This little guy has become a big mamma's boy in the last week or so and I am not impressed. For the first 5 weeks of his life, he gladly slept the afternoon away in his playpen. Then he decided that he was done with being a textbook baby. He made a deal with the sleep devil that he would only sleep in Mom's arms on her chest in the rocking chair. If his demands were not met, he would pretend he was asleep but as soon as he was put down elsewhere, he would scream his guts out after 3 minutes (which is just long enough for me to lay down or start cleaning).
I tried for 3 days to not give into his demands, but his screaming and groaning was driving me insane. Plus he was getting extremely overtired, which I was worried about. We have a plan to break the evil cycle - we will give it a week or so and see if it works. Any advice on the matter would be appreciated.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Zip It
Do you ever just want to tell your baby to shut-up? I swear this creature has not slept for more than ten minutes since noon.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Corn Hole
Iain bought a book called The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It is all about our food - everything from industrial farming to organics - and very interesting if you are curious at all about what is on your plate and what your child eats. I have only read the first 50 pages and so far it is about how corn is in practically everything we eat. Cows, pigs and chickens no longer eat grain and grass-they eat mostly corn (even farmed salmon are being fed corn). Soft drinks are sweetened with corn, chicken nuggets have 20 some corn by-products in them and 75% of the food in our grocery store is a product of corn. Who would have known. Just thought I would pass the title of the book on if anyone likes this stuff.
Oh yeah, and the corn hole reference has to do with the fact that corn has a history of diverse uses such as using the cobs (sans kernels) in the outhouse to wipe your ass, hence the term "corn hole". I am not joking. Thought I would pass that little bit of trivia on. This book is amusing in more ways than one. Also a good section on how corn have sex, if you are in to that sort of thing.
Oh yeah, and the corn hole reference has to do with the fact that corn has a history of diverse uses such as using the cobs (sans kernels) in the outhouse to wipe your ass, hence the term "corn hole". I am not joking. Thought I would pass that little bit of trivia on. This book is amusing in more ways than one. Also a good section on how corn have sex, if you are in to that sort of thing.
Sir Chubs-A-Lot
Nathaniel went for his first check-up today. Yes, he was supposed to go at 2 weeks but my doctor was on vacation and I had to call 9 different times before I could get through then I still had to wait another 2 weeks. What a wonderful health care system we have. Not too hard to see why things are becoming privatized-I would have paid money to get him in earlier. Anyway, that is another rant.
Here are the stats on the little man: at 5 1/2 weeks, he weighs 13 pounds (gain of 2 pounds since birth, 3 since we left the hospital) and he is 24 inches tall (2 inch growth). He is off of the charts percentile wise but the doctor said he was very healthy. I think we have a potential basketball player on our hands ( I hope!!).
Here are the stats on the little man: at 5 1/2 weeks, he weighs 13 pounds (gain of 2 pounds since birth, 3 since we left the hospital) and he is 24 inches tall (2 inch growth). He is off of the charts percentile wise but the doctor said he was very healthy. I think we have a potential basketball player on our hands ( I hope!!).
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Killing Me Softly...With Lack Of Sleep
You can read as many baby books before the bundle arrives, but nothing and I mean absolutely nothing prepares you for the complete exhaustion. I was talking to Sarah Dauphinee the other day and she said that Louise was going to take Finn and go to a friend's house for the day, leaving Sarah to do whatever she pleases. Of course, sleep was the first thing she wanted to do. I have to admit, I was insanely jealous.
Even when Nate is sleeping during the day, I am constantly hoping he will sleep a few more minutes so I can get something else done. I was doing this so much, I had to make myself stop thinking that or I was going to wish his whole first months away in a haze of sleep. Nathaniel has been sleeping in our room but I am reconsidering this arrangement due to the lovely assortment of grunts, farts, sucking noises and mini-whines that he has added to his repertoire of sounds that he practices constantly throughout the night whether he is asleep or awake. His crib just seems so far away!
My favourite advice from people and the baby books is, "sleep when the baby sleeps". I obviously follow that at night. If I did that during the day, I would be wading in dog hair up to my ankles, I would be wearing the same undies for 2 weeks and we would be scooping food directly from pots into our mouths-as in nothing would get done. I am not a neat freak but I do draw the line at being embarrassed if someone drops by unexpectedly.
The good news is that Nate is sleeping on 4 and 5 hour chunks at night and I think I am just used to getting up at all times because exhaustion just feels normal now. I think things are looking up (or at least that is what I keep telling myself).
