I can't believe it but Iris is already 5 weeks!! We have definitely been in a baby bubble (as Alisa likes to call it!)And it looks like I last posted on Oct. 9. Time really is flying.
I am back to work full time and things are a little crazy. We are lighting San Francisco "Giants Orange" for the World Series and parties keep popping up for that. With my schedule it is hard to find consistency. Although it is challenging and I hate leaving Iris there are some good moments. This weekend I worked at Bridge School Benefit and got to see some cool acts that I normally wouldn't see. And extra bonus one of my long time friends is the Lighting Designer for Pearl Jam and we got to hang out.She is a working mama and had lots of great stories to share as did I , as a working Papa!
Fortunately Alisa is off through the end of the year and is able to flow with Iris's schedule.
Iris has had a busy few weeks. We took her to the Pumpkin Patch for the 1st time. She slept the whole time but we got some good pictures and a pumpkin that SHE picked out:) Since I married a "fall baby" this was a BIG deal and long awaited experience! We went out to lunch and took her with us. It was blessedly uneventful.
Another outing has been to church. We braved it there when she was just about 4 weeks and what a beautiful welcome she received from so many! We FINALLY got to go and join the many other families of our amazing village! A GREAT blessing! Alisa has been going with her there more now as she & Iris are choreographing a dance to be performed by our dear friend Vanessa for the Nov. 7th baptism.
Iris still has no consistent schedule and that is challenging at night. Some nights she will nurse, burp, and go down easy. Other nights it is a long process of trying different things to soothe her usually ending in another nursing session. We are constantly being assured that it is normal but it is still hard. A lot harder than anyone tells you :) Alisa is however finding some rhythm to how Iris moves through her days nights. A highlight was in this 5th week of her life, I got to feed her her first bottle of breastmilk! We were a little nervous about this and sort of just improvised ! She was into it and wanted more but we are starting out slow since it is not necessary yet since Alisa is with here all the time. It was refreshing for Alisa to be able to go elsewhere in the house (at least 20 feet away... so we read!) and do something else while I feed her. She is growing!! She had her 1 month visit to the pediatrician and weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ou 21 1/4 inches in length! Woo hoo! Premmie clothes are getting snuggie and some newborn sizes FINALLY fitting! Alisa is loving dressing her in her cute hipster baby swag everyday!
We are looking forward to Iris's 1st Halloween where she will debut as what else other than an iris!!! Gramma/pa Holden arrive tomorrow eve on the train from Texas!! Looking forward to their stay with us for the week and then the arrival of lots of family & friends to celebrate her Baptism on Nov 7th, All Saints Sunday!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
1st day of new job.. solo
This morning my mom made the trip back to LA. It was so hard to say goodbye even though I know we will see her again very soon. It was a great luxury and blessing to have her here during Iris's first 16 days of life to help us learn about caring for a newborn as well as take care of us with fabulous meals, doggie care for Soleil, clean laundry, fully stocked fridge, and a clean house.Most of all, having her calm, patient, humorous presence helped us adjust into the parenting role that no one can really prepare you for!Iris already adores her grammy Jo Jo and will be blessed to meet her other grandma/pa in a few weeks. Grandpa Lou will be returning as well :)
Wally has been back at work since Monday and that has been a hard transition for him. Today was my 1st day alone with Iris for about 9 hours. I wasn't counting...really! If anyone was watching me through a hidden camera they would have been quite amused at my dialogue with this newborn, let alone my frantic pace to take care of her every need . The good news is that we managed to get out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and went 1 block further than the last time! Tiny steps!
I know it will get easier . She is such a doll when she looks at me with her peaceful, giant blue eyes. It is so hard to hear her cry when she is upset. I know she is telling me something and I am trying to be open and listen.
Wally is amazing with her and has created a gorgeous repertoire of ways to console her.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Isn't that true of most situations in life that require problem solving ?
Wally has been back at work since Monday and that has been a hard transition for him. Today was my 1st day alone with Iris for about 9 hours. I wasn't counting...really! If anyone was watching me through a hidden camera they would have been quite amused at my dialogue with this newborn, let alone my frantic pace to take care of her every need . The good news is that we managed to get out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and went 1 block further than the last time! Tiny steps!
I know it will get easier . She is such a doll when she looks at me with her peaceful, giant blue eyes. It is so hard to hear her cry when she is upset. I know she is telling me something and I am trying to be open and listen.
Wally is amazing with her and has created a gorgeous repertoire of ways to console her.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Isn't that true of most situations in life that require problem solving ?
