Nosefrida Baby Aspirator: So Gross, So Good

It's so gross when your baby has a cold. To hear all that snot stuck in his nose, especially while he's eating/drinking, is YUCK. Guess who is responsible for getting that snot out so the kid can sleep? Mom and Dad. Greeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaat.

Way before Q was born, my friend D gave us this snotsucker called the Nosefrida. D is a doctor, so if she gives you something medical-ish, you take notice. When Q got his first cold in September, we used the Nosefrida with OK results. He hated it, and the snot was crusty and hard to get out. We really suffered that week. Well, I did, because after he was better, I had gotten the cold, and I was exhausted at that point. I had to call in reinforcements: my mom.

Q has a cold now, and the snot is runnier, so the Nosefrida was a smashing success last night. The Nosefrida is way gentler than a bulb aspirator because you use your own lung power to pull out the snot. There's a filter between you and the snot, and the snot collector tube is huge anyway, so there is no way you'll get your kid's snot in your mouth. (And if you DO, it must be a really horrifying cold to fill up that snot tube, so as a parent, it's your JOB to get snot in your mouth if it makes your kid's life better. I say this having been thrown up and diarrhea-d on a couple dozen times. Snot, no biggie. Disgusting, yes, biggie, no.)

Anyway, Q's Dad and I have gotten better at a) getting saline in his nose to loosen up the snot and b) holding him still to do stuff to him. While he was royally PO'd that we sucked his snot last night, it was quite a feeling of accomplishment- and nausea- to see his snot in the tube. "It's so gross, I want to puke!" I said as I rushed to the bathroom to rinse out the snot.

I highly recommend the Nosefrida, as gross as it is. It's one tool to have in your arsenal for the crappy times of dealing with a sick baby. You can buy at Whole Foods, or buy and read reviews online at amazon.

Oh, and of course, now I have the cold. It's nowhere near as bad as last time though- no runny/stuffy nose to prevent sleep, just sore ears and crappy feeling. Click here to read full entry.

Babies are a Lotta Damn Work!!!!!

Man, having a kid is a lot of work, especially when they aren't feeling well. Even a simple cold can throw off their sleep, which throws off your sleep, then of course, you catch their cold... and feel like crap, then feel bad for not appreciating just how crappy the kid has been feeling the past few days.

It's too bad babies can't
a) tell you how they're feeling (do your ears hurt? Or are you just tired and that's why you're grabbing your ears?)
b) blow their own damn noses. Kids hate you wiping their nose. "Well, OK, should I get out the snot sucker then?"

And then of course it's just weird being a parent. What, I'm not a kid any more? I have to responsible, and take second seat to this new person I've brought into the world? It's weird transitioning to that new place in life. I'd say, "It's hard," but it's not, because you have NO other option but to do so, to take care of your kid the best you can. In a way it's easy, because your focus is so clear.

The baby is getting smarter by the second. He'll stand, on his own, without fanfare, with us hardly noticing. He can place the ball in the hole, the BOP it through with his hand like I've shown him. He can offer me a teether to put in my mouth, then rip it away, then offer it again, and rip it away while smiling. I mean, this is the past week that he can do this cause and effect stuff. It's pretty cool.

(In this pic, we don't use the hammer. We bop it through with our fists, or I go, "Chop chop chop!" and karate chop it through, which he finds hysterical.)

Click here to read full entry.

My Sister's Family Grows... and Blogs!

I am thrilled to announce the blog of my younger sister, Amy! Of course, I take most of the credit... just kidding!

Her blog is called "The H Family Grows," and she decided to do it because her family is not just growing with the three kids they already have, but will be growing, within the next year or two, with two children they are hoping to adopt from Ethiopia. Many families who adopt or are in the process of adopting start blogs, so I think that inspired Amy to keep her own account of their journey. I think she also wants to document her family life in general. 'Cause BOY are my niece and nephews ADORABLE! If I didn't have my own kid, I would be totally devastated that they are so far away in CA!

Speaking of, here's a pic of the Q in CA with his cousins in September.


I remember when Amy first mentioned they were thinking about adopting... I was all for it! I think, like during most of our phone conversations, I was driving. I am so in love with my niece and nephews, and I am so excited to have more. I'm excited that one of my sisters is blogging. Turns out she's a pretty good writer! Now we just need the other sister to start blogging, although she's a lawyer, and I think they have some strict code about that. Click here to read full entry.

Reflections on Post Partum Hormones

The other day at La Leche League, a mom with a 2 week old baby quickly left after it started crying.
"She didn't have to leave, all babies cry!" someone said after the meeting ended.
"Yeah, but remember what it felt like when your brand new baby cried?" I said (you know me, always having some bossy opinion). "Like, your entire body heated up and you couldn't think of anything except solving the problem? Like, your brain went haywire because the hormones were coursing through your body? That's probably how she felt, and just needed to leave."

Man, thinking back to those days... I'm glad I don't feel things that intensely any more. I think I had a relatively easy time in those first few weeks, because I had a lot of help from my husband and then my mom. But it was still a hard time. Your body feels horrible, and you're so tired... I remember how strong those hormones felt. I would cry because my pelvis hurt and I was sick of asking for help, and I would cry because I didn't want to put my baby in daycare (when he was weeks old, I was obsessing about what was coming up in 9-10 months- it's not quite rational, but you can't fight that feeling).

I honestly don't remember too much about those first weeks, and I'm kinda glad about that. I do recall being up at 3 am with the baby, and reading breastfeeding books, and feeling like I was in Navy SEAL boot camp, and feeling like I was doing a pretty good job, and that I had overall a really easy baby. I felt like I understood him from the start and could meet his needs, and that felt wonderful.

