We are going on a trip.
Today, after work, we will be off to see my family in New Jersey. My grandma is coming down from New York and my parents are coming up from Virginia. So, the whole family will be there. This will be the first time that my grandma and my uncle have seen Chloe. I'm excited to have them meet her. I think this is a good time, since she is becoming such a little person now. She smiles, giggles, coos, and is even starting to hold her head up. I think my parents will be surprised at how big she's gotten. It's sort of hard to tell, when you are around her everyday.
Last weekend, the power went out in our building. We decided that it was a perfect reason to go to the Great Lakes Science Center. We had been wanting to go for a while and it's not too long now before we will leave for Detroit. The museum was really nice. Lots of buttons to push and gizmos to play with. And I think Chloe really enjoyed herself too. She seemed really into all the new sights and sounds. Anyway, a mother was there with her newborn baby. Garth and I agreed that it was hard to imagine that Chloe was ever that small...and she's not even 3 months old yet!
We have Chloe's newborn hospital photo framed in her room. Garth keeps on saying that if you didn't already know it, you'd never guess that Chloe is the same baby in the photo. Her features have changed so much. Everyone thinks she looks like Garth. Apparently, she has his head shape. But several people have told us that Garth & I look alike (Garth even thinks that I look like his sister). A lady at our parenting class told Garth that Chloe has my eyes. I don't know how she figures that, since Garth & I both have blue eyes.
Anyway, back to the trip...
We had to pack so much! Garth & I put all of our stuff in one shared suitcase and a backpack. CHloe has her own suitcase. Plus we had to take 2 diaper bags (one for all the formula), the Pack 'N Play, her stroller (thank goodness that I bought the SnugRider stroller frame, because the stroller that came with the travel system would never have fit), a huge jug of water (our doctor said that it was safer to bring our own water, since Chloe might have stomach problems with another city's water), and 2 packs of diapers. We even brought the nebulizer, just in case. I was doubtful that it was going to fit in our car...and we have a small SUV. But Garth just called and told me that he fit everything in the car. He is adamant about not having anything on the back seat that could become airborn and harm Chloe, in the event of an accident. Thankfully, he squeezed everything in the trunk.
So, we will soon be off on our first long car ride with Chloe.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Cold & Jealous
OMG! It is so cold & windy in Cleveland today. OK...it's not Green Bay, during the NFC Playoffs. But it's still damn cold. When I walked out to the Suburban this morning, it took a bit of force to open the door. The windows wouldn't lower and the windshield wiper fluid wouldn't come out. When I got to work, I couldn't open the trailer door, because the lock was frozen shut. A few months ago, I bought lock de-icer to put in all the trucks, just for this sort of occasion. But of course, it was no where to be found. I had to drive out to Wal-Mart, just to buy a new 99 cent bottle of lock de-icer so that I could get in my office. Thank goodness I got the heat working yesterday. So, it was toasty warm when I finally got inside.
On a different topic...
Yesterday, we got a package from my mom's cousin, Rickie. It was a present for Chloe - a really beautiful set of PJs, a hooded bath towel, a rattle, and really nice baby silverwear. The gift was wonderful, but unexpected. I called my grandmother last night to get Rickie's address, so I could send her a thank you note. My grandmother told me that she was holding another gift for Chloe. This one was from my grandmother's upstairs neighbor's son's wife (also known as "The Doctor's Wife"). I've never met the Doctor's Wife in my life. But for some reason, she felt the urge to buy Chloe a gift. I have been amazed by all the people who have sent things to Chloe. First, there is my family. So many of my mom's aunts & cousins have sent us gifts. And most of theses relatives I haven't seen in years. Garth is convinced that it is an Italian thing. Chloe also received gifts from my co-workers (in Maryland, North Carolina, & Florida), my co-worker's mother, and even the admin at the office, where our trailer is set up. She even got clothes from friends of friends. This is all on top of the packages that regularly come in the mail from my parents and Garth's mom, sister, & cousin. What is it about babies that makes people so generous? I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. I told Garth that we were probably never getting another gift again. Everything, from here on out, will be for Chloe.
On a different topic...
