kim through
   the looking glass

… in the blogosphere. Or at least it seems that way to me.

My poor Gwen is sick After her bath this afternoon, around 4:00, she began shivering. I assumed it was because she was cold and wet, so I dried her off and dressed her. She cried while I dressed her - which is very abnormal for her - and was clingy and nursing frequently. Her toes hit me and they were like ice as were her little hands. I felt her forehead and her abdomen - burning hot. Her axillary temperature was 101.5. Read the rest of this entry »

Oatmeal Face!

Mistress Mouse seems to be feeling better - yesterday she was awake 3+ hours in between her naps and she took a 1.5 hour nap on her own in the afternoon!! I don’t know why, but it appears that when she’s not feeling so good she actually sleeps LESS than normal.

I’ve been re-reading parts of Mary Sheedy Kurcinka’s book, Raising Your Spirited Child. It’s been good for me - mostly because the first time I read it, Gwen was only a few months old and although I knew she was going to be ’spirited’, I couldn’t yet identify many of the temperamental traits that made her spirited. On the second read-through, I’ve identified:

• Intensity - my favourite description of this is, “a living staircase of emotion, up one minute, down the next,” (Kurcinka, 2006, p. 41). Um yeah. That about does it.
• Sensitivity - “has to have quiet to sleep,” “a selective eater,” “acts out your stress,” (Kurcinka, 2006, p. 45).
• Regularity - “never falls asleep at the same time,” “is hungry at different times each day,” (Kurcinka, 2006, p. 55). Gwen, Gwen, Gwen.
• Energy - anyone who has ever watched Gwen or held her will know that this is one of her traits … she is NEVER still.
• First Reaction - “Rejects at first or watches before joining in,” (Kurcinka, 2006, p. 57). Now, it depends on the activity, but generally speaking, she’s a watcher. Or she joins in and then decides she’s not ready yet and wants to snuggle for a while before joining in again.

There’s a few temperamental traits that I’m not sure about - adaptability, persistence, mood, and perceptiveness - mostly because she can’t yet communicate enough to be sure.

Bath Time!

Either way, I’m finding the book to be helpful in helping me to name the traits that she’s exhibiting and find new ways of labeling them - for example, instead of ‘dramatic’, say ‘expressive’; instead of ‘emotional’, say ’sensitive’. It’s been good for me to learn how Gwen might think and, especially, how she is probably feeling inside during different situations. For example, it’s helpful for me to know that if she is prone to having a negative first reaction, she is actually, physically experiencing a racing heart, dilated pupils, rising blood pressure, and tense vocal cords and that it is a physical reaction tied to her genetic make-up (Kurcinka, 2006).

Look at me!

And seriously. How cute is this kid? Even though sometimes her reactions drive me a bit batty, she’s the sweetest, most curious, happiest baby for the most part. I couldn’t imagine my life without her now that she’s here and I’m loving getting to know this little person!!

Pardon my lack of blogging. It’s been a crazy week! Mostly it’s been a difficult week.

Gwen has been teething and sick since Monday (well, teething for two weeks, sick since Monday). Runny nose, cough, fever … yesterday she was pretty lethargic, so we decided to take her in to the walk-in clinic. Turns out it’s a viral infection, so there’s nothing anyone can do. I’ve been holding her for naps and giving lots of extra cuddles, not that she’ll let me do any less And her second tooth is *just* popping through now. Poor girl.

Last night I went out fr my first official ‘night out’. A bunch of moms from my church got together at Kelsey’s! I enjoyed a margarita and a burger. It was great to go out with some people in the same stage of life … we talked a lot about our labours and births, cloth diapering, babies, pregnancy, and parenting and we talked a little bit about work, school, and other miscellaneous subjects.

Mmmm, margarita.

An ear infection!

Apparently in Europe they wait out ear infections more than we do here in North America. I’ve got antibiotics in the fridge waiting until she at least develops a fever.

And the doctor is unconvinced that Gwen is teething.

For those of you waiting eagerly for an update on Gwen’s health, here it is! She slept pretty well last night until almost 9 this morning! (She seems to wake up about 12 hours after you put her down, regardless of the time she goes to bed). She woke up in good spirits and nursed well (relief for my engorged breasts!) and smiled and played most of the morning. She went down at 11 for a nap until around 1 pm. In her crib. It was a miracle! She didn’t have very good afternoon naps, since we were out an about, and she fell asleep nursing at around 6:20. It’s now about 7:15, so I’m assuming she’s done for the night … I just hope she doens’t wake up at 6:30 tomorrow morning!!!

All in all, she seems a bit better today - in better spirits, eating decently, not so whiny - and we think it’s mostly her teeth bothering her right now. I’m pretty sure it’s not strep, anyways! She’s chewing on everything in sight and biting HARD. She was also trying to massage her gums on me before a feeding earlier. Poor thing. We’re thinking they’re going to break through in the next couple of days!

As for me, my throat is a bit sore, I’m a bit congested, and I’m planning to go to bed EARLY tonight

I took Gwen to the doctor this morning just to make sure all was well so I didn’t end up stuck in a walk-in clinic on the weekend (because that is my lot in life!).

She took a throat swab for strep and said she might have an ear infection.

My poor baby.

Well, I put Gwen down in her crib last night around 8. She didn’t wake at all until 10:30! I fed her and put her back down and she slept until 3:30. In her crib. It was incredible! I brought her to bed to feed her thinking she’d fall right back asleep in bed with us, but then she was up until 5:30 - which was a bit rough!  When she finally fell asleep again, I put her back in the crib - I didn’t want to disturb Brad by bringing her back to bed in case she woke up while I was putting her down) and she slept until 7.

Brad and I went to bed at 11:30 after decorating the tree and it was bittersweet to be all alone in our bed. Wonderful, and I slept like a log …. but bittersweet all the same.

She’s still sick, but she appears to be on the mend

Well, Gwen officially has her first cold.

Pout.

Last night was miserable. I tried to sleep propped up with her on my chest so she could breathe, but she still woke at LEAST every hour. She only nursed once because she couldn’t breathe, poor thing! We couldn’t even put her down to bed last night, she’d wake up and SCREAM as soon as her little head hit the matress. She seemed a bit better today, especially after her 3 loooooong naps (I held her while she napped so she could actually rest). She went down around 8:00 with a little wimper, but she’s definitely doing much better than last night!

I just hope I get some sleep tonight.

We’re beginning to transition her to the crib for the first part of the night, since the last few nights (excluding last, of course) she has been trying to flip herself onto her tummy while swaddled. We figured we’d be the worst parents ever putting her down on her tummy on our adult bed and leaving her to sleep like that alone, so we’re trying to put her in the crib. When she wakes up for her first feed (normally around 10:30 or 11), I’ll either bring her to bed with me for the night, or nurse her and put her back down in the crib so Brad and I can start the night out alone.

It sounds great in principal, but I haven’t slept without my baby in over a year! (Yes, I’m counting the time she was in my tummy!) I think it’s going to be harder on me than on her …