Sunday, April 22, 2007

Times Two

Sarah the Baby Girl - 11 lbs
Caramel the Kitty Cat - 22 lbs!!!

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Baby Talk

Today I don't know what's wrong with her...she's been very fussy these past few nights and today in particular she doesn't want to be down out of my arms at all. And since she won't take a soother to try and relax and since I still need to try and get a few things done, I brought out the snugli for the first time. This is how I've spent most of my morning. Sarah seems to really love it and it allows me to have full use of both of my hands.

While on the topic of having my baby up in arms...let's talk about crying...

A while ago during my pregnancy I was watching Oprah when she aired THIS EPISODE about the language of babies. A lady named Priscilla Dunstan had noticed with her own child a distinct cry for each thing the baby wanted/needed. She theorized that perhaps all newborns are born with this "language" and set out to experiment. She found that with 1000 newborns tested from all over the world, there were many cries that had a particular sound in common. Here are five she discussed on Oprah:
Neh = hungry
Owh = sleepy
Eh = Upper Gas/Burp
Heh = discomfort
Eair = Lower Gas
I was skeptical but intrigued and decided that I would try her thoery when my own baby arrived. At first when Sarah came I didn't even think about it but one frustrating day of crying and me not quite sure what to do I thought about it and went online to research. Sarah was mostly making the "Neh Neh" sound...hungry? How can that be? I seemed to be feeding her constantly. But hungry she was. I also found the "eh" sound worked for when Sarah needed that extra burp and the strong "eair" sound when she seemed to have gas. The "heh" and "owh" not so much but 3 out of 5...not bad.

Most imporantly what I've discovered is that scary as the crying is when you don't know what's wrong and feel helpless, eventually you begin to recognize your babies cries and what they mean. For example:
Hungry - she's crying AND trying to eat her hands while smacking her lips vigorously
Sleepy - crying interspersed with yawning
Burp - she does this little gaggy thing
Lower Gas - Cries really hard and strong like in pain and keeps pulling her legs up to her belly
Discomfort - she feels too hot or too cold, seems not to like the position she's in OR is a little smelly with needing a diaper change.

And then there are the times when it seems nothing works and all you can do is try and stay calm and do everything possible to soothe. Eventually something stops the madness.

This also brings me to a contraversial topic I feel very passionate about - that is the "just let them cry" theory. Seems some brainiac doctor or scientist wrote a book telling us to ignore our babies and some people actually bought it!

I know there are times when we are tired and frustrated and don't know what else to do. I know there are times when we are mid-supper, mid-laundry, mid-shower when our babies start to cry and we may need a few minutes before we can get to them. I'm not talking about the whimpers and gurgles and sighs our babies make when we put them down or when they first wake up - because I also believe that we need to give them some time to self-soothe instead of picking them up with every sound.

What I'm talking about here is full-fledged crying and the parents who make the conscious decision to just sit and listen to the screaming because some idiot told them that paying attention to their newborns only means of conversing with us would somehow constitute "spoiling". I just don't understand at all - even animals, as we've all seen, are distraught at their babies crying and instinctively comfort their young by feeding them, cleaning them, nudging and cuddling them. But we humans, given the choice, sometimes go against our better judgement and ignore our motherly instincts! Why is that?!

Isn't it partially because we have such a distorted view of what "spoiling" actually is. We have become parents who don't take the time out to communicate with, snuggle with, read to, eat dinner with our families. And then we feel guilty and try and buy affections with material possessions. Isn't all that stuff what spoiling really is?

Overall, I simply believe babies cry for a reason. They can't spell out for us what they want and how else are they to tell us? To ignore them, in my opinion, is teaching them right from the get-go that they can't rely on us, the parents who were blessed with having them in our lives to begin with. What I think about and breaks my heart are the poor little babies who are out there in orphanages with nobody to love them, nobody to meet their basic needs. Doesn't the thought of that just make you want to hold and hug your baby all day long? Or what about if you DID let your baby cry all night long and after she finally went back to sleep she dies of SIDS...we don't know what life might bring and wouldn't you give everything to have the time back to just pick her up and soothe her? So whether it's for feeding, burping, changing, sleeping, or simply to be cuddled (cause don't we all need a little love sometimes?), please pick your baby up, let her know she's loved and okay and that you're doing your best.

