A whole new world

I can’t believe two weeks have passed since DJ, as I’ll call him here, arrived. Our sense of time has dissolved so much that we didn’t even realize Memorial Day was here.

It amazes me that things we thought were important a few weeks ago, like checking email every day, just aren’t now. Our days have become a continuous cycle of feeding, changing diapers, changing his clothes once he’s soiled them, holding him, smiling and having staring contests with him. He usually wins.

He’s thrown us a few curveballs already. First, he inherited his father’s blood type, not mine, so there was a danger of jaundice. DJ’s pediatrician thought he should spend time under special lights in the hospital nursery. The lights are designed to help his body process the chemicals that cause jaundice. We planned to have him in the room with us the whole time, so that was disappointing. DJ didn’t seem to mind. In his diaper with cloth “sunglasses” over his eyes under the lights, he looked like he was at the beach.

We minded, though, especially when they had to test his blood every six hours.

And then there’s the nursing. In the hospital, my ob/gyn said his wife called nursing “the second hardest thing you’ll ever do.” She was absolutely right. At this point, nursing takes two hands. The books I read when I was pregnant didn’t discuss what to do when his little arms are flailing between him and me, or how to get him to open his mouth wide enough to latch properly.

It’s important to feed babies every tow or three hours, even if it means waking them up. At night, thankfully, we can let him go four to five hours between feedings.

I now know it’s nearly impossible to intentionally wake a sleeping baby, though there are a million ways to do it accidentally.

If you haven't been to findingDulcinea lately ...

We've had all sorts of interesting stories, and I have some recommendations. First, there’s a chilling story about a hospital that held infants until their parents could pay their bills. Luckily, a judge had the sense to intervene.

Valentine’s Day is Thursday, and we’ve got a guide to the holiday that includes its history, gift ideas, recipes, and ideas for a romantic evening. There’s also a section that highlights all the fun single people can have on Valentine’s Day.

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, to be honest, and don't see a reason to go all out for it. We’re just going to have a quiet dinner at home. We bought a frozen duck today for it, and I’m looking forward to having it. All I have to do is find a cheesecake.

One piece I worked on is about three Mississippi lawmakers who proposed a measure that would prohibit restaurants from serving obese people. The bill drew lots of criticism, and state leaders say it’s not going to get anywhere. Mississippi has one of the highest obesity rates in the U.S.

Lately I've been sending guides and other items to some friends. One friend is going to Spain this month, so I sent her our travel guide. Another friend is planning a trip to the Grand Canyon, so I sent her our National Parks guide.

If you're looking to research a particular topic, take a look around our site, or ask me. We've cover health, religion, home improvement, finance, careers, travel, and just about anything else you can think of. Similarly, if you don't find a guide you think we should have, let me know. You know where to find me.

Belly button watch, day 32: Still an inny, but it’s just biding its time. I can tell.