Way Out There. 7-1-12

I think I’m starting to lose my processing abilities. Lack of sleep is taking its toll, I guess. I’ve been trying to chill at home today, staying in from the heat and just resting. Boop is napping, hallelujah! It only took 45 min. after a bottle of formula to get her settled. However, I’m feeling muddled with some strange thoughts going through my head, and I can’t sleep. Some days I feel like a human pin cushion, absorbing some nasty barbs. Not sure why that is happening today; maybe it’s just the unusual situation of having some time to myself.  Maybe I’m too exhausted to figure out how to respond properly.

Taggie and Froggie: Anything we can find to help her sleep!

Now I’m thinking about peanut butter? Maybe it’s protein that I need. I’m remembering Mr. Peanut from Planters swinging his cane. He’s taunting me a bit because peanuts are a bit of a problem while nursing, I think. And alas, I have no peanuts, anyway. I guess it doesn't do me any good to want something that isn't here. Definitely need sleep.

Mini-Me: She looks just like me at 6 months.

3*2*1. 6-30-12

It’s the countdown. Some days I feel like I’m counting down the hours.  Knowing that I’ll have help brings some sanity. I was pretty beat by the time yesterday afternoon rolled around. After my helper and I did some work on trim in the living room and with all of the heat (fortunately my helper weathered most of that), I had done enough work for the day. However, Boop was well-rested at that point, after sleeping for a few hours, and was fussy most of the afternoon. Or is it really called ‘fussy’ if she’s wailing? At one point, I just sat there and cried with her for a few minutes. And then I pulled myself out of it and decided that I would feed her a little early, just to distract ourselves from our mood.  She got one less bottle yesterday, I reasoned, so maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. Was I using food as a coping mechanism? I also tried a pacifier, again, which she chewed on a bit—more on the outside of it than the nipple part. When I put the nipple part in her mouth, she would shoot it out.

And so Mom gets here next week.  Just having some variety helps Boop, I think. She needs lots of distraction. I’m pretty boring, I think. A baby can only get so many kisses on the forehead and rub so many noses :) And prancing around to swing music with an 18lb baby is not the easiest thing to do for very long. Hopefully, I can find some sort of chair that will be easier on Mom’s back. We will have a few days, if we can get motivated in this heat.

Shake it Off. 6-29-12

It’s been a pretty rough week, to have nothing very serious going on. No new scary diagnoses for Boop, no threat of job loss or major physical problems for me, no family or friends in a truly bad way. It’s just a bunch of little stuff to put me to the tipping point. Pushing hard to get a project done, only to find that I was missing a critical bit of information and having to redo it. Trying to get another grant out this month and trying to get some other projects started. Having trouble with a couple of folks in my employ; sometimes it’s just way easier to do it myself. Going through withdrawal from strictly curtailing my TV viewing time. Seeing a project someone else presented that was very similar to a grant that I wrote before maternity leave. Boop not sleeping well at night. Forgetting stuff for daycare. Boop crying and crying and not feeling right, whether or not I hold her. I took a few afternoons off and still wound up working and not getting anything really done. My <2 year old Bosch fridge is still knocking a few times every hour—and then I got the run around when I tried to take advantage of my warrantee. I had to make 2 trips to the post office because you can’t mail something over 13 oz from home.

Getting dressed...

Had this other stuff not happened, maybe I would be thinking more clearly about this afternoon, maybe.  So, Boop had rubbed her ear a few times in the past week, and I was keeping an eye on it. Today at daycare, when I went to nurse her at lunch, she was really rubbing. I asked her teachers. Yes, one had seen her rubbing her ear earlier. I’m thinking, ‘Oh boy, another ear infection.’ So, I call to get an appointment at the pediatrician. The pediatrician was barely in with us 5 min. She did a quick check of her ears, said she looks fine. I mentioned that she doesn’t seem to be teething; she quickly ran her fingers across her gums and said, nope.  Then, I said she’s been waking up crying about every hour at night. She said, “That must be stressful for you.” I didn’t really process what she said at first, and she was out of the room. Um, what about my daughter? She’s the one that’s not feeling well. Urgh! That visit made things worse.

