I forgot to mention the other weird thing at church on Sunday: the woman sitting behind us made a big fuss over Cate – oh she’s so cute, how old is she, etc. Then she asked if she could hold her. Um, how exactly is one supposed to handle this type of situation? I said, “oh, I’m a little germaphobic, and it’s cold season, so I’d rather you didn’t…” And she seemed fine with that, but I felt so rude saying it. What I meant was: dude, you are a total stranger. Yes, we’re in church, big happy community of Christians, blah-blah-blah, but hell no, you cannot hold my baby. Of course, it turned out that she was one of the people who passed around the offering plate and directed traffic for communion, so I had to make eye contact with her two more times after that. Argh. Awkwardness.
The only other time anything like that has happened was once when I went to this deli place for lunch with my friend Janet. We were standing in line, and the guy in front of us turned around to talk to Cate (who was in the stroller). Then he reached in and grabbed her hand. I resisted the urge to scream, “UNCLEAN!!!” But just barely. My only guess is that these are people who don’t have kids themselves, so maybe they don’t know that this is inappropriate? Or am I a big weirdo for worrying about strangers’ germs?
Of course, it occurs to me that one week from today, Cate and I are going to be on an airplane, and that I just might have to hand her off to a flight attendant if I need to use the bathroom. Because seriously, what else am I supposed to do? So I guess it’s a bit hypocritical on my part – I’m ok with strangers holding my baby when it’s for my own personal convenience. But I also figure that flight attendants probably wash their hands a lot, since they handle people’s food and beverages. I know that if I had that job, I’d be a total Purell addict. (I’d also probably have a drug problem, since I usually need either a cocktail or a Xanax to not freak out when I fly.)
Speaking of the airplane, I am really looking forward to visiting my family next week (and getting to meet a couple of bloggers too! How cool is that?). But I am dreading the flight. The idea of having Cate on my lap for six to seven hours in a tiny cramped airplane seat doesn’t sound like that much fun to me. I’m sure it’s better to do it now than when she’s a toddler and needs constant entertainment, but still. I imagine that she and I are both going to be good and cranky by the time we get to Mississippi.
Total topic change: As for that full-time job that I wrote about last week – I did update my resume and send it off to the recruiter, but I haven’t heard anything about it since then. The more I think about it, though, the more I think that I really don’t want it. I know there are a lot of working moms who love what they do, and I think that’s fantastic. I’m just not sure that I’m one of them. I could see myself getting miserable really quickly if I was doing the whole 40-50 hour work week again. But you know, I’ve never been all that passionate about my career to begin with. It was just something I did to make money, so I could afford the lifestyle I wanted. And sure, I liked it ok, but I’m totally fine without it too.
So I’m now kicking around the idea of some possible freelance writing and work-from-home options, in addition to sticking a few ads on this site. If that works out, I imagine I’ll still need to find some sort of part-time baby-sitter or daycare for Cate, because I don’t know how Dave and I could possibly both be working and taking care of her all the time. But I think that maybe some type of Mother’s Morning Out program, just a couple of days a week, might be sufficient.
Total topic change, part two: Does anyone else watch “The Riches”? Did the dentist in this week’s episode make you really depressed? Because I almost cried for him. I know I’m still a big hormonal mess, but god, that was sad.
I’d be weirded out by people touching my kid because I assume everyone’s a kidnapper or a pedophile. But as for the germs, I would say think of it in a positive way–they’re building her immune system! Keep in mind that the more germs she’s exposed to at a young age, the better off she’ll be when she’s older with a strong immune system. Good luck on the flight. I’m sure y’all will be cranky but at least you have fried okra and creamy margaritas waiting for you. Mmmm….
Call Cate’s pediatrician and see how he/she recommends you deal with baby’s first flight. Our doc told us to feed her on take off and landing (which I know is what a lot of mothers do), and he actually suggested we use a little dimetapp to help with any congestion she might have (the whole ears popping thing). It made her nice and drowsy, and she slept on me the entire flight.
Then again, she used to fall asleep after she’d been in the car about 2.5 minutes.
As for the diaper changing thing (I saw your note on Angie’s blog), ask the flight attendant what they suggest. There was a spot in the way back of the plane they let me use when Gabs was of the diaper-wearing persuasion.
(then again, this might all be total assvice. I’m sure your cousin and the seasoned traveler e-baby have much more recent experiences to share)
I’m a germophobic too, and hated it when hubby handed off our baby boy to his … coworkers – the ones that have no problems with touching his face, his hands… wearing 2 tons of perfume, smoke and ya know… just ick. I totally understand 🙂
I’d say to just not drink while on the plane – no drinks, no peeing, no problem LOL
Shannon: I asked the pediatrician about the flight during Cate’s 2-month appointment. She said to feed her during take-off and landing, but she said she didn’t recommend using any type of medicine that might make her sleepy. Honestly? I think the Dimetapp thing might be a good idea.
Dawn: Not drinking during the flight isn’t an option. I’m one of those eternally thirsty people. I always have a bottle of water with me, and usually a Diet Coke too.
Ok, as someone who flies for a living (for the Navy not civil aviation), the reason they recommend feeding the baby at take off and landing is that the sucking helps them equalize pressure, something that grownups do with gum or just deep breaths but babies cannot do. So, if your little sweetie is crying when the plane is climbing or descending, be sure to give her something to suck on (even a paci is fine if she can make it work). Hopefully this clears up any confusion as to why feeding at certain times is recommended. As far as the sleepy stuff, I look forward to hearng what your doc says.
Diaper changing is easy– airplane restrooms have changing tables, and they’re probably cleaner than ones in the airport since hardly anyone uses them. Bring your own sanitary changing pad anyway. BabiesRUs sells 12-packs of disposable ones perfect for traveling.