Category Archives: Friends & Family

yet another change of plans

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The hospital where Catie was born has a support group for new moms (the 0-3 month crowd). I’ve been meaning to go for, oh, the past 7 weeks or so. But every week, I’d end up sleeping through it, which is the kind of thing that happens a lot when your schedule is dictated by a newborn.

I finally managed to get there this week, and honestly, I totally hated it. Have you ever been in a situation where there’s a group leader who goes around the room and everyone has to introduce themselves? And then you have to say some interesting tidbit about yourself too? Those scenarios remind me of school, and they give me anxiety attacks. So I guess I’m just not a big group type, and that’s fine.

I realize, of course, that there’s a difference between a support group, and, say, a mommy playgroup or something. So it’s entirely possible that I might enjoy a different setting. But there’s this other strange thing that I learned about myself yesterday: I generally feel like I’m doing ok at this mommy gig, but if you put me in a room full of other moms, I feel completely incompetent. It isn’t just the breastfeeding thing, although, yes, I was self-conscious about mixing up a bottle in that room when a lot of other women were nursing their babies. I have no idea why I feel this way, but as soon as I walked in the room, I had to fight the urge to either cry or run out of there. I know that it’s all in my head, and it’s not at all a reflection on the people there. All the other moms seemed lovely and nice, this is just my own little neurosis.

After I got home, I started thinking that since I’m obviously not the mommy group type, I have to come up with something else to get myself out of the house so I don’t go crazy or turn into some kind of hermit. Before Cate was born, I had this romantic notion in my head of being a stay-at-home mom, and how I’d meet and become friends with other moms, and life would be one big happy playdate after another. Clearly, that is not going to be the case. And that’s alright, this is just reality setting in.

So I’m thinking about going back to work. Probably just part-time, and I’m not in any big rush – I’m not even planning to update my resume until Cate is consistently sleeping through the night. But I think it’d be good for all of us: since Dave works from home, it’ll keep us from getting on each other’s nerves (trust me, 24/7 is a bit much for even the healthiest marriage), and I think part-time daycare will be good for Cate too.

In light of that little epiphany, I decided to make the most of my remaining time of unemployment. So next month, Cate and I are going to my hometown to see my folks. I found a great rate on airfare, and I’m calling it my parents’ combination Mother’s and Father’s Day gift. They’re thrilled to get a week of grandbaby time – I mean, I’m sure they’re happy to see me too, but mostly it’s all about her.

So hey, if any of you happen to be in the vicinity of Jackson, Missisippi, from April 18th to 24th, let me know and we’ll have cocktails. Bonus points if we can include fried okra. (God, I miss the South sometimes.)

baby cousins in video format

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I feel like I’m too brain-dead to write anything, my attention span is totally shot. Having Cat, Susie & e-baby here was great, because they did everything for me. They cooked, cleaned, vacuumed, and – most importantly – they took Cate off my hands when I was swinging at the end of my little rope.

But hey, I know y’all aren’t here to listen to me whine. Check out the cute babies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSqOaloohbU 
Cate’s pink eye seems to be all better, thankfully. My mom pointed out that I’m probably the one who gave it to her, since I lick my fingers to get the crusties off her eyes. I’m feeling pretty horribly guilty about that, since I was under the impression that Mom Spit was the closest thing to holy water. Apparently I was mistaken. Fine, I’ll only use sterile cotton balls and warm tap water from now on.

The family left early this morning – it was pretty awesome to wake up and realize that the dishwasher had been loaded and run, there was clean laundry in the washer, and dinner was already prepared and waiting in the fridge. It was like the Housework Fairies visited while I was sleeping. Fantastic.  

Dave got home around lunchtime today, and I’m quite happy to have him home. Now if I can just get him to tidy up while I’m asleep, life will be grand. Well, that and Cate sleeping through the night. But I suppose it’s selfish to expect bliss like that, huh?

quick

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Not much time to write, but here’s a fast update:

* Cate has caught her first communicable disease: a (very mild) case of pink eye. So we get to put gloopy ointment stuff in her eyes for the next five days. And let me tell you, she is not a fan of this idea AT ALL.

* Dave is still in California. My mom flew home yesterday. Cat, Susie & e-baby are here, and we’re having a great time. 

* For more baby pictures, click on this:

I know, too much cuteness. Sorry about that.

And now, I’m off to shower and get to bed at a completely reasonable early hour. Crazy, huh?

fancy pants

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My mom arrived on Thursday, and having her around has been great. She and I have been taking shifts with the baby, so I’m feeling a bit more rested and sane – although I think Mom is suffering a bit, since she isn’t used to all of the sleep disruptions. Oh well, she gets to go home and sleep next week, so let’s not cry too much for her, shall we?

Yesterday, we went to my friend Janet’s baby shower – and in honor of the event, Cate got to try out a new outfit from her aunt Tracy that I’ve been dying to put on her. I just had to wait until she grew into it.

Is that not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? I mean, the shoes are part of the design on the tights. God, I love that.

Tomorrow, Dave leaves for a conference in California, and Tuesday, my cousin, her mom (my aunt), and the Internet-famous e-baby arrive. I’m not thrilled at the idea of Dave being gone, but it should be a lot of fun to have the ladies all here. And I’m sure that Dave will probably be happy to miss the majority of their visit, since the household volume level will probably be set on “high” all week.

Btw, the rest of the Cate photos on Flickr can be found here.

change of plans

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My in-laws won’t be coming for a visit after all, for reasons that are best left off the blog. It’s nothing life or death, just some run-of-the-mill internal family drama. If I’m being vague, it’s because I feel like it’s one thing for me to write about my own family here, but I believe Dave is entitled to a bit of privacy, so we’ll just leave it at that. It will all be fine, I promise. These types of things always sort themselves out.

