All I Want for Christmas: My Christmas List

This is my Christmas list.  Finances have been tight, so I haven't bought myself much of anything recently, ergo the list is particularly plentiful.  Though it may seem a heavy handed hint to my darling husband,, hopefully it will give you an idea or two for a woman in your own life or even a few ideas about what to wish for this year.

Kitchen Wall Calendar
My iPhone calendar ap is great, but there is something really nice about having a hard copy family calendar up in the kitchen.  This one is nice, but I'd love any of an assortment of pretty botanical or native California plants calendars.

Found here

Taurus Necklace
You can't get much sweeter than jewelry with your child's astrological sign.  I love both of these abstract interpretations of Taurus.

Steal vs. Splurge

UCLA Hoodie
Alma mater pride in a more feminine cut.

Go Bruins

Fabric/tea towels from Spoonflower
Spoonflower is one of my all time favorite sources for unique and beautiful prints.  These tea towels are awesome and I love the way a pretty tea towel makes the kitchen a little happier.

Too cute

Voluspa candles
I have never met a candle I love more than Voluspa.  They are pricey but you can find them on sale if you are open to new scents.  Several different retailers sell them, but I often find them in the clearance section at Anthropologie.

Bliss.....

Police Scanner
This is completely superfluous and idiotic.  It just goes to show what a busybody I am now that I'm at home all day, but it would be super interesting to know what's going on in my hood when I hear the sirens a-howling.  

Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me

Modernist Cuisine at Home
This cookbook, put together by a super techie ex-Microsoft big wig, is supposed to be absolutely amazing.  I would love to have it in my cookbookcase, but it's expensive!

buy me

Tocca Perfumes
There is nothing better when you smell questionable (small children and too many animals can do that to you) than to spritz on a little of this stuff.  A little goes a long way and these scents really are divine.

At Sephora

Big Purse
I'm a woman in between a purse and a diaper bag.  I don't want to take the diaper bag to the grocery store or dentist when I'm flying solo, and I dislike having a purse that makes toting along a few wipes and diapers inconvenient.  I'm hoping a larger, organized purse will help bridge the gap.

via Etsy

Prints for Kitchen
I love prints as gifts for the house.  I know artwork is very personal, but for me... I have so many bare walls, I think it's such a nice reminder of the person who gave it to you and the sentiment rather than the print itself.  I can always find a place for it somewhere.  My kitchen could use a few new prints to spruce it up.  There is not much in the world that is happier to me than bread and food and cheese and cookies and, well, warmth and love. 

Etsy is a great source for prints, though searching can be a pain

FitBit
Bran has one of these nifty little pedometers that tracks your daily steps and uploads them to a website that tracks your progress.  If you buy the scale, it will automatically sync and tell you how you're faring. It's great motivation to keep moving and is an easy way to make sure you're getting all the moving you need.

Fitbit now has several options

Clothes
I plan to do a post soon on my ideas for sprucing up my wardrobe on a shoestring, because it needs it desperately.  I'm in a very weird spot, with not having bought any clothes since before I was pregnant (over a year!).  Significant changes in my needs and wants in clothes have occurred over that time period, and I want to invest in some new items that are comfortable but nice.  My goal is also to feel good enough that I don't fear leaving the house just in case I unexpectedly run into someone I haven't seen in years, all without breaking the bank.  Possible?  Or am I destined for mom-jean-dom?



What is on your wish list this year?

Why am I being weird about introducing solids?

At Georgia's three month appointment, our pediatrician said, "The next time I see you, I want you to have tried giving her a little rice cereal. Not much, just a tablespoon thinned with breast milk." His reasoning is the iron content of my breastmilk is dropping and the cereal is fortified and blah blah blah rice cereal.

I'm being weird about it. For a few weeks, I'd be at the store, go to buy a box of the cereal, stare at all my choices, handle the boxes, put one in my cart, then ditch it a few aisle later. I've managed to get some home at this point, but it sits on the shelf in the pantry and the only thing I've done with it is give it the side eye from time to time.

At Georgia's four month appointment, I had to admit that we hadn't tried with the cereal yet. I really like my pediatrician and I try not to dismiss the advice of any doctor I trust and like, but I also think we have to pay attention those feelings the grip us and make moving forward difficult.

Part of my reluctance comes from tummy issues myself for a long, long time and I worry that Georgia will inherent them. Part of it comes from a feeling that spoon feeding is a hassle best avoided. And part of me feels like she just isn't ready for anything other than breastmilk.

Today was Georgia's 5 month appointment. She's nearly 16 pounds, 26 inches tall and by every other measure, she's growing beautifully. And she still hasn't had any rice cereal. My pediatrician shrugged his shoulders and said if she doesn't have anything but breastmilk by the time she's six months, that's fine, and something deep inside of me relaxed.

I think at the heart of all of this is a reluctance to push Georgia through her milestones. Out and about, people ask, "Is she teething? Is she talking? Is she sitting up yet?" And I know it's right that babies should grow and change and the alternative to development is not a good one.

