Monday Night Music

When I arrived home from work tonight (late, as usual) Christian and James were outside on the front porch listening to the sounds of the bands playing outside of Tip's. I love that there is so much wonderful music in this city and that, on a random Monday evening (okay, I know, it is Jazz Fest, but still), La Luz might be compelled to put on her 'dancing' shoes.

Here we are, just a few hours ago:

What Happens When You Have Way Too Many T.V. Channels

On a gray Saturday afternoon you can always find this on the t.v.


and that means everyone will be captivated


and I will go flip the laundry and empty the dishwasher. Because I happen to believe that you actually can see The Empire Strikes Back too many times.

The Result

Well, he woke up at 10:30, ate, played and chilled with me until around midnight. I did the usual nighttime routine and it worked perfectly. He woke up around 7:30. I still swaddle him every night with the aden and anais blanket Sarah sent when he was born. He is really starting to get to be too big and active to be swaddled, but I know it helps him sleep. The breastfeeding has almost completely tapered off since my last bout of mastitis. I am possibly the worst milk producer ever and now it is even more pathetic. I am able to pump about 2.5 ounces a day and breastfeed in the early morning and at night before James falls asleep for about 15 minutes (on a good day). I need to start implementing a new bedtime routine soon because I know that the milk supply is not going to last much longer and I want something in place that is a fool-proof way to get James to fall asleep.

In other interesting news, my new nano arrived yesterday and Christian very kindly stayed up until 2 a.m. to load it up and get it ready. It is about the size of a pack of gum and is 8 gigs, bigger than our first computer. Unreal. It is, I think, the 5th ipod we have owned since 2004 - 5 ipods in 5 years, not a very good track record. Did I mention Christian lost his, the main one, somewhere between NOLA and Detroit. And, yeah, it was newish (purchased within the last year).



I am watching Twilight right now because Christian is chaperoning prom. It is entertaining, but I am not obsessed with Edward like every other 30 something lady who has been exposed to the books and movie. In fact, I don't find him appealing at all, he looks very pasty (which stands to reason since he is a vampire) and very young (which also stands to reason since he is supposed to be 17 years old), but I am enjoying the movie. I am curious though, what is it about the guy that turns old ladies into Mrs. Robinson.

What Would You Do?

This is what James looks like right now:


He has been this way since around 4:30 when Christian picked him up from Mom's house. He apparently did not sleep much all day and finally decided to check out this afternoon. It is after 9 and he is sound asleep. I have made as much noise as possible to wake him up and nothing works. So, here's the question...do I wake him up? Normally he has had another bottle, played, had a bath, been rocked and put to sleep for the night not to be heard from again until 7 or 8. Obviously that is not going to happen tonight. But, will he sleep much longer in his carrier? Do I wake him and try to work the normal routine? Some of the best advice I received as a new mother is not to wake a sleeping baby, and I generally live by that rule, but I am starting to panic about spending the hours between 1 and 4 am with James on my lap!

I will let you know how it goes...

Easter 2009, White Plantation

It was a skeleton crew out at White Plantation to celebrate Easter this past weekend so I found myself feeling incredibly nostalgic and missing Josh and Molly and the cousins. We are usually a big group, but this year we fit neatly at two picnic tables for Good Friday crawfish and at one big table for Easter brunch. Even with so many missing it was still a lovely weekend.
The weather was perfect on Friday and Saturday so we spent as much time as possible outside wandering around and hanging out on the porch. James took a few very long naps on the porch listening to the sounds of the farm that used to sedate La Luz when she was a little baby and we lived out there after the hurricane. La Luz particularly enjoyed testing out the tractor and driving around in the golf cart. She also had fun playing t-ball and trying to figure out how to juggle after watching Richmond. I tried to explain to her that until she can actually throw and catch just one ball at a time, juggling isn't going to happen. We set up an early-morning Easter egg hunt in an attempt to beat some supposedly terrible weather that never really arrived. Other than some pretty intense wind and ominous looking clouds, the weather wasn't really all that bad today - not the sunny kind of Easter Sunday you imagine - but not terrible either.

