Just Heather
0
Timing is Everything
Dec 29, 2005 | Filed Under: Mommyhood, Sick & Tired

Any random night this month:

10:14pm Baby nurses
10:32pm Baby falls asleep
12:15am Try desperately to wake baby to nurse before bedtime
12:28am Realize baby thinks 10:30 is bedtime
2:36am Nurse baby
2:48am Baby & Mommy asleep
2:56am Put baby in her crib & go back to bed
3:24am Sick child wakes in a coughing fit
3:25am Find cough syrup
3:28am Realize child also has a fever
3:29am Find Ibuprofen
3:32am Wait for fever to start dropping
3:38am Check temperature
3:46am Check temperature
3:52am Check temperature
3:53am Tuck child in bed (usually mine!)
3:55am Fall asleep
4:29am Nurse baby
4:41am Baby & Mommy asleep
4:46am Put baby in her crib & go back to bed again
6:38am Nurse baby
6:56am Baby & Mommy asleep
7:02am Put baby in her crib
7:03am Consider staying awake since Stacia will be up soon
7:04am Back to bed
7:48am The day begins

Last night:

10:24pm Nurse baby
10:42pm Baby falls asleep
12:14am Baby awakes
12:15am Get excited about the possibility of one last nursing before bedtime
12:16am Attempt to nurse baby
12:24am Give up
12:25am Tuck baby into bed
7:14am Nurse baby
7:15am Realize this is the first time since last night
7:29am Baby & Mommy asleep
7:32am Put baby in her crib
7:33am Consider staying awake for the day since the baby has a doctor’s appointment at 9:30 anyway
7:34am Remember how much sleep this month has brought, laugh & go back to bed
9:03am Wake frantically wondering why everyone in the house is still asleep
9:04am Wake hubby with instructions to get the baby ready
9:05am Realize he has no idea what that means
9:06am Throw baby’s clothes at hubby on the way to the bathroom
9:07am Throw on sweats, brush teeth & hair
9:11am Realize deodorant would be a nice addition
9:12am Start van
9:13am Grab pacifier as Daddy buckles baby into her seat
9:16am Leave house
9:32am Sign into doctor’s office-close enough!

2
Guess How Much I Love You
Dec 23, 2005 | Filed Under: Fashion Disaster, Love Him, Sibling Love

Actual Conversations I have had with family members:

Me: I really don’t want to look like the frumpy big sister with all those kids when Robbie gets married next year. I’m going to take Lexie shopping and have her pick out something for me.
Mom: Oh, good!

Me: I finally got the girls to sleep at the same time this afternoon.
Him: That’s good.
Me: Yeah, except I didn’t take a nap like I’ve been trying to do for the last 6 weeks. I showered instead.
Him: Um, okay.
Me: So tonight when I’m complaining about how tired I am, remind me that I smell good.
Him: Right!

Her: Hello?
Me: Are you sure you can wear this vest with a hoodie because I look like a Grade-A Moron?
Her: Um, hi.
Me: Sorry, hi, sis. I look stupid.
Her: That outfit flatters everyone. I’m sure you look cute and you just don’t know it because…you just don’t know.
Me: Are you saying I’ve never looked cute before so I wouldn’t know it when I see it?
Her: Well, not that rude, but yeah!

Me: Are you mad because my celebrity list is so long?
Him: No, I just don’t think you could ever get a celebrity.

Feel the love, baby!

Read the comments.
0
I Miss Sleep
Dec 21, 2005 | Filed Under: Sick & Tired

Just when the baby was getting close to sleeping at night, middle kid starts waking up every night. Lorelai was down to one middle of the night nursing, which is so much better than getting up every 2 hours. Brenia is sick and has been waking up around 1am for the past 3 nights, and then occasionally again at 5 or 6. Combine that with Lorelai’s 4am feeding and I’m back to getting up every 2 hours.

I can’t believe how utterly exhausted I am. I guess the 1 or 2 nights of waking only once tricked my body into believing it could start sleeping again. This week I am dragging like never before. Not a good time for me to be sitting around doing nothing on my ever-expanding to-do list.

Hey, do you know that if the entire population of China walked by, the line would never end because of the rate of population increase? That’s my list—every Chinese person in the world.

I guess I should turn this computer off and get started. If only I could take a nap first!

5
Drip, Drip, Drop
Dec 19, 2005 | Filed Under: Household CEO, Sick & Tired

Here I sit minding my own business, typing out an email to my dear friend Chelle when I suddenly hear a persistent “drip, drip, drip.” The usual suspect is sick as a dog and has not left my side since she woke up at 7am. Our other mess maker has been at school for hours. Something is clearly amiss. I look up to find water dripping from the ceiling.

That is when I remember that I ran bleach water to wash the bathtub & toys in anticipation of finally fixing the cracks that began months ago. I know you are thinking I left the water running—it was my first thought too even though I distinctly recalled turning it off. I dash up the stairs to find I had not gotten that far along in my memory loss. Apparently the crack has just reached catastrophic proportions.

At least it’s bleach water so I shouldn’t have to concern myself with mold in the drywall. I won’t even begin to worry about it bleaching the carpet. The munchkins have destroyed it beyond all recognition already. I only need to worry about the ceiling caving in around us. Well, at least I won’t be here to see it.

