Maddox and I met Dad for lunch at Daily Harvest before my doctor’s appointment yesterday. Mads had a good time looking around – lots to take in! He also ate bottled milk that was chilled – he’s so good about eating.

Here he is this morning in a footies outfit from his Nonni, fresh from a bath.

Mom’s spending part of the morning catching up on laundry – so many kind people have given Mads new outfits, and he’s growing into them very quickly!

The good thing about being this tired is that it’s helping me to let Maddox sit on his own more. Usually, I like to just hold him as much as possible, which is great for cuddles but unfortunate when it comes to getting anything done.

Today, I put Mads in his swing, then into his Pack ‘n Play, I fed him, then put him back into the swing. I tried taping red cards to the side of the swing, with the hopes that they would entertain him for those extra couple of minutes needed before the motion of the swing lulls him to sleep. (Red is one of the colors babies like, because the high contrast makes it easier to see.)

I miss the cuddling, but there’s just too much to do today. He’s perfectly happy, so long as when he IS upset, I’m there. And, since I’m going to have to learn how to spend whole work days away from him, not holding him 24/7 is probably a good first step.

The next one is probably letting him sleep in his crib, in the nursery. My argument is that it’s illogical to place him farther away, because I’ll have to get up and go into another room to feed and change him, which is much more disruptive. Jon and Maddox both see through my clever ruse though – I just want Mads within snuggle distance.

For me, being a mom has been about training myself to relax. Relax about that coughing – you would cough too if you’d just inhaled 3 oz of milk. Relax about letting him sleep in his swing – it’s sturdy, and you don’t have to hold him all of the time. Relax about feeding him – there’s tons of milk, and he’ll eat formula, shirts, arms, pretty much anything you put in front of his mouth. And that diaper? Although it’s best to keep it fresh, a little poo will not cause lasting damage.

All in all, he is worth every moment of worry, and sleep deprivation is why New England has so freakin’ many Dunkin Donuts.

Basic Stats

Our “little guy” is not so little anymore. He will be 6 weeks old on Saturday and he’s already wearing 3-6 month clothing. He met cousin Aoife (Auntie Kristy’s daughter) for the first time last weekend. Here’s Aoife holding Maddox, taken by Dad:

And a video:

Note how she’s about twice his size.

She’s 2 1/2.

Now, being his Mom, I’m ridiculously proud of him for growing. It’s great – he’ll be able to intimidate all the mean kids on the playground if they try to steal his ice cream.

Health

I’ve been sick for the past week – temp fluctuating between 102 and 104, muscle aches, chills, you name it. I’ve been worried about Maddox getting sick, and Jon stayed home on Tuesday to take care of him.

The OB GYN, pediatrician and lactation consultants had conflicting opinions about whether I should feed Mads formula or not, so after much debate, we kept him on formula while the fever was up and then switched back to regular feeding when it returned to normal.

On a positive note, we realized how loved Maddox is and how great it is to live near a support network of family and friends. On Wednesday, Papa (my Dad) and Auntie Kate came up for shifts to help out, and Nonni (Jon’s Mom) even volunteered to fly in. Also, it’s great to know that he’ll take formula – now there’s just a little bit less pressure on Mom in case of emergencies.

Updates From This Morning

Here are some quick images, before he wakes up and computer time is over:

This last photo isn’t from this morning, but it’s still cute:

We were somewhat frustrated by the Maya Sling video. After watching it 4 or 5 times, Jon and I both began to loathe the smiling demonstrator who cheerfully lifts two babies into her dual-wielded slings, as if carrying 50 lbs all day will not permanently cripple you.

I can see how a sling is useful, though – if we can just get the hang of it, it will enable me to use my computer and get things done around the house while still holding Maddox. Also, it will be more interesting for him – when he was still inside, I was up and running all of the time, so he’s used to a much less sedentary lifestyle.

We didn’t take a picture of Mads in his sling, because all you could see was the top of his teeny head smooshed up against Mom, but here’s a picture of him pouting because no one is holding him – generally, Mom or Dad picks him up the moment he makes a sound. =)

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.