatitis. I received a sample of medicated shampoo to use if it gets worse before it gets better. He said it was very mild and he's not concerned right now.

3. There is a small rash developing on her chest. Should I treat it somehow or just let it work its course?
*He thought the rash was tied to the seborrhoeic dermatitis (see above). If we control the patches on the head, it should in turn take care of the rash on her chest. He said to continue to monitor and rub with Eucerin as needed. If it starts to bother her (i.e., scratching), we can treat with 1% hydrocortisone ointment.

4. She has a bit of congestion. Is it enough to be concerned about?
*He thought her lungs sounded great. What we're hearing is dried mucous in her nose that's causing a "rattling" sound.

5. Her toenails seem to grow into her big toes. Is this something that needs intervention or will it work itself out? Right now the toenails are super thin, almost like paper. As she gets older, the toenails will get stronger and work themselves onto the outside of the toe.

And, after peeing on the nurse at the weight station, we did get her stats:

• Length = 22 in (75th percentile on my doctor's chart)
• Weight= 10 pounds 13 oz (90%)
• Head cir = 15 in

Now onto the rambling...this parenting gig never turns out like you imagine it will during the nine (10) months of pregnancy. In one of my pregnancy books, it talks about how there are few situations where your life changes so drastically practically overnight than the rite of parenthood. You walk into the hospital with one life and leave with an entirely different set of perspectives, concerns, and responsibilities.

Immediately after birth pregnancy slips into the past and the mother becomes immersed in a whole new set of experiences, sensations, and concerns. Particularly with a first baby, birth is not only an event but a rite of passage in which the mother, father and baby pass from one set of roles, with its privileges and requirements, to another with new rewards and demands. In fact, there is probably no greater life transformation in modern Western culture that takes place within such a relatively short period of time. One day the expectant parents are a couple filled with anticipation; the next they are a family with a new knowledge of the world, embarked on one of life's most demanding and creative endeavors.

"The New Well Pregnancy Book"

This certainly rang true with Baby #1. I thought it would be less of an issue with Baby #2. It's not. Our lives are forever changed (again). I suppose the three of us had developed our own rhythm, our family routine over the past three years. Now we have to find our new groove. I also thought I would get frustrated with the baby for interfering with my Nate time. In reality it's the other way around. With Amelia, I long for the intense bonding experience I had with Nate--hours with just the two of us, marathon nursing sessions, reading my parenting books & articles with him asleep in my lap on the boppy, long stroller walks along the seawall, playing developmental games whenever his eyes were open, etc. I know this time around will be different. I know there will be pros and cons to our routine with Amelia, too. I've already learned how to help her sleep better at night (thanks to trial and error with Nate). So, as with the rest of the parenting roller coaster, I must remember to sit back and enjoy the ride!

3 Week Report

Life is good.

We survived the week with Grandma and Grandpa Breyen! Their flight arrived from Minnesota without incident on Tuesday, April 15th (Tax Day--we've already spent our refund!) We welcomed them to San Antonio with a traditional supper of Indian take-out from our favorite local hole-in-the-wall. Amelia seemed to enjoy the ethnic flavors of Lamb Korma, Saag Paneer, and Kashmiri Nan at her next feeding!

Wednesday morning I went to BSF to show off pictures of Amelia to my friends in class (Amelia won't be able to attend the children's program until she's 2 years old); but I also wanted to get Nate back into his "Bible class" routine. He always talks about his friends Samantha, Kate, Kaitlyn, William and Joshua (of course, I've never met any of these little playmates...I suppose the separate life away from Mommy's bubble starts young). While I was gone (for only 2 hours and 20 minutes!), Grandma gave Amelia her first bottle (a bittersweet moment for Mommy)! Grandma reported she was a little hesitant at first, just letting the nipple hang in the side of her mouth; but after a few sucks, the 2 ounces were gone. That's why I left the milk in the refrigerator, I suppose! She breastfed as eagerly as usual when I got home, so everyone was happy in the end! :)

Thursday we took Mia to Martha's Mexican Restaurant--her first dinner out! I think she likes the flavor of chili rellenos, too! On Friday, we laid low and used the down-time to get some more projects done around the house. Saturday, we took the kids to their first Fiesta! event--the First Annual Fiesta de los Ninos. Nate had fun playing mini golf (for the first time--it looked more like polo the way he hit the ball with the club!), jumping in the bouncy castle and riding the spinning rabbit ride with another little boy he was standing next to in line. Mia slept through most of the cacophony. Then on Sunday, Amelia's name was announced in front of our congregation to welcome her as the newest arrival to First Baptist Church San Antonio. She had a little pink rose next to the preacher's chair to commemorate her birth. Grandma and Grandpa were there for the event.We completed a lot of back-burner projects while my parents were in town. Dad cooked almost every night, installed a screen door, fixed our laminate trim, hung a cabinet to increase storage in the master bath and finished several miscellaneous handyman tasks that didn't get done before baby arrived. Mom sewed a khaki Mei Tei carrier with pink insert, a "Hooter Hider" for nursing, and Mia's eclectic-shabby-chic valences for her pink & black nursery.