Yesterday, we got a package from my mom's cousin, Rickie. It was a present for Chloe - a really beautiful set of PJs, a hooded bath towel, a rattle, and really nice baby silverwear. The gift was wonderful, but unexpected. I called my grandmother last night to get Rickie's address, so I could send her a thank you note. My grandmother told me that she was holding another gift for Chloe. This one was from my grandmother's upstairs neighbor's son's wife (also known as "The Doctor's Wife"). I've never met the Doctor's Wife in my life. But for some reason, she felt the urge to buy Chloe a gift. I have been amazed by all the people who have sent things to Chloe. First, there is my family. So many of my mom's aunts & cousins have sent us gifts. And most of theses relatives I haven't seen in years. Garth is convinced that it is an Italian thing. Chloe also received gifts from my co-workers (in Maryland, North Carolina, & Florida), my co-worker's mother, and even the admin at the office, where our trailer is set up. She even got clothes from friends of friends. This is all on top of the packages that regularly come in the mail from my parents and Garth's mom, sister, & cousin. What is it about babies that makes people so generous? I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. I told Garth that we were probably never getting another gift again. Everything, from here on out, will be for Chloe.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Growing Girl
I took off a half day of work this morning to take Chloe to the New Mom's Support Group.
When I was still on maternity leave, I tried out a few different groups. First I went to the Breastfeeding Support Group. At the time, I was still trying to breastfeed Chloe. But I was having a terrible time with it. She would nurse for over an hour. Then she would scream because she was still hungry. I would end up giving her some formula in a bottle, which she would gulp down like she was famished. And this would cause her to vomit everything back up. This all dramatically added to the stress that we already had, bringing a new baby home. Garth & I decided that I would keep up breastfeeding until I went to the group - hopefully they would help me. By the time I showed up I was exhausted, stressed, and really concerned. As soon as I sat down I immediately started crying and continued for the next hour. Chloe slept until the very end. When she woke up, I tried nursing her. The lactation consultant told me what a great job we were doing. Everything looked perfect. Chloe and I were a great team. I felt so much better. Until I drove home. As soon as we walked in the door, Chloe wanted to eat. I nursed her again, for what seemed like and eternity. And the whole cycle happened again...horrible screaming, super-fast chugging of formula, projectile vomiting. I was a wreck for the rest of the day and spent most of it in bed, crying. The next day, Garth & I decided that nursing just wasn't worth it. The stress that it was causing us & the baby was painful. The moment I stopped breastfeeding, it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was actually able to enjoy time with Chloe. I know that formula feeding isn't ideal, and we've had our own issues with that (better left for another post). I really wanted to do it...I took the class before Chloe was born and I even liked the little twinge I felt in my uterus when she would nurse. Sometimes, I get upset when I see other moms nursing and I feel like maybe I gave up too fast. But in the end, we only did what we thought was best. They say nursing helps moms bond with babies. But I think I bonded faster with her because I didn't nurse.
Anyway, I never went back to the Breastfeeding Support Group. But, while I was there the folks who ran it told me about a Parent & Chlid Drop-In session help on Tuesday mornings in the same room. I went to that the next week. No kids there were anywhere as young as Chloe and I know that she didn't get anything out of going. But I did. It was a chance for me to get out of the house and talk to someone, other than Garth. It was also a chance for me to ask parents of older kids if what I was going through with Chloe was normal. I found out that there was also a drop-in on Thursday mornings, so I started going to that one too.
One day, a mom told me about a New Mom's Support Group that went on Tuesday mornings in Rocky River. It was for mom's with babies under 1 year old. I was determined to check that one out. So, the very next week I went. I really liked this group. The babies were all close to Chloe's age, although she was the youngest. Every couple of weeks, they put the babies all in a circle and take a group picture of them. Sometimes they have theme pictures. I didn't know any of this of course and the week that I first went was a Christmas themed picture. Everyone had on cute little Christmas outfits except for Chloe. But, they included us in the photo anyway. When I look at it, I cant believe how small & curled up Chloe is. I call that photo "Which one of these things is not like the others" not just because of her outfit, but because of how tiny she was. The next picture was about a month later and in this one, Chloe is next to a little preemie. She's already grown so much and doesn't look like the odd one out anymore.
I haven't been to the group in a while because of work & Chloe's RSV. So I really wanted to go today. There wasn't a picture today. But, I can still see how much Chloe has grown, both physically and in her personality. There are still babies much bigger than her, but now there are babies that are much tinier than her too. I see some of the older babies and how they are able to sit up and how much fun they are and I can't wait. She's already gotten much more fun. She smiles now and is starting to laugh a bit. It's only going to get better & better.
