Nap time miracle?

Prepare to be shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU!

Declan is asleep.  By himself.

I know, I can hardly believe it myself.


If you're currently scratching your head and wondering, "duh, babies sleep all the time, and there isn't enough room in a crib for anyone else," I have to catch you up to our reality.

A sleeping Declan, a wonderful sight

For a start, Declan does not have a crib.  He sleeps in a bed.  My bed to be precise.  (Well, our bed when you include my fella.)  We co-sleep.  While it may not be the best plan for everyone, it is certainly the best solution for us.  It has allowed us to get much more sleep as a whole.  And, I confess, it's a heck of a lot easier for me to just roll over to nurse him back to sleep than it would be to get out of bed, go to another room,  pull him out of bed, nurse him, and hope I can put him back in his crib without him waking again.  So, yes, laziness is definitely a factor.

Back to Declan napping, though...

Declan is not an easy guy to coax into sleeping.  He fights it, be it bedtime or nap.  Trying to get this boy to nap is a chore.  (Well, unless you're my daughter who must have some magic juju or something. Declan is asleep within fifteen minutes.  It's amazing.)  I'll save from the laborious details of what it sometimes takes to get this kid to nap.  But trust me, it's work.

Yet today, not so much.  Sure, my back is still aching from bouncing on a yoga ball for a good half-hour, but believe or not that's nothing!

Maybe he is finally getting used to the idea that he needs to nap?  Maybe letting him play quietly in his playpen before nap time is helping?  Maybe this is the only day we'll have such luck?

Whatever the answer, I'm just glad that it's happening now.

It worked!

Thanks, everyone, for the crossed fingers/lit candles/good joojoo.  We are over the snag, it would seem.

Our realtor, bless her, had the idea of drafting a cover letter for our next repair request in which she would outline all the things that we could be asking for, but were not.  When we made our offer on the home, we assumed that the house included a functioning dishwasher (it's broken), a functioning disposal (also broken), a standard electrical panel (it's waaay substandard) just to name a few.  We were asking that a few, relatively inexpensive repairs be made.  You know, like moving the disposal switch to somewhere that a toddler couldn't turn it on while mom's hands were in the sink.  That sort of thing.  And they were balking.

Last night, our agent emailed over a beginning draft of the letter.  It was brilliant.  Basically it laid out the fact that we want the house, but we want it to be a safe home.  It said that we understood that the sellers want to minimize their expenses.  It asked that we work together to find a happy medium.  Additionally, it laid out the information that I mentioned above--that we were basically duped about a few things about the home when we agreed upon a price.

Well, apparently when our realtor went to the save the draft, she hit the wrong button.  She sent it instead.  Oops!

But this actually turned out to be a good thing!  Their agent called her today to say that they would DOUBLE the amount of money that they had originally offered toward repairs.  SWEET!

Additionally, we've learned that our loan has been sent to the underwriters.  AND our appraisal came back and it looks good--only a handful of teensy things to be done to pass FHA.  PHEW!

I am so relieved!

[the medieval hausfrau] a clothing conundrum

I took some time this weekend to be "The Medieval Hausfrau."

Well, okay, that isn't quite true.  But "The Early Period Hausfrau" doesn't play on the name of this blog quite as well.

Viking-era 

I decided to pull out and wear a Viking-era dress and apron that I made years ago.  Viking-era clothing is certainly more comfortable than my usual Tudor-era garb, and as temperatures are getting warmer and warmer, I wanted to insure comfort.

Tudor-era

Unfortunately, I looked awful.  While much of my ghastly appearance could be directly attributed to my status as "Mom of a Toddler," some could not.  The dress just did not fit.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that my dress did not fit because it was too big.  I've lost too many inches for it look flattering, apparently.  The fullness of the skirt and apron were just perfect for casting my figure in a very prenatal light, apparently.  Thank GOODNESS no one asked me if I was pregnant.

In light of this new conundrum, I realize that I need to get behind my sewing machine again.  Frankly, I would LOVE to be sewing, but again my role as "mom" keeps me busy in just such a way to make sewing difficult when it's only the boy and I at home.  Since I have to be choosy about when I am able to sew, I think it best that I be selective about what to sew.