Taking Stock at Week 24. 7-5-12

Here is what is happening at Boop’s week 24:

• It’s Official. We have found our tongue, and we are loving it! Everything needs to be done with her tongue stuck out.
• We managed pretty well with the storm. No power outages at the house, thank goodness. Only one tree looks a little downtrodden. Hopefully it will perk up soon. Thankfully, we have electricity for the air conditioner. Otherwise, we'd be pretty miserable.
• Yesterday was Winnie’s birthday. Well, we’re not a 100% sure what day it really is, but we know it is in early July; so we just decided it would be July 4^th. Much celebrating always occurs in her honor!
• We’re trying Hyland’s Teething Drops. They seem a little too good to be true, like baby crack, or something. She immediately changes after having one. And I only give her one at a time. Whether it was being up later than usual or the baby drops, she actually slept better last night. I’m a little nervous about them.

3 Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue! 7-4-12

Boop looking very 'healthy' in her red, white, and blue!

I'm happy that Boop and I are waking up this morning in a place where all people are a little more equal. I try to avoid being political on this blog, as I do have many opinions (mostly moderate). However, I must say it is a blessing that I no longer have to worry about health insurance for Boop or myself! I never understood why those 65 and older, the most expensive, were the ones who enjoy government-covered health care. Now, if anything should happen to Boop or me, we won't have to go broke to be healthy : ))

TV is Me. 6-26-12

Guess who got this outfit for Boop.... Yep, me!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an avid TV watcher. And to be honest, sometimes it’s on just for the noise. I’m a sitcom addict <RIP Andy Griffith: No other show can compare!>. And it’s been going on for a long time. My imaginary friends were the Brady Bunch. Well, not exactly imaginary friends; they were my imaginary family. Poor Bobby he always had the most trouble. I didn’t have much sympathy for Jan. I thought she was a whiner with a strange accent.

I swore I’d never do it as an adult, but I started to sleep with the TV on. Some really strange things were happening at my previous house that I can’t explain, and so, I started to keep the TV on at night as a distraction. I haven’t really been able to kick the habit. In fact, the sleep loss with pregnancy and now infant have led me to keep the TV on during my sleeplessness.

And so it is with a heavy heart that I begin to limit my TV watching. At 6:45pm, I turned the TV off in the middle of the Daily Show with John Stewart. I did at least finish the Colbert Report. Let me explain this turn of events. I had to log into one of my old email accounts to get my password for the blog. There were about 2 months worth of emails from the SMC’s; the most recent one included a discussion about TV watching. No TV for children under 2 years old says the American Academy of Pediatrics. They think it increases the risk of ADHD, something about processing speeds of the frames in television. We don’t need any more risk factors for ADHD, as busy as she is. I’ll have to figure out how to adjust.

Suiting Up. 6-26-12

A 70 degree day--one of the last for long sleeves and leg warmers....

I need to find Boop's bathing suits. She has a couple, but I can't remember what size they are. I'm not sure if I put them in the bins with clothes of a particular size, or if I sat them apart somewhere. It's getting about that time. One day it's 70, the next it's 90 degrees. Those 90 degree days are perfect for a little dip in the pool.

Boop's Aunt M got her a little bathing suit with an anchor on it that she should be able to wear now. She also go her a little blow up float for in the pool. Boop is sitting pretty well for the most part, considering she's only 5 months old; so she should do well in the float. Certainly, she won't have as much gravity working against her. Although we've cut down on her formula at daycare, she's still gaining away. Lots of natural buoyancy :)

We didn't get a chance to swim at K's pool before she left, but she'll have more time come mid-July. That's almost here! There's also the public pool at the end of the street. Hardly anyone was there last weekend. I can't wait to see her splash around. If she likes the pool half as much as the tub, we'll be in great shape!