roly-poly

Domingo flipped over from his back to his belly today! I actually didn't see it happen, and I think Ana may have helped a little, but when I came back in the room, there he was on his belly! This is the first of the firsts that I didn't witness myself. Although I was just in the bathroom, it still made me a little sad. Then when Chris came home today he said that Domi was hanging out with Ana and laughing hysterically. While I'm so happy that he likes her and it lets me work without having to worry, I wish it was me that saw him flip today, and that made him laugh like a hyena when Daddy comes home. I know this is probably not the last of the firsts I'll miss, but I'll be there for the 2nd or 3rd and the 50,000th, and that's what matters. When I finally got home Domi gave me a smile and laugh. I think we were both glad I was home.

As smooth as a baby(alligator)'s bottom

What happened to my baby's "baby soft" skin? His little booty is so red and scaly! The pediatrician said it is not diaper rash, so diaper rash cream shouldn't help. But(t), I have been using this zinc and vitamin cream and it seems to help, a little. Otherwise we constantly slather him in Eucerin cream and lotion and Aquafor, butter and whatever else we can slap on him. And he still has itchy patches on his cheeks, his elbows and his bottom. How did this happen? I don't have eczema, neither does Chris. I remember my sister always complaining about this with her kids, but they have a family history of eczema, but this is not supposed to happen to ME!!! There's not much else I can do but keep his nails cut down to the nub and moisturize like there's no tomorrow. Pass the butter!

Domi- the week in review

I was pretty sure this would happen, but since I started working the blogging has fallen by wayside. Not only am I exhausted at the end of the day, Domi is not really in the mood for pictures, and how many naked bath pictures can the internet really support? (Of my child? MANY!!!) But this week was a busy week and lots happened, so let's review!



Domingo has taken to sucking on Chris's arm to get to sleep. I think he's secretly proud, he shows off his bruise every chance he gets!





Domi is sooo close to turning over from his back to his belly. He gets his legs over and is almost over when his arm gets in the way. He also likes to grab the arch of his play gym and shake it.



Last night we had another "girls night out" with the ladies of Chris's family. It was at a delicious vegetarian restaurant, "Green Zebra". I had a great time and CANNOT WAIT to do it again! This time around Aunt Lynn and Sarah came down from Milwaukee and then they stopped by today for a visit with Domi. What a great way to end the week!

I'll try not to go so long between posts, but until next time, try not to look like this:

Check up!

So Domi had his 4 months check up today. While he is technically 4 months and 2 weeks, according to the growth charts he's still a huge baby. He weighed in at 18.25 pounds (90-95%) and 27.5 inches long (off the chart, greater than 95%!) and his head circumference was 16.75 (50%) not as big as the rest of him, but still totally normal and fine. The doctor said he is doing great, once again, we are doing everything right (LOVE to hear that!) and to keep it up. One thing she did mention was the sleeping issues. She was actually a lot less negative about Domi being in the bed with us than I thought she would be. I was prepared to get completely defensive and irritated, but no need! She gave the official AAP party line of it's not recommended, but she then said, whatever works. The other thing she said was that swaddling him at this age, since he's breaking out so often, was probably a bad idea, so we should start weaning him off it soon. She also didn't totally push the cry it out thing either which I appreciated, although, I don't know if we'll be able to avoid it much longer. Also if I hear "put him down drowsy but awake" again I'll scream. Believe me if I could do that I would.
Then was the bad part- the shots. He actually was really great. He only cried while they were giving the shots, then as soon as I scooped him up he stopped crying. What a brave boy.
In other news, his second tooth is poking through. While this whole teething thing is happening, I don't think it's possible for the sleeping to be anything but tough. On a more cheerful note enjoy Domi enjoying his abuela!