James, having a laugh:


La Luz, Easter Sunday:


Dyed eggs & fingers:


On the John Deere:



I actually feel well-rested going into the work week. I didn't sleep late or even manage any naps but I had tons of help with James and La Luz and the extra sets of hands come in handy. I read about 8 magazines, had time for 2 (somewhat short) runs, dyed Easter eggs, sorted all of the clothes (and put them away), and even got through some work (ok, mostly administrative stuff, but still). I was much more productive than I had anticipated so I am not feeling completely frazzled going into the work week. Christian and La Luz have three more days of holidays so I know when I am up and getting dressed tomorrow morning and they are lounging around on the sofa with James it is going to break my heart to walk out of the door.

Us, Easter Sunday, how long does it take to get a decent family picture:

3 Months

It is hard to believe I have been back at work for a month. Being back at work only makes the time go by faster and I am committed to savoring every tiny bit of James' first year. I was so distracted by Katrina and not knowing what I was doing and waiting to figure it all out during La Luz's first year that I missed out on the moments and wasted my time worrying about what was next. Unfortunately, being back at work makes that a little tricky. I hate to even add up the hours of the day that I am with James. I guess I don't have to because you can imagine, a few hours in the morning if I am lucky and he wakes up early and a few hours in the evening if I am lucky and he is awake. If I am really lucky (or unlucky) he wakes up in the middle of the night and we have a few quiet minutes together rocking in the chair. But the weekends, well, those are different and treasured. It is a huge consolation that he is spending his days in mom-mom's loving care at least for a little while longer.

Being back at work has been extremely challenging not only emotionally but physically. I came down with the flu after a week back and I am sure it is because I was exhausted. Earlier this week I came down with my second round of incredibly painful mastitis. Fortunately, this time around I only had one day of the wretched fever and chills because I started an antibiotic immediately. The pain and inflammation, however, has only just started to subside. I am not dreaming, I know I can't do it all and I have clearly failed at trying to continue breastfeeding while working. The doctor knew it and she flat at told me that unless I would be fully committed to pumping diligently I needed to consider weaning or else I would run the risk of another infection. She is right. I get distracted or stuck on the phone or in a meeting and pumping just gets put off and then 8 hours later I am engorged. Not a good idea. So, once the infection clears I am going to start to fully wean James. I am not thrilled about it but it is the only logical choice at this point.

Notwithstanding the challenges, I am actually hanging in there. I couldn't do it without the flexibility of Christian's schedule, flexibility at work, and a ton of help from my family. I don't know what I would do if not for those things.

Now, on to the important stuff...at three months James is starting to actually look and act more like a baby and less like a newborn. He is chattering away, laughing (only occasionally), starting to be interested in toys, beginning to grab at things and put them in his mouth, learning to hold his own bottle (I hope he masters this skill first), following us around with his eyes, and (finally) focusing better on people and things. Much like his big sister, he enjoys television. I realize this is terrible but, honestly, when we are all trying to get ready in the morning it is miserable to listen to him fuss. A simple solution is to put him on his play mat in front of the tv. It is usually something harmless like Mickey Mouse or Curious George. Please don't judge. I only do it out of necessity.

We are all gearing up for a nice three day weekend. Christian will be coaching all weekend and I am heading to sugar cane country. I don't even care if it rains the entire time. My only goal is to spend lots of time doing things with James and La Luz and maybe fitting in time for a run or a few long walks.

All Talk

We had a great weekend and I promise to let you know what has been going on around here soon. I just need to find about 45 minutes of free time and a little energy. Maybe that will happen some time in 2010. In the meantime, here is a quick video of James babbling to Christian. He has plenty of stories to tell. In addition to the storytelling, James is now laughing these incredible, hearty, from-the-gut laughs. I promise we will capture it eventually for those of you who are far away and miss that lovely sound.


James, Chatterbox from Julie Vaicius on Vimeo.

Well, What Distracts You?

I am a third of the way into this:

and wishing I could pick it up to read about 50 pages or so. I started it before Christmas. At this rate it will be next Christmas by the time I finish it.

Christian picked up the latest issue of this for me a few days ago while at the grocery store:


I haven't even cracked the cover.

I haven't cooked a single meal since December.

There are clusters of Loki hair in the corners of every room, dirty clothes to be washed, clean clothes that need to be folded, folded clothes that should probably be sorted and ultimately put away, letters to write, work to do (real work, job work) and shopping (so much of that - for groceries, Easter basket odds and ends, overdue gifts for people). But it is the weekend, after all, and it is one of those rare, perfect days so instead I am doing nothing but staring at him:


and painting tiny toes that won't be tiny next time I look


and finding warm patches of sunlight



and wondering in awe at how the lantana gets more blooms every year despite my fear that the bi-annual 'trimming' Christian performs destroyed it forever (perhaps he did inherit a green thumb from his father?)


and spending lots of quality time with loved ones


and being thankful and happy and peaceful.

