Soft spots and blowholes:

DaddyCue (after singing to Slane and giving her a kiss on the forehead): Did that just blow your mind?

(Slane stares blankly at DaddyCue.)

MamaCue: No, daddy. If that had blown her mind, her soft spot would open up like a whale's blowhole and start spouting things.

DaddyCue: Uhh...right. Thanks for that image. Blech.

(Photo Credit: Daylife.com/Getty Images)

things I want to say but don't have time to in 5 minutes or less

So, I have a list of things I want to blog about, but time to myself is almost nil (does in the shower count?). I want to talk about the lady who parked in the expectant/new mother spot in front of us and her youngest kid was at least 8, or what it was like in the OB wing, or my frustration with this whole feeding thing and me not producing enough milk, or how blessed we have been with gifts, meals, and general help, or how we would continue to use cloth diapers if we had time to wash the ones that have been dirty for about a week, or how the soy allergy is going, or just how cute Slane is, or the fact that Q goes back to work next week, and how will I accomplish things that we aren't accomplishing with both of us home, especially now that our baby has turned cranky and I can't feed her one handed anymore, or the thank you notes I keep trying to get to (we really are working on that).

But my five minutes are up and I have a piano student at the door...maybe in another 4 weeks when I get 5 more minutes of free time.

Why can't we sleep? (Emphasis on we.)

I love that Slane is a cuddler, except a bedtime. This would be the third time tonight I have rocked her to sleep. Let's hope she stays asleep when I put her in her crib. Daddy needs sleep, too.

What works for us: A sling for Slane

When it comes to parenting, everyone has an opinion; some are eager to share it. Now that we're parents, we have one, too. This is the first post in a series we'll call What works for us. Have a suggestion for a product, book, technique, or service we should try? Contact us.

Our parents are wonderful, getting us many useful things for Slane, as well as a few indulgences. One of the more practical things that Ema did was make a homemade Maya wrap for us. All she needed was a few yards of fabric and two sturdy cattle rings.



Slane and I are still learning how to use the wrap comfortably, but it is a life changer. If she's drowsy or asleep, she'll hang out in the sling for hours without any fuss. However, if she's awake or cranky, she'll cry and thrash until I take her out of the sling. Since Slane loves to cuddle and be held, now she can nap in the sling and I can do things with both hands...like update the blog, because typing with a baby in your lap can be a challenge.



I can also take a self-portrait:



Or take a picture of Slane sleeping in the sling.



Maya Wrap also has videos explaining how to "wear" your wrap and your child. If you have a child and access to a sewing machine (or Ema), we highly encourage making your own Maya Wrap.

Sew your own baby sling (Maya Wrap)

Full disclosure: We have had no contact with Maya Wrap about this post or any of their products.

Sleep deprivation is not the hardest thing about being a parent.

Prior to Slane's birth, many people -- friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, and total strangers -- warned us that the biggest challenge in the first days of parenthood is sleep deprivation. At our baby shower, Susan wrote, "Sleep when the baby sleeps! Call if you need encouragement." Pastor Kirsten wrote, "Call on neighbors for help and to just vent to when you are sleep deprived." And Erik wrote, "Everybody says to sleep when the baby sleeps. But REALLY. Sleep when the baby sleeps."

From Slane Augusta McCue - Week 2

Fortunately for us, Slane sleeps like...well, she sleeps like her mom. A lot. Slane has been getting 4-6 hours most nights, making us the envy of our friends with newborns. We are grateful that Slane sleeps. However, my productivity has tanked. This is a combination of choice, opportunity, and necessity. My employer has a generous six week paternity leave. The weeks leading up to my leave I worked like I was going to be gone for six weeks. Other than occasionally checking email and answering a few phone calls, I have unplugged from work. In the current economy, I recognize that this is a privilege. As a contract employee with two local schools and a private music instructor, MamaCue has not had the same luxury. This week, she has returned to her full schedule - three mornings in the classroom and most of her 15 private lessons.

Here's the funny thing: I'm doing exactly what I thought I would do during my paternity leave. I am home, taking care of my firstborn and bonding with her. And yet I don't feel like I'm doing enough because when I go to bed there are dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the hamper, clean clothes in the dryer, bills to be paid, emails to be read and answered...you get the idea. I'm learning that even when I'm doing exactly what I envisioned doing, it doesn't feel like it's enough. This reorientation of priorities and routine has been the biggest adjustment of all, one that will be even more profound when I return to work in May.

[h/t to Teresa, Penelope, and Ariel for writing posts that provided food for these thoughts.]

Since bringing Slane home two weeks ago, we've had three visits to the doctor's office. The first was a one week checkup; the others were to check her weight. Since Slane entered our world March 23, she has yet to return to her birth weight of eight pounds, fourteen ounces (roughly four kilograms). The night before we left the hospital, she dropped to seven pounds, 15 ounces. Postpartum weight loss is normal, usually about ten percent of birth weight and Slane was slightly higher, 10.5 percent.

During Slane's first weekend home, she gained three ounces. Since then she's actually lost two ounces. Our doctor is concerned, encouraging supplement which she doesn't like. In fact, she makes a frowny face (which is adorable, of course) and pushes the bottle away. Slane prefers the breastmilk, in bottle or straight from the source.

The funny thing is that weight gain is the only measure where Slane appears unhealthy. She has good color and skin tone. Her eyes look alive. She's active. She produces normal baby fluids in copious amounts. She eats well -- and often. She cries. She sleeps well, so well that this week that at night this week we've slept five hours, six hours, three hours, six hours, and four hours. The only thing she isn't doing is gaining weight.

Someday, Slane will pine for the days when she couldn't gain an ounce. In the meantime, did your child ever have a phase when he or she did not gain weight?

Four generations

Four generations. One picture.

From Slane Augusta McCue - Week 2

During the visit with Grandma, we learned that Slane's birthmarks and ear hair are hereditary. Without a flinch, Grandma looked at the birthmarks on Slane's eye, lip, and neck and said that those were a family trait. Ema, MamaCue's mom, had the ear hair, which is more like a downy fuzz on the outside of the ear. This may be the first time I've used the term "ear hair" and it's a strange phrase to type. Ear hair ear hair ear hair. Weird.

Saturday, we have a family gathering with MamaCue's grandparents. More family photos to follow.

Two weeks!

Wowsers, we've had BabyCue for two weeks. This must mean it's time for more pictures!