Abuela is hilarious on Vimeo

The many faces of Domi

Meet No Beard, the Pirate Baby. Although you can't really see it very well, there is a scratch about an inch long on Domi's cheek. (If you click on the picture it enlarges enough to see it better.) He did it in his sleep when he broke out of the swaddler, and in the morning after it happened he looked like he was in a knife fight with Furious George. Mr. Smithers, this baby is going to need most of your skin. But thanks to the marvels of baby skin regeneration, it is now practically gone. So now he's pretty much greased up 24/7 with a thick film of Eucerin cream, we'll see if that keeps him from being so scratch-happy. Oh yeah, and I'm the only one brave enough to clip his nails, even though I'm the only one who has bloodied the little chap, besides himself that is.



Meet Domi-kun the Sumo Baby. He eats non-stop a feast of milk milk and more milk! This is an outfit that Hez and James got little Domi-kun in Japan. I wanted to try it on him even though it's more of a summer outfit, but I was afraid he'd never even put it on before he outgrew it. I think it may be good for another month or two.



Meet Cool Mo D(omi), spokes baby for Domi's world and all around playa. He's sporting the official Domi's World t-shirt, lovingly created by Grandma, I hope she will take orders, I'm sure I'll be flooded with requests. I actually want her to make a shirt that says WWJD? (What Would Jada Do?) for my friend KMW- lest we forget. hee!



Finally, meet little Domi in slumberland, sweetest boy on earth. Sometimes when I see him like this I wonder how I could have birthed such an angelic, other worldly creature. Then he wakes up a holy terror and I'm like, "oh yeah, that part". Today was a test during nap times to see if he could sleep without the swaddler. He did ok, pretty much the same length of time as what Ana is saying he's sleeping during the week with the swaddler, we'll see if we do it full time soon.

Putting it out there

A few days ago a friend of mine got a nasty comment on her site. I also got a comment on my last post that made me think a little more about what I post about and the pictures I post. The fact that this site is for me and my family and friends doesn't change the fact that it's out there for anyone to see. So while I think pictures of my son's poopy bottom are cute and hilarious, maybe the internet isn't the best place to show them off.
It also made me rethink the content of this site and what it has become. Originally I thought it would be like an online babybook, where milestones and benchmarks and growth spurts would be documented as well as a place where the minutiae of everyday with a newborn would be carefully preserved for the ages and for the masses. I thought this was a particularly good idea for those who don't get to see the little prince in the (ample) flesh. It still is that, but it has become so much more.
While on bedrest, reading other people's blogs became a way to escape my sofa prison. Then it became a habit, and reading about other people's pregnancies and babies, and other topics too, became part of my daily routine. I felt like I got to know these women and their children, and came to really want to read about how and what they were doing. So later, I thought, "hey, I should do that too" for the above mentioned reasons. And over time (didn't take too long) this blog became a place where I could vent my insecurities, frustrations, worries, and laud my triumphs, desires, and hopes. I do this part for me, but, as my friend's nasty commenter made me realize, it's out there for other people to judge me should they so choose. That kind of puts damper on one's desire to write openly and freely about one's feelings and about what is going on in one's life. Not that I have ever let someone else's judgments stop me from embarrassing myself, so why should it now? Anyway, this is one of the more ME focused posts and not so much about Domi, but I am part of Domi's world, hopefully one of the bigger parts.
More updates soon, D has his 4 months doc. appointment on Sunday, so I'll be back with the official height/weight check, as well as more pictures soon. This is one Chris took where it looks like the teething is still underway!

What happens when mommy tries to take a nap

So after Domi went to sleep at around 2 p.m., I decided to join in the fun, but a few minutes after I went in to the bedroom we heard the familiar squeaks coming from the other room. Chris brought him in to the bed so I could feed the beast. He seemed like he was still sleepy but was really fussy and I thought it might be his tooth that is still working it's way out. Chris took him back out of the room to let me take my nap. Maybe 10 minutes later I heard a faint "Alice" coming from Domi's room. I thought Chris was on the phone or something. Then I heard it again, this time a little louder. I woke up a little more only to hear it much louder coupled with "HELP!" That woke me up completely and I lept out of bed screaming "WHATHAPPENEDWHEREAREYOU?!!!" I ran into Domingo's room to see this:


Chris had started changing what was a very poopy diaper, and then it just got worse. He turned around to get a new diaper and there was a volcanic poop eruption that threatened to overtake them both and freeze them forever in time. So what did I do? Instead of helping out, I ran to get the camera, this was worth capturing on film.

