Essential Baby Gear: Great Husband

I’ve pretty much known from the beginning that I scored in the husband department, but having a kid has confirmed it. My husband is already a great dad. He’s practically a natural. He was a little slow on diaper changes at first, probably because he has never experienced explosive poop or actually getting peed on. I mean, he left the baby’s bare butt on the expensive changing table cover. (That’s for looks, dude- use the cheap Target disposable liner on top. Or at least put a diaper under his heinie.)
But let’s get back to all the stuff that he does right.
He’s been forcing me to sleep. That has probably saved us at least 5 emotional breakdowns from me because I’m not exhausted.
He holds the kid.
He’s a good swaddler.
He goes to the store to buy stuff that we need.
He brought me whatever I needed when my butt was sore.
When I start crying because I don’t totally feel physically better yet, and am tired of needing help and not being able to move around as much as I want, he calms me down really kindly.

Above all he has been a good influence on me. He’ll put the baby in the Pack and Play, turn on our nanny cam, then go in the next room. I’d never think of doing that- leaving the baby in the next room- but it’s a rational and healthy thing to do. I’d be holding the kid on my chest the whole time, but I’m slothful enough as it is. It’s good for me to go shower or put up a blog post. Or say, eat breakfast. Or do some pelvic floor exercises and pelvic tilts to start getting my core back into shape.
I think my husband has already made me a more relaxed parent, because I tend toward paranoid stress bucket. I think this is why I’m able to put in my earplugs and sleep at night, rather than listening for every little noise. Babies can make a lot of damn noise in their sleep.

Oh my husband has also been making me laugh a lot.
A couple days ago, I’d do this thing where I’d act like a total bitch for no reason, and rather than responding meanly back to me, he’d say something totally funny and make me laugh while at the same time making me realize I’m acting insane.  Problem solved.

I am NOT happy my husband goes back to work tomorrow, but I’m lucky to have had him here as long as I did- a whole week. My mom comes up tomorrow, so that should make the transition easier.

PS- what scares the crap out of me is how randomly I met my husband- the fact that I could have easily not met him is too terrifying to consider. Because I don't believe in fate- that's just something that makes people feel better about how random the universe is. Click here to read full entry.

I'm a Mom! Holy Crap!

OK this is a big deal- my first post since Baby Q was born!
The most coherent thought in my head is that I am obsessed with getting baby stuff to people who need it.
The other day I had just finished breastfeeding. Baby was sleeping on my chest and husband and I were sitting around the living room chilling. My husband said, "Formula is so expensive! It's like liquid gold. Do you know that it's the most stolen item?"
Me: "Oh my gosh that makes me want to cry." And I promptly started crying.
It is so satisfying to me to feed my baby, and to think that someone else cannot feed their baby and needs to steal food for it is just horrible. I mean, you can't feed babies anything but breastmilk or formula up to 6 months (or something like that, I'll worry about those details later). Someone who can't afford formula probably has to work, and therefore probably can't breastfeed unless they pump, and for some people that's just not feasible. But their babies still need food.
SO. I have got to find out where I can donate formula and stuff to local families. I'm sure there are many national places I can just give money to; that option's alright too.
But I also have some baby stuff here that I don't want- blankets, and clothes that are gender neutral that I don't need, and I want those to go directly to local people if they need it.

I mean, maybe they don't need it. I don't know.
So. One of my projects in the hours that the baby is sleeping (besides me napping, eating, and getting a shower) is figuring out who needs stuff and how to get it to them.
The end!
Yes! I wrote a post!!!!

A pregnant friend came over the other day; I told her about my and my husband's formula conversation and she started crying, too. I don't think it's only hormones. It's knowing how much food means to a baby. It's all they do. They eat, sleep and poop. For God's sake, I breastfeed b/w 4 and 5 hours a day, usually closer to 5 (thank you handy dandy iPhone breastfeeding application). To think that someone can't feed their baby is a painful thought. Click here to read full entry.

41 Weeks- No Hurry! Seriously! I'm Patient! I'm Soooo Patient About This!

I feel like everything I'd say today would be a cliche.
Like, if I say, "It's such an odd time, waiting for a baby with nothing to do," that's, like, DUH!!!!!!!!
Or if I say, "I'm irritable from the backache I've had since Sunday," that's like, DUH, too!!!!

