3rd-4th week (Aug 14-28)

This is Lei Anne, friend and hairstylist.  She was sick last week so, thoughfully, didn't want to hold Aldo for a picture, but at least we got this one.  Aldo did great while both mom and G'Ma got a haircut and style.  During G'Ma's haircut, Aldo and I walked over to the Tahoe City library to introduce Aldo to Livia (sorry, no picture).

Everyone, meet Colleen Wilford, my friend and nurse practitioner for (oh my) perhaps a decade?  Aldo and I are thrilled that Colleen can act as Aldo's healthy baby physician.  Colleen has a child of her own, raised in the Tahoe lifestyle, as I've learned from a few 'raising child' stories she has shared.  She gives us great advice, medical and otherwise.  This photo is taken at our first visit with Colleen on the 17th.  At this appointment Aldo weighed in at 7 lbs 13 ounces - meaning, he had gained 2 pounds from his low at the hospital 18 days earlier.  Aldo is a ferocious eater which makes me both happy and relieved.

I was just wondering...is this why they say a person has 'a button nose'?  Or am I mixing metaphors again?

 

This adorable infant cap was knitted by G'Ma's friend and Folsom neighbor, Lynda, for the hospital.  We needed a second shot of the cap since the photo taken at the hospital went to a for-pay photo service (which was perhaps a scam because they offered me insurance and so irritated me that they lost my business).  I really love this cap.  And also the colorful, long-sleeve onsie which, sadly, I don't recall getting into his wardrobe.

I've been struggling to get Aldo to sleep in either his crib or his Moses basket.  He just so loves to be held and he wakes quickly at sharp (aka normal household) noises if not being held.  But here he is sleeping for over an hour in his crib.  He has since slept in his Moses basket a handful of times, once even for 3 hours, in the night.  Let's hope he continues with the progress.

Here's G'Ma on the job.  He's splayed out because it is a pleasant temperature.  We've been blessed with some wonderful Tahoe weather.  Early August was a bit hot but now the temps are ideal.  This makes caring for a baby so much easier and more pleasant. 

 

Despite lacking a photo, I'd like to share that we had a big outing on Sunday the 19th.  We went to an environmentally-friendly home garden tour on the West Shore, in Tahoma, and afterward to John and Heather's home for a visit, which turned into an impromto marvelous meal.  The outing lasted about 7 hours.  Now the funny part.  We had to stop twice during the less than 10 mile drive to Tahoma, so that I could feed Aldo, who was sounding the panic alarm - Wah Wah, Wah Wah, Wah Wah.  The second stop was at a pleasant spot to view the Lake from a comfortable picnic bench, in the shade and temps at ~70 degrees.  Aldo did well at the first two gardens, happy in his Baby K'tan carrier.  But at the third home we had a diaper blow out and I had to change the diaper in front of someone's home with the panic alarm sounding - Wah Wah, Wah Wah, Wah Wah.  Then he needed breastfeeding, which I did in the car.  Finally, we got to see our third home garden, a lakefront that was magnificient.  We had a nice visit at J&H's but I personally spent most of the time breastfeeding.  Even so, Aldo didn't make it a mile out of the house without sounding the panic alarm.  I pulled over in front of friend Anne's former family residence, lakeside, and breastfed.  Whew! 

 

Other news, I had to work a bit this week.  Not much, only an hour each day.  But wow, that was tough!  And then Friday, I had the conference call that I was building toward, only I had a low-grade fever from a blocked milk duct.  Oh, and that happened because I failed to drink Thursday night even though I was thirsty at each feeding.  This made Aldo a feeding and spit-up machine all day Friday, I suppose catching up from not getting enough milk the night before?!?  So, not a lot got done this particular week although I'm feeling better now and I hope to be productive again.

 

 

  One more photo.  Aldo and I have returned to our hiking, getting up and out into the nordic center.  Here's what I see when I look down at Aldo in the Baby K'tan.  Ahh...so sweet.  Happily, we found a hat that fits an infant, to protect his scalp.

 

MORE MIGHT FOLLOW AFTER THE WEEKEND - CHECK THIS POST AGAIN.

 

2nd Week (8/7-8/13)

 I'll begin this week's post telling you something I forgot to mention last week...a momentous occassion.  Last week, while writing the first post to the blog, Aldo's umbilical stub fell off of him, out of his onsie, and on to my desk.  I was stunned, relieved, and thoroughly grossed out...ewwwww.  So here's a picture of the new belly button.

 This is just a reminder that we are still in the first few days following delivery.  A lot of time is spent holding Aldo while he sleeps.  G'ma is still loving this task.