One week down...

So everyone survived Mom's first week back at work. Domingo came out like a champ, and got a tooth to boot. I actually got enough sleep to function and the only thing I didn't have a chance to do was exercise. But I think as soon as I get the hang of this schedule, and maybe if Domi starts to sleep a little better, I'll be able to fit that in as well.
I had a good week at work, they tried to ease me back into the swing of things, and for the most part it worked. I've decided to take things one day at a time, and so far so good.
As I enter the world of the working parent, there are lots of challenges that I'll be facing, hopefully with more sense of humor than sense of despair. An early example is this: today I had to make a sign to hang outside my door so that people wouldn't get an unexpected and awkward surprise if they happened to barge in while I was pumping. So now if the door is closed it says- when the breast pump's a-rockn' don't come a-knockin'. It's going to be an interesting year...

Droolius Caesar explained...

So, I came home today and Anna showed me what I had dismissed as impossible. Domingo has a tooth! His first baby tooth on the bottom left side is coming in. I felt something when he was nursing, but thought there was no way he could be getting a tooth, I mean he just turned four months on Sunday. But the pointy little proof was there in his mouth. So maybe his crabbiness of last week and especially last night was NOT because he was mad at me for going to work, but because he was getting a TOOTH for God's sake. Recently he's been drooling up a storm, and last night he went to sleep before I got home from work, and according to Anna cried quite a bit, then he pretty much wanted to nurse all night. I was beginning to worry that it was the beginning of sleep problems, but hopefully this is the answer. It appears that all the mysteries are solved. Domi's first tooth!!

The worst is over

At least for now. I think the worst part was not knowing how it was going to go, not knowing how Domi was going to be without me. But, like everybody assured me, everything was fine. I got to my office and nothing had really changed. I was so worried that I wouldn't remember how to do my job, 6 months is a really long time to be away from something to jump right back into it. But I sat down and started going through the 2000+ emails I had, read through some of the cases that I was assigned, and before I turned around it was already 2:00 p.m. and I hadn't even had lunch. I even knew the answers to a few questions that people asked me. Everyone was really nice and made me feel really welcome and missed. At about 4:00 p.m., I made my one and only phone call to Anna to tell her not to feed Domi again before I got home and she told me that Domi did great all day. He took 4 naps today, and when I got home his face lit up in a giant smile. It almost makes leaving worth while to come home to a welcome like that!