1 week at work
Well it has been a challenging week indeed. I went back to work on Monday for the 1st time. The 1st day was hard to be away from Iris but it was a good transition day at work. I was able to catch up mostly before getting thrown back in on Tues. By Wed. I was back in the full swing. My schedule for the rest of the week had changed a few times. I had multiple proposals due and added lighting Coit Tower for the SF Giants by Thursday. I will finish the weekend by striking the lighting on Sunday morning from a wedding that I set up on Friday. Doing events on Thursday and Friday worked out because both days were noon load ins. That worked out well when I was up with Iris from 1a-4a on Thursday morning. There are some advantages to having such a crazy work schedule.
I noted in my last blog that Iris had her 1st night of trouble with gas on Sunday night. Alisa and Grammy Jojo did most of the work Sunday night. Since then Iris has been about the same. Lots of gas and struggling to get comfortable after eating. It ranges from a few minutes to a few hours. Needless to say I have become much more involved with comforting Iris to give Alisa a break. I think we have learned every possible position for burping. Each of them work in varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. The only thing that works every time is nursing. I try to comfort her as long as I can before giving her back to Alisa for nursing. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is especially frustrating when something works and then next time it doesn't. It is really challenging in the middle of the night.
In the middle of all that we celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary on Iris's 13th day of life on Oct. 5. Grammy JoJo was still here and watched Iris while we snuck out for a quick dinner. It was the 1st time we were both away from Iris. It was odd. For 13 years going to dinner as a couple was the norm. Now for the 1st time we were missing part of our family. It was a strange experience to miss Iris at dinner.
Today has been a good day. Having the day off from work has allowed me to be more available and focus more. That is making for a better experience for everyone. But as many people have said "Every day is a new experience."
Photos from the week.
I noted in my last blog that Iris had her 1st night of trouble with gas on Sunday night. Alisa and Grammy Jojo did most of the work Sunday night. Since then Iris has been about the same. Lots of gas and struggling to get comfortable after eating. It ranges from a few minutes to a few hours. Needless to say I have become much more involved with comforting Iris to give Alisa a break. I think we have learned every possible position for burping. Each of them work in varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. The only thing that works every time is nursing. I try to comfort her as long as I can before giving her back to Alisa for nursing. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is especially frustrating when something works and then next time it doesn't. It is really challenging in the middle of the night.
In the middle of all that we celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary on Iris's 13th day of life on Oct. 5. Grammy JoJo was still here and watched Iris while we snuck out for a quick dinner. It was the 1st time we were both away from Iris. It was odd. For 13 years going to dinner as a couple was the norm. Now for the 1st time we were missing part of our family. It was a strange experience to miss Iris at dinner.
Today has been a good day. Having the day off from work has allowed me to be more available and focus more. That is making for a better experience for everyone. But as many people have said "Every day is a new experience."
Photos from the week.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Iris turns 40
Today is Oct 4th. Iris's original due date. She is 40 weeks old today (including in and out of Utero). Before she was born I kept hoping she would give us more time to prepare. Now I can't imagine waiting the extra 12 days for her to arrive. The weekend was a little up and down for us and Iris. On Saturday night we were all relaxed enough to watch a movie. I even made it all the way through. ( I really enjoyed Blindside by the way. But I am a sucker for hard luck stories especially about football.)
Sunday we had Home Communion and Iris experienced her 1st Communion service. We had decided we were not ready for Iris to meet that many people. We want to give her a little more time. We had a great day and ended with some fun photos which you can see below.
Last night was a little more challenging. Iris decided to really break in her lungs. (Great timing since today was my 1st day back at work.) Iris seems to have a difficult time with gas pain. And since Alisa is the only one that can feed her it is generally my job to do the burping and diaper changing. That has mostly worked but last night I couldn't get her calm or quiet. I now know on some minuscule scale what it is like to see your child in pain. Well, actually I don't know how minuscule it is. Iris seems to think it hurts like hell because she can scream like a banshee. Fortunately we have Grammy JoJo for backup and Alisa can nurse her when necessary. Iris's episodes are generally short lived and seem to be normal but it just hurts to see her so upset even for a short while. Alisa was great last night and took Iris for the whole night so I got a little more rest to make it through work today. Going back to work was hard. I like my job most of the time and right now my project load is actually pretty low stress. So it is not like I didn't want to go to work. I just didn't want to spend all day away from Alisa and Iris.
It was hard to focus. I can't imagine what it is like to leave for weeks at a time like many of my touring friends do. I am very thankful that I get to come home from work every night.
And for a peek at the nursery
Just hit play and then pause to make sure it loads before playing.
Sunday we had Home Communion and Iris experienced her 1st Communion service. We had decided we were not ready for Iris to meet that many people. We want to give her a little more time. We had a great day and ended with some fun photos which you can see below.