But this little baby did not come easily into our lives and as I look down at her in my arms, I wonder to myself "What if this is my only baby?" I just don't want to rush through these weeks and months and years.

How We're Living: November

Everett & Cori

6 months

Rawr

Time flies.  It has been a little rockier in terms of sleep for our household this month, but Everett is still a joyful bebe. We seem to be going through more phases than we used to, but we're still doing pretty well. Some days it's great, others it's OK.  It's never terrible, but we certainly go through periods where it kinda blows.  We thought it might be teething, then maybe not, then probably not, then just baby being baby.  Did you hear I had a baby and he's all babylike and stuff?  I sound wishy washy because I am.  Every day is different, but this is a typical one:

5:30am- Everett wakes up to nurse.  Oh wait.  He doesn't nurse AT ALL anymore!  FML!  I get up and grab him a pumped bottle.  He drifts back to sleep.  I wake up for the day.  Maybe.  I pump and then spend a little time to myself before everyone wakes up.

7:30 - Household awakens.  Bran feeds Everett a bottle while I tool around or we all cuddle in bed.  He then hands the baby off to me while he gets ready for the day.

9:00-  Everett goes down for a nap.  He sleeps for an hour.  This is when I get ready, shower, clean, start laundry... try to get the annoying crap out the way.  Or I fart around on the Internet depending on how I'm feeling.

10:00 - He wakes up and eats SOLIDS (after baba)!  Bananas, and yams, and winter squash.... OH MY!  We hang and play or run errands or ...? 

12:30- He probably is napping at this point, but his schedule is in the midst of a change.  Usually he'll nap for 45-1 hour minutes midday, but has been known to steal a 3 hour nap if the mood strikes.  He's pretty regimented usually, though.

1:30 - We walk and talk and play and hang.

4:30 - Usually, another 45 minutes to an hour nap.  Sometimes we'll walk at this time, before the sun sets, and he'll nap in the stroller.

5:30 - Wake up before daddy gets home.  I will usually feed him MORE SOLIDS.  My kid loves to eat.  More activity after he gets a food.

6:30 - Bran walks in and he gets babby!  Play time and change the clothes/diaper.  We hang out in the kitchen while I cook.  Everett will want to go to sleep around 7:30ish.  I will finish up dinner while Bran does the nighttime routine - bottle, rock, songs, sleep.

8pm- Hubby and wifey eat dinner, watch TV, hang out.

9:30 - My last pump of the day (other pumps are 6am, 11am, 4pm, roughly).  Everett is really changing things up for us, but usually the earliest he'll wake up is 3:30am (after 11pm dream feed - crosses fingers and toes).   He doesn't even want to eat, he'll just be disgruntled.  This is part of a phase, I think.  I just shhhh him back to sleep, or give him Mylicon, or sometimes rock if he's particularly upset.  He usually wakes again at 5:30ish to eat a little something.  But it changes daily and you never know what to expect. I expect the worst and go to bed thinking I'll get 5 hours of sleep in a row with several other pieced together, so then everything good after that is the cherry on top. 

Georgia & Natty

We're almost to the five month mark and life has become a bit more predicable than it was just a month ago.

7 a.m. - Everybody wakes up. I nurse the baby in bed, then Georgia plays between us while Patrick and I have our morning coffee. It's easily my favorite part of the day. Reluctantly, we get up and start our days-- Patrick gets ready for work, I fire up the laptop and start emailing with students, and Georgia plays with her toys.

8:30/9 a.m. - Georgia takes her first nap. This tends to be her big nap of the day, so I use the time to have breakfast, shower, and get as much work as possible done. Sometimes she nurses before she lays down, but she's often more sleepy than hungry at this point.

11 a.m. - Georgia wakes up and she nurses. Generally, I've left her in her jammies from then night before, so now is the time for a bath and getting dressed. If it's nice out, we'll often go for a walk but the air has been awful lately, so she's more likely to play on her play mat until she's ready to nurse and nap again.

12:30/1 p.m - Nap #2. I grab some lunch and get back to work.

2:30/3 p.m. - Georgia wakes up and lots of times, we nurse, then head out and do some errands. She's sitting in the seat of the shopping cart now, so errands are a LOT more fun for her and I can get out with more than a little handbasket of food. Winners, all around!

4:30/5 p.m. - Usually, she takes one final, quick nap around this time but it's a tough one. It seems like lots of things come up at this time, or she only sleep for 10-15 minutes and doesn't really rest and the rest of the evening gets very tough. I never realized how much time and energy I would put towards protecting my child's naps! If all goes well, she sleep for 45 minute to an hour and she's fresh and happy when Patrick comes home.

5:30/6 p.m. - Georgia is up and once daddy is home, she's his best friend. I volley between wrapping up my work and getting some dinner together. We bounce between eating dinner, nursing, getting little miss ready for bed, relaxing and reconnecting.