And if doing all those things will make my baby spoiled...then very spoiled my baby will be!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

CopyCat

A few days ago Tara ---->> posted on her blog pictures of her son, Noah, who decided he wanted a new hairdo - a MOHAWK! You should check it out, it's cute as can be!


And now since I have to put cream on Sarah's scalp for the cradle cap , it makes her hair go kinda stiff and PERFECT for styling!!! he he...I'm such a cruel mom...



So chances are she's totally going to hate me when she's a teenager for taking these goofy pics of her...

Sarah likes UFC...Uncle Darren will be so proud

"Helping" with laundry



Oh, and I FINALLY joined FACEBOOK....
Under the name Myrna Goosney Hynes (again copying Tara so that people can find me with both my married and maiden names).
I can totally see how this is going to be very addictive!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Don't be Alarmed

Viewer discretion advised...


Remember a few days ago I was telling you about the nasty rash Sarah had. We brought her to the clinic on Sunday but her skin progressively got worse.



These are the pictures from Monday...again, seriously, it's probably the worse skin condition you've ever seen on a baby...very nasty...And honestly, these aren't the worse pictures. The photos I took on Wednesday are so bad I didn't think it appropriate to post online.





On tuesday we had a midwife appointment and Shirley advised me to make a doctors appointment because she really wasn't sure what it could be. She said in all her years of practice she hadn't seen anything quite as extreme.



So, I brought Sarah to the doctor on Wednesday. I was so nervous at this point because her ears were both infected, her eyes were swollen half shut, the yellow crustiness had spread over her entire forehead, half way down and on the sides of her nose, and around the back of her neck to the point that when she laid down for a nap the infection was oozing out and staining her sheets. Poor little girl! The doc was quite alarmed by the infection but immediately provided us with the diagnosis - CRADLE CAP! (Jamie previously researched online and he told me he thought it might be this). I'm sure most of you have heard of cradle cap (2 of our nieces had it) - it's very common and normally stays confined to the scalp area. In rare cases it can also spread to other parts of the body, particularly the face. From what I understand, because of her previous acne her skin was already compromised and the fungus just kinda took over. Totally gross I know! The doctor checked her ears, nose, and eyes to make sure nothing had spread inside - if so, he said we may have had to take a trip to see a pediatrician at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. Phew! Nothing....so he gave us some cream and told me to actually pick off those yucky yellow scabs. Normally scabs are formed when the skin is broken to allow the skin to heal. This is not the case here - he explained to me that the crust had formed on TOP of the skin protecting the fungus underneath and we needed to expose the skin to treat it. And he also recommended we keep olive oil on her skin - he said I should be keeping olive oil on her skin everywhere anyways, a very good natural "lotion" for babies.



And with that, the doctor noted that Sarah still seemed to be quite happy. This was, he said, because "she can't see herself. If she was a teenager she'd be freaking out." ha ha...And seemingly very healthy too....weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs. 14 oz.!!



Today, she's looking much better during her afternoon snooze...Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

She Smiled!!

Yay!

So exciting...a few days ago Sarah started giving Jamie and I really quick kinda lopsided grins...but TODAY she finally gave me a full fledged so-happy-to-see-you smile...what could be better than that?!!?

Monday, April 09, 2007

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Hope the Easter bunny was good to everyone! Let's try not to forget the real reason for easter too in the midst of all that chocolate!

Update on Miss Munchkin...
Sunday morning we had to take her to the walk-in clinic because her baby acne was looking SO bad. Her ear was infected and everything so that really scared me. Seems she has a severe case and the doctor issued her topical antibiotic cream to help the infected areas. Today her skin is looking particularly nasty and she has yucky yellow scabs all over the back of her neck, her ears, nose, forehead, and cheeks. It's not a pretty sight. So please keep little Sarah in your prayers that this annoying and sore rash will heal up quickly and not leave any permanent scars on her baby face.

I have a regular appointment with our midwife tomorrow for weigh-in and all that...will keep you posted on Sarah's progress.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Lotsa Pics

In her stroller getting ready to go for a walk.

Sarah Sleeping...love the little hand under her face.

I really like the black and white (see the baby acne?)