My mom was amazed at how much more alert Amelia became in just the short week that they were here. She is. She's unfolded a lot, so she's not always bundled in her newborn-cocoon stance. Her neck strength is increasing, so she doesn't bobble around as much. She maintains eye contact with you for short periods of time and seems to really observe her surroundings when she's awake--especially ceiling fans, windows, mirrors and anything with sharp contrast. Nate is still in love with his sister and wants to make sure she's happy at all times. He's an avid "helper" grabbing diapers, trying to assist Mia onto the breast, piling toys into the swing for her to play with "when she wakes up" or "when she gets bigger," and singing songs or kissing her when she's fussin' (that's his word).

On a side note, we'd put no pressure on potty training before Mia arrived. Everything we read and the stories we heard said there will only be regression when the baby arrives. However, Nate now has an increased interest in potty training! He's using the toilet for poopy at least twice a day! I think he is proud to be a big brother. In his mind, with the new title comes new responsibility. He's been letting us know in many subtle and not-so-subtle ways that he is no longer the baby of this house. Besides potty training, he now wants to put his diaper on standing up; he will not let me or Jason brush his teeth, "you stay out there;" he wants to pick out his own clothes, "that shirt is not good," "I don't like those shoes," "I want to be silly with one blue shoe and one brown shoe;" he prefers to take a shower "like Daddy" over bathtime with toys (and he's always loved bathtime!); and he doesn't want us to provide direction during clean up time before bed, "[frustrated grunt-scream]...you don't talk words, I know what to do" he tells us when we ask him to start with the cars or take apart his train tracks first. All of this behavior is new since Amelia's arrival.

That's the story of Amelia's third week of life. This weekend, my sister and her brood arrive from Iowa. (Hmmm...five kids under 4 running around the house--sounds relaxing!)

Mia is One Week Old!

Well, we've made it a week! Jason ended up with 5 days at home with his new family--his 3 personal days flowed right into the weekend. He was great with keeping Nate occupied while Amelia and I found our breastfeeding rhythm. They went to the Bass Pro Shop with Papa (and came home with strawberry fudge); HEB for groceries (and came home with a balloon for Mia); the garden centers around the neighborhood to pick out colorful perennials for the back fence, herbs for the garden and two small trees for visual interest. They actually found Amelia variety tomatoes, too! The boys planted the namesake vegetables and the rest of the greenery Saturday afternoon (see photo of Nate watering his sister's tomatoes).

Sunday, we were planning to make our big family debut at church; but I woke up not feeling quite up to the challenge. My milk came in Saturday night (yes, "Elsie" is back). I don't know if that drained my energy reserves or what. We opted to stay home and not push our luck.

On Monday Amelia had her post-hospital, 3-day well visit with Dr. Grant. My MIL, Jeanie, came down for the morning to watch Nate. She even took him to Jim's Restaurant for a special corn dog meal and cinnamon ice cream! (He'd really wanted to go to Jim's Sunday night for supper for some reason; so she scored big Granna points!)

Here are Amelia's well-baby stats:

• Length: 20.75 inches (a bad measurement at the hospital, or she's grown an inch already!)
• Weight: 8 pounds, 4 oz (back above her birth weight)
• Head cir: 13.75
• A slight touch of jaundice, but within the range of "normal"
• Her first shot...Hep B

Yesterday was my first official day alone with the two kids. It was an extended day, too, since Jason had the night call shift on his pediatrics rotation and didn't make it home until 7:30. I rallied my inner super mom and got everyone ready for MOPS by 8:45 (including a shower for me and a second morning feeding for Mia!) I'm glad I went. It was nice to wear real clothes (as opposed to the maternity shorts and nursing tanks I'd been wearing all weekend) and chat with the girls! I really wanted to go to get Nate out of the house and into his "normal routine" (if normal even exists anymore). Amelia stayed in her sling the entire time (even for her feeding), so anxious, well-meaning hands were kept away from her until next MOPS meeting--I promised they could hold her next time! We made decorative flower pots and planted some annuals. It will be a test to see how well I do nurturing two different things at the same time! I thought it appropriate that one of the Bible verses available for our flower pots was 1 Peter 2:2, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."