Here you can witness "the transfer".  While I work the evening shift alone, G'ma is available for all daylight shifts but for the feeding (allowing me to nap and make up for the night shift).  Aldo likes to fall asleep right off the breast, so I "transfer" Aldo on his boppy from me to G'ma for his nap.  These naps are now lasting between 2-4 hours.  On numerous occassions I've had to wake him for his next feeding.

Please also note the boppy.  You may think you've seen boppys before, which I'm sure you have, but this one, "My Brest Friend" model is wonderful.  I realize the picture shows me leaning forward with poor posture, but My Brest Friend lets me sit back with back support, be hands free, and still get Aldo in a very comfortable feeding position.  Ahhhh.

Aldo and I travelled to Truckee together, solo, for the Thursday breast feeding support class with Cindy Bansen.  Here he is in his car seat.  The harnesses are pulled to the taughtess setting, including an extra feature for taughtness set up for us by fire fighter, Pete Bansen.  Oops, I see now that I didn't have the pad at his crotch proper (it's folded under).  Anyway, the big news from the breast feeding class is that Aldo now weighs....6 pounds 12 ounces!!!  Cindy commented that this gain is quite remarkable, "good job".  Whew!

We visited Carole and Alan today, secretary and manager to the Lake Forest Glen condos, who have both been very helpful and encouraging throughout my pregnancy.  This was our first social outing.

The gang's all here.  I should perhaps mention my weight.  My max while pregnant was 168 lbs.  They never weighed me at the hospital so my first post-pregnancy weight was 4 days after at 155 lbs.  A few days later I was 145 and today 141 lbs.  My average weight is 125 lbs but if I get to 130 lbs (especially given the milk jugs) I will be satisfied.  I haven't been exercising yet so this loss is just the normal, gradual return to me.

Some of you may have heard me refer to Aldo's "little man outfit".  Here it is!

BATH TIME!!!  The sink is the perfect bath using the PujTub (thanks Tenaya).  Aldo cried, and then he was fine...and then he was happy in his comfy frog towel (thanks Kizel).

 

Aldo is still getting used to his Moses Basket (thanks Steve) but...it's not as nice as being held, he tells us.  Still, it's good to practice.

We had many visitors this Sunday.  First the Waltons, before their day at the beach and pool.  Grace and Ella were perfect ladies.  I believe Grace said, "He's too small to even dress up."  Heather dropped by with some yummy food and a nice bouquet of flowersfrom her Tahoe Fish Hatchery event, and got in another Aldo fix.  Finally, Stosh stopped by with some veggis from his garden to share...and so I forced him to hold Aldo (he did great!).

 

 

 And here I am holding Aldo in the Baby K'Tan - this thing is fantastic.  This was our first walk since his arrival, just less than a mile roundtrip to the Bristlecone beach.  Aldo slept.

First Week Home 8/2-8/6/12

We've barely been outside at all.  The directions were to rest up the first two weeks, napping when Aldo naps.  I made one 'walking' trip Friday morning to get the local paper from the HOA office vendor and paid the price of very uncomfortable swelling 'down there'.  The following afternoon I had a light fever that came and went, which it did again the next day.  Finally, Sunday, it was clear I had a sinus infection, so Dr. Thompson called in to the pharmacy for an antibiotic and mom picked it up for me.  While I feel almost sprightly compared to the last many days, I'm playing it safe and still resting.

Grandma Pat in heaven, 4 hours of baby time plus reading.

I'm finding that, in just the past few days, Aldo is now spending time in the more interesting alert and attentive stage, with his eyes open and (narrowly) looking around. 
He's fitting the stereotype of often sneezing and getting the hiccups, both of which are adorable. His skin is peeling - not so adorable.  Aldo is a big eater and has made my life much easier by "latching on" easily and predictably.







Temporary bed while mom takes a midnight pee.

Heather visits and prepares a marvelous dinner, mom acting as sous chef and me sitting on the couch watching and holding Aldo.  As Auntie Heather, she got in her first good Aldo fix.

In the hospital we took to calling Aldo "Turtle" because his long outstretched neck, with loose skin, reminded me of a turtle.  These photos give you the concept.

Aldo, with me watching and nervous, lasted 5 minutes in the crib before waking and asking to be held.

Hospital, July 31 to Aug 2, 2012

We had the most amazing care at the Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee.

TFH is a "Baby Friendly" hospital, which partially explains the excellent care Aldo and I received.   http://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/eng/01.html    Once born, and still attached to the cord, Aldo was placed on my chest where he remained for the next hour.  In that time, he found my breast and began to suckle.  Eventually, he was taken from my chest, but not from my sight, for measurements and such.  He was returned to my chest and we relaxed for an hour or two.  A nurse helped me to shower and wheeled me into my postpardum room, a room complete with a guest bed for my mom and a wheeled crib for Aldo, who was again handed to me after I was made comfortable in my hospital bed.

