Month 1 for Cami was all about getting settled at home. She slept a lot, pooped a lot, figured out breastfeeding, hosted a few new friends, and groaned a bunch. While her eyes were closed most of the month, we got a few smiles and silly faces too.
Some Month 1 Milestones included:
- Dropped in weight her first week (as most babies do) and was put on a strict 2 week “Gain It Back” plan by her Type A father
- Met Clifton – he was curious, then skeptical, then standoffish, and has been on a campaign for attention ever since, stealing her toys and even diapers when he can
- Took her first bath and loves (i.e., doesn’t hate) water
- Went on her first neighborhood walk with Mom and Dad
- Met lots of new friends – thanks to everyone who stopped by with tacos, cava, flowers, smokey old fashioneds, cookies, pastries, frozen pizza, and just to say hi
- Mom and Dad went on their first date as parents to Honeymoon Spirit Lounge
Lactation Graduation
We were very lucky to have access to a Lactation Consultant at the hospital and for three sessions after we arrived at home. Breastfeeding was going well, but I was using a nipple shield and was only really effective in one position – Cami and I wanted some guidance.
Enter Gail. Gail was the perfect woman for the job – she was an Austin-bred hippie-ish woman who plays roller derby in our old neighborhood when her knees allow. She served in the Peace Corps 20 years ago and would reminisce on those days via stories she told while I fed Cami in her office.
She was all natural – she talked about how the women in the West African village she lived in 20 years ago didn’t have the choice of pumping, bottle feeding or formula – they just had to make it work. So we would make it work too. And we did! In what felt almost like witchcraft, Gail told me to lay down and practically threw Cami on my chest, instantly improving our breastfeeding game by leaps and bounds. We got rid of the nipple shield and gained 3 new positions. Don joked that during our next session, she’d show us how Cami could feed upside down, ankles in hand, like Spiderman kissing MJ. Anyway, Cami graduated her first program at the ripe age of 3 weeks – check out her graduation cap shaped like a boob!
Meeting Lito and Nani
Two of the first people Cami met were my parents, Lito and Nani*. The new Grandparents were in Austin for the first three weeks of Cami’s life, which we were very thankful for because it allowed us to focus on being new parents without worrying about Clifton or our next meal. It also provided comfort having people nearby who had already done this three times. We had a lot of fun with them watching Is It Cake, hanging out on the back porch, and even getting out for a walk and a drink on South Congress.
*Grandparent names still in flux as this is their first grandchild and they have been a bit non-committal. Lito is a nickname from Abuelito (and the name my maternal grandfather went by) and Nani is… made up. We will see what Cami actually calls them 🙂
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