Homemade Granola and breastfeeding

Okay this will mostly be about granola, but I do want to share why I make granola so often.
Oatmeal! Almonds! Two helpful foods for increasing breast milk supply. I look back on the last few months of my pregnancy, and now I understand my desire to have a bowl of oatmeal so often. Even as I went into labor I enjoyed a bowl of granola with milk. Yum.

What you will need:
2 cups of oatmeal
1/2 to 3/4 cup of sliced almonds
Dash of salt
1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil or a combination of both
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp of cinnamon
Optional:raisins, ctaisins, or other nuts or even seeds
(For the sake of time, I keep this simple.)

Combine all ingredients into a bowl, and mix well. Spread out evenly onto a pan. Bake at 200 degrees for twenty minutes, rotating half way through. Allow granola to sit at room temperature for an hour or so before consuming...or packing it away. You don't necessarily have to melt the butter before --let it melt in the oven.  Mixing it into the dry ingredients as best as you can will suffice. Should yield about 4 cups or so. Add it to yogurt or make a bowl of cereal. Or you can eat it plain.

12-week old baby

Hahaha... so originally I was going to write this post about Tycho when he was ten-weeks old. Hahaha life.

   I love my baby. Although, I recently realized that I would rather deal with dirty diapers then trying to calm him down all the time. Not that he's cranky all the time, but trying to persuade someone to be happy is HARD. Bad? I know. I just find it hard to keep putting out fires all the time. I've been reading in the Old Testament lately, and I've learned that even Moses had to delegate and receive help while interacting with the Israelites. God supports Moses, and gives him guidance in his approach to dealing with the Israelites. For instance, Aaron helps out as well as seventy elders. God also helps me and gives me guidance. I'm also positive that God doesn't want us to be alone in raising kids. So, we have family support. I'm pretty sure I'd go insane if I were single. Not that Tycho is super difficult, but I get tired or cranky because I essentially spend all of my time taking care of this little fellow. I need a little break here and there. I won't deny that the few moments I have for myself are lovely. Moses, I have found your patience, example of prayer, and delegation of duties to be reassuring in motherhood. Also, Daddy is amazing at putting out the fires, and "doing all the things".

Okay about Tycho.

   Okay, I find it frustrating when people ask if he sleeps through the night. Yes, he does. When I get him to bed (the last few week  forever days have been hard since he's had a cold and has been cranky at night) he sleeps all night. No crying, no fussing...just kidding. Although, sometimes, he gets upset because of gas. He eats every two to three hours. I'm not getting as much sleep like some moms who breastfeed because I can't stay semi-asleep while fedding Tycho and I don't breastfeed in bed because we aren't good at laying on our sides and eating. I usually sit in my glider rocker, and feed him. I go to bed at the same time as Tycho so I attempt to get adequate sleep, too (he usually sleeps for 10 hours or so at night).  

   Tycho loves his changing table-- he always has. He loves getting his diaper changed and getting dressed. He smiles so much on that table.
   I'm not sure if Tycho likes taking baths or not because he doesn't smile really, but I think that has to do with the time of day--too tired to smile in the evening. I'm pretty sure he tolerates it. He also pees every single time he takes a bath. Crazy kid.
   He loves a blanket. He doesn't have a favorite, but if you throw a blanket on him, he smiles, grabs a hold of that blanket,  and goes crazy kicking up a storm. (I need to get a video if this 'cause it's so stinkin' cute.)
   Tycho actually enjoys going out in his stroller. He usually falls asleep despite the fact that the stroller isn't a smooth ride. He doesn't mind the car seat.
   He started to wear 3-6 month sized clothes around 7 weeks of age. (He weighed about 13 pounds at the time, too.) Since Tycho was circumcised and then got a cold promptly, and we still begging for a family doctor, we weighed him using our neighbor's scale a week or so ago. He weighs more than 14 lbs. I was surprised he didn't weigh more, but having had a cold, I think that slowed things down? I still changed the same amount of diapers. He recently had a feeding frenxy/growth spurt, so he has gotten kind of chubby again which makes me happy.
   Tycho has different cries now which makes me happy because loud, piercing cry isn't on the menu all the time. He also talks and coos especially when he is lying down on his back. When I sing the song "the wheels on the bus" to calm him down (since that sometimes works), he will atempt to do a duet with me--also something that needs to be recorded. We sometimes call him Mr. Smiles-a-lot, Tiger, or Mr. Toots a lot...
   Tycho rarely spits up, but when he does, I'm never prepared. Instead he drools a lot. And starts making bubbles and foams at the mouth or sucks on his hands when he's hungry. He doesn't like a soother, and after a week of attempting to introduce it-- I really didn't want to introduce it anyway--I gave up. I'm glad I don't have to worry about them 'cause they are kind of gross in my opinion. And he looked ridiculous with a soother in his mouth. Some babies can pull it off, but not Tycho.
  
