Today, I put 26 bibs in the wash. 26 bibs and 13 burp cloths. But I think its getting better. Squirrel is still spitting up enormous amounts, but in the past 2 1/2 days, she had 5 feedings where she didn't spit up at all. That is a huge change. I just have to keep this in mind whenever she goes on a "empty the stomach" spree.
Yesterday, I had to get out of the house. I was all set to cook dinner. My DH said he washed the dishes for me and everything in the kitchen was ready for me to cook dinner. Happily, I walked into the kitchen to discover the countertops FULL of dirty dishes. Apparently, the only dishes in the house that needed washing were the ones in the sink. I asked him why he didn't wash the others and he came up with the perfect reply. The dishwasher was full.
I was astounded. So I washed all the dishes he left behind, only to notice at the end, I was standing in a puddle. So now I have to fix (or have fixed) a leak in the pipes under the sink. This makes the second leak in our house because we have a roof leak that has not been fixed yet. I had a roofer come out and he told me that he could see no area that could be leaking. SO... he has to pull up a section of the roof and go from there. Nice.
Needless to say, I decided I had enough and did not cook dinner last night. I just put away the meat and left the house on a mission to save my sanity. McDonald's and Taco Bell may not be healthy food, but sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing to save another.
Monkey also came home with a new toy yesterday. Bought with her own money. I still have to question DH's decision to let her buy a toy this close to her birthday. I guess though, since it was her money, its not really a problem. The problem is, like almost all toys, this thing has an annoying noisemaker attached. Its one of those masks with the voice distortion mic on it. Now I know little kids love noisy toys, but I am having a hard time listening to Squirrel crying and Monkey talking loudly into this thing all the time.
All this may not seem related, but I can assure you that to a mother (especially with a newborn), these things add up. Sometimes you just have to get out of a situation (even for 20 minutes) before you go crazy.
PS... I haven't even touched the work in the bathroom in a week now. Maybe I can do some of it this weekend. Laboring over Labor Day (never heard that one before, right?).
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Paci Patrol
I swear some days its never ending. Squirrel loves her pacifier. LOVES her pacifier. All three of us take turns giving it back to her when she spits it out. She has a three second memory: Suck, spit, oh no where did my paci go? Rinse and repeat. Literally. Since she has GERD, she is constantly being wiped/rinsed off. I have the smell of spit-up permanently ingrained in my nose. I can't imagine what her sense of smell is like right now. If I were her, I'd just shut it off for the next few months. I mean really, think about it: What a wonderful flowery smell...barf...what a lovely sour milk/flowery smell. Is that cookies I smell baking? ...barf... Oh goodie, cookies and milk. Ugh.
Back to Paci Patrol. We finally got a clip for her paci at Target. The only problem with that was we had to drive an hour and a half to get to Target. We live in a city of roughly 50,000 people. Not a metropolis by any means, but a fair size city. The surrounding area probably has double that number. We have 2 Super Wal-Marts, numerous grocery stores, a good sized mall, hundreds of smaller retail stores, and I have to travel an hour and a half to get a pacifier clip for my daughter. What?? Apparently, the Soothie pacifier (while sold at Wal-Mart) doesn't rate the necessity of a clip. And you can't just use any clip. There is no little handle or clip worthy area. You have to have a Soothie brand clip. My question is why would Wal-Mart carry this brand pacifier and neglect to carry the corresponding clip? It makes as much sense as Books-A-Million carrying Books #1, 2, 4, 5, 6 of a series. Uh, where is Book #3, I ask. To which I hear, Oh, we don't have that one. So I ask, Can you order it for me? The reply: No, our warehouse doesn't carry it either. Okay, that is the dumbest thing I have heard in a while. Why even carry the series then? Make sense to you? Me either.
I have digressed. Squirrel loves her paci. When she wants it. So I spend my day putting her paci back in her mouth. Then DH and Monkey get home and they help me spend our evenings putting her paci back in her mouth. Oh I long for the day when she can do that on her own. But at least Squirrel will suck on her paci. My niece will not. She has to have the paci held in her mouth nearly constantly. I feel for my brother and SIL.
When the paci doesn't do the trick: This happens most often in the van. Squirrel is not a happy rider. She will tolerate a van ride for about 20 minutes. Then if we're lucky, she goes to sleep. If not, she screams. And screams.
And screams.
There will be no long trips for us in the near future.
Everyone looks at my kids and this is what they say. Oh, she looks just like her daddy. Its true, both girls look a lot like DH, but not like his baby pics. Both Monkey's and Squirrel's baby pics look almost exactly like my baby pics. However, Monkey has grown into looking more like her daddy now. Even Squirrel looks like him as he is today. Knowing this, is it really sad that I get tired of hearing that? I mean, I'm the one who went through nine months of my body getting all misshapen, I went through the pain of labor, I am the one breastfeeding. Just once, lie to me and say, Oh what a pretty baby. She looks just like you.
Back to Paci Patrol. We finally got a clip for her paci at Target. The only problem with that was we had to drive an hour and a half to get to Target. We live in a city of roughly 50,000 people. Not a metropolis by any means, but a fair size city. The surrounding area probably has double that number. We have 2 Super Wal-Marts, numerous grocery stores, a good sized mall, hundreds of smaller retail stores, and I have to travel an hour and a half to get a pacifier clip for my daughter. What?? Apparently, the Soothie pacifier (while sold at Wal-Mart) doesn't rate the necessity of a clip. And you can't just use any clip. There is no little handle or clip worthy area. You have to have a Soothie brand clip. My question is why would Wal-Mart carry this brand pacifier and neglect to carry the corresponding clip? It makes as much sense as Books-A-Million carrying Books #1, 2, 4, 5, 6 of a series. Uh, where is Book #3, I ask. To which I hear, Oh, we don't have that one. So I ask, Can you order it for me? The reply: No, our warehouse doesn't carry it either. Okay, that is the dumbest thing I have heard in a while. Why even carry the series then? Make sense to you? Me either.
I have digressed. Squirrel loves her paci. When she wants it. So I spend my day putting her paci back in her mouth. Then DH and Monkey get home and they help me spend our evenings putting her paci back in her mouth. Oh I long for the day when she can do that on her own. But at least Squirrel will suck on her paci. My niece will not. She has to have the paci held in her mouth nearly constantly. I feel for my brother and SIL.
When the paci doesn't do the trick: This happens most often in the van. Squirrel is not a happy rider. She will tolerate a van ride for about 20 minutes. Then if we're lucky, she goes to sleep. If not, she screams. And screams.
And screams.
There will be no long trips for us in the near future.
Everyone looks at my kids and this is what they say. Oh, she looks just like her daddy. Its true, both girls look a lot like DH, but not like his baby pics. Both Monkey's and Squirrel's baby pics look almost exactly like my baby pics. However, Monkey has grown into looking more like her daddy now. Even Squirrel looks like him as he is today. Knowing this, is it really sad that I get tired of hearing that? I mean, I'm the one who went through nine months of my body getting all misshapen, I went through the pain of labor, I am the one breastfeeding. Just once, lie to me and say, Oh what a pretty baby. She looks just like you.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
And so it begins
You know, I tried this once with another website. Needless to say, I rarely found the time to update it. We'll see what happens this time around.
I started this blog to give me a place to externalize my internal thoughts and feelings. Sounds smart doesn't it? Don't get used to it. I also started this blog to help me cope with, ah forget it. You can read the title and description, right?
A sample: In the 30 minutes since I decided to create my new online outlet, my 9 week old daughter woke up (from a too short nap, if you ask me), ate, spit up, had two diaper changes, went back to sleep, woke up and wanted her paci, went back to sleep, had another diaper change, and is now playing by staring up at the ceiling and vocalizing. And she is my second child. My first child is at daycare, where she is now the tallest child there, she is probably not sleeping even though it is naptime, she probably ate only 1/4 of her lunch, which means she will come home and instantly begin with "I'm starving, when is dinner, can I have another snack, but I'm hungry..." etc. She is almost 5.
Our house looks like the title of my blog: A pack of howler monkeys on crack have invaded. We installed new carpet 3 months ago. Anyone ever do that? With kids? We were smart and bought Stainmaster brand, however, as we found out, when you install new carpet, you are perpetually cleaning up the little fiber balls created by rampaging children (and normal everyday walking) as the new carpet is "broken in". Add to this, the fact that my 5 year old has 30 million small toys that have to be played with in the living room everyday, in addition to the infant swing, kick-in-play, tummy-time mat, car seat, 62,000 diapers and 4 million wipes, clean clothes on the couch, and various assorted items such as furniture, TV, and pictures, our living room looks like...well, you can imagine.
The rest of the house is not much better. In fact, the biggest guest bathroom is the one I am currently remodeling. And by the way, whoever invented particle board baseboards as well as the person stupid enough to install them in a BATHROOM, should burn in a very hot place for all eternity. What a nightmare to take up. Anyway, the remodeling is taking place 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there. You know, I got in there for an hour two days ago. So far I have managed to take up all but three base boards, scrape and clean the wall, and take down the curtains and blinds. Sometime next year, that bathroom may be usable again.
Back to the kids. My oldest girl is nearly 5. When she was born, she would curl her toes around anyone's finger that got near her foot. That along with the fact she was 2 weeks late and she backed up and hung onto my clavicle with her feet during labor (the doctor had to literally take the vacuum cup and pull her out), she is nicknamed "Monkey". Ah, you see. My second daughter was born 9 weeks ago (again, she was late--only four days this time), again with the vacuum. Stubborn aren't they? Before the new baby was born, we wanted Monkey to connect with her. So we let her give the nickname. "Squirrel". Okay, two furry animals that can climb trees and create havoc. Those are my kids. Monkey was a very calm baby, who then turned into a normal, hyper toddler, as is now a normal, hyper preschooler. Squirrel is a reflux baby, who had made it her mission in life to win the world record for the farthest projectile spit-up, as well as the most changes of clothes in one day. We have long since stopped putting her clean clothes in her dresser. We just wash and dry them and keep them in the laundry basket, ready for quick grabs. We have also learned to "nascar" her bibs. Monkey, DH, and I resemble a pit crew at a moments notice, with bibs, wipes, burp cloths, and clean clothes. Hmm, I wonder how much the average pit crew person's salary is... Never mind. I have also learned that when leaving the house for an hour, four bibs, four burp cloths, four clean onsies, and a full complement of diapers and wipes (not to mention a clean shirt for me) barely fit into her diaper bag...and unfortunately, are most times still not enough to make the trip. When are manufacturers going to realize the only diaper bag worth making is a "bag of holding". If you don't know what that is, then you are not a geek.
Now, DH. You didn't think I was not going to mention him, did you? This is the man whom I dearly love, and most often want to divorce. He grew up with parents who managed to keep a small pocket of time frozen to 1952 in their house. But that's not the point. The main point here lately is his lack of desire to interact with our newborn. In his words, "She is so different from Monkey. I will stick to the one I know." Will Squirrel eventually realize that Daddy doesn't play with her? He changes diapers, clothes, bibs, etc. He holds her when I need a break. But he doesn't seek her out to play with her. I think she will notice (if she doesn't already) and how can she possibly feel cherished and loved by her daddy, when his interaction with her is "all business"? That breaks my heart. I took Monkey out the other day for 2 hours to go to WalMart and left Squirrel home with DH. When I got back, he had her in her carseat carrier, next to the recliner in the living room while he played an online computer game. So, he basically ignored her except to give her back her paci, or jiggle her carrier when she cried. No argument (and there have been many) has managed to sway his level of thinking on the subject. He is also, in my opinion, addicted to this game. Even though (and I hear it quite often) he doesn't play as much as he used to, the game is always there, taking up his interest and thoughts. How will I explain to Squirrel that her daddy is more interested in that game than in playing with her? His defense (and you knew there would be one) is that he plays with Monkey. So, dear child, will you think your daddy loves your older sister more than you? I am fighting like mad to get him to acknowledge my views on this subject.
So now you know why I created this blog.
I started this blog to give me a place to externalize my internal thoughts and feelings. Sounds smart doesn't it? Don't get used to it. I also started this blog to help me cope with, ah forget it. You can read the title and description, right?
A sample: In the 30 minutes since I decided to create my new online outlet, my 9 week old daughter woke up (from a too short nap, if you ask me), ate, spit up, had two diaper changes, went back to sleep, woke up and wanted her paci, went back to sleep, had another diaper change, and is now playing by staring up at the ceiling and vocalizing. And she is my second child. My first child is at daycare, where she is now the tallest child there, she is probably not sleeping even though it is naptime, she probably ate only 1/4 of her lunch, which means she will come home and instantly begin with "I'm starving, when is dinner, can I have another snack, but I'm hungry..." etc. She is almost 5.
Our house looks like the title of my blog: A pack of howler monkeys on crack have invaded. We installed new carpet 3 months ago. Anyone ever do that? With kids? We were smart and bought Stainmaster brand, however, as we found out, when you install new carpet, you are perpetually cleaning up the little fiber balls created by rampaging children (and normal everyday walking) as the new carpet is "broken in". Add to this, the fact that my 5 year old has 30 million small toys that have to be played with in the living room everyday, in addition to the infant swing, kick-in-play, tummy-time mat, car seat, 62,000 diapers and 4 million wipes, clean clothes on the couch, and various assorted items such as furniture, TV, and pictures, our living room looks like...well, you can imagine.
The rest of the house is not much better. In fact, the biggest guest bathroom is the one I am currently remodeling. And by the way, whoever invented particle board baseboards as well as the person stupid enough to install them in a BATHROOM, should burn in a very hot place for all eternity. What a nightmare to take up. Anyway, the remodeling is taking place 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there. You know, I got in there for an hour two days ago. So far I have managed to take up all but three base boards, scrape and clean the wall, and take down the curtains and blinds. Sometime next year, that bathroom may be usable again.
Back to the kids. My oldest girl is nearly 5. When she was born, she would curl her toes around anyone's finger that got near her foot. That along with the fact she was 2 weeks late and she backed up and hung onto my clavicle with her feet during labor (the doctor had to literally take the vacuum cup and pull her out), she is nicknamed "Monkey". Ah, you see. My second daughter was born 9 weeks ago (again, she was late--only four days this time), again with the vacuum. Stubborn aren't they? Before the new baby was born, we wanted Monkey to connect with her. So we let her give the nickname. "Squirrel". Okay, two furry animals that can climb trees and create havoc. Those are my kids. Monkey was a very calm baby, who then turned into a normal, hyper toddler, as is now a normal, hyper preschooler. Squirrel is a reflux baby, who had made it her mission in life to win the world record for the farthest projectile spit-up, as well as the most changes of clothes in one day. We have long since stopped putting her clean clothes in her dresser. We just wash and dry them and keep them in the laundry basket, ready for quick grabs. We have also learned to "nascar" her bibs. Monkey, DH, and I resemble a pit crew at a moments notice, with bibs, wipes, burp cloths, and clean clothes. Hmm, I wonder how much the average pit crew person's salary is... Never mind. I have also learned that when leaving the house for an hour, four bibs, four burp cloths, four clean onsies, and a full complement of diapers and wipes (not to mention a clean shirt for me) barely fit into her diaper bag...and unfortunately, are most times still not enough to make the trip. When are manufacturers going to realize the only diaper bag worth making is a "bag of holding". If you don't know what that is, then you are not a geek.
Now, DH. You didn't think I was not going to mention him, did you? This is the man whom I dearly love, and most often want to divorce. He grew up with parents who managed to keep a small pocket of time frozen to 1952 in their house. But that's not the point. The main point here lately is his lack of desire to interact with our newborn. In his words, "She is so different from Monkey. I will stick to the one I know." Will Squirrel eventually realize that Daddy doesn't play with her? He changes diapers, clothes, bibs, etc. He holds her when I need a break. But he doesn't seek her out to play with her. I think she will notice (if she doesn't already) and how can she possibly feel cherished and loved by her daddy, when his interaction with her is "all business"? That breaks my heart. I took Monkey out the other day for 2 hours to go to WalMart and left Squirrel home with DH. When I got back, he had her in her carseat carrier, next to the recliner in the living room while he played an online computer game. So, he basically ignored her except to give her back her paci, or jiggle her carrier when she cried. No argument (and there have been many) has managed to sway his level of thinking on the subject. He is also, in my opinion, addicted to this game. Even though (and I hear it quite often) he doesn't play as much as he used to, the game is always there, taking up his interest and thoughts. How will I explain to Squirrel that her daddy is more interested in that game than in playing with her? His defense (and you knew there would be one) is that he plays with Monkey. So, dear child, will you think your daddy loves your older sister more than you? I am fighting like mad to get him to acknowledge my views on this subject.
So now you know why I created this blog.
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