"Remember, this is just temporary"
-Sarah D
Even when Nate is sleeping during the day, I am constantly hoping he will sleep a few more minutes so I can get something else done. I was doing this so much, I had to make myself stop thinking that or I was going to wish his whole first months away in a haze of sleep. Nathaniel has been sleeping in our room but I am reconsidering this arrangement due to the lovely assortment of grunts, farts, sucking noises and mini-whines that he has added to his repertoire of sounds that he practices constantly throughout the night whether he is asleep or awake. His crib just seems so far away!
My favourite advice from people and the baby books is, "sleep when the baby sleeps". I obviously follow that at night. If I did that during the day, I would be wading in dog hair up to my ankles, I would be wearing the same undies for 2 weeks and we would be scooping food directly from pots into our mouths-as in nothing would get done. I am not a neat freak but I do draw the line at being embarrassed if someone drops by unexpectedly.
The good news is that Nate is sleeping on 4 and 5 hour chunks at night and I think I am just used to getting up at all times because exhaustion just feels normal now. I think things are looking up (or at least that is what I keep telling myself).
"Remember, this is just temporary"
-Sarah D
Swingers
I have died and gone to baby heaven...Nathaniel is asleep as he swoops through the air at approximately 52km/h in his swing. We tried him in the swing when he was about a week old and he just kept collapsing forward. We dug it out this afternoon and popped him in it and he passed out in about 3 minutes. Angela, if you are reading this, I am sending you a big hug and kiss for lending us that swing-it may be what allows me to make it through the day. What a wonderful invention-something other than you arms that makes your baby fall asleep. Would I be a bad mother if I set that up beside our bed and made him sleep in it? Just joking. Now I can go work on my scrapbook for a few minutes.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Cradle Crap
I am fighting a pre-emptive war against the flakes on Nathaniel's skull...so far it is just dandruff but I live in mortal fear of it turning into cradle cap. Cradle cap makes me want to vomit. I have an obsession with the top of his head and inspect it with my "microscopes" (Iain's pet name for my eyes as I point out every blackhead on his face at night) on a regular basis. To date, it is probably one of my least favourite parts of him. This week he lost pretty much all of the hair on top of his head yet the hair on the sides and the back continued to grow, making him look more like a grumpy old man than ever. When he cries or sucks hard, the top pulsates in a way that makes me queasy and wonder if perhaps a creature is going to spawn out of his skull. Now the flakes-do they make Head and Shoulders for babies?
Other than that, he is pretty darn cute and this smiling thing is making me love the little snot bag more than I thought humanly possible. Iain is on duty tonight which means we won't see him until tomorrow, allowing Nathaniel and I to have our first night alone together, which in reality won't make my night much different. The myth of sharing baby duties 50/50 has flown out the window...I think it has goneto the same place as sharing the housework. Why are we so gullible?
Other than that, he is pretty darn cute and this smiling thing is making me love the little snot bag more than I thought humanly possible. Iain is on duty tonight which means we won't see him until tomorrow, allowing Nathaniel and I to have our first night alone together, which in reality won't make my night much different. The myth of sharing baby duties 50/50 has flown out the window...I think it has goneto the same place as sharing the housework. Why are we so gullible?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Hair Cut
Yesterday I went and got my hair cut, which usually takes about 45 minutes. I asked Mom to come with me in case Cranky Pants decided to lose it mid cut. So I got up and drove Iain to work and headed out to Penniac. I got as far as the Burton Bridge before he started wailing. I pulled over, tried to calm him down to no avail, had to get him out and walk him around to get him to zip it.
Mom, Karson (my nephew), Nathaniel and I headed in to get my snip-got 2 minutes down the road before I had to stop and calm him down. Got to the place-as soon as it was my turn, I had to stop and breast feed him. Headed home-had to pull over in Marysville and breast feed him in the car. Got back to Mom and Dad's -settled him down and fed the ravenous beast again. Headed out to Oromocto, got Iain, went home. I left our house at 7:45AM and got home at 4:30PM-all for a stupid haircut. Shoot me now.
Mom, Karson (my nephew), Nathaniel and I headed in to get my snip-got 2 minutes down the road before I had to stop and calm him down. Got to the place-as soon as it was my turn, I had to stop and breast feed him. Headed home-had to pull over in Marysville and breast feed him in the car. Got back to Mom and Dad's -settled him down and fed the ravenous beast again. Headed out to Oromocto, got Iain, went home. I left our house at 7:45AM and got home at 4:30PM-all for a stupid haircut. Shoot me now.
One Month Old Today
It is nice to have a pleasant moment attached to a date that isn't so wonderful. Ever since that day 6 years ago, I have had horrible nightmares about planes crashing on a regular basis-had one 2 nights ago even. It's not like I think about 9/11 all the time but it obviously lives on in my subconscious. Dreams are so weird.
