Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
a note from mommy
After seeing all the posts Lucio has written, I thought I better write something! I am not as verbose as he, so we'll see how long this gets...
It's Sunday and Belen and I are home while dad is working. Unfortunately he has to work most Sundays now, but at least he has some work. Belen is making all kinds of weird noises, but I'm pretty sure she is still sleeping. Oreo and Mocha are outside sunning themselves. I offered them a chance to come inside, but apparently they prefer sitting in the dirt catching some sun. It is a lovely day outside. If Oreo were better on the leash, I'd put Belen in the baby carrier and take them for a walk. Yesterday Lucio took them to the dog park and I took the baby over to walk around. I put her in the baby bjorn thing...it's nice and she seemed to like it. Mocha is a pretty good frisbee catcher except that she doesn't bring them back to you.
I have been back to work for 3 weeks now. The time has flown by. I went back to work while Belen was still in the NICU, which kinda stunk but was probably a good thing since I didn't have a chance to feel guilty about leaving her for work. And now that she's home, I still don't feel that guilty cause I know that Lucio is doing a great job taking care of her. In fact, I wonder if I could handle staying home all day taking care of her. Last weekend, when Lucio was at work and it was just me and the baby, I was getting a little frustrated, tired, lonely... I suppose if I were at home, we would figure out our routine and it would be alright.
School is ok. I'm grateful that I still have a student teacher (Marlaina) working with me to teach first period. That gives me time to do other work and then I teach 2nd and 4th periods. 2nd is great, 4th is crazy. And Marlaina is more than a student...she is capable of taking over the classes when I'm not there, which is what she did while I was out on leave. The best thing about school: we'll be done in about 6 weeks. =)
I am just starting to get used to this mommy thing. It's so weird...I'm a mom. yikes! I love my little Belen. I love to hold her and kiss her and feel her little fingers around one of mine. She is a cutie! Weighing in at 8 lb 1 oz as of Friday 4/23, she is quickly gaining. She eats a lot and consequently goes potty a lot. Last night she woke up about 2 am. I went to pick her up. When I sat back on the bed I felt something wet on her leg. Pee, I thought, but then I smelled my fingers and it was poo! Then I looked at my arm...a big poo glob! I woke up Lucio so he could wipe me off then I wiped Belen off, put a clean pj on her and fed her. She slept until about 5:30 and I fed her again.
We went to church for the first time altogether today. I had to go to the mommy room and change Belen-another big poop that almost leaked. Then I fed her. I listened to all the talks from in there.
When I put Belen to sleep around 12:30 this afternoon she had a full belly. When I went to check on her a few minutes later I found her belly contents all over the cradle mattress and on the floor. Projectile vomiting had occurred. I quickly picked her up and wiped her off 'cause her head had been sitting in that pool of nastiness. She was tired after that, but didn't want to sleep by herself, so she slept on my stomach/lap with the help of the boppy pillow (love that thing) while I slept too. Now that she's been in her bed for a while, she's starting to wake up and I'm gonna have to get off the computer.
It's Sunday and Belen and I are home while dad is working. Unfortunately he has to work most Sundays now, but at least he has some work. Belen is making all kinds of weird noises, but I'm pretty sure she is still sleeping. Oreo and Mocha are outside sunning themselves. I offered them a chance to come inside, but apparently they prefer sitting in the dirt catching some sun. It is a lovely day outside. If Oreo were better on the leash, I'd put Belen in the baby carrier and take them for a walk. Yesterday Lucio took them to the dog park and I took the baby over to walk around. I put her in the baby bjorn thing...it's nice and she seemed to like it. Mocha is a pretty good frisbee catcher except that she doesn't bring them back to you.
I have been back to work for 3 weeks now. The time has flown by. I went back to work while Belen was still in the NICU, which kinda stunk but was probably a good thing since I didn't have a chance to feel guilty about leaving her for work. And now that she's home, I still don't feel that guilty cause I know that Lucio is doing a great job taking care of her. In fact, I wonder if I could handle staying home all day taking care of her. Last weekend, when Lucio was at work and it was just me and the baby, I was getting a little frustrated, tired, lonely... I suppose if I were at home, we would figure out our routine and it would be alright.
