My Sanity Savers

Tomorrow marks three weeks since Noah's birth. I think we are doing well and adapting to our new normal. We are all working together to make things work.

But there are a few things that have been real sanity savers for me. Here are a few of them:

1. Lots of bottles - Right now, I'm almost exclusively pumping breastmilk for Noah and supplementing with formula when necessary. At many feedings, I fix two separate bottles so that I can make sure Noah gets all the breastmilk that I have and then anything else he needs is formula. I think we have 8 or 10 bottles that I rotate throughout the day. (I use the Playtex bottles with the disposable liners.)

2. A dishpan full of soapy water - I'm constantly washing baby dishes including bottles, nipples, and pump parts. I just pile all these dishes in the soapy water and wash them in batches throughout the day.

3. Hand Lotion - Seriously, dishpan hands. And I have several bottles of lotion all around the house that I can use as needed.

4. A full water bottle - I use the 32 oz mug that I got in the hospital. I fill it up with ice and water at the beginning of the day and drink as much as I can all day.

5. My washer and dryer - Babies create a lot of laundry. I probably do a load of Noah's laundry every other day or so. I also use stain remover to immediately spray down clothes, bibs, and anything else that gets spit up or formula on it. Sadly, the timer on my dryer is messed up right now and so I have to be very attentive to the dryer and make sure I don't dry anything to a crisp.

6. Dry Erase Board - When I first got home from the hospital, we used the dry erase board to keep track of when Noah ate last and when I last took my medication. This was my mom's idea, but it worked great. I was having a hard time keeping up with everything.

7. A fully stocked pantry and freezer - I cooked and froze a few things during the last several weeks of my pregnancy. My mom brought a few things she had fixed and frozen for us. And then she stocked our pantry with quick and easy dinners. I have been fixing things from the freezer and pantry for dinner since we got home. And eating leftovers for lunch.

8. My Cell Phone - I like to read on my cell phone while I'm feeding Noah - especially at night, it helps me stay awake. I read several blogs, Facebook and a lot of news sites. Really, I'll read almost anything that changes frequently.

Noah has been having some fussy time in the evenings this week. From about 5pm until around 9pm, he fusses and acts like he wants to eat every hour or so. Sometimes he'll go to sleep for a little bit, but then wakes back up again and wants to eat. I can't imagine he's really that hungry. I mean he eats all day. Maybe he's having gas or other tummy issues?

My back has been hurting. I think my abdominal muscles are still fairly weak from my surgery. With all the bending and moving that I do during the day and night, it's just sore by the end of the day.

Sorry for the lack of pics tonight. I wanted to put up a couple pics, but I could not find one of the ones I wanted. Mom, Heather - Do one of you have the picture of us as a family of four that was taken in the hospital? If so, can you email it to me?? Love ya'll very much.