Friday, October 31, 2008

Costume Parade at FactSet (Daddy's Work)


Charlie and I went in to visit Jose at work today and join in on the costume parade at FactSet.  Charlie started out in his bear snow suit but it was too warm (73 degrees when we got there) so we changed him into his Raider jersey :-)

After all the parading was over I realized we only have like 2 family photos and asked for Jose's co-worker to take one...not the greatest but it's cute of my boys.
Our friend Erica with the mom's (or catholic) sway put Charlie to sleep.

Sleepy Boy

Jose's Boss, Tom with Charlie
Tom & Charlie
My boys

In front of Daddy's office window...nice view huh?


When we got to FactSet, our little guy was all tuckered out from an afternoon of tantrums

My 1st Halloween...




Thursday, October 30, 2008

The First Rain

Well.... It could be a long winter. Today it was cold this morning when I woke up (which is saying a lot since I am almost never cold) so I was keeping Charlie bundled up.  After morning naps (2)  I got him all loaded up to go to target. We need another space heater as my small one only heats up one room and we can't run the heater with our smoker neighbor. Of course we also need stuff like baby wipes which we buy by the case....having a baby is so expensive and we have been so lucky to have been given so many high quality used items so that we could save some money. I had also planned on going to whole paycheck (Whole Foods) with a grocery list for new non-dairy diet ideas. (Charlie seems to be doing much better now that I am off dairy completely - including the proteins whey and casein which are in almost all processed foods!)  I was no sooner down my street when it started to rain....aaahhhh shieeet.  So then I went back and forth in my mind on what to do. I ended up turning around and going home because there was nothing really urgent that I needed and I didn't want to have Charlie out in the rain unless it was really necessary. Of course, immediately people started driving like idiots! We saw an accident on the side of the road and have heard many sirens from the condo this afternoon which is pretty unusual.  I'm a little concerned about the power going out with this early rain so I'm going to round up my candles and refill the batteries in our flashlights....power outtage with a small baby does not sound like a good combo...I guess there are some good things about continuing to breastfeed despite the big diet sacrifices.

I was reluctant to go home for my own mind though. It's so dark today and I really need to get out and walk.  I think it could be a loooonnnnggg winter staying home. My mom has seasonal affective disorder and I'm starting to feel like staying cooped up with the baby will make me go nuts. At least it was still warm when Charlie was born so I could get a grip before the big time cold starts. I know it might seem like nothing but staying home can be so isolating. I don't have family here and my friends all work during the day so it's not the usual set up. At least when we walk downtown I can talk with other adults (all the local business owners always ask about Charlie).  Hopefully the winter, while it may be cold, will be full of sunny days.  I cling to our time outside the condo and love simple things like our post-natal fitness class where I can invest in myself and I'm welcome to bring my baby.  

Yesterday Nona had a call in San Jose and snuck over afterwards for the afternoon. We had fun at sushi (Mmmmm) and she helped me exchange a few things for Charlie at the mall. We then jammed to fitness class where Nona  took care of Charlie so I got an even better work out in.  Of course, Charlie was a saint the whole time under "Nona's spell".... Mmmm Hmmm.  I wish I had taken a minute to take a couple of photos - I was losing my mind  yesterday and it was perfect timing to have my mom in town for a little dose of sanity.

Above all I can't complain. My sweet baby is sleeping in his car seat and I know he is such a gift. I treasure this time with him - his smile and loud "talking" melts my heart. I can't imagine leaving him with someone else and I know we are blessed to be in this position. (That and we've worked our asses off and did a bunch of planning :-)

Monday, October 27, 2008

Our Monday Night...

Tonight we went to post-natal fitness class and enjoyed some time with other moms and babies.  Charlie was a pretty good boy and slept through about half the class. Once he woke up I took him out of his car seat and let him hang out on his boppy "tummy time" mat from the Kandas (thanks Pandas!).  Check out these cute photos


That's my purple yoga mat in the background...
Our Class....
After class we walked the downtown loop for extra cardio...here's Charlie my burrito baby...
To develop Charlie's speaking skills Chan-sizzle says we should talk and read to Charlie daily. She says we can read anything, children's books to the sports page. While I was making dinner tonight Jose started reading Charlie's new book on his name (Thanks Bruno Family!) and I snapped a quick photo.

