that we have a placenta in the freezer.

We didn’t know what to do with it at the birth, so our midwives plopped it in the freezer for us. It never dawned on either David or I before the birth that we’d have to make some sort of decision about what to do with it. (To those of you who have had hospital births: look at what you’re missing out on!)

So, until we figure this one out (we’re leaning towards trashing it or burying it in a park somewhere in the middle of the night), it’s sitting in our freezer. Eating it is definitely out. Although we’ve heard there is a service that can freeze dry your placenta and put it in capsules for you. Evidently it’s very nutritious and has a variety of health benefits. Surprisingly (or not), we’re just not that into that idea.

Our new favorite position

I’m such a new mom. David came home from work on Wednesday and found us like this. We had been lying like this for two hours. I didn’t want to put the baby down for fear she might wake up and I was enjoying some calm and quiet “alone” time trying to get caught up with email (ha! I think it will take me weeks to get back to all of you! And I haven’t even gotten to the thank you notes yet! Please be patient with me!). Since then I’ve been perfecting the art of putting the babe down next to me once she hits that deep sleep stage. Somehow before then she has this sixth sense that knows if David or I are not right by her, it’s not sleeping time. I don’t blame her: I feel more comforted when we are touching too. (The first couple days I couldn’t even be in a different room from her: some sort of animal instinct to be with my child right now came out and I couldn’t explain it; I just had to go find her and hold her immediately. Thankfully, that stage has passed.)

The jaundice is gone: a fair skinned, pink baby has emerged! She now looks more like my kid (David is the olive-toned one). Oh, she is so cute. I know I’m biased, but really she is.

Watch out — she’ll stare you down! She can be so serious when she’s awake.

The little squirt not only gained back her birth weight ahead of schedule, but put on 3 extra ounces in less than a week! We are breastfeeding champs in the Spritzer Leyba house. It is, after all, baby’s favorite activity.

We also went out to lunch this week at our favorite vegetarian restaurant in Sebastopol! Babe slept through the whole meal on David’s chest. Yes, he is such a trooper. The meal was delicious and I savored being out and about. It was a warm, gloriously sunny, beautiful day and we loved being out of the house and able to enjoy it. Kuddos to my mother-in-law for encouraging us to do it.

We had several challenges this week though. 1) We were alone, without family to help us, for the first time in almost two weeks. They did so much laundry and grocery shopping while they were here that they left us in a great place and we’ve been able to stay on top of the housework, etc. since they headed home. I think we have transitioned into our own routines nicely as well (though wow do we miss having an extra set of hands to hold the babe when we want to, oh, pee or shower or, say, blow our nose).

2) And just when I thought postpartum recovery couldn’t get any worse, I found out I was wrong: the low point of this week was my run-in with mastitis (including a 101+ fever, chills, etc.) after we tried some new breastfeeding positions (with the baby wandering with her latch during those feedings — evidently, it’s boring when mama sits up to breastfeed) and I lost track of which breast is next in the middle of the night (several times in a row)… thankfully I kicked it without needing antibiotics thanks to herbal supplements suggested by my phenomenal midwife! Oh, I feel so much better now. I have even been doing laundry and loading up the dishwasher for the first time since before Peanut was born. Yes, I actually missed doing housework. I could nest for years.

Yesterday I turned to David and declared that it isn’t going to be pregnancy or labor that will make me think twice about getting pregnant again… but the postpartum recovery. Thankfully, our daughter is a happy, easy baby and we are actually getting quite a bit of sleep each night thanks to co-sleeping. Yes, I know it could be so much worse. And every day I do feel better. I can’t wait to see how I’m feeling in another week or two. And I am looking forward to getting back to exercising regularly. I really miss my yoga routine and our family runs. Soon.

It’s Presidents Day weekend and I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy to celebrate it. I am thrilled to spend this weekend together as a family and savor uninterrupted time with David and our beautiful daughter. Bring it on!

Thanks to Stephanie and Andy for the Eric Carle books and Great Grandma Leff for the adorable outfit and blankets!

Surprised by the lack of photos? My excuse is that I am either breastfeeding or topless or with a double chin in nearly every photo that we have.

Since David returned to work yesterday, I thought I would give myself a little project and try to capture some snippets of our day.

(OMG it is so hard not using Baby Spritzer Leyba’s real name here! I keep finding myself typing it and no luck in the pseudonym department as no other name seems to fit. Her name is just so her. Sorry for teasing you… we’ll try to come up with something soon.)

Here’s our Monday…

8am after feeding and nap, cuddling in bed; mama writes in her journal while baby sleeps

10am grandma holds baby while Carrie cooks breakfast; quick sleepy feeding and sun therapy time (jaundice almost gone!)

