Week 38: September 30 - October 6

Nursing
I left last week's post saying I was going to stop doing anything external and use only the shells I got recently. On Saturday, things were going well. There's some lingering pain after meals, but it is gone by the next meal. I've finished my anti-fungal meds and am still taking my antibiotics. I've also started a "high potency" probiotic. (Which I just noticed is like the opposite of antibiotic... probiotic... eh...)

Well, as of Wednesday night, things are going pretty well. I'm wearing the shells during the day and following some other advice from Anne, the lactation consultant. She mentioned "vasospasm" and blood circulation a few times in the past, but I never paid much attention. We talked on Monday, and I told her that it still hurt right when Madeleine started nursing. I asked her if cold and/or dry air might contribute, and she said yes. I realized that during the warm months, I had basically no pain.

I googled cold and nursing pain, and the first result was an article on something called Raynaud's phenomenon. I read through the abstract and it could definitely be talking about me. I plan on calling Anne later in the week and talking to her about it. There's a medication that some women in the article took that led to "prompt" relief from pain. I'd love me some of that! It's called nifedipine, and it is primarily used to treat high blood pressure and angina. It is safe to take while nursing. BUT, I have generally low blood pressure anyway, so I think I'd have to be closely monitored if I were to take it. BUT! It would be AWESOME to have an answer and a solution.

Sleeping
Madeleine is still basically on a 6am-6pm schedule. Her parents just keep putting her to bed late. That will change now. :)

We've also got something coming up that worries me a bit. Daylight Savings is November 7. Never in my life have I known about it so far before the event. But once Daylight Savings hits, 6am becomes 5AM. NOT GOOD. We plan to attempt to extend Madeleine's schedule by 15 minutes a week so that when the time change comes, she'll be at 7am, which will go to 6am. Of course, we want her to get to 7am on a regular basis.

Well, after attempting to get Madeleine in bed by 6, and in reality getting her in bed closer to 6:30, FINALLY we did it right. Madeleine went to bed at 6:01 Tuesday night and fell asleep by 6:03. She hasn't fallen asleep that quickly for bedtime in ... months! I was SO beyond happy. I couldn't believe it. I kept staring at the monitor, waiting for her to start moving around, like she usually does. BUT NO! And then -- the ultimate in making mommy happy -- she slept until 6am. 12 hours! This is SUCH relief after weeks of 11 hours or LESS. Looks like we finally got something right. Yes, 6pm is an early bedtime, but she clearly needs it. She's been getting overtired, her naps have been getting short, and if this is what we have to do so she gets the sleep she needs, then this is what we'll do. LOVE THAT BABY!

Solids/Food
Not much to say on this right now. Still progress, still very slow. But that's to be expected, according to the book. And I am in NO hurry to wean. :)

By the book...
According to "Your Baby's First Year, Week by Week," during this week, Madeleine:
1. Takes a few steps if supported; walks with adult holding hands (YES! At least, the first part. She'll walk while holding on to us or furniture...)
2. Reaches for small objects with thumb and finger (not yet. I'm watching for this one!)
3. Grows bored with repetition (YES! Hahahahaha. So very much. Hard to entertain!)
4. Is aware of vertical space (for a week or so she's been looking down, from her high chair, the chair and a half, etc.)
5. Begins to evaluation other people's moods (dunno? Never know about these social ones. They seem hard to know because they are often internal)

New Things

MOMMY GOT A KISS!! YAY!! It was wet and the most precious thing I've ever received. Madeleine was quite pleased with herself after kissing me, and of course I was beyond thrilled. :)

She maybe said "Dada" while looking at Matt??? We don't think it's intentional at this point. Of course not. But it's kind of exciting.

Misc
We went to the park again with Mimi and Madeleine got to swing again. This time, she was more rested and happier and we got to enjoy the playground a little more.

One day, Madeleine and I were sitting on the floor playing. Suddenly, the floor shook. I looked at Madeleine, and she had the poop face. HILARIOUS! It wasn't that much, but the force was directly on the floor so I felt it a few feet away.

CONGESTED: Madeleine definitely caught something. Her little voice, her coughs, are all scratchy. Add that to her super long nursing sessions (for pain relief), some extra fussiness, and she's got a little cold. Poor little baby. For the most part, she seems unaffected. I think she kinda likes hearing her scratchy voice sometimes! We're dressing her warmly at night and for naps and doing our best to make her comfortable. Hopefully, she'll get better soon!

We have been spending a LOT more time outside since the weather turned cooler. It is just so amazing. It's sunny, cool, there's a crisp, gentle breeze almost constantly... BEAUTIFUL. We take a big blanket out, a few toys, the camera of course, and we just hang out. Madeleine loves it, Layla loves it, Mommy and Daddy love it.... Expect a lot of outside pictures in the next month or so!

Teething Update
About the same. I used the macro lens this week to get a picture, and it's super cool. [Click to see bigger]:



Slideshow

Video of the week!