The goods (and the bads)

Not that I'm an expert by any means, but after almost 3 weeks, I can safely say some items from the baby registry come in more handy than others.

The good:
Dock-a-tot. Even though my doctor told me the baby shouldn't sleep in it after a month, this thing is great. I will be sad when she grows out of it (in 8 months, haha)

Rock n play.  Georgia sleeps in this little cradle almost every day, and even though it doesn't rock itself like some of the fancier versions, it's a great little nap situation.

Britax travel system. Still getting used to putting her in and out of the car seat, but the stroller it snaps into is super easy to maneuver and use.


The bad:
Owlet. Thankfully I used a gift card for this monitor, because I would be pissed if I spend $300 of my own money. It is a constant source of error notifications (literally, I got about 25 last night), and for some godforsaken reason starts playing music in the middle of the night. I guess I am more tired than I thought, because I have no trouble going to sleep at night - I thought I would be so worried about the baby that I would be constantly checking on her. Which I do, but only when I get up to go to the bathroom. Sleep is fine, thanks.

Ergobaby carrier.  This is most likely user error, but we are finding this thing super complicated to figure out. There are lots of snaps, for example, and not a lot of places for the snaps to snap into. Bastards.

Baby clothes with buttons or snaps on the back. What fresh hell is this??

zzzzzz

Something to add to the list of things I didn't know about newborns: how loud they are when they sleep. Good lord - the grunts, squeaks, mini-cries - when she sleeps in my room at night, I get very little sleep because she is so noisy. Even the white noise machine doesn't drown her out. I guess it's a good thing - I know she's still alive - but damn. "Sleeps like a baby" has an all new meaning.

2 weeks old!

Went for the 2 week appointment today, and Georgie is still doing amazing! They said they hoped she would be back to her birth weight, and instead she has gained another 6 ounces from Saturday (tipping the scales at a whopping 7 pounds 6 ounces)! The doctor couldn't believe how vocal and alert she was - she even seemed to army crawl when doing tummy time, although we decided she was just so hungry she was desperately trying to get to me for some lunch. She did not enjoy the heel prick AT ALL, but we can give her big girls baths now that her little umbilical cord stump fell off. We will be attempting this tomorrow - wish me luck.

In best Tom Hanks/Castaway voice: I. Have Made. Milk!

So my milk came in on day 3, and it's getting out of control. Woke up in the middle of the night leaking so bad on both sides that milk was literally dripping onto the floor. I know this is a good problem to have, but jesus. So today I decided to give the ol' breast pump a try. After 30 minutes I only had like 3 mL, but it still felt super cool (and super weird). I guess these babies are finally happy to do what the good lord intended. Mooooooo

Motherhood, week one

Georgia Cole arrived last Thursday, and she is amazing. Have already learned some things in week one:

• Most of the baby weight does drop off - I have lost like 20 pounds in the first week. Going to attempt a slow workout tomorrow, which will hopefully help with the rest...(please don't say I have to stop eating banana bread)
• Shopping with a newborn at home becomes something of a sport: I sprinted through TJ Maxx earlier and just threw things in the cart, not having time to try anything on. Guess it will be a "return policy" situation.
• So sleepy. Treated myself to a manicure yesterday (my mom is encouraging me to get out of the house alone a few times a week), and I fell asleep during the process. Not even embarrassed.
• The first week flew by, which has me worried that 12 weeks will go just as quickly. :(
• This baby poops SO MUCH. I have become an expert diaperer. 
• And an expert breast feeder. Not to toot my own horn, but she gained 3 ounces since leaving the hospital. toot, toot
• My mom feels it's best to play music for the baby, while I am fine to watch Real Housewives/The Bachelor. I feel this will be our biggest fight.
• I have made it a point to shower every day. Feeling like a human is important when you're technically a cow.

Martha Stewart, beware

My doctor told me to be careful in the kitchen over the holidays because they see lots of women after Christmas with burns on their stomachs who forget how big they are and run into stovetops/cookie sheets/etc. I would laugh, but I have run into a few walls and doors because my depth perception is off. Ouch.

37 weeks

Well, the baby is tipping the scales at approx 6lbs 14oz, which seems enormous. Especially considering people are still not noticing that I'm pregnant. I went to a dermatologist last week and the nurse walked me into the exam room and asked, "is there a chance you might be pregnant?" Stunned, I stared for a second. "Um, yes. There's a pretty good chance." Seriously??

Friends have been so generous - I have gotten bags of little girl clothes that their children have outgrown. I guess that's one benefit to waiting this long - everyone else is done having kids. Still, thank you. So appreciative.