Emi's First Doctor's Appointment

Emi had a busy day today. I had to run by the office quickly to finish up a few things. Tommy and Emi went with me so that Tommy could wash the car and stop by the bank. I was planning on taking Emi inside my office with me, but as we were driving to my office I said to Tommy "Don't you just love being a dad? I love being a mom." Tommy said "Well, I feel like you get to experience being a mom more than I do a dad." I instantly felt a little guilty. Am I hogging too much time with her? Should I be delegating more tasks to him? Since Emi is strictly breast fed then I obviously get more time with her because I am feeding her at least 8 times a day and a feeding takes a minimum of 45 minutes. (Who knew breast feeding alone was a full time job?) Tommy is somewhat anxious for me to start pumping so that he can bottle feed her with the breast milk. I'm not quite as anxious as he is, but I think he knows what special bonding time Emi and I have when I feed, and I think he wants to experience that too! So while I went into the office Emi stayed with Tommy and they ran errands together.

We stopped by my mom's house for a special lunch date with my mom, Anthony and Angie. Angie LOVES babies, and she enjoyed holding Emi and Emi enjoyed being held by her. Angie was a bit upset when it was time for me to leave as there was a bit of a struggle to get Emi out of her arms. Angie kept asking my mom "Pauline, can't I hold her a little bit longer?" As if my mom had the authority to trump my decision making power over Emi. It was really sweet. Also, it was nice that Anthony seems really fond of Angie, and Anthony usually isn't fond of anybody. He was asking Angie all sorts of questions and asking her to play cars with him. It was a fun lunch! Also, Anthony also gave Emi two kisses on the forehead. Talk about major progress! I wouldn't say that Anthony loves Emi yet, but he is super sweet to her.

We made our way out to Dr. Rinderknecht's office in Waukee for Emi's appointment. This was like the first test to see if they really should have let us take Emi home from the hospital. I enjoy breast feeding, but there is a certain element of the unknown that comes with it that drives me a little nutty. (On a related note: do you know those type of people who do not find out the gender of their child until birth and they act like they are just a little bit better than those who do find out the gender? Come on, you know those type of people. Well, I totally feel that way about breast feeding. I totally have my nose up in the air about breast feeding Emi, and actually being good at it. Yah- hate all you want!). Anyway, they say babies are supposed to be back to their birth week by two weeks. Emi was born 7-13 and today she weighed.... 8-5!! As the Doctor said "Well, it looks like your breast milk came in just fine." Also, I remember my mom telling me when they measured Emi at the hospital that they did a piss poor inadequate job measuring her. Unless Emi grew 2 inches since birth, my mom is right. Today she was 22 inches long. She was measured at 20 1/4 at the hospital.

I absolutely love Dr. Rinderknect. I love how the nurses in the office wanted to hold Emi like they don't see a new born everyday. I love how before Dr. Rinderknecht came into our room I heard him say to the nurse "Oh, I've met Emi before!" Seriously, this guy sees tons of babies at the hospital each week and he remembered our little Emi!! He keeps a straight face when Tommy asks him why some of Emi's poop stinks and some doesn't (kudos to my hubby for sniffing her diaper... in my opinion, they all stink, and I don't need to sniff them!) He does a really thorough job answering our questions and taking care of Emi. It is so nice to have such a great caregiver for her! And when we leave the office he says "Well, take care of this little gal, and we'll see ya again in 6 weeks!" Will do, Doc! It also doesn't hurt that the nurses kiss your butt compliment your child by saying "Wow- she is so alert for a 2 week old!" We were beaming the entire appointment!

I found the questionnaire that they asked before the appointment a little confusing. For example, it asks "What new things is your child doing." Um.... she is two weeks old. Everything she is doing is new! They also asked random things about your child like whether she lifts her head at all while laying on her back, whether she makes eye contact with you, and whether she turns her head to noises. Well, if I knew I was going to be quizzed about this then I would have been paying better attention. I mean, I think we are making eye contact, but I'm not really sure if she is looking at me. I found the most humorous part of the survey where it asks you to mark either "not stressful" "slightly stressful" or "very stressful" to some questions. The questions included "I find taking care of my new baby..." or "With a new baby, I find my homelife is..." I marked both questions "slightly stressful." Um... isn't taking care of a newborn and adding another family member to your house stressful regardless of how well it is going? I wouldn't call it a bad stressful, but it definitely changes the dynamic. Tommy must be living in a different household because he reviewed the questionnaire and changed my answers to "not stressful at all." So says the dad....