I do remember (just remembered, actually) lying awake at night imagining who I could kill if it meant saving my baby. I determined that I would shoot any adult, but not any kid. Because I wouldn't want to take away someone else's baby. Was that rational thinking? Not really. It wasn't likely that a crazy killer was going to capture me and say, "Either kill your husband or your baby," or, "Kill this stranger, or your baby," but that's what kept me up. I also instructed my husband that if it came down to a choice between saving me or the baby, he'd better save the baby. I guess I wanted to make sure I had all my bases covered. It was scary having something that I would totally die for, and I guess I was getting used to that. (My husband didn't appear to share my urgency in planning for these hypothetical events, which I found very annoying.)

Fortunately, those hormone surges go away, although you still get the nice rush of breastfeeding hormones that totally relax you when you feed the baby. Now that's a good drug, totally legal, no prescription needed. Click here to read full entry.

I Love the Gym!

I've been back to the gym a few times in the past week or two, and it's been great to move my body and get some head space to myself. I also noticed yesterday that part of the fun of being at the gym is being SEEN. Not even by guys; just being seen, as a person, and as a person with a nice body. The gym is all about showing off your body, and I have to admit, I like that. I don't wear baggy clothes at the gym. I wear tight pants and tank tops, and did so even when I was pregnant. I dunno. It sounds vain, but I don't really mean it that way. I more mean, we spend all this time at the gym trying to get our bodies in shape, so it makes sense to show them off a little.

I think there was something else I wanted to say about this, but the baby is getting into everything, so I gotta run!

Oh! That I'm still in physical therapy twice a week for my loose hips/pelvis, and the PT is really helping, so it's nice to get to go back to the gym and push myself a little with the cardio. I LOVE my gym. It's always pretty crowded, so there's lots of energy to make me feel like expending my own energy to sweat a little. I actually had time to do arm weights yesterday for the first time since I had the baby; that was awesome. Thanks to the husband for taking care of baby.

Today I'll try and drop the baby off at daycare for a few hours and maybe go to PT without him, even though everyone's always like, "Where's the baby?!?" because I've been bringing him for the past three months! He's a little less content to sit in the stroller for over an hour now, though, so it's not quite as easy to take him with me. It's also not as easy to put him to sleep if he's crabby, so if I have to do that, I'll be at PT for no joke, 2 hours. It's just easier, if less fun, to go without him. I have to admit, I get a LOT LESS attention when I'm without him though. Sigh. I'm just a regular person without a cute baby. A cute, elfin baby. Click here to read full entry.

Latest Obsession: Babywearing Poncho

I've been babywearing since Q was born. It's just a practical way to:
1. Take him grocery shopping while keeping him right next to me so nosy people don't get to close to him and expose him to their germs
2. Have hands free while still carrying him (and his baby-related crap).
3. Get chores done around house if he's crabby and/or wants to sleep.
I do not know how people DON'T babywear.

Anyway, winter is coming, so it's getting a little trickier. There is quite a bit of body heat between mom and baby, so even on our chilly Oct/Nov days, I can just wear a long sleeve shirt, put Q in socks and a hat, and feel confident that we're both going to be warm enough. However, it's getting colder.

Someone at a mom's group had mentioned a sweater you can wear over both you and the baby. I can't find that, but I did find a cool poncho that covers you and the baby, just exposing your heads. I must have this. Winter SUCKS, and one way of dealing with it is having the proper clothing; that's probably the biggest lesson I've learned up here in CT.

I still wear Q on my front, because he's little enough not to kill my back. I like having him where I can see him.

There's also this $300 dollar Psny Babywearing Down Coat, but I'm not a NYC mom who walks everywhere, so I don't think I need something that hardcore! Click here to read full entry.

Taylor's Cheer Captain, Kanye's on the Bleachers

She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers...

This line from a bubbly Taylor Swift song is stuck in my head, and it made me realize, My God, poor Kanye. No wonder he stormed the stage at the VMAs. I bet that song was, and is, stuck in his head, too. He is so obsessed with Taylor Swift because while part of him hates her cheery pop and another part is jealous of her success, ANOTHER part recognizes that she's brilliant. And he just can't take it, and part of him wants to be her. How do I know this? Because I remember reading clips of the crazy rant/apology he posted to his website very soon after the VMAs. He was clearly still drunk. Later, he put up a more sensible apology, but I think his first draft says it all:

I’m sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom. I spoke to her mother right after and she said the same thing my mother would’ve said. She is very talented! I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she’s in the bleachers! I’m in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!

Beyoncé’s video was the best of this decade!!!! I’m sorry to my fans if I let you guys down!!!! I’m sorry to my friends at MTV. I will apologize to Taylor 2mrw. Welcome to the real world!!!! Everybody wanna booooo me but I’m a fan of real pop culture!!! No disrespect but we watchin’ the show at the crib right now cause … well you know!!!! I’m still happy for Taylor!!!! Boooyaaawwww!!!! You are very very talented!!! I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me … That’s what it is!!!!!!! I’m not crazy y’all, i’m just real. Sorry for that!!! I really feel bad for Taylor and I’m sincerely sorry!!! Much respect!!!!!

I mean, there is so much repulsion in that sarcastic first paragraph, but I also read it as raging envy of her songwriting skills. He quoted the most insanely catchy line of her song! When a song gets stuck in a musician's head, that means something: it means that song is a success.

And really, how different are Kanye and Taylor? They probably have a lot in common. They're probably going to end up best friends eventually. Click here to read full entry.