  Anyway, I think that's all I have to say. I will share some pictures, though.

matching socks! I know moms like to share making toe nail polish, but I have a son. I like this so much.

Tycho waking up daddy. 

had to document Tycho's super long nap...this hardly ever happens

Playing. He can grasp the objects now. I think he likes his mat. 

 
   




      

The Goals of a lesson or talk and what people prefer to not hear

I think that Latter-day Saints have wonderful opportunities to gain knowledge and wisdom through our callings.  I also love that I don't have to listen to one person's perspective on life all the time!  I mean, when we go to Church we literally gather and learn from each other and from the Holy Spirit.  I believe that is one blessing we have in the Church.

When you are preparing for a lesson or a talk, I hope you stop for a moment to think about what your goals are for this talk or lesson.  Because otherwise, I would think it kind of pointless to give a talk or lesson without an end goal for your audience.
When I am preparing for a talk on Sunday, some of the things I would like the audience to gain from my talk are (1) feeling/promoting of/from the Spirit, (2) improved relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, (3) spiritually reenergized or motivation to keep pressing forward (that's one the reasons you go to church, right?), (4) opportunity to worship Christ (5) plus fulfill the promping of the Spirit to teach/preach as he has guided me. Now I believe some of these items overlap, but the point is that YOU as the speaker have goals for your talks and lessons.

I would also like to take a moment to add that some phrases, etc. detract from the talk or lesson. I generally hear these phrases in a talk, but they can heard in a lesson occasionally.

 1. "I looked up the definition of this word in the dictionary to begin with, and ___ means..."
First of all, we recognize that you went through materials to figure out what you wanted to say, so you don't need to state the fact you went through certain materials!  Second of all, think of your talk as an essay (because that's what your talk is).  Do you state, "Well, I went to the dictionary to gain the meaning of the word" in your papers?  No, you don't.  So, don't state your research in your talk or lesson.  We don't want to hear it unless it actually pertains to the talk itself.  If someone really wants to know the references you used then they will ask you later.

And perhaps the best way to approach definitions (if you want to include definitions) is to simply say: "Faith is..." or "The Oxford dictionary defines integrity as..."  But seriously, I think the majority of the people have an understanding of language used in the Church.  We don't need to define the word every single time it's used because we've heard lessons like this one before.

2. "I would like to list all of my shortcomings, things I need to repent of, etc...."

Talks/lessons aren't really the time for personal confessions.  However, if the personal story or confession pertains to the message of your talk, then go ahead and talk about them.  For instance, I once had a Y.W. teacher tell us girls a story from her troubled past, and it was a wonderful lesson because the story had a beginning, a middle, and an end or a resolution.  So unless listing your shortcomings follow the message of your talk or lesson please don't include them.

3. "I'm so nervous to be speaking in front of you"/"When the counselor cornered me for a talk..."

Do you ever hear one of the speakers at General Conference say this to the congregation?  No.  I'm sure they are nervous speaking to such a large crowd, but they don't state the fact!  I mean, the person is basically saying, "This is probably going to be an awful talk, and I'm sorry, but this is the last thing I want to do."  I feel like what people do when they say that is just give up, and I end up tuning out for a while because I don't want to listen to a train wreck.  (sorry!) I want to hear your talk! I mean, I did make it to sacrament meeting and I am sure it is wonderful and insightful, so please don't look so defeated up on the stand.  I want to be edified and lifted up.  I want to gain insight on how I can better myself.  Now, I am sure that speaking in front of others is difficult for some, and I totally get that (I know I am not the most eloquent in front of people), but I promise that the more often you practice speaking in front of others, the easier it gets.  I also recommend reciting your talk a few times before you actually give it in sacrament meeting or following these wonderful tips found here.