Because Emi is over 8 pounds now she gets to use her new bouncy chair! It was a hit, but at the end of the day she just loves to be held by anybody her mama!

Spousonomics

A while back I skimmed read a book "Spousonomics." The point of the book was how to divide up life tasks in your marriage. Specifically, the book focused on how in your marriage you should not divide up tasks 50/50 but rather you should each find the tasks that you either enjoy or are efficient at and complete those tasks. When each partner finds the tasks they are good and efficient at it results in more time for the spouses to take on fun things together rather than completing tasks. (Note: the book did not really address how to handle the situation when you are better and more efficient at almost everything than that of your spouse- talk to me about this in private.... just kidding.).

Tommy and I are usually pretty good at dividing our tasks based on strength, importance of tasks to each individual, and overall efficiency of the household. For example, I do not mind doing laundry, and I prefer to do laundry so that Tommy does not accidentally dry something I do not want dried. I am not that good at folding, and neither is he, but this is generally a task we do together. Tommy irons/steams his own dress shirts because I do not find that as important as he does (just wear a sweater of it). Tommy is a better cook than I am so he generally takes on that roll. He is also good and picking up dinner to go.

On a day to day basis, I would say the Takekawa's have a pretty strong economy. There are a few things that Tommy and I both fall short on. And thanks to my girlfriend, Laura, we will soon be resolving that issue by hiring a nice lady named Erma to come vacuum and mop our floors and clean our bathrooms. The book, however, would disagree and state that the Takekawa economy is not that strong. Here is a perfect example: the book says that if you have a light bulb that remains burnt out for a long period of time that would be a sign that your household is not functioning efficiently. I have had a light bulb burnt out in my bathroom for probably 3 8 months. In fact, now there are three light bulbs burnt out in my bathroom. However, neither Tommy nor myself care enough to walk downstairs (or go to home depot) to pick up the light bulbs. There are still 8 other lights that work in there. We can see just fine (or maybe not if you are thinking back to my post about my bathroom mirrors reflecting a much prettier person than my camera). I would contend that the book is wrong is stating that this is a sign of a failed household economy. We are saving time by waiting for more light bulbs to burn out. Also, if that inefficiency is not important to either of us should we really care? Ironically, I think about this every morning when I turn on my my bathroom light and see the bulb burnt out.

There is a time every year when our economy is reviewed and a deep discussion takes place about household tasks. The time of year always seems to coincide with a visit from his mother. See, Tommy's mom is good at cooking, cleaning up the dishes, and being a very traditional housewife (when she is at her own home). This is not my forte. While she is at our house the differences in our strengths (or what things she is better than me at as we would never discuss what I can do better than her) are highlighted. I can see the disappointment in my husbands face when he realizes its dinner time and not only have I not prepared anything but there is nothing in our kitchen to prepare. I think he is somewhat embarrassed that this is not a task that I am good at or even care to be good at (even though he always says he didn't marry me for my cooking). I, in turn, hate feeling like I have no worth in the Takekawa economy because I did not prepare or even attempt to prepare dinner (nor lunch nor any other meal for that matter).  In my mind I am thinking "yes, while I am not a great cook, I am good at earning money that can buy us better tasting food, and we can spend the time we would otherwise preparing it just spending time together."

So again last night we discussed our economy. And we came to the same conclusion that we always do...  our economy runs well the way we have it. It does not make sense for us to change tasks, and we do not think that we would have a happier life if I in fact was able to cook a meal every night. It is a good reminder that you cannot measure the value of one spouse based on one factor in the marriage. Just because one person does not work, does not cook, or does not clean does not mean they do not play an important role in the economy. You have to do what works best for your household and not compare your economy to anybody else's.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for this beautiful weather. Even though I haven't gotten out much, it is nice to have the sun shining bright through the windows. I really want to take Emi out for a walk, but I cant decide whether its still too cold for that or not. Google says it would be fine.

I'm thankful that our first doctor's appointment for Emi is tomorrow. She has been having the hiccups quite a bit, and I am anxious to talk to the doctor about that. Also, there has been some discussion regarding the number of hours she sleeps without a feeding and whether I should let her do that. Ironically, two nights ago she went two five hour stretches without eating. It was bliss. However, when people find this out they seem to be jealous appalled, making me feel like I should be waking up my perfectly content baby to have her barely eat. Emi must have felt my inner conflict about that because last night she woke up every two hours to feed! Oh, what a night! I will be glad to know that she has gained weight and relieved when the doctor tells me I can continue to let her sleep.

