6 Weeks Ago...

This little man came into our lives. And what an amazing, difficult, crazy, chaotic, time! Immediately following Nathan's birth, I came down with a nasty cold which lasted a good 2 weeks. Not a good start. Then I had to deal with the epidural headache which lasted a few weeks as well. Last week, I get strep throat! I haven't been that sick in a long time. I had high fevers, getting up to 103.5, the worst chills, body aches, migraines, and a severe sore throat. I was prescribed Penicillin, which has finally done it's job and I am starting to finally feel better. Normally it takes 24-48 hours to feel better once starting the antibiotics...not for me though! Nope, my body decided to take a full 72 hours to start feeling better. I was beginning to doubt that I was ever going to get better. Joe has been taking very good care of me. Over the weekend, he took the kids over to his sister's house to play and then went to visit some friends, so I could sleep. And sleep I did. All day long, as much as I could. Sunday afternoon I was still feeling pretty bad and was wondering how I was going to take care of both Ella and Nathan on Monday. Joe's parents stepped in and offered to take Ella for a few days. I miss her so much but I know it was a smart move. I need to be 100% better so I can be on top of my game! I also realized that I can't let myself get so run-down. My immune system must be pretty weak right now. I have to take better care of myself and I plan on it. Ella will be back in 2 days, on Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see her. We've been talking on the phone nightly. (Which is always amusing!)

Nathan had his 6 week check-up today. 6 weeks ago, Nathan weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long. Today, he weighed 10 pounds, 2.5 ounces, and was 22 and 1/4 in. long. Head measured 39 cm. For weight, he is in the 25-50th percentile, length is 50-75th percentile, and head is 25-50th percentile. He had to get 3 shots! Poor guy...he wasn't happy. He's been sleeping pretty much ever since then, which worries me for what the night ahead will bring. I gave him a little Tylenol, so that should help with any discomfort. I almost started crying myself. That part doesn't get any easier with the 2nd baby. I almost had to laugh when the pediatrician asked, "So, when do you rest?" He was genuinely concerned and I appreciated that. Right after Nathan's appointment, we headed over to my OB for my 6 week post-partum check. Won't go into details, but everything is good with me as well. My platelet count went back to normal, I've lost all the weight I gained and then some, and was told I looked tired. Ha!

We are looking forward to seeing Joe's family for Thanksgiving this year. I am in charge of making 2 pies, which I enjoy doing every year. We are celebrating Joe's 29th birthday on his birthday, this Friday, with family. On Saturday I am going to a bridal shower, and then we have a family portrait being taken in the afternoon (possible Christmas card???). On Sunday, we are becoming official members of the church we have been attending since this past May, Community United Methodist Church, where Nathan will be baptized in January. We've asked our close friends, Brian and Jenny Lerch to be Nathan's Godparents, and they more than willingly accepted.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
We have so much to be thankful for!

Strep Throat

Yep, I've got strep throat. A few nights ago I had a 101 fever, as I wrote in one of my entries. Then the next day I started to have a sore throat, and I thought it was probably just another cold. Last night, I had another fever and really bad chills. This morning, my friend Jessica (a.k.a "Lifesaver") came over so I could run over to an Aurora Quick Care Clinic. I still had a temperature and my strep culture came back positive. So now I am on a course of antibiotics for 10 days. It is 9:00pm and I am going to bed. We decided to introduce formula to Nathan, just as a supplement. I still plan on breastfeeding 90% of the time, but for those times when I want to go to bed and don't have any pumped milk stored, Nathan will enjoy a bottle of yummy Similac, fed to him by his daddy. Good night!

First Smile!

I've been so wrapped up in my own health, that I forgot to report that Nathan smiled for the first time! He smiled at Joe a few days ago and then I got a small smile myself. I'm still not completely convinced, since he's not smiling consistently, but Joe says it was definately a smile. Nathan will be 6 weeks old this Sunday, so he would be right on track for that milestone. I have my 6 week post-partum check and Nathan has his 6 week check-up on Monday. He may need several shots that day...poor baby :(

I'm finding it rather hard to update the blog lately! I've been good about posting pictures on Snapfish though! Last weekend, Joe, Nathan, and myself went to Madison for my friend Katie's wedding. She was one of my roommates in college. Ella had a blast staying overnight at Aunt Liz's and playing with Dylan and Henry. Nathan was a hit and had several nice looking ladies holding him all evening! Joe and I felt a little spacey from sleep deprevation and ended up leaving around 9:00pm. Oh well...we tried our best! It was nice to see other adults and catch up with friends.

