Mommy and Me Mall Walking: A Review of Plano Area Malls

Wisebaby and I have been mall walking every day unless there is something pressing to keep us from going. It has been one of my strategies to lose the baby weight, and it has worked great. Beware: Mall walking has also been known to reduce the weight of your wallet. We've walked all three Plano area malls, and I can tell you that each has its own advantages. Here's my breakdown, and you can be the judge of which will best fit your style. For each category, I'll name first, second, and third place, and then I'll the totals from subcategories to determine the top slot.

Collin Creek Mall
Initial Impression: 3

• This mall is the oldest and most run down. It's obvious just driving up. Many store fronts are empty.

Shopability for Mom: 3

• The only stores that I would even consider shopping at are Dillard's and Macy's, and they're much less nice than the ones at other malls.

Shopability for Baby: 3

• There are the department stores and a gymboree, but not much else. Most of the stores in this mall seem targeted towards teens on a budget, all very off-brand.

Parking: 2

• The parking lots are very empty, so you're close to the door, but there isn't much shade, and no cover from the elements.

Walking Distance: 2

• There is a good bit of walking to be had at Collin Creek, as there are two stories in all of the four department stores, laid out on five spokes. It would be better if the old Mervyn's was not Amazing Jake's, which I don't think you're free to walk through.

Ease of Bail-out: 1

• The spoke design makes it easy for you to return to your car from any point in the mall, as long as you remember from which direction you came. You're never that far from where you started as the crow flies, which is nice.

Playground: 1

• This playground has cute animals and was not at all crowded on a weekday.

Snack Options: 3

• Most of the name-brand chains are no longer in the food court, so you either need to be adventurous or willing to stick to Sonic or Chick-fil-a.

People Watching: 2

• There are an interesting collection of people at this mall. There were a lot of intense mall walkers and a surprising amount of adult men, but not in a creepy way.

Air Conditioning in Main Hallway: 2

• It is muggy in this mall during the heat of Texas summer, which is disappointing since there aren't that many people in it, and it has the least amount of natural light.

Walkability: 2

• The mall was not crowded, but the department store floors are kind of junky which cuts down on the ease of walking.

Total (the lower, the better): 25

Willowbend Mall
Initial Impression: 1

• This mall is so pretty and fancy, and the store brands are top notch. I especially love the Neiman Marcus.

Shopability for Mom: 2

• For department stores, you have Dillard's and Macy's. I also shop at Ann Taylor Loft, H&M, J.Jill--their stretchy pants are the bomb diggity for a postpartum body--and Crabtree and Evelyn, where I never, ever buy anything, but I always, always use their La Source Hand Cream.

Shopability for Baby: 2

• The department stores are there, but the real baby gem is H&M. How is it that their stuff is so cute, fashionable, child-friendly, and affordable? I swear everywhere else carries the same Carter's stuff or clothes that are too expensive.

Parking: 1

• Empty parking garages, oh my! You don't have to worry for your lives getting to the door, and the car stays cool and out of the elements in a garage. Perfection!

Walking Distance: 3

• Willowbend only has three department stores, and those have three levels, unlike the mall. Because of this, I never remember to go up to the third floors, so the distance walked in the department stores is short. You would also have to walk outdoors to get to Crate and Barrel, so I avoid that. 

Ease of Bail-out: 2

• It's a small mall, so even if you're clear at the opposite end of it from your car, you can power walk it in a few minutes.

Playground: 2

• The playground is heavily trafficked, and the medical theme could be a little scary. It's popular and directly next to Auntie Anne's, so it earns the second spot.

Snack Options: 1

• Om, nom, nom. You can get a cupcake from Sugar Queen, a hot cookie from Which Wich, ice cream from Haagen Daas, nuggets from Chick Fil A, tots from Sonic, a pretzel from Auntie Anne's, or free samples from any number of place. I especially enjoyed my bite of philly cheese steak from one of the booths the other day. Plus, the food court is pleasantly quiet, and you can watch kids body board while you eat.

People Watching: 3

• There aren't many people at Willow Bend, and they are all just so waspy and boring.

Air Conditioning in Main Hallway: 1

• Oh, glorious air conditioning! They're keeping the high end shoppers happy, and the crowds aren't overpowering the AC.

Walkability: 1

• This mall is not crowded, and the mall is well-appointed. You can easily power walk at a good clip without having to dodge people or objects.

Total (the lower, the better): 18

Stonebriar Mall
Initial Impression: 2

• This mall is the most popular mall, and for good reason. It's high ceilings and variety of well-maintained and stocked stores are appealing to the masses.

Shopability for Mom: 1

• I will shop at Dillard's, Macy's, Nordstrom for shoes only, Dick's Sporting Goods, Ann Taylor Loft, the Gap, Soma, Fossil, and Barnes and Noble.

Shopability for Baby: 1

• They even have a Pottery Barn for kids and Hanna Anderson. Must I elaborate?

Parking: 3

• Holy crowding, mama! It is hard to park here, especially in the one teeny, tiny, covered parking area.

Walking Distance: 1

• At six department stores, this one is a no brainer. 

Ease of Bail-out: 3

• It's just one long mall, which makes bailing out a real challenge.

Playground: 3

• It made such an impression that I had to Google whether or not it had one at all. Thus, it earns last place. It might be lovely, but I have no way of knowing.

Snack Options: 2

• The food court has tons of options, and you can totally get Sugar Queen Cupcakes, but it loses points for how massive, hot, and unpleasant the seating in the food court is.

People Watching: 1

• Mall walkers! Mahjongg players! Kids of all shapes and sizes! It's a suburban playground!