I have to go pick up Brenia’s antibiotic. They’re thinking pneumonia since Stacia had it last week, and I’m patting myself on the back for having saved myself a trip to the doctor by having Brenia checked out then. Though, with the way she has been yelling everything today I’m guessing we have an ear problem too. Either way the drugs should kill it by Christmas.

Maybe I’ll come home and the ceiling will dry and be all better. *la, la, la* I can’t hear you!

Read the comments.
1
Dude, where’s my lunch?
Dec 15, 2005 | Filed Under: Checking Out, Love Him, Picky Eater

Today, for the second day in a row, I actually remember that I, myself, need to eat lunch when I feed my little ones. I reach into the fridge to grab my leftover chicken noodles only to discover they are nonexistent. Apparently, he decided he was more worthy of the meal than I even though I just spent $22 on 15 meals to stock the freezer for him.

Never mind that it trashed my rule of “nothing over a dollar” when I did my grocery shopping this week, thereby completely throwing off my savings calculations for the month. Never mind that since I knew he would take them to lunch every day I didn’t bother to get a single meal I would actually eat myself. Never mind that I am a nursing mother and in desperate need of nutrition. By all means, eat what you like. I’ll just grab something else.

Except we all know that once my original idea went out the window I got distracted and forgot to eat again. (Look! Something shiny!) I guess I could just be happy with today’s news that I’ve lost 25 of my 34 baby pounds. Not that my failure to eat lunch really has anything to do with it. I generally make up the calories with a giant bag of potato chips or these yummy, generic oreo cookies. Not to mention the great deals I’m finding on Christmas candy, which—let’s face it—will never actually last long enough to get in the stockings!

Read the comments.
0
Like a Weed
Dec 08, 2005 | Filed Under: Growing Kids, Sick & Tired

I took Lorelai to the doctor today because her eyes are yucky. The nurse weighed her just in case the doc had to prescribe medicine. She weighs 9 lbs. 15 oz. now—that means I’ve gained 10 ounces in just 6 days. I can’t believe how fast she’s growing.

The other girls went with us too because they aren’t feeling well either. The doctor looked at her eyes and checked her out all over, landing on pinkeye. Now we have to put drops in her eyes every day. And by we, I mean him.

5
The Crud Is Creeping
Dec 08, 2005 | Filed Under: Sick & Tired

We came home from Thanksgiving with colds—every last one of us. Now, when my family gets a cold it hangs around for weeks at a time and usually creeps into something else. At least once a year we have a month long illness drama.

Stacia’s cold typically settles into a sinus infection. Brenia ends up with ear infections. Spencer just keeps the cold for weeks on end and becomes a big, whiny baby. I typically pick up strep throat somewhere along the way.

This time there’s a bit of a twist. My cold passed through in under 2 days. Must be the vitamins. Spencer seems to have bypassed the major drama as well. Stacia is still sick and getting worse. Lorelai’s cold seems to have settled in her eyes. My poor baby is all goopy.

Yesterday I finally took the girls to the doctor—all three of them, just to be safe, even though Brenia seemed to be missing the yucky part as well. Brenia so far still just has the cold, along with her usual allergies. Lorelai has pinkeye. Stacia has an ear infection and pneumonia. Pneumonia! How did I miss that? If I can get the girls settled into bed later, I’ll dust off a spot for my Mother of the Year trophy.

Read the comments.
2
The Days Are Much Too Bright
Nov 29, 2005 | Filed Under: Mommyhood, Sick & Tired

I thought I had a little vampire baby on my hands. She wakes up each evening around 10. This is her longest waking period all day, unless you count from 1 to 5 am when she wakes every 20 minutes. I don’t count that since I don’t get to see her eyes through the haze of my own exhaustion. I only know she’s awake from the tiny wails that escape from her body.

We’ve taken to putting her in her bouncy seat to sleep. The vibrations are calming and when she wakes needing nothing but attention, I can just toss an arm over the side of my bed and bounce her. I only need to half wake for this motion. I thought I was going to have to start sleeping on the couch as her cries wake Daddy—who has to actually get up and go to work the next morning—though only about a quarter of the time. Well, at least the couch is ready made.

My dear husband can’t simply use a throw pillow and blanket when he watches television. No, that would be too normal. We have a comforter and bed pillows. I kid you not. I did manage to snag a new one on Black Friday that actually matches our living room. I’m not sure that makes it any more normal, but it’s not near as tacky.

I’m not sure the theory of me staying up all night actually makes as much sense as it did for the first two. Back then I could take naps when baby did. Now I have to stay awake and diligently keep middle sis from loving her to death. I could probably count on my fingers the number of hours I have slept since the munchkin came home.

Alas, that is no longer. I managed a blessed 5 straight hours of sleep last night. The wee one slept from 1 to 6 am. I swear that is the longest stretch I have slept in months. Pregnancy is not so conducive to sleep either. I guess that would be nature’s way of preparing you for the total lack of sleep you will have for the next 18 years. At least I’m finally getting a little rest.

Unless I just jinxed it. How do you do a jinx back? Oh, well, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Read the comments.
« Older
Newer »