7:30/8 p.m. - I take Georgia into her bedroom for a final nurse before bed. Putting her to bed used to be the most stressful part of our day but it is slowly getting better. It takes about 30 minutes of rocking and nursing to help her drift off but after that, I can usually lay her down and she'll sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. Sometimes, she wakes up again at 5 or so, but there have been a few times where she hasn't gotten up until 7 the next morning, which you can imagine feels AMAZING.

Thanksgiving

To My Butterball,

You are here.  Here are you.  I remember thinking last year at this time, when nobody but a few close friends and family even knew you were percolating, that I would have a 6 month old next year at this, my favorite time of the year.  It's amazing.

You are here and you are better than I ever could have imagined.  For that, I give thanks.

This year is going to be different.  We'll still have the same old dry turkey, too loud football, and tipsy spilling of family secrets (I will tell you about them when you're older - I have some gems), but you... you are the new addition.  It will be so fun. I am going to try to savor every morsel of you and this experience this holiday season.  We are so lucky, I know, and time passes too quickly.

In years to come, I hope you are able to appreciate Thanksgiving, with a deep love of family and self that stretches from here and expands further than time can tell.  The people make today what it is, the food just makes it extra tasty.  You know I love Thanksgiving and cooking, and we would have great fun if you also were curious about the perfect turkey temperature or delectable brussels sprouts recipes(they exist!), but more than anything, I just want you to want to learn and be curious about the world in whatever facet you so desire, today and always.  I would so love for you to find joy in strategizing with Daddy about football, watching reruns of Twilight Zone with Dad (my dad), or chatting to your cousins about their adventures in college or life.  I hope you can find your unique lens to appreciate Thanksgiving through.

I will do my best to help you become a person who finds it easy and rewarding to be reflective and appreciative today and all days by living my life that way, as best I can.  We love you so much.  This is the start of our first holiday season being a family of three and I am so thankful for today, and for you, and for this life we are living.  You are best.

Love,
Marmee

Dear Georgia,

On Thursday, 21 people who love you will come to your house. They'll be noisy and funny and pass you like a sack of hilarious jewels from person to person throughout the afternoon and evening. This will be your first Thanksgiving.

Next year, you'll eat sweet potatoes and chunks of turkey with your fat little hands. The year after, you'll be the littlest one at the kids' table with your cousins. I have to squint to see much more into the future than this. Will you be saying thanks for a brother or sister? Will you put on a tutu and dance for your guests, or will you hide in the drapes with a book? As the years pass, will you be in the kitchen, tasting the gravy with a critical eye, or will you be in the living room, starting a debate with your most opinionated kin?

I hope this day is always a happy day for you. Sometimes we grownups let the stress of entertaining or family hiccups overshadow what should be a day for feasting and gratitude. I hope that as you grow, you see us expressing gratitude for this life every day of the year. And I hope as you grow into adulthood, you can be grateful to us making this world a little better for you and your generation, not worse.

For now, I hope I take a moment with you on Thursday just to hold you in my arms and sniff your perfect baby head as I give thanks for you.

Love,

Mama

How to "Make" a Security Blanket

Lovies, Soothers, Minkies, Blankies... whatever they're called, they're wonderful.

I had a blankie growing up and when I was little, my mother was in a skiing accident that had her in and out of the hospital for about a year. I remember holding my blankie close and missing her terribly as I fell asleep.

Georgia's never taken to a pacifier or sucked her thumb, but she's been able to self-soothe for a long time because she has her "minky", a fleecey little security blanket with a monkey's head in the middle. That's a rather stark description but you can see in the picture above, it's very sweet.

Choose wisely. You want to pick something safe, small, and stylish.

• Safe. Button eyes are precious and a bear wearing rainboots is adorable but choking is not cute. I inspect Georgia's lovey daily, especially where the little bow is sewn to the top of monkey's head.
• Small. My neice somehow bonded with a huge, heavy lambskin rug and she would dutifully draaaaag that thing around with her. My own blankie was the size of a beach towel and it was often filthy from being dragged along the ground. Georgia's is small enough to be tucked into a purse of pocket.
• Stylish. If your child really bonds with this item, it's going to show up in a lot of pictures. I've known a couple of kids who bonded with mom's pillow case and toted them around for years. No pillow case is going to live through that with its dignity intact and when you look back on pictures, you probably don't want to reminisce too much about a piece of filthy laundry that often smelled like pee (FACT: Your child's blankie will often smell like pee if it travels with them into toddlerhood.)

It's a major bonus if you select something that you can buy duplicates of. Georgia's minky was a gift, so when she took to it in a powerful way, I spent days tracking down duplicates on Amazon. We keep the spare in a special box and swap it out when it needs a bath.

Get Your Scent All Up On It. I asked my mom how she got her kids to bond with the item she'd pick and she reached over and stuffed that minky in my top. Point taken, mom. For about a week when I was home, I wore her minky in my top, next to my fun bags. When I fed her, I would put the minky next to her face as she nursed. It only took a few days of this to get Georgia hooked.

