Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Clearing Out the Cobwebs

Hey Humble Readers...

Are you still out there? 

Have you given up on me?  I wouldn't blame you one bit if you had. 

My only excuse for my ridiculous absence is a love affair of gargantuan proportions.  Honestly, I could stare at her for hours... watching her sleep, holding her (even when she's screaming her lungs out), watching her eyes light up when she recognizes me or my Beloved... heck even changing her stinky diapers is a joy.  I am gaga over her, and proud of it.  My only regret is that I am woefully out of touch with my bloggy sisters.  But I hope to correct that starting today.

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Ginevra is growing like a weed!  She's now over 11 pounds and has already outgrown much of her newborn wardrobe.  In most developmental areas, she's doing very well, altho she is still a little on the slow side when it comes to holding up her head... but that is primarily due to how she was positioned inside me.  Her neck is slowly getting stronger, and soon will catch up with the rest of her.  Ginny sleeps like a trooper, and she's even given us two nights with 8 hours of sleep (she usually averages about 6.5).  I know we're being spoiled, and I fully expect the other shoe to drop, either when teething starts or when she's 13... who knows.  She started bestowing little gummy smiles on us around Christmas, but they are still more gas related rather than joy induced.  She loves her bathtime, and if she didn't have such dry skin I would bathe her everyday just to watch the look on her face when she hits the water.  I can't believe it's been more than 6 weeks since she was born!

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I knew to expect weird dreams during pregnancy, but why did no one warn me about the nightmares after the baby is born?  Countless nights I have woken up gasping for breath and trembling after watching her fall down stairs (a recurring image) or seeing some grotesque deformity (like eyeballs sprouting in her cheeks) form. 

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Breastfeeding is still not perfect, but it's gotten better.  She typically nurses all day and evening, and only gets one formula bottle at night.  I'm still on the domperidone, and I've added fenugreek to help my milk supply.  I have almost completely stopped pumping, which is a relief.  I would gladly have done it for months if I had to, but it really was tiresome.  The one thing I'm still struggling with, and it might just be a matter of being shy, is bf-ing in public.  Being a plus size woman, I am not able to hold her in the typical cross cradle hold.  I use the football hold instead.  But figuring out how to manage that when we are out and about, and still feel discreet is a huge challenge.  Any suggestions? 

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My weight loss has plateaued, and over Christmas I actually gained a little bit back.  Not that that was entirely unexpected, given how quickly I lost all that weight, and the fact that I was eating all kinds of crap.  I'm trying to be better behaved now and am working out every day with my Wii Active.  Since the GD, I have developed a huge sweet tooth, which I can't seem to shake.  I've always loved carbs, but now, bring on the sugary goodies... I used to be more about the salty snacks.  Odd...  I have to go for a GTT next week (yuck!) but my blood sugars have been well in line ever since Ginevra was born. 

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Old Man Winter decided this weekend that we had been getting off easy on the frozen flatland.  Temps plummeted again (today it's -19 C, -26 C with the wind chill), and we got a huge dump of snow on Saturday.  I learned a valuable lesson on Sunday afternoon... those 'Shape Up' shoes do not work well when you are in knee deep snow.  I fell twice trying to carry in the groceries.  I didn't hurt myself too bad, but I did land on my a$$ in the snow surrounded by cans of frozen juice. 

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I'm off to go bake a cake... and if it turns out well, I'll post pics tomorrow.  I don't normally do too well with the whole baking thing, but this recipe seems like a no-brainer.