Bath Time


The highlight of my day today was giving Charlie his bath.  I took video which I've tried to load to the blog several times but can't seem to get it out.  Charlie splashes and kicks his legs - talks and coos in the bath.  He doesn't like having his face washed or his hair rinsed but otherwise he's a happy camper.  When his hair dries you can see just how brown it is!








Soy Mocha for Me...Beer for these three...

Time with Friends helps to get you sane...A sunny Friday afternoon at one of my favorite coffee shops.

Arantxa, our Spanish Soul Sistah and Charlie
The Kanda Family - that's right, we got the exclusive visit with B-Panda

Friday, October 24, 2008

Sleep?

No cute photos to post today I'm in straight survival mode. Just as we thought Charlie was getting a little routine it's all "gone to hell in a handbasket" as the Frys would say. Sleep....I need sleep.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Update From Dr. Chan

Waiting for Chan Sizzle
Talking away to the birds and the trees painted on the walls. Dr. Chan is fascinated with how much he talks relative to his age. I tried to tell her it runs in the family :-)
Tummy time - now that he's developmentally ready is usually fun for CC.  You can see where he's rubbing his head around and his (brown!) hair is getting patchy.


Charlie and I trucked it back to the doctor's today and it was the first time without Jose. It's a lot of work now that Charlie is such a big boy to cart him in, get him undressed to weigh, (secretly pray that he doesn't pee on the nurse) change his diaper (usually twice), redressed etc etc.  

Charlie is up to 12 lbs 8 ounces which means he's gained about an ounce a day since our last appt... he's doing really well with his growth.

Chan-Sizzle is concerned that Charlie may have a food allergy to dairy.  She says that in babies this young it would clear around age 6-9 months and he wouldn't suffer from it forever. For the next 7 days I'm on a strict no dairy diet which now includes the proteins casein and whey (in all the good stuff like crackers, pasta etc).  After being pregnant they should really let you select whatever diet you want...I would choose Mexican...but with no beans, dairy, or bell peppers what is the point? Chan-Sizzle reccommends trying soy and asian food products like rice crackers....Mmm sounds tasty. I REALLY hope this helps Charlie. Did I mention I have to be on super calcium supplements while breastfeeding without dairy?

What can I stand to learn from this?
Hopefully I will find some soy products that I like because we always hear about the benefits of soy.  If this dairy famine doesn't help Charlie's tummy Chan-Sizzle then wants to assess and treat him for reflux.  I'm okay with whatever the plan will be, I just want Charlie to be able to eat and sleep consistently without breaking into the high pitched screaming cry (no, not the I'm tired and fussy cry, not the I'm hungary cry - it's the I'm in pain damn-it cry).

After our appointment I went straight over to whole foods to try to talk to someone about dairy free products and pick up a few staples. Just when I feel alone and somewhat crazy/tearful Gods sends in an angel...Chris Beirne (and Ellen too).  I hadn't seen Chris since Christmas and that hug did wonders for my spirit.  Seeing her was a breath of fresh air - of course she knew all about casein and whey which made me feel less like an alien. She's been up on the blog and said she loved the photo of my boys in their white t-shirts...I LOVE that photo and I LOVE hearing that people read the blog because let's face it, I could be sleeping when I'm working on this thing. (Sleep is the most precious thing these days next to my husband and baby...SLEEP IS KING)

We're off to our second post-natal exercise class this afternoon. I was so overwhelmed with trying to load down the stroller (diaper bag, mat, weights, towel and boppy for Charlie to sit on, water bottle...keys....ugggh what am I forgetting?!) for the first class and just get registered that I forgot to take a photo - it's pretty cute/funny.

Our first trip to the bookstore... I'm rediscovering my favorite magazines which is great short interval reading :-)
Play time
Let me grab that...
I can track things with my eyes now...especially my daddy...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Almost 7 weeks old and I can't believe it!

