The troops rally and a tube works wonders
A lot has happened since I wrote that last post.
After I tried repeatedly that afternoon to get even a 5 minute nap (I swear, these children collude against me), I realized I was totally exhausted. And that this was my breaking point (it's okay to have one, right?).
Since everyone always says (as cheesy as it sounds) that the most important thing to do at times like this is to ask for help, that's what I did. I called Chris at work (in tears) and told him I needed him to come home and give me at least an hour of uninterrupted sleep.
Being the awesome human being that he is, Chris came home right away, packed the kids up and took them out in the stroller for a two hour walk in the pouring rain (they were soaked when they got back!). I took a quick shower, laid down and slept like a dead person.
When I woke up (I couldn't tell you the last time I woke up on my own!), I didn't even feel fully rested but at least felt like I could keep going. (The best part was that Chris had picked up a pizza so we didn't even have to worry about supper!)
And then, miraculously Baby Nathan didn't scream that night. I don't know if it's because Chris walked with him so long in the fresh air or because I tried harder than usual to stick to one side when feeding him (and because I was rested, had the patience to nurse him for two hours straight) ... all I know is that during the prime witching time, he slept very peacefully in the swing for a good couple of hours.
We haven't had peace at 10 pm in this house for weeks. Funny how things can change so dramatically like that.
Then to make things even better, my little sister went home for a visit and must've described things to my parents as pretty bleak, 'cause they called Thursday night and offered to take Mela for a few days, so I could get some sleep.
I couldn't imagine being away from Mela for two nights (made me weepy just to think about it) but loved the idea of some peace and sleep. And really liked the idea of focusing on improving things with poor Nathan. Not to mention actually being able to walk across a room for a day without tripping over 50 little toys.
So we packed our Mimi off to dazzle the Lindsay crowd (I was practically crying but she was just hysterically happy to see grandma).
And then we actually solved (I think) Nathan's evening fussy problem!!!
Long story short, I nursed him that night until there was no milk left and he was a grumpy old man and then we taped a tube to my finger (the finger sucking finally pays off for Nate!) that was attached to a little bottle of milk I'd pumped earlier in the day. He drank like a man just in from the desert and then passed out like a college student during frosh week.
It was awesome.
I took him to bed and we slept from 9 pm until midnight, then again until 5 am. I had so much sleep, I didn't know what to do with myself! We got up at six and I watched an old movie while he snuggled on my chest. Wonderful.
And then today was glorious.
I went to a La Leche support group meeting in the morning (where I realized/remembered that newborn days are hard for everyone), came home for lunch (I actually took a shower!) and then went to the local breastfeeding clinic. They weren't hugely helpful (loved saying useless, annoying cliches, like "breastmilk is perfect" and "your baby is done when he's done") but at least had some tips regarding latch.
And since there's a consignment store right near the hospital, I then had to stop off and pick up some new/used cute clothes for my chillens.
It was great: the sun was shining, I was well rested and Nathan's screaming on the car ride home was actually at a level just below ear-splitting. Dude, take a pacifier!!
So I guess we now know that all the evening fussiness was related to lack of milk. Not really sure how to solve this on a long-term basis (none of the "experts" I talked to today had any really good advice) but right now, I'm just thrilled that we have some peace. We did the tube thing again tonight and again, it worked like a charm.
Who knew the angry old man was just kind of hungry??
Of course, we'll be back to two kids and only one mom on Tuesday again so it'll be crazy. But at least I got a chance to get caught up on rest, have some peace and quiet and help make my little man's life a little easier.
Whose idea was it to have two kids so close together?! Remind me to never kiss my husband again.
Unflattering bath shot of Nathan. He needs to be sucking on a finger even in the bath tub! (I can't wait to show this to his girlfriends someday!):
Coping with a teething toddler (eathing frozen peas by the handful) and an angry newborn. Who needs to eat dinner?
Mela gets a haircut (and because of all the screaming and squirming, she was totally shorn but at least she got to play in the ballroom):
Life is good this morning:
Oh, but aren't I CUTE?!