Use Its Power Wisely. I really only try let Georgia have her minky when it's nap time or bed time. It's been a good signal for her when she is in her car seat. I only put it in with her if it's nap time while she is in the car. Otherwise, I give her a toy that is more stimulating. I'll also give her her minky when we are in chuch during her normal night time. It's a subtle signal to her that it's time to pass out, even when she is nowhere near her crib.

As she gets older, I hope it will be a friend to her at bedtime and when special soothing is needed, but not a constant companion. I don't want to see it lost or damaged but I also don't want it to become too regular, either become essential to living or too ordinary to be special.

How to Make a Crazy Easy Baby Blanket

Blankets were a big deal in my house growing up.  My brother had a blue blanket with satin trim (think Linus from Charlie Brown) that was loved so dearly, it ended up in shreds.  I had an assortment of thick fleece blankets with "unique" prints that were wonderful to cuddle up with watching Saturday morning cartoons or take to the park for warmth while watching my sisters play softball. 

How can you not love this?

There was/is nothing better than cuddling up with a soft-from-wear best friend.  It's like always having a hug at your disposal.  The blankets that I'm making combine the warmth of fleece with the silky satin that so many kids love.  You can make this blanket double thick by sewing two layers together before attaching the binding or change up the fabric choice, should you so desire.  You can do a smaller version to make an easily toteable "lovey", or something as large (or larger) than mine.  I am a beginner sewer, but these are easy and make great gifts.

Supplies:
fleece of your choosing (I used 1.5 yard x 60" fabric)
2" satin binding
thread to match binding

Gray/orange will be smaller than this one

Lay your fabric flat on a table or the ground.  Check out the binding - there is a long side and a shorter side.  Make sure your shorter side is facing up.  This is the side you'll sew to you make sure you catch the back.

Back is longer, top is shorter

 

Start pinning the binding on

To create the mitered edge, tuck the fabric under at a 45degree angle and pin

So, it's not perfect!

Sew zig zag stitch

Turn the corner!

Hang on la cuna.

So, it's not perfect .  My corners could be crisper and my stitching could be closer to the edge, but it's homemade after all.  It also only took about an hour from start to finish.  Prudent baby has a pretty good tutorial if mine is not up to snuff for you.  Truly, this is so incredibly easy and I think it's so sweet to make little things like this for our children, even if they're imperfect or silly.  They may not understand it now, but it's an easy, sweet reminder of being little and, well, you :)

"I searched Google for what??"

Hey new parents! You know what's amusing? Pour yourself a glass of wine some evening after your baby has passed out for the night and review your desperate Google searches for the past few months. It'll be fun, I swear! Here are some of our more interesting searches from the last few months:

Cori

My name is Cori and I'm a Googleholic.  In order to be absolved of my sins, I'm going to confess.  These are some of my searches.

"36 week preterm baby"
Google image search so I knew what I was in for when I found out I was delivering at 35w4d

"cesarean pain management breastfeeding"
I opted for all the pain meds.

"hot breasts"
In the most literal sense possible.

"baby instructions" 
Found 'em.

"vbac docs Los Angeles"
This one was googled within the first week of being home with Everett.  I'm either a great planner or a big hater of c-sections.  Both.

"zinc oxide poisoning dogs" 
Henry ate an entire tube of butt paste.  Poison control said it's not lethal for a dog that size, but he was very sick.

"what to do with a 3 week old"
I had a hard time wrapping my head around how to entertain a baby for so many hours.  The answer is, you don't.

"baby poop stain remover"
Best option - the sun!

"baby ingrown toenail treament"
My first major fuckup as a mom - clipping his toenails too short thereby facilitating an ingrown toenail.  Go mom!

"Breastfeeding hungover"
While I would never breastfeed intoxicated, Google gave me the green light to go ahead and do so after an evening of overindulgence (thankfully only a mild headache).  

"baby whiteheads permanent?"
 They're not.  It took everything in my being to not pop them.

"8 week old eats constantly" 
 Normal.

"7 week old sleeps all the time"
Normal.

"baby fedora"
Lord have mercy on my soul.

Natty

"breastfeeding while sick"
"antibiotics while breastfeeding"
"how long will it take for my supply to come back after being sick"

I got really sick when Georgia was about 8 weeks old. I stayed in bed and just nursed her while watching a lot of television and panicking quietly that it would put an end to breastfeeding for us. Thankfully, I was on the mend after three days in bed. Even though I hardly ate a thing, my body kept up and my supply was back to normal within about three days.

"hulu plus is awful"

Sometimes I just use Google to complain.

"moms who work part time happiest"

I'd seen a study on this years ago and needed to reassure myself at the end of a day where I wanted to resign all my positions with no plan for the future.

"you got a ham"

Your guess is as good as mine.

"is my baby playing on her back too often"

No.


