Weekend Update

What is the solution to an overstimulated baby?
Other than time, I mean?

It's 4am and he's FINALLY asleep after having been awake since well before midnight.

He was clearly tired, but just flat refused to go to sleep.

The part that amazes me is that when he gets like this, he's really not that cranky. He wants to be held or patted or sang to or have his pacifier replaced every 3 minutes, but really, he's not really crying- just whining, really.

Me, I'm usually cranky. Fortunately I had napped in the recliner for an hour right before we woke up, so I had some energy stores to get me through, but holy moly.

I was a kid who fought sleep. Karma is getting me!

In other news, my domperidone came in today. Let the milk flow begin! Oddly enough, I had the best production today that I've had in several. Maybe it was the placebo affect. I knew it came in, so things must be better?
Of course, it still wasn't anything to write home about- just under 12 ounces. Considering he eats closer to 16, we need more. But yesterday I made less than 9, so 12 seemed nice.

Lazy Leftie has been achy again. I honestly don't know what the deal is. My leading theory is it's a clogged duct, but I'm really just guessing. I don't have any of the other symptoms of mastitis or anything, but damn leftie burns sometimes. When you're walking around with an ice pack on your nipple, you know something is odd.

Speaking of my boobs, I had a moment of bemusement during the EI meeting. Mind you, I had 4 people in my living room, plus Robbie and me. At one point, the OT is going through her evaluation and makes note that I have very large areolas and Robbie can't get a large percentage of it.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Glad you all know I have giant nipples." Fortunately all of them have children themselves- one is actually pregnant with her 5th. They just chuckled and said theirs were the same.

But still. I wasn't expecting commentary about my freakish boobs at Robbie's developmental meeting.

This is why parents embarrass their children. After child birth, we just have no more concept of normal conversation.

So now I'm just way out of the closet. Internet, I have giant nipples. And no, it wasn't a pregnancy thing, they were that way before. To be honest, they got lighter while I was pregnant. I never got that darker/spreading thing. Thank goodness, because I don't think I'd hate for each of them to just be one giant areola.

Anyway, back to Robbie.

Other than his refusal to sleep tonight, he's doing okay. The leaking continues to improve, though today you could hear the air coming out of it. I can't decide if it's because he's gassy today or if it was always happening and now that it's closing up a lot, the leaking "squeaks" more. But I have to tell you, it's REALLY strange to hear your son's stomach squeak air out of it every time he tenses up.

I'll be glad when it is totally healed.

Also- he seems to have reached a point where he can mostly maintain his temperature.

That was one of the biggest challenges we had when we got home. He was still only 4 1/2 pounds, of course, and got cold REALLY easily. We'd literally have him in a long sleeved onesie, socks, a fleece sleeper, double swaddled, covered in a heavy blanket, with a hat on, with the space heater going and he's just BARELY be warm enough.

Gradually we were able to go without the hat. Then turned the temp down on the space heater. Then could go without the heavy blanket.

The last week, and particularly the last couple of days, I've been able to actually leave him out of a blanket completely unless he was in his swing or something.

Today he's been able to stay warm even in his swing without the space heater going.

I still take his temperature with nearly every diaper change. Months in the NICU made it a habit as part of his cares. But I feel like we're finally reaching a point where he's almost behaving like a regular newborn. Never mind that he's actually 4 months old, I'll take it.

I'll try to get some new pictures up tomorrow. For now, I must sleep!

--Trish