After I tried repeatedly that afternoon to get even a 5 minute nap (I swear, these children collude against me), I realized I was totally exhausted. And that this was my breaking point (it's okay to have one, right?).
Since everyone always says (as cheesy as it sounds) that the most important thing to do at times like this is to ask for help, that's what I did. I called Chris at work (in tears) and told him I needed him to come home and give me at least an hour of uninterrupted sleep.
Being the awesome human being that he is, Chris came home right away, packed the kids up and took them out in the stroller for a two hour walk in the pouring rain (they were soaked when they got back!). I took a quick shower, laid down and slept like a dead person.
When I woke up (I couldn't tell you the last time I woke up on my own!), I didn't even feel fully rested but at least felt like I could keep going. (The best part was that Chris had picked up a pizza so we didn't even have to worry about supper!)
And then, miraculously Baby Nathan didn't scream that night. I don't know if it's because Chris walked with him so long in the fresh air or because I tried harder than usual to stick to one side when feeding him (and because I was rested, had the patience to nurse him for two hours straight) ... all I know is that during the prime witching time, he slept very peacefully in the swing for a good couple of hours.
We haven't had peace at 10 pm in this house for weeks. Funny how things can change so dramatically like that.
Then to make things even better, my little sister went home for a visit and must've described things to my parents as pretty bleak, 'cause they called Thursday night and offered to take Mela for a few days, so I could get some sleep.
I couldn't imagine being away from Mela for two nights (made me weepy just to think about it) but loved the idea of some peace and sleep. And really liked the idea of focusing on improving things with poor Nathan. Not to mention actually being able to walk across a room for a day without tripping over 50 little toys.
So we packed our Mimi off to dazzle the Lindsay crowd (I was practically crying but she was just hysterically happy to see grandma).
And then we actually solved (I think) Nathan's evening fussy problem!!!
Long story short, I nursed him that night until there was no milk left and he was a grumpy old man and then we taped a tube to my finger (the finger sucking finally pays off for Nate!) that was attached to a little bottle of milk I'd pumped earlier in the day. He drank like a man just in from the desert and then passed out like a college student during frosh week.
It was awesome.
I took him to bed and we slept from 9 pm until midnight, then again until 5 am. I had so much sleep, I didn't know what to do with myself! We got up at six and I watched an old movie while he snuggled on my chest. Wonderful.
And then today was glorious.
I went to a La Leche support group meeting in the morning (where I realized/remembered that newborn days are hard for everyone), came home for lunch (I actually took a shower!) and then went to the local breastfeeding clinic. They weren't hugely helpful (loved saying useless, annoying cliches, like "breastmilk is perfect" and "your baby is done when he's done") but at least had some tips regarding latch.
And since there's a consignment store right near the hospital, I then had to stop off and pick up some new/used cute clothes for my chillens.
It was great: the sun was shining, I was well rested and Nathan's screaming on the car ride home was actually at a level just below ear-splitting. Dude, take a pacifier!!
So I guess we now know that all the evening fussiness was related to lack of milk. Not really sure how to solve this on a long-term basis (none of the "experts" I talked to today had any really good advice) but right now, I'm just thrilled that we have some peace. We did the tube thing again tonight and again, it worked like a charm.
Who knew the angry old man was just kind of hungry??
Of course, we'll be back to two kids and only one mom on Tuesday again so it'll be crazy. But at least I got a chance to get caught up on rest, have some peace and quiet and help make my little man's life a little easier.
Whose idea was it to have two kids so close together?! Remind me to never kiss my husband again.
Unflattering bath shot of Nathan. He needs to be sucking on a finger even in the bath tub! (I can't wait to show this to his girlfriends someday!):
Coping with a teething toddler (eathing frozen peas by the handful) and an angry newborn. Who needs to eat dinner?
Mela gets a haircut (and because of all the screaming and squirming, she was totally shorn but at least she got to play in the ballroom):
Life is good this morning:
Oh, but aren't I CUTE?!
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