I am thankful that the cute little hat I ordered already arrived. Emi has an upcoming photo shoot, and I really wanted her to be able to sport this hat:

Lastly, I'm thankful that Emi's newborn photos came in the mail today (the ones the hospital took). When Tommy and I ordered the photos we were under the impression we had just ordered one picture for three different poses. We were pleasantly surprised when the pictures arrived and we had two pictures each for the three different poses.

Last night Tommy and I gave Emi a bath. I love how soft her hair is after I wash it. Emi and I are going to have to discuss how she wants her hair styled!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We have had a fairly typical  new typical type of day. Emi slept pretty well last night, but we still took our time getting out of bed this morning. Grandma Van Wyk brought us over some Jimmy John's for lunch, and Anthony came along and gave her a Valentine's kiss! This is progress for Anthony as he pretends like he likes Emi, but it is obvious he doesn't really care for her. When Anthony saw Emi in her Valentine's outfit he declared "What a Cutie!" I agree, Anthony!

We bought a new camera for Christmas, but I haven't had time to learned how to use it. Plus, I'm generally against reading user's manual. I was messing around with it today and found this "softening" feature. I love this picture it look of Emi.

Tommy took his mom to a movie for the evening. I'm staying at home working on Emi's baby book and finishing up a few things around the house. This is Emi's expression when I told her Daddy took Grandma Takekawa to the movies for Valentine's Day and left us at home.

This is Emi listening to me telling her that it is okay that Daddy took Grandma to the movies. This means we get to take a nap together and shop online for our own Valentine's day presents!

This is Emi five minutes later. She always falls asleep in my arms and makes it so tough to put her down to get things done. I just end up watching hours of tv so I don't have to disturb her. She says "Mommy, can I fall asleep in your arms so that I don't get one of those bald spots on the back of my beautiful dark hair?"

Okay, after an hour I finally put her down so I could get some stuff done. What is crazy is that the first week when I was home with her I didn't have any problem putting her down and handing her off to somebody to get stuff done. (I think I was just happy I could finally move around normally again and had some energy!). Now, I never want to put her down or give her up!

10 Things...

Here are ten thoughts from today:

1. I love E! Channel! You know how much time I can waste a day watching that? Fashion Police, E! News, Kardashians, E! True Hollywood Story! I'm now finishing up a special of Hollywood's 15 Most Tragic Deaths. On a side, did I ever tell you that I have always felt my calling in life was writing in the entertainment industry?

2. My Trickster Daugther! There is not much I know yet about being a parent, but one thing I do know is when my daughter is hungry. See, she feeds between 8-10 times a day and considering that she is 10 days old... I've fed her anywhere between 80-100 times already. Still, my mother in law insists that I am not feeding my child enough because she moves her head around as if she is hunting for my nipple. Ironically she only does this when she is down in the living room with my mother in law and I am up in the bedroom. Tommy will then bring Emi to me and say that she is hungry. Emi will then sit contently on my chest and fall asleep... not needing a thing to eat. I contend she just wants to be by mommy so that is her way of manipulating the situation. Well played, Emi. Well played.

3. Isn't the female body (not mine in particular- just in general) pretty amazing? Below are pics of me at 39 weeks, 36 weeks, and 10 days post birth? I can't believe how much my body has changed over the last 6 weeks. More so, I cant believe the work that my body did to produce such a little miracle and the work that it is still doing to provide for her.

4. Candy. Have I ever told you that my favorite candy is Easter candy? I was so thrilled when I was at the store the other day and saw the Easter candy out. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my Valentine Malted Milk Balls. These treats are amazing. They have "milk" in them so they must be healthy, right?

5. Okaboji Bar and Grill. I do not like this place; however, on Mondays they have $5.99 burger baskets which are very good. There is also one about 1/2 mile from my house. For the quality of food and the price, it doesn't get much better than that. Especially when you get to take it "to go."

6. Winter Projects. Don't think this new mom has forgotten about her winter project list. Remember the ten things I wanted to accomplish before the winter season was over? Last night my mom picked me up and we went out to Menards. The door levers I need were on sale plus right now Menards has an 11% rebate on everything (including the Easter candy I bought!). While the door levers are still in their box, buying the materials is often half of the battle. I still may get my list accomplished prior to Spring!

7. Emi's photo. Remember those cute owl pic stickers that my sister got Emi for Christmas? Here is her newborn pic. Such a cutie!