School is ok. I'm grateful that I still have a student teacher (Marlaina) working with me to teach first period. That gives me time to do other work and then I teach 2nd and 4th periods. 2nd is great, 4th is crazy. And Marlaina is more than a student...she is capable of taking over the classes when I'm not there, which is what she did while I was out on leave. The best thing about school: we'll be done in about 6 weeks. =)
I am just starting to get used to this mommy thing. It's so weird...I'm a mom. yikes! I love my little Belen. I love to hold her and kiss her and feel her little fingers around one of mine. She is a cutie! Weighing in at 8 lb 1 oz as of Friday 4/23, she is quickly gaining. She eats a lot and consequently goes potty a lot. Last night she woke up about 2 am. I went to pick her up. When I sat back on the bed I felt something wet on her leg. Pee, I thought, but then I smelled my fingers and it was poo! Then I looked at my arm...a big poo glob! I woke up Lucio so he could wipe me off then I wiped Belen off, put a clean pj on her and fed her. She slept until about 5:30 and I fed her again.
We went to church for the first time altogether today. I had to go to the mommy room and change Belen-another big poop that almost leaked. Then I fed her. I listened to all the talks from in there.
When I put Belen to sleep around 12:30 this afternoon she had a full belly. When I went to check on her a few minutes later I found her belly contents all over the cradle mattress and on the floor. Projectile vomiting had occurred. I quickly picked her up and wiped her off 'cause her head had been sitting in that pool of nastiness. She was tired after that, but didn't want to sleep by herself, so she slept on my stomach/lap with the help of the boppy pillow (love that thing) while I slept too. Now that she's been in her bed for a while, she's starting to wake up and I'm gonna have to get off the computer.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
2 months
The following are images of Belen taken on April 9th, 2010, two months after she was born. The pics were snapshots taken from Belen's Flip video camera. Jen and I were at the hospital with her on this day. We were actually going to bring her home on that day, but the doctor insisted that she get her first three immunizations and spend another day at the hospital before she could be released from the NICU.
1 month
The following are images of Belen taken on March 9th, 2010, one month after she was born. Jen and I were at the hospital with her on this very special day.
Belen Time
12:00 midnight - Either Jen feeds Belen via breastfeed or I feed her from Jen's breast milk supply.
2:30 am - Belen has been waking around this time and Jen feeds her for about five to ten minutes.
12:00 - 4:00 am Belen usually sleeps, unless she is being a cranky pants at which time Jen or I administer to her needs.
4:00 am - I wake up finding Jen feeding Belen so I go back to bed.
5:00 am - Jen asks me to help her with Belen. Jen will usually have a bottle of about 2 oz milk ready for Belen. Since Belen arrived home, I have been waking up around this time to feed her.
This is a pivotal time for Belen and I because if I do not get her to fall asleep before 6 am, she will be awake on the hour till about 9 am. I have found that feeding her in the living room, as we both relax on the couch works best. After she finishes with the first 2 ounces, I observe to see if she is done. If I feel that she is not full, I will warm her up a couple more ounces.
I will burp her and hold her on my chest for about fifteen minutes, then she falls asleep and will pretty much sleep until 8:00 am. This is typical after each meal.
8:00 am - This time of the day Belen is usually real good at maintaining her daily routine. I begin by changing her diaper which is immediately followed by a feeding. On occasion, I warm up her milk before I begin changing her diaper. This allows the milk to be ready as soon as I finish changing her. We typically go to the living room and spend about thirty minutes eating, burping and falling asleep.
12:00 pm - Belen will sleep until about noon and the cycle continues, again. There has been a couple of times when I had to wake her up so that she may eat. The information that I have read states that I should not allow her to go more than three hours before eating again. I don't let her sleep but I also don't shake her so that she may wake up. I find that changing her diaper gives her a boost in waking up.