Air Conditioning in Main Hallway: 3

• The high ceiling, burning natural light, and crowds make the whole thing pretty unpleasant in the summer.

Walkability: 3

• It's really quite crowded, which slows you down. The department stores are nice to walk through.

Total (the lower, the better): 23

The winner, for me, is Willowbend Mall, but I challenge you do your own scientific study and decide for yourself!

Courage: Part 2 or Courage in Pregnancy

A RECAP: The first time that I held Wisebaby, I didn't cry. I did feel like my heart was about to leap out of my chest and do the happy dance that my feet, numb from an epidural, couldn't perform. That feeling of a happy heart has repeated itself over and over again in the short time that I have been a parent.

Because I have been thinking a lot about my heart, it made me remember that the Latin word for heart, cor, is the basis for the word courage. To be a parent, you have to have a lot of heart. 

Your heart needs to be made of steel, willing to withstand challenges unconditionally. Your heart must also be made of softer stuff, ready to melt at the mere thought of your child. Your heart will need to be strong in order to adjust to life with a new and overwhelming identity; you do not discard your former self, but instead you subjugate it to an all-consuming identity overnight. Your non-parent self is still in there, but it has taken a permanent backseat to the little babe cradled in your arms. 

I'd like to discuss some of the things that require(d) a great deal of courage for me, and I realized that it might need to come in multiple parts, owing to the fact that there is a lot to say and having a babe makes my time to blog sparse. I plan to break it down into the following parts for now: Courage to Conceive, Courage in Pregnancy, and Courage as a New Parent.

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Pregnancy, especially your first, requires a lot of courage. From the moment that you find out you are pregnant, you are bombarded with information that could freak the hell out of even the most steely. You learn about how you could easily miscarry in the first 20 weeks; the statistics are positively frightening. Up to  20% of women who know they are expecting experience miscarriage. 

Once you're freaked out of your mind that you could lose the baby you already love more than words can explain, you start to learn all of the ways you could damage your baby in sometimes unmeasured and often irreparable ways. Your doctor swears you off of many medicines that you have grown to know and love. I lost ibuprofen, which sort of makes my world turn on its axis since I suffer from two bad knees and chronic sinusitis. What's a girl to do without her most formidable weapon?

Then, you hear about the dangers of certain foods. The list was astounding to me. I knew that I'd have to avoid raw fish, which makes sushi a bummer, and alcohol--bye, bye, margaritas, wine, and (most sadly) beer. Then I tragically discovered that I also had to give up unpasteurized cheese--do you know how many delicious things use unpasteurized cheese?--and limit my tuna fish sandwiches to once a week, which was difficult as I craved tuna fish sandwiches my entire pregnancy. 

"Quit Zumba and tap and running," says my OB, "all that twisting and bouncing is a fall hazard." There goes my favorite forms of exercise for winter months. 

Once you start telling people you are pregnant, things get even hairier. This is when you get to hear every horror story about being pregnant and delivering a baby possible. I always countered with my mom, who gave birth to my brother in the front seat of a Chevy Cavalier, which helped, but it didn't stop me from sitting up at night worrying that my epidural wouldn't take, like my sister, or that I might have a serious case of appendicitis that requires an emergency C-section and appendectomy, like a friend from growing up.

Oh, and I don't even get me started on the "My morning sickness was all day sickness, and I puked four times a day my entire pregnancy" stories. Vomiting is THE WORST.

IS YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE SKY ROCKETING YET?!?! Good, because that can cause you to go into pre-term labor. ***Evil cackling ensues***

All of these anxieties can hit you before you even get to the good stuff, before you even feel or look the slightest bit pregnant, which, of course is when things really require courage.

The first time I went to Motherhood Maternity was positively frightening. I avoid the only local mall that has a Motherhood store in it because that is where my students shop, but I decided enough was enough. Even though I was still being private about my pregnancy with my students, I had to try to sneak in and out of the maternity store unseen. Once I was in, I thought that I would relax, but then the sales ladies made fun of me for shopping in the Plus section, which I didn't even know was a thing in maternity wear. I had no idea what size I was, or what I would need or want when my belly was bigger. I even tried on one of the bumps, which just freaked me out more. Holy hell! my body was going to look like that?

About the time that I had conquered my fear of a belly band and my burgeoning bosom, it was time to sign up for classes at the hospital. You can choose to go in blind and ignorant, which might work for some people, but Jeff and I went the other direction. We decided that "Knowledge is power" in getting ready for the biggest change of our life. 

Classes were when the scary factor shoots up exponentially. Prepared Childbirth prepares you to know how horrible child birth can go. Baby care reminds you that you will have to care for a creature that wants to eat every couple of hours--measuring from the START of the feed, eep! Infant CPR/Safety/First Aid frightens you with the horrible ways that your home and the wares peddled at baby stores can kill your baby. Breastfeeding makes your realize that you're going to have to figure it out on the fly, and there is no way to prepare for it. Don't even get me started on Car Seat Safety! I'm such a horrible snob now about how tight to strap your baby into the carseat, and I probably won't let Wisebaby ride facing forward until he's forty.

In short, I was more scared coming out of the classes than going in. No one is ever prepared to be a parent, and that was made abundantly clear to me while I was trying to become prepared.

The list of things that required courage during my pregnancy could go on and on, but that's not really helpful to anyone who is or may become pregnant, nor was it helpful to me.

A few thoughts that helped me have heart to face the daily challenges of pregnancy included the following:

• We tried so hard to Conceive Wisebaby, and I can't go back on it now, so I might as well relish this experience. It may be the only time I ever get to do this.
• Childbirth has to happen, so there is no point in fearing it.
• Childbirth is how we all got here for thousands of generations, so it's be proven that it can be done.
• Likewise, caring for a newborn and breastfeeding have all been accomplished for thousands of generations, without the help of modern science or Dr. Google, and most often by people stupider and less familiar with developmental psychology than myself and Jeff. 
• Most importantly, God put it in my heart to be a parent, and He will sustain me through the trials of pregnancy, childbirth, and the dreaded fourth trimester.