4. "I might cry, but please forgive me..."
I know I said talks above, but I often hear this in testimony meetings. Please...just cry.  I understand the warning is meant to be nice, but sometimes, (this is mean of me perhaps) I just want to look away or tune out because I know what is coming.  At the moment someone is saying this I feel like I am invading a personal and private moment, and I'm not sure what to do with myself.  (Maybe this is a fault of mine--that I am not connected with my inner emotions??) Just let it flow naturally like Elder Eyring does it because I'm already flustered with your warning.  I just want to hand you a tissue, and not look into your red eyes.  I also feel like by stating you are going to cry is another way of saying, "I am kind of uncomfortable crying in front of you, but I am going to do it anyways and make you equally as uncomfortable."  So please just let it flow (let it flow, let it flow).  

I hope these tips help, and that I am not too mean in attacking my fellow Church friends.  If you ever hear me do anything listed above, you have every right to laugh at me or something. I realize preparing for a talk or lesson can be difficult, but I am sure you and I have plenty to learn about.

Recipe: Pancakes

I love pancakes.  However, I married someone who doesn't like pancakes, waffles, or French toast...  Don't worry, he will eat crepes, though!  Since my husband doesn't like pancakes, I still make them for me. I will make the batter according to the recipe, and use it over a few days. Since this recipe has raw eggs, you don't want to keep it more than a week (the batter looks really yucky after a few days).

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
2 cups of milk
3 eggs
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar or honey (I use sucanut)
a dash of cinnamon, optional
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil (or a combination of both) plus extra butter for cooking

You can soak the grains in soured milk (milk plus a little bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar) over night to help with phytic acid if you wish to or just make them the morning of.  Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, and add in all "wet" ingredients.
Melt butter in frying pan. Add in 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of batter to hot pan. Allow pancake to cook for a few minutes before flipping it. Cook on other side for a few minutes. Best eaten with lots of butter and real maple syrup. Or you could eat it them with applesauce and a few chopped almonds or even with banana slices and honey.

Do you have a favorite topping for your pancakes?

Conversion story part 1: Baptism

I've wanted to do a post on my conversion into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a while for a couple of reasons.  The first reason is that a few of my (girl) friends have had opportunities to go on missions, and I've can't help but admire their courage and their faith.  As you'll find out later from my experience, sister missionaries are amazing, and I would not be where am I today without them.  The second reason I've wanted to do this post is for reflection on my conversion story in lightly of thr revent lether from Ms. Kelley. I'm not sure what it is, but I always end up reflecting on my membership after reading about her and her feelings about what the church should be.  Honestly, I look back at this time as a time when I learned a lot about myself and my relationship with Christ.

     I feel like a number of events/opportunities in my life have been carefully timed out, and I really believe that everything happens for a reason.  My conversion story started with the simple desire to be baptized.  I had the opportunity to witness a couple of baptisms at a couple of churches during the summer before I entered the fifth grade.  Watching those two people get baptized really made me wonder why I wasn't baptized or whether I was baptized as a baby, etc.  I also remember my step-sister and step-brother looking and sharing at a picture of themselves right after they had gotten baptized.  I really wanted to be like them partially because I looked up to them and partially because I felt it was right.  My dad and my step-mom weren't really religious, and we didn't attend church often as a family, but they had my siblings and me attend a local church youth activity on Wednesday nights.  I recognized that baptism is pretty important for the spiritual well-being just like I recognized that having Christ in my life is important as I was taught at this youth program.

    However, I didn't share this desire to be baptized with anyone at the time because I am not a very assertive person, and honestly I didn't think my dad and step-mom would understand or really care to do anything about it.  But fortunately, my mom moved closer to me later that summer and ended up staying for a while.  So, my sister and I would spend time with her on the weekends and we would end up going to church with her.  One Sunday, after a sacrament meeting in which a little girl was proclaimed as the newest member of the ward after having just been baptized, I got up the courage and I said, "Mom, I want to get baptized."  She laughed and said, "Well, you just can't get baptized; you have to talk with the missionaries."  So I said, "Okay.  Well, I want to see the missionaries then."

It was that easy.. . Actually asking for this was still hard.

So, we set up an appointment with the missionaries, and I'm sure I must have been the easiest person to teach because I was just so ready.  The missionaries that I saw were Sister "Po" and Sister "O".  Sister "O" was from Mongolia, and I can't remember her actual last name now, but she was really sweet and courageous because she was the only member of the church in her family.  Sister "Po" was from Idaho, and I really admired her as well.  Sure, I didn't know what I was getting into, but after praying about this Church and The Book of Mormon, I felt good about it.  Not only that, everything that the missionaries taught just clicked in my mind.  Learning about the Gospel was amazing because everything felt simple, yet the teachings are complete. I was really at peace.  I loved it. These sisters were wonderful, and we had amazing discussions, and I felt the love of Christ as they taught.

