The bag is packed, the baby is fed, now where can we go?

So...the baby is ready to go, he's fed, changed, and content. His diaper bag is packed and I am as ready as I can be with a busy baby. I am ready to get out of the house and yet there is really nowhere to go. Does anyone else have this issue, or is it just me?

For my own sanity I must get out of the house everyday.

So, we go for a walk, we go to the mall, we run errands or whatever. And then what? I am part of three play groups. I go to church, not that I have made it there very often lately, and I am on a running team, not that I have made it out for a run with them very often...but still, I have enough social outlets that I should be 'covered', right?

I wish!

I wish I was one of those parents who could hang out at home with their kid and just be content at home all day. The evenings are not much better, my hubby isn't home much because after work he is at school.

I love Balboa and we go there all the time, but there are only so many days a week I can walk the same area. I love the zoo, but there are only so many days I can walk the zoo. I love going to parks, but the babe can't do a heck of a lot at the park. He can balance in the baby swings and stare at other kids play, so that is only fun for so long.

Are there other parents out there who feel the same way, or do I need a 'need more stuff to do with a cranky baby' support group? lol. just rhetorical...no need to reply on my actual need for support groups, thanks. hee hee.

However, next week, he could be crawling and taking regular naps and I will be set with chasing him around and down time/me time! Stranger things have happened.

Until then, sweet dreams!

Sleep, how I miss you my friend

Sleep...my long lost friend. Where did you go? Why did you desert me?

I have cherished you for many many years and now, when I need you most, you disappear.

My wonderful, awesome son has decided that sleep is evil and must therefore be detroyed...hee hee.

I understood that there would be sleepless nights with our new baby. Scratch that...I thought I understood that. Now I GET it.

I had no idea it would be like this. This amazing, beautiful creature has been left to my care and I love him so much that it's impossible to describe, yet, I am so beside myself some days/nights due to lack of sleep that I wonder how I will go on (drama, I know!).

He was on a roll, I thought. He was getting into a wonderful groove. He was taking few naps, but he was getting in to a groove over night...but was averaging just two awakenings per night. Sure I wanted more sleep, but I felt semi-normal, semi-rested. Then about 6 weeks ago, a sleep sucking monster possessed my baby and he has decided that napping for 10 minutes is enough and waking every 1-2 hours over night is good. I have now had to pull my Husband into the overnight game of baby tending and now he is turning into a zombie parent too.

I hear he's going through a 6 month growth spurt, he is also teething. I have heard it will pass and hang in there. I love all the awesome support and love from friends and family...but oh boy, do I wish my Mom lived nearby and could watch him overnight once and a while so I could sleep. I am TRYING to be as positive as possible. But it's tough. I have never felt so run down or so unlike my usual self. I had no idea that sleep deprivation would leak into all the areas of my life and make me crazy (or more crazy) than normal. I think it's aging me too...ugh. Any recommendations on great night cream?

So...we are choosing to wait it out, pray and love on our kid when we feel like screaming. What else can you do? I am reading every book on sleep out there and have found a bunch of stuff I can't stomach. I think the 'cry it out' method is crap. The gentler stuff is nice to read but doesn't offer much help. I just got the baby whisperer and am hoping to find some pearls of wisdom in that.

I have been hearing that routines is the ticket. Routines...babies on a routine. Does that really work for babies like mine? I am starting to think that when people talk about routines, they have a baby that easily slept and so a routine was easy. I have a baby that fights against anything I try to do on a routine basis other than nursing and am not able to nurse on a schedule either. I think the whisperer book is all about routines...so we'll see if I can do it and if the babe can follow.

Some day...soon I hope...I will get to snuggle into bed and get some real sleep and wake up refreshed. A girl can dream can't she!

Until then...sweet dreams!

Martini's and Sushi

SO...I used to have this life...not a big life, but my life. I had a career, went to yoga, made meals, went out for sushi and martini's, ran long distances, window shopped with friends...etc and had all these dreams of all the other things I would to do when:

I had more time
I had more money
I had less stress
etc.

NOW...I have this amazing baby and we have less money, time and more stress...ha ha!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly remember what it was like before and am kicking myself for not going to Europe already and taking more trips and buying this 'too small' condo and being strapped with the overpriced mortgage way too soon and not getting my masters degree yet, and on and on.

However, now I can still do those things, they will just have to be very intentional. No more waiting for that perfect timing. I am thinking this is one of the many gifts of being a parent...now I really know (as if I didn't 'know' before) that nothing in life is going to happen with perfect timing or perfect planning (or in many cases anything remotely resembling perfect timing). Everything will simply get put off if I continue to wait for perfect timing.