In the end, everything has gone super smoothly from the moment we Conceived until now, except for my migraine freak-out trip to the emergency room that turned out to be no big deal.*** Who knows, if I hadn't had the heart to stay calm in the face of stretch marks and a dilating cervix, maybe my blood pressure would have skyrocketed and caused me to go into preterm labor, ruining my super smooth pregnancy? Regardless, I write all of this to say to anyone who is or may become pregnant, "Have heart. It will be what it will be, and it is ok to feel this way."

***I thought that I was having a stroke which was super scary at the time and required no small dose of courage to keep from shitting my pants and demanding that I stay overnight at the hospital [maybe a story for another post?]. 

Courage: Part 1 or Courage to Conceive

The first time that I held Wisebaby, I didn't cry. I did feel like my heart was about to leap out of my chest and do the happy dance that my feet, numb from an epidural, couldn't perform. That feeling of a happy heart has repeated itself over and over again in the short time that I have been a parent.

Because I have been thinking a lot about my heart, it made me remember that the Latin word for heart, cor, is the basis for the word courage. To be a parent, you have to have a lot of heart. 

Your heart needs to be made of steel, willing to withstand challenges unconditionally. Your heart must also be made of softer stuff, ready to melt at the mere thought of your child. Your heart will need to be strong in order to adjust to life with a new and overwhelming identity; you do not discard your former self, but instead you subjugate it to an all-consuming identity overnight. Your non-parent self is still in there, but it has taken a permanent backseat to the little babe cradled in your arms. 

I'd like to discuss some of the things that require(d) a great deal of courage for me, and I realized that it might need to come in multiple parts, owing to the fact that there is a lot to say and having a babe makes my time to blog sparse. I plan to break it down into the following parts for now: Courage to Conceive, Courage in Pregnancy, and Courage as a New Parent.

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People must have incredible courage to Conceive a child--I use the capital C to designate the difference between conception as an accident and Conception as a willful act of love and sacrifice. All of my life, I have witnessed and been witnessed to about the challenges that having a child entails. One day, I accepted that the scary parts of becoming a parent were far outweighed by the desire to create a life and commit to raising that life in a way that brought light into the world. It wasn't easy. In saying, "Yes! I want to Conceive a child with my husband," I committed to some pretty scary stuff:

• Watching my body change drastically in many ways, some of which are irreversible
• Raising one child for eighteen years, not including college, will cost us roughly a quarter of a million dollars
• Permanently giving up my opportunity to sleep in and nap at will, heavy stuff for someone like me
• Doing more housework than I can possibly conceive
• Accepting that my body, my house, my job, my hobbies, my friendships, etc..., would all become secondary to something that weighs a mere seven pounds
• Raising a child as a Christian

On top of it all, like 10% of American women, we experienced challenges with infertility. Once we had our diagnosis after an early miscarriage and a long period of trying, we had to commit to Conceiving a child again (IVF cycle 1) and again (IVF cycle 2) despite some additional challenges:

• The financial burden of IVF, which I will not spell out in particular details, but I will say, that it cost more for us than the national average of $12,440.
• The physical burden of IVF, which involves sticks and pricks and raging hormones and invasive procedures and ovaries so swollen that they seemingly merged once during an ultrasound; our second IVF cycle and subsequent pregnancy required 368 self-administered shots
• The emotional burden of IVF, which cannot be quantified, but it definitely took its toll.
• The knowledge that all of this could yield no results other than a drained bank account and a broken heart.

Luckily for our hearts, we were able to tap deep into our well of financial, physical, and emotional resources and Conceive our Wisebaby. When we saw that the embryo had turned into a fluttering heartbeat via sonogram, our hearts grew three sizes that day.

How time flies - a palindrome

• 10 years ago, I was a freshman moving into the dorms at OU.
• 9 years ago, I decided to break up with my high school boyfriend to pursue Jeff.
• 7 years ago, Jeff asked me share his life with him.
• 6 years ago, we created our family of two.
• 4 years ago, we stopped avoiding pregnancy.
• 3 years ago, my niece was born, and Jeff and I started trying to conceive in earnest.
• 2 1/2 years ago, our world was rocked by losing a Wisebaby in miscarriage.
• 2 years ago, our world was rocked by our diagnosis of infertility, followed by a failed IVF cycle.
• 1 year ago, we decided to try again.
• 11 months ago, we started our second IVF cycle.
• 9 months ago, we found out that we were expecting a Wisebaby.
• 6 months ago, we found out that Wisebaby would be a boy.
• 1 month ago, I went into labor a week ahead of my induction date.
• Yesterday, our little Wisebaby had his one month birthday.
• 1 month from now, Wisebaby will be two months old.
• 6 months from now, Wisebaby will celebrating his first Valentine's day.
• 9 months from now, I will celebrate my first Mother's Day with a babe in my arms.
• 11 months from now, we will celebrate Wisebaby's first birthday.
• 1 year from now, Wisebaby will enter the toddler class at day care.
• 2 years from now, Wisebaby will be walking and talking.
• 2 1/2 years from now, Wisebaby will hopefully be potty training.
• 3 years from now, Wisebaby may be swimming independently.
• 4 years from now, Wisebaby will be working on Kindergarten readiness.
• 6 years from now, Wisebaby will be entering the first grade.
• 7 years from now, Wisebaby will be entering the second grade.
• 9 years from now, Wisebaby will be a fourth grader.
• 10 years from now, Wisebaby will be a fifth grader.