    I started taking discussions in late August or September, and I was baptized a couple of months later on 26 November 2000 on a cold Sunday evening.   Because I saw my mom every other weekend, I didn't go through discussions very quickly.  My baptism is special to me because I really wanted it.  I wanted to be 'saved' as some churches say, and I wanted to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Afterwards, I didn't necessarily feel different, but I felt good. The only regret I have is that I didn't invite all of my family to my baptism because I was worried that my parents would just end up in an argument (not over my baptism, but a fight in general). My dad found out my sister and I had been baptized when we came home with wet hair. ("Are you trying to get sick?!")      

   I was confirmed a week later in sacrament meeting. Even though I learned about confirmation and the gift of the Holy Ghost from the sisters, I still didn't know exactly what was going on. So I remember looking around as I was being confirmed. I wish I could remember some of what was said.

 This is part one of my conversion story. I will continue the rest of this story in part 2.

6 weeks

Tycho looks like me here, but I think he resembles Greg.

Tummy time with daddy (this outfit hardly fits him now :( ).

father's day

Makin' cute faces at daddy

I wish I had a picture of Tycho going home from the hospital, but this is the cute outfit he wore. Now he actually fits it better.

Sleepy baby in a blanket my Nana made before she knew I was having a boy...but I love the color combination so there.

I can't believe I've been a mama for over a month now! Time flies so quickly. It truly feels like yesterday since we brought our son home. Sometimes I forget momentarily when I am alone and Greg is with Tycho in another room. "Oh yeah, I have a baby..." (If you notice typos, I apologize; typing on a tablet is hard, but it's easier to hold than a laptop when I have a sleeping baby in my lap. Also, blogger decided to put pictures in the wrong place, and I've been working on this post for too long to care about nitty gritty details like that especially while working on a blasted tablet. )
                                            About Tycho
So thus far Tycho has been eating like a champ, and weighed 11 lbs, 10 oz. when we took him into the midwive's office last week. I am quite pleased to hear that breastfeeding is going well. He is 24 inches, and his head measures 50 cm... if that means anything to you. All I know is Tycho has a nice bald line across the back of his head now.

He has a nice grip now--I now need to keep the hair pulled back so he won't grab unto it all the time. But I think it's cute when he grabs unto my shirt while eating.

Tycho has started to babble or coo when he's happy (usually after he poops/diaper change).

He enjoys tummy time and play time so much. The activity mat is a great toy. When he's hanging out on us and looking over our shoulder, he'll show off his neck muscles and push off our body with his strong arms.

Sometimes he'll start to chew on my shirt or shoulder when he wants to eat.  He's pretty cute.

Somehow Tycho manages to get lint stuck to his fingers, and stuff under his nails. Crazy kid. Although, I think he gets stuff under his nails when he grates his finger nails across the sheet at night. Creepy!

He gets hiccups a lot, and I think it's a sign from lack of good burping and waking up when he's still fatigued?? I don't know. I just know that grunting starts it.

Methinks he's starting to get cradle cap (ew).

He likes to walk (I mean hang out in our arms) around the play ground in our back yard as our nightly routine.

Tycho has also started to smile at us. Hooray! This also usually takes place around the time he poops...

Tycho loves to sleep on his side. It drives me crazy sometimes especially when I think of SIDS. He has started to sleep on his back more frequently, but he flails so much more and wakes easily, so we have had to learn to swaddle...yeah I didn't swaddle foe a while because it's so hot in our room in the summer plus I suck at swaddling/didn't know any better...I thought the sleep sack would be sufficient. But now it's kind of late for a good swaddle without flailing arms because he likes his hands free.

                                     Things I have learned:
  As a new mom, I kind of wish I had known things concerning naps and sleep, etc. I don't necessarily have a schedule for Tycho, but man, I wish I had placed some kind of regular, yet flexible routine at the beginning.  Not just for his sake, but for mine (so selfish,  I know). Now trying to find some kind of lifestyle I can manage is hard since we didn't establish something early on. Yay for fixing something late in the game!!! I already feel like a failure parent because I let Tycho fall asleep in my lap, but this way I know he will actually sleep. Now I just get so antsy to do things all the time, but since Tycho doesn't sleep well on his own for very long (less than an hour). it's hard and we're working on that.  Sigh.