"my baby is content in her crib. am i neglecting her"

Gawd, no.



"baby sproles jersey"

Because this is what we should be spending money on.

"child deduction 2012"


Finally, something sensible.

A Guide to (Almost) Exclusive Pumping

Breastfeeding is my first choice, but sadly, it's not Everett's.  I have had almost 6 months of experience with the pump, so I have picked up a few tricks and tips along the way.  These are the best ways I have found to increase supply and help keep positive about the experience.

Get a Good Double Pump
I love my Medela hospital grade pump.  It is definitely an expense, but I have tried other pumps and there is no comparison.  The hospital pump is quiet, gentle, and extremely effective at emptying the breast (thus creating more milk in the short and long term).  You should take your breast health and lifestyle into account when you are considering which pump to buy or rent.  Babies are much better at getting the goods than any pump, so women who use pumps exclusively are more prone to clogged ducts.  A good pump will really make a world of difference and save you a lot of heart/boob ache.

Make Sure Your Breastshields Fit Properly
Pumping should not be painful.  Flanges come in several different sizes depending on the make and model of your pump.  The pump will come with the most common size flange, somewhere around a 25mm.  Your nipples should not rub against the inside of the shield while you are pumping.  If you are unsure if you have the proper fit, check out this fitting guide.

Pumping is so much fun!

Get a Pumping Bra
I would have given up on this a long time ago if I was not able to use my hands while pumping.   My pumping bra has been a godsend.  I am still tethered to the machine, so I'm not able to practice my dance moves or anything, but I can blog, surf the net, watch TV.  It helps me relax and forget that I'm pumping, which I think in turns allow me to produce more boob juice (I promise that's the one and only time I'll call it that).

Relax If You Can

It is important to relax when you are pumping.  Regardless of when I pump, I usually go so far as to cover up so I can't keep checking how much I'm producing, thereby stressing about it.  For me, the first and last pumping sessions of the day are easy.  I wake up before Bran and Everett so I can pump while I have a little time to myself.  I check my emails, blog, catch up on news, surf the net. In the evenings, I pump after Everett has gone to bed while I catch up on my DVR with Bran.  Easy.

The middle two pumpings take place when I'm solo with the little dude, so they tend to be a little less relaxing.  This means it's really important to me to take some steps to get myself as comfortable as possible.  These two sessions are done either while Everett is asleep (this is preferred) or he's in his jumperoo or chilling on his mat.  I'll make myself lunch and grab my water, the phone, cell phone, computer, and TV so they are all within reach.

Drink More Water than You Think You'll Need

There is no such thing as drinking too much water.  Keep a Nalgene full of it with you at all times and drink at least 4 of them throughout the day (128 oz).  Drink so much your back teeth float.

Get Enough (Healthy-ish) Calories

It's so important, especially in the early days, to make sure you're getting enough calories.  I was starving pretty much the first 6 weeks after birth, with an appetite less specific but more demanding than while I was pregnant.  I have been able to cut back a bit, but I waited until Everett was 3 months old to do so.  The Hunger is not nearly as intense now that things have found a happy medium, but I am definitely not back to my pre-pregnancy appetite.

Add An Extra Pump Session/Time

During the first 2 months, it's important that you are pumping every 3 hours during the day and every 4ish overnight so that you can establish your supply.  This is also a great time to start stockpiling extra milk for future.

If, at any time, you want to try to boost your supply during the first few months or anytime thereafter, add an extra pumping session into your regimen.  Currently, I pump at 6am, 11am, 4pm, 9pm and make just enough milk (30-35oz, but he also nurses a couple times a day and once at night).  I do not have any freezer stash, so if I have less than three bottles in the fridge, I will pump 5x that day and possibly the day after.  After this, I usually see a notable increase in my production.

Buy Multiple Part Sets
The only thing worse than the time it takes to pump is the time it takes to clean your parts.  Invest the extra $25 and make sure you have an extra set that is clean for when you are really tired.  Remember, you can also rinse the parts after each use and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge, but generally I only use them twice like this.  I run a load of bottles and pump parts every evening before bed.

Consider galactagogues 

I have heard wonderful things about Fenugreek and Motillium.  I would have no problem using these things but thankfully haven't had to thus far.

Consider Allowing Formula Supplementation, if needed
The whole childbirth experience made me a little cloudy headed.  My birth experience was pretty scary and traumatic.  Breastfeeding did not go how I had wanted it to, either.  I was so excited to breastfeed, that when things unfolded and I needed to pump so often, I had a one track mind - I was going to do anything it took to make it happen.  In my hormone-laden, sleep-deprived postpartum state, I felt like a failure in so many ways that I wanted to do at least this one thing for Everett.