Milestones

It's amazing how quickly newborns hit different milestones in their development. Within a few weeks they're already holding up their head or are able to focus their eyes on objects. Wisebaby had already hit milestones quicker than we'd have expected him to. Yesterday we decided he was big enough to retire his Newhorn-size clothes, move up to Size 1 diapers, and move the straps in the car seat up on notch. All of these changes are very exciting when you consider all the concern and effort that was our into improving how small Wisebaby was in his first week if life. We used to be scared that he wasn't eating enough, and now he's already moving out of newborn clothes at only 4 weeks old!  With all of these changes I've been able to see and experience a parent's feeling of wanting to slow down time. I'm really going to miss my little baby newborn boy!  He was so little, so innocent!  I'm excited to keep growing and hitting our milestones, but I already miss the past just a little. 

Mindful of my emotions

I started crying tonight in between our last feed before Mommy and Daddy go to bed and pumping. Jeff was shaving, and so instead of being able to hand off Wisebaby to him for burping and swaddling, the duty fell to me. I realized at that moment that the SwaddleMes--so handy--and other swaddling blankets were either in the laundry or the nursery, and that the Pack and Play needed a new sheet. Of course, I didn't want to put down the sleeping angel for fear of his 10-Midnight screaming fest from several days in the last week to commence. To make matters worse, my top was still hiked up from nursing, leaving me exposed in a very maternal way, and I felt sort of like a piece of livestock at that exact moment.

I was frustrated, but I had to remind myself that it wasn't anyone's fault, especially not Jeff's. It would be easy to blame him--why didn't he shave earlier? why didn't he notice there weren't any swaddling blankets or sheets for the appointed hour? why wasn't he there to tend to me when I was feeling vunerable. It would be easy to blame the baby--why can't you put yourself to bed? why do you cry for no reason? why don't you wake during the day and sleep at night as God intended?

I have to be mindful of the flood of emotions and remember that the post-partum period is ROUGH. I'm exhausted from making a baby, a process that started eleven months ago for us. I'm exhausted from recovering from delivering a 7 lb 3 oz, 19.5 in., watermelon and healing from that trauma. I am exhausted from being up every few hours. I am exhausted from constantly feeling like I have no idea how to do basic Mommy things--how do you refill a diaper pail? Play with a baby? Read diapers like a fortune teller?, etc... I am exhausted from nursing--really you can't eat enough to keep up with this physical energy sap. I am exhausted from the pressures if trying to be the best mommy possible.

I can't let myself get bitter about the shortcomings of myself or Jeff during this period. I have to be mindful of the exhaustion so that I can have a good cry and then appreciate all of the little moments that we worked so hard to make a reality.

Date night

Daddy and I let Wisebaby crash date night because he promised to sleep the whole time. I put on a pre-pregnancy knit dress that barely fit over my huge nursing boobs, and we hit the town. After feasting at our favorite local pizza place, we went to get a scoop at our favorite local ice cream shop. It was the most that I've felt like myself in a long time, proving that there is life with a baby!

Nap when the baby naps

Today was the first time that I felt compelled to sleep when the baby sleeps most of the day. He had a fitful night last night. It felt pretty good to lounge around all day by ourselves, but I felt bad for Daddy who was at work.

Things mommy loves

J. Jill stretchy capris and leggings - worked as maternity pants through due date and work after without a panel!

Burp cloths - I have some fancy Aden and Anais ones and some made from cloth diapers, but my fave is definitely the set my mom made from chopping up and binding a soft bath towel

Soma's no underwire cross over bra - I bought two when I went up a cup size in my first trimester and they are my favorite nursing bras

Maternity shirts that don't have gathering - lose enough to hide post partum belly, not obviously maternity wear

Nipple shield - what helps me and Wisebaby be compatible for breastfeeding, bonus protects from sores

Glider - such a comfy place to nurse

Daddy's First Day Back to Work

So I had to go back to work yesterday.  Wisebaby was three weeks old. I'm really glad he chose to come a week early so that I got that bonus week with him. 

I was pretty tired at work. Luckily I'm team teaching a Social Studies / Technology PD, so I wasn't having to fly solo. When I got home, Wisebaby and mommy were napping so I did some laundry, cleaned the pool, etc.  Eventually  I got to wake up baby boy after not holding him all day. 

We went to bed a little earlier last night. We're hoping that helps with the tired thing, but tonight has been a horrible night of sleep.  I can't seem to fall asleep. I don't know whether my brain is just too awake and listening for Wisebaby or if I'm really just having sleeping problems. Restless Leg Syndrome has been a problem in my family so in hoping that not what it is.  But I'm not sure since my legs say that all I really want to do right is take the dog for a walk while my eyes say we're tired and need sleep. Whatever happens, I hope mommy doesn't hurt me first out of annoyance. I really need to get past this so we can both be happy. 

Back to work

Daddy went back to work, and I think the first day was hardest on him. We were lonely, for sure, and there were the tense 15 minutes where I had to pump and Wisebaby wanted to be held. However, Daddy looked beat and a little defeated trying to balance chores, relaxing, and bonding with baby. I am so lucky that he truly sees himself as my partner in everything. 

Playtime

We have started trying to work in a play and tummy time in twice a day. Wisebaby particularly likes the Shamu toy in his play gym. We flip his head gently away from what he is gazing at to encourage movement of his head and neck.

Joy of the paci

Mommy isn't a breastfeeding purist and let her baby discover the joy of the pacifier once permission was acquired from her pediatrician. It takes off the jagged edges when baby is fed, dry, well rested, being held, being rocked, and still fussy.

