3 Weeks Old!

This week has really flown by. I would have posted sooner - so many things have happened and we have some new cute pictures. Unfortunately, while Mary Charlotte sleeps well at night, she has NOT been sleeping well during the day, and it is hard to type using one hand.


For night times, two things have saved me:

1. The glider and ottoman that Jill, Elizabeth, and Mr. and Mrs. Knickerbocker sent us.
I figured that Charlotte is pretty easy to soothe, so I wouldn't need one, but I seriously wasn't thinking! It is the best way to feed her at night and keep her from waking all the way up so I can slide her effortlessly back into bed (after a diaper change, of course!). THANK YOU all for the wonderful gift!


2. Swaddle Me
This nifty piece of fabric has a place for Charlotte's legs, wraps around her arms, and velcros into place. As Charlotte nears 10 lbs, the little receiving blankets we have are not big enough for a good swaddle. Wrapped up in her swaddle me, she can't throw her arms out and wake herself up while she is sleeping, thus she sleeps longer before waking up.


Daytime brings a new challenge; Charlotte just doesn't like to sleep when the sun is out! Someone should inform her that newborns should sleep most of the time. Unfortunately, she yawns like crazy as she looks wide-eyed at the world. Awake, she will let me put her down for about 5 minutes before crying bloody murder - although on occasion she's been okay with sitting in her car seat being rocked (by hand, not in her swing). If, by chance, I've lulled her to sleep, once I place her in her crib she stays that way for 10-20 minutes at most. Holding her while she is sleeping or sleeping with her on the bed has been the only thing that would work. At last, today, I think I have found the solution!


Today I finally decided to try the sling my coworker, Catherine lent me on Friday. WOW. I went from screaming baby to sleeping baby in less than 5 minutes (maybe 2 minutes!) once I dropped her in there and started walking around the house. I pulled her out and plopped her into her crib where she has been sleeping for 2 hours! Many prayers of thanksgiving for that one! So I think I may have found the item that saves my daytimes. I think I might be able to figure out how to nurse her while wearing it (without the world knowing what I'm doing), so FREEDOM from the house might be at hand. I have another borrowed sling - an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder, that I'll have to try as well.

The other things that have saved me this week:

1. Fred
He changes a lot of the dirty diapers when he is home and holds Charlotte when I don't feel like I can do it any more. Because of him, I get a chance to eat, shower, change clothes, and take a couple of minutes for myself. He has run any errand I've needed run for the last 3 weeks.

2. My Parents
More specifically my Mom. Monday she brought me new groceries, and took us for Mary Charlotte's first meal out. She's invited us over with the promise of a full meal, twice. She's let me come over and hang out just so I can have somewhere to go.

In other happenings, I took Charlotte to her first party yesterday - a bridal shower for my cousin Luke's fiance, Megan. Its pretty much a lot of work to get her out of the house for something, but she was pretty good and did not cry much, but stared wide-eyed at her new surroundings.


This morning, since, Fred, Charlotte, and I were all up at 7:30, we were able to get it together enough to make 11:00 Mass, and managed it with MUCH more success than last time. She woke up from her brief nap, screaming, just in time to be stuffed into her car seat and get on the road, still screaming. I panicked a little as I realized the church lot was full and we'd have to park across the street - no quick escape if she woke up screaming. Of course, she was already screaming, so I am not sure why that was my number one concern. I climbed into the back seat and fed her until she passed out in my arms, her tummy a little fuller and exhausted from crying for 15 minutes. I didn't bother strapping back into her carrier, but just carried her into the church.

This time, we knew better than to go to the cry room, but sat at the very back of the church where they pull out the extra plastic chairs. I thought it was interesting that the average age of child back in the back seemed to be younger than the cry room, yet, the children were all much better behaved. I'd still like to work my way back into the main room of the church, but feel like we are getting closer! Charlotte cried out in her sleep a couple of times, but slept through the entire Mass. After such success, we were so bold as to take her out to lunch at Osaka, our favorite little sushi place. That went better than I thought too, not entirely relaxing, but I did get my raw fish!