Father's Day Weekend Recap

This past Saturday we visited with DH's family at his cousin's oceanfront beach condo. 

Mungee took her lunch on the porch ... check out the view.

Mungee admires the scenery ...

Her twin cousins take turns feeding her ...

She channels the spirit of the islands ...

We hit the beach ...

... and she's had enough.

Eating sand is more fun ...

Hunting for buried treasure ...

Back inside, Mungee has her first Ritz cracker ...

Hey, where'd it go?

Whew!  Found it!

We had a great dinner and I was busy taking advantage of the fact that other people were keeping Mungee occupied so I could eat, therefore there aren't any additional pictures from the evening.  Unfortunately, just before we left, one of DH's cousins took a volleyball to the face and split her lip pretty badly.  It's my understanding that stitches weren't required.  They were visiting from Texas and it was their last day in town.  S, we hope you feel better soon!

On Sunday, DH and I went out to lunch to begin celebrating his first Father's Day.  He and Mungee had a profound conversation about the relationship between father and daughter.

That afternoon, we had an early dinner at my aunt and uncle's house.

All in all, it was a nice weekend, but, as usual, it went by way too fast!

Happy Birthday Mungee's Pa

Today, I'd like to wish my husband, Mungee's Pa, a very Happy Birthday!  I don't think I could have asked for a better partner, friend and father for our daughter.  

Remember honey, you're only as old as you feel.

Because I know you want to know this ...

FU 1st PP AF, FU.  NFT.

Mungee's First Days - Part 3 (Days 3, 4, 5 & 6)

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 – Day 3

I was discharged from the hospital today but told I could stay as late as I wanted - as long as we left before midnight, we would not be charged for another day.

Grandma Bebe came with me to visit Mungee at her 2:30 p.m. feeding so DH could take care of getting his new tire, get Mungee on his health insurance and get us checked into the hotel.

Uncle S and Aunt L came to visit.  We met up with them as we left the NICU after Mungee's evening feeding.  I recalled Mungee's birth story to Aunt L.  The details are all still fuzzy - it seems like it all happened so fast even though it was an almost 24 hour process.

I think today is the day I finally took a shower.  It was probably the best shower I have ever had in my life.

***

Thursday, August 20, 2009 – Day 4

Last night we stayed at the hotel next to the hospital so we could be close to Mungee.  We headed to the hospital for Mungee's 11:30 a.m. feeding.  I was able to meet with a wonderful and helpful lactation consultant at the 2:30 p.m. feeding.  Mungee passed her hearing test.  She had to get a car seat test to monitor her heart rate and respiration and once she passed, she was cleared to come home!  

We got home with Mungee sometime around 5 p.m.  Things were a bit rough as Poppy came over without calling while I was feeding and skin-to-skin bonding.  It caught us off guard.  Then Grandma Bebe came over with stuffed cabbage.  Poppy and Bebe were passing Mungee back and forth and I felt like she was being overstimulated.  DH made a comment and Poppy said to lighten up.  I was very upset.  I have moments of being overwhelmed but I am trying hard to learn how to take the best care of Mungee.

***

Friday, August 21, 2009 – Day 5

Today Mungee received a beautiful keepsake blanket from Bebe's friends M & D.  It is plush pink and has her name and birthday embroidered upon it.  It brought tears of joy to my eyes.

Poppy brought us lunch and Bebe brought us homemade lasagna for dinner.  I seem to be ravenously hungry lately - probably so I can keep up with feeding Mungee.  

Mungee had so many poopy diapers today - she is a champ.  In fact, I think she had eight.  I lost count.  She peed on me when I changed one of her diapers.

She had a pretty rough night, unfortunately, and none of us got much sleep.  I think she may have been overly tired or hungry.  We are trying hard to figure out her needs.

This evening, we lit her first Shabbos candle.  Auntie D gave us her candlestick. 

*** 

Saturday, August 22, 2009 – Day 6

Today Mungee was visited by Poppy, GG L, and Poppy's friends C & S.  C & S gave Mungee two fancy pink burp cloths.  Everyone thinks she is so beautiful and they noticed how alert she is.  Yesterday DH and I said she just keeps getting more and more beautiful every day, but today is seems more like every hour!

She's eaten mostly breastmilk today and for that I am so thankful.  It's so much easier on her tiny little tummy.  She's still working on latching on to me and hopefully we will get better at that soon.  I am pumping as much as possible to make sure that she has mommy juice.  DH and I think it is amazing that my body grew her and can now feed her.