Are we actually getting the hang of this??

Age: 2 weeks, 4 days

This past Wednesday, July 24 was Wisebaby's due date. He arrived 2.5 weeks early, a week before the date we were going to induce labor. Hitting his due date and seeing the time that's passed has caused me to reflect on the past 2.5 weeks. My observations?  We've come a long way in a short time, and "Are we actually getting the hang of this?"

I'm really surprised by how things are going right. We've been in "a groove" and had a good routine for about a week now. We're tired, but no where near the exhaustion we had during that first week home. The "blitzkrieg of feeding" was exhausting, not just because it was non-stop feeding (every other hour) but because we were having to learn EVERYTHING about having a baby at the same time. After seeing that Wisebaby gained nearly 2 pounds in about 2 weeks, we agree that the blitzkrieg was totally worth it. 

But in looking at our current state, part of me wonders if we should be more exhausted.  Really, shouldn't we be walking zombies 24/7??  After all, we are taking care of a 3 week old baby!  But I think we're surviving pretty well.  We definitely benefit from being able to nap for an extra hour in the morning after breakfast, and that's not going to able to continue when we go back to work. Maybe we're just getting used to "the tired". Having a routine DEFINITELY helps me feel better. Knowing how to handle the baby, the feedings, knowing when to expect dirty diapers and becoming okay with that, etc.  And being able to leave the house and run an errand or two has been a huge relief in returning to "normal". And Wisebaby volunteering to sleep in 2.5 - 3 hour stretches at night, without crying and screaming, helps more than anything.  We are certainly blessed to have an Angel Baby so far. (Go read "The Baby Whisperer" book to see how she defines an Angel Baby and other types of babies.)

I know I'll return to exhaustion once I return to work next week.  There's no way I can work full speed at my job and not be tired after coming home and getting used to having a second full time job. But if the past two weeks have been an indication, we just might be able to do this!!

*Please don't let this blog post jinx things!  I'm very happy with my squeaking, non-fussy Angel Baby!

Thoughts From Daddy -- Diapers (and their contents)

Whew!  I knew I'd change a ton of diapers, but wow! Until you do it, you don't realize how many you'll change. 10-15 diapers per day= A LOT of diapers.

We bought our first box of diapers on our own yesterday. For the first two weeks we had been living off a few boxes generously given to us by friends & family at showers. I thought we had a ton, but those ran out in only two weeks. Seeing how fast we go through them, I have a feeling we will never be ahead of the Diaper Monster.  

We'll be buying so many that we've gone ahead and signed up for the "code programs" with Huggies and Pampers. It's one of those programs where you enter a code from the package of diapers and earn points each time. This isn't the first time we've tried one of these programs. When we lived in Norman right after we got married, we would collect points from Coke products. We would even go around taking the caps off bottles left on the ground after OU football games. Gross? Yes. But back then it was much easier to earn prizes for them, and we were poor newlyweds. But the prizes got bad, and Coke realized what people like us were doing, so they put a ton of restrictions on how many codes you could enter per week and stuff and it just wasn't worth it anymore. 

I tell that story to show that we've realized how much money we're about to spend in diapers, so we might as well get something back from it!

Also, I never thought I'd be so excited about poop. While I'm kind of tired of diapers already, I know they're a sign that things are working properly in his system, and that's exciting. I've looked at so much poop, analyzed it for color and consistency. I have to remind myself of our mantra: He's going to grow out of this quickly, and then he won't be a little baby anymore. We may never have another little baby again, so we need to enjoy every seedy, mustardy poopy diaper he had while we can. 

Into the World We Go

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Age: 2 weeks, 1 day

--Woke up and ate breakfast. 

--Promptly napped through the "Good Morning Texas" show 

--Had some activity time talking to daddy before lunch. 

--Went to Walmart in the afternoon. First long period non-medical trip out of the house!!  Mommy pushed Wisebaby around in the Snap & Go stroller (car seat holder).  Wisebaby was awesome as slept the whole time!  Mommy bought some new non-maternity clothes!!

--We bought our first diapers today!  We've been living off diapers that friends had graciously given us at showers, but we're running low on Newborn size, so we decided to pick up a box. That's going to be an expensive part of life....  Also, it's amazing how you immediately begin to have preferences in diapers (something I never thought would happen. Aren't all diapers the same?  No!)

--Took a nap when we got home. 

--Mommy & Daddy started watching a new show on Netflix called "Orange is the New Black."  It's a great show, but definitely a lot of bad language. Warren had to go "earmuffs" and cover his ears a few times. I kept thinking about how our days if watching shows like this are numbered. 

--In the evening, Daddy realized that Wisebaby is starting to track with his eyes!  Daddy was taking a picture with his iPhone and noticed that Wisebaby's eyes were following the phone as it slowly moved from side to side. Even if he was just following the bright light, that's tracking!

--While Mommy was changing his diaper, Wisebaby lost his circumcision dressing!  It was pretty scary, but no blood or visible problems, and it was time. 

--Wisebaby was getting ready for a bath. This ended up being his last sponge bath, since his circumcision had healed.  Afterwards Mommy lotioned his head and combed his hair. He looks like such a "Dapper Dan"!  (Daddy made a picture for Facebook advertising his good looks :-)

Feeling Braver

Jeff has been gently encouraging me to be a bit braver about getting out of the house, and we took a baby step yesterday after Wisebaby's 2 week follow-up heel prick at the hospital. I asked to stop at Walgreen's to buy milk. It went so well that today we decided to tackle Walmart. We shopped the entire store from the pharmacy for hand soap back to the beer section for Mommy's first beer in 11 months to the front for produce and then to the middle for some pants for Mommy that don't have elastic in them.