8. My Crazy Mind! So I told Tommy last night that I was totally ready to have another baby once my stitches heal. He looked at my kind of surprised: "Don't you remember the labor?" Hmmm.... I must not. I also learned that Tommy actually did not see her delivery because he was so worried about me and was only paying attention to me. And that would be the last time he worried about me before Emi...

9. Tommy and I swear that Emi smiles at us already. I've researched this on the Internet and they confirm its not possible that she is smiling socially and rather it is a reflex that she has. Regardless.... isn't this face to die for?!

10. We LOVE visitors here! Great Grandma stopped by yesterday with Uncle D and Auntie B. Its always a treat when Great Grandma is here. Last time she panicked us by saying "Hey, I don't think this baby is breathing!" She was just fine. Lol. Yesterday she told me that I was doing a good job feeding Emi because "this baby already has a double chin!"

Mail Bag....

I LOVE getting the mail on Friday and Saturday. Generally it is because this arrives in the mail:

I love getting my US Weekly magazine because I know a nice hot relaxing bath with a good read is in my near future.

Today in the mail I also got a few additional surprises.

First, Emi got her first Doctor's bill. I have two thoughts about this. One, it is really crazy to see "Emi Takekawa" on the bill. Second, if you have thirty days to add somebody to your insurance, why do all the doctors' offices immediately send out bills without even attempting to run them through insurance. It seems like a big waste of mail to me.

Here is Emi's first bill:

Emi hides her eyes as Mommy opens the bill. Don't worry, Emi. Mommy will take care of it. This bill brought me back to the Doctor's office visit on Thursday when I took on my first "official" mom duty by signing as Emi's parent. As I signed these forms for her, I didn't feel nearly responsible to be her parent, but I sucked it up, signed my name, and didn't call my mom.

But the most special thing that arrived in the mail today was this:

This is a letter from "Dr. Amy" the Doctor who delivered Emi. In case you can't read the picture, this is what it says:

"Dear Dawn & Tommy,
It was a pleasure to meet you both and an honor to deliver your beautiful daughter! I wish you a lifetime of joy!
Fondly,
Dr. Amy"

I had to hold back the tears as I read this little note from Dr. Amy. I realize that her and I only met briefly and that if she remembers me its only because, as she described to the PA Student with her, I had an unusually long umbilical cord, but I just find it so special that she took the moment to send this little note!

I love being HER dad....

Hmmm.... I'm thinking long and hard about a title for this post that doesn't say "Emi." I also am trying to think of a story to tell you that doesn't include Emi so it doesn't look like I'm one of those crazy moms who only talks about their kid all the time.... this is the best I can do....

Today my mom and I went to Costco to grab some much needed items. As we made our way through Costco we joked to each other that we were going to head to the bakery and buy some Tuxedo Cake. If you recall, months ago Costco had Tuxedo Cake which was the best cake I've ever had. Seriously. And then one day they just stopped carrying it. For months we have been begging the bakery to bring back the cake. Alas, today they had it!! What a pleasent surprise! We even bought an extra to freeze.

On another note, Emi and I had a great day. Letting her go 4 hours between feedings has made my nights better. Last night I fed her at 1130. Then I fed her again at 330 and 730. So really I only had to wake up once during the night. Since she goes back to sleep right away and doesn't fuss, it has made life even easier. I am finding I need to be more patient in burping her. And really, even me remembering to burp her is progress because I kept forgetting the first few days. My mom would send me texts to remind me, and I would secretly pretend like I already knew and she was treating me like an idiot. The truth is I was so overwhelmed with breast feeding that I had forgotten such an important step and was thankful for the text reminder.

We had some more visitors today which was a lot of fun. My friend Katie and her daughter Ellery stopped by. Ellery is excited to teach Emi everything she knows. Ellery had been practicing her name all day and was so proud to tell me.

Here is a pic of Ellery holding Emi:

I think Ellery is ready to be a big sister! She did a great job with Emi!

Katie Emi's Yoga Instructor also stopped by for her first Yoga lesson. Emi loved it!

 Here is a pic from the doctor's office yesterday: Her shirt says "Daddy's Favorite Girl." The shirt was too small for me so I let Emi wear it.

And just because she looks so cute as a polar bear, here is a pic of Emi dressed and ready to go on her outing yesterday.

This morning after I got done feeding Emi and handed her off to dad to burp. As Tommy sat and looked at Emi while he burped her I said "Do you love being a dad?" Tommy said "I love being her dad."