two steps forward...

The last couple days have definitely been an example of two steps forward, one step back...then two steps forward again...

Tuesday started off really well:
1. We arrived on time (and clean!) to our six-week "New Mama" class.
2. The class went really well and I'm looking forward to next week.
3. My mom came to town and we had a lovely walk around the neighborhood.
4. We ordered Pizza Luce for dinner.
5. I breastfed all day, with only one "break" for pumping.
6. Rose seemed to be winding down for a long night's sleep.

Then:
1. The breastfeeding pain came back with a vengeance at 8pm! Immediately, thoughts of failure as a mother started running through my head (yes, "catastrophizing" is my favorite cognitive distortion).
2. She then woke to feed every 2 hours - meaning that she was up to eat for 30 minutes, then asleep for only 90 - which meant that I slept far less because I would lay there trying to fall asleep, but feeling super anxious because I knew the monitor could go off at any minute.
3. At 5am (right after falling asleep following Rose's 4am feeding) the cats had another bout of feline redirected aggression. Pretty much the last thing ever that we wanted to deal with, especially now that the "quiet room" we used to separate the cats in the past is now Rose's room! Argh.
4. Mac's eye was all red and swollen, and we couldn't tell if it had been injured by Lucy or whether his feline herpesvirus was acting up again.
5. We separated Lucy into the basement bathroom, but she has been howling herself hoarse all day.
6. The basement reeks of cat urine from where they had their fight.

Oy vey.

Luckily I had saved one last gift (my "New Mama Survival Kit" which was earmarked for a day at home when I needed some TLC for myself), so I opened that and found all my favorite snacks and a very encouraging card in there. (Thank you, Megan!!!) And luckily my mom came back later in the morning (she had spent the night at her cousin Janet's). And luckily Mike's advisor let him work from home on Wednesday.

Eventually I got 2 long naps in, got a fair amount of rest knowing that Rose had two competent people to look after her (even if I was so sleep-deprived as to be completely incompetent myself), and I got a lot of encouragement (and cognitive restructuring) from my favorite therapist mother.

Better yet, Rose ate at 6:45pm last night, then we both went to sleep until she woke to eat at 10pm. Then my little rock star slept straight through until 2:30am, and again until 6am!!!! It was my best night of sleep in weeks. Yay, Rose!!

So we have a happy baby and a well-rested mommy. Now here's hoping for progress with the cats...