Bliaut

Prior to Declan, if a period silhouette caught my eye, I sewed up a basic dress.  As such, I have a couple of bliauts, a couple of Gothic fitted dresses, a couple of Viking-era dresses, some later period kirtles and over gowns, too.  Post-Declan I have to be particular and I am faced with a decision or two.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Society for Creative Anachronism, I'll provide a (very) brief summation of why I am even discussing old clothing.  My husband and I participate in a history group that attempts to recreate much of daily life, without the bad things like plague, for people who lived in the periods between 600 and 1600 AD.  So, I need something to wear when we gather en masse for a "war" or even for a day-event such as a local tournament or feast.  

14th century with hood

While some participants will stick closely to one particular time period and location, some will outfit themselves with clothes from multiple countries and multiple periods (as evidenced from my own collection outlined above).  As my free time for sewing and my closet space shrinks, I have to rein in my own "oooh, shiny" magpie behavior in favor of something more focused.  No more games of "pick a period" from my closet.

14th century

Since my preferred era clothing is not always the most comfortable for outdoor day events, I think I can justify picking two periods to focus on.  But now comes the hard part: which two?  Tudor era is the easy choice, it's filling in the other that leaves me frustrated.

Do I go with 14th century "high Medieval" to make use of the fitted gowns I currently have (but would likely need to alter)?  Do I go with something earlier to better match my husband's persona and interests?  Do I go with something altogether different?  ARGH.  Have I mentioned that I am not the best at making decisions?

On a perhaps related note, why do I always look so terrible in SCA photos?!  The best of the lot is the one with Declan in it.

Photos nabbed ages ago from Facebook, by the way.  Alas, I've forgotten the photographers by now.   If they're yours and you'd credit, please let me know.  

ALL DONE: Cherry, border-print dress

Well, as of last night my new cotton dress is finished!

Yesterday, I added the fuller skirt (definitely the way to go), put in a lapped zipper, hand sewed on buttons, hemmed the skirt, and made a matching cummerbund.

This morning, I decided to give it a wash (I did chose cotton partly for easy care, after all).  In the wash, the cummerbund lost a bit of gathering stitches (easily mended), and the dress bodice lost some stitches tacking down the facings (another easy fix).

Post-mortem:

• I MUCH prefer using my toile/muslin as my pattern (versus using the tissue paper).  Using the waxy paper, I transferred the pattern information from the tissues to the muslin, which I later used as not only my pattern, but my underlining.
• I'm in love with underlining.  It's given the bodice great body, and since I've used cotton I've not compromised the dress' comfort.  I did not underline the skirt, which is fine, but I think that next time I will.
• Horsehair hem tape is divine, but I think that I'll try to find the better (thicker than a half-inch) tape for a full skirt.
• Fitting by my lonesome is a less-than-ideal, but necessary evil at this point.  While I have a helpful husband and daughter, I am awful at getting the information for fitting from my head to my mouth thus negating their usefulness in such an endeavor.  My dress form is a close, but not an exact match thus leading to a few inconsistencies.
• It's a mixed blessing when a dress started a week ago ends up being a touch too big by the time I'm finished thanks to more weight loss.  Yay for being closer to my pre-pregnancy size, boo for now having a slightly large dress.
• Printed border cotton will lead to some frustration when the weave shifts a touch to reveal whiter areas of the thread.  Alas, it's only a cute cotton frock.

A Year in the Life of My Little Boy

It's been one year since Declan's birth, and what a year it's been!  Certainly full of some very high highs and some tragically low lows, but we're so blessed by our little fella.

i take it all back!!

Declan just fell asleep, completely on his own, in his swing.  I take it all back.  All that talk of guilt and such.

This morning, he was a bit cranky (yes, teething already).  I thought I'd do a little experiment and I placed him in the swing.  Almost instant calm.  Well, for a moment.  After about fifteen minutes in the swing, he began to fuss again.  So, he came out of the swing for some playtime.

About an hour ago he started to really fuss.  Poor fella.  He was obviously tired, but did not want to eat.  We walked and talked.  We danced.  We played.  Still cranky.  So, I popped him into the swing again and calm.  Calm which eventually led to sleep!  Joy of joys!!

Ten weeks

Ten weeks ago, at almost exactly this time, I met my son face-to-face.  The last ten weeks have certainly been intense--almost as intense as his actual birth.  We've dealt with the usual newborn fun of diapers, spit-up, sleepless nights.  We certainly did not plan on also dealing with a touch of jaundice, latch issues, gastroesophageal reflux disease, thrush, weight gain troubles.  But we've faced them all and are coming out on top.