I felt brave enough to try on my cheap transition Walmart pants, a pair of kelly green capris, and they look banging for a pair of $13 fat pants. I'm going to go back and get another pair in a different color sometime soon. Maybe I'll do it when I feel brave enough to go it alone.

All of this trauma was on my end. Warren slept like an angel through it all, which is pretty much his M.O.

Mommy's Comfort

A lot of things are suggested for baby's comfort with a newborn, so here is my accompanying list of things that I have found really nice.

-a brand new pair of ultra soft new pajamas: So you might get blood or breastmilk on them; that's easy to fix, and there is just something about new jammies. I really love the Apt. 9 knit pajamas my mom got for me for just this reason. I have a thin knit bathrobe from the same brand that saved my life in the hospital when visitors were around and I wanted to go to the bathroom.

-a great breast feeding pillow: I felt like the bed was eating me alive when it came time to nurse at the hospital with all of the stacks of pillows. If I had to replicate that experience at home 8-12 times a day, I would go nuts. Instead I use a My Brest Friend pillow, which, despite its cringe worthy name, allows me to use just 1-2 pillows depending on how I sit.

-oatmeal cookies: A friend brought some chocolate chip oatmeal cookies over, and might I say that they make delicious middle of the night feeding snacks.

-phone number for the lactation consultant: Things weren't going super great with feeding at first, despite the fact that our lactation consultants at the hospital had given us the stamp of approval. By scheduling an appointment, we found out that things weren't going great, and it wasn't in my head that it didn't feel right. We came up with a few interventions, and now I don't mind breastfeeding him so much.

-a stash of burp cloths that is larger than you think is necessary: Having a new baby and breastfeeding are shockingly messy, at least for me.

-a stash of maxi pads: Just saying.

-men's boxer briefs: This are important for that day or two when you run out of the hospital underwear, but aren't ready for your own yet.

-a double breast pump: I have to pump because of our feeding plan, and I will say, I feel better pumping off a few times a day. Plus, I have a big stash started for when I go back to work, which I think will likely be the death of my breastfeeding adventure.

-a cheap, itchy bra: Cut this sucker up! I bought a few nursing bras while I was pregnant that I couldn't stand to wear, but couldn't return thanks to Zulily. I cut out small holes over my nipples, and--VOILA!--I had a double pump bustier. Life hack!

-Helpful iPhone Apps:

• Pandora App: The Classical Music for Studying channel has taken the edge off of many a feeding.

• Baby Connect App: It seems like a pain at the time, but the moment when the pediatrician asks you, "How many dirty diapers in a day?", will go easier with a log. Plus, the timer on the breastfeeding portion of the app is quieter than the clock on your phone.
• Kindle App: I'm a reader, and I have heard that having a baby kills your moments to read. Yeah, you can read using the Kindle App while you nurse. I have read an entire book since Warren came home from the hospital 10 days ago.

That's just how it is...

First sponge bath - four hands needed and a lot of fretting
Second sponge bath - four hands needed and a little fretting
Third sponge bath - two hands and no fretting

Stop pooping and peeing on yourself kid!

Highlights of our first week home

Some firsts that happened in our first week home:
-Mommy and Daddy sponge bath, liked getting his hair washed, but not his bottom
-pee and poop explosion during a change, nailed Daddy
-lost his umbilical cord at one week one day
-discovered the awesomeness of the bouncy chair
-discovered the awesomeness of the swing turned off
-napped in his crib every day
-slept four hour stretches every night
-took a brief trip to Nama and Papa's on the way home from a visit to the hospital
-remembered to bring in the baby, but left the gallon of milk in the trunk
-brought Theo the dog home to guard his new sheeple
-did a thousand and two loads of laundry
-learned to use a nipple shield and pump
-watched guys lay tile, jack hammer plaster, replaster, and refill the pool
-took two walks down to the end of the street and back
-rode in the K'Tan
-watched his first Drum Corps video
-had a steady stream of visitors: Nama and Papa, Nana and Pop Pop, Tia Elissa, Tio Luvin, Tia Elaine, Tio Daniel, Aunt Tammy, Miss Ashton, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Chris, Ms. Rachel
-watched Pretty Little Liars, HGTV, Arrested Development
-went to church via streaming video

Rock and Hard Place

Age: 9 days

Today was the toughest day yet, but not because Wisebaby was a problem. In fact, most of our nursing issues are resolving, and he is a very chill baby. Today was tough because we finally had to make a really tough decision about our dogs.

Here's the back story: When I was in college, my parents moved abroad, so their dog became my dog. Lucie was a delight, and we loved her like she was always ours. When we bought our house, we decided to add a puppy to our family because we thought that it would be good practice for parenting, and Jeff had never had a dog of his own before. Theo definitely has proven to be excellent at ironing out some of our parenting behaviors.

When Theo hit about 6 months old, he started getting into fights with other dogs. They were little fights at first, and they got scarier and scarier. Both Jeff and I were bit trying to break them up, and both dogs have sustained injuries from each other. Thankfully, no one ever needed stitches.

Despite our conscientious behavior interventions, we could never quite get it under control. Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, we decided to give medicine a try. Theo went on doggie prozac, and it worked at first. Our dogs mostly stopped fighting for several months. Then the medicine built up in his system, and he started fighting again. The frequency was back to almost every day shortly before we delivered, and we went back to the vet to talk to her about his aggression. We thought we had a week and a half to make a decision, but by the time she consulted with a dog psychologist and got back to Jeff, I was in active labor.

