Screaming Stroller in Safeway

Going places with baby has become less of a daunting experience. Our stroller is divine, my diaper bag is the height of fashion, and I'm far less squeamish about nursing in public that I thought I would be, using my special nursing cover-up of course. I'm not going to just whip my boob out in public, that's nonsense.

But, I am still struggling with how to cope with a crying (screaming) baby in public. At this age, I have a hard time letting her cry-it-out for any unnecessary length of time -- she's too little to be crying for any reason other than legitimate ones, nor is she old enough to be reasoned with out of a crying jag. However, when she starts crying in her stroller the second we approach the doors to Safeway, I'm not going to turn around and go home -- I'm already there and I have things to buy. Most of the time I will try to pull us to the side and take her out of the stroller and hold her to calm her down before laying her back again, which usually works after the second time. But it's still embarrassing when people walk by and everyone stares cause everyone has to be all up in everyone else's business these days. And on top of that she's a little newborn so she attracts attention. But you know, go away, I'm tending to this crying infant.

Finally, yesterday, though I hated to let her cry, I just carried on with my shopping. She's a baby, she cries, it's what they do, and I needed to get my shopping done, so everyone else can sort of suck it, really. But even though a fair number of people did in fact turn to look as my screaming stroller went past them, most people were in their own worlds and didn't seem to really notice it much. There was the one old lady, of course, who called the baby a "he" and kept trying to peer into the opening between the two roofs on the stroller to look at her, and when I said the baby was 7 weeks old, she said, "oh, I thought she was a newborn." In my opinion, babies are newborns until they're three months old. Clothes for babies goes from 0 to 3 months. So, they're either 0 or 3 months and above. And while she is still pretty smell compared to my friend Janet's son who was born only a few days after her and is huge, I've noticed that she's getting bigger than the little bitty newborn I brought home from the hospital. Aw...

Post-Partum Update

As most of you already know, Miss Violet made her appearance four days early, on April 2, 2011, at 1:47 am. Labor and delivery went well, I only had to push for 18 minutes, though I can't really say if it felt longer or shorter than that. It all went by in such a blur, and not only because of the drugs. The stay in the hospital seemed much longer than the two days it really was. Now that we're home with baby, Shawn and I both are, I think, settling in nicely to our new normal. And I think that's really the weirdest thing about this new stage of life -- how NOT weird it seems. It feels like something I've been doing all my life. I guess I was just mentally ready for this part of life to happen. Or perhaps it's a testament to how rapidly we humans adjust to new and drastic changes in our situations.

However, now that baby is born, there's little need to keep up a pregnancy blog. So I have changed the theme of this blog to Domestic Goddess, and will post on all things related to the further growth of the little bean, now alternately known as one of the following: This Baby, Baby, Little Squeaker, Squeaker Monkey, Squeaker Fish, Time Child (it's from South Park), Little Girl, Little Bug, or Monkey, (t really depends on the expression she has on at the moment), and my new MILF-like ways.

This week my efforts to lose the baby weight have begun in earnest. I worked out four days in a row before the baby forced me to take a day off -- she was just not okay with being put down yesterday -- and I got another good workout in today as well. I've been trying to get her on a regular, if flexible, schedule, now that she's at 6 weeks old, which has afforded me 1-2 hour periods of free time at several periods during the day, so I change into my workout clothes when I get dressed, to I'm ready to spring when the time is right, hehe. I went to the gym on Monday and did 30 minutes on the eliptical, and it was much harder than I'd thought, but it felt great -- not only the workout itself, but the act of putting on gym clothes, packing a gym bag, and getting down to the gym again. It was lovely, I felt incredible productive and healthful. Since I have my days free while I'm on maternity leave, I might as well get in as many workouts as I want. Once I'm back to work, I'll have to squeeze them in around working and commuting, so I want to take the opportunity to get a jump start now.

My goal is to lose 55 pounds and get down to 145lbs. I was 162 when I got pregnant, so that's the baby weight, plus the last few pounds I had been working on losing before the pregnancy. I'll basically miss this summer, but I'll be in tip-top shape for my wedding next summer. Yay!