Nana Withdrawals

Nana departed for Atlanta yesterday around noon. She hasn't even been gone for 48 hours and we are already suffering the effects of her absence. La Luz is moping around asking when Nana will return and missing having a guest in her room at night (yes, Nana slept in the room with the bug and, despite the fact that they apparently both snore, it seemed to work out just fine). James keeps looking around for the sweet, short lady with the blond hair and the Boston accent. Me, well, where do I start...it is perfectly clear that child-rearing takes a village, or at least one extra set of hands at all times.

Thanks Nana...we couldn't have done it without you:

Following The Rainbow

This morning La Luz announced that she really wanted a leprechaun to come into her room tonight. I think that is twisted. Maybe it is because I remember previews of that horror movie about the rabid leprechaun that ate people (or something along those lines) but the very idea of a leprechaun makes my skin crawl. Clearly, La Luz's image of a leprechaun has much more to do with pots of gold, rainbows, shamrocks and good luck. Either way, I don't want one in my house tonight and I find it incredibly odd that she does. I will let you know if one shows up.

As expected, this week has been incredibly hectic. I could work 12 to 14 hour days and still not come close to accomplishing what I need to accomplish in the office. I am also finding it tricky balancing working and pumping milk to keep up the supply for the baby. I practically have to calendar in time to pump in order to get it done. Even though things are really crazy, I managed to escape the office for about 2 hours this afternoon to meet up with some clients at Parasol's and enjoy a green beer. The weather was perfect and the people-watching was incredible. It was a very nice distraction in an otherwise chaotic day and served as good anesthesia for a phone call later in the afternoon with the second-most miserable, condescending attorney I have come across in the State of Louisiana. He clearly does not like women, especially women with bar numbers lower than his, and he probably kicks his dog when he gets home each night. It is not worth going into, but he behaved like a jerk and came off looking like an idiot and I behaved in a cordial and respectful manner, treating him the way that I expect members of the bar to treat one another. It should come as no surprise that I have never heard anyone say anything nice about this man and what a pity...after all, what do you have if the mention of your name causes others to fill up with piss and vinegar.

On another, much more important note...family members have been in and out of town and it has been the most lovely distraction. Most recently, Molly came to NOLA for a few days of r and r while she is between shows. Here she is enjoying some quality time with her niece and nephew. Molly will admit that she did not have any use for children until the birth of La Luz...she will also admit that she said she doubted she would ever love any children other than La Luz...I think it is obvious that Santi changed her opinion:

Erin Go, Or Not

La Luz, Christian and Nana braved the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day parade and the last annual O'Haynes open house. The weather was lousy so I stayed home with James. They didn't mind and, instead, stood in the middle of a rainstorm just to catch this:


Well, not just a cabbage. They came home loaded down with carrots, potatoes, a variety of shamrock beads, rain-saturated stuffed animals, shot glasses (yea, why would you throw a shot glass to a three year-old?), and flowers. A very odd assortment of loot.

Apparently they had an incredible time and the rain did nothing to stop the revelry. In fact, La Luz was so wiped-out once they got home that she fell asleep in the middle of playing with her toys:


Impressive. Jessie and Beau throw one hell of a party.

Weights & Measures

I did a lousy job of keeping track of La Luz's stats. We were living in chaos in the aftermath of Katrina and, frankly, her height and weight growth were not at the top of the list of things to ponder. Consequently, it is tough for me to remember how she grew in the first few months. This time around I am going to be better about keeping track.

James had a 2 month checkup today and received his first round of shots. He weighs 11.3 lbs and is 24 inches. The pediatrician told me that, based on his size and growth over the past 2 months, he could easily eat 6 ounces in a feeding. She told me to start supplementing with formula because it would be tough to satisfy that sort of appetite solely with breast feeding and pumping, particularly in light of my return to work. She is right. On a good day I can pump enough for 4 ounce bottles. On a day like today I practically have to schedule a time to pump while in the office or it just won't happen. So, I took her advice and started to supplement with Nestle's Good Start. Nana fed him his first formula bottle this afternoon and he ate it all but he gagged every time she tried to give him one later in the day (he must've caught on at that point). This evening I tried and had the same result. I took a taste of the formula and it tasted just like liquid iron. I wouldn't drink it either. There are about 10 different versions of the Good Start formula so finding the one that works for Santi could take a while. In the meantime, I am pumping like crazy, getting in as many feedings as possible when I am home at night and in the morning, and feeling totally sleep-deprived...but loving every minute of it.

