Ignoring Valentine's Day

I realized after posting last night that I didn't post a picture where you can see the whole sleeper. Now you can see better why it's the ducky sleeper. By the way, I was reluctant to post this picture; it's really not good, especially the angle at which I caught his face. Mom, please don't use this one as your background on your school computer; your students will definitely pick his nose when the picture is projected on the screen! :)

Matt and I did such a big deal for Valentine's Day last year that we're sort of ignoring the holiday this year. Instead of being disappointed that whatever we got each other isn't as good as last year, we're just boycotting altogether. It's certainly the cheaper alternative!

Yesterday afternoon and last night were rough. Patrick just couldn't get comfortable and would cry almost as soon as he would drift off to sleep. We finally figured out that he had started teething in earnest and was in a lot of pain. The whole left side of his mouth had swollen gums, both top and bottom. Tylenol helped, but I think we're going to have to resort to more extreme measures today.

I've realized recently how much of my identity comes from Patrick. I am not just a stay-at-home mother, but a mother of a preemie who still has some needs different from a typical newborn. I use his specialness as a way to make myself feel special, I think. So after one more look at the positive side of having a preemie, I'm going to give the subject a rest as much as possible.

Ten Great Things About Having a Preemie:
10. I didn't gain nearly as much weight as I could have. After he was born, I was back into pre-pregnancy clothes after two weeks and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight by six weeks.
9. I didn't have to go through those last two awful months of pregnancy. I hear they're the most uncomfortable.
8. I got to buy a bunch of preemie clothes. They're so tiny that they can't help but be cute!
7. Instead of the usual crash course in parenting, we got to learn from the expert nurses at the NICU how to feed him, dress him, bathe him, and change his diapers.
6. The nurses were responsible for his nighttime feedings for the first five weeks. We only dealt with sleepless nights for a little over a month.
5. I get so many compliments about how cute he is. He is the size of a one-month old with the social skills of a four-month old. It catches people off guard, but they love it!
4. I've had an easier time developing my "mommy muscles." I got to start with a five-pound weight (when he came home from the hospital) and work up to a heavier weight more gradually.
3. Apnea monitors aren't all bad. I haven't felt the need to check on him in the middle of the night to make sure he was still breathing. The monitor would definitely tell me if he wasn't.
2. I didn't have to recover from giving birth while coping with adjusting my life to the demands of a newborn. I had an easier and faster recovery and was more able to devote myself to caring for Patrick when he came home.
1. I had two extra months to get to know Patrick outside my belly, and two extra months to love him.

So in a way, I guess all the stress of having a preemie can be worth it.