My goal is to maintain a four hour routine, and Belen does very well for the first part of the day till about 4 pm. The routine of taking care of Belen is pretty straight forward. She sleeps for three hours, wakes up, gets a new diaper which obviously requires a wipe down of her privates then she will eat from 2 to 4 ounces of milk. I have given her as much as 5 ounces in one session, never more and most of the time she will take an average of three ounces.
Lately, Belen tends to shift into a 2 to 4 hour schedule from 4 pm till about midnight and sometimes as late as 1 am. I don't understand why she goes off into this weird schedule, but if you think about it, she does it on a daily basis that perhaps this is simply part of her routine. Jen and I have become accustomed to it, we record all her feedings and spoils and simply do our best to keep her on track towards a healthy feeding schedule.
I absolutely do not mind taking care of my baby girl. I have been pretty good about getting up early in the am, though there have been a couple of days when I would much rather stay in bed. When I am home alone with Belen, I will take a nap between 9 and 11 am to catch up on the previous night's wake up calls. Belen will begin waking up around 11:30 and by noon she is on her schedule.
Belen Times are not to the minute but they are real. There is a fifteen minute flux but the general time, "Belen Time" is consistent throughout the day. Furthermore, I have learned more about babies since Belen arrived home on the 10th of April, than I have done my entire life. I am thankful to my siblings' kids because I did not arrive to this point without any experience. Does that make any sense?
I am thankful to Heavenly Father for this blessing and I love my wife for her dedication, love and compassion. I love spending the day fulfilling my role as a father simply because I love my family. I can't believe that there is another body in our home and now there is three of us to fill this humble abode.
2:30 am - Belen has been waking around this time and Jen feeds her for about five to ten minutes.
12:00 - 4:00 am Belen usually sleeps, unless she is being a cranky pants at which time Jen or I administer to her needs.
4:00 am - I wake up finding Jen feeding Belen so I go back to bed.
5:00 am - Jen asks me to help her with Belen. Jen will usually have a bottle of about 2 oz milk ready for Belen. Since Belen arrived home, I have been waking up around this time to feed her.
This is a pivotal time for Belen and I because if I do not get her to fall asleep before 6 am, she will be awake on the hour till about 9 am. I have found that feeding her in the living room, as we both relax on the couch works best. After she finishes with the first 2 ounces, I observe to see if she is done. If I feel that she is not full, I will warm her up a couple more ounces.
I will burp her and hold her on my chest for about fifteen minutes, then she falls asleep and will pretty much sleep until 8:00 am. This is typical after each meal.
8:00 am - This time of the day Belen is usually real good at maintaining her daily routine. I begin by changing her diaper which is immediately followed by a feeding. On occasion, I warm up her milk before I begin changing her diaper. This allows the milk to be ready as soon as I finish changing her. We typically go to the living room and spend about thirty minutes eating, burping and falling asleep.
12:00 pm - Belen will sleep until about noon and the cycle continues, again. There has been a couple of times when I had to wake her up so that she may eat. The information that I have read states that I should not allow her to go more than three hours before eating again. I don't let her sleep but I also don't shake her so that she may wake up. I find that changing her diaper gives her a boost in waking up.
My goal is to maintain a four hour routine, and Belen does very well for the first part of the day till about 4 pm. The routine of taking care of Belen is pretty straight forward. She sleeps for three hours, wakes up, gets a new diaper which obviously requires a wipe down of her privates then she will eat from 2 to 4 ounces of milk. I have given her as much as 5 ounces in one session, never more and most of the time she will take an average of three ounces.
Lately, Belen tends to shift into a 2 to 4 hour schedule from 4 pm till about midnight and sometimes as late as 1 am. I don't understand why she goes off into this weird schedule, but if you think about it, she does it on a daily basis that perhaps this is simply part of her routine. Jen and I have become accustomed to it, we record all her feedings and spoils and simply do our best to keep her on track towards a healthy feeding schedule.
I absolutely do not mind taking care of my baby girl. I have been pretty good about getting up early in the am, though there have been a couple of days when I would much rather stay in bed. When I am home alone with Belen, I will take a nap between 9 and 11 am to catch up on the previous night's wake up calls. Belen will begin waking up around 11:30 and by noon she is on her schedule.