 

I slept 30 minutes the first night (Tuesday).  I slept 2 hours the second day/night (Wed).  And I slept 4-5 hours the third night (Thu). Particularly memorable is Aldo feeding for four hours straight, between 1-5 a.m. on Wednesday.  As Clare's husband Steve remarked, "he's putting in his milk order."   My visitor's were Heather and John, Steve and Clare.  I asked mom to go home the second two nights so she could rest up, but she was always there otherwise, helping me.

I also had visits from Drs. Thompson and Coll to check on the status of my bleeding, swelling and pain.  Cindy Bansen, the lactation consultant (and I would wager the inspiration and muscle behind the "Baby Friendly" hospital certification), visited me three  times and showed me the "football hold" breastfeeding method, and just generally set me at ease.  Dr. Gina Barta, Aldo's family physician in Tahoe City, visited two days to check on Aldo.  And I was aided by 5-6 nurses, each responding kindly and efficiently to my every need.  My three meals each day were satisfying, healthy, and tasted better than expected.  A special breakfast, for both mom and I, was served with sparkling cider and stemmed glasses and a visit from the ward manager.  Probably no surprise that I was a little nervous to leave.

Aldo

On July 31, 2012 at 1:06 a.m. Aldo Taylor Aronhalt entered the world, following one good push.

My one good push, and Aldo's entry, were preceded by several days of "early labor" before finally entering "active labor" Monday evening, the 30th.  My water broke on Friday morning at 6 a.m., no doubt from the assistance of a great hike with Sari the night before, up Old Mill Road and into the Nordic Center.  If you aren't aware, water breaking creates an increased risk of infection for the baby after 24 hours (similar to a blister bursting).  I had no contractions, that I could sense.  So on Saturday, Sari joined me twice up Old Mill and for another, though shorter, hike in the Nordic Center.  That night I had contractions.  Nichole, my doula, asked me to rest as much as I could so I went to bed...and slept, and the contractions went away.  Meanwhile, family and other care givers were beginning to worry and express concerns.  On Monday I went into the hospital, driven by my mom, to be hooked up to the fetal monitor, despite my sense that everything was fine - Aldo had been moving plenty, my temps were regular and I was drinking lots of water to keep the sack refilled.  Nichole met us there.  Everything checked out, and after setting a second checkup with Dr. Thompson in the morning, we left the hospital.

I was determined that the contractions had to start that day.  Nichole and I upped the natural means of inducing labor to include...castor oil (2 oz castor oil, 8 oz OJ, 1/4 tsp baking soda) to be taken 3 times in the day, downed quickly.  I did as directed.  My bowels emptied on several occassions.  No contractions.  I added in walking three laps up Panorama Drive.  Mom and I sat down to continue our day 4 scrabble marathon when, a few plays into the game, the contractions began - about 8:30 p.m.  I was in "active labor".

When Nichole arrived at the condo 30 minutes later, I had already stationed myself on the couch so that I could labor on 'all fours' and easily rest on the couch between contractions.  With Nichole's encouragement and soothing pressure to my lower back (and no longer fearing additional bowel movements), I finally gave into the contractions and worked with them to move Aldo "down, out baby, down".  I recall Nichole's hands pressing at a lower point on my back with each contraction and feeling satisfied about this progress.  Taking over for mom's earlier work, Nichole kept a log of my contractions - length of each, and spacing of each - to help her decide when to leave for the hospital.  Nichole and mom notified the hospital we were on our way, around 11:50 p.m.

I went with Nichole in her mini-van, sitting in the middle row, sitting more on my left cheek and bracing myself on the right seat arm.  Mom followed.  The hospital is 16 miles, or 20 minutes, from my house.  Somewhere after Squaw I informed Nichole that with my contractions I was having the urge to "push".  Her response was, "Ok, Nikki, I'm going to need you to breathe through those contractions.  Don't push."  I would guess I had about 6 of those before we made it to the hospital.  The trip took longer than usual because...road construction slowed us down from 55 mph to 25 mph for seven miles.

At the hospital emergency doors I was given a wheelchair and, again sitting on the left cheek, I was whisked to my delivery bed, where the nurses (Sonya and Tamaro) informed me the doctor was on the way, and to "not push".  After getting changed and scrubbed, Dr. Thompson set us down to business, placing my feet in the stirups.  The contraction came quickly, I pushed, and his head popped out.  I was encouraged to add one more push and his shoulder, followed by his body, came out...head facing up.