After deliberating several days, Husband and I decided to extend his leave one more week. We have a few appointments this week anyway. My back has also improved, and this does much to increase my confidence. (Husband’s backache went away the day after he got it, thankfully.) I know I’ve got to face being on my own. Everyone’s feedback on the last post has been heartening. This week Husband and I will do a “trial run” of the schedule we’ve agreed to handle. (Not that Claire can be scheduled, but we’ve decided which of us is “on duty” with her at various points of the day and will implement that schedule this week.)

We had a really rough day with Claire two days ago. Around noon she ate, after which she cried hard on and off for the next eleven hours. She exhibited hunger signs every two hours but would only eat an ounce at a time, and she was super alert and would not nap at all. Finally at one point (the 11 p.m. meal), Husband changed the position to burp her and she let out three huge belches. (We often laugh at the size of the sound emanating from her little body.) After that she was cheerful and ate two more ounces. Saturday she ate heartily and we vigorously burped eery time. So it seems as though we need to be more aggressive burping her. We’ve also started to keep her swaddled while feeding her, and this seems to keep her more calm.

To that end, we ordered The Miracle Blanket (as the Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe doesn’t quite work for me as well as they do for Husband). I also ordered a Moby Wrap, which I hope Claire will accept being carried in. She often won’t sleep very long alone in her crib. She loves her big swing and will sleep in it, but it’s not suitable for leaving her alone, and it’s too big to be portable in the house. She’ll accept the vibrating bouncer, but only for short periods of about 20 minutes. She’s a very particular child! After her difficult day Friday, I spent 3.5 hours of Saturday morning holding her in the rocker as she slept (poor baby was so exhausted she had big bags under her eyes), with only a couple of minutes spent dashing to the bathroom and to get a mug of brewed coffee. I’m learning how to eat and drink one-handed.

Other minor things… While it doesn’t guarantee protection, I felt an urgency about getting a flu shot, and I did get out alone to Costco Friday and received it for $20. And then, treat of treats!, I also got a haircut. Nothing fancy — I’m a Supercuts sort of gal. It just felt so pleasing to get out alone and get it done. ~ I picked up a scarf I stopped knitting back in May. My hands didn’t go numb or tingle in the five minutes I knitted, so I’m optimistic. Knitting simple things will be a relaxing way to pass time; anymore I’m too scattered to read very long, but I want something in my hands when they aren’t full of a baby. ~ I’m behind on email, as usual. However, my power cord in the living room is wonky. Something punctured the casing and exposed the wire. I discovered this when I picked it up to examine what looked like a dirt spot on it and a spark flew out. It got unplugged from the wall immediately, and now the laptop lives mostly in the office.

This is not much of a post — it’s more a diary entry, filled with the mundane. Hope your weekend has been a good one.