When she's hungry, she tries eating the little bunny if I don't get to her fast enough...ah, poor bunny!

She's not crying...yet...she really hates the bathtub right now.

This one's hilarious...I think she looks like a baby pirate...he he

"talking" to Erykah...

Already being a brat with her tongue stuck out...lol
Thanks for looking :)

Happy One Month

Sarah is one month old today. Can you believe it?! I can't...so hard to believe how fast the time flies. I was kinda hoping she might stay this tiny little infant forever, be able to fit into those tiny little crocheted baby booties forever (I picked hers up the other day to put them away and actually got teary eyed looking at them), alas, seems that's not going to happen.

She must be about 10 lbs by now. I'm not certain because my midwife appointment got cancelled this week and I don't quite trust the me putting the baby and I both on the bathroom scales and then weighing just myself and subtracting the difference method. So we have to wait until next Tuesday to find out for sure. Personally I think the increasingly large cheeks and the double chin(s) are telling the tale. That along with the fact that, like her parents, Sarah LOVES to eat...a lot!

Much to Jamie's enjoyment, more and more people are saying that Sarah's looks are changing and she's beginning to look more and more like her father. This is great according to him because it means she will be totally gorgeous! lol :)

On the downside, Miss Munchkin is experiencing a severe case of baby acne right now. She has little pimples all over her face, neck, and head. Poor girl, it looks absolutely horrible and seems like it has to be sore. I'm told it's totally normal and happens because her body is trying to regulate hormones passed on to her by yours truly (her mama). Silly I know but I feel totally guilty because if there's one thing my hormones would pass onto her it would have to be my bad skin. Please tell me this clears up soon!

On the upside, Sarah kinda slept through the night last night. I say "kinda" because she actually wouldn't go down until nearly 1am BUT then she slept until nearly 7am. And normally I wouldn't consider it sleeping entirely through the night until I get a full 8 hours...but people, I haven't slept for 6 hours straight in a MONTH and this has got to be a step in the right direction and so I am celebrating 1am - 7am as a definite positive accomplishment!

And here my friends, a list of what I have learned in the past month about babies, in particular, MY baby:
- Tiny infants can burp nearly as loudly as a pizza-eating beer-drinking college guy. True story: Last night she burped so loud she actually gave herself a fright. Arms flailing in the startle reflex, poor little girl got scared and all I could do was laugh at the episode.
- It's amazing how much poop can come out of that teensy little body.
- Bathtime is synonymous with mommy getting peed on. It's like payback for her since she doesn't much enjoy being bathed, doesn't enjoy it at all actually.
- The stroller is for babies what sedatives are for adults.
- 6 hours sleep in a row is a reason for celebration, as noted previously.
- Naptime for baby = Naptime for mom.
- When preparing to go out always be ready first before the baby because when she's ready to go we all must be ready to go or else we're not going anywhere.
- Breastfeeding does not always feel natural and wonderful - tho' I'm really glad I did it and get a chuckle out of baby bird with beak open and head raised searching frantically for that "worm" a.k.a nipple.
- Staying inside all day can make one go stir crazy...taking even a short walk outside can be salvation.
- Babies can turn tough-guy daddies into cute babbling goo-goo-ga-gaing goofballs (and I do mean "goofball" in the most loving sense possible).
- Getting up, getting showered, and getting dressed are all simple things made much more difficult now...but nonetheless are extremely important. I wouldn't go to any other job without doing those things, why start this job without them? I've simply traded business casual for extreme casual.
And lastly,
- Being a mom is the most wonderful thing ever! It's still hard to believe God gave her to us...

Happy One Month, Sarah!

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Baby Crazy Quilt

I love patchwork quilts (must be the newfie in me) so when it was time to decide on baby bedding for the nursery I knew exactly what I wanted to do - I called my mom! Tho' she denies her talent she really is a wonderful seamstress and quiltmaker. I bought lots of cute neutral coloured material and sent it to her. This is what she created (I absolutely adore the finished products):

These are a couple of little pillow/wall hangings she made out of leftover material from the quilt.

The quilt in Sarah's crib...



The pretty lace trim...


great job eh?

