Saturday, April 21, 2007

The Baby Is Sleeping...

So I have a few minutes to blog. She is gaining weight -- apparently your prayers for good boobs worked, so thanks very much to those of you who helped me out with that -- and is getting some of her chubby cheeks back. On the other hand, she fits the criteria of 'colicky baby' to a tee. I try to tell myself that surely all babies fit these criteria at times in the beginning, but both sets of grandparents swear that their babies just didn't scream like she does. I'm hoping they just forgot because otherwise it's hard not to take that personally.

There is a lot that I would like to blog about, from the elections to the baby to Virginia Tech, but I'm sure I won't get around to it all. I am determined to write about my experience in a French maternity ward since that might actually be useful to someone at some point. I would also like to figure out how to post about the whole process of being post-term and induced here without boring or scaring people...but I personally would have liked to have read a first-hand experience before I went in.

Just for fun and for whatever educational value this might possess, here is the really abbreviated story of my labor and delivery. Are you ready? Here goes:

1) Ouch! 2) Oh, she's so cute! 3) Ew, gross!

That pretty much sums it up. If you add on 4) Crikey -- is that normal? No one warned me about this! and 5) Why is she crying? Someone help me make it stop! then you are pretty much up to speed to where we are right now. Steps 1-5 are repeated in random order, but somehow #2 wins out over everything else. Here's the proof -- Baby E. being all cute, trying out her bouncy chair for the first time.



Now it's time for me to try and get some shut-eye. Hope all of you are well.

5 comments:

the fabulous adventures of sarah said...

Little PMF is just the cutest little one ever!!!

I'm so glad things are going well :)

Big hugs from Maine!
-Sarah

Beth said...

Congrats on your gorgeous baby girl!
As a seasoned mom and fellow blogger, I do hope you will write all about your birth eperience. I bet it will make good reading and could really help others know what to expect.
I look forward to reading all about it!

Reb said...

I've been meaning to write about my experience for a while. And now feel guilty 'cause I could have warned you...

JChevais said...

Everybody loves a good labour story. The pros love gnashing their teeth on the gorgeous gore and the not yet initiated are helplessly drawn in, though it makes them cross their legs. Hee hee!

And colic. It's hard. Some babies just scream all the time and there is not a lot you can do... except buy earplugs. I know that my daughter drove me mental.

My mother in law told me that as long as you know that nothing is wrong with the baby, sometimes you just have to let the baby cry. Picking baby up all the time can lead to "spoiling" (though you have to follow YOUR instincts on this one) where you will never ever ever get a moments peace in your life. My MIL told me that when my husband was a baby she used to let him cry but she would step out into the courtyard so she wouldn't have to hear it (this was advice from her own mother). Crying is the way babies learn to use their vocal cords so there is no harm in letting them get that exercice (again: your instincts but I really feel sorry for the mothers who have children attached at the hip and who do everything for their kids for fear of dealing with a tantrum)...

Also... babies tend to cry a lot more as evening falls.... right at twilight. They cannot understand why the sun goes out and it freaks them out a bit. Every baby I've ever come across has cried at twilight. Right out of Stephen King I tell you.

Well... enough unsollicited advice for you young lady. Carry on. :-)

Erica said...

Oh! She is just so so cute!!! Is that like the chair on Sex and The City? I want to get one when I have a baby.
I am glad you are fine and I hope the baby starts screaming less, but I do believe they all do cry a lot at the beginning, colicky or not, this is what I have been told anyway! I don't believe all these mums that say their baby is perfect and never cries, it just can't be.