Dom @ 5 Mo.

So apparently I wrote this up a few weeks ago and never posted it. Doh! Dom is now 6.5mo, but who's counting?

Eats: Approx 30-34oz
formula/breastmilk per day (5-6 bottles) + 2 oz solid foods (prunes + a veggie, we just started this but he LOVES the sweet potato)

Sleeps: Approx 13-14 hours, Longest night-sleep averages 7-8hrs (shortest 5hrs, longest 11.5hrs), 3 daytime naps

Pumping: 6-8 oz per day. I'm weaning myself off...

Weighs (@19 weeks): 15.4lbs/45% percentile (+9lbs from birth)
Height (@19 weeks): 25.5 inches /50% percentile (+7.5inches from birth)
Head (@19 weeks): 17.5 inches /90% percentile (+4.5inches from birth). Yes, Dom has a GIANT head. Runs in my family!

Typical Day @ 5mo:
6:45-7:00am - Wake up, hang out with mom and dad in bed.
7:30am - 8oz bottle / playtime in Exosaucer
8:15-8:30am - Nap #1 (approx 45 minutes)
8:30am - Hang out while mom does chores
10:00am - 2 tsp solids (prunes) mixed with reflux meds (YUM), + 4-6oz bottle
10:30-11:00am - Nap #2 (varies from 40 minutes - 2 hours)
Afternoons vary based on nap #2, we usually run an errand or go on a walk in the Bjorn
3:30-4:00pm - 6-8oz bottle, Nap #3, sometimes in the swing if he's being especially fussy (15 minutes - 1 hour)
5:00pm - Playtime with Daddy, 4-6oz bottle
6:30pm - 2-4 tbl solids
7:00pm - Bathtime & 6-8oz bottle
7:30-8:00pm - Bedtime

Sometimes he'll wake up for a bottle at around midnight if he hasn't eaten at least 30oz during the day. Dom has never been a big eater, I'm actually shocked he's taking 8oz bottles at all! He still cluster feeds after 3pm, taking bottles every 2-3 hours instead of every 3-4 in the morning.

He takes 1 great nap a day in the late morning, but is a HELLCAT after 3pm. It's almost impossible to get him down for more than 20 minutes. I used to fight it and spend 2 hours trying to get him to sleep, but since he's now sleeping so much at night I'm letting him stay up if that's what he wants. Makes putting him down at 7pm that much easier!

Dom @ 3 Mo.

Eats: Approx 25-28oz breastmilk per day (6-8 bottles), sometimes a formula bottle at night.
Sleeps: Approx 14 hours, Longest night-sleep averages 6.5hrs (shortest 5hrs, longest 7.5hrs), 4 daytime naps
Pumping: 32-33oz per day
Weighs (@14 weeks): 13.4lbs/55% percentile (+7.5lbs from birth)
Height (@14 weeks): 24 inches /50% percentile (+6inches from birth)

Typical Day @ 3mo:
9:00am - Wake up, 4oz bottle
10:30am - Pump
11:00am - Nap #1 (approx 45 minutes)
12:30pm - 4oz bottle, then errands or playtime
2:00pm - Nap #2 (approx 45 minutes)
3:30pm - 4oz bottle, Playtime on the mat or walk around the neighborhood
4:30pm - Nap #3, sometimes (mostly) in the swing if he's being especially fussy (2 hours)
5:30pm - Pump
7:00pm - 4oz bottle, Playtime
8:00pm - Nap #4 (approx 30 minutes, depends on how long nap #3 was)
8:30pm - 2-4oz bottle
9:30pm - Bathtime
10:00pm - 4-6oz bottle, bedtime story
10:15pm - Bedtime
10:30pm - Pump
5:00am - 4oz bottle
5:15am - Back to sleep
5:30am - Pump

Yes, my kid goes to bed at 10:15pm. We've been trying to amend this, but he just doesn't want to go to sleep any earlier than 10pm! On the one hand it's great because we can take him to dinner with us, have guests at the house at night, etc. But it's a curse because Matt and I don't get any alone time at the end of the day, as we are so exhausted by the time he goes down that we pass out as soon as he does. He also has been cluster-feeding at night and eating very little in the mornings.

Things I want to remember:
- Loves his green frog "lovie"

- Changed his bottle preference from wide-mouth to regular at 14 weeks.
- He can sit upright (when propped with the boppy) and stay that way for 20 minutes unassisted (when he's not squirming like crazy - another new skill).
- Relying less on the paci for bedtimes/naptimes
- Rolls easy back to side.... I almost always find him in this position when he wakes up in the morning.