So for this small moment, I am going to say 'good bye' to my old stand by of trying to be perfectly planned...maybe it will stick?

I wish naps and sushi dreams for you. Sweet dreams.

Stinky chins

Caring for the baby. The basics are simple, not easy, but simple. However, some of the required care is more challenging to me.

In my case, my kiddo has no neck and three chins (totally underfed...hee hee). It seems that no matter how many baths he gets, he still has 'the stink' in between the neck rolls. I try so hard to get in between those adorable little rolls to clean him properly, but I must keep missing some stinky spot.

I would LOVE to know if any one has a trick for getting this done well.

I am thinking of maybe getting out the washcloth during tummy time.

Happy Friday. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight!

Blood!

So...my baby has a new favorite hobby...making himself bleed!

I was holding him the other day and noticed blood on my shirt, at my waist. I shrieked, "what the hell is that from?" And when I laid my babe down, I saw that he had scratched his shin. He had a few fresh marks. Nice. He is always grabbing his shins when I change him. I need 4 arms to keep him from scratching himself during a changing. Ugh. I trim his nails, I file his nails...what's the deal??? No matter how much I manicure, he nails are still sharp.

Then yesterday, I get up with him for a 4 am feeding and see 4 scrapes on his scalp that are still wet with blood. He had used his entire hand (minus the thumb) to make this pattern of cuts on his head. Then I notice blood on his crib sheet too...what the hell!

He had 'escaped' from his swaddle and went to town on his head. Now I have to put mittens on the kiddo and then swaddle him and hope that will hold so he doesn't scalp himself.

Anyone else had this issue? Any advice on what to do?

How much stuff do we really need to pack for an overnight with a baby!!!!

So...we finally ventured out for our first overnight with our lil' guy. We had grand plans for a drive up the coast...for a week...all these different stops plotted out and then realized that we have almost no traveling money and even less energy, so we opted to do an overnight in Julian instead.

We love Julian and thought it would be festive.
So...we go to pack our things. We gave ourselves TWO hours to pack and thought that would be plenty, ha!

It's an overnight, right. How much stuff do we really need and how long would it really take to pack our little car?

Then the insanity began. We start with the essentials...car seat and diapers. We use cloth, so the diapers take up an entire duffle bag. Then we have plenty of clothes incase of leaks, blowouts and such. Then blankets and back up blankets. Then bedding for the co sleeper and back up bedding...okay another suitcase. Then we have our own clothes and extras incase he leaks or has a blow out on us. Then it's the pump, just in case...and then toys, spit rags, wipes, lotion, socks, hats, carrier...and so on and so on.

FOUR hours later, and one, make that two feedings later, we are heading out the door.

All of this for one night. We would need a bus to go on the original trip we had planned. I can't even imagine flying with the baby. How do you do this??? I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Anyway, we had a great trip, despite the overly packed car and my worrisome brain working overtime spinning in 'what if' land.

The bed and breakfast was nice. The room was big, very comfortable, nicely appointed and relaxing! Yay! The owners were so nice and great cooks. The baby slept-ish and didn't cry all night so we didn't have to worry about the other people in the b&b hearing him, phew! And we didn't hear them either, so we could sleep.

We actually slept and relaxed and had a nice time! Woo hoo!

I can't say enough how great it was to get out of our house. Something about being away from the dishes, bills, laundry, etc, made everything better.

Even though packing was silly and and made us cringe and then laugh when we could barely fit ourselves in the car, I think we learned a good lesson...get the hell out of the house more often, pack the whole flipping house if you have to, but take a break now and again!

We went out for a date!

Actually went out on a date! For the first time in over three months, my Husband and I went out with out our baby. We don't have any family locally, so we asked wonderful friends to watch our boy...and it was pretty easy to feel comfortable with that because they are extremely trust worthy people and have their own baby too...but still a bit scary.

I definetly have an overactive paranoid imagination and even if someone is just holding him for a minute I can flash on something awful that may occur...motherhood and paranoia and guilt...what is the deal with that combo (or is it just me, see paranoia!).

Anyway...we had a blast. I kind of felt like we were ditching class, ha!

It also felt like we were missing something. I kept thinking that we were forgetting something and it kept me on edge at first. Then we both calmed down and had a really nice time. It's such an odd feeling to feel like your 'old self' and yet know that you are also a parent and at that momment you are sans 'baby in tow'.

Anyway, it was a milestone and I am proud that we made it the whole movie with out checking in and we were able to have a good time. I am looking forward to more dates!

My little one is fast asleep a bit early tonight after a very tough evening of screaming because of gas pain! Poor baby! So, it's time for me to pump and get some sleep before his next meal.

Sweet Dreams!