Parenting has a steep learning curve and I find myself trying to keep up. So much mommy guilt already, too.
 
 Changing diapers wasn't so terrible initially. It was only until my milk came in that we had problems. I can't count how many times we had to change Tycho into dry clothes because he peed all over. All I have to say is now I've learned to make sure the penis is pointed down! And to untuck the diaper leg holes, and that certain brands are better than others. (I didn't realize that diapers were not supposed to allow poop to constantly get through the leg holes, but now I know better, and it was seriously driving me crazy...silly sleep-deprived me I just assumed this would be the life from now on.)

 Some people enjoy their early morning run; others, coffee, but Tycho likes his early morning poop. Tmi? Yes... it means that I have to really wake up. I guess his smiles are worth the 5 or 6 a.m. wake call...

I can make a guess as to what time it is at night and early mornings on clear days based in the sun's location now...

Babies are noisy sleepers! Seriously I understand why some would keep baby in their own room at night even at the beginning...

I love hearing Greg talking to Tycho especially when I'm in another room. His voice is so soothing and sweet. Greg is a good daddy. And he is so patient with Tycho even during Tycho's crying spells (I'm still learning patience and long-suffering).

I didn't realize babies aren't born with eye lashes. Weird, eh?

Breastfeeding makes you hungty. I often find myself eating or snacking when Tycho eats.

Two days old and getting ready for his first bath since the hospital didn't feel it was necessary to get blood and gunk out of his hair.

so relaxed, I think...I think he just tolerates a bath

Anyway, that's what going on with us. We love our sweet, happy baby. 

Birth story: part 2

    The first part of my birth story was about the week waiting on going going into labor as well as my early labor experience. The second part is about my labor on Saturday, delivery of Ty, and recovery.

     So after sleeping for an hour and a half after receiving the epidural, I woke up and ended up talking with the nurse who was monitoring me for most of the morning. I mean, it's kind of difficult to sleep when people are checking up on you quite a bit, when you are still trembling like crazy (thanks epidural for the help?), and when you become paranoid about your baby's condition after they find that his heart rate dropped momentary and you are placed on oxygen. Fortunately, his heart rate dropped just the one time.

   Contrary to what I've heard about eating while in a medicated labor, I did get to eat a granola bar at six a.m. even though I was like 7 cm dilated.  It was manna from heaven although I needed and wanted-- to brush my teeth later. Does/did anyone else think about brushing their teeth while in labor?

   At 7 a.m., the nurse that monitored me all night left, and another came to replace her. I really liked the new nurse because she was so personable,  and I feel so fortunate she was there for this part of labor.
   About the time nurses switched out, things with my labor also changed. I was 7-8 cm dilated and I felt the urge to push because of the amount of pressure on my rectum. It turns out the epidural wasn't enough for the job, so I was given another numbing medication that also kind of wore off because I ended up needing to breath and do horse lips through contractions again so I would relax and wouldn't start pushing too soon.  Fortunately, I didn't need to wait long until I was fully dilated. About nine, the nurse called my midwife, and started to set things up for the delivery. She also told Greg and my mother-in-law to eat food because she wasn't going to stop and help them out if they fainted. Lucky them... I was hungry, too.

   I only pushed for half an hour; Ty was born at 9:58 a.m. I may have been called a champion pusher afterwards by the doctor, midwife, and nurses, but I still had to comment that pushing hurt and ask why my vagina hurt so badly several times. I mean, I did end up with a two-degree tear...  I thought the pain would be pretty much over with when I delivered Ty, but man, receiving stitches was no walk in the park.

  Ty came out perfectly healthy--scored a 9/9 on the Apgar test. Greg was surprised by the doctor being so "rough" with him as he was delivered. I didn't notice; I remember being so overjoyed to have him on my chest and in my arms even though he was covered in a blood.  Initially, we thought his hair was dark brown because of all the blood stuck to it, but it turns out it's a lovely light brown. He obviously gets his hair color from me, but the rest of features are still undetermined except his toes; he definitely has daddy's toes (my toes are short little sausages).

Here is my cutie being weighed.  He loves lying on his side.

I had to put him down so I could sleep. 