- Loves taking baths and kicks in the water like crazy
- Lots of coos and sounds - "Ah-boo" is his most common "word".
- Laryngomalacia seems to be subsiding. It's louder when he's excited and taking quicker breaths.
- Loves blonds. Almost always smiles at them when they hold him, even if he doesn't know the person (hubba hubba)!
- Likes watching football on TV - cries when a commercial comes on!
- Still wearing size 1 diapers
- Just now fitting into size 0-3 clothing
- Starting to chew on everything


Dom and I at the Elbow Room, DH and I's favorite bar/old stomping ground.

Easy Peasy, and My New Life as a SAHM.

Lo and behold, I actually managed to finish a knitting project since Dom has been around!


Peasy by Heidi Kirrmaier
Rowan Felted Tweed in Water, 6 balls
Size 4 Needles
Raveled

I just adore this. I started it back in December and finally got around to plowing through the mindless stockingette portion thanks to the untold number of hours I've been hooked up to my pump. I used to hate pumping, now I kind of love it because it's 20 minutes that I get to knit un-interrupted. Especially the 6am session, it's cool and quiet and it's just me and the knitting. Ok off topic, back to the sweater.



I added an extra button hole for coverage, and about 3 inches in body length. SWOOOOON. Love.

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So as the 2nd part of my title indicates, I have made the leap from working woman to SAHM. That is actually why I've been so silent around here, I'm back at work part-time training my successor, AND caring for the kid full-time (taking him to the office has been QUITE an adventure.)

I am not exaggerating when I say this was the hardest decision I've ever made in my life. Luckily DH has been doing great at work so we can afford it, but giving up my career was not a decision taken lightly. I mean, I used to think "I didn't go out and get my Masters Degree so I can stay home chasing a kid, doing laundry, and other domestic things." I've been in my industry for almost 10 years, and finally had built my skill set to a level that would allow me some upward mobility. But hey, that kid comes along and it's AMAZING how your priorities change, right? All of a sudden I got caught up in this emotion that I just couldn't leave him in the care of someone else. Just couldn't. And while my income allowed us to do lots of fun things, none of them were worth it when compared to spending my days with Dom.

So I've been spread a little thin right now, but October 1 is my last day and then I'm officially a SAHM. It's still weird to say it. Expect to hear a lot more about my domestic endeavors, since sitting down to blog is actually something I can now fit into the day. And I may even have more time to knit, too ;).

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Update on Dom, 12 weeks.

Hanging out in Fish Camp


Mom got me this awesome onesie:


Hand is GOOD. Nom Nom Nom...


Going for a ride in the swing (sorry it's sideways!!)

Baby Bean Is Here!

So it's been quiet around here... but for the best possible reason.



Dominic Matthew
arrived on 6/18/2010 at 2:40pm.
6lb, 13oz & 18 inches long.







He's only 12 days old but I can't believe how much he's grown. We're exhausted but happy beyond belief. We had a natural birth after 14 hours of labor.

I'll post more details soon (it's hard to type with one hand and a baby in the other!)

Preggo Rebel

I don't try much to hide the fact that I am a pregnancy rule-breaker. Chocolate? Started that up around week 15 when the nausea went away. Soft cheese? About week 20 (don't even get me started on how much blue cheese I've had in the last month). Wine? I finally said screw it and ordered (and enjooooooooooooyed) a glass of red at my sisters Bachelorette party at 25 weeks. Sushi? Started sneaking bites of Matt's spicy tuna around 30 weeks. I'm of the opinion of everything in moderation and my body will tell me when I shouldn't be consuming something.

This week it is Chai. OMG, I've been totally craving it the last week. The weird thing? I've only drank it once in my life before now. I happened to be crusing around the grocery store the other day (BAD idea to let me do this BTW, I can't tell you how many random items have made their way into our pantry as a result) and for some reason the box of Tazo concentrate caught my eye. I read somewhere that because it has caffeine and spices (Anise I think?) in it that it's bad blah blah blah... but I had a glass last night and baby DMC and I are still here to talk about it. Yum.

Anyway, not sure why I told you that story but what I MEANT to blog about was how hard it's been for me to SLOW DOWN and keep my feet up when my body is clearly telling me to (oh HAI Braxton Hicks as I type this). I know I'm only a couple days away from being full term and at this point labor wouldn't be risky, but I still feel like I have so much to do. Rooms to reorganize, clothes to wash and fold, swings and rockers and monitors to put together.


Katy clearly has no problem relaxing and putting her feet up.

I've also been kniting baby items like mad. MAD I tell you. I hope that Fresno plans on freezing over this summer because I have clearly forgotten that I live in a DESERT and DMC is going to be born in late May or June.











It's seriously a little nuts.

I've also now got an uncontrollable urge to knit socks again. Which I don't usually wear. ESPECIALLY FROM MAY-NOVEMBER.


Cest La Vie. At least I'm using up some stash yarn from like 5 years ago.