On a different topic, the heat in my office trailer at work is finally working again. The heat is provided by two propane tanks on the hitch of the trailer. We finally got them filled a couple of weeks ago and the heat was working fine. Last week, we came into the office and found that one of the tanks had emptied. When we tried to switch over to the other tank, nothing happened. We tried everything we could to get the heat going, with no success. We were stuck using three space heaters (one of which I borrowed from home). These worked great after the 2 hours that they took to actually warm up the trailer. Because of this I spent most of the day unable to feel my fingers & toes.
Finally, we brought the regulator and hoses to A.A.A. Gas Supply. They replaced the regulator and switch over valve. I brought it back to the office and hooked everything up today. When I turned the heat on, nothing came out. After much fiddling with the tanks, I finally decided to take the faceplate off of the heater and flip the power switch off & on. Voila...heat. Ahhhh...glorious heat!
When I was still on maternity leave, I tried out a few different groups. First I went to the Breastfeeding Support Group. At the time, I was still trying to breastfeed Chloe. But I was having a terrible time with it. She would nurse for over an hour. Then she would scream because she was still hungry. I would end up giving her some formula in a bottle, which she would gulp down like she was famished. And this would cause her to vomit everything back up. This all dramatically added to the stress that we already had, bringing a new baby home. Garth & I decided that I would keep up breastfeeding until I went to the group - hopefully they would help me. By the time I showed up I was exhausted, stressed, and really concerned. As soon as I sat down I immediately started crying and continued for the next hour. Chloe slept until the very end. When she woke up, I tried nursing her. The lactation consultant told me what a great job we were doing. Everything looked perfect. Chloe and I were a great team. I felt so much better. Until I drove home. As soon as we walked in the door, Chloe wanted to eat. I nursed her again, for what seemed like and eternity. And the whole cycle happened again...horrible screaming, super-fast chugging of formula, projectile vomiting. I was a wreck for the rest of the day and spent most of it in bed, crying. The next day, Garth & I decided that nursing just wasn't worth it. The stress that it was causing us & the baby was painful. The moment I stopped breastfeeding, it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was actually able to enjoy time with Chloe. I know that formula feeding isn't ideal, and we've had our own issues with that (better left for another post). I really wanted to do it...I took the class before Chloe was born and I even liked the little twinge I felt in my uterus when she would nurse. Sometimes, I get upset when I see other moms nursing and I feel like maybe I gave up too fast. But in the end, we only did what we thought was best. They say nursing helps moms bond with babies. But I think I bonded faster with her because I didn't nurse.
Anyway, I never went back to the Breastfeeding Support Group. But, while I was there the folks who ran it told me about a Parent & Chlid Drop-In session help on Tuesday mornings in the same room. I went to that the next week. No kids there were anywhere as young as Chloe and I know that she didn't get anything out of going. But I did. It was a chance for me to get out of the house and talk to someone, other than Garth. It was also a chance for me to ask parents of older kids if what I was going through with Chloe was normal. I found out that there was also a drop-in on Thursday mornings, so I started going to that one too.
One day, a mom told me about a New Mom's Support Group that went on Tuesday mornings in Rocky River. It was for mom's with babies under 1 year old. I was determined to check that one out. So, the very next week I went. I really liked this group. The babies were all close to Chloe's age, although she was the youngest. Every couple of weeks, they put the babies all in a circle and take a group picture of them. Sometimes they have theme pictures. I didn't know any of this of course and the week that I first went was a Christmas themed picture. Everyone had on cute little Christmas outfits except for Chloe. But, they included us in the photo anyway. When I look at it, I cant believe how small & curled up Chloe is. I call that photo "Which one of these things is not like the others" not just because of her outfit, but because of how tiny she was. The next picture was about a month later and in this one, Chloe is next to a little preemie. She's already grown so much and doesn't look like the odd one out anymore.
I haven't been to the group in a while because of work & Chloe's RSV. So I really wanted to go today. There wasn't a picture today. But, I can still see how much Chloe has grown, both physically and in her personality. There are still babies much bigger than her, but now there are babies that are much tinier than her too. I see some of the older babies and how they are able to sit up and how much fun they are and I can't wait. She's already gotten much more fun. She smiles now and is starting to laugh a bit. It's only going to get better & better.
