That's Our Girl!

Eleanor had her 2 month check-up today with her pediatrician, whom I now LOVE.

First piece of good news: Ellie weighs 12 pounds, 3 ounces and is 24 1/4 inches long; this puts her in the 95th percentile for each. Ryan and I now fear we have a lot of basketball or volleyball games to watch in our future. Wait, that doesn't sound like good news...

Second piece of good news: Eleanor has a good tolerance for pain. Is that good news? I don't know. But for some reason I felt proud that she hardly flinched during her vaccines. And those were three pretty big needles.

The third piece of good news: I'm not crazy! I have been completely justified in my assessment that Ellie is not normal! I have described Ellie as kind of a fussy baby and Dr. Jasani agrees - and not only because Eleanor had a mini "Mommy must hold me" breakdown. After describing Ellie's eating and sleeping habits, the Doc thinks it's clear she has reflux (of the silent, doesn't-barf-a-lot-nature) and more importantly, that we really need to, and can and should, work to make it better. So, she's now on the most expensive formula anyone could ever get away with selling, though because it's the fancy hypoallergenic sort, our insurance will pay for it (along with the Prevacid she's now prescribed). Slightly convenient that she has such discriminating taste that we won't have to pay for her food! Now if only Ryan and I could get our fancy meals covered by our insurance. I for one find anything made with truffle oil to be medically necessary; it really does a lot for my mental health.

Clearly the reflux has not kept Eleanor from gaining the necessary cheek-chub.

2 Months

Flashdance

Warning: I Use the Word Nipple A Few Times

Yesterday I said farewell to the old breast-pump, returning it to The Breastfeeding Center of Washington. Because I was exclusively pumping for the past month, this means that Eleanor only feasts on formula at this point. I feel so good to be rid of the thing - I no longer feel like a farm animal - but of course I'm sad to give up on my hopes of breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months. I only made it 6 weeks before we started introducing formula.

But the various costs for me (to time, money, mental health, body image) were just too high and didn't outweigh the benefits. All of the things they say are so wonderful about breastfeeding - the bonding, the convenience, the savings, (the gigantic boobs?) - weren't wonderful to me. Instead of feeling bonded, I dreaded feeding time (OH MY GOD THE PAIN! Between the split nipples and the breast infection, I might choose delivery again over 6 weeks of breastfeeding). Nursing, with all its leaking and creams and nipple pads and special bras and tops was NOT convenient (and obviously exclusively pumping takes twice as long). We spent hundreds of dollars trying to make breastfeeding work. Between the equipment (aforementioned pump, creams, pads, bras, tops) and appointments with the lactation consultant (she said I had some of the worst - meaning "most damaged" - nipples she had ever seen after 2 weeks of nursing; they still are not healed after a month), it was definitely more expensive to breastfeed those 6 weeks than it would've been to feed her formula this whole time. So with a lot of encouragement from my husband and my family, Ellie has quit the boob.

There's still one bottle of breast-milk in the fridge. Perhaps I'll toast with Ellie to celebrate 8-weeks on Friday; she'll get the last of the milk, I'll have a glass of cab sauv. I'm proud of how hard I worked at breastfeeding, and if I can keep working that hard on raising this baby, she's going to be one happy girl.

It's Official

I am a SAHM. For those of you who don't frequent Mommy Blogs, I will translate: SAHM = Stay-at-home mom

I've just told my office that I'm making my maternity leave permanent. Well, permanent if permanent means "temporarily, for about a year."

I'm already dreading the start of another job search this winter, but I feel so lucky to have the time to spend with my little Ellie bean. I'm particularly looking forward to this summer; we have a few trips to the beach planned, and we'll surely spend quite a few weekends in Raleigh.

But while I am no longer "working," I've really got my work cut out for me at home. In the next few weeks, I'll be trying to get Ellie to sleep alone, which will probably be the hardest thing I've ever done (perhaps second to "the pushing stage," which no one should have to do for two hours). Once that is accomplished, I may finally get a chance to finish thank you notes, lose 10 pounds, do some spring cleaning (I have some clothes a mother has no business wearing), train our dogs (Augie is already sporting the shock collar daily), and raise our child. Or I'll get really into soap operas. But considering we don't get a single channel on our TV, I guess it'll have to be all the other fun, and productive, stuff.

The Ever Elusive Smile

Because Ellie's smiles still seem to somewhat occur by accident amidst a flurry of various, seemingly indiscriminate, facial expressions, it's very hard to capture one that isn't a complete blur. Thank you Kodak for digital cameras; I can't imagine trying to document all of this with the expense and hassle of film. That being said, we have yet to print out a single picture of Eleanor.

Bouncy Seat

Easter Weekend

Decisions, Decisions

The "Easter Bunny" (Ellie's Yia Yia) came a little early, and since Ellie can't have candy, the Easter Bunny brought dresses! Easter dresses! Initially, Ellie was going to dress up in her warm and fuzzy bunny outfit, but because its going to be 84 degrees, I'm thinking a sun dress isn't a bad idea. But now a very difficult decision must be made. I'm leaning toward the first one...

Then maybe she can wear the other to her Uncle Steve's wedding in July? It is a bit bigger and will probably fit her in a few months.

"Please help my mommy decide!"

Pink