I noticed today that Mungee is starting to gain some control over her neck muscles and her head is not as wobbly.  She loves to spend time on our stomachs while resting on our chests.  I think this is helping make her neck stronger.

Around 5 p.m., she gave me the biggest smile and while my brain said she had gas, my heart said that she recognized me and was responding to my voice.

Earlier DH was changing one of her poopy diapers and put some diaper cream on her.  It must have stimulated her and she projectile pooped all over the changing pad and table.  We have to construct a barrier for next time.

This morning we were trying to decide what she was going to wear.  I found a plain long-sleeved onesie but DH asked me to find something else.  I got out an Old Navy pink kimono long-sleeved onesie with pink and brown hearts and DH said "Oh, she is definitely wearing THAT today".

Mungee loves to sleep with her arms up by her ears.  When we swaddle her, we don't wrap up her arms because we know that she likes them free.  She curls up her hands and she looks like she's flexing her muscles.  When she's swaddled, we call her our "burrito girl" or "burrito head".  

Either today or yesterday, I was nursing her on the right side and all of a sudden my left side started rapidly dripping milk!  I yelled to DH to grab a bottle for me to drip into and get the pump.

Around 9 p.m., I nursed Mungee on the left side for about 15 minutes, then put her down because I was going to pump.  Time got away from me and she got fussy, so at 9:25, I started nursing her on the right side.  She was latched on for 30 minutes, suckling from time to time.  She had a poopy diaper and I was trying to ignore the smell so I could keep feeding her.  DH came in the room and immediately scrunched up his face and said "What's that smell?!"  I congratulated Mungee on her first time clearing out a room.

I feel like I have some nerve damage in my arm/wrist because it still feels like I have on my hospital bracelet, which was cut off Thursday afternoon.

Mungee wound up being latched on from that 9:25 feeding for 45 minutes.  That's the longest latch on record.  She must have unlatched because she wanted to get out of the poopy diaper.

Who knew I would be so hungry that I would eat foods I previously detested?  I ate honeydew and didn't even pick tomatoes out of a chicken salad wrap.

***

These are my current thoughts:

My brain must have slowly started working again on Day 6 because I sure did write a lot!

***

View previous recaps of Mungee's first days:

First Days - Part One
First Days - Part Two

Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered the Pear Tree Greetings address label giveaway.  There were 28 entries and random.org has chosen comment number 5 as the winner.

Congratulations to Steph!  Steph's favorite design is the Diamond Damask - Pink Address Label.

The winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond to claim their prize.

***

At Mungee and Me, everyone's a winner!  Through the end of June, enjoy 10% off your purchase of $19 or more at Pear Tree Greetings!  Use the code PEARJUN10 at checkout.

Happy 1st Father's Day

***I'd like to welcome Mungee as a guest poster to wish her daddy a Happy 1st Father's Day***

Deer Daddee,

I wub u.  U are handsum and stwong.  I am gwad that I look like u.  U are a gud daddy to me becuz u change my diapurr and downt hold ur noze.  U make me waugh too cuz u r funnee.

Happy 1st Fawther's Dai!

-------------------------------

Mungee, I couldn't have said it better myself.  We are lucky to have your Daddy in our lives!  

I'd also like to wish my dad and DH's dad a Happy Father's Day.  We wouldn't be where we are today without you.

10 Month Letter

Dear Mungee,

You have entered the double digits and are now 10 months old.  To sound totally cliche', where has the time gone?  Everyone tells me to savor each and every moment because they go by so fast and it's completely true.  Just the other day I was thinking about your teeth and how it's hard to remember what your gums looked like before you got them.  It seems like you've always been as big as you are now, but of course, I know that's not true.

You're a baby on the move ... you started crawling on June 5 and you continue to practice.  You don't crawl on your hands and knees, rather you use your elbows to push up your body and then drag yourself forward.  You still find rolling around the room to be an effective means of transport as well.

You love to go after the cat.  You squeal with delight when you're close to her.  You've even started to look for her when she disappears into the laundry room to try and escape from you eat.

If you can't get the cat, you might as well just go after her food.

You're beginning to eat more textured foods and are trying very hard to feed yourself.  The table food you've had includes bread, pita, watermelon, bananas, blueberries and broccoli.  You are trying to perfect your pincer grasp, but you've got a little ways to go.  You get food in your mouth every once in a while, but you often forget to take your fingers out of your mouth before you start to chew.  There's definitely more food on your bib, highchair, face and lap when you're finished.  You've also become quite a pro at drinking from your sippy cup, as well as drinking through a straw from a regular cup.