On a different topic, the heat in my office trailer at work is finally working again. The heat is provided by two propane tanks on the hitch of the trailer. We finally got them filled a couple of weeks ago and the heat was working fine. Last week, we came into the office and found that one of the tanks had emptied. When we tried to switch over to the other tank, nothing happened. We tried everything we could to get the heat going, with no success. We were stuck using three space heaters (one of which I borrowed from home). These worked great after the 2 hours that they took to actually warm up the trailer. Because of this I spent most of the day unable to feel my fingers & toes.
Finally, we brought the regulator and hoses to A.A.A. Gas Supply. They replaced the regulator and switch over valve. I brought it back to the office and hooked everything up today. When I turned the heat on, nothing came out. After much fiddling with the tanks, I finally decided to take the faceplate off of the heater and flip the power switch off & on. Voila...heat. Ahhhh...glorious heat!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Grown Up
Before Chloe was born, Garth & I took a birthing class. We had the option to take the drawn out 4 week long class or the compressed "Just the Facts" one day class. Of course we took the easy way out and went the the compressed class. On one hand, I'm glad that we took the short class. We got the basic idea of what was going to happen and we didn't really use any of the breathing techniques (the epidural was awesome!). On the other hand, it might have been nice to take the longer class, because we might have met some other new parents. And they schedule class reunions, which would have been nice to go to.
But, I digress...
Anyway, part of the class was to take a tour of the birthing center at the hospital. Once the nurses heard Garth's accent, they told him about an Aussie nurse, who worked there. Well, it just happened that the Aussie nurse was on shift the day I went into labor. She was really nice and her & Garth had a lot to talk about. They traded contact info and we promised to get in touch with her after the holidays.
Garth finally got around to giving her a call last week. Saturday was Australia Day and he wanted to know if there was anything going on. As it happened, she was hosting an Australia Day Party at her house and invited us to come. This was a big deal for us. We hadn't taken Chloe out of the house since she got sick. So both of us (and especially Garth) were getting a little stir crazy. Also, since we don't know all that many people in town, it gave us a chance to socialize. Finally, having something fun to do took the sting out of our canceled trip to Seattle.
The party was a lot of fun. We net some really nice people, several of them from Garth's home town of Brisbane. Garth got their info and is thinking of trying to host a last minute Super Bowl party. The funny thing is that I felt like such a grown up at the party. I've been to and hosted lots of parties over the past several years. But they always had a small bit of a college "kegger" to them. The main point was to get drunk. But at this party, I felt different. Sure there was booze and plenty of people were drinking. But I didn't. I just didn't feel the need to. Maybe it's because I had Chloe with me and I felt more responsible. Maybe it was because Chloe is such a conversation starter. People will talk to you so much more when you have a baby. So, I didn't need any Dutch Courage to be social.
Whatever it was, I had fun and I'm glad that we went. I can't wait for my next "Adult Party"
But, I digress...
Anyway, part of the class was to take a tour of the birthing center at the hospital. Once the nurses heard Garth's accent, they told him about an Aussie nurse, who worked there. Well, it just happened that the Aussie nurse was on shift the day I went into labor. She was really nice and her & Garth had a lot to talk about. They traded contact info and we promised to get in touch with her after the holidays.
Garth finally got around to giving her a call last week. Saturday was Australia Day and he wanted to know if there was anything going on. As it happened, she was hosting an Australia Day Party at her house and invited us to come. This was a big deal for us. We hadn't taken Chloe out of the house since she got sick. So both of us (and especially Garth) were getting a little stir crazy. Also, since we don't know all that many people in town, it gave us a chance to socialize. Finally, having something fun to do took the sting out of our canceled trip to Seattle.
The party was a lot of fun. We net some really nice people, several of them from Garth's home town of Brisbane. Garth got their info and is thinking of trying to host a last minute Super Bowl party. The funny thing is that I felt like such a grown up at the party. I've been to and hosted lots of parties over the past several years. But they always had a small bit of a college "kegger" to them. The main point was to get drunk. But at this party, I felt different. Sure there was booze and plenty of people were drinking. But I didn't. I just didn't feel the need to. Maybe it's because I had Chloe with me and I felt more responsible. Maybe it was because Chloe is such a conversation starter. People will talk to you so much more when you have a baby. So, I didn't need any Dutch Courage to be social.
Whatever it was, I had fun and I'm glad that we went. I can't wait for my next "Adult Party"
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Disappointed
I am supposed to be attending a work conference in Seattle next week. Garth & Chloe were going to come out with me and we were going to make a mini-vacation out of it. We were going to see my friend Cecile & her family. Then, we were going to head up to Vancouver Island to visit with Garth's cousin, Gy. I was to be the first time that they met Chloe.