Last night was a little more challenging. Iris decided to really break in her lungs. (Great timing since today was my 1st day back at work.) Iris seems to have a difficult time with gas pain. And since Alisa is the only one that can feed her it is generally my job to do the burping and diaper changing. That has mostly worked but last night I couldn't get her calm or quiet. I now know on some minuscule scale what it is like to see your child in pain. Well, actually I don't know how minuscule it is. Iris seems to think it hurts like hell because she can scream like a banshee. Fortunately we have Grammy JoJo for backup and Alisa can nurse her when necessary. Iris's episodes are generally short lived and seem to be normal but it just hurts to see her so upset even for a short while. Alisa was great last night and took Iris for the whole night so I got a little more rest to make it through work today. Going back to work was hard. I like my job most of the time and right now my project load is actually pretty low stress. So it is not like I didn't want to go to work. I just didn't want to spend all day away from Alisa and Iris.
It was hard to focus. I can't imagine what it is like to leave for weeks at a time like many of my touring friends do. I am very thankful that I get to come home from work every night.
And for a peek at the nursery
Just hit play and then pause to make sure it loads before playing.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Time passes in strange ways
Time has taken on new meaning since Iris's arrival. For the 1st week time really had no meaning other than nursing times. Day and night merged into one. There were no appointments to keep and we were (and still are) in a daze from the lack of sleep and the emotional high. In the last 24 hours that has begun to change. We are starting to deal with the outside world. On Wed. night I went to a budget meeting for a few hours. That was the longest I have ever been away from Iris. It sucked. Time passed really slowly. I missed her and I was so glad to get back home. It makes me dread returning to work on Monday.
Yesterday we had our 1st walk with Iris. We put her in the stroller and took her and Soleil around the block. It was a beautiful fall day and it was good for all of us. It was the farthest Alisa has walked since the birth. She did really well. Soleil was really well behaved and we made it around the block without incident.
Yesterday we picked up what should be the last furniture (I hope) for a while. The glider is the one thing Alisa wanted right away because it is useful right now. The chair is super comfy and gives a smooth ride for nursing and rocking Iris. The other nursery furniture is great but it isn't as urgently needed. Thanks Grammy JoJo and Grandpa Lou!
Yesterday after 10 days of little sleep on top of the 10 day load in I was working before Iris's birth, I hit a wall. I had to lay down for a few hours. I had ignored the advice of many wise parents and not slept when Iris did. I was a little better at getting Alisa to sleep but I did not. It finally caught up with me. I laid down for almost 4 hours for the 1st time since Iris arrived. I didn't sleep through the changing and nursing but I didn't get it up so it made for more sleep time. Thanks Grammy JoJo! I don't know how people do it without support.
Today is Iris's 2nd pediatrician visit. If all goes according to plan this will be our only schedule for the day. The rest of the time will be all up to Iris:) She grows more beautiful every day and is joy for us.
Here are photos from the last few days. Tomorrow will be some photos of nursery and maybe even video!
We continue to be showered with gifts, love & support & are soooo full of gratitude for it! Thank you to those who continue to reach out... one day we will emerge from our little love nest into the bigger world of wonder!
Yesterday we had our 1st walk with Iris. We put her in the stroller and took her and Soleil around the block. It was a beautiful fall day and it was good for all of us. It was the farthest Alisa has walked since the birth. She did really well. Soleil was really well behaved and we made it around the block without incident.
Yesterday we picked up what should be the last furniture (I hope) for a while. The glider is the one thing Alisa wanted right away because it is useful right now. The chair is super comfy and gives a smooth ride for nursing and rocking Iris. The other nursery furniture is great but it isn't as urgently needed. Thanks Grammy JoJo and Grandpa Lou!
Yesterday after 10 days of little sleep on top of the 10 day load in I was working before Iris's birth, I hit a wall. I had to lay down for a few hours. I had ignored the advice of many wise parents and not slept when Iris did. I was a little better at getting Alisa to sleep but I did not. It finally caught up with me. I laid down for almost 4 hours for the 1st time since Iris arrived. I didn't sleep through the changing and nursing but I didn't get it up so it made for more sleep time. Thanks Grammy JoJo! I don't know how people do it without support.
Today is Iris's 2nd pediatrician visit. If all goes according to plan this will be our only schedule for the day. The rest of the time will be all up to Iris:) She grows more beautiful every day and is joy for us.
Here are photos from the last few days. Tomorrow will be some photos of nursery and maybe even video!
We continue to be showered with gifts, love & support & are soooo full of gratitude for it! Thank you to those who continue to reach out... one day we will emerge from our little love nest into the bigger world of wonder!
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