Belen Times are not to the minute but they are real. There is a fifteen minute flux but the general time, "Belen Time" is consistent throughout the day. Furthermore, I have learned more about babies since Belen arrived home on the 10th of April, than I have done my entire life. I am thankful to my siblings' kids because I did not arrive to this point without any experience. Does that make any sense?
I am thankful to Heavenly Father for this blessing and I love my wife for her dedication, love and compassion. I love spending the day fulfilling my role as a father simply because I love my family. I can't believe that there is another body in our home and now there is three of us to fill this humble abode.
what to do...
It has been only one week and three days since Jen returned to work and I take the reigns of house mother. The part of holding Belen and talking to her is the easiest and most rewarding. There is an eternal bond that I feel each moment that I hold my precious daughter and with each moment that I hold her near to my heart, I can't help to visualize what the future has already reserved for us.
This may sound a bit corny but I see her attending prom and walking down an aisle wearing a beautiful white gown and she can barely lift her tiny chest off the pillow when she is doing "tummy time." It is silly to think these thoughts but I just can't help myself when these scary moments immerse into my mind. Even more frightening was the thought that one day I will be a grandpa to Belen's children. What am I thinking?
I know that when these moments actually become a reality I will be attending to her very needs and I will be there to advise her, support her and simply love her; so in fact, those scary moments will seize to exist and will be replaced by tears of joy. Am I really saying all this "girly" stuff. Being a "Stay Home Parent" is bringing out the feminine side in me. These are the thoughts I think stay home moms think about their precious babies or daughters, for that matter.
Getting back to the reality of what it literally means to stay at home and provide love, care and nourishment for my little one is the purpose of my report. I aim to tell hour by hour, minute by minute reflections of daddy/daughter moments and what I am doing to keep my sanity. Fact is, there is nothing more special and more meaningful than to hold my baby girl next to my chest and whisper that I love her every chance that I get.
Each day begins at at exactly midnight and it ends at midnight. This part of life is one that has really caught me by surprise because I honestly did not understand what the entire world was telling me when they were telling me that my life was going to change. Belen has brought an immense amount of change to my life and I honestly do not know what to do next every time I place her down to sleep for 2 to 3 hours.
My life has now been broken down to spurts of 2 to 3 hours of doing chores around the house, front or backyard fixer uppers, driving to see the doctor, driving to the tire store to get the tires of our vehicle rotated and balanced, and walking around the mall as we wait for a phone call stating that the tires are balanced and it's time to stop browsing around shops of over priced baby clothes so that we can get back in the vehicle and make it home in time to start the 2 to 3 hours home rituals and unexpected baby calls.
If that just felt like a long sentence it is because that is exactly what my life is becoming and I have to do it all within 2 to 3 hours at a time. Therefore, I have to get as much done as I possibly can before I have to stop everything so that I can change Belen's diaper, hold her in my arms and warm her next 2 to 4 ounces of mommy milk so that I can place her down and rush through the next 2 to 3 hours of allowed time.
In fact, I need to get off this computer right now and go tend to one of those unexpected baby calls. I guess it's time for a short pc break and time for Belen. bbs.
This may sound a bit corny but I see her attending prom and walking down an aisle wearing a beautiful white gown and she can barely lift her tiny chest off the pillow when she is doing "tummy time." It is silly to think these thoughts but I just can't help myself when these scary moments immerse into my mind. Even more frightening was the thought that one day I will be a grandpa to Belen's children. What am I thinking?
I know that when these moments actually become a reality I will be attending to her very needs and I will be there to advise her, support her and simply love her; so in fact, those scary moments will seize to exist and will be replaced by tears of joy. Am I really saying all this "girly" stuff. Being a "Stay Home Parent" is bringing out the feminine side in me. These are the thoughts I think stay home moms think about their precious babies or daughters, for that matter.