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Lopsided Nursery Video

A little video of the nursery:
sorry, started off just a smidge groggy and part of the video is sideways...lol

Taken the day before Sarah was born...

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Guess that's why they call it the Blues

Baby Blues, that is. And yes, I've had them. Lucky for me, not the extreme post partum lasting days on end. No feelings of hopelessness and destruction. But I have had a few hours here and there of emotions beyond what I can explain. Emotions that come flooding, it seems out of nowhere, and cannot be halted or held-back. Probably just a good combination of exhaustion, hormones, or simply the fact that having a baby can be very overwhelming (good and bad). For the most part though, I feel great. And baby Sarah is also doing great. Thank God for that!

It really helped me a lot when my mom arrived on March 20th to help me out. She said she was coming to take care of HER baby while I took care of MY baby. And that she did - she did my laundry, cooked and cleaned, kept me company on our walks, watched the baby when I needed to take a shower or just relax for a little while extra in the bathtub without worrying that the baby would cry. All of that "little" stuff that really mean SO much and that take so much extra time to accomplish with an infant in the household. Thanks Mom!

And now my mom is going back to Newfoundland. She's at the airport right now awaiting her flight at 6:30 this evening. So now I'm having the Moms left me and I'm alone during the day again blues!

So it has been a busy couple of weeks with my mom being here - Tracey's girls have been spending some time with us on the weekends. They just love Grandma and staying at Auntie Myrna's house. And how can I resist? even tho' they are certainly a handfull!

Tomorrow I have to start getting things back to our new normal. I'd like to get a good little schedule happening for Sarah and I - perhaps include a bit of an exercise regime (you'll have to send out a prayer for the unmotivated me for this one), get back to blogging semi-regularly, develop a weekly meal plan as I used to do, etc. Again, I know it's difficult to be completely scheduled with a baby who's got her own ideas for "scheduling" (or NOT) in mind but I'm going to give it my best shot to try and maintain my sanity. Wish me luck!

In other news...

Was so excited to have Jennifer here in Ontario visiting for a week. It was doubly exciting with the engagement and all but even without that, it was awesome to see her. I really miss having you around, Jenny!

Christa and Kristen have booked their trip to Cuba for next week. I'm SO jeolous! I told Christa that I now have to live my life through her since another down-south vacation might be far off in the future for us. Hope you guys have a wonderful, safe, relaxing, and super fun vacation!

Don't think I even mentioned this before but Jamie got into an accident a couple of weeks back when Sarah was only 4 days old. He had stepped out to go to Sobeys and the movie store, just around the corner, when a lady FELL ASLEEP at the wheel and veered into his lane hitting him. Luckily it's a residential area and Jamie having just gone past a stop sign wasn't driving very fast. Scared me half to death when he called. All of the possible worse case scenarios were going through my mind when he went to the hospital. Here I am at home with a 4 day old baby and my husband is hurt! OMG! But Jamie was okay..phew! Our new SUV was not so okay (at the time the truck was the last thing I cared about). It's been in the repair shop with about $10,000 damages being fixed. We finally get it back tomorrow. Jamie's not too impressed with our current Ford Focus rental...lol :)

Am about to watch "Marie Antoinette"...not a clue if it's any good or not but I like historical type movies. I don't know anyone who's seen it yet. Will let you know how it goes. Recently, we've watched some great ones - the Departed, Blood Diamond, the Guardian - LOVED THEM ALL! Go rent them!
Update: Marie Antoinette - okay if you like history, basically about her life, I liked it despite the fact that it's not very exciting. Don't bother trying to get your "guys" to watch it...they'll hold it against you forever!

Have lots of pics and will try and post those VERY SOON - hopefully will have a chance to download them all tomorrow. Also remembered a video I took of the day before Sarah was born of a tour of the nursery. I'm going to post that too so you can all see what it looks like. I'm really happy with how it's turned out. Sarah's isn't yet sleeping in there. She's still in our room in the basinette. She's doing pretty good at night but I'm still a little too nervous to transfer her over just now. I know, I know....maybe I should have her in the crib but I'm a first time mom and still learning! At least she's not in the bed with us, right?

Oh, and Happy Belated Birthdays to Christa (Mar 22nd), Kristen (23rd), and Chris Samms (30th)!

Bye for now,
Myrna