I don’t feel like I have a whole lot to say these days. Maybe it’s because my days are pretty much the same now and revolve around a small guy with big needs. That said, here’s what we’ve been up to:
Four Weeks!:
Mr. E’s been with us for four weeks and one day. Hard to believe. The time has flow and he’s already growing out of some clothes. Eek! He’s done a damn good job of communicating his needs and desires. It makes me excited each time I figure out one of his cues. In the last week I learned that within a few minutes of getting on the boob, he will need to come off to belch burp, and then need immediately resume nursing.
Mom groups :
Mr. E and I started going to some ‘mommy’ groups. The one we went to last week was a trip. It pretty my epitomized all the reasons why I want to leave this area. I think if I tried to raise my kid here I would go NUTS with all the over the top ‘progressive’ parents. Granted, A and I will be the whack jobs where we’re moving, but at least I won’t feel so damn judged every second. Even so, I think we’ll go back today, give it another try and get some grown up interaction.
We went to a different group yesterday. The description did read ’support’ group but I’ve never been to a support group so I didn’t know what to expect. I am in a place where I want to meet other new moms, so I went. It was not for me. I am not having a hard time with the transition at all, in fact being Mr. E’s mom feels like the most natural thing I’ve ever done. And I couldn’t be happier about being home, and I enjoy doing things around the house. And I want to be with him more than I want my career. You see where this is going right? I am glad such a group exists for women who need it, but I felt out of place. And I am not sure it’s helpful to the women who are struggling for me to be all rosy.
Nursing in public:
After yesterday’s group Mr. E and I went grocery shopping. He usually sleeps through shopping, but I guess I pushed him a little too far because when I was about four items from being done, he let me know he was done! I tried holding him to calm him, but when a milk mama holds their baby and he’s hungry, you can’t deny what he wants. So, I decided, if my child is hungry and I am in the grocery store, he still gets to eat. I unsnapped my bra, and put him on, pulling my shirt down as much as I could to at least try to be discrete, and continued pushing the cart to finish up the shopping. No one said anything to me and my baby was happy.
Sleep:
Three nights ago we had one of our worst sleep nights. Almost as bad as the second night home when Mr. E wiggled his way into our bed. It was awful, A and I were so tired. Then two nights ago he slept in TWO three hour increments! I had no idea how much I missed REM sleep! And last night he had a three and a half hour stretch. Progress. I can only hope it continues.
Depression:
Two nights ago a little liquid accidentally landed in the key board area of my beloved MacBook, Zac. Zac hasn’t worked since – when I hit the power button the machine turns on but the screen is black. I used A’s computer to see what others had to say when their MacBook had a drink and then blacked out. Seemed like the first step was to turn it off, remove the battery and let it sit open to dry for a few days. I turned it on this morning. Nothing. I’m holding out hope that my local Apple Store can fix it.
Cloth Diapering:
So far, so good. The switch has cleared up Mr. E’s diaper rash, and he’s so cute in CDs. We had planned to mostly use prefolds and just get a handful of diapers, but man, the prefolds are a pain in the ass. We’ll still use them, but I also ordered a whole bunch of Fuzz.iBuns. They should arrive today. I’ve also been busy sewing fleece inserts for the prefolds. I’m so glad we made the switch.
8 comments
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February 7, 2008 at 11:20 am
Jen (yup, another one)
OMG, it is so nice to hear someone else say that they had an easy transition. I ended up feeling like a freak because I *wasn’t* losing my mind. But it’s hard to say it in public or a group like that because then you worry that the other people will think you’re being obnoxious. So glad it’s going well for you.
Prefolds do get easier with time, and they are SUPER EASY if all you do is fold them in thirds and lay them in the cover. Some people can’t do that with newborn poop as it leads to too many disasters. Other babies are less explosive and it works fine. I found snappis to be difficult in the beginning, and then once I got the hang of them, we switched over to just folding and laying them in the covers. But I love FBs so if they are what works for you, hooray! (FBs are pockets, not AIOs.)
February 7, 2008 at 11:24 am
e.
oh, i am glad to hear you also had an easy time – i was starting to feel like a freak too.
thanks for the clarification, after i wrote AIOs i questioned myself…now to edit it out and this will be between you, me, and anyone reading these comments!
February 7, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Lo
I am not the “milk mama,” but…I had an easy time too. I love being home and am a bit anxious about transitioning back to work. Sure, there are things that are hard about having a kid, but I would be no asset to a support group.
as for the other group: I hear you loud and clear my friend. Loud and clear. We should make our own support group….ha ha.
February 7, 2008 at 3:19 pm
francesca
Wow, that is a LOT to say — that’s lots of news! And in four short weeks…look at what you’ve both done. And it’s great to hear of you making fleece inserts – I have a little nephew on the way and I’d like to make some things for him and the family. I might message you privately for info on which fabric/cloth to use — sewing is still a little new to me. And it’s been great to read the full spectrum of responses to babies, motherhood, transitions to the new family dynamics and work schedules — each of them just as valid and understood, and so lovely to hear of your own ease with it.
And I loved the story of you in the grocery store — I mean, when we’re hungry in the grocery store, we whip out a granola bar or little snack on the way, right? Being with the milk mama (great term, by the way) is kind of like being ravenous in the grocery store and not being allowed to eat ANYTHING. We all know how impossible that is,… and then how cranky it makes you when you get home and don’t even know where to begin eating or making something for dinner.
One thing you can do for liquid in a beloved computer (owie!) is to put it under a lamp, especially with some of those packets of silica gel (desiccant — from new shoes, etc), and they will draw out some of the remaining humidity and liquid. But if you’ve turned it on while it was still a little damp, it might need some bigger repairs
Hope it works out! Thanks for the update even though you’re so busy…
February 7, 2008 at 4:18 pm
ohchicken
e, as an employee of the fruit, let me offer this advice: don’t mention liquid. or spills. or anything “accidental”. your warranty will be voided b/c of accidental damage. instead, go with “it just stopped working. i don’t know what happened…blahblahblah.”
good luck!!!
February 7, 2008 at 5:52 pm
e.
oh crap! i told them it was water. EFFFFFFFFF! i should have know to blog about this and then give myself AMPLE time before going in.
thanks for the love everyone!
and my group today was WAY better than it was last week! way better.
February 7, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Lynn
LOL so far, your experiences sound just like mine! Cloth diapers, unplanned attachment parenting… it is becoming… eerie….
February 8, 2008 at 3:09 pm
chris
love hearing about how things are going and so glad to hear that all is well. so much news. we also felt like things went relatively well and smoothly. we expected things to be so much harder and worse, but they really weren’t…even with twins! i think it is all about expectations, support, temperment of babies and of parents, and oh yeah, did i say support? we had meals delivered by friends about 3 times per week for the first few months. it was amazing!