There's a word for that

Look in the mirror.  Now open your mouth wide and touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.  See that little piece of skin attached to the bottom of your tongue?  That's your frenulum.   Amelia's was really tight* - part of what was causing us difficulty with breastfeeding.  Enter the frenectomy.

I think it was more traumatic for me than it was for her.  I base this on the fact that she cried for a shorter amount of time than I did.  Dr. O'Hara and her assistant were immensely patient and helpful, spending an  hour and a half with Amelia and I, working on latch, positioning, and performing the frenectomy.  I left feeling confident that we can do this on our own. 

Check back in with me at 3:00 am.

*Apparently tongue tie is genetic because Jeff's frenulum was tight as a child also, and he had a frenectomy at age 5.

3 down, 933 to go

With three weeks under our belts things do seem to be smoothing out a bit.  Thanks for the words of encouragement from everyone.  Each day it gets a little easier.

I survived my first day as a stay-at-home-mom on Friday.  We enjoyed a nice relaxing morning at home, then our good friends, Tanya and Jada, came and picked us up and brought us to the Seattle Center for free ice skating.  It may have been a little too much for Marley (especially since we skipped nap time to do it), but at least it got us out of the house.

Amelia has been sleeping more at night, and being awake more during the day.  I've even been able to skip my daily nap a few times!  Breastfeeding is going better, too.  Not great, but better.  Tomorrow we have an appointment with the Doctor who will determine wheter or not a frenectomy would help matters.

Some recent lowlights:
*Walking to our favorite pizza place, only to find that it was closed for the holiday weekend.
*Wrestling with Amelia and the nipple shield, especially in public. 
*Marley's breakdown on Saturday.  He wanted Mommy, and Mommy was busy feeding Amelia.  It was a bad one. 
*Potty training regression.  Big time!

Some recent highlights include:
*Hearing Marley try to soothe Amelia when she's crying.  So sweet!
*Enjoying a glass of wine with Jeff.
*Getting Amelia to latch on multiple feedings in a row.
*Reading with Marley - he's interested in longer, more complex story books lately.
*Rocking a sleeping baby.  Ahh...nothing like it!

Delaying the inevitable

I totally wussed out of my first day as a stay at home mom of two today.  Jeff went back to work yesterday and Marley started his new part-time schedule for June.  At least he was supposed to.

In my defense, Jena said she really needed him there for a special project today.  Okay, maybe she didn't really say that.  Maybe she just took one look at my spit-up-encrusted hair and blood-shot eyes and told me there was an opening today if I wanted it.  Hell yes I wanted it!

It's hard to believe that there was a time, not one year ago, when I would sob uncontrollably at the thought of somone else caring for my son all day.  I have since learned that Jena & Co. are far better caregivers than Jeff or I.  And I now sob uncontrollably at the thought of me having to entertain Mars all day by myself with a baby attached to my boob.*

So, it is with a heavy heart that I count down the days until Marley is officially off the daycare roster.  At which point Jena may find us lurking outside her house and peering through the windows asking, "What are you guys doing today?"

*See May 30th post.

"I can't reach her!"

Exactly.

Delivering discipline from the chair

Marley has discovered my new Kryptonite.  It has taken him just two short weeks to figure out that I am powerless when there is a baby attached to my boob.  No matter how excitedly I exclaim, "Ooh!  I know!  Let's read Curious George together!" or "I wonder what you could build with Legos!"while breastfeeding, Marley continues to empty the contents of the soap dispenser into the sink, or jump from one piece of furniture to the next.  It's as if I am not even there. 

After what I went through with nursing Marley, I was looking forward to a nice easy breastfeeding relationship with Amelia.  Alas, it was not to be.  Oh she's breastfeeding, to be sure, but only with the help of my best frenemy, the nipple shield.  Part of the problem, apparently, is that she's a bit tongue-tied.  I'm waiting to hear back from a doctor who specializes in maternal medicine and breastfeeding issues.  Hopefully we can get in to see her soon and get some of this resolved.

In the meantime, it's nearly impossible to do anything else during the wrestling match that is feeding time.  Inevitably, it's during this time that Marley decides he needs a drink of milk, or that he has to go poop.  I never was really able to feed Marley in the carrier, and it took nearly six months for us to reach the breastfeeding nirvana that is the side-lying position.

Let's hope Amelia's timeline is a little quicker, otherwise I'm doomed to watch helplessly as Marley scales the changing table and pulls every last wipe from the wipe container.

I'd better get on this!

Okay, if Alicia can post an update, I guess I can, too:)  I know all you Marley and Amelia fans have been waiting.  We're hanging in there.  This is definitely much harder than I thought it would be, especially considering Marley is in school for 7-8 hours each day, and Jeff is on paternity leave.  Yikes!  What's next month going to be like?!?  Jeff goes back to work on Tuesday.  Marley will go to school only part-time in June (and then not at all after that!).  Hopefully Amelia learns how to sleep at night better by then.  Here's how our days have been going (with a little variation, of course):

8:00 am  Marley wakes up and gets ready for school.
8:30   One of us brings Marley to school.  Amelia's had two morning doctor's appointments.  On those days we all dropped Marley off.  That was interesting!  (Side note: Amelia was 7lbs 4oz and 20.25 inches long, as of yesterday)
9:00  Come home and feed Amelia.  Feedings usually take forever, as we've been having some latch issues:(
10:00  Eat breakfast.
10:30  Take a nap.
12:00  Wake up from nap and freak out because it's already noon and I haven't accomplished anything yet.  Feed Amelia.
1:00  This is usually where I complete some small chore like throwing in a load of laundry, taking a shower, or loading the dishwasher.  Often, Jeff forces us out of the house to run some errands.  (Side note: Jeff seems to get a lot more done than I do during the day.  He's done lots of yard work, re-seated the toilet, and worked on organizing the photos)
4:00  Feed Amelia. 
4:30  Pick Marley up from school.
5:00 -9:00 Make/eat dinner and get the kids ready for bed.  I thought this time of day would feel less hectic now that I'm not working, but so far, it's been just as crazy.  This also seems to be Amelia's favorite time to cluster feed.
9:00 pm - 8:00 am  Our nights have varied.  In general, Marley sleeps great and has remained in his own room.  Amelia, on the other hand, mostly sleeps for two hour (or less) stretches. 

Then, we wake up and do it all over again!

While you wait

Okay.  I promise to update tomorrow with details about our first week as a family of four.  But, while you wait, enjoy these professional photos taken at the hospital.  They will only be available for another week, so if you want to order any, do it now!  The password is 0516ameliafranklin.