Anyway, today was a day of momentous events in the microcosm of Nathaniel and me (or is it macrocosm-you economics people should know). Today, I was talking to him during his noon hour cranky stage about how hard it is to entertain him when he looked at me and genuinely smiled. It was so delightful!!! I made him smile a number of times throughout the day and it was wonderful-his whole face just lit up and it was like we connected on a whole different level. He also slept in his crib for a nap for the first time. Good thing I drove Iain insane when I was six months pregnant to get that room finished when all we ever do in there is change him at night and get his clothes.
Anyway, today was a day of momentous events in the microcosm of Nathaniel and me (or is it macrocosm-you economics people should know). Today, I was talking to him during his noon hour cranky stage about how hard it is to entertain him when he looked at me and genuinely smiled. It was so delightful!!! I made him smile a number of times throughout the day and it was wonderful-his whole face just lit up and it was like we connected on a whole different level. He also slept in his crib for a nap for the first time. Good thing I drove Iain insane when I was six months pregnant to get that room finished when all we ever do in there is change him at night and get his clothes.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Yesterday we headed off for an afternoon at Mom and Dad's cottage on the Miramichi. I wanted to go where there were lots of people around interested in holding a baby. Of course, he slept like a log the entire time we were there, waking up only for the occasional drink. That pissed me off, although he probably slept so well because he was held for 8 hours straight.
This morning we had a lost little ball of fur stuck to one of our trees-a bat. Andrea lives in morbid fear of these bats that are about the size of your middle finger, so I thought she would appreciate the picture, especially if she was feeling homesick. I will have to admit, they are kind of cool to look at.
Nothing new going on around here besides a lot of crying, pissing, shitting and puking. Nathaniel and I survived our first week home alone-it certainly is a lot different not having another adult around. Maybe I should hire a nanny for the two of us! The day flies by and I am certainly glad to see Iain walk in the door so I can have a half an hour to myself, if I am lucky. I thought teaching middle school was exhausting-that is absolutely nothing compared to this. At least they go home at the end of the day.
Carolyn Nielsen (Kristi's mom) let me borrow some books from her the other day. I am half way through the third one and they have all been great, so I thought I would pass on the titles if anyone is interested.
The first one I read was, The Interpreter Of Silences by Jean McNeil. It takes place in Cape Breton, it is a bit of a love story, deals with current events like the massacre in Rwanda and September 11th and you can relate if you are in your thirties or older and from the Maritimes plus it is beautifully written. If you have read any Alistair MacLeod, you will love this book.
The second one was, Helpless by Barbara Gowdy. If you have read anything by her before, you know that she chooses rather weird topics but makes them very interesting, like the life of an elephant or having sex with a dead person. In this book, a young girl gets kidnapped by a would be molester. If you read Lovely Bones and liked it, you would enjoy this also. Gowdy makes you feel for characters that you should hate, which is pretty impressive.
Right now I am reading, The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston. He wrote The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and he takes one of the characters from that novel and expands on her story. I am about a quarter of the way through it and I think it is one of the best written books I have ever read and it is funny. I don't always like Wayne Johnston's books, but this one is great. Those are my reviews for the week.
I still think we should start a book club. We could even do it on-line then we could have lots of people (even those no longer in Fredericton) without the hassle of meeting. I personally would love to discuss The Kite Runner which I know a number of us have read. Think about it. We could set up a blog specifically for it.
This morning we had a lost little ball of fur stuck to one of our trees-a bat. Andrea lives in morbid fear of these bats that are about the size of your middle finger, so I thought she would appreciate the picture, especially if she was feeling homesick. I will have to admit, they are kind of cool to look at.
Nothing new going on around here besides a lot of crying, pissing, shitting and puking. Nathaniel and I survived our first week home alone-it certainly is a lot different not having another adult around. Maybe I should hire a nanny for the two of us! The day flies by and I am certainly glad to see Iain walk in the door so I can have a half an hour to myself, if I am lucky. I thought teaching middle school was exhausting-that is absolutely nothing compared to this. At least they go home at the end of the day.
Carolyn Nielsen (Kristi's mom) let me borrow some books from her the other day. I am half way through the third one and they have all been great, so I thought I would pass on the titles if anyone is interested.
The first one I read was, The Interpreter Of Silences by Jean McNeil. It takes place in Cape Breton, it is a bit of a love story, deals with current events like the massacre in Rwanda and September 11th and you can relate if you are in your thirties or older and from the Maritimes plus it is beautifully written. If you have read any Alistair MacLeod, you will love this book.
The second one was, Helpless by Barbara Gowdy. If you have read anything by her before, you know that she chooses rather weird topics but makes them very interesting, like the life of an elephant or having sex with a dead person. In this book, a young girl gets kidnapped by a would be molester. If you read Lovely Bones and liked it, you would enjoy this also. Gowdy makes you feel for characters that you should hate, which is pretty impressive.
