Busy Baby

We had a busy rest of our week this week! Here's how it broke down (while the little monkey is still sleeping...FINALLY today...):

Wednesday: After the success with nursing really getting going Monday and Tuesday, I felt it was only right and good that I take my friend, Casey's, advice and go to Breastfeeding Support Group (by Genesis Hospital) in the Quad Cities. Morgan must have sensed how important it was to me since she got up, nursed, hung out for a bit, and then was super content to sit in her little lamb chair while I took a shower. This was a beautiful first. We were planning on leaving around 9:15am to get there by 10am (with a yummy stop at McD's for breakfast for mommy) but of course she got hungry at 9:00am so we had a quick "snack" before heading out. Support group was GREAT. Turns out I had been on the right track given my previous advice that week and got a few more tips to make things go even more smoothly. I think we're implementing the strategies alright, but we'll likely go back one more time to make sure. Then we met Casey, Joe, and little JoJo for lunch at Olive Garden before heading out to Target...but not after a feeding in the empty part of the lot. :) We're flexible. We jammed to the radio while she was nursing. It was actually kind of relaxing...oddly enough. It was awesome to get out, do lunch, shop a little...I felt almost normal again. I was even compelled to look at real clothes again, but nursing tanks/bras took presidence so new clothes will have to be on the back burner for now. :) Good day! I was impressed with how well she did and only cried when she was hungry or needed a bum change.

Thursday: We had plans to run errands in the morning before Adam came home for lunch...but Morgan had other ideas. She decided to get hungry early (she's my daughter, what can I say, when a girl's gotta eat...don't get in the way!) which threw off our schedule to do errands. We decided to put them off until after lunch which actually worked out better than I had anticipated. We went to the doctor's to drop off my maternity leave paperwork since my doctor is going on medical leave next week for a few months. Then off to my work to pick up my mileage check and have Morgan meet the secretaries. They loved her and were sad that I didn't take her out of her car seat...but it was a short visit and I knew I was on borrowed time (between feedings). We then went to the Y so I could walk for a little while and get the exercise ball (slowly!!) rolling. Since it was SO nice outside, I Bjorned her outside and then went in to walk at the track. I lasted about 13 minutes or so before I started to get worried that I was going to pee my pants. Yup, you read that right. Since Morgan was a big girl (although any kid coming out of a woman is going to feel big, I'm sure), she must have stretched out my "parts" a little bit so things are loose. Which means when I have to pee, I mean now. So anyway, we did well, she slept through the whole thing before we went to Walmart for a few quick things. By this time I was questioning whether or not we should just go home we were past feeding time...but we went anyway. And who do I see but my old boss, Kelly! She's 8 weeks away from her due date and it was great to see her and catch up a little...until Morgan realized what fun I was having and woke up STARVING. So we hightailed it out of there and ran home to eat. Another good day of being out in public! :)

Friday: Hmm...:-/ Today was a little different. Morgan was on a great track this morning to be on a good feeding/nap schedule and then she forgot to do the nap part. Which made her fussy. And then made her fussier. So thankfully I had eaten breakfast and brushed my teeth before she got up b/c that was the last of the things I was able to do for myself until about 2pm with Adam home (he took the afternoon off so he could go hunting later). We struggled back and forth b/w feeding, changing diapers, bouncing on the ball...anything I could think of. Sigh. 2 good days and 1 ok/iffy one...not too bad for an 18-day old baby. (which floors me...it feels like I could say years instead of days...!). Days like today make me SUPER nervous for when Adam travels and I have no one to relieve me without asking for outside help - which is really hard for me. I would consider asking others for personal favors WAY outside of my box. He travels for the first time again in 2 weeks. His parents might be coming down for the 2nd half of the week, but I'm not going to lie - I'm a little nervous for M-W. I know I can and will do it. :)

For some reason the past two days, I've been ready to kind of "detach" and have a little more me-time...which doesn't mean that it just happens. For example, last night I thought Morgan was going down for the night and I'd feed her just before 10pm/bed for me and I'd be able to just chill out and watch TV for a while...but then she woke up RIGHT as I was beginning that relaxing time...and I never got it. For some reason, that irked me more than I thought it would or should. I didn't like that one bit. I'm her mother; I should be able to handle whatever she needs as it is not even close to her fault if she's tired/hungry/diaper/etc...So that's what I'm working on in the next few days. I think part of it is that things are starting to pile up around here in terms of housework (a lesser concern I guess), thank you's, etc. Ok, new topic. I don't like talking/writing about how inadequate I feel sometimes... ;-)

One thing of note today...I gave Morgan her Vitamin D supplement drops as that's the only thing I (guess I) don't give her enough of through nursing. And I thought I might have killed her. She was crying so I thought it would be a good opportunity since A) her mouth was open and B) she was upset already so if she didn't like it, no harm no foul. So I squirt it in her mouth...and I thought she stopped breathing. Then I freaked out (while quietly waiting so as not to scare her) that I had squirted it down her trachea...but all she kept doing was swallowing, swallowing, swallowing, and hardly breathing...and then she was breathing fine, no coughing...then I recalled reading somewhere that it tasted pretty bad...so I tasted it and WOAH. That was one of the grossest things I have ever tasted. And I had had one DROP, not a whole mL like Morgan had had. I quick whipped out a milk "chaser" for her but she wasn't having it. Poor little thing...but get this - she almost instantly fell asleep after she was done swallowing. Hmm. I've put a shout out to anyone who knows of a different brand/kind b/c that's brutal. I might just have to lay her in the sun for a while each day instead of giving her that stuff again until she can have it in a bottle. ICK.

Nursing is still going alright. I don't feel like I'm really healing fast enough (or at all) sometimes. And I'm a little nervous that my right side might be cracking...but it's not getting worse/better so we're just going to go with it for now. Off to get some things done while she's sleeping and Adam's hunting. I'm excited to try church for the first time with Morgan this weekend. And I need to get her baptism invites out since that's coming up too!! Ahh!! So much to do...but tomorrow Julie and I are going for pedicures at 1pm...can't wait. :) She's got the best ideas sometimes! :)