You may be imitating the sign for "milk".  You seem to understand what I mean when I make the sign.  Sometimes you do it while you're eating in your highchair.  Other times you do it when you wave, so I might just be seeing things that aren't really there.

Speaking of waving.  You wave hi and bye randomly and upon request.  In the morning when you wake up we wave to your lamp, owl pictures, bird mobile and frog humidifier.  We do the same for night night.  You wave to people you know and don't know and you wave to the baby in the mirror.  You wave to the Kit Kat clock.  I've concluded that you're very social.

You clap when you're excited and when we exclaim "Yay!"  You also clap your feet together when you're laying on your back and often when we pick you up and fly you through the air.

You love to play "Where's Mungee? ... Oh, there you are!" (Our version of peekaboo).

You give great big hugs, sometimes on request.

You love buttons and you still like to pick at the eyes on your toys, eyes in books and eyes on your stuffed animals.  You also like to wrestle with your stuffed animals and eat their faces.  Your favorites are Violet and Sock Monkey.  You know that Violet sings and her collar lights up when you squeeze her paws.  You're beginning to understand that squeezing toys or pushing buttons can result in music, sounds and songs.

Your hair is slowly growing in.  Your eczema has cleared up tremendously since I stopped eating peanut m&ms and took you to the dermatologist.  I am sorry I waited so long.  You're getting three more teeth on the top (one appears to finally be breaking through your gums) and I think I can see two more teeth appearing under your bottom gumline. 

You can stand with support and you are trying very hard to pull yourself up.  Every once in a while I put you in your crib to practice pulling up on the rails.  I'm probably going to curse myself for doing that once you can actually start pulling up, but for now I like to help you practice. 

You are having a bit of a hard time going to sleep at night right now, due to your teething.  We try to get you in bed by 7, but you've been resistant to falling asleep.  Sometimes I put you down after nursing you and you're asleep but you wake up soon after, sometimes you're not asleep at all and I hope you'll fall asleep on your own.  On really good nights, you're asleep when I put you down and you stay asleep through the night.

You generally take two naps a day in your crib (finally!), around 9 and 2, with varying lengths.  Again, because of teething, your newly acquired good napping habits have reverted a bit.

It's hard to believe that you're just two months away from being one year old.  That soon I'll be sending out birthday party invitations.  That you'll be a toddler. 

Daddy and I love you very much and we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Outtakes:

Mungee's First Days - Part 2

I apparently have recaps elsewhere aside from the journal I kept for the first week or so after Mungee was born.  I found this saved on my computer:

_____________________________________

Going to NICU:

Mungee wasn't very responsive after being born and had some fluid in her lungs.  They took her to observe, then brought her back to me later that night to nurse, then took her back to the nursery where she had some blue spells and her oxygen stats were dropping so at that point she went back to the NICU for the rest of our stay.  Her white blood cell count was high, so they did preventative antibiotics.  Luckily her blood cultures came back negative for infections.  It was all such a blur those first few days, I honestly am not sure I have all the details correct. 

August 18, 2009 – Day 2

Mungee is a beautiful little thing.  She got a bit stressed by the birth experience so she is currently in the NICU (2nd time).  She has respiratory distress (fluid in the lungs and a partially collapsed lung on the right side).  She was able to feed for a bit last night, but later they took her back to the nursery and her oxygen stats went down and she had some blue spells so she went back to NICU :(  Her white blood cell count is elevated so they are waiting on the rest of her labs to come back to find out if she has a  blood infection.  To be on the safe side, I think they have her on antibiotics.  They are also giving her sugar water to make sure her blood sugar stays at the right level.  She will probably have to stay in the NICU after I am discharged so we may not get to take her home with us :(  My white blood cell count also came back elevated so they had to take more blood from me, though I have not heard the results.

DH visited Mungee not too long ago and they told him I could go in soon to try and feed her.  I can't really walk around by myself right now though so I need to wait for my nurse to take me.  

The lactation consultant thinks it would be best for me to start pumping to get my milk supply going since I'm not getting regular feedings with Mungee.

I would like to be taking some more pain meds soon.  Not sure when I am due for another round.  I am not convinced the first round of meds took, though I do feel a bit loopy ... probably from lack of sleep.