Getting back to the reality of what it literally means to stay at home and provide love, care and nourishment for my little one is the purpose of my report. I aim to tell hour by hour, minute by minute reflections of daddy/daughter moments and what I am doing to keep my sanity. Fact is, there is nothing more special and more meaningful than to hold my baby girl next to my chest and whisper that I love her every chance that I get.
Each day begins at at exactly midnight and it ends at midnight. This part of life is one that has really caught me by surprise because I honestly did not understand what the entire world was telling me when they were telling me that my life was going to change. Belen has brought an immense amount of change to my life and I honestly do not know what to do next every time I place her down to sleep for 2 to 3 hours.
My life has now been broken down to spurts of 2 to 3 hours of doing chores around the house, front or backyard fixer uppers, driving to see the doctor, driving to the tire store to get the tires of our vehicle rotated and balanced, and walking around the mall as we wait for a phone call stating that the tires are balanced and it's time to stop browsing around shops of over priced baby clothes so that we can get back in the vehicle and make it home in time to start the 2 to 3 hours home rituals and unexpected baby calls.
If that just felt like a long sentence it is because that is exactly what my life is becoming and I have to do it all within 2 to 3 hours at a time. Therefore, I have to get as much done as I possibly can before I have to stop everything so that I can change Belen's diaper, hold her in my arms and warm her next 2 to 4 ounces of mommy milk so that I can place her down and rush through the next 2 to 3 hours of allowed time.
In fact, I need to get off this computer right now and go tend to one of those unexpected baby calls. I guess it's time for a short pc break and time for Belen. bbs.
Friday, April 9, 2010
getting home ready...
actually, I was getting rid of about a ton of dirt that I dug out so that I could pour a slab on our backyard patio about a month ago. yeah, NOT fun at all.
Jen and I are waiting for a car seat bed which we ordered about a week ago so that we can bring our daughter home. It is scheduled to arrive by 4:30 pm. I stopped a UPS truck on our neighborhood earlier today and asked him if he had a shipment for us. He looked it up on his gizmo and said that it must be on a different guy's route. He also mentioned that the other driver usually does the 5 o'clock route. hmmm. I hope that we do not have to wait too long after 4:30.
Rush hour traffic to Roseville would be crazy, but it will not deter us from making the 20 mile drive to get our baby girl.
just doing some last minute cleaning around the house before she gets home. BUT, I don't think that I will EVER finish that feat. The mess goes and comes and goes and comes... and the "honey-doo's" NEVER end, either.
I will be off from work all next week; it will work out great since I will be the primary babysitter until the job market nabs me. If it were up to me, I would be the primary bread winner, but I am thankful for my dear wife for stepping up to the plate and bringing home the bacon. Hey, they wanted equal rights, right... so, no complaining!
I love my wife. I love my baby girl, Belen...
oh yeah. Oreo and Mocha are a handful, as well. I took them to the dog park this morning and we played ball for almost an hour. good times.
Jen and I are waiting for a car seat bed which we ordered about a week ago so that we can bring our daughter home. It is scheduled to arrive by 4:30 pm. I stopped a UPS truck on our neighborhood earlier today and asked him if he had a shipment for us. He looked it up on his gizmo and said that it must be on a different guy's route. He also mentioned that the other driver usually does the 5 o'clock route. hmmm. I hope that we do not have to wait too long after 4:30.
Rush hour traffic to Roseville would be crazy, but it will not deter us from making the 20 mile drive to get our baby girl.
just doing some last minute cleaning around the house before she gets home. BUT, I don't think that I will EVER finish that feat. The mess goes and comes and goes and comes... and the "honey-doo's" NEVER end, either.
I will be off from work all next week; it will work out great since I will be the primary babysitter until the job market nabs me. If it were up to me, I would be the primary bread winner, but I am thankful for my dear wife for stepping up to the plate and bringing home the bacon. Hey, they wanted equal rights, right... so, no complaining!
I love my wife. I love my baby girl, Belen...
oh yeah. Oreo and Mocha are a handful, as well. I took them to the dog park this morning and we played ball for almost an hour. good times.
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