We're switching Theo's medicine from the generic that can be filled cheaply at Walmart to the dog version that costs more and is filled at the vet. Neither dog has been home since Wisebaby was born, so we have been trying to figure out how to reintroduce the dogs into the house with the baby without putting ourselves, the baby, or the dogs at risk. We just couldn't come up with a solution that included both dogs living at home.

The hard place: Today we tearfully had to admit to ourselves that we could only be a one dog family moving forward for the safety of our little Wisebaby. We're sending Lucie back to live with my parents, and it is ripping my heart out, even though she's only three blocks away. I can walk to see her in under five minutes, but it is just awful. I have wept off and on all day.

So, we picked up Theo's new medicine, and brought the cute little bug home, and he has been adorable and well behaved so far. I am glad that everyone will be safe, but it hurt so much when I realized that we were swaddling our baby at the spot on the bed where Lucie used to cuddle with me in the mornings.

Nicknames I've Called You (so far)

Here's a list of some o the nicknames I've caught myself calling our Wisebaby:

--Squeaker (because he squeaks more than cries)

--Monkey (for his long monkey arms)

--Bug (because he's as cute as a big in a rug

--Pig (when he cooperates as I'm trying to change or swaddle him, I find myself saying "That'll do, pig. That'll do" from the movie Babe)

And more that I'll remember when it's not almost 5 AM. 

Day 2: Learn & Practice, FAST!

It's Dad writing!  I thought I'd add some thoughts and memories of the first full day that we had with our little Wisebaby. Right now I'm waiting for dinner to heat up while Mom's feeding so I'll have to use some bullet points to get ideas down fast. 

While we were working through all of the visitors in the hospital (nurses, doctors, birth certificates, audio testing, photographer, and the required family and friends) it dawned on me that they try to give you two days in the hospital after a birth so that there's one day of teaching by nurses, and then you have one day to practice with your safety net in place (again, the nurses.). Well, since Wisebaby was born at 10:15 at night, the hospital counted that as Day One, meaning that we had to cram all of the normal two day processes into just one day (Day Two.)  That meant that we had a lot of teaching overnight immediately after Wisebaby was born, meaning we got little sleep and rest. 

Wisebaby's first family visitors were Nama and Papa. They stopped by early Tuesday morning. Then Nana and Pop-Pop stopped by mid-morning. Aunt Tammy stopped by around lunch, and Tia Elissa brought Great-Grandma Donna to visit late afternoon. Then we had return visits from Nana and Pop-Pop so that they could get a little more Wisebaby time. Unfortunately Tia Elaine and Tio Daniel were on their way home from vacationing in Canada and Michigan, and Tio Luvin was still in San Angelo helping teach at a band camp. But that's what happens when you decide to make your entry a week earlier than planned! :-)

Dinner Tuesday night was our "celebration dinner" from the hospital: steak and lobster tail!  Mom and I have been looking forward to this for a long time!  Yes, because its a delicious meal that we would never make for oursekves, but more importantly because this night truly is a celebration of our love and efforts for Wisebaby, three years in the making. Yum!

During the night (Night #2) we took the opportunity and sent Wisebaby to the nursery for the night, except for feedings. We're sorry, but we needed sleep and knew we'd be no good for our Wisebaby when we got home if we didn't take that opportunity to rest.  After a few hours of sleep, we woke and prepared for an eventful Day 3 of returning home and figuring out how to operate this baby that didn't come with an instructions manual!

Birth story

Age: 1 week

I want to get Wisebaby's birth story before I start to forget some of the fun details, so please bear with me as I am typing this on my phone while pumping.

On the morning of July 8, we slept in and headed to the OB. We never had a weekly appointment schedule because when we were supposed to switch from biweekly, it landed on the Fourth of July. So, we only ever got as tight as 1.5 weeks.

My OB was running late as usual, so we saw her at 10:45. I was 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced and had lost my mucus plug, but she patted me on the ankle and handed me instructions for my scheduled  induction on Monday, July 15 at 7:30. I should be arriving at the hospital just now. 

We went to lunch with some friends, and they gave us a book filled with wishes for Widebaby. I had to send my curry chicken salad sandwich back because the most gruesome fly was belly up it. I believe the restraint it took to handle this politely might have been what pushed me into labor. They did give me a delicious peanut butter cup brownie--which I never finished thanks to someone cute--and a gift certificate as recompense. 

After lunch we ran two quick errands. At Walgreens I danced down the aisle and we bought syringes for the rest of the week, a $1.50 wasted! Then we bought fray check at Hobby Lobby to finish a quilt for Wisebaby that night. On our way home, the foundation repair company called and asked if they could bump up our appointment an hour--thank goodness! We learned that our foundation indeed needs an adjustment, luckily it is covered under warranty.

I posted the good/bad foundation news on Facebook and then put my head down for a nap. At about 4:15, I woke up and went to the bathroom, and then to the fridge to get a nectarine for a healthy afternoon snack. It was there, contemplating the relative ripeness of my nectarines that I felt a gush of warm liquid. Had I pissed myself? It's possible, I supposed, since I was pregnant, but--then again--I don't make a habit of pissing myself. I decided to go to the bathroom and change my clothes, and it was after I put on a new pair of pants that it happened again and I realized that my water was indeed breaking. Eep! I called the doctor's office to let my OB know, and we headed to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, I finally noticed that I was having regular contractions, which I had ignored because I had strong Braxton-Hicks during my entire third trimester.

When we got to the hospital, we were told that there was no room at the inn just yet; it was very biblical, but there weren't any live stock. I was asked to take a seat, but I refused to do so because I didn't want to ruin the furniture. I got to hang out in a wheel chair for twenty minutes, and then they took us back to an observation room to wait for a labor and delivery room. It was there that the nurse confirmed that had "grossly abrupted" my water and I was in active labor. She asked what level of pain I was in on a scale of one to five, and my answer was a two, like bad menstral cramps. This would later make a huge misunderstanding as shift changed happened and the nurses thought they were asking my pain scale on a one to ten basis. We labored there for about an hour and a half watching HGTV.