I seem to have hives too.

____________________________________

This is from the journal:

I didn't really get out of bed too much today.  The hospital provided breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I pretty much ate everything (except the sausage at breakfast).  I was required to pee twice before I was allowed to get my IV out of my hand.  My back ached from the epidural numbing shots and catheter spot.  I developed a hive-like rash in places that had come into contact with plastics (band-aid spots, blood pressure cuffs, ID bracelets, contraction & heartrate monitor and epidural tape).

____________________________________

These are my current thoughts:

What makes me really sad about reading the above recaps is that I realize that I barely got to see my child on her second day of life.  I vaguely recall spending the entire day in bed after she was delivered, looped up on pain medicine.  I remember DH brought me the camera to show videos that he took of her in the NICU.  There's no way for me to turn back the clock and do it again any differently, however, so I can't dwell on it with regret.
____________________________________

View previous recaps of Mungee's first days:

First Days - Part One

Mungee's First Days - Part 1

Have I told you about that time I gave birth?

The first days and weeks after Mungee was born were such a blur.  I kept a journal to keep track of the early days, our visitors and my thoughts and feelings in general.  I'm glad I have that journal, as piecemeal as it may be, to remind me of what things were like "back then".

I'll be revisiting the journal soon, as Mungee's first birthday approaches.  I'm sure I'll relive the moments like they were yesterday, even though it's been almost 10 months since Mungee came into this world.  Will I even recognize myself in what I read?  I've come across old emails I sent around the time Mungee was born and they don't even seem like things I would write.

What reminds you of the early days?  Is there a scent or a song that takes you back to a moment you never thought you'd experience again?

Mungee's Lunchtime Adventure or Maybe I should wear a bib

I was giving Mungee her lunch and holding the bowl beneath her highchair tray so she wouldn't see it and keep grabbing at it.  She kicked her leg, I lost my grip on the bowl, and this is the result:

It got even better when the cat decided to join the party.

Crib Nap Progress, Crawling, Eczema Update (and please enter my giveaway)

At the risk of jinxing things, I wanted to mention that Mungee has been napping in her crib over the last several weeks.  It was getting to be way too hindering having her nap on me and she was having more trouble doing so.  I fought her for about a week and then she started settling into it.  I nurse her before her nap and she falls asleep.  If she doesn't fall asleep nursing, I do still have a hard time getting her to nap.  Some days she won't cry when I leave the room, other days she will.  It's hit or miss, but I feel a lot better about it now.  She seems to be a lot happier and a little less whiny and clingy when she's well rested.

No more of this :(        .... but also :)

We officially have a crawler on our floor hands.  Mungee has finally figured out how to propel herself forward and doesn't flip onto her back every time she gets her knees under her.  She lifts herself up on her elbows, then gets her knees under her and uses her arms to scoot.  She's still a lot faster when she rolls around the room, but she's picking up speed.  I'm trying to get it on video, but the camera battery keeps crapping out.

Mungee's eczema has all but cleared.  I can't believe how quickly her cheeks went from dry, red, oozy and crusty to the almost smooth-as-butter cheeks that they are now.   I didn't make many changes other than eliminating peanuts from my diet and stopped giving Mungee jarred mango puree.  We're also using a steroid foam on her face and other really dry spots.  However, her face started to clear up so quickly upon beginning the foam that I think the slight dietary changes were the main catalyst.

This is how Mungee feels about the weekend coming to a close:

One more thing ...

Please stop by this post and enter my giveaway for 5 sets of address labels from Pear Tree Greetings.  Thanks!

Happy Friday!

I love Fridays.  I love that once DH gets home from work, he'll be with us for two full days.  I love that he gets to spend this time doting on Mungee.  (And not so secretly, I love that I can get a bit of a break!)

I hope you enjoy your Friday and the weekend to come.  Do you have any special plans?  I'm sure your agenda includes stopping by the new and improved Friday-Follow.  That's where I'm headed (right after I feed Mungee her breakfast, of course).

I'm Entrepreneurial-ish: Pear Tree Greetings Giveaway! - CLOSED

 
I kind of discovered Pear Tree Greetings by accident.  I am distracted by curious about sidebar buttons, the people they connect me to and the places they can take me.  So naturally, I click on them.  They are one of the reasons this happens.

