Hannah is 3 months!

OK, so it was Tuesday, but at least we got pictures taken on the right day.  Now that I am officially a working mom I just slapped the sticker on the onesie she was wearing and snapped a few shots and went to bed. 

Hannah is starting to get all smiley and even cuter than before.  Ms. Jenn who is watching Hannah while I am at work said that she even got a giggle out of her by playing the piano and singing.  I told Steve he should try it. 
Sleep is getting better - she still wakes one or two times a night but can go for long stretches, sometimes as much as 6 hours without eating.  I hate to say it but I think her getting bottles during the day is getting her used to bigger meals and going longer between them.

Other happenings this month:

Hannah met mommy's friends from way back when - we had a fun bachelorette weekend for Liz (far right) and it included a sleepover at my house.

I celebrated my first mother's day, with a dinner cooked by Steve's brother and a photo book thoughtfully put together by Steve.

Hannah met her Auntie Kat, who made a pair of gorgeous deerskin moccasins for her.  She is a very blessed little girl surrounded by so much love! 

And of course, I went back to work on Monday.  So far Hannah does not seem to mind.

I cannot believe my baby girl is three months already!  Time sure flies.

First day back at work...

Overall it went better than expected. Hannah decided to back to her up-at-night ways so I got about 5 1/2 hours of sleep. But the morning routine went smoothly, Steve and I both got showers while Hannah relaxed in the swing. We did have a little drama - our nanny let us know at 6:45 that she had cut herself badly making lunch and had to go to the emergency room. I called my mother-in-law and luckily she was able to come so that Steve could go to work.

I made my train at 7:54 and there were no delays. I had a light schedule but I did run the staff meeting and a major client meeting. I pumped at 9:30, 1:00, and 4:30 and got the 3 1/2 oz Hannah drinks each time. It turned out she ate around those same times. My homemade hands-free pumping bra worked great and I was able to type e-mails and eat lunch while I pumped.

My new office is small but private. Our office manager did a great job getting it set up for me. I purchased a small refrigerator, which makes it easy to store my milk, and pump parts between sessions. I can also store my lunch right next to me! After the 4:30 session I steamed the pump parts in he microwave using a special Medela bag and set them out to dry. I'm so glad I bought a second pump so that I don't have to bring everything back and forth - just the bottles and cooler packs. (I could use bags but they are about 50 cents each, and I need six per day. I do have some stashed in the office for emergencies.)

I got home at 7:25 and even though Hannah had just eaten she was happy to nurse for a good long while after I pumped, put the milk away, went to the bathroom, and washed up. Steve heated dinner as I was starving. Hannah got some jammies and I cleaned up the bottles from the day and made new ones. My goal was bed by 9 and I went upstairs at 9:15.

Overall it felt good to be back at work. I suspect I have some tired days ahead and not every day will be a good one. I am grateful to work from home on Fridays - Hannah-time is going to be very limited during the week. I am also happy to have a long weeked ahead to recuperate!

Hannah's 2/3 month appointment

We are super off with the pediatrician visits because Hannah went for the first time when she was almost 2 weeks old, and wasn't even full term at that point.  So yesterday we went for her "3 month" appointment at 11 weeks actual age, 5 1/2 weeks adjusted age, and she got her 2 month shots.   This stuff is hard to keep straight!

The pedi liked her overall "perkiness" and said she has a strong neck and is very close to rolling over - on track for her actual age!  She is beginning to smile socially which is on track for her adjusted age.  She weighed in at 10 lbs 8.5 oz (10th percentile for actual age) and measured 20.5" (5th percentile.)  She is growing super fast and should keep climbing up that chart.

We chose to do the Pentacel shot, which is DTaP, Polio, and HIB all in one injection - saves her two sticks.  Our pedi likes to space out vaccines so she will get the meningitis vaccine next month and then be ready for two her 4 month shots at the sppointment after that.  We are skipping the Rotavirus vaccine after consulting with the pedi.

Hannah took the injection like a champ - one shriek and a couple of whimpers and that was that.  She slept on the way home, and ate right away when we got there.  Then it all fell apart.  She had a short and unsettled nap followed by a lot of crying.  Real crying, with tears.  I walked her all over the house but she was just so sad.  She screamed her way through the next diaper change, which was lengthy as the result of a mid-change poopsplosion.  She screamed horribly when I tried to button her onesie (I think it was too close to her thigh) so she she spent the rest of the afternoon in her diaper cover and an unbuttoned onesie.  Steve found me rocking her like that when he got home at 6:30.  She had fallen asleep against my chest out of exhaustion and would whine a little every once in a while.  She skipped an afternoon feeding so I had to pump, and that never happens.  She finally ate and fell asleep around 9, and other than eating a couple of extra times in the late evening she seems back to normal.  I hope so, because I hate seeing her sad or in pain!

I'm thinking Steve can take the next appointment...

Weight Watchers week 2 = success!

So I didn't post about week 1 because I only lost 0.8 lbs and I was disappointed.  I thought maybe the plan was too easy, and it wouldn't work for me.  I did stick with it and this week it paid off - I lost 4.6 lbs for a total loss of 5.4 lbs!  Four more and I am at my pre-pregnancy weight, and I plan to keep on going.  One nice thing about breastfeeding is that they give you about 2,000 calories a day so I can eat three normal (healthy) meals plus a couple of snacks and even have room for a small treat.  It's so different from the last time (in 2001-2002) when I got about 1,250 calories a day and really struggled to get through the day.

I like routine so it's easy for me to have a few options for breakfast (egg sandwich, kefir with high-fiber cereal, or cheese toast) have a turkey sandwich with baby carrots and/or grape tomatoes for lunch, and have a reasonable portion of whatever we are having for dinner.  (Turkey burgers have become a recent favorite.)

Hopefully my goal of fitting into some of my clothes by the time I go back to work will be achieved!

My mom is awesome!

I have been meaning to write this post ever since my mom and sister left, and of course it is hard to find the time.  I thought today would be appropriate, even though it's not Mother's Day in Sweden yet.  My mom did so much to make my life easier during the week they were here.  Anyone who knows her, know that she is a) very sweet and b) a tireless workhorse.  Both of those qualities were out in full force.  I am sure this list is not comprehensive, but just to give you an idea, here are some of the things she did when she was here:

-Took Hannah overnight several nights so I could get some sleep.
-Cooked several meals, often also doing the dishes, and made enough for us to freeze.
-Laundry.
-Fixed a skirt for me.
-Watched Hannah so that I could reorganize my closet.
-Reorganized Hannah's closet while I held her and gave instructions. (Side note: Hannah has 35 hats!)
-Watched Hannah so I could do a little gardening.
-Watched Hannah so I could run a couple of errands.
-Helped me give Hannah a bath (so much easier with two sets of hands!)
-Went through my pantry, reorganized and got rid of expired stuff.
-Unloaded the dishwasher.

And last but not least, kept me company, which made the days a lot more fun.

All of these little things made life so much easier.  I miss my mom!

(And a special shout-out to Caroline for always setting the table and bringing me about a million things while I was nursing!)