Over the last couple of days  Jose and I have been marveling (even more than ever) on how fast Charlie is growing. We're inbetween sizes so nothing fits well but we're wearing mostly 3-6 months and swimming in those outfits instead of wearing the 0-3 shirts that roll up on the belly. Charlie was getting into a nice somewhat-predictable sleep cycle with morning naps and sleeping in his cheater swaddle blanket at night but we're experiencing an interruption of that beautiful progress.

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT BELOW - TOPICS INCLUDE POOP
IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT SKIP DOWN TO THE PRETTY PICTURES IN THE NEXT POST, DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT :-)

The Green Poop
Newborn poop seriously needs it's own blog because there's so many changes and so little info. The just born meconium, the black sticky tar substance changes to mustard (soo important to get Charlie out of the NICU) and now we're looking at green. He's been straining so hard that his little face turns red and screams. In trying to learn from my new mother paranoia I  let this go on for a few days before getting too concerned. Well now his sleep and eating is interrupted as he grunts and screams from discomfort.

The Doc
I called Dr. Chan this morning and she wasn't in - arrrrg.  I told the receptionist that I wanted a doctor to call me back - this after learning that in some practices the nurse that administers the shots to your sweet baby in the thigh (Charlie is up for 6 at his 2 mo. check up) is only paid $12/hr, are you freaking KIDDING ME? What if that person is having a bad day?
Anyhoo, Dr. Laura called back promptly and the bottom line message was monitor it for a couple more days....arrrg. But I didn't sleep!

Poop
Don't worry about newborn poop unless it's black, white or red (Hey, almost the colors of the flag!) or if it's "hard". I don't know how that's possible since Charlie's is mostly liquid. (sorry but you wanted to read about it! No one tells you these things except for yours truly).

Shart
Ahh the words that my boys teach me...It's the mix of a fart and sh*t (poop).  One trick several people didn't mind sharing is that if you think your baby may be constipated or gassy you could try to take his rectal temp (very scary at first and then not a big deal). Chan Sizzle says it's a good idea because they sometimes need help. So - I tried it a couple times with no real results...THEN this weekend I attempted this again and we had a poo fountain. That's right, like a boy pees but poo, everywhere off the changing table, all over the wall, diaper genie and carpet. Ask for the possible range of results when people try to give you advice.

Reflux
Dr. Laura thinks that the screaming in the middle of meals (which results in Charlie not being able to eat thus being hungary all the time thus constantly wanting to be on the boob) and the waking up and restless sleep may be due to reflux.  She wants us to monitor him for a few more days before treatment because it could just be a phase....arrrrg. But she's not trying to sleep at my house!

I swear I wanted to come through the phone and strangle someone - what do you mean there's nothing you can do to help my baby right now? He's soo tired, I'm soo tired! Please lady figure it out!  There is something that hurts a mom's heart in not being able to help her child at least be comfortable. There is some relief in baby able to stay home with him so that I can monitor him and do whatever I can...I know I'd otherwise be horribly distracted at work.

Sweet Charlie...we'll get through this together. (He's sleeping in the bjorn while the vacuum runs, I'm afraid to turn off the vacuum. I've got to get a tape recorder....)


Love Strides 08



Our first "making strides" event in SF came off beautifully. It was cold but the 5 miles warmed us up. Some of us (especially the boys!) were reluctant to move from a 5k to 5 miles but we finished in record time.  The Miller girls and Charlie all did really well - Charlie slept the whole time which was a relief because he's been having more tummy problems. We talked for most of the walk when we weren't trying to coordinate a group merge to overtake slower walkers. The park has a lot of great memories for Jose and I - crazy double biking at stow lake, Jose playing soccer with the  Olympic club at the polo fields....  It wasn't until the finish line that I became overwhelmed with tears and the purpose of the walk - to show our team stand against breast cancer and to honor our Mimi.  I feel so blessed that God has given us "extra" time with our angel on earth.  We love you Mimi.

Our Charlie on his 1st walk...
The Start of 5 miles
SF volunteers have spirit :-)
On the road...
Two roads diverged into a wood...(shout out to Frost) there was the 1mi shortcut or the path to the beach...I heart ocean beach.

The buffalo in the park were far from the fence...it was too early for them