I saw the Pearista button on Mommy & Molly.  I clicked.  I liked the modern look of their site.  I answered those two simple questions with a "yes" and a nod of my head.  I wrote to them.  I asked to become a Pearista.  I bragged that I had a whopping 41 fans on Facebook and 26 followers on Twitter.  I thought it was a shot in the dark.  Imagine my surprise when I recieved a quick reply saying they thought I was a great match and they would be happy to call me a Pearista!  (Side note: DH keeps asking me when I'm going to make him a cappuccino.  Sorry honey, that's a barista). 

I contacted Pear Tree Greetings toward the end of May.  I was encouraged to post about their promotion that was coming to a close.  I suddenly felt pressured and thought maybe I was trying to take on more than I could handle.  I emailed my Pearista contact to discuss my concerns.  I thought it would be in my best interest to wait until I got to know the company a bit better before I suddenly started posting about them all over my blog.  She agreed and was quick to ease my worries. One thumb up.  I soon received a set of personalized note cards, which arrived very carefully packaged and included a handwritten note from my Pearista contact thanking me for being honest about wanting to wait until I'd seen their products firsthand before sharing with Mungee and Me readers.  The note cards featured a modern design in pink and brown.  I wondered when I had told the company about my favorite color combination.  Then I realized that the note cards were inspired by the background of my blog.  Two thumbs up!  (Side note numba two: I showed DH the note cards and he said "Those are cute ... but where's the coffee?")

Okay, so what exactly is Pear Tree Greetings?  They are a fun, fresh and affordable personalized stationery company that offers birth announcements, invitations, note cards and more!

Now for my first giveaway!  

Do you want to win five sets of address labels (up to 120 labels!) from Pear Tree Greetings?

When is an address label not an address label?  Go visit Pear Tree Greetings' entire collection of address labels! Come back and let me know your favorite design and tell me what else could you do with an address label? Be sure to leave your email address when you comment (Mungee doesn't have the time to search for a way to contact you, she's a baby on the move!)  One comment/entry per person, please and thank you.  Simple, huh?  Become a follower of Mungee and Me if you'd like.  You won't get an extra entry in the contest, but we sure would appreciate it (picture us with happy faces)!

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (sorry!) and ends Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Mungee will select the lucky winner on June 21st, using random.org.  The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond to confirm their prize.  If the winner does not reply, a new winner will be chosen, get emailed, etc., yadda and so forth.

Want more?  Throughout the month of June, enjoy 10% off your purchase of $19 or more at Pear Tree Greetings!  Use the code PEARJUN10 at checkout.

Disclosure: As a Pearista, I have become a partner of Pear Tree Greetings, with the purpose of trying out their products, passing along their offers and providing you with a chance to win some pretty nifty stuff!  They don't pay me with cold hard cash, but they will on occasion send me free products to try out as a testament to their company/commitment to service.  They wouldn't expect me to promote something I'd never tried, right?

That chicken's not gonna cook itself

If I wasn't married, and with a kid, I'd be perfectly content to eat like I did in college: Totino's pizza rolls, Pasta-Roni parmesan noodles (I could eat a whole box in one sitting), "grilled cheese" and sodium-laden sliced turkey sandwiches prepared in the Snackster.  Sometimes, I got gourmet - let me tell you about my version of chicken parm: a frozen breaded Tyson chicken breast, "cooked" in the microwave, served atop a bed of Ramen noodles, but without the seasoning packet - I used marinara sauce instead.  Sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese and voila!

Unfortunately for me, Mungee's Pa has a more sophisticated palate.  When he was growing up, his dad had a restaurant.  His mom made macrobiotic meals.  He challenged his neighbors to stuffed grape leaf cook-offs.  Sushi to him was like hamburgers to me.  I didn't know I liked Mexican food until after I graduated from college.  (Taco Bell is apparently not Mexican food).

These days, I don't cook all that often, but when I do, I have a few go-to dishes: chili, meatloaf, lasagne, beef & broccoli, or pulled pork in the crockpot.  Don't ask me to coordinate sides - I start them too early, or usually wait entirely too long and then don't want to get them started because I'm ready to eat the main meal.  Most of the time though, I just stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open for way too long, trying to wish a meal into existence. 

I keep whining suggesting to Mungee's Pa that we start meal planning, but I get overwhelmed at the thought of it and don't know where to begin.  Do you plan your meals?  Grocery shop specifically for your menu?  Does your menu coordinate with what's on sale?  How did you get into the rhythm of cooking regularly for your family?  I appreciate any and all suggestions as to how to get started!