Right now I am reading, The Custodian of Paradise by Wayne Johnston. He wrote The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and he takes one of the characters from that novel and expands on her story. I am about a quarter of the way through it and I think it is one of the best written books I have ever read and it is funny. I don't always like Wayne Johnston's books, but this one is great. Those are my reviews for the week.
I still think we should start a book club. We could even do it on-line then we could have lots of people (even those no longer in Fredericton) without the hassle of meeting. I personally would love to discuss The Kite Runner which I know a number of us have read. Think about it. We could set up a blog specifically for it.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Snowshoes
Yesterday, I treated myself to a new pair of sneakers and discovered that my feet have also been mangled from being pregnant. I bought the same brand name and the same style and my feet are now exactly one size bigger than they have always been (and no, my feet are not swelled up either).
All I can say is that I can't wait for Kristi to have a baby-she better start stocking up on any size 12's the stores have in stock-hahaha!
All I can say is that I can't wait for Kristi to have a baby-she better start stocking up on any size 12's the stores have in stock-hahaha!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Yesterday Sucked
I fed Nathaniel a bottle of Similac yesterday with the hopes of gradually weaning him for when I go back to work in November. He gobbled it down, then slept for 4 hours-I was pleased. He woke up, I breast fed him then he proceeded to empty the entire contents of his stomach all over himself and somehow, down my sleeve. Yes, I let the dogs eat it. Not because I was lazy but I thought it would be better to clean my baby rather than the floor first and those pups are quick for anything slightly edible.
This cycle continued into the night (with the exception of the dogs). He puked on a number of sleepers and a few thousand receiving blankets. He looked so pathetic as he was puking that it was heartbreaking, with his little tear filled eyes and red face. Of course, as soon as he puked, about 5 minutes later, he was hungry and would scream hysterically for more food which would in turn make him sick again. Finally, he became so tired that he only needed to feed for 5 minutes then he would fall asleep and not puke.
Due to me substituting a feed with Similac and Nathaniel not eating as much as usual, my boobs became confused. They protested by becoming hard as a rock and very sore. Since the baby wasn't really eating and I needed to get that milk out of my body, I went and got the dogs. Joking. This is not going to turn into a jar of peanut butter urban legend. I went and got my breast pump to relieve the pain. I had to sterilize it first so I popped it in the microwave sterilizer along with a soother and a couple of bottles. About 20 seconds later, I smelled this horrible scent and looked up to see flames in the microwave. I yanked out the sterilizer and everything was black inside and the soother was a melted blob with a small metal wire sticking out that I was unaware of. I managed to salvage the sterilizer but the pump was toast and my pain was increasing and it was 10:30PM. Iain earned some major points by driving all of the way to Nashwaaksis to Shopper's to buy a new pump for me ( it was the only place that had one and was open).
Then I was paranoid all night that Nathaniel was going to puke and choke in his sleep so needless to say I was a bit exhausted today after a rather restless sleep. He is feeling great now and I am looking forward to a good sleep-please let that monkey sleep for at least 4 hours in a row sometime tonight.
This cycle continued into the night (with the exception of the dogs). He puked on a number of sleepers and a few thousand receiving blankets. He looked so pathetic as he was puking that it was heartbreaking, with his little tear filled eyes and red face. Of course, as soon as he puked, about 5 minutes later, he was hungry and would scream hysterically for more food which would in turn make him sick again. Finally, he became so tired that he only needed to feed for 5 minutes then he would fall asleep and not puke.
Due to me substituting a feed with Similac and Nathaniel not eating as much as usual, my boobs became confused. They protested by becoming hard as a rock and very sore. Since the baby wasn't really eating and I needed to get that milk out of my body, I went and got the dogs. Joking. This is not going to turn into a jar of peanut butter urban legend. I went and got my breast pump to relieve the pain. I had to sterilize it first so I popped it in the microwave sterilizer along with a soother and a couple of bottles. About 20 seconds later, I smelled this horrible scent and looked up to see flames in the microwave. I yanked out the sterilizer and everything was black inside and the soother was a melted blob with a small metal wire sticking out that I was unaware of. I managed to salvage the sterilizer but the pump was toast and my pain was increasing and it was 10:30PM. Iain earned some major points by driving all of the way to Nashwaaksis to Shopper's to buy a new pump for me ( it was the only place that had one and was open).
Then I was paranoid all night that Nathaniel was going to puke and choke in his sleep so needless to say I was a bit exhausted today after a rather restless sleep. He is feeling great now and I am looking forward to a good sleep-please let that monkey sleep for at least 4 hours in a row sometime tonight.
Anger Management
Anybody else ever get insanely angry at this stupid blogsite when it won't publish your posts properly? Or am I just psycho?
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