Connected

Since I only have one baby, I don't know if all babies do this... but Maddi locks eyes with me a lot of the times when I nurse her. It is definitely a great reminder for me to be present in the moment. She has definitely been a great teacher for me, I am learning just as much from her as she is from me. These nursing times are also such bonding opportunities that only her and I share - so special.

The breast is definitely one of Maddi's top happy places, being there calms her so well. It is where she is most content. And frankly, having her on my breast is also one of my top happy places.

Today was the first week for parent/baby drop-in at Commercial & Broadway since the holiday break. We didn't see Bryn & Baby Jonah or Elina & Baby Jacob today; they're still on their respective holiday trips. It was great to see I-Wen and Baby Isaac though, as well as the other moms and babes that we've seen from last year.

Update on Maddi's sleep schedule - the other night might have been just an off night for her, because last night she slept seven hours straight!

Happy Birthday, Greta!

Today's party is for Greta's first birthday. I can't believe she's already one!

We were the first guests, which is quite an accomplishment with a baby. but it's because we thought the party was half an hour before it really was! We did try really hard to be on time for when we thought it would be. Getting there early actually worked out perfectly, since Maddi needed to feed.

This was our first kids party with Maddi. The house was nice and quiet when we first arrived. Greta just woke up from her nap, and Maddi was feeding. In about 20 minutes or so... the house very quickly transformed into a busy place with kids. There must've been upto 15 kids in their living room at one point.

In this photo, Greta is giving Maddi a hug. So cute... Happy Birthday, Greta!

Meeting Grauntie Heidi

Today, we got another visit from Uncle Bob (Gruncle to Maddi) and he brought with him... Maddi's Grauntie Heidi! They came right during her nap time, so here is Auntie Heidi holding a sleeping Maddi.

Uncle Bob and Auntie Heidi came with a fun Christmas present for Maddi - everything she needs to dress festive for the holiday season! She got a gingerbread bodysuit, bib, receiving blanket and a headband with a bow on it. She'll have to be wearing these right away and as much as possible to get as much use out of them!

They also brought food for Sean and I - soooo appreciated, thanks!

After Uncle Bob & Auntie Heidi left, we had a couple of hours to run a couple of errands before party number 2 for the weekend - Amy's birthday dinner! It was a bit tricky breastfeeding, and the music in the restaurant was a bit loud - almost as loud as being in a club... but Maddi did really well, without fussing much... although you can tell she was a bit over-stimulated. She was a lot better once we transferred the party to Amy & Ryan's place for dessert.

So far, so good. Two parties down, one more to go tomorrow, and Maddi has done great at both that we've been to so far. We'll see how she'll fare tomorrow.

Born To Party!

With the busy-ness of the holiday season, this weekend is pretty crazy for us. We had four party invites, and this is the first of them... and also Maddi's first.

There were two parties to choose from tonight - Ross' and Nat & J's. We decided to go to Ross' since we'll be seeing Nat and J at Amy's birthday dinner tomorrow and we'll also be going to their NYE party.

We saw on the invitation that babies were welcome, and also saw among those that will be there are our friend Thompson and Ross' brother Walt. Both of them have a child, so we thought it would be great to see them.

When we got to Ross' apartment, we walked in with a huge stroller to a pumpin' party with a lot of younger people, loud music, booze. Then I spot Thompson and Walt. They were there alone, babies were at home with mom. I turned to Sean and said, "Uh-oh, did we pick the wrong party to go to?" We thought we'd stay and see how Maddi does. She did awesome! She was a big hit at the party, drawing all kinds of attention, people wanted to hold her and see her. The music didn't seem to bother her, and she still went to sleep within her bed time at 11.30, so we decided to stay longer. But when she woke up an hour after she fell asleep, I told Sean that we have to go home. Even so, we stayed till 1am. Pretty good with a newborn, I must say!

This was great. I wanted to see how Maddi would do at a party. As much as we recognize that she has needs, we don't want our lives and activities to revolve around her. We wanted to find that balance where her needs are being met, yet we can continue to do things that we enjoy... and hanging out with friends is somewhere on the top of that list.

This photo was taken just after one of Maddi's feeding times at the party. We locked ourselves in Ross's bedroom for some privacy. Maddi is laying on top of coats, in her pretty party pants!

Meeting Cat

Today was an eventful day. First, we picked up Anne on the way to West Vancouver, where I had an appointment with Dr. Sukhi. Then the rest of the day, we spent strolling around in Baby's World. Lots of cute baby stuff there! There was a really cute elf outfit; but unfortunately, it was too big on Maddi. Also got to try on the Ergo baby carrier... LOVED IT! But I'm determined to make more use out of my Moby wrap first before getting it.

Before we headed home, we stopped by Fabricana to get a backdrop for my portable studio setup in preparation for my Boxing Day family sessions with Annie & her family. So excited!

Maddi was such a champ... slept and fed throughout the day like normal, and let mama enjoy her outing with Auntie Anne.

When we dropped Anne off at home, Maddi finally met Cat after a month of talking about it. I think she was instantly smitten. Cat, you'll have to visit more often!

After we left Anne's place, Natasha and I went to pick up our take out orders for dinner at our place with Nat & J and Amy and Ryan. This time, Ryan had food in his belly and held Maddi after dinner. Stephen came to join us after dinner as well.

You've Got Mastitis!

 

This morning, Maddi woke up at 4.45am for her first feed. After feeding for 15 minutes, she went back down to sleep. Me, however, couldn't sleep. I had shooting pains in my left breast! I pumped, thinking maybe it would get rid of the pain. Normally, I could pump at the highest vacuum level and get 2.5 oz in 10 minutes. This time, I could only handle the mid level and only pumped an ounce after 15 minutes. It did, however, relieve me of some pain. I went back to sleep.

Maddi got up for her 2nd feed at 8.40am and after feeding on the left breast, the shooting pains came back! While Maddi went back down for another couple of hours, I got on the phone with my community nurse and then my doctor's office. The nurse suggested I take a hot shower. Dr. Wenner said I should come in to see her. Uh oh... is it serious?!

The hot shower helped. And the sharp pains sort of went away. When I got to the doctor's office, just one look and Dr. Wenner said, "you've got mastitis!" She said it's lucky I caught it early and went to see her right away. It's in the beginning stages but can progress quite quickly. She put me on antibiotics for a week and told me to rest, drink lots of fluids and get a cabbage - you know what it's for, it's perfectly shaped! I asked if it's the underwire bra that caused it. She said, "Maybe. But most likely, it's not getting enough rest and not taking in enough fluids to keep up with Maddi's feeding. Milk thickens and then eventually blocks the ducts and that's when mastitis happens." Well, I think we know what the culprit is - that night that I stayed up till 3am! And also not remembering to drink while we were busy being out and about on the weekend... because I am normally very good with drinking half a bottle of water every time after I feed.

Tonight's another early night, the whole family is going to bed at 9.40pm, although Maddi fed a couple more times and didn't sleep till 11pm.