PheMOMena

I am awake in the wee hours of the morning, staring at my daughter who finally decided that sleep was something that she would grant the large peasants that fulfill her every need. Once she GOES to sleep, she generally sleeps for 7 hours or so, but GETTING her to concede the day is where the problems lies. We are working on it. So much has been going on this last month. Some very happy family times and some very disappointing times. A crazy election season, what folks are saying is the beginning of the end for the US and world relations. Loss of rights, loss of life, a pipeline, violence and political gain. It is like Dynasty is happening, in real life. (Y'all remember Dynasty, don't you?) This is NOT a political post... because I have a whole other blog for that... but I will say that in the last month and a half, hubs and I have shared our fears of raising a biracial daughter in this world. Some people won't get it, because they won't ever have to raise a biracia...

When I was pregnant (which seems like a bajillion years ago) hubs and I decided that our baby was going to be a breastfed baby, if possible. There were a couple of reasons for this but the two important ones (to us) was 1. it is good for Baby K and 2. it is a hell of a lot cheaper than formula feeding. I mean have you SEEN the price of formula?!!? It is obscene... but I digress. Totally a personal decision for soon to be mamas. I was a formula fed baby. My sister was a breastfed baby. Whatever floats your boat at the time is exactly what every mama should do. We talked about it and decided that I should at least try breastfeeding. If it was possible and Baby K grew well, our thought process was I should stick with it as long as possible. Seven weeks in on this breastfeeding thing and I have come to the conclusion that nobody respects the buffet. Me. I am the buffet, Breastfeeding is no joke, friends. Holy crap. You are always on call. Newborns pretty much eat, sleep and poop. I knew ...

It is early. As in, the sun is barely up. I know that most people are up and moving around this time, but we don't generally see early morning in this house. Hubs works second shift (usually home around 2 or 2:30 am) and we have a little human that likes to play when she should be sleeping. It is early and I am awake. Awake, drinking coffee and taking it all in. This blog will tell you the funniest or weirdest events that happen on our journey of parenthood-- and there will be plenty of stories because hubs and I are old, first time parents with smart mouths and no real experience, but today... today I will fill you in on what I see in these wee hours. The house is (mostly) silent. The (three) dogs have been outside for their morning bathroom break, so they are sleeping again. The loudest one is the chihuahua- she snores like an old man. It still amazes me that such big sounds come from a six pound dog. The cat is roaming the house like a black panther-- looking for prey to pou...

When you are preparing to come home with a baby one of the first things the doctors and nurses will tell you is sometimes babies have night and day cycles mixed up. That means that, more than likely, your baby will be awake at night and sleep soundly during the day. Totally true. Baby K is just now attempting to figure out a sleeping pattern of a normal person. She will sleep in her bassinet during the day, no problem. Somehow, as soon as the sun goes down, she has an aversion to the bassinet-- can't sleep there, won't sleep there. Nope. During daylight hours I have to wake her up so she can eat and play, but let the moon shine brightly in the sky-- this little night owl wants to socialize. Like she is at the club, y'all. Cooing, grunting, eye contact, smiling; I mean, you would think I was buying her an all inclusive trip to Disney World the way she is chatting me up at 3 in the morning. We are working on it. On Sunday hubs and I were made privy to something else that ...

It is 4:30 AM. I have been awake for two hours, after a two hour cat nap with my daughter. She is now sleeping and here I sit, watching Forensic Files, waiting for Mr. Sandman to come visit me again. The house is quiet, with the exception of the TV and the deep, slightly labored breathing of hubs, Baby K and the animals as they sleep. In the last two hours I have cuddled a crying baby, rocked her, fed her and changed a very full diaper... only to have her fill up another diaper within 5 minutes. I may never get back to sleep. As I turn to my left and look at her little sleeping face in the light of the computer and TV screens, I have no real complaints. I mean, everyone would like more sleep (and trust me, after three weeks, a solid nap would be the best present EVER) but that little familiar face makes it totally worth it. I can smell the baby lotion that I rubbed on her before she went to sleep (the first time). I can see her silhouette in the darkened bedroom-- from the nose down, s...

Oh the glamorous life I lead. Everyone tried to tell me that having a newborn would equal sleep deprivation (it does), tear filled nights (yep) and lots and lots of shitty diapers (double check that on the list). I haven't had many tear filled nights and the ones that I HAVE had have been because of sleep derivation. Until tonight. That's right, ladies and gents. The events of tonight put me on my ass, hear me?! I mean, I was kind of rocking this whole "new mom" thing. I am generally showered and slightly presentable. Baby K is always on point when we leave the house. I am bouncing back from that c-section... like a champ. But today, y'all. Today didn't play fair. For real. There I was, minding my own business, trying to prepare lunch for tomorrow and clean the kitchen, when all of a sudden the smell of poop filled my nostrils. I looked to the baby, of course. No dice. She was sleeping in a wet diaper but no poop to be seen... no gas to be smelled. I chang...

Ah, 4 am-- we meet again. Here we are, at the beginning of week 29, and my "miserably" factor has been amped up to 1,000. I cannot sleep. I don't make it through the night-- and I have tried. Every night for the last few weeks. Seriously, 11 more weeks of this... y'all. Today I watched my little brother play in a college basketball game. As usual, I was a little, um, animated. I was tired afterward, but kept hubs company on the car ride home. Baby K was squirming around in utero, making the car ride home very uncomfortable, so when we got home I hopped right out of my jeans and right into bed. It was 7:30pm. Don't judge me-- I did not go right to sleep. I told hubs that I wanted to try to stay awake until 10 pm, in the hopes of sleeping through the night. I think I made it to 9:30. I slept until 12:30 am. And here I am four hours later, listening to hubs and ALL the animals in the house breathe in sleep... deeply. I'm freaking jealous. I have updated my ba...

Week 26 and all the joy it brings, amirite? Here are a few reflections as I move through this week of fun filled runs to the bathroom and (well after) midnight foraging adventures in the kitchen. Glucose Test:  Yep, it sucked. I was thinking that maybe my sweet tooth and I would not be affected by that sickeningly sweet concoction, but I was wrong. Ugh.  So, let me tell y'all the real deets: at my last OB/GYN appointment I was given a choice of orange or fruit punch flavor. I chose fruit punch because, why not? I haven't tried out orange, but I imagine that it CANNOT be better or much different-- so I have concluded that both of these drinks taste like shit. So, you have 5 minutes to choke down this drink- and you CANNOT eat or drink after you have finished it. You have to remember the time you finished because 1 hour from then, you get a fantastic finger prick that will let you know if you have some form of gestational diabetes. Do I have to reiterate that I was not a fan ...