Two Months Old!

Oliver is two months old today! His doctor's appointment isn't until next week, but I guesstimate he's 25 inches long and 14.5 pounds.

He continues to sleep well at night, usually from 8pm to 6am, waking up once for a feeding around 2am. He still struggles with naps, but we're working on that. Around noon every day, I lay with him in bed and nurse him to sleep. An hour later, I slip away. He'll sleep on his own like that for a half hour or up to three hours before waking up and realizing he's alone. If he doesn't nap well, he'll continue to doze off and on in my arms throughout the afternoon.

Ollie has also been drooling a *lot* and likes to chew on his teething ring, making me wonder if his first teeth won't appear soon. Also a big change this month has been his babbling! He "talks" to us whenever he's happy. My favorite is when he pulls his knees to his chest, coos, and starts chatting away.

Ollie's Likes:

Nursing

Being carried facing outward

The stove vent

Getting his diaper changed

His monkey teething ring

His duck rattle

His bouncy chair

His play mat

Music

Car rides (as long as we don't stop!)

Playing "Hands and Feet"

Getting pat on the back

Bright lights

Sucking his hands

Babbling
Bed time
His reflection

Dislikes:

Napping
Being set down
Tummy time
Whenever whoever is holding him sits down. Keep moving, he demands!
Red traffic lights (why aren't we moving?!)
Waiting to eat
Wet diapers

What to Expect with Mirena and Delivery

I went to the doctor and got Mirena today. While I still feel optimistic about it, I'm having some unforseen side effects. First, my lower back hurts. I thought it was something I'd done until my mom asked me if it couldn't be a side effect from the IUD. So, like any computer savvy person, I went online. I read that lower back pain is a potential side effect, and it can last for the first few days or even weeks after insertion. Hopefully, it'll go away soon because it's already made it difficult to hold the baby for any length of time.

The other side effect is that I'm being poked by the strings occassionally. It feels like a sudden poke with a needle, and it fades just as quickly. Still, it's such a shock each time, I almost yelp aloud.

My plan is to call my doctor tomorrow. I read online that the strings soften over time (in one forum I read, the woman said her doctor told her 3 weeks to a month), but I'm hoping she can trim them a little shorter so that I (hopefully) won't have to deal with the stabbing feeling any more.

I have to be honest, though. It's very difficult dealing with pain and complications healing from delivery and now the IUD. Before having my baby, I'd heard some horror stories of women delivering babies, but I'd never heard the stories of women who had difficulty healing afterwards. It really is awful. It'll be two months tomorrow, and it still hurts for me to sit, go to the bathroom, or ride in a car. The chronic pain occassionally effects my emotinal well-being, too. It truly depresses me when I can't sit long enough to nurse the baby or that I can't do things I love, like run or be with my husband. Looking back, I wish so badly I'd had a C-section because at least I'd be healed by now and the pain would be in my abdomen and not where I sit.

I read a few blogs online from women who also had a hard time healing after their deliveries. Many said they were in pain for three to four months. I didn't read anything from anyone that said it took any longer than that, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! At this point, then, I guess I'm half way there. Things certainly are improving (I don't have to take ibuprofin every day anymore, and I don't cry when I drive), but they're still not OK.

Barnes and Noble Online is a Waste

I did most of my shopping online again this year, but it's been a much bigger hassle than ever before. My target.com order was delayed, but at least they had the courtesy to let me know. I approved the delay because I paid with a gift card and then threw it away. I don't want to lose that money! Better to wait a few weeks for the items.

The bigger problem, however, is with Barnes and Noble. A month ago, I went to barnesandnoble.com and tried to place an order for a book for Andrew, a DVD for his uncle, and a couple of items for my dad and Colleen. The two items were on a delay and wouldn't ship until December 18. It was going to cost a ridiculous sum to have the book and DVD ship separately from the other items, so I cancelled my order. Instead, I re-ordered everything with two separate orders to make sure we'd get the DVD and book in time for Christmas.

A week later, Andrew called me from work and said he'd just received an email that my Barnes and Noble order was cancelled because I'd never responded to their request for more information. I'd never received that request. Andrew searched through his deleted email and junk email, but there was nothing from them. I was a little frustrated, but since it was just the DVD and book, I decided I could pick those up from Target or somewhere later. And I did (for much cheaper, I might add).

So here it is, December 23, and I'm waiting for the other items that were supposed to ship on December 18. I tried to track my order online, but it wouldn't recognize my order number. I called their customer service department instead. The lady who helped me was very nice, which was a relief, but she told me my order was in its "second delay." She said they currently don't have the item available and don't know when it's going to be available to ship. She was so nice, so I didn't want to complain (it wasn't her fault), but I asked her to cancel my order.