Of course, after eating well and working out all week, I totally caved tonight and ordered pizza. After consuming and getting the Guilty Bloat, I chugged two huge bottles of water and did another workout -- 8 Min Abs and 8 Min Arms. I feel better about myself now. I intend, weather permitting, to take baby for a nice long walk in the stroller tomorrow, up the beach and back, which is 3 miles and takes me about an hour to complete.

I vow to have more exciting things to say by the next time I post.

Final Countdown

Well, we're at 39 weeks, and counting down. I could do without this week. Everything hurts and I'm as big as a house. I'm actually fantasizing about being able to workout again. My hips hurt all the time, my groin muscles are sore because she's sitting on them, my stomach skin is stretched out and itchy, I'm tired and sleeping until noon every day, my back hurts, and I can't sit forward. Gah. I am well aware that this week is going to fly by, and that even the few days she might be late will go by all too quickly and I'll be missing these days of having my life all to myself, so I'm going to complain about these silly things now while I still can!

Here's the BabyCenter info and picture. At our appointment on Monday, she was about 6 lbs 12 oz, so the sooner she gets here the better, as far as I'm concerned -- I don't want her getting any fatter, hehe!

 Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Maternity Leave, Day 4

I am trying to enjoy the calm before the storm. But speaking of storms, the one that has kept me inside for the last two days is driving me crazy. I've been sitting on the couch for like 3 days in a row. I've discovered some sweet shows on Netflix that are going to keep me company until I can leave the house. I've been reading a lot. Sleeping a lot. But now that most of the baby stuff is done I'm just waiting. Crying at sappy tv shows. Watching soap operas.

Right now, what I really want to do is walk down to Starbucks and sit outside and read for a while. If it would stop raining.

38 Weeks

Hello there,
Today is Day #2 of my maternity leave, and I've been pretty productive so far. I have a to-do list for today, but I also just want to hang out and read and relax. Today is my 38th week, and I've posted the info on baby below. She's getting big, and pushing me around from the inside. She looks like an actual baby now, hehe.

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Day 1 of Maternity leave. Some people have asked that I post a pic every day so that they can track the Droppage. So, here is Pic #1.

Things to Remember

1. Nausea lasted for 20 weeks before it could safely be said to have finally vanished. At around 32 weeks, it made random appearances again.

2. Heartburn sucks. And it comes from everything, not just spicy foods. Keep antacids in your purse at all times.

3. Everyone thinks they're an expert. Remember ways to deflect annoying advice, no matter how well-intentioned.

4. Stretch marks happen.

5. Chinese food made you sick.

6. You gained over 50lbs. Don't do that again.

7. Sleeping on your side made your hips really sore. Invest in a better body pillow, and use it.

8. Testing for Strep B was not fun.

9. Shawn was miraculous during the whole 9 (10) months. Remember to thank him.

10. Growing a person is exhausting. Sleep a lot.

Philosophy and Diaper Bags

You know what's weird? This little critter is literally half of me, and half of Shawn, yet she's also her own, entirely distinct person. That is so bizarre. So many odd revelations like that have been coming to me in recent days. The most frequent of which is just the oddity that is rapidly-approaching parenthood, like, are you for real with this? Is this really happening? Surely not. After all these months of planning and waiting and getting used to the idea of being "pregnant" I'm suddenly going to be "parent," and not just in a some-day, yes-I'd-like-to-be kind of way, but in a drastic, unalterable, real-shit kind of way. And I don't say any of this because I'm like, freaked out or worried or scared or anything. Just sitting back in awe at how big that is. I mean, I'll still be me, but I'll never be the same me again. That's kind of nuts to think about. My definition of myself is changing on a fundamental level, and everything that was once a priority, everything I based my whole life and decisions and used as a frame of reference, is going to be totally altered by this time (hopefully) next month.

What. The. Eff.

Also, I still have the super-fun experience of shopping for a diaper bag awaiting me. If I had my pick (and an extra $350), I would get this one from Coach, which I have wanted for years.

In reality, however, I'm going to get one of these gems. The first, a gorgeous little number from Petunia Pickle Bottom, is freakin' adorable, nice and roomy, and a respectable $150. There's a matching clutch, but let's not get carried away. Also, I'm pretty sure it doesn't come with a baby posing like a cherub.

 

The other one, from Amy Michelle, is also fabulous in delicious patent leather, fantasitically roomy, and still chic. I must maintain my sense of fashion at all times.