T + 3 weeks

We are now three weeks out from Charlotte's birth. I feel pretty lucky to have Dave home for three weeks, but I think I'm getting spoiled! Things are going pretty well, here is an update:
Breasts: doing well, not bleeding or chapped, though it hurts when she initially latches on.
"Bottom": Good, I'm not afraid of pooping any more.
Sleep: Better, getting about two hours at a time in three shifts at night. Try to take naps, but still struggle to do more than an hour at a time. Had Dave give her a bottle this morning in a vain effort to get more sleep, but the timing was bad since he got the 8 o'clock feeding, and it was light and I woke up anyway...
House: Not clean, but not a disaster. Still so thankful to Mom for cleaning my bathrooms. Seriously, she cleaned (including mopping the floor) both bathrooms.
School: Who cares! :-)
Charlotte: Freakin' adorable!! Starting to look more like...a person and less like a generic baby. Hair is getting longer, but still not curling like I want. She is pretty good and stays awake for long stretches, but sometimes I think too long....she gets a little crabby because I think she's fighting sleep. Her most crabby period occurs right when I'm trying to go to bed, somewhere between 9 and 11 pm. She is almost always fussy then. But the good news is that the pacifier seems to work pretty well when we need it.

So my days still consist of pretty much feedding the baby, feeding myself, and then waiting to feed the baby. Oh, and trying to nap and getting pissed off when I think I've slept for three hours and then look at the clock and it's been 45 minutes.

I think I'm going to try to have a "goal" or a trip to do every day. That way I have something to look forward to. Maybe just the bf (breastfeeding) group, or a trip to the store or mall, or maybe even cleaning something here at home!

I have to give props to my husband for doing such a great job. He's not perfect, but I guess nobody can read my mind exactly :-) Good old Dave is taking care of stuff that needs taking care of around the house (though it takes him away from me a little), he is on laundry duty, dutifully dousing dirty diapers and all other laundry, and he watches the baby when I ask. THis last task is usually letting her lay on the couch next to him as he is on the computer, but it works. ONe of hte most important things he does is tells me to chill out. This is essential. And it might not seem like I appreciate it, but I do.

THanksgiving was nice. On "thanksgiving eve" we went to Muskegon to my cousin's house for Grandma's 87th birthday. It was her first time seeing the baby and I think it is extra special since I named her after Grandma's mother, Charlotte Jane Williams. It was a good time, there were lots of people to show off the baby to. (how do I nod end that sentence with preposition? Lots of people to whom to show off the baby?). ANyway, on Thanksgiving I went back to Muskegon to Mom's and she did a bang-up job on the dinner! Chip brought some great brussell sprouts with a white sauce and I made some tasty pumpkin pies. Mom did the rest (thanks, mom). We ate, I napped (albeit a short one), we hung out, ate again, and got home in time for Dave's mom (who visited this weekend) to watch Grey's Anatomy.

Dave goes back to work on THursday, but before then, I'd like to get a Christmas tree and allow him the joy of middle of the night feedings for a few days. THen Charlotte and I will be on our own until February when (gasp!) I have to go back to work. Boo.