Holy shit, is it ever hard to do anything when you have a babe-in-arms for at least 20 hours of every day. I can click and READ shit online pretty easily, but getting info back OUT is an absolute boondoggle. This post is brought to you by a post-shittiest-night-ever trip to the peds, where Miss Ingrid passed out in her carseat on the way home and stayed asleep when I brought her inside and put her in her swing. Thank ye gods. ANYWAY.
So, I’m reading email and blogs and such, and if I haven’t replied, yo, I’m so sorry. I haven’t even paid bills or sent thank you notes (shout out to NJ — LOVE the outfit, not too frilly AT ALL, in case you were worried! Brown with pink accents is totally a different league than pink with pink accents. And appliqued pink ducks. Why not just put the baby in a vagina suit? ANYWAY) I can click easily with one hand. Clicking is good.
What else — our first foray out into The World was with Kate, on a trip to walmart, which I normally hate, but i needed disposable diapers for overnights (loving the Kissaluvs, btw, and the Bumpy covers) and I can’t afford the noble high road of 7th gen, and WalMart is the only place that carries the hypoallergenic White Cloud generic brand. that trip sort of totally sucked, in that I felt like Stupidest Mom Ever (I know, in WALMART) because I forgot the sling, so we carried her in the bab buciket, but I couldn’t figure out how it’s supposed to sit on top of the child-seat area, so I tried to put her in the cart, but the first cart I had she wouldn’t fit so I had to get an EVEN BIGGER CART, just to get a pack of fucking DIAPERS. Then she woke up and started to freak out (who wouldn’t to wake up in the bottom of a WalMart shopping cart, really) and I’d forgotten a paci. I ended up carrying her, while kate pushed around the Giant Cart withonly a baby seat and pack of diapers in it, and i felt like a TOTAL DUMBASS. yesterday, I vowed to avenge my first trip out, and I remembered the sling, and the paci, and went to Target.
TOTALLY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE. I am such a light packer anyway, I never carry a purse, even, so hauling a HUMAN and the required accoutrements is daunting. BUT, with the sling, I popped her in, took my small backpack that functions as her diaper bag for the time being and put that in a basket, and was able to get what I needed with BOTHHANDS FREE. I felt much more like "gretchen + baby" as opposed to "HERE COMES MOMMMMMYYYY!!!!" totally redeeming.
Today was her ped appointment, and yay, my tits, in that she’s gained almost a full pound since birth, and grown an inch. The ped was hoping she’d just be back at birthweight, and clearly, we met that goal. She’s 90th percentile for weight, and 75th for height. That’s about right, coming from my body. And, her cord is healed up great. Go, Dave!
Something I didn’t know before:
In the car, at least a crying baby is a breathing baby. I seriously wish one of the damn mirrors we bought would actually reflect my kid’s face back to me, ferfuckssake, so I’m not driving around terrified that she’s not ASLEEP, but having some massive choking episode. Sigh.
just another reason why Target is better than Walmart… 😀 glad that things are going well, on the whole, sleeplessness and screaming notwithstanding…go you!
You first trips sound eerily simliar to mine. Except I had the paci, but she wouldn’t use it. You never really notice the echo in those places until its your baby screaming her head off. Target was my second and much more successful trip. I brought the carrier and navigating with a cart work so much better. She just snuggled and cooed the whole time. I found the lullalbies and soothing music essential for the car, not for the baby, but for me. Driving is a completely different experience with a baby. How many times do I REALLY need to check that the baby is in her seat and not on the roof of the car.
No need to waste a stamp…glad you got it! And the other stuff is the same as some things that G. kind of inexplicably likes (i.e. the book, apparently she’s a Guthrie fan?).
You’re a great mom and I’m glad you and Ingrid both realized how badly WM sucks. I cry when I’m there, too.
I miss the more frequent updates but understand!