the guessing game

What do you need bebe?

Jack is going through a MAJOR growth spurt. This is obvious from the way he looks, but more so by his seemingly insatiable appetite. Last night was the most difficult. After downing four ounces, less than an hour later he was screaming his head off.  I was thinking that this baby could not possibly be hungry already. I absolutely do not want to overfeed him. I have done this, and ended up with a projectile vomit situation, not okay. For a brief moment I thought he could be sick because nothing seemed to make him happy, and finally I resorted to feeding him, and he quickly drank two more ounces. I knew this would be coming, after reading my books and message boards. I'd heard about the "six week growth spurt". It got me thinking about how much parenting is definitely a trial and error thing. You literally have to try so many things in order to figure out what to do or what the problem is. Same thing with baby "gear" (as the baby stores call it). I am so glad I didn't end up getting the $200 Mamroo. Yeah, it looked awesome to me in the store. So awesome in fact, I wished it was big enough for me to try. But Jack doesn't really like his swing that we got him. He will sit in it for a while, but he doesn't really love it. Lately, after about 15 minutes he tends to get fussy and want to be out. Our saving grace has been the Boppy. We feed him with it, he sits in it, falls asleep in it, gives you big smiles when you sit next to him in it, overall it has been our favorite thing. I guess you just don't know what the babe will like or hate. Aside from the "gear", something that I didn't really think would make a big difference but most definitely has, is diaper rash cream. I have tried three different brands, and finally found the absolute best. The first few either smelled weird, had a funny consistency, or didn't seem to work that great. Honestly, when you are changing a baby as many times as you have to, this type of thing makes a big difference. My mom actually found Weleda, and it is amazing. It smells like chamomile and Jack's bum looks perfect! It is all- natural (she bought it at whole foods) and, of course, more expensive. In my mind, anything that makes changing a diaper more enjoyable is worth it to me.

No more elvis baby..

If there was one thing I was convinced that Jack would definitely have once I met him, it was hair. No word of a lie, I had a dream that he was born with thick, curly, dark hair all over his head. Part of my reasoning for this was that 1) I had a ridiculous amount of heartburn every single day of my pregnancy and 2) Paul and I both have (well, mostly me) a lot of hair on our heads. Who knows what color hair or eyes he will actually end up having, but one thing I will always remember and tell Jack when he is older, is that he was born with some serious sideburns. (I was born with a mohawk, and looking a little bit like E.T. when I was born, something my parents always liked to tell me). His little hairline along both sides of his face is one of the cutest things I have ever seen on a baby. Seeing that I have spent most of my waking hours with him since he was born, I didn't notice that these little sideburns have faded. Paul mentioned it to me last night and I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it. But looking back in pictures, this is definitely the truth. I guess most babies lose their "baby hair" and some end up bald for a while until their "real" hair grows in. I was just sort of sad to see them go..... and I started to get emotional about the fact that he is already close to a month and a half old and that means work is right around the corner..... ugh don't want to go down that road.

Thank you, thank you very much

Where did my hair go?

Anyway, Jack and I have had so much fun over the last week. We went shopping a couple of times, saw friends, family, and had an overnight at my Aunt and Uncle's house over the weekend. They watched him while Paul and I attended a beautiful wedding in Boston. It is amazing how much you appreciate spending alone time with your significant other when the opportunity does not come along as often. It is even more amazing that somewhat "normal" or "mundane" things have become so much more fun. Going out to dinner is now a much bigger treat than ever before. Even though things are dramatically different from life b.c. (before child), they are different in a wonderful way. I feel like a real adult, my concerns have changed and my priorities have changed. Life is different, but somehow, it just seems better.

My love affairs

As I sit here this morning, I am grateful for so many things. The sun is shining. It is March, which means Spring is that much closer. It also means I go back to work this month, but I am (trying) not to think about that now. I am drinking the most perfect and delicious cup of coffee. Paul stayed up with the baby last night and I slept for a glorious amount of time. Apparently, so did Jack. I don't want to jinx it, because anything can change, but for the time being, he is sleeping wonderfully!

YUM. 

Getting back to this coffee.... I know it is off topic but it something that I enjoy very much. I just feel the need to write about it. For many years Paul and I spent so much money getting coffee out. We have gone through at least three drip coffee makers between the two of us, we could never make good coffee at home. We have bought and tried every single brand. It always came out bitter, weak, or just nasty. In college, we used to drive to Middletown to go to our favorite Dunkin' because the one in Newport was not up to par. It also gave us more time to talk and listen to music in the car, so that was the other reason. (I'm getting nostalgic here, watch out!). When I moved to Fall River, where I have to say the Dunkin' workers made the absolute BEST iced coffee, they learned my order because I was a regular (sad, but true) and would give me free coffees from time to time. Although, spending all this money getting coffee to-go is absolutely not practical, and now with our new addition, we need to be more conscious of that. When I was pregnant, the first question I asked the doctor was in regards to the quantity of coffee I was allowed to have. I knew I would cut it down, but I could not cut it out. I tried. Just couldn't do it. Aside from the necessary caffeine boost at 6 am, I truly enjoy it. She said it was absolutely fine to have a cup every day, just not to over-do it. And that is what I did, I cut way down and drank decaf when I could. So, part of the reason I am so happy this AM, is that I made the most delicious pot of french press (how we have gotten away from coffee out) using starbucks house blend. Aside from the drip makers and the keurig (which is good in a pinch, just expensive!) this has been our way of kicking the Dunkin' habit. I still get a yummy iced coffee here and there, I am just going to try and not do it as regularly. And it isn't as good as it used be anyway.

Look at how fast I dropped the baby weight!!  Ha!

My other love affair, which is a new one, is the ultra comfy and convenient Baby Bjorn. Although this post is beginning to sound yuppy, I have to say that we had the best day yesterday toting around Jack in this amazing contraption. First of all, your hands are free, which is awesome. The baby is so close to you that you can feel and hear them breathing. Jack fell immediately to sleep, and seemed so happy, being the little snuggle bug he is.