11am attempt to assemble crib while babe sleeps (a place to put the baby so I can pee! during naptime! and a future sleeping spot); briefly interrupted for feeding

And then I got completely sidetracked and forgot to write down what we were up to.

I think we ate, changed diapers, wet receiving blankets, did laundry, watched Amelie (we turned on the tv! it’s been off for two weeks), etc. Basically spent the day covered in pee and poop and throw-up. And it was lovely. A perfectly wondrous baby day.

Hello, internet!

We’ve had an incredible week. Baby Spritzer Leyba is such a darling — SO easy and happy. David and I are loving our new roles as parents. By far the most fulfilling experience of my life and all other major life accomplishments suddenly pale in comparison. It’s remarkable. Nature is awesome and so humbling.

And now what you’re all waiting for: stories about the babe.

She is a voracious eater. I am so charmed by her frantic searching for my breast (as if getting on there were the Most Important Thing EVER) and then the look of utter contentment once she’s latched. As to the breastfeeding experience, it’s been easy, thank goodness. We mastered the latch the first day and I’ve gotten less and less sore every day. I’m using my nipples for the first time: no wonder they are tender! New mom’s, make sure you have lots of nipple cream! We also now breastfeed lying down next to each other, tummy to tummy. Super easy, super comfy, and so much more comfortable than sitting on stitches while feeding. We ended up co-sleeping (and now can’t imagine doing anything else), so we can also sleep while breastfeeding, which makes everything easier. Even when she’s up at night we manage to get a fair night of sleep. Phew!

Her features have emerged! Her face swelling is down and suddenly her features are petite, despite her large size. Every day she looks a little bit different, especially as the swelling has decreased and her nose has begun to un-flatten (who knew that birth could be so rough!). Her checks have become more chunky every day. So cute!

Last night the cord stump fell off! Hello little cute belly-button. No word yet on if it’s going to be an inie or an outie belly button. Based on her parents it could go either way. Should we have another poll to guess?

Every day she spends more time awake. It’s so fun seeing her eyes and having alert, awake time that doesn’t involve just breastfeeding! I have been surprised about how challenging it is to have a conversation with a baby who just watches you. Totally stares you down. She’s a gamut of emotions in her sleep, but completely serious and taking everything in when she’s up. She’s darling and I love it.

As for me, I am healing nicely and feeling less exhausted every day. I believe this tiredness has less to do with our nightly sleep patterns and more to do with the exhausting nature of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. My body is going through so many changes right now it completely blows my mind. The good news is that my pregnant belly is mostly gone (though it will be a while until my belly is firm!) and I now weigh just 10 pounds more than my pre-pregnancy weight. The challenge has suddenly become consuming enough calories to keep both Baby Spritzer Leyba and I fed. (It’s hard for a gluten-free pescatarian who eats minimal processed sugar to get an additional 800-1,000 calories!) I know, I shouldn’t complain. I am excited about losing all the “baby weight,” but want to be careful that it happens in a healthy way.

We’ve been spending little to no time online, so we apologize for the infrequent updates and for not yet replying to your wonderful emails and messages! Hopefully I’ll get to them soon, though I make no promises. I have a new full-time distraction and babies are so much addictive than the internet.

At least someone is getting 21 hours of sleep each day.

So, see how David is holding our little one in a football hold in the previous post? Yeah, well, I can’t do that. She’s too long for my arm. And as she’s only going to get bigger I guess I won’t be able to carry her that way. Oh well, it seems only fair: David gets to football hold her and I get to breastfeed. Suck it!

Speaking of which, she LOVES to breastfeed. Milk, nipples, breasts, oh my! She’s totally into it. And keeps trying to latch onto David. Wrong parent, sweetie! The dairy factory is over here.

She thinks life is one big dance party and loves to move not only when she’s awake (reach those arms above your head!), but also in her sleep. Her movements totally match those I felt while she was still in my womb. No wonder it felt like she was up all the time!

We can totally tell exactly how she was lying in utero based on how she likes to position herself now: one hand bent up towards her face (totally felt the arm between her shoulder and the right side of my pelvis — she was even born with it in that position!), legs bowed out (can totally picture those knees pointing up and moving around on my left hand side), and her pressing out moves are oh-so familiar. I love it.

She’s a really noisy sleeper. She jumps around and waves her hands and feet. She coos, gurgles, grunts, and blows raspberries. She makes funny faces — everything from smiles to full-on grimaces. She somehow always manages to free her hands from her swaddling and put them in her mouth. Oh those fingers, they just taste so good!

Her hiccups are enormous. Just like they were in utero.

Written Sunday, February 3, 2008