Fluidity

Derek has gone back to work, somehow envying my position of home-bound mommy milk machine. I can't say I blame him, but it is no easy job for me either. I figured I spend 6-7 hours feeding and burping Theo in a 24 hour period. Then I try to get in some chores, a shower, graze on snacks, take a walk with the stroller, and maybe take a nap with the baby on our new leather recliner/rocker loveseat in the afternoon. Atleast I'm not sleep deprived! Theo's been good to us, sleeping all night with one break at about 3 am for a milk refill. He's only fussy when he's got gas, which can be remedied by allowing him push up and down with his legs either at an incline on his stomach or standing. His muscles are surprisingly strong. He has held his head up from birth, but now he looks all around and needs no support except for when he gets really tired. He's also been able to push himself up with his arms for awhile and use his legs to stand with some aid in lift. Theo tracks sound and people like a feline. Derek and I have discovered that he is a fan of ambient electronica, especially Brian Eno (Music for Airports). I know babies are not supposed to smile on purpose for another month, but he smiles so much and usually in correlation to the proximity of another's smile or attention...I'll let the critics make their own judgment on that one. All in all, we have been enjoying our calm, happy, and now chubby babe. Really, he's getting chubby people...gaining about a pound a week and closing in on 12 pounds so far. I have recently been able to enjoy a beer every so often. Optimater, how I missed you! Of course I pump ahead of time so the baby is not affected, so no gasps of consternation from the peanut gallery please. For my birthday I went to the Rathskellar and enjoyed a Weihenstephaner Dunkel Weiss and Spaten Optimator and finished off the night with a sacher torte. I was not quite sturzbesoffen but I was a little angeheitert. Below are some more recent pictures of our growing little milk monster and expert shartmaster.

Happy Birthday Theodore Martin Brost!

Theodore was born on 8/30/08 at 12:14 pm after 27 hours of labor and pushing. We are both healthy and happy, especially now that we are home and have gotten some rest. The delivery was drug free for 23 out of 27 hours. I had an epidural only when my cervix started to swell and close instead of open which brought on extremely painful, long contractions and an increased chance of a C-section... I feel bad for the people next to us. I guess was pretty loud for about an hour an a half before I decided to get relief. Derek got to hear and see a whole new side of me! Anyway, after I got the meds I opened up, pushed for about two and a half hours, and out came my boy. I was up and walking hours after delivery and have gotten along with Tylenol alone. I think things turned out pretty well. The doc and nurses were awesome and very helpful. They let me spend much of my labor in the shower, walking around, and pretty much unhooked to any machines and tubes, although I had to have an IV well put in just in case.
Derek was sobbing while he took many of the early pictures of Theo so they may be a little fuzzy. His head and nose were squished from his passage, but he looks well proportioned now. He's got the Vest head wrinkles, my lips, chin, and check bones, Derek's eyes, hair, length, and big feet- almost a perfect hybrid.
A special shout-out to Julie and Les for the massage! What a wonderful thing that was...I felt like I had just backpacked over hill country for three days and the therapist took it all away. We have enjoyed the flowers, gifts, visits, and naps that said visits bring. Derek has become an excellent household chef and I the milk factory. We are adjusting, but content and loving our time with our new son.
If anyone wishes to look at the pictures in a larger format or download a few just click on the slideshow a second time and it should take you to my web album.