But, come on, seriously? It's two days before Christmas, and they didn't even call or email to say there was going to be a delay. We have company coming tonight, which means I have one day--Christmas Eve--to figure out how to go shopping with a baby to get last minute Christmas gifts.

Grrrr.

Ollie and the Yucky Diaper, Part II

After almost two weeks with no troubles, Oliver had a mucousy diaper today. It's so scary finding all these terrible things in his poopy. I think this explains his mood last night, too. Normally, he sleeps so well, only waking up once in the night to eat. Last night, however, he was up every hour, crying. I could tell he was in pain, and he was gassy. Poor baby.

It's true I've been eating a lot of dairy products again. Since he hadn't been having issues for so long, I assumed his problem was a fissure and not dairy. So, I've been eating pizza, grilled cheeses, lots of yogurt, and cheese & crackers for snacks.

I called Colleen, Andrew's mom, who is a gastroenterologist PA. She also said the mucous is a sign of an intolerance to cow products. She's going to talk to one of the doctors she works with to see if he concurs.

Meanwhile, I'm also waiting to hear from Ollie's family doctor to discuss my diet. Dairy is one of my main sources of protein, so I'm concerned. I'm also worried for Oliver because, according to the ER doc at Children's, it can take up to two weeks for the bovine proteins to leave my system. I don't want him to be in any more pain and distress. I absolutely don't want to stop nursing, though, unless I have to.

Oh, what to do. Poor Ollie.

No Naps for Ollie

My son hates to nap. The weird thing is, he sleeps so well at night. After his first week at home, he'd sleep from 8:30pm to 5:30am, waking up for feedings. These days, he only wakes up for one feeding and can sleep as late as 7 or 8am.

When it comes to napping, though, he's a stinker. He'll sleep as long as he's in my arms. As soon as I set him down, he wakes up crying. His longest nap in his crib is 15 minutes (he did that twice this week!). I've tried setting him down when he's still a bit awake, but then he cries as soon as he's touching the crib. I'll try a few times a day to set him down for a nap, but I don't want him to start associating his crib with crying. So, inevitably, I give up. He needs to nap, so I let him sleep in my arms. More recently, I've started laying down on my bed with him curled next to me. He'll sleep for two hours in that position.

I'd love for him to be able to nap on his own for those two hours. Then, I could shower! Currently, I can only shower when Andrew's home. I hate that, because he gets home at 6pm every night, and I go to bed at 9pm. Sometimes, I shower in the middle of the night after Oliver's feeding, just to maximize my time with Andrew. I seriously go three days without a shower at times. I could also straighten up the house more if he would nap. Right now, I can quick do a load of laundry or dishes as he happily plays in his bouncy chair, but I'd love to be able to deep clean and get our house looking really nice.

How do you teach your baby to nap? It seems like all the advice online is how to teach a baby to sleep through the night, but he's got that down pat!

Ollie's OK!

Last night at 5pm, I was changing Oliver's diaper and was horrified to find spots of blood in it. I cursed myself for not changing his diaper a few minutes earlier before the doctor's office closed, and then I called the office to get the after hour's number.

Dr. Drexelius was very kind. He told me not to panic. Although he advised me to take Ollie to a hospital that evening, he said I don't have to rush straight there. I thanked him and started gathering up Ollie's things as Andrew drove home to pick us up. Even though I felt reassured after talking to the doctor, I couldn't help but break down a few times while waiting for Andrew to make the snowy drive home.

We went to Children's Hospital, armed with his bloody diaper. The doctors there were so kind (Yes, plural. They had us see two doctors to get two opinions. I was very pleased with that). The first doctor found what she thought to be a small tear at the entrance of his anus. She said it's possible the tear bled during a forceful pooh. The second doctor came in, and he looked at the tear. He also thought the tear could possibly have caused the blood, but he said, if that wasn't the culprit, then Oliver is most likely allergic to bovine proteins (which he would get from me consuming dairy products).

At first, he suggested to me that I cut out dairy now just in case. I explained to him my concern with my protein intake, since dairy and soy are a major staple in my diet. He listened to me and conferred with the other doctor. They ended up recommending that Andrew and I clean Oliver with water at diaper changes to let his cut heal. In a few days, if there's still blood, then I need to stop consuming dairy and speak to my doctor about my diet to make sure I'm getting enough protein.

I felt so much better after leaving the hospital, and--good news--Oliver's had no more bloody diapers! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the problem was just the small tear, and hopefully it'll heal quickly and not cause him any pain.

Oliver and the Bouncy Chair

Oliver is just over a month old, and he's able to use sweeping motions with his hands to hit his dangling animal toys.