Four month update

Domingo-
I can't believe it's here so soon. When I met you I thought 4 months was a world away. Now that I've spent my every waking (and some not so awake) moment of the last four months with you, I can not believe it's past. Everyday you do something new or funny to surprise and amaze me. I'm so lucky to have been able to spend this time with you and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
You keep getting bigger as I'm told children often do, but I must say I think you are doing it faster than some. Our last unofficial weigh in said you weigh 17 pounds and by my measurements, 27 inches long.
Over this last month you've also learned some new things. You have most definitely discovered your hands and how to use them for lots of things, like grabbing whatever is around and putting it in your mouth. You've become a total pro at taking the bottle, even though I know you prefer to nurse, especially when you are sleepy. But I knew it would only take a few tries before you adopted the bottle as a second best choice. You are still such a well behaved and amazing baby when it really counts, if we are out to dinner, or out and about, you are generally terrific and pass the time by laughing or just watching the world go by, learning and looking and being the cutest boy around.
We had a new swaddler made for you this month, as you have long since outgrown your old one, but I think even though you fit in this one (for the moment), we may begin weaning you off of it soon. I think your startle reflex is just about gone and you try so hard to get at your hand at night that it wakes you up. Oh that brings me to the sleeping issues. You still aren't making it through the night, but some nights are definitely better than others. I find that when you get good long naps, you wake up less, and fall back to sleep again faster than when you don't. So we really have to work on making sure you get them all. We have moved all your naps into your crib and you are usually perfectly fine with that, and actually still like playing in there and watching your mobile when you aren't asleep. We will have see how much longer you stay in our room at night. I don't want to keep you awake (and would love some sleep myself), but oddly enough, I have to say that I will miss lying next to you watching you nurse back to sleep and hearing you sigh contentedly in the quiet and still night.
This month we met Anna who will be taking good care of you, playing games, going for walks and most importantly feeding your hungry tummy while I start back to work and hopefully do something worthwhile and fulfilling enough to keep me away from you for even a second.
So, the beginning of this month marks the end of our non-stop time together, and I know it will be much harder on me than it will be on you. But just because I'm not in the same room with you, don't forget that I'm still with you in my mind and in my heart every second of every day, from now until forever.
Love,
Mommy

Bring your Domi to work day

Today we went to visit Chris at his office. Domi did great, and everyone remarked on how big and alert he is (and how gorgeous, but that goes without saying!).
If I ran the world, I would totally have in office day care. How great would that be, bring your baby to work with you everyday! You could spend your coffee breaks and lunch hour with him! There would be quiet little nursing rooms with rocking chairs for when you need to feed. Ah if women ran the world... (Actually our friend Sara told me that this firm that sues the City all the time is planning on putting in an in-office day care, hmmm...)
As it is, I start back on Monday, no nursing room, but I will have my handy dandy back pack pump and my "cozy" little office, so that's kind of the same thing right? Oh yeah, and the window in my office faces another building's door, so I must make sure to close the shades or there will be quite the show going on! There is nothing more attractive than being milked let me tell you!
Because I'm a flake, I forgot the camera, so here is a picture of Domi practicing grabbing with one of his inherited rattles. He's getting so good at it!

froggy went a court'n

I love this towel my sister and Ian got Domi for Christmas, the jangly arms are so funny.
So it's nearing the end of Day Three of Anna's first week. And the sleeping today has gone a bit better. Three naps, none were super long, but at least they were all present and accounted for. The best thing is, tomorrow is Mommy-Domi time all day all the way!
I'm starting to feel a little more optimistic about the whole situation, although last night my suspicions were confirmed in that Domi didn't sleep well at all and woke up several times and then at 4 am pretty much didn't go back to sleep. So the nap nazis were in full force today, and it seems it is just taking some adjusting on Domi's part to learn to go to sleep without nursing. From the department of hindsight is 20/20: I wish I had tried harder to not let him nurse to sleep, but what are you going to do?
I'm also feeling a little better because I went for a jog yesterday, and got a hair cut today, so I feel slightly more human and less like a cave troll. Amazing what just a bit of personal hygiene can do for your self-esteem and overall outlook on life.
So it's a period of transition for all of us, and it's going to be rough at times for everyone. But I'm confident that Domi is strong and resilient, even if I'm not so much. And really, he's all that matters.

Day two...