Finally we walked across the hall to our labor and delivery room where I was finally hooked into IV fluids to prepare for my epidural. Labor pains had started to get more and more painful, so I enjoyed the heck out of my cherry Popsicle when. Jeff got his plate for dinner.

After missing the reveal on two Love it or list it's, I finally had an Epidural and felt MUCH BETTER. The nurse decided to see how ready I was, and responded with, "oh, wow!" She went to get another nurse to confirm that I was indeed 10 cm dilated and 100% effaced. Ready to push! We hung out for thirty more minutes because Dr. Boyd was delivering someone else's baby, and I was feeling fine.

My nurse decided it was time to push and described it as trying to hold your breath while diving into a swimming pool and pooping. It sounds a little gross and weird, but it worked and I was definitely delivering Widebaby. After about forty five minutes, Dr. Boyd came in and we had a baby! It was 10:15 and, as she said, "Didn't I just see you less than twelve hours ago?"

The rest of the night was a blur. I ate the BEST Doritos and a dry and delicious turkey sandwich, and the nurse even brought me two baby cans of Diet Coke because we were besties at that point. 

Meanwhile, I mixed some skin to skin time with the nursery nurses checking Widebaby out. He scored 9/10 on his Apgar, just dinged for his color because of the bruising and umbilical cord that was wrapped around his neck. He also was being lazy with his left arm, which was scary, but it turned out to be nothing.

Some final thoughts on our labor experience:

-epidurals are Ah-mazing!

-having a surprise birth is more fun than planning an induction

-apparently, according to the nurses, I am, "Built to have babies." This is sad considering the challenges we had in making ours.

-even a very smooth, very short labor and delivery experience is hard work, but I would do it again in a heart beat.

Day 5 Wrap-up and Statement of Intent

Age: 6 Days

Just when we thought that a routine would make us feel better, Wisebaby started to feel better which translated into copious amounts of poop, some of which was shot out at Daddy. He also peed on his face for the first, and likely not the last time. What made this really hard was that we were trying to get out to see my parents who live just 3 blocks away for my niece's 3rd birthday party for 30 minutes, but I realized in a weepy break down that there was no way that I was ready for that.

I cried, and my sister and dear friend came over to visit and console me instead, which was great. Then, we did our hour of feeding, and my brother-in-law came to meet Wisebaby for the first time. It was a little stressful, but we are so blessed that Wisebaby has a whole army of people who are thrilled beyond belief to have him in their lives.

We made it through the night, and the longer routine led us to wake up more and decide that we could maybe do some blogging to keep record of our little miracle's life. Maybe we're crazy. So many parents start blogs and then abandon them in favor of spending time with their kids; however, I type fast and we have a habit of writing down our lives. When we vacation, we keep a journal together, so that habit will hopefully help.

Some of our entries will be longer and more explanatory like this one, and some should just be quick little entries during late night feedings to record this or that that happened that made his day interesting. We kept a calendar like that during my pregnancy, and it was a lot of fun.

For example, today (Day 6) would read like this:
-Settling into long nursing routine better
-Finally figured out how to clean all of the parts of the nursing equipment
-Rode in the K'Tan for the first time
-Walked in the unusually cool weather down to the end of the block and back with aide of an umbrella
-Ate lunch with Baby Z, son of our friends who I have known since I was a little girl

Hopefully, that tack will allow us to maintain the site without getting too burned out. Then, when I want to be verbose, funny, or sentimental, I can take the time while Wisebaby sleeps in the K'Tan--such a great invention, by the way.

In the end, I hope this blog is a way to capture the changes and joys of our family as we learn what it means to be the three Wiseman.

4:30 Feeding Ideas

Age: 5 days

This blog was conceived during a 4:30 in the morning feeding, so if it seems a little wonky, that explains a lot, in our humble opinion. It's a sign that we're definitely settling into things a little that we were able to think of anything at 4:30 in the morning.

We've got a lot to share, and hopefully we'll get back to the first four days, but let's tackle a (hopefully) microrecap about yesterday to get it down before sweet Wisebaby wipes our memory.

It was our roughest day yet. It started inauspiciously at 2:30 in the morning when I changed the game plan on Jeff and insisted on pumping in the middle of the night. Jeff blew out a light bulb in my lamp, which made it sound like the light socket was killed. Things went really rough, and an hour and fifteen minutes later we laid him down to sleep, only to have him fuss for another feeding after ten minutes. Since Wisebaby doesn't fuss unless he really means it, we couldn't just pretend like it wasn't time to start all over.

The next morning we managed to get dressed, fed, and out of the house on time to our appointment with the lactation consultant at the hospital. Victory!!

The lactation consultant was the one from my stay at the hospital who called Wisebaby "Princess" and was a little militant. We weren't excited when we realized this, but she was a lot better in the office than at the bedside. She figured out that Wisebaby was pretending to latch well, but wasn't actually drawing anything much into his tummy by weighing him before and after the feeding. We came up with some interventions (a nipple shield and pumping) and created a plan with schedule, and we felt armed to face the next 48 hours until our follow-up.

We remembered to return my library books! Victory!!

Wisebaby drove through Taco Delite for the second time in his life.

When we got home, we had to learn how long it takes to follow said schedule. An hour. Sigh. That means we have 1 hour on, 1 hour off during the day, and 1 hour on and 2 off at night. Sigh.

More later. Back to sleep!