  Greg and I hadn't even decided on a name at the time Ty was born. It was only after Ty was wiped down, weighed (8 lbs, 15 oz), measured (21 inches), and Greg got real food to eat that we discussed names.
  Throughout this pregnancy, I couldn't come up with any other names for this little guy besides Luke and Tycho. Greg on the other hand would tease about Tycho's name. "How about Chewbacca Tyrone? CTR (Chicks think Richins or choose the right) is a great name." And since we were watching the NBA playoffs, he got plenty of ideas for unusual names... When Greg told me his idea for Tycho's full name (which I won't disclose here), I was pleased and readily agreed. Before we knew Tycho was for sure a boy, I felt impressed that Tycho was his name, and I'm glad that Greg stuck it out with this name idea even when I wasn't always sure. However, I was a bit worried that the full name we came up with a long time ago was too unusual. At one point, I told Greg that we needed to come up with a normal name along with his unusual name. So that's how I came up with Luke which Greg doesn't like.
Anyway,  the funny part is that I sometimes think of Tycho as Tycho Tyrone... thanks Greg.

  Recovery at the hospital was hard. The bed was crazy uncomfortable-- who designs a bed where the end of it angles down?!I felt like I was sliding down that bed all day.   It hurt to lie there after I delivered Tycho because he adjusted my the placement of my tailbone in delivery (ouch). I LOATHED the IV in my arm, and I just wanted to get it out right away, but the rule was I had to have it in for six hours after delivery. Those were the longest six hours of my life. I was physically exhausted, and I wanted my own bed and comforts of home. We brought the Lego movie with us to watch, and we did watch, but I was so tired I fell asleep.  When the nurses came to help me go to the bathroom around 4 p, m., I ended up sitting on the floor in the bathroom very dizzy and light headed because I was so fatigued.
 
   Unfortunately, this meant I had to be hooked up to stupid IV longer and that we couldn't leave the hospital sooner. I was told I needed to sleep, so Greg and I did until Ty started crying and the IV monitor started beeping and both woke us up. Another nurse, who I didn't really like, came to help me out with nursing. Because I whimpered as she made Ty cry even more she thought I had anxiety, but really I just wanted her to leave him alone, but felt like I had no power to say that. (I'm pretty sure she was the reason we ended up staying much longer.) After we were woken up, Greg decided to take the opportunity to watch the Champions League final. And to top off the terrible recovery process at the hospiral, the staff brought me dinner, left it on the counter where I couldn't reach, and then took it away before I had a chance to eat it. I was in the middle of nursing and then finally proceeded to get dressed with the help of nurses. When was I supposed to eat?! So after we finished off all of the snacks we brought in the hospital bag, I decided to raid their fridge for food they have for patients, and shared my findings with Greg even though he technically wasn't supposed to have any food.
Punks.

Greg had to do skin-to-skin to raise Tycho's temperature and heart rate while I was finally putting real clothes on. I'm sad that I didn't get a picture with Tycho at the hospital, but I looked incredibly wiped out... So imagine me with really pale skin--like I lost blood, lots of sleep, and 20 pounds . 

  I guess the final highlight from the hospital was getting Ty dressed to get ready to go. I put a little shirt on him, and I was about to get some pants on when I noticed his diaper needed to be changed (Greg would like to point out that he changed the first diaper). Ty had a lovely poopy diaper for me, so as I'm about to clean him up, more poop just keeps spewing out causing a lovely mess and a first change of outfits--I don't know how he got poop on his shirt, but it happened. A nice poop the first day was a great sign that we didn't have to worry about jaundice, right?

  So about 8 p.m., we finally left the hospital, and I rejoiced that I could sleep in my bed, and I raided my fridge for pizza Greg and Sue bought the day before ready to experience a long night of trying to breastfeed Ty. (Haha.. Greg was cute, and we were super naive that night; "So do you need to set an alarm so you can feed him?" I did set an alarm, but obviously I didn't need it.) Learning to breastfeed took a few long, difficult days before we mastered it, but Ty eats like a champ now. He weighed 9 lbs, 4 oz ten days after he was born. Huzzah! And now I need him to learn to sleep like a champ-- like sleep the hours a newborn apparently needs to sleep--not necessarily though the night.

  Anyway, that was my birth story. Having a unnatural birth wasn't my plan, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I have a healthy baby boy, and I have recovered well from labor. All I think I need/want is eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, but for now, I'll enjoy the late night feedings and cuddles with my baby boy.