Ok, so maybe magic was a bit optimistic. Yesterday at around 4:30, Domingo had a bit of a melt down. Now I have totally bought into the Weissbluth overtired theory. I believe that babies need to take naps, and can only stay awake for about 2 hours or so before getting overtired. I believe this because this has been my experience. So yesterday after being awake and out and about for around 2 and a half hours, he started crying and didn't stop until he pretty much collapsed from exhaustion. Not good. This morning he kind of did the same thing except without the collapse. So no morning nap. I know it's just the second day, and maybe he's just getting used to the whole thing too, but I'm NOT digging the not sleeping thing. I'm afraid it will affect his night time sleep too, see, because I've bought into the theory that sleep begets sleep.
The nanny is not so much into this theory. She is of the same school of thinking that my parents belong to, i.e., children sleep when they are tired. He's not sleeping he is therefore not tired. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! My four (almost) months of gently to sleep, getting the nap schedule set etc. etc., what's to become of you!! I kind of feel like I've given up my say so in when he should sleep because it's not me who has to hold and jiggle the nearly 20 lbs of baby for an hour while he screams in my ear and still doesn't sleep. I'm also beginning to worry that he'll very quickly weigh even more than that if she keeps giving him bottle after bottle when he's fussy (my stash will run out even faster than I had originally thought at this rate!). But I don't want him to be a fussy (or ginormously obese) baby, and I feel like if he doesn't sleep he will be.
I know it's just day two (I said that already right?) so I should try to keep it together. But it's hard.
Here is a picture I took after they got back from the morning walk. I didn't post the whole picture of Anna because, um, maybe unlike some people, she doesn't want her face out there for all the internets to see, but those are her strong arms holding the "bear"!

A new face

There is a new face here in Domi's world. Anna started today while I'm still at home for one last week, so that she can learn the lay of the land and D and I can get used to the idea. I have to say right off the bat, she is totally great, just about as ideal a person for the job as could be. She's really nice and full of energy, and has no problem picking up and carrying Domi around, which is key. So why am I still antsy and depressed?
It may have been easier to start work right away after like 6 weeks, so that I wouldn't have become so "accustomed to his face" etc. It also would probably have been easier on me if I had just started work today, instead of being here feeling like a third wheel. After showing her where all the phone numbers are, how to work the stroller, where the diapers are and various warnings about the incontinent dog, all of which took about 10 minutes, there wasn't much else to do but hand off my son and see how it went. Let me tell you, sitting outside the room listening to Domingo cry because he's hungry and not able to take a bottle is not a fun way to spend an afternoon. (Luckily, I got up the nerve and showed her the trick to it- laying down next to him and having him turn to the side like he's nursing tricks him into sucking it down! I also showed her how to work the baby straight jacket, and she wasn't horrified, or at least didn't let it show, bonus points!)
But he eventually ate, went down for his naps without a problem, and went outside twice today. And I got to clean and organize a bit, and throw out some old boxes and things that have been sitting in our already cluttered apartment, which was actually really nice (there is still a long way to go on that front, but that's a whole other post!) Like I said before, the whole parenting thing is much easier with more than one person around.
After calling him for the 30th time today, Chris said that we should join some type of nanny user support group. I think I should just get over myself and be grateful that I won't be home as much for the "crazies" to rub off on the boy, maybe he'll make it out of this childhood unscathed.

resolution revolution!

Ok, it begins today! Not an original resolution, but here it is, I have resolved to lose all this weight and be swim suit ready by Memorial Day! I weighed myself at my mom's today, and not only have I not lost any more weight, I've actually GAINED weight since September! So I have started (again) to work out, and tomorrow the food overhaul begins. I have given up the illusion that I'd be able to run a half marathon by early February, my training got sidelined by a knee problem and then once that healed, the whole breast infection kept me from working out. So now I've started running again, slowly. Also, I have committed to running an 8k (just over 5 miles) in Chicago with my sister in March, which is a much more realistic goal.

Tomorrow is also the nanny's first day. I'll be home this week to "transition" Domi and hopefully not lose my mind. Then Monday is my first day back at work. I know this topic must be getting old, but it's a big step for me. I'll hang out this week and get comfortable with this lady, show her how Domi likes to be held, and get her hip to our little schedule and then as soon as I'm gone, I'm sure they'll come up with their own routines.
I'm hoping she's magic and will get him to take naps without a fuss, and take a bottle without a fuss, and sleep in his crib without a fuss and become an all around perfect baby, without a fuss. Is that to much to ask? She's taken care of a lot more babies than I have so maybe I'm not totally crazy to hope.
OK! Wish me luck on it all!!!