I put SO MUCH pressure on myself with the pump.  Luckily, I produced enough, but psychologically, I was always extremely worried about having a stockpile, even if it made me miserable to get there.  One day during his 4 month growth spurt, something clicked.  I had plans to go out with my husband and friends, sans baby, but I didn't have enough breastmilk stored to really enjoy the wine that evening (ie pump and dump).  I seriously considered cancelling the event, but I had an epiphany.  I LIKE WINE - that wasn't the epiphany, though.  If Everett got a formula bottle here and there, what the fuck is the big deal (epiphany!)?  So it's one bottle out of 100.... certainly not the end of the world. Not even bad.  Not even not good.  Just not breastmilk.  So what?

After that, the worry and pressure subsided and I was more at peace with my pumping.  I wish I would have realized that formula every so often was NBD for us, if necessary, a couple months earlier.  It would have made me a lot happier to know that it was there for us if we needed it.  Breast is best, but formula isn't bad, either.

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Pumping exclusively can be a very long and difficult road, but you are not alone. It is a huge commitment that's worth it for some women and understandably not for others.  If you have thoughtfully made the decision about what to feed your baby, take heart - your baby will be healthy and thrive regardless of which nourishment path you choose.

"Put A Cover On!"

Over the weekend, my husband, baby and I went out to lunch, which is a pretty big treat in our world. We're working hard to be thrifty and the baby isn't always in the best mood for a restaurant but today, everything lined up perfectly and we found ourselves in the Chinese restaurant we were regulars at, back when we were regulars anywhere. There was hardly anyone in the restaurant but everyone there seemed to have a small child with them.

We ordered and Georgia began to fuss a little, so I picked her up and fed her like anyone would. Now, I am not always the most discrete breastfeeder, but when I'm in a restaurant, I really do try. It's not that I feel breastfeeding should be hidden or is in any way shameful, but often in a restaurant one cannot help what is in one's line of vision and I don't need my nipple staring at anyone while they're chowing down on fish in black bean sauce. I was wearing a dress, so I pushed the fabric to the side, popped the baby on, put her little "minky" over the top of my breast where her head didn't cover, and we were off. There was no one facing me, so it was easy to relax and feel like I was doing a good job of caring for my daughter while being a part of the world. My husband and I talked, ordered our lunch, were served our beverages, I switched the baby to the other side, repositioned her minky, and lunch as served.

Just as I was taking my first bites of my meal, a middle-aged white woman with bleach-blonde hair and a business suit walked through the restaurant. As she walked by our table, she snotted loudly, "Put a cover on!" Both my husband and I were stunned and it took us a beat to both ask, "Excuse me?" It felt like everyone in the restaurant was looking at us, trying to figure out what was going on. The woman was already at the restaurant's exit and it took some serious self-control on my husband's part not to run out there after her and rip her a new one. We went back to our lunch, talked briefly about how crazy she was and laughed it off, but it stayed with both of us. My husband was angry, really angry, and I felt embarrassed, and then embarrassed about feeling embarrassed.

The thing is, it is totally crazy behavior for an adult to yell at a stranger in a restaurant, no matter what I had been doing, and as I tried to make sense of it all, I felt the need to remind myself that no one sane with a legitimate beef would have behaved that way. What's even crazier is that woman only saw me as she walked across the restaurant; she'd been nowhere in my line of sight at any time before. That means she went from zero to I Need To Say Something in about 45 seconds. I can't imagine how she runs the rest of her life. But I also have to admit I felt sad that nursing my daughter, which has been so lovely for us, was somehow dirty and disgusting in her eyes. She got her ugly all over me and now I had to shake it off, girl, shake it off!

I emailed Cori as I was licking my wounds and she replied "...She could choose not to look if it bothered her, but to say something like that is totally out of line and just shows her nasty character. I'm glad you and Patrick didn't confront her, she wasn't worth it.... I want to punch her straight in the neck."

After that, I felt better and I remembered something I've said to myself since I was clearly pregnant and dared have a glass of wine in public: You can't live in fear of what people will think. Do your research, make your decisions, and then live your life, knowing full well that someone is going to disapprove. When you're a parent, you've got to toughen the fuck up. 

Animal Love

Sometimes, the babies nap at just the same time and we end up shooting the shit on IM... today, the conversation turned to our pets. Please note that we never in the past and never will in the future refer to them as "fur babies".

The cat culprits:  Pixel and Maeby

Cori:  Dude

Natalie:  DUDE

I just rescued a kitten from a tree in my backyard!

Cori:  Shut your face!

Natalie:  I will not!

Cori:  Are you keeping it?

Natalie:  No, the private school behind my house is taking them (they had four, this little guy climbed up my tree)

That sounds dirty.

Cori:  Whoa! 

Natalie:  I know!

Cori:  I am about ready to send any and all animals to "the farm"

Natalie:  Aw.

I feel bad for Ginger. I think she thinks her name has been changed to "Move It".

Cori:  I'm afraid Everett is going to think his name is "NO Henry!"

Natalie:  Ugh, I need to get some squirt bottles so I can do something when Ginger goes on a barking spree without scaring the crap out of the baby.

Cori:  We have a squirt machine gun for hank... does the trick!