Another bit of news this week is that Dave is apparently going to have to go to San Francisco for a work-related conference during the first week in March. Which would normally not be a big deal – he often has to travel for work, and I’m not a huge fan of it, but I do ok by myself. This time, the idea of being alone with a newborn for a week, combined with my current state of sleep-deprivation and post-partum hormones, made me freak out a bit. Taking care of the baby by myself didn’t seem like a big deal before she was here; now, however, it seems absolutely terrifying. How will I ever be able to take a shower? And who will hold her when she’s screaming her head off and I need two hands to make a bottle?

Of course, the baby and I could go with him to San Francisco and just hang out in the hotel all week, but that didn’t sound like much fun either. Airplanes are so full of germs, and Cate hasn’t had most of her vaccines yet. Not to mention all the gear you need to travel with an infant. Ugh. No need.

So my mom, god love her, scrounged up some frequent flyer miles and booked herself a flight to come back to Seattle and help me with the baby while Dave is gone. Totally unselfish of her – not like she isn’t dying for more Grandbaby Time or anything. Ha.

The timing is pretty perfect too, since my mom’s visit will overlap with my cousin’s. And since her mom (my aunt) and baby will be here too, we’ll have our own little “Three Generation Estrogen Fest.” It should be a lot of fun. I normally hate it when Dave goes out of town, but I’m actually pretty excited about it this time.

Um, not that I want him to leave, of course. I’m just looking forward to the family time. I will miss him while he’s gone, though. I always do.

And hey, look! More baby home movies!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9eD-uw5G3s 
I know, it’s pretty dull because she doesn’t actually do anything. I filmed it mostly for the grandparents’ benefit, since my folks claim to be going through Cate-withdrawal right now.

Btw, that song in the background is the Mozart tune that plays on her little baby gym. They say that it’s good for her mental and emotional development. I don’t know if that’s true, but that song has got to be the most annoying piece of classical music ever created. It’s been stuck in my head for days and it’s about to drive me up the damn wall. So much for my mental and emotional development.

lights, camera, action

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I filmed this movie of Cate when she was five days old, and I thought it was so cute, I wanted to get it online immediately. Sadly, our video camera films everything in super high-resolution – which will be fantastic when we want to create home movie DVD’s for all of the grandparents. But for uploading on YouTube? Hmm, not so much.

We ordered some video editing software, so I could save the movie files in lower resolution, therefore making it easier to upload. I thought I would be able to download and install the software, but alas, I was foiled again: it had to be shipped to us. And it took over a week to arrive. But it came in the mail today, so I installed it, and now (finally!!) I give you Cate’s first-ever home movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlGMofBVEWc

In other news: my folks flew out this morning, so we’re back to being a household of three for the next few days. Dave’s family gets to town this Sunday, and they’ll be here for two weeks. And then as soon as they leave, my cousin Cat, her mom, and e-baby will be here for a few days. What can I say, our little kiddo is popular. People are flying in from all over to get the chance to meet her.

Oh, and in case you didn’t notice, there are many more new pics on Flickr, mostly courtesy of my sister. She’s so in love with her little niece that she went all Annie Liebovitz on us and snapped about a million photos of Cate. She even considered taking pictures of a diaper change, but… um, no. No need for the Internet to see that, thank you very much. But she did manage to take my favorite picture yet, probably because my sister is the one of the few people on the planet who insists that I put on powder and lipstick before she’ll take a photo of me.

 

Thank god for make-up, because y’all have no idea just how dark the circles under my eyes are right now. Sleep deprivation really doesn’t agree with me, I just happen to have some kick-ass concealer.

meet the grandparents

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Having my parents here this week has been really fun. They are both totally smitten with their first grandbaby, and it’s been hilarious to watch them interact with her. At first, my dad was afraid to hold her because she’s so small, but he got over it quickly. I swear, I don’t think the child’s butt is going to see any type of flat surface until they leave on Monday. My dad acts like we’re abusing her if I put her in the swing for two minutes while I run to the bathroom.

Thanks to my mom, the freezer in our garage is quickly getting filled with all kinds of yummy homemade meals, which I imagine will be a life-saver over the next few months. And she’s been getting up with me and the baby in the middle of the night, doing late-night diaper changes and helping settle Cate back down, so I can squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, which has been an enormous help.

The only downside is that my dad is acting a bit like a little old lady with his worrywart tendencies. The baby sneezes once, so he freaks out that she must be cold – nevermind that the house is 70 degrees, and she’s wearing long-sleeved footed pajamas and is wrapped up in a thermal receiving blanket. Either that or he worries about the cats coming within ten feet of the baby, that kind of thing. It’s sort of endearing and irritating at the same time.

My brother and sister arrive tomorrow night, and they leave on Sunday. It’s kind of insane that they’re both flying cross-country (my sister from NYC, my brother from North Carolina) for essentially one day, but they both really want to meet their new little niece, and they couldn’t afford to take much time off from work, so they’re just making a weekend trip of it. Whatever works, I guess. I’m really looking forward to seeing them, and I know Cate is going to win them over immediately.

Oh, one random Mommy Fear that has already come true: I fell while carrying the baby. My parents and I were heading out to Target yesterday, I was carrying Cate in the car seat, and I tripped on the stoop in front of the house. I didn’t so much drop Cate, I more just set the car seat down really fast as I fell. The seat flipped over backwards, and Cate seemed a little freaked out when the receiving blanket fell forward and landed on her face, but otherwise she seemed totally fine.

I, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. I skinned the hell out of my shin and tore a hole in my jeans. And I was all proud of myself for being back in my pre-pregnancy jeans by the time I was one week post-partum. Oh well, I suppose I now have an excuse for my next trip to Old Navy.