Here he is flirting with the doctor:

The Old Pro & The Newbie

We took James to Frankie and Johnny's for his first Friday night, boiled crawfish dinner. You can see he was just bursting with excitement. He stayed like this the entire time:


La Luz, on the other hand, was in her element. I guess Christian taught her his style of crawfish eating last year and I must've missed a step somewhere. Mind you, as a non-native, Christian really only started LOVING crawfish about 5 years ago. He is, without a doubt, far more naturally n'awlins than I could ever dream of being. Here she is, eating crawfish just the way her dad does...ew:


I never have great expectations when it comes to dining at F&J's. This is the place where mom felt something crawling up her leg during a meal and was relieved to find that it was a live crawfish that had made a break for it from the kitchen as opposed to a roach. I am realistic. That said, I was really hoping for a good batch of boiled crawfish and was somewhat disappointed. We went early, around 5:30, so there should have been plenty of crawfish to pick from at that point. My batch was, sadly, sub-par. The crawfish were small, fragile and my basket was filled with a ton of inedible crawfish parts. The seasoning was nice, however, and the convenience factor was huge. I guess we will try again as we get deeper into crawfish season and see if the results are any better.

Things are going okay around here. I returned to work on Monday and it was a lousy day all around. I hate being away from James and I really enjoyed being a stay at home mom for 2 months. I am sure it is even more alluring to me because I had to go back to work but it certainly seems like a lifestyle I could get used to. I think reality is not really going to hit until Nana heads back to Georgia. She is with us for another week and a half and has made the transition much easier. Tonight La Luz told her that she wished she would stay here forever. Me too!

2 Months

Wow. How did that happen? I blinked and my maternity leave ended. It flew by. I knew it would. James is in no way ready for daycare. There is no schedule to speak of, napping is something that happens when he is snuggling under my chin and we are rocking, he hasn't had his shots, he is only just starting to focus on things and laugh and babble, and I can't imagine torturing him with spending his days in car seats and swings. Fortunately, Nana came to the rescue and is here with James for the first two weeks of my return to work. Mom is going to take over for the following two weeks which means that James will not have to go to daycare until he is three months old (which, incidentally, still sounds too young to me, but so it goes).

I can't figure out what the difference is this time around. Why am I so sentimental? Is it because I have a suspicion that this is my last baby? Maybe it is because my maternity leave was interrupted early with La Luz as a result of Hurricane Katrina and at that point I had much bigger things to worry about - fixing a flooded home, making sure we kept our jobs, finding a place to live...? Maybe I didn't know what I was doing and didn't trust myself with La Luz and was ready to hand her off to someone more capable. I can't quite figure it out but it is tugging at my heart more profoundly this time around. I suppose it might have something to do with the fact that the last two months have been blissful. At any rate, it has all come to an end. I am deeply sad about returning to work but also ready to jump in, prove that I can handle it, and start to develop a new routine. I know it is going to be crazy and that is why I am going into it with my eyes shut, holding my breath...wish me luck.

The adorable James (aka "Santi") at 2 months:

Like Mother...

Mom reminded me of an old picture very reminiscent of one of La Luz holding James she took the other night. It is A-mazing.

Me holding Josh at 2 and 1/2 months old:


La Luz holding James at about 2 months old:


I guess the age difference between me and Josh is close to the age difference between the bug and James. I think I was four years old in that picture and La Luz is 3 and 1/2, close enough though...

Things are good around here. Christian returned from Detroit and I managed to keep it together while he was gone and learn some good lessons about what I am capable of doing in my new role as a mother of two.

I have one more day of maternity leave left. It is hard to believe how fast 8 weeks has passed. Fortunately, James will not have to go to daycare immediately. Nana is coming in town for two weeks to take care of him and mom is going to watch him for two additional weeks. At that point he will be about 3 months old. I can stomach sending him to daycare at 3 months, but right now he is just too little and helpless, it would break my heart.

