Just when you think you have started to figure it out - everything changes! Professor Fussinutter is currently experiencing AIGMS disease; not surprising, I have it too. Afraid I'm Gonna Miss Something is a serious disease that has kept me quite inconvenienced at times in my adult life, but to see the symptoms in my son is quit another matter entirely. On the bright side, he is more awake and alert throughout the day. On the bad side, he is really hard to put down right now. Literally, he wants to be held and rocked, patted, etc. He will be looking out at the world through a narrow slat in one eye, clearly tired and ready to sleep, but to put him down you would think I chopped off a few toes! This is generally manageable, except when this happens at three in the morning. Thank goodness for infinite patience in Mitch and I both.
I've also found that my baby is part lizard, as he is going through his first molting! It's very confusing...everyone says something different. Go ahead and put a little lotion on him or don't because it will mess up his natural ability to make his own oils. I put a little lotion on...I had it already and if it were me, I'd want a little lotion. The lotion aside, my son scowls at me constantly. I'm trying not to take this personally. He doesn't seem to like it when I talk to him or touch him the last few days. He prefers to either be left alone or rocked quietly to sleep, patting his bottom and whispering a constant 'shhh'.
We lost the umbilical cord stump on the 8th day, July 21st. I was changing his diaper the morning after Mitch's first volunteered night duty (more on this in a second) and noticed it was gone, although it did still sort of ooze a little over the next few days. I asked Mitch if he'd noticed it and he said no, I was likely going to find in my cereal! :) Later that day as I was laying on the couch with the boy I saw it on the living room carpet.
So Mitch wasn't sure why I was so tired and miserable in the mornings. He even asked me, "Well, what are you doing, staying up and watching him sleep?" I tried to explain that even though he would be up every 2-3 hours that doesn't mean that I got that much sleep even. He learned what I meant quickly the first night he stayed up with him and all I had to do was get up to pump. He had what I can only imagine was my face that morning. I felt wonderful!
I'm not sure I said before, but Mitch got laid off a few days after getting home from the hospital. You would think this would be horrible. This was wonderful for me. I love him being home with me. This is a lot of work, this having a baby...and I absolutely LOVE him being home, especially that I don't feel guilty for waking him in the middle of the night to help with a feeding, or when he takes the early morning shift and lets me sleep in a few hours. I have a new found respect and admiration for this man in my life.
So, we joke that my son hates me, like Stewie from Family Guy. It doesn't help that he has a scowl generally and it worsens when you make eye contact. I can't wait until he can smile and I know he is happy. I have cut dairy and caffeine out of my diet as it is making him colicky. Since doing that, the last couple of days have been better. We had a few nights of horror with unrelenting screaming like we were chopping his legs off or something. We tried everything; the vacuum, a walk, etc. and they all worked to put him to sleep, but he would jolt awake after 15 minutes screaming again. Then I broke another rule and brought him to bed with me. He slept for 4 hours! Hallelujah - breaking the rules rocks!
Weight: 218
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