It’s amazing how much more you can get done when you’ve had sleep.
Last night, Maddox slept for a 4 hour stretch, then for 4 more hours, then for 2 more. He’s been doing 1-2 hour stretches lately, with one longer one, so this was great. I actually woke him up the first time (at 2) because I wasn’t sure what was going on. Where was the hungry monster?
This morning, I was able to eat breakfast, spray the plants with lemon oil for fruit flies, repack his diaper bag (I carry it around the house in case he needs to nurse), and get out the swing from Auntie Kristy for Mads to try. He’s been enjoying it, but unfortunately, hungry monster has returned, and it’s time for a break from blogging and back to my status of Mommy Moo Cow.
There’s been a lot to learn. For starters, neither Jon nor I have ever had much to do with small children or babies. Everything was new – diapering, holding the baby, feeding the baby, keeping him clean and comfortable. The other night, we thought he was sweating excessively and might have a fever, and it turned out that the new diapers we’d purchased were larger than the ones from the hospital, and they just needed to be hiked up and fastened higher.
I’ve done at least 2 loads of laundry a day since we’ve been home, which means 12 loads so far, and I’m going to stop keeping track now, or it’s going to get depressing. You know how I’m really into task management software? With a baby, everything is a recurring event, so you’re actually never done. But, it is entirely worth it. Plus, now I always have clean socks.
Feeding him was challenging at first. We were both learning, and it was a literally painful experience. I finally called my sister and a lactation consultant from the hospital, and they gave me some sound advice and got me using Lansinoh, which is soothing for me and safe for the baby. We’re getting better at it, which is good, since he feeds every 2 hours or so.
