The World is a Magical Place

Remember the child from the box? Well, she's taking her afternoon nap. And this morning, she had a morning nap. And last night? Last night, she slept in her crib for the first time. Her father and I took turns sitting with her until she fell asleep. When she woke during the night, I was prepared to soothe her but not feed her. She mostly self-soothed before I could go in there and muck things up, except for that 2 - 3:30 am stretch where I went into her room LIKE A MORON. See: previous part about SELF-SOOTHING, dumdum.

There is a reason why sleep deprivation is a torture device, people. Think about it.

Holy sweet Baby Jesus, today is a marvelous day!!!! The world is a beautiful place!!!!!!!! 

Meanwhile, there's the other one. The older one. She is running cross-country this fall for the first time.

She's the blondie in black shoes. I screamed maniacally for her as she ran by. I think she loves that.

Kids. There's nothing like them. Sometimes you put them in boxes in a vain attempt to hang onto your mind and get through the next few minutes, and other times you shout out loud your support for all the world to hear. Much to their dismay. I'm not sure which is the truest indicator of a loving parent. 

Probably both.

The Baby at Nine Months

Yesterday, I put my kid in a box. She was screaming and unhappy everywhere else I put here, might as well go for broke. It kept her happy for a surprising amount of time. I think I washed dishes.

She still won't crawl, eat solid foods, or allow any teeth to come through her gums. I'm trying not to panic, which means NOT going to the internet and googling "eight month old doesn't crawl". Because I did that and the results range from "crawling is normal at 9 to 10 months" to "it could be the result of central nervous system damage...". Good old internet.

Today Evelyn turns nine months old. To mark the occasion, she took a nap with the cat. The cat jumped in her bed as I was feeding her in preparation for her afternoon nap, when he pointedly looked at me  before settling down as if to say, "you're stuck under the baby, so watch this."

I shook the bed and tried to get him out, but he just looked like he was enjoying his free massage. So, I put the baby in on top of/next to him. I think I made my point.

Who know what tomorrow will bring? Maybe crawling, and the minute she pulls out all the books from the bookshelf and gets into my purse to rip out all the checks, I know I will wonder why I wanted it to happen so badly in the first place. Immobility is not so bad.

A First of Sorts

Baby's first rice cereal. I was all excited to try a bit of solid food, to get more in baby's tummy so baby would feel full and baby wouldn't want to eat once per hour or some such nonsense.

I'm not exactly doing attachment parenting, except I think that I am what with feeding on demand and all. Oh, sure, sometimes I distract the baby with other things, like brushing my teeth, just to buy another 10 minutes here and there. Now that she's five months old, she MUST want to EAT something SUBSTANTIAL, right??? When does the detachment process begin? I mean, not "rip off the band-aid and throw it away" harshness, just some subtle, you know, independent sitting for a few minutes and things.


Evelyn isn't down with it. Instead of baby's first rice cereal = success! so that we could celebrate and move on to other such things as Sleeping More and Making Mommy's Coffee, no. 


I'm in ur high chair not eatin' ur food.

Evelyn Roísin prefers to drink her breakfast, just like the longshoremen. Evelyn's got it over the longshoremen with her smooth face that I would like to lick. And do, on occasion. Mostly I just eat her hands and feet, snacking on some cheek every now and again.

STARDATE MONDAY, JUNE 18: RICE CEREAL ATTEMPT NO. 2


Our subject has gotten a whole 10 days older, with 10 days worth of growing and development under her belt. She's been practicing sitting up and watching the family eat with their utensils, though she is not mimicking us. Perhaps her fool mother thinks she is ready to try again with the cereal? Let's find out.

Hallo, what's this?

My nemesis, Spoon. I've seen you before, you of new-way-to-eat of doom. I've rejected more comforting alternate food delivery devices, I will reject you, too. If my icy stare doesn't freeze you in mid-delivery, then my steel-trap mouth will not let you in.

Do not enter. Wrong way. Do not pass go. Back up Jack. It ain't happenin'.

Noooooooooooooooooo. Ope.

Admit defeat, you coated-for-my-comfort scoundrel! Lay there like the useless instrument that you are. 

That's right.

Hmm, what is this delicious coating on my hand? Methinks I would like to lick it, just to spite the spoon.

Haha!

Evelyn won the first round, and the second. Stay tuned.........the spoon has more delicious weaponry in its arsenal. I don't want to give it away, but it rhymes with "bapplesauce".

Motherhood is Losing One's Mind One Sleepless Night at a Time

The baby teased me with a couple of five-hour nights before she decided she didn't need that much sleep all in a row.



Commented to husband the other night: I don't want to only be able to converse about sleep schedules and the intricacies of diaper changes, and yet, here I am.



This is what it is for now, it seems. Things will change and flow into the next stage in time. I will read the paper everyday again soon, and drink caffeinated coffee without counting ounces...one day.

On the other hand, who wouldn't want to spend the wee hours with this one?