One week down

R is now one-week-old, and whew, it has been a trying one. Two years ago at this time, Q was still in the hospital, so I am thankful R is at home with us, and we are not making trips back and forth to the hospital.

Before I went on maternity leave, some men and other childless people at work asked if I was "looking forward to my time off." Some people are so clueless. It's not exactly a sabbatical. It is much harder work, and you aren't paid.

Nursing is about the same. I was gushing blood again last night. I just don't see how they are going to heal. Every time a scab forms, it just comes off at the next feeding. It is incredibly frustrating. The poor little things are just raw at the ends. Skin can't form over them! I will keep at it though. I just think it is so worth it, and after nursing Q for 13 months, I don't want to short-change R.

My stitches are feeling a bit better. I have gone back to taking ibuprofen on a regular schedule, because I was just getting tired of being in pain.

R could not fall asleep last night. He just seemed to want to nurse constantly, but for obvious reasons that is not my idea of a good time. He just seems to want to suck on something and be held. I ended up just taking him downstairs and letting him rest on my chest. That bought be almost four hours of sleep in a row and actually made me feel much more rejuvenated.

We went to a friend's house last night and Q played with their little boys. T and I had beer and sangria and chatted. We were 45 minutes late, but it was nice to have some social interaction. It is hard to estimate how long it will take you to get out the door when you have another person in the mix! I imagine I will be late to work for the first few days until I figure that out.

Today we had newborn pictures taken. R peed on both T and me. It was challenging to get Q in any of the photos, and I had to take a 45-minute break to feed a fussing R. She snapped dozens of pictures though so there have to be a few good ones.

Q has taken to hitting lately and actually hit R in the head today. Nice, huh? Then when we correct him, even if we don't raise our voices, he cries and demands to be picked up. Then he proceeds to hit us. I am hoping this is a short-lived phase. I bet R is too!

Tomorrow our childcare provider is working for 5 hours. She will take Q, while T and I keep R. We want to make sure we can retain her, and also I think it will be good for Q,T, and me. We are planning to have a relaxing few hours to ourselves and our new little man while Q gets the undivided attention he craves right now.

All right, R is whimpering, so it is time for another feeding torture session.

--MM