King Kong

Feeding my Cutie Pie has become quite an adventure. The airplane makes it's approach toward the mouth, complete with putputputput noises. The mouth opens and just when you think all is safe, King Kong comes out of nowhere and swats the airplane down sending peas in all directions!

I've noticed that King Kong only comes out to play when Mommy is doing the feeding. I've watched Daddy and Grandma and Cutie Pie's Teachers carefully. I've studied their technique and style. I've tried it all and to no avail. Feeding time is just dangerous when Mommy is at the other end of the spoon.

I invented my own technique of giving Cutie Pie his own spoon to play with. My rationale is that if he already has a spoon then surely he won't try to grab the one with the food on it. Right? Wrong, Mommy! Cutie Pie and I have tried this at least a dozen times and it hasn't worked yet. When will Mommy learn?

I guess Cutie Pie will just have to work harder to teach me to feed him neatly. Sometimes I'm not such a fast learner. We were just getting the hang of breastfeeding when the doctor sprung this solid food business on us! What do you mean we can start giving him cereal and baby food? He's still a baby!

We haven't stopped breastfeeding completely yet. I read that six month old babies begin to lose the immunities their bodies stored while in the womb. I think it is fabulous that my milk helps to protect him from germs.

The early days were very difficult. King Kong first made his appearance in the hospital. Cutie Pie would thrash and fight when it was time to eat. Each feeding session was like a wrestling match! Then somehow it got easier. Now feeding Cutie Pie is so relaxing that I sometimes fall asleep. I love breastfeeding. I love getting to stare into my Cutie Pie's eyes while he eats. I love cuddling and bonding with him.

Everyone has an opinion about breastfeeding. When I was pregnant, everyone was sure to share their breastfeeding opinion with me. I thought that most people would push me to breastfeed, after all, "breast is best." But I was surprised to learn that several of my friends thought the whole thing was disgusting. One of them actually told me it reminded her of watching monkeys at the zoo and she would never let her child suckle like an animal! My little monkey and I are doing just fine. It's King Kong I'm worried about!

Baby's First Pandemic

At 3:00am this morning, I was awakened by a thunderous sound coming from the baby monitor. Before I knew I was awake, I had already run halfway across the house on my way to Cutie Pie. Still bleary eyed, I looked down at my Cutie Pie's crib to see a very unhappy baby coughing violently. Now I know I'm not supposed to pick up the baby every time he makes noise at night, at least that's what everyone says. So I stared at him for a moment trying to figure out what I am supposed to do. I gave him his pacifier, I put Baby Vicks on his chest and I rubbed his back when he rolled over on his stomach. He wasn't fully alert yet but the way he was coughing, I knew I didn't have long before I had a wide awake coughing baby. Sure enough, in a short time I saw my little Cutie Pie's eyes, looking up at me and heard the first of many cries. Cutie Pie told me it was time to stop doing what everyone says and pick him up NOW!

For the next two hours we rocked in the rocking chair, we nursed, we tried walking around the house, we tried sitting in the swing, we used the saline solution, we used the aspirator and when nothing could stop Cutie Pie's coughs, my mind naturally turned to the Swine Flu. Now that I'm a Mom, I have to worry about these things. Maybe I'm not worried enough. We've got a hurricane plan and we know what to do in case of a fire or a tornado. Some of my friends who watch too many horror movies even have an alien plan and a zombie plan! Should I have some kind of a Pandemic Plan for keeping my family safe? I started reviewing the symptoms in my head. Cough- check, body aches- well, he seems unhappy, lethargic- no, he seems pretty wide awake, fever- nope! Hooray! Cutie Pie is safe from the pandemic!

But what could be making him cough like this? I think I read in one of those books that sometimes babies cough a lot because they swallowed something and it got caught in their windpipe. I wonder if Cutie Pie will open his mouth and let me have a look back there. He was nursing right then so I decided to hold off on inspecting Cutie Pie's tonsils, when all of a sudden he let out a monstrous cough that I'm sure they heard in China. This was followed by projectile vomit, the kind I've only seen in movies. Hooray! I immediately decided Cutie Pie must not be choking. If he'd had something stuck in there it surely would have come flying out. I've never been so happy to see a baby throw up.

Around 5:30am, Daddy came in and immediately identified the problem: the humidifier wasn't working. He fixed it and Cutie Pie soon stopped coughing. He was out like a light by 6:00am and slept in until 9:00am. Lucky me!

There are two things I learned about being a Mom last night. One, apparently I tend to overreact when I don't have enough sleep. Two, next time Daddy should get up to check on the baby.

Cutie Pie Style

Cutie Pie is no longer my sweet bald baby boy. He is growing up so fast I can hardly stand it! People warned me this would happen but I didn't believe them!

Cutie Pie's hair is getting long enough for a "do." I am not very interested in playing with Cutie Pie's hair. I have enough issues with my own! But, Daddy loves to make me laugh and every now and then I'll look at Cutie Pie and have to do a double take! Surprise, Cutie Pie's got a new "do!"