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Other photos from the iPhone. My rose tree, AKA the Pride of the Backyard, is blooming and I LOVE IT.


I plan on sitting under it tomorrow morning with my sock and chai (shhh... don't tell the preggo police)

AND


Matt trying out the BabyBjorn. It's a good look on him. All he needs is a beer in one hand and a cigar in the other and he's a shoe-in (or shoo-in? I can never remember) for Father of the Year.

I think we should put Viva in there since she's about the same weight of an infant, but I don't think either of them share my enthusiasm for this idea.

Sissy's Big Fat Greek Wedding

The photographer from my sister's wedding just posted some of his favorite shots. And holy cats, they turned out great. Click below to see the post.

Sissy's Big Fat Greek Wedding.

I - well, the baby in my belly - made the slideshow.

5.5.2010

Baby DMC's first time @ the Elbow Room, our local hangout of choice.



Matt & I at Sissy's wedding


Please ignore the fact that I desperately need some lipstick!!!

Baby items are taking over our house and our lives!


Zen Knitting with Eco wool and garter stitch:


Pre-Natal Vitamins are doing AMAZING things for my fingernails


And quiet nights at home with Katy

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34 Weeks. Less than 6 weeks to go. O. M. G.

Sissy Ties The Knot

My little sissy got married this past weekend. She was amazingly gorgeous and they are very, very happy. They've been dating for 6 years, it was about time!

They tied the knot at the Greek church here in town.


I was the matron of honor, at 33 weeks preggo. WOO!

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Back on the home front, baby's room is totally coming along:




Speaking of coming along, I am starting to feel quite LARGE.


This was taken at 32 weeks. I'm starting to feel like a beached whale whenever I settle into the couch. I no longer simply 'stand up', it's more of a heaving of myself off the couch, complete with grunts and groans.

Weekend mocktails for the pregnant people in the family:

Strawberry Mom-jito. Strawberries, Basil, Lime Juice, FRE Zin, and 7-up. It's quite tasty.

Vices for those of us who are not:

This One Week In April...

It's no secret my blogging has gone... downhill. I'm not going anywhere, hoping that the desire to document my life for the unknown internet readership (except for family - hi Dad!) will return once the kiddo is here.

Anyhow, where I've left off on composing actual posts I've picked up on daily photos with the iPhone.

So here's a glimpse of the past week:

Opening Day @ AT&T Park, year #7


How young is too young to get kids listening to Keith Richards?


Amazing rainbow @ the U. after a freak hailstorm


Really Katy, make yourself comfortable wherever you see fit.


Flora in the yard is exploding and I LOVE IT.


And imagine that, my kid is being difficult.

X-X-X

Let's see what sort of google traffic I generate with a title like that!

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life around here, when I finally slowed down for a minute this weekend it hit me: 30. Yup, today is my 30th Birthday. Wow. Just wow.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not upset about this. I couldn't ask for more - I'm married to a man I love and adore, we've got a baby boy on the way, we own a house, everyone is in good health and I've got a fabulous group of friends. But there is something bitter-sweet about saying goodbye to the carefree days of 20 and HELLO to the "responsible" 30s.

What was that about never trusting someone over 30?

Adding to the strangeness/ironicness of the day, I had my 28 week doctors appointment this morning at 8:30am. The Dr. that saw me today was the SAME one who delivered me (well, he couldn't get there in time but his midwife did - he showed up 5 minutes later). So there I was, sitting in his office getting my exam at the EXACT minute I was born 30 years ago. Cool, huh?

We're keeping it low-key tonight - not much you can do when you're 7 months pregnant and exhausted by 6pm. Matt is taking me to dinner at Cracked Pepper, a fabulous little place here in town and I will be crazy and sneak a few sips of wine. We might even stay out after the sun has gone down :).

Obligatory Knitting Post

Contrary to the fact that I haven't really talked about it on Ye Old Blog, I am still knitting.



I've got an embarrassing amount of WIPs, and have really only been working on Elemental Boatneck. I've finished up both the sleeves and am almost ready to divide for the front/back on the body piece. I sucked it up and ordered a 7th ball of yarn, because I knew if I didn't add at least 3 inches of length to the body I'd never wear it.



If you click to enlarge that photo (look to the lower right), you will see the battle wounds the body piece sustained when I accidentally dragged it half-way across the parking lot at Whole Foods on Tuesday. Apparently the yarn was still in my purse as I exited the car... oops. I tried to spot clean it, but I'm hoping the Euclean can take care of the rest.

On a final note, do you know how hard it is to knit and watch TV when you have this staring at you, sending you body language that screams "PLLLLLLLLLLLLEASE throw me the ball!"


Please ignore how ridiculously dusty the coffee table is. It's amazing what some flash photography can bring out!