Just the Two of Us

As you may have noticed, posts to this site have become less frequent. Obviously, Fiona's arrival has greatly reduced the time I have to sit down and write. Adding to this is the fact that Chris returned to work this week, after spending two weeks at home with us. Fiona is a remarkably unfussy baby, but she does like to be held a great deal of the time and also feeds frequently. Without Chris around during the day to cuddle her while I write, I've had to make the most of the windows of time when I don't have a baby in my arms, and these windows have tended to be used on things like grabbing a quick shower, prepping and eating meals, tidying up, etc. Fiona is starting to settle into a bit of a schedule though, so I hope to get back into the swing of posting notes over the next couple of weeks.

This first week without Chris did go well overall. Sam has continued to head off to daycare each day, allowing me to focus on taking care of Fiona and the house, as well as getting some naps in. In general, Fiona and I have been sleeping in while Chris and Sam get ready to go to work/daycare. Once up, I spend a good deal of time on the couch, nursing Fiona while watching TV. The Ellen show tends to be the highlight of the day, with TV options going down from there, so I've started watching DVDs from Netflix instead. By 11am, I can usually settle Fiona into the baby swing, allowing me to take a shower, eat some lunch, and either tidy up a bit or do some early prep work for dinner. After lunch, it's more nursing, then naptime. I know... I've pretty much done nothing but nurse, watch tv, and groom myself, so why the nap? I'm not sure, honestly. In general, Fiona sleeps really well at night--more on that in a minute--but I really need the naps right now. I'm guessing it's a combination of calories burned nursing, interupted sleep at night, and recovery from all the months of pregnancy followed by labor and delivery.

In any event, I look forward to our afternoon naps. I don't sleep with Fiona in bed with me at night, but I do let her snuggle up with me for the afternoon naps. I just can't resist the chance to cuddle with her, I guess. After our nap, it's more nursing(!), then time to make dinner and welcome Chris and Sam home. We get a few hours of Sam's company before Chris gets him ready for bed. I usually end up having to nurse the baby fairly frequently during this period, as see seems to be hungriest late in the day. Chris and I then enjoy a bit of TV viewing together, then it's time for bed. Fiona usually feeds for the last time sometime between 9:30 and 10:30. After that, she's usually set for a good 4-5 hours. When she does wake up in the night, she pretty much just wants a clean diaper and some more nursing. Many times, she only nurses for 10-20 minutes, then goes right back to sleep. A few times she's wanted to go much longer--up to an hour--but this is not the norm. I really couldn't ask for an easier time of things. If all goes well, she wakes up sometime around 2 or 3am, is back to sleep within a half hour, wakes again around 7am for another feeding, then sleeps until I decide I want to get up around 9am.* Really, I feel like I should be more sleep deprived than I am, considering that I've got a 2 1/2 week old.

All in all, we're settling into a pleasant, manageable routine, though I wish Fiona would give me a little bit more time in the evening to get quality time in with Sam. I think that will come though, I just have to give her time. I keep forgetting that she's still so young!

The only other issue that I'm having is the fact that February is really not a good time to be on maternity leave. I go days without leaving the house, thanks to the weather. I'm not supposed to have the baby out in public places with recycled air--a wise move, given the number of viruses that seem to be circulating. The weather makes it so that going on walks is basically out. So that basically leaves us cooped up. I really need to stretch my legs and get some exercise, so I think it's time to dust off the elliptical machine this weekend.

Anyhow, we survived the first week on our own, just me and the baby. That first day felt really weird and sad--having Chris return to work was not only lonely, but also reminded me that time is already passing quickly. Being home with Fiona has been good for me though, and I think it has strengthened our bond and allowed me to atune myself more closely with her needs and personality. Still, it's always nice when Chris and Sam get home in the evening, and I'm forever thankful for the internet, which allows me to stay connected with the world.

*Okay, so I do occasionally sleep a bit later... I was startled the other day to find that we'd slept until 10:30, which is crazy late for me.