Daddy has been experimenting with Cutie Pie's Style. Here are some of Daddy's recent creations: the Dracula, the Faux Hawk, and the Little Rascal aka the "Butt Cut." Cutie Pie has no idea why we laugh and take pictures of him. He just loves getting his picture taken. Some day Cutie Pie is going to be very unhappy with us for taking these pictures. But not nearly as mad as he will be when he finds out his mom wrote a blog about him called Cutie Pie!

Have you ever actually seen a baby running around with a Mohawk? I have, and I have to say I was a little frightened! Cute as he may be, I don't think I like the idea of Cutie Pie sporting such a crazy "do." Hair style is important for making first impressions. It says something about who you are and what people may expect from you. People treat you the way they perceive you. When I became a parent, I knew that I'd have to feed him, clothe him and teach him things but I didn't realize I would have to make such a crucial decision. Personally, I like the Dracula, how about you?

The Neverending To-Do List

Once upon a time and long, long ago, there lived a grown woman with a spotless house who made delicious and creative dinners. She dedicated time and energy toward her job. In her spare time, she planned exciting vacations, which she paid for with her extra money.

It all seems like a fairy tale about a far away dream land. I've only been a mother for five months and already my reality has been shocked into a world of sleeplessness, multi-tasking and guilt at not being able to do it all. Right now, as I type this with one hand, I am pumping breast milk, planning dinner in my head and feeling guilty that I'm not doing something more productive like cleaning the bathroom. Thank goodness I don't have one of those fancy breast pumps that lets you walk around hands free, or I'd be cleaning the bathroom right now!

In the old days, I would get up on Saturday morning and clean the house. A few hours later, the house would be "clean" and I would be free to do whatever I wanted for the remainder of the weekend. Yesterday, I announced to my husband that there is no longer a such thing as "clean." It's just a Neverending To-Do List that must be accomplished during those rare moments when Cutie Pie is sleeping or happily enjoying the attention of someone else. The very act of cleaning creates its own chaos which must also be cleaned! I wish we could afford a maid. But then I'd have to clean for that too.

Right now, on my Neverending To-Do List is Spring Cleaning. I've got a day of dusting, window washing and closet cleaning ahead of me. I've got those high plant shelves in my house. You know, the shelves that are way up next to the ceiling? I have absolutely no idea why builders think these are a good idea. You have to buy all kinds of junk to put up there so they look nice but it can't be stuff you might actually want to use because it's too high up. Then you have to get up on a ladder to put things up there. I used to ignore it because it we don't use any of the decorative junk up there. Besides, it's so high you can't even tell if there's a little dust. But after time, it must have built up because every now and then a ball of dust will come rolling off the shelf and into my otherwise clean house. It's particularly embarrassing when we have guests over. So today, I will be dragging the ladder around my house and pushing dust off the shelves and onto my floor. I've tried to use a vacuum to dust up there but it's too big and difficult to reach the ceiling. Since there will be dust balls flying about, I've had to take Cutie Pie to school today. He's already got a stuffy nose and I don't want him to have to breathe dust in the house.

It may seem like I am complaining about Spring Cleaning but really I am a little excited about working on a project at home alone. I just wish the house would stay clean when I am finished. Alas, each task I accomplish today will just fall back to the bottom of the Neverending To-Do List.

One of Those Moms

Cutie Pie had his first "sick visit" to the doctor this week. He woke up sweaty and screaming. He had a fever of 101 on Friday morning. I immediately gave him Tylenol and called the doctor. Lucky us, we got an appointment just a few hours later! We sat down on the "sick side" of the doctor's waiting room and suddenly Cutie Pie was acting like his old self again. He smiled at everyone who walked by. He flirted with the other babies. He played with his toys and laughed out loud when he dropped them. When we finally got called back to the doctor's office, the nurse looked at me like I was "One of Those Moms." (You know who "Those Moms" are; the ones everyone rolls their eyes about at lunch time later.) Of course he didn't have a fever anymore, thanks to the Tylenol. The doctor could find no signs of infection so he sent us home, assuring me that there is no reason to worry until Cutie Pie gets a real fever of 103 or higher.

Fast forward to three hours later. Once again, Cutie Pie wakes up sweaty and screaming. And what do you know? 103.0! So I call the doctor AGAIN! Now they talk to me like I might have a sick baby. Ha! And they thought I was just "One of Those Moms!"

The irony is I spent all week talking myself out of calling the doctor. I spend way too much time worrying about being "One of Those Moms." He had a slight fever for a couple of days but everyone (you know everyone has an opinion!) told me he was probably just teething so I sat on my hands and didn't call. Of course, I can't just take care of a sick baby without opening up a book or two and searching the internet for his symptoms. Did you know that if a baby has purple spots, you should rush him to the doctor immediately because this could be a life or death situation? Did you know that freckles and indentations from tight clothes can sort of look like purple spots? Have you realized that I probably am "One of Those Moms?" I'm trying keep it to myself.