8 Week Update

Wow, time is flying by. Our little Jodie will be 8 weeks on Saturday! She's doing all kinds of new tricks, like smiling, blowing spit bubbles, and sticking her tongue out. Yesterday I caught her laughing in her sleep. She is a champion eater and grower and was in the 99th percentile for height (23.5 inches) and 95th for weight (11 lbs, 1 oz) at her one month appointment. That was three weeks ago, so I'm guessing she's already packed on a few more lbs at this point. I'm taken aback at how quickly she has outgrown her newborn stuff and even some of her three month old sleeper pajamas. She's so long that the little neck ends up down by her chest when footies are involved.

We completely lucked out that she hardly EVER spits up (like five times, ever!) but man, she is a pooper. Even still. The pediatrician was shocked at her one month that she's still pooping 6-8 times a day. Most babies are down to one or two a day at this point. But I'll take a pooper over a puker. At least the diaper can contain it!

One of the shots from her newborn pics

I'm on maternity leave for another couple of weeks (for a total of 10 weeks), when I'll go back part time for 4 weeks and then resume my full time duties. I have to say, I am soaking up and enjoying every minute of this leave. I absolutely love spending all my time with Jodie. I only think about work when they contact me with questions / instructions (which actually seems like all the time), and I dread going back. I always thought I might get bored not working for so long but such is not the case. I may be singing a different tune in other circumstances, but as luck would have it, no fewer than FOUR of my very good friends are also on maternity leave with me, so I've had plenty of meet-ups with my gals and their babes. It's actually hard to believe how busy I've been - lots of lunches with friends, Mommy & Me yoga, trips out of town for weddings and such. I'm certainly not at home on the couch all day.

I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite pictures of her! She's four weeks here. 

Other updates -

Breastfeeding, for the most part, has gone very well. Like I said, Miss Jodie is a great eater. I seem to be producing plenty and have typically been able to pump and freeze an extra 5 or 6 ounces a day, which will be great for when she goes to daycare.There were a few rough patches in the beginning, when Jodie tore my nipples to shreds. I solved this problem by using nipple shields, which she got the hang of very quickly. They are a lot easier for her to suck without getting too much and choking (which happened all the time without the shield). Now, though, she won't take the breast without the shield, which is a bummer. It's a pain to have to find and clean the shield all the time and heaven help us if we are out and about with no bottles and no shield. I made that mistake once... it will. not. happen. again. The shield is way gentler on me anyway, so when it comes down to it, I'm just glad she's getting plenty of milk and it's not painful for me.

My running has resumed. You might remember that I am a runner. I ran a full marathon last May, and from September 1, 2011 to September 1, 2012, I ran at least a mile every single day (we called it the 365 club). However, I ran 0.0 miles during pregnancy. Oops. So I'm essentially starting from scratch with the Couch to 5k, which has apparently changed its name to "Ease into 5k".  I have a long, looooong way to go, but I'm determined to lose these last 10 pounds and to get back into at least some semblance of fitness.

In general, mommyhood has been everything I thought it would be. It's been frustrating and tiring at times, but overall I am SO happy. I'm SO in love with this little girl. She's completely worth every hot flash, heartache, ugly cry, and depression that came before her.

Here she is again, at 7 weeks:

Who wouldn't fall in love with that face?!?

Love.