Wednesday 29 February 2012

Baby Brainz Moment #81

Heating up sweet potato and forgetting to blow on it before feeding it to Miss P. Not hot enough to burn, but enough for her to give me a "what the fuck is this much heat doing in MY MOUTH!?" kind of look. And this is why we, as mothers, have the reflexes we do: to scoop the hot food back out of baby's mouth when we almost burn them. And why we always have a bottle with water in it on hand while feeding. (Well, we do now)

Thursday 23 February 2012

Tooth goes up, tooth goes down....

Today I was supposed to have a laser "procedure", and I have never been more grateful for a surgery to be moved. It's not that I was scared; I'm actually looking forward to having a healthy cervix again - yeah, call that your TMI moment of the day. No, today wasn't about being scared, I just wouldn't have been able to handle Penelope. At all.

Today you see was the day I lost it. It's only the 3rd time since I've given birth to my sweet little red cheeked, drooling, biting, shrieking in her sleep, chewing my face, bundle of joy that I've put her in her crib and went in search of something to smother a scream. Yes, the pillow really and truly IS a new mother's best friend. 

This by the way makes me a good mother. Because after the day of the fussing, the biting, the screaming, the pulling, the biting, the crying...

SHE STILL DOESN'T HAVE A TOOTH!

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Love Child

Happy day of da lub!
We don't really "do" Valentine's Day. I personally feel like it's one of those overly commercialized holidays;  I'd rather you tell me you love me every other day of the year. In fact, you should give me flowers every day except February 14th. Yeah, do that. I also refuse to shave my legs for the big "date"... screw you Hallmark and La Senza, it's not happening.

But, when it comes to getting an invite to play with 16 other babies and their mamas, and sample their homemade snacks and deserts, I'm all in! Please repeat after me: brownies, strawberries and daiquiri cake! I know, tough decision huh? 

Plus, it gave me an excuse to dress P in her Johnny Cash t-shirt ... what? it has a heart!

Spreading the joy and sharing the love
After sufficiently stuffing my face to the point where I risked looking like I was eating for baby #2, it was time for pictures 


and some snuggle time...

turns out Penelope is as impressed with Gavin's advances as one could expect at 6 months

Baby's first date?
Look at that attitude! Gods help me, we are in for the ride of our life.

Monday 13 February 2012

Bat Shit Crazy!

So it hit. The inevitable post partum crazy. There I said it. I'm bonafide bat shit crazy and I have only my hormones to blame.

It all started after I welcomed my cycle back only a month after I had Penelope. Good ol' Aunt Flo was back with a vengeance. What, was she pissed off for getting left out in the cold for 9 months? It was as if she came back with regularly scheduled visits so soon just out of spite. And as if she were ensuring it didn't happen again, she invited a guest to join her a few months ago who was angry, sad, self entitled and impatient. Yup, it was her closest sister - No, no not Mom - the other one. Let's call her Aunt Psycho.

Shark Week 3 months in a row!? How did we get so lucky? 

But, this month those two days turned into 4. That crazy lady was stickin' around... this was new. It actually got to the point one day where Baby Daddy left for work and as soon as I heard the front door latch my heart dropped into my stomach.

I felt like someone had dropped a piano on me. An I'm-all-alone-for-next-eight-hours-without-any-help-piano.

I decided then that I would 1. refuse to continue down this path, because frankly I don't like this kind of crazy 2. get the hell out of the way of the piano and leave the house to enjoy the sunshine and 3. do something I hadn't done before.

First, I made a phone call:

Me: I'd like to make an appointment with the naturopath as a new patient
Receptionist: and what is your main concern?
Me: I think I'm going bat shit crazy
Receptionist: ummmm
Me: I had a baby 6 months ago
Receptionist: ahhhhh
Me: so tomorrow?

After that awkward phone conversation, I had my appointment with someone to get a handle on the post partum hormones.

Then I thought I'd check out a mama & babe group that I hadn't been to before, maybe I'd meet some new people who I could relate to. Maybe I'd just get my ass out of the house. So I walked the half hour there, and it was LOVELY outside. Penelope watched the trees and clouds with silent awe and I got to breathe delicious fresh air. The crying finally stopped as we got there and I was so delighted to discover that week's topic: Post Partum Relationships! And who was it hosted by? The people who run the clinic where I had just made a naturopath appointment! Spell it out with me now - give me a - K.I.S.M.E.T.

Sitting around and listening to 4 other beautiful, strong mothers talk about similar feelings, and looking for the same sort of support was further confirmation that even though I was feeling lonely, I definitely was NOT alone. I realized that sometimes I suffer from head in butt syndrome. Sometimes people won't get what I'm going through and sometimes, I'm just bat shit crazy - but sometimes, that's okay.

Friday 10 February 2012

We've moved to solids have we?

Yes, Penelope has started eating solids. And yes, it's another blog about poop. With the introduction of solid food comes solid poop - it's wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time.
Changing Penelope used to be a dreaded experience. I thought at times that I may have to break out a pair of gloves, and on some days, a helmet with face protector. Let's be honest - depending on what I had eaten that day, a gas mask too. Okay, you're right - that wasn't totally honest, let's call it a Hazmat suit and be done with it.

But now, NOW, I can now simply go upstairs and give her a quick wipe and change. It's lovely. Hell, I can even do it ON THE COUCH if I really want to! Yes, all mothers get this excited about poop.

What once came so easily (all over her car seat, up to her ears, or ten minutes before a train pulled into the station) she now has to work for. I mean REALLY work for. Every time I hear a loud grunt and see her grimace, pushing with all her might, my heart breaks a little. Poor little Poppet. And really, all that for just one little nugget (apology to fast food eaters for that comparison). 

Apparently with the introduction to fibrous foods, she now needs more hydration. So, we've taken to giving her a bit of water while she eats. Here's hoping it softens her up. The last thing I want to deal with is baby hemorrhoids.


Instagram