But there are wonderful milestones, too.  Declan has learned to smile.  For the past few weeks, he melts our hearts with the sweetest of grins.

YAY!

He has also begun to giggle.  No full-fledged laugh just yet, but occasional hiccup-ish noises as he smiles.  It's just too darling for words.

Since Declan was a fews old, he has tried to hold his head up.  He's become a real champ at it with only fleeting moments of bobble-head.  Also on the muscle-control front, he has begun to "regard" his hands.  He tries to grab certain items, namely my boob while he nurses, and he loves pumping his arms and legs in excitement.  He has become very strong for a newborn and even likes to "stand" quite often.

Our little man is alert and active as ever, too.  From his third day his pediatrician has constantly remarked about how vibrant and curious Declan is.  At D's last visit, the doctor had to remark on how strong he has become, too.  Despite the weight issues, we've always felt that Declan is otherwise so healthy.  Hearing it from the doctor helps, too.  His GERD has vastly improved in just the last couple of days, even.  He's keeping down the supplemental formula/breast milk so well, only a handful of spit-ups!

I am very much looking forward to his next few weeks.  I cannot wait to hear his full laugh and to watch him roll over (he almost rolled completely from back to front this morning!).  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy his sweet disposition and his charming smile.

Dx: GERD--Follow-up Appointment

We had a follow-up appointment with Declan's pediatrician this past Tuesday.  Never have I been so pleased to see an increase on the scale--but Declan put on almost a full pound!  This is terrific news as it's the first time at the doctor's office that his weight has gone up and not down.

As for his GERD, we have still be seeing improvements.  Most days, Declan eats very well and keeps most of the food down.  Last week we did have a day of chronic spit-ups.  It seemed that after every meal, he "blurped" it all right back up.  It was messy and so frustrating.  But, thankfully, that day has proven to be a rarity.

Here he is--making faces in the car.  Big Sis calls this his Blue Steel face.

The doctor renewed Declan's prescription, plus wrote a prescription to hopefully help get insurance to pay for a hospital-grade breast pump rental.  The doctor would much rather have Declan supplemented with breast milk instead of formula--something that we'd all like very much, too.  But the Medela pump that I was generously given by a friend just is not cutting it.  I can pump for twenty minutes each side and barely produce 3/4 of an ounce.  We're hoping that a hospital-grade pump will be more efficient.

Looks so much like daddy

Otherwise, Declan did so well at the appointment that his doctor scheduled his next follow-up to be a month from now.

Yesterday, Declan was invited to accompany us to a friend's party.  Several of our friends remarked on how much chubbier our little lad was.  It was so heartwarming to hear that people are noticing that he is gaining back his weight.

He loves making faces.

Each day, we continue to try to pack on the pounds and help Declan keep his food down.  It's proving to be a slow process, but we're trucking along as best as we can.

Dx: GERD--one week

It's been one full week since we had to start dealing with Declan's reflux and supplementation.  I am very pleased to report that things have improved.

Last Wednesday was a nightmare.  We had to feed Declan more than he usually eats which caused his reflux to flare up which lead to a most unhappy little boy.  It was a nasty cycle of feed--spit-up--feed--spit-up.  He was in such pain that he was practically screaming whenever he was not actively eating.  By the end of the day, everyone in the house had shed tears.

Since that day, we've only had one teensy relapse--and that was for about an hour today.  After a nap this afternoon, he decided that he was starving, but not interested in breastfeeding.  As I am no lactation expert, I'm not at all sure why he was fighting nursing, but he would nurse for a bit, stop, and then start screaming in hunger.  We eventually just gave him a bottle of breast milk.

As I've mentioned, aside from the incident today, he has been terrific.  Sure, the reflux still brings about several spit-ups a day, but they are much more manageable and do not appear to be quite as painful.  Additionally, I can very happily report that Declan has gained about a pound this week.  Not quite, but almost.  Our in-home scale is not very sophisticated, so we cannot  be certain as to exactly how many ounces he's gained, but we are all very pleased to see him heavier.

In the coming week, we are going to continue with the current regimen and hope that he can put on even more weight.  I have continued pumping and am seeing that while not as efficient as hand-expression (though far more practical), my supply is increasing.  Declan has a follow-up appointment as well, so we are very hopeful to be able to report significant improvements.