We had been looking forward to this for some time, now. I think that Garth, especially wanted to go. I think he feels sort of trapped in the house since Chloe was born and I had to go back to work.
For a period of time, we weren't sure that we were going to be able to go into Canada. We were waiting for Chloe's passport & Garth's Green Card to show up in the mail. It was uncertain whether these would show up in time. But, miraculously they did. Garth's cousin made plans to come out from Red Deer to meet us and Garth made reservations on the ferry.
Unfortunately, none of this is going to happen because we're not going to be able to go to Seattle after all. Chloe got sick last week. She had RSV, which is a respiratory virus. On Friday, she was admitted to the hospital for observation. Luckily, she was released the next day and has made a great recovery. But, she is still weak from being sick.
Chloe was also supposed to get her first set of shots last week. But, because she was sick, they weren't able to do that. We took her to the doctor yesterday and they said that they could give her the shots on Friday. But, it takes one month for her to build up full immunity. So, she would still be susceptible to catching things like meningitis. Also, because she is still recovering from the RSV, she might have a harder time with the shots. It would be better if we waited a couple of weeks.
All this makes me unwilling to take her to Seattle. Planes are huge breeding grounds for germs, with the close quarters & recycled air. And January is notoriously cold & flu season (she couldn't be admitted to the hospital, where she was born, because all the beds were already taken up with sick kids). At first, I was only concerned with her comfort level on the plane - would she have a problem flying, since she is still a little congested. Now, since her immune system is already compromised, I am worried that she might relapse, catch the flu, or meningitis.
On top of this, hotel rooms are some of the dirtiest places around. Of course, we would bring blankets & sheets to set her on. But I feel like we would have to wash our hands every single time before picking her up, since we could have picked up some unknown germ by touching the nightstand, remote control, bedspread, etc.
Maybe, I'm being neurotic, but I'm just not willing to take these chances. If it wasn't cold & flu season, if she wasn't already sick, or if she had gotten her shots on time, we'd go. But, it just doesn't seem worth the risks.
So, we are really disappointed. Perhaps, we'll be able to schedule a trip out there sometime this summer.
We had been looking forward to this for some time, now. I think that Garth, especially wanted to go. I think he feels sort of trapped in the house since Chloe was born and I had to go back to work.
For a period of time, we weren't sure that we were going to be able to go into Canada. We were waiting for Chloe's passport & Garth's Green Card to show up in the mail. It was uncertain whether these would show up in time. But, miraculously they did. Garth's cousin made plans to come out from Red Deer to meet us and Garth made reservations on the ferry.
Unfortunately, none of this is going to happen because we're not going to be able to go to Seattle after all. Chloe got sick last week. She had RSV, which is a respiratory virus. On Friday, she was admitted to the hospital for observation. Luckily, she was released the next day and has made a great recovery. But, she is still weak from being sick.
Chloe was also supposed to get her first set of shots last week. But, because she was sick, they weren't able to do that. We took her to the doctor yesterday and they said that they could give her the shots on Friday. But, it takes one month for her to build up full immunity. So, she would still be susceptible to catching things like meningitis. Also, because she is still recovering from the RSV, she might have a harder time with the shots. It would be better if we waited a couple of weeks.
All this makes me unwilling to take her to Seattle. Planes are huge breeding grounds for germs, with the close quarters & recycled air. And January is notoriously cold & flu season (she couldn't be admitted to the hospital, where she was born, because all the beds were already taken up with sick kids). At first, I was only concerned with her comfort level on the plane - would she have a problem flying, since she is still a little congested. Now, since her immune system is already compromised, I am worried that she might relapse, catch the flu, or meningitis.
On top of this, hotel rooms are some of the dirtiest places around. Of course, we would bring blankets & sheets to set her on. But I feel like we would have to wash our hands every single time before picking her up, since we could have picked up some unknown germ by touching the nightstand, remote control, bedspread, etc.
Maybe, I'm being neurotic, but I'm just not willing to take these chances. If it wasn't cold & flu season, if she wasn't already sick, or if she had gotten her shots on time, we'd go. But, it just doesn't seem worth the risks.
So, we are really disappointed. Perhaps, we'll be able to schedule a trip out there sometime this summer.
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