In retrospect, I do suppose I have accomplished quite a lot this past month. However, when you have so much on your list and are used to being in constant movement and socializing, it can feel as if time stands still. I am still trying to get used to my new role. There is a war inside myself between my need for going out of the house to see people and have adventures and my debilitating fear of taking my newborn son and his entourage of baby items with me into the hot Phoenix Summer. Also, I might be a little more than addicted to TV and I need to get it under control.We started out this month welcoming our son, Otto, into the world and home from the hospital. I was recently re-watching the entire The Office series and the episode where Pam and Jim just had a baby was almost a re-enactment of our first few days home. Our conversations were something like,
Courtney: Do you think he's gassy?
Matt: Does he need to be fed or changed?
Courtney: No, I just did that. You need to swaddle him tighter. He likes it when the swing goes faster.
Matt: Wait, so you wanted me to bathe him AND put him to bed? What are you going to do?
Courtney: Shower.
The first few nights was an all-night "Get to Know You" session.We discovered that it is not conducive or beneficial for anyone to have him sleep in his bassinet by our bed as I had previously thought. The first night I slept with Otto on the recliner, him in the bassinet and me in the recliner, Otto in the swing and me on the couch, Otto in the pack-n-play and me on the couch, me on the couch and him in the infant chair. Meanwhile, Matt sawed logs comfortably in the bed. The next few nights he slept in his bassinet and me in my own bed. I call that progress!
Luckily for us, my Mom was coming in on the Friday after he was born to stay for a week and help out. When she got here I met her at the door and let her in and just as I was closing the door behind her, it was pushed open again by my sister Megan! Surprise! They brought us hand-made blankets. Megan was staying for a few days and flying home on Monday. Matt, having spent his week off work already, was reluctant to return to work on Monday.
I am so grateful to have had my Mom to help us. We spent the week taking turns holding, feeding, changing, and spending a lot of time sitting on the couch catching up and re-watching shows we each thought the other would enjoy. We made a trip out to Target and Micheal's to pick up supplies and Otto's first official outing.
We played photographer and got newborn photos of Otto and a few family shots done while she was here (See Otto's Newborn photos in the pages link to the right). She gave us a much needed night out so we could go have dinner before she had to leave. I know she didn't want to leave, but I'm glad that Otto is an excuse to get my family to visit more often.
When she left, we had to find out what our everyday life was going to look like. Matt goes off to work early in the morning, and it is Otto and my job to fill the hours. He is getting on somewhat of a routine and most nights he only gets up once to eat at about 12-1 am. He is getting a little better at getting back to sleep. If he gets up at 5, we can get ourselves ready to go for a walk before it gets too hot.
Also, I am proud to say that Otto has not had a disposable diaper since he got home from the hospital. I admit I've used the disposable cloth inserts from time to time. I have discovered that it is really not nearly as scary or hard as I had imagined. I won't say that it isn't icky, but no more so than a disposable diaper offers. I might have to change diapers more often, but they are bought and paid for! Also, I am making good use of the hot Arizona air and hang dry. I really love them. They looked a little big at first, but he is growing into the newborn sizes quite nicely. How are we going to use them when on vacation? No idea. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Matt and I got brave enough to take Otto to the Phoenix Art Museum. I wanted to see the Hollywood Costumes exhibit before it moved on. Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures so I have no proof that I saw the costumes from Oceans 11, Fight Club, and my favorite was the royalty section. I also loved that they had excerpts from the costume designers explaining their choices. I had no idea so much thought went into each and every piece. Otto was perfectly pleased to sleep through it all.
Our first grocery shopping trip we had a few items on our list. It was my first time taking him out by myself, other than the doctor, so I was incredibly nervous. Looking back, I honestly don't know why. I brought the car seat carrier into the store and put it in the basket of the shopping cart. I got a few essentials in produce and some staple items and ran out of room in the cart. Otto was starting to wake up, so we made a bee-line for the check-out line and headed home. The whole event lasted maybe 20 minutes.
My wonderful friends and away-from-home family at All Aboard Charter School planned a fun baby shower for us. We made it a formula party, as there are few things left I needed at this time and I am already using cloth diapers. Sonia's mother, Rosa, knit him a lovely blanket and hat (see his one month photos). I feel so loved and I am going to miss seeing and talking to them every day in the next school year.
We enjoyed some lovely cake pops (thanks Laurie) and sandwiches from Costco (thanks Shannon) and had a lovely time. I thought Marissa deserved to enjoy a gift, nothing too grand. We had talked about the movie Newsies and her desire to see it so I got her a copy of the DVD. I gave her one of my favorite drawings of henna tattoo hands done with crayon and sharpie. I think it matches her beautiful nature.
We had a nice visit from Tummy Mommy as she came to hang out and join us for the baby shower. We got to coo over him and take more pictures. I really love that there is one more person who can love his pictures and get excited about his crazy faces as much as I do. I cannot tell you how much I love this girl. Otto and I talk about her every day.
As the month comes to a close, we are finally ready to start working on a daily routine. As my nature dictates, I had to sit down and create a spreadsheet of our daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. This may seem like a silly thing to do and I know stay-at-home moms out there would just roll their eyes at me. I can assure you, I don't intend or expect to keep on the schedule strictly. I am just one of those people who needs direction and focus. Also, I am currently seeking other stay-at-home moms that would be open to forming a group in my area for socialization purposes. It is incredibly hard to be cooped up in the house all day, every day, looking for reasons to gather up Otto and his baby items and pile into the car.