Ella has been sick. She came down with croup and sounded like a seal barking for days. We had to take her in the bathroom and turn on the shower for the steam several nights. Unfortunately, there's no medication for croup, so we just had to wait it out. Ella woke up many times during the night coughing, and once we had her back to sleep, guess who else would wake up? Ella is feeling better now, but has started throwing tantrums at night, at the dinner table and right before bed. Joe is doing much better than me with his patience...I have to work really hard and keeping it together. Maybe it's still the hormones that are all out of whack...I'm not sure how long I can use that as an excuse though!

Nathan has had a few great nights! Two nights ago, he slept for 4 hours straight! Then he got up, I fed him, put him right back down, and he slept for another 3 hours! It was amazing. If only this could be his schedule...we'll see! It does seem to be getting better though. I bought a sleep positioner which inclines him slightly and keeps him between two "wedges." It seems to be helping his dislike for back sleeping.

And finally, I'm sick. Two nights ago I had a 101 temperature and the chills. Joe had to pile blankets on me and I was still shivering. The next morning I called my OB because I thought I had mastitis (google it), but I went in, and it turns out I don't have it. My doctor thinks it's viral and probably the flu. Well, the temperature went away, but a sore throat came on and it's awful! I'm taking Zicam and extra vitamin C, desperately trying to stop this cold in its tracks! I can't be sick. I can hardly take care of two kids when I'm healthy!

We Made It!

It was a long week, but we made it! I am lucky that Ella is able to go to Miss Linda's two days a week. Being a stay-at-home mom of two kids (for the time being) is by far the hardest job I have ever done. The beginning of the week was great...the temps were in the 70s (in November, in Wisconsin!) so we were able to get outside for some short walks and trips to the park. So we didn't get out of the house until noon, but we DID get out! One day we all went to Target and to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I felt like "Super Mom," tackling those adventures. It actually went pretty well! All the days are blending together, making it hard to remember exactly what we did all week, but here are some highlights:
* Nathan peed on his face
* Ella managed to lock Nathan and I out of the house (luckily we have a spare key)
* While I was feeding Nathan, Ella ripped pages out of a novel I'll probably never have time to read

My new favorite word that Ella says is "computer." However, she says "pew-ka-ker." It's hilarious!

Nathan is starting to stay awake a little more during the day, but still sleeps a lot in the evening, so when I'm ready to go to bed, he's wide awake. He still sleeps for about 3 hours the first stretch, then is up every 2 hours until we get up for the day. He loves to be held! My favorite times are when he's sleeping on my shoulder, all curled up. I'm taking Nathan to get his 1 month pictures taken on Tuesday. 1 month already! It's going too fast!

The Dietrich and Truttschel Boys Meet!

Joe and I took a road trip with Nathan yesterday to Appleton to visit Paul, April, and their new son Jackson. Nathan and Jackson are 10 days apart. We've decided that since Paul and Joe have been best friends for 20 plus years, our boys are going to be forced to be friends. They have no choice! :) We hung out for a few hours, watched the Packers, fed babies, changed babies, and got very sleepy on the couch. It was so nice to be with our friends for a few hours though. It was also nice to talk with April about newborns, motherhood, and sleep deprivation!

Ella's daycare provider is on vacation this week, so that means I have both kids all week. So far, so good...but, it's only Monday! It was 70 degrees outside today, so we took advantage of the beautiful weather and got outside for a walk and some time at the park. Tomorrow I may get together with my sister-in-law and her son, so he and Ella can play, and then Thursday, our friends Alison and Sean are coming over to watch Nathan for an hour or so, so Ella and I can go to open gym at Tumbling Tykes. I think we'll be okay this week.

Nathan continues to sleep for about 3 hours for the first stretch, usually from 10:00 or so until 1:00am, then wakes up 2 more times after about 2 hours, until he's up for the day. I feel pretty good until about 4:00pm, then I start to fade. But, I'm hanging in there!

Here are some new mother (again) observations:
When you visit parents of a newborn, offer to help in any way you can, be it cleaning a bathroom or making a sandwich. Anything is appreciated! When you visit new parents, don't expect to have a relaxing afternoon/evening. The kid's gonna cry, poop, spit-up, and cry some more, and the mother will be frazzled and about to pull her hair out. Don't take this personally. Don't try to take a leisurely afternoon nap unless the mother and father can take one too. Don't, under any circumstances, talk about losing baby weight! (These are just random thoughts, after visiting new mothers recently.)

And finally, my friend Stacey and her husband Josh welcomed a baby boy, Alexander, on Halloween. After 4 plus hours of pushing, Stacey had to have a C-section. Baby Alex weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces. I'm hoping to visit them next week when Ella is at daycare.

Ps...Nathan is sleeping on my chest in the awesome sling that Christine sent me. It's like a hands-free cell phone while driving!