Bliss

Even though things are a bit crazy these days because Christian is in Detroit and I am on my own with a three year old and a newborn...there are still some lovely moments amid the chaos when things look a little something like this:

A Parade Of Her Own

La Luz was inspired by the many days and nights of parade-going and decided to create her own Mardi Gras in the middle of the living room using all of her new catches. The whole scene was very bizarre but it served for a few hours of serious entertainment:

Proteus Progression Shots

La Luz with her fish, 4 years in a row:








Photo credit goes to Christian this year as I was otherwise occupied with baby James. Despite being a mere 6 weeks old, James was a trooper and braved quite a few parades curled up close to me in the Bjorn. He slept most of the time but seemed to enjoy what he saw and heard for the few minutes that he was awake. La Luz, on the other hand, did not miss a beat. While I was inside with James doing whatever it is moms and newborns do (sleeping, eating, changing diapers, watching bad tv), Christian and La Luz were at the parades...all of them. I don't think they missed a single parade (except the truck floats) and probably only missed a handful of floats. Pretty much every day ended something like this:


Here we are, all 4 of us together at Rex earlier today. I realize that I have James covered much like Michael Jackson's kids but the sun was bright and he seemed to prefer being covered, I promise.

Here's Why Sometimes It Is Really Awesome To Live In NOLA

Occasionally during the week before Mardi Gras, a marching band might decide to practice on your street at 2 o'clock in the afternoon while you are minding your own business watching The Dog Whisperer with your newborn baby on your lap:


In My Front Yard, An Impromptu Parade from Julie Vaicius on Vimeo.

For the past week I have been side-lined with a horrible case of mastitis which included the chills, a raging headache, and fever of 104 degrees for a few days. It was possibly the sickest I have ever felt in my life and I don't think I would have gotten through it without my family who totally rallied around me. I will tell you more about it later. I am feeling better now and do not want to relive those hellish days right now. In the meantime, we are gearing up for some serious Mardi Gras fun over the next few days. Well, at least some of us are, I am on antibiotics and trying to put James on some semblance of a schedule, so I imagine this will be the tamest MG I have had in years...and that is really okay with me.

Trying To Create A Happy Baby

The other night, or morning, around 3 a.m. I dusted off my copies of The Happiest Baby On the Block and the Baby Whisperer. I am glad the books survived Katrina and that I saved them (considering that the tips/tricks/techniques were useless in the grand efforts to make La Luz a happy baby). I read them both front to back in preparation for La Luz and it did no good. Maybe it was useless information because I was naive and inexperienced and confused and all the other stuff. Or maybe, as I suspected back then, the bug simply wouldn't conform. Things are different this time around, I hope. Maybe this time it is because I have watched too many episodes of the Dog Whisperer while on maternity leave or maybe it is because I know I have to instill healthy habits and a good routine at an early age, but whatever the reason, I am determined to make things different for the little guy (and the rest of the family).

So, swaddling, it helps, it really helps. I don't have a miracle blanket yet (thanks Calvert) but the hospital grade receiving blankets and the kiddopatamus that mom picked up work very well when used together. In fact, last night I woke up after 1.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep worried that I had swaddled James so tightly that he couldn't breathe and I had to check on him to make sure air was coming out of his mouth and nose. Rocking, this works too but it is exhausting, especially in the middle of the night. White noise, this is also a huge help - the downside - it puts me to sleep too and I wake up 2 hours later asleep in the rocking chair. The best advice and the technique that I really want to embrace is the use of a solid routine - something predictable - a basic one that I am trying to follow is - eat, play, diaper change, nap/bed. In the evening I add a bath and a bit of rocking whenever necessary. It sort of works and I hope that as James gets bigger it will be a reliable routine. The tough part for now is making sure that he doesn't eat more than every 2 or 3 hours. If he eats more frequently, the feedings are insufficient to allow him to sleep undisturbed for more than 3 hours. I am weak and usually cave-in, especially in the evenings which are rough times for most babies. Tonight I was terrible, I fed him in 1.5 hour increments and he was particularly unhappy - it doesn't bode well for what is in store. I guess every day (and night) with a newborn is going to be different so the best thing I can do is remember that the most important tip is to remember to have an endless supply of patience and, fortunately, when I am face to face with this guy at the crack of dawn, somehow the patience is right there:


James, with his Daddy:


The gang. Christian introduced La Luz to Lik-A-Maid today, what a treat: