Thursday, January 8, 2009

I have sat down to blogged many times.

Um, make that "to blog." I'll leave that typo as a delicious indicator of fatigue.

The soundtrack to my life includes at the moment a fit-throwing infant. For no reason that we can tell of. I think she's over-tired and just can't deal. It almost always happens late like this, but none of the husband's tricks are working tonight. He's fixing to lay down with her on his chest and let her cry. So...as I was saying, I have sat down to blog many times with lots to say, but I look around the house and see receiving blankets, clothes, bags of tortilla chips, computer cords, and dirty dishes haphazardly strewn about, and I am drawn to put them in their places. I don't know why, because as soon as I turn my head, they go back to where they don't belong.

Entropy: a process of degeneration marked variously by increasing degrees of uncertainty, disorder, fragmentation, chaos, etc. [Webster's College Dictionary, Fourth Edition]


We're at five weeks. Some of my primary thoughts throughout the days (which all run together) are these:
  1. HOLY CRAP! WE HAVE A KID!
  2. What extra activities should I prioritize? "Extra" being talking to people I love on the telephone, taking a bath, writing thank you cards, and cooking real meals, where the food is hot and has multiple ingredients.
  3. How on EARTH do single moms do this? I have a great support system, with a husband who has been home since the birth on account of not starting his next job until February, and a mom and pops who live right upstairs! And I'm still worn out.
  4. There is a chance we are too old to be starting in on this. Like, we sort of stuck our tongue out at Nature, and now she's sticking hers out, right back at us.

I really can't complain on the whole. I have had plenty of socialization and opportunity for games and frolicking. I guess the specific problem, if you can call it that, is the lack of solid sleep. There is a reason why sleep deprivation is a torture technique, after all.

But enough of all that. Here are the redeeming moments!

  1. Zoralee has been smiling more and more intentionally, and let me tell you, the power surge that goes through me when that happens, wow!
  2. She is much calmer about everyday experiences like getting a diaper change, somehow realizing now that we are not, in fact, trying to kill her.
  3. She loves baths! When she first hits the water, she's skeptical, but skepticism defines her anyway, so that's nothing. Then in an instant, she relaxes and actually rests her arms on the edge of the tub. It's rad.
  4. What a sweet experience to hold her tiny body against me while she nurses. Her brows finally un-furrow after a long day of being grumpy, and she relaxes to the point of hypnosis.
  5. And here's perhaps the best thing so far. Last week Zoralee was lying on the bed without a diaper, for the purpose of airing out her bum. I was standing nearby. Jason was on the bed at Zoralee's head, cooing to her and poking gently at her stomach, remarking that it seemed a bit bloated. All at once, this child let loose a blast of poo that shotgunned across the room. Both of us saw it. If we had a video of it, we'd be millionaires. Jason's first words were "GO GET THE MEASURING TAPE," which I did. Travelling distance was six feet, folks. And it would've been way further if it hadn't been stopped by the bassinet, because there wasn't a lot of elevation drop even at six feet out. Jason's next comments were that he was so proud of his daughter, and that even he couldn't have done that.

So yeah, the last point there wasn't initially a redeeming moment for me, because Jason had to go to an appointment and I was left to clean it up alone. But now it makes for a good story. When I told Luke over the phone, his comments mimicked Jason's almost exactly: this was the best thing he'd ever heard of a baby doing, and that even he couldn't have done that. Yes, she is making us proud.

Okay, pictures will be posted soon! Maybe even one or two tonight, before I crash.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome poop story! I love it. Becoming parents you freely talk about things that you would not have before-ha ha ha. Missing you guys a TON. Can't wait to hold that girl. Chloe is sending a very big hug to little Zoralee and kisses and hugs to you and Uncle J. Hope you get some good sleep soon my friend.

melissa v. said...

holy crap. literally.

around here, we call THAT a poonami. I think Zor just took the prize for the biggest poonami on record!

Yeah, the sleep deprivation sucks. And the evening wailing is VERY normal, though for the life of me I can't imagine why God created it, as sleep deprivation + screeching = a parent a hair's breadth away from the loony bin.

For Ayden, boob and walking worked, sort of. For Riley, a bath calmed him (until we took him out). Most babies grow out of that evening fussy time by about 3 months, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

If she's fussy all the time, consider cutting dairy out of your diet? Both my kids couldn't handle it if I ate dairy for the first 4 months of their lives. But if it's just evening fussiness, it's probably just that normal purple crying/evening fussy period, which no one on earth has quite figured out how to solve yet.

I, too, have often thought the state of my house perfectly aligned itself with the scientific concept of entropy. Why fight it? No one else in my house does.

Dude, I have no idea how single moms do it. No. Idea. Until I had my own I gave single moms only peremptory credit. Now I give them PROPS. Especially when they manage to have a wonder kid, like Lance Armstrong or something.

You are not too old! What, do you think 20 year olds don't get tired? Dude.
You are older so you have more coping skills, trust me.

Your Zoralee is so cute. Button, button, cute as a button!

take care.