I have not blogged in a very long time and I apologize. I'm a new mom, which means I am exhausted and both of my arms are busy.
Also, my PC is out of commission temporarily. I'm using Vance's which means I had to improvise a little to be able to post pictures. He doesn't have LeechFTP or any graphics programs, which also means all those other plans I had for the look of the site are on hold. Sorry. Hopefully I'll my better half up and running again soon. Still, there is a lot to talk about in today's entry!
Tomorrow is my post-partum check up. I'm 5 and a half weeks pp, and I've lost about 25 pounds. I was weighed last Thursday and I just about fell over. That 7 lbs lost in 2 weeks. I dropped 18 lbs in the first 2 after Deven was born. I have the magic of breast feeding to thank, and being more concerned with catching up with sleep than eating. For the first few weeks I swear I was too damned tired to eat or drink, which only made things worse. I let myself get dehydrated which I'm sure didn't make the baby happy. He's been sleeping better lately, and I've gotten more used to this cycle.
What sucks is that I have gone right back to my pre-pregnancy habits, you know, minus the nicotine and alcohol. I'm back to eating a meal of junk and dog shit once a day, chasing that back with a few heavily-caffeinated sodas, and of course staying up until 4 am and sleeping into the afternoon. Okay, I made up some of that. The one thing I miss about being pregnant was how incredibly well I took care of myself. I cut out artificial sweeteners, watched everything that went into my stomach, cut back on caffeine, took frequent naps, drank tons of water. I did it because if I didn't I would feel like crap, and because I knew there was some one else living off of me. Everything that went into me went straight into him. But because of breastfeeding, things haven't changed a whole lot. Just about the only difference is I can ride roller coasters without worrying about turning my kid into an omelet. It's still the case that everything I eat, he eats. But I am so busy with taking care of all of his other needs to watch what goes into my belly as closely.
He seems to be doing alright. He's put on over 2 lbs since birth and his little cheeks have become so wonderfully chubby and pinchable. He's starting to interact more and even smile a little. He has his big, horribly frightening 2 month check-up on November 16. As you know, he gets his first round of shots on that day. At first I thought the big concern was crying, which I can deal with. I know it'll only hurt for a minute and he won't remember it, so I won't be one of those over-emotional moms who bawl right along with their infants. I have ruled out the concern of Autism because, well, I am also not stupid and don't let irrational fear dominate my the decisions I make concerning the safety of my kid and the other kids around them. Autism is unfortunately a whole other issue in my family seeing as I have a brother with it, and possibly other family members with mild forms of it who have gone undiagnosed. You should meet the colorful group I sprang from. I learned today, for the first time, that babies can actually get sick from it. It's just a fever and fussiness, but I HAD NO IDEA. I can deal with crying, but I have never, ever handled a sick baby before. I don't know what I am going to do with a baby who is crying non stop, not because he is bored, not because he is hungry, but because he is running a 100+ degree fever and is probably delirious from it. I say that because when I run even the slightest fever I can barely walk in a straight line. Luckily this doesn't happen very often. I was told by the mother of the Jackie that I should give him Motrin or Tylenol before the appointment in case he does run a fever. Jackie's daughter gets her first round this coming Tuesday, and I'm sure she'll help me decide whether or not there's a reason to panic and run to Mexico, or just suck it up and accept that this is the alternative to him actually catching some horrible disease and possibly dying an uncomfortable death.
In happier news, Halloween is coming very soon. I love Halloween, I have managed to love it in adulthood even though the last several years I have spent it either working or sitting at home watching Food Network. I have a kid now, and kids are what Halloween is all about. Deven will be dressed up this year. I didn't think I would manage to pull that off because I looked everywhere for baby costumes and they were always out of his size. Target had one last pumpkin costume small enough for him to fit in, and even though we're probably going to sit around and watch Food Network again this year, at least we'll be in the spirit and have a super-adorable memory to go with it.
I'm sure there's other stuff I'm leaving out, but that just gives me more to post later on. I must cut this short and start on dinner. Tonight we dine on the flesh of Tilapia!
EDIT Something went horribly wrong, I mean horribly wrong with the layout when I made this last post, so I said 'Fuck it' and decided what I was looking at was so hideous that I was just going to pick a pre-made layout ala Blogger. Without my computer I don't have any other options for the time being. This, fortunately for YOU is way better than anything I could have come up with. Good day.