Instead I'll just say, I'm lucky to have coworkers who are also my friends. Not only is it easy to find them when I need them... they are all in one place! So if I can't find someone, I can ask another person if they've seen the person. It's so convenient. Or, I can give money to one of them, and they'll go pay for my Girl Scout cookies that I bought from another coworker... and poof, my Girl Scout cookies get brought to my house when my coworker/friend comes over to watch TV. Is that the life, or what?

Today I was about to freak out because I'm grumpy and restless. So, I called 3 coworkers. They all called back after they got out of the staff meeting. Turns out two of them were going to the gym- just what I needed to distract myself and soothe my back. I walked for 30 min on the treadmill beside my coworker/friend who ran 7 miles. I talked her ear off as she jogged, then we stretched and went our separate ways. I felt like a new person when I left the gym- in such a better mood, and think of how many Girl Scout cookies I DIDN'T eat when I was out of the house for that hour!

Then, on the way home from the gym, I made plans with the 3rd coworker to come over tomorrow night, to join me and the 2 gym rats to (re)watch Biggest Loser, our fave show. Girl power!

I also called 2 other coworkers today to catch up on gossip and tell them how I'm doing. I work with the best people. I don't mean to brag. I'm just trying to talk about something other than being pregnant. Click here to read full entry.

Pregnant, or on Terrorist Watch List?

I never knew how as your due date approached, the people in your life watch you like a hawk.
A friend called last Friday, and I didn't get around to calling her back because I was busy and/or exhausted, and on Saturday night she called and left messages for my husband and me, convinced I was in labor.
Yesterday, another friend saw that I'd called, and called back without listening to my message, screaming, "Are you in labor?!?"
A coworker just emailed me that she is watching my facebook page, waiting for an update.
If we don't call my husband's parents back right away, I know his mom will not sleep; she'll be up all night, thinking I'm having the baby, or that something is horribly wrong.

You really start to get a sense that you are stressing people out. It's kind of funny, because my reality is completely different. I feel days and days away from birth, so people's high-strung energy always takes me by surprise. I thought I was the high-strung one in most of these relationships! People sure do get crazy for babies, don't they? I feel like there is mass hysteria around me. Meanwhile, I feel completely normal.

Mental note to self for future: Do not pounce on a pregnant lady every time she calls. Assume she will tell you if she is in labor or if she has just had the baby.

Alright, I'm off to get a pre-labor pedicure, because I certainly cannot reach my own toes with this belly. I tried it yesterday and it did not work out well. Click here to read full entry.

Celeb Crush: Sean Penn In, Chris Brown Out

As soon as news broke of Chris Brown beating up his girlfriend Rihanna, I knew he'd need to be officially removed from my List of Celebrity Crushes. However, I didn't know who to replace him with, so I was dragging my feet. I think I've got someone: Sean Penn. I just read the Rolling Stone interview with him, and I think he's cool enough and cute enough to be on the list. He's very opinionated, and I like that in a person. I also LOVED his movie Into the Wild with Emile Hirsch. It's the only good movie I've seen in the last 2 years.

Here's my new, fully revised List of My Top 5 Celebrity Crushes:

Crush 1, on left: Josh Hollowell: actor from my fave TV Show Lost-- He's just pretty, and I like his Southern accent.

Crush 2, on right: James Hetfield: lead singer of Metallica-- He's cute, and a very talented singer song-writer. Plus, he's different, and I like that.



Crush 3: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., NASCAR driver. Very cute, love his red hair, like his Southern accent.



Crush 4: Tom Petty, singer; mostly the Tom Petty of 20 years ago. Tom Petty would not be called a traditional sex symbol, and some people might call him skinny and gross. I can only send you to this YouTube video of the making of the Traveling Wilburys album. It's a great movie, and Petty is so young and cool and just as good of a musician as the guys he's playing with: Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and George Harrison. I adore Petty's voice, especially his speaking voice.

Crush 5: Sean Penn, actor/director. Very cute when he was younger, and still a good-looking guy at age 48. I love the movie he directed recently, Into the Wild. You can't read his recent Rolling Stone interview online, but here's a post by the guy who interviewed him that gives a sense of how the interview went.

Click here to read full entry.