Year: 2010

Lovin’ the Two-Month Mark

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My son Mylo is just over two months old and I am happy to say that life has gotten much easier. We haven’t had to swaddle him in weeks, he sleeps much better at night (though not through the night, yet) and he is an absolute joy to be around. He smiles and laughs and coos all the time and is simply a very present baby.

For me the “in love” feeling wasn’t immediate. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a great deal of love that comes with birthing such a helpless creature but what I felt more was a sense of obligation and responsibility. Luckily though, with each day that passed I fell more and more for him. And by now I think it is safe to say that I am head over heels, wildly in love with my son.

Today we will be at Brazen Head on Atlantic Avenue enjoying some spirits & spit up! I’m meeting other moms and their infants from the neighborhood for happy hour. The owner is thrilled to have us – seriously, who else is drinking beers at 2:30 in the afternoon?!!

ReeFuge Rescues

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One of ReeFuge’s animal rescuers saved these little itty bitties from certain death at NYC’s Animal Care & Control. These boys were dumped at the city shelter at a mere four weeks of age.

These 7 week old kitties need a forever home.

They are now seven weeks old (almost as old as my son Mylo)  and thriving in foster care but do need a forever home. Contact me directly for more info. or to meet this precious pair!

Mylostone – Swaddling

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Another Mylostone to report! We stopped swaddling my son Mylo at about 6 weeks old.

I’ll admit, the swaddling has been a lifesaver but because the little guy is such a mover, he finds a way to come out of the swaddle no matter how tightly we wrap him. In fact we recently woke up to him lying in his crib with the swaddle wound around his neck. I know, NOT GOOD.

So at about 6 weeks old we decided to eliminate swaddles and houdinis all together, and, believe it or not, he seems to be ok with it.

This was one of the last few times he was swaddled.

Memorizing Mylo

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I knew I was going to be tired and busy once the baby came, but nothing could have prepared me for just how tired and busy I am. So tired and busy that I often don’t know what day of the week it is, and so tired and busy that I have had no time to write in my blog… though I want to.

I want to write so many things about Mylo.  Like how much he has grown in just three weeks! And about his affinity for being held — how he likes to fall asleep over your shoulder. You know he’s asleep once you hear this faint, panting breath in your ear and only then can you lay him down. He also has a deep affinity for my breasts. I’ve always liked my breasts. They’ve been good to me, and now they are being good to him – providing him with nutrients and fuel and life.

And wow is it true what they say about breast feeding helping to shed the pregnancy weight! It’s been three weeks and I’m almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Sure it’s demanding and painful at first, but I’ve actually grown to enjoy this special time together.

And what about how Mylo smiled at me for the first time when I was changing him the other day? It nearly froze me in place with the delight!

I want to memorize these early weeks together. I want to memorize each sound, each expression and absorb it – like sunshine, braille or rain – through my skin.

It’s A Boy!!

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The cracks in my skin are like cracks in the floor
Been waiting all year, I’ll be waiting some more
I sit here and think of the summer we had
The winter is cold, the winter is black

And I, I’m haunted
And I, I want you
Hundreds of miles of falling apart

I’d give anything to go back to the start
Hundreds of miles but less than a day
To just hear your voice, to just see your face…

After 30 hours of a grueling, albeit drug-free labor (24 of which were spent at home), on Monday, 8/9/10 at 8:55am Jason and I welcomed our son, Mylo Taha Wood, into the world. We are absolutely elated!

Birth story to come…

Meeting Mylo…

40 Weeks Prego…

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Here I am on my official due date, August 8th, at 40 weeks pregnant. I was awakened by early labor contractions at 3:15 this morning. They started out eight to ten minutes apart and have gradually increased in length. I was in Northport when they began but am at home now in Brooklyn with my husband and mom who are taking turns timing my contractions. My midwife has a hunch this could go into tomorrow so I’ll continue to labor at home and call her if my water breaks or if the contractions become super close.

40weeks (WinCE)

My belly on my due date, 8/8/10

I feel very fortunate and excited that this process is unfolding organically, as it should. I could very well have a baby in my arms by tomorrow! More to come…

labor

A Letter for My Baby

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On Sunday I will be 40 weeks, or full-term, and while I feel like I have been pregnant forever, it also feels like yesterday when we first found out you existed. The word that comes to mind the most in describing this journey is, well, magical.

But it wasn’t always easy. As we waited to debut the news of you back in January, we were balancing the demands of Lucy, a tough foster dog, alongside Ella who was battling an infection that could have taken her life, as well as the loss of my job. Thankfully though, January eventually passed. The dreaded three-month mark finally came, Lucy found a forever home and with a ton of hard work Ella’s infection cleared up.

I did so many wonderful things with you in utero. I watched my brother tie the knot. I took up prenatal yoga and bonded with other pregnant women. Perhaps most amazing, of the 280 days you spent growing inside me, we went running on more than 90 of them!

I think about you daily and about what kind of parents we are going to be. I am anxious for this next phase of our life to begin and yet I am terrified about only being “mom” in your eyes despite my 32 years of life that preceded you.

Here you are at 27 weeks

I look forward to sharing my vision of kindness with you, and hope that one day you will thank me for raising you vegetarian. And I vow, with all my love, to shine a steady light on your path and inspire you to one day shine your own bright light.

A ticking time bomb. That’s pretty much what I feel like now as my impending due date approaches. I was always nervous about going early but now I am starting to wonder if I will go on time, go late or even go at all! So with that said, bambino, you can come now. For we cannot wait to meet you…

Maternity Photo Shoot With Michele Anthony

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While we were in Montauk on our second and final babymoon, my husband and I did a maternity photo shoot with the wonderful Michele Anthony. I was more than 35 weeks along during the shoot, which we chose to do at one of our favorite beaches on Long Island, Ditch Plains.

This pic is all about the dog.

I guess it is true what they say about there being so much novelty and newness that goes into the “first-born.” Being a second born myself, I will have to be cognizant of that and be sure to make the journey just as special as it was with our first…

What a special memory to have.