 

Natalie:  So, before we had kids, is it safe to say we were all pretty crazy animal people?

Cori:  Yes, we both hearted aminals.

Natalie:  If you hadn't had kids, how many years do you think would have passed before you sent out a holiday card from you, Bran and THE ANIMALS

Cori:  That was (is) happening this year!!!

Is Fiona a problem?

Fiona with Georgia at 5 weeks

Natalie:  Last night, I went to feed the baby at 4 a.m., came back to bed, found the cat sleeping in my spot and she tried to bite me when I went to move her!

Then she bit my toe when I finally got myself into bed.

She's totally fine around the baby though.

And she's fairly clean, so she doesn't bother me too badly.

Except when she does.

What are your cats doing?

Cori:  Not too much, just the typical trying to sleep in the crib

Maeby has permanently parked herself between me and the cosleeper.  I have to move her whenever Everett wakes up or I need to get out of bed.

Maeby "accidentally" drew Everett's first blood

Natalie:  No!

What happened?

Cori:  Babies arms look like cat toys, no?

flailing about like they do?

Natalie:  Yeah, they look like prey.

What did you do??

Cori:  Cried.  But then I didn't and I got mad at her.  Bad Maeby!

Oh but Pixel, she sleeps on the glider.  I get an assful of hair everytime I read Everett a book.

Does Fiona care about Georgia?

Is she bothered by her presence?

Natalie:  Fiona likes to sleep under her crib and when Georgia sleeps with us, Fiona will often try and get into the cuddle action in the center of the bed. Protective? Or heat seeking? I think it's the heat. Fiona will come and sort of watch over the baby when the baby is playing on her play mat. The cat has also rubbed her head and cheeks against the baby's feet a few times, so I know she doesn't dislike Georgia, but she doesn't seek her out. I'm not worried about Fiona as any kind of a threat but she does have a talent for being underfoot at the worst times and at night, when I'm trying to get myself back to sleep after taking care of  the baby, she's kind of a bitch.

So it sounds like the cats are... livable. Not perfect but okay. Would you say?

We know who the real troublemakers are.

Cori:  Absolutely.  Cats are great for the babies - they keep their distance but provide many pleasurable sightseeing hours for the kiddos.  Minus the fistfuls (and tooshfuls) of fur, livable. Totally.

But the dogs......  :***(

Natalie:  The dogs.

Hank Vs. Everett - Henry forfeits

Natalie:  I've always been grateful my dog isn't that smart because she doesn't get into stuff much and we haven't had to do much to keep her occupied but I'm suddenly wishing she had a few more brain cells.

What's the deal with Henry? You're still dealing with puppy-ness.

Cori:  So much energy.  We put so much effort into puppy training with him but NONE of it is paying off.  I can only hope we can raise a human child better than we can a fur child.

Otherwise, Everett will play well with others but jump on people when they greet him and eat his own poop.

Natalie:  And then throw it up on your rug.

Cori:  There is no baby smell that is equivalent to a Henry poop barf

What sort of trouble is Ginger getting into?

She is such a lover

Ginger is naturally effervescent.

Natalie:  Ginger has the same problems she had when we adopted her, things we knew we couldn't train out very well.

It used to be when she went nuts barking, we could shake a soda can full of pennies and she would stop, but can you imagine doing that while clutching a newborn? No.

Cori:  Good point

Natalie:  She also loves to be close to me and the baby. The other night, I'm nursing the baby and rocking her to sleep and Ginger had crept in. Then something caught her attention outside and she started barking like crazy, scaring the crap out of the baby and making Patrick get really pissed off.

And because she loves to be close, she is ALWAYS underfoot. I trip over her at least once a day and how has she still not learned what "get out the way!" means??

Cori:  It's like their instincts say "PROTECT MOTHER AND BABY" and they think they're doing us a favor by following us around, when in fact they are just a constant road block/tripping hazard

Natalie:  And fart machines.

I love playing the Who Farted? game.

Cori:  Surprise surprise, farting surprise!

Natalie:  Poor Ginger, we blamed her for some very serious baby farts for several days before realizing Georgia's digestion had changed and she was farting like a frat boy after a wing eating competition.

Cori:  Oh, the ones that just percolate in there for days, getting more and more lethal by the minute.

But who farts are the worst?  Henry still wins in this household

Natalie:  At this point. I think it's Georgia! Ginger is only really awful when she's been eating table scraps and we haven't exactly been cooking big dinners these days

Has Henry stolen any of Everett's toys?

Cori:  All the toys.  He doesn't chew them.  He just brings them back to his bed and cuddles with them.  But I have to wash them.  Poor Sophie the Giraffe has been through the dishwasher so many times she no longer makes any fun squeaky noises.

But that makes her less enticing to Henry in the long run, so it might work itself out

Natalie:  (Ginger is currently growling at some very menacing cars outside. I ordered her to get out and she responded by coming closer to me to growl.)

Cori:  She's protecting you!

