Last Wednesday night, we re-introduced the bottle to Naomi. She took a bottle while she was at the hospital and once when she was only a week old, but we knew it was time for her to get used to drinking from the bottle regularly since she would be getting babysat for the first time this weekend. We chose the Breastflow bottle made by First Years since it boasts of being most similar to nursing due to the double-nipple design. We filled the bottle with my breastmilk so that the taste would be familiar. Richie gave her the bottle at first and she drank a little bit but mostly played around with it. When I tried giving it to her, she was more receptive. When she took a break, I burped her and handed the bottle back to Richie to try again... and she ended up finishing 3 oz. total and falling asleep.... good girl!
There are lots of benefits to her being able to drink from a bottle now. Someone other than me can feed her. I definitely want to fill her bottle with mostly breastmilk, but it's nice to be able to supplementwith formula as well. I'm now able to pump 3 ounces of milk from each breast in about 10 minutes. It'll be interesting to see how my production holds up when I have to go back to work. Fortunately, my work allows me 6 months of maternity leave, so I don't have to worry about that until November.
The next day, I tried my luck with the bottle again when we paid a visit to my office in San Francisco. My coworkers at the Benefit Plans Office were looking forward to finally meeting the baby that filled my bump :) Right before we arrived, I nursed her and changed her diaper in the car so she was in a great mood. It was lunch time and we were greeting enthusiastically even before we made it through the front entrance of the building! The weather was warm enough that she could wear a tank top. (Side note: lots of the clothes that she owns is "tagged" with an adjective, like "cute", "sweet", "pretty" etc.) The one she wore today said "adorable" and she was definitely living up to it! Funny thing: most of the BPO crew are female, but the one time Mimi started rooting around for something to eat was when one of the office managers was holding her... the only man who held her - the only one without breasts! Even though I've nursed Naomi in public places in front of strangers while wearing a cover, I wasn't quite comfortable whipping out "the twins" in the company breakroom so that's when I gave her another bottle, this time with formula. She drank like a champ... Bravo!
After visiting my work, we went down the street to visit Fingertips salon where I used to get my mani/pedicures. Jenny didn't want Mimi to leave :) Then we went walked another block to my chiropractor, Dr. Dan. (I suffered a neck injury during my second trimester and ended up getting a spinal alignment every other week until I went on maternity leave). I wasn't planning on making an appointment; I just wanted to introduce Naomi to the doctor and especially two of the assistants who were always so friendly and curious of how my pregnancy was coming along. I was kinda bummed when neither of the two assistants were there, but I still wanted to see Dr. Dan.
As a new mother, I expect to receive unsolicited advice, both from people I know and from random strangers. The advice is usually quite welcome, but sometimes I know it's best just to "grin and bear it"... like with the receptionist :) I came in with Naomi sitting in my front carrier... Mimi was wearing a hat with a wide brim and pants... but no socks. I had taken them off in the car since she was getting hot. Well, apparently, according the the receptionist, a baby must always wear socks regardless of what the weather is like because she will get sick, as a matter-of-fact. She repeated this several times. Then she asked me first, how old Mimi was (5 1/2 weeks) and then if I'm Chinese (I'm Filipino with a "pinch" Chinese). So receptionist tells me that she's Chinese and they believe that a baby shouldn't even be taken out of the house for the first month. I reminded her that Mimi is month and a half already and she scowled at me. I wish I said, "Her pediatrician gave me permission to take her out at her very first appointment," but I didn't. I just smiled and kept quiet. I can respect other people's opinions and different cultural beliefs, but please don't make a face at me if I think otherwise. Anyway, I digress...
We've discovered that Naomi really likes riding in her front carrier, facing forward. I put Naomi in her Snugli and we went for a walk outside. We strolled along the boardwalk and to the market. She was super alert and would complain if I stopped walking. She really likes being outdoors and discovering new sights because she fussed when we came back inside. My cabin-fever must be rubbing off on her. The carrier has the benefits of allowing me to have some light exercising, let's Mimi see the world from a different perspective and allows both of us to get some fresh air.
Naomi's cousins, Andrea and Meleia came over to our place to play on Friday afternoon (Thanks Ninang Jasmine for the yummy enchiladas!) Meleia and Naomi are only 5 months apart, but it's amazing to see the difference in their size and development. I can't wait until Mimi can reach for her hanging toys in the play gym or sit up on the bed, like little Leia can. I can also look forward to when Mimi is 3 yrs old like Andrea who is super talkative and great big sister :) Even though I'm Jasmine's older sister, she's the "older" one when it comes to motherhood; she is the one who I call when I need baby/mommy advice. I'll also call Leia and Cathy, too. There are so many benefits to having three sisters with small babies at the same time.
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