Natalie:  zomg, Ginger lusts after Sophie!

Two squeeks and Ginger is on the scene, ready to take her from the baby the moment I'm away.

Sophie would be a very successful cult leader.

Cori:  What is it about her that is so alluring to kids and animals alike?

Natalie:  Stupid Sophie doesn't even appeal much to Georgia.

Can I confess I got a used Sophie? From my cousin and I boiled her but yeah, used Sophie.

Cori:  Boiled giraffe.  I would consider it if I was a contestant on Iron Chef

Natalie:  I would totally eat giraffe and with none of your caveats.

Cori:  What about a giraffe that wears a bow?

Natalie:  Those are the most delicious kind. Dandy giraffee.

What does Everett think of Henry? Georgia is in serious love with the dog and will let her lick her mouth out all damn day.

Cori:  Everett loves Henry and the cats.  I want to saddle up Henry and let Everett ride him.  There is something they should teach in puppy kindergarten.  Why does a dog need to know how to shake??!?

Natalie:  That's why the animals will never go to the farm. The babies love their stupid faces.

Cori:  Aw... we still love their stupid faces.

Natalie:  And we're adjusting too? Maybe the crazy love we had for our pets just gets transferred to our kids.

And the kids transfer it right back to the animals

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

SIMBA

Cori:  let's hug it out

Shit I Actually Thought While Pregnant

I didn't come to this kid thing totally clueless. I babysat like crazy as a teenager and helped my sister throughout the years with her five babies, so I came to parenthoood fairly comfortable with baby stuff but still had some notions about what our life would be like that are amusing to me now.

"My kid will totally sleep though the night by 6 weeks." 

Thank goodness I never said this one out loud. Seriously, where did this idea even come from? I can't suss out its origins but I really, really thought that if I did everything "right" (what does that even mean?) she'd be sleeping from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. I'm too tired to even laugh.

Fun fact: I haven't slept through the night since June 24th. And you know what? It really is okay. This doesn't last forever and I generally don't have to be up early for work. I don't even feel that bad during the day. I am totally destroyed by 9:30 at night and often the baby has yet to pass out for the night by then. I know one magical night, I will wake up and realize tonight's the night, she's gonna sleep through the night. She might be in third grade by then. That's a-okay. There are worse things.

"I don't need a monitor! I'll just hear the baby crying and get her." 

You know what game isn't fun? The Is My Baby Breathing? game! We ordered a monitor in about two days after we came from the hospital.

"Dieting while breastfeeding will be so easy. The weight is just going to fly off."

Oh my lord. I can tell easily when Georgia is having a growth spurt because I become like Chris Farley's GAP Girl.

I remember being hungry when I was pregnant and it was uncomfortable because I'd get light headed and feel a little pukey and I do remember crying once because I poured a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats but we were out of milk. But nursing hungry is a totally different beast. Instead of feeling weak and emotional, I feel like I've been out chopping firewood and I just need calories and lots of them. I will say this has evened out a bit since my supply stabilized at about three months, but even now the idea of just piece of toast for breakfast seems laughable.

The thing is, I'm only a few pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight (though that was not a number to really brag about) so I feel pretty good about where I am. When I have gotten hard on myself to slim down and I've counted calories, you know what happened? I've gained weight. My body knows that now isn't the time to diet, simple as that.

"Our house is going to be an epic mess."

I've never been known for my housekeeping, so I was pretty sure bringing a baby into the house meant we'd be on Hoarders before Georgia entered preschool. But something weird has happened.

It didn't take long for both of us to start picking up a little better after ourselves and each other. Our tolerance for crap has gone way down and recently we did a purge so major, it required a yard sale. Bags of frozen milk need to be thawed and baby bottles and such need to be sterilized, so a clean kitchen is now a need, not a want. Baby clothing is constantly being washed, which keeps the laundry room humming. Our bedroom is the only kid-stuff-free zone and suddenly that's really important to us, so we're keeping it clean. I know that Georgia will be her own mess-making whirling dervish in time, but for now, our home is surprisingly tidy.

"I am not listening to kid's music. She'll like our music just fine."

When Georgia was about 4 weeks old, we were driving to Patrick's parents when she started making a doleful wail in the backseat. Patrick wanted to pull over but I had another solution. "I don't think you'll like it." I warned. He replied, "If it works, I don't care." (Wise man!) I turned on a Lady Gaga CD I'd played entirely too much while I was pregnant and she was calm in seconds.

The thing is, I forgot about all the great kids music I used to listen to. One morning, I ran into some Muppet music on Spotify and Georgia started giggling at "Mah Na Mah Na". There's no motivator as great as a baby's laugh. As I looked for more music, I started remembering all the records (yes, records) I would listen to for hours:

It's a nostalgic binge around here these days and I'm becoming more aware of other good stuff that's come out since I was a kid (The score of WALL-E mellows both of us out.) But I'll be damned if I'm letting those Doodlebop assholes into my house.