Aim is the Only Explanation

Occasionally Husband and I play the waiting game.  When Elliot starts to fuss in the middle of the night, both of us wake at the same time.  I know this because I wake and I can feel Husband shift just enough and get still so I know he's awake and listening, too.  And we both lie there for a minute to see which one of us will jump up and get him first. 

He's only seven weeks old (tomorrow) so he's still sleeping in our room.  Not in our bed, thankfully, but in a basinet on my side. He needs to eat so often that it is just easier rather than trucking down the hall every time he wakes. 

Our middle of the night method is usually that Husband gets up, changes Elliot and gives him to me so I can feed him.  Husband goes back to sleep and then I wake him when Elliot is finished, usually 30 minutes to an hour later. (Yes, he is a slow eater...He gets it from his Daddy.) Then Husband wraps him back up and puts him to bed.  

But occasionally Husband gets really tired and swears he doesn't hear Elliot stir.  I know this is not completely true, but I love Husband and also Husband has to go to work in the morning, so often I let this slide. 

So last night, around 4am, I got up to change our little guy before he ate.  It was pretty dark except for the dim light we keep on in his room, where his changing table is. But I know where the diapers are and I also know where Elliot is, so there is no need for bright lights. 

But when I got back to our bed and crawled in with Elliot in my arms, I realized the hair on about 1/2 his head was wet.  Husband was awake, too, by this time and I showed him.  And both of us were mystified until he went into Elliot's room to check if perhaps there was a leak in the ceiling.

There was not and it wasn't even raining.  But based on other physical evidence, we can only surmise that I must have missed a stealth arc when I was switching diapers.  So we did what any good parents would do...we laughed.  

Then we rubbed his head dry, fed him and put him right back to bed.  

Big D (or Big Bug)

This morning as Husband was leaving for work, I said, "So what day is it?" If you wonder why I share that bit of information...The reason is two-fold. First, it's been a little busy in these parts lately. And secondly, that is why I feel totally justified in posting photos from a visit that happened several weeks ago.  

In Gainesvegas, NeeNee rules.

(NeeNee AKA BigD AKA the incrediably rare Drawlin' Fruity Fly, native to the wilds of Northern Georgia in the United States. Pictured here on a boat in the fjord.)

My brother, his wife and their two children live around the corner from her.  My sister and her son live a little bit farther, but still close enough that if Jack was old enough to run away from home and if he wanted to head to NeeNee's, he could probably make it there quickly and pretty safely on foot. 

And when I say NeeNee rules, it's not in the creepy, overbearing, roll-your-eyes sort of way. She never drops in or offers unsolicited advice or horns in.  (These are massively important qualities.) 

I mean that she really does know how to do things and will help if you ask her.  Also, she shows up when babies arrive to get them straightened out and to let the moms sleep. 

Then, pretty much immediately afterward, she babysits or carts them around or just coos over them and helps them learn crucial things like how to share, how to keep their fingers out of their noses and the alphabet. `

So when we knew that we were having Pickle, I knew that being no where within close proximity to Gainesvegas would make it hard. I know that people all over the world have babies and handle it just fine all on their own, but I didn't want to.  I wanted my mom to come immediately and help us before we screwed everything up.  

But we live thousands of miles and six time zones away, plus she's still working, so we decided to wait until her spring break (BigD is a special education teacher.) So it was three LONG weeks until she arrived. 

And while Husband and I survived the first two weeks with Elliot all on our own and it was nice to get things started together, it was challenging ---  especially since Husband had to take care of me, too.  

So were all really, really glad when NeeNee stepped off the plane. 

This is what happened next....

Elliot wore his fancy outfit to meet NeeNee at the airport. He wanted to make a good first impression.

Finally she appears.  See that bag on the bottom?  It's filled with goodies for Elliot and a few for us. We all got teary, me most of all. I was tired and hadn't seen her since early November.  That's much too long.

 

We waited until Husband got home to spread out the goods, but she took Elliot immediately. 

He loved it. 

She brought him an alligator sleeper and fed him his very first bottle so we could go to meet some friends for a bit. 

And she worried the whole time that Lillie or Milo would eat Elliot. That won't happen. It is much more like they would eat her. 

Dressed up and ready to go sightseeing. 

They were tight immediately. 

Big D loved going to the grocery store and seeing things like the giant displays of potatoes.

She also loved seeing the magazines about her age group filled with pictures of old ladies.  Check the cover model on this one. Big D smokes her.

Elliot had so much fun, he passed out most days. 

She worked on key skills like grasping...

And taking a pacifier. (this one hasn't really stuck.)

Elliot took her around town. 

Then he and I sat in the car, while...

Husband showed her things.

And more things. 

She sneaked* into a backyard to take a photo...

of this view.

And Husband took her through Old Stavanger. 

We headed out to the sea and the WWII bunkers.

"Well I guess I should climb in one."

She looks the part, no?

She saw sheep.  I saw dinner. mmmm little lambs eat ivy.

She got him to sit in what we now refer to as The Magic Chair.

We went on a fjord tour. It was windy.

Big D or Big Bug?

Big D likes to participate.

Big D and Priekestolen.

But after a while, leaving what was inside the boat was too hard...

.

So we just looked out the window at the sights.

And read about it in the guidebook.

Nope, those are not my skinny jeans, yet. But soon....

Bill loves motorcycles, so we had to go take a photo of it for BigD to show him.

We all went to dinner.

Then we all went home.

Then it was time for NeeNee to head back.

And she left us with a clean house, pictures hung in all the right places, piles of clean laundry, a baby that was a little more settled and a really good visit. We're all ready for our trip back in June.

*Yes, sneaked. Not snuck.  Snuck is not a word, no matter how common the usage of the word is becoming.  "Snuck" makes my eyes and ears bleed.

5 Hours and A Small Update

Last night Elliot went almost five hours between feedings.  It was a little long, as well as the wrong five hours (9:30pm-2:15am), but it was a start.  

Overall, I don't mind breastfeeding him at all, for all the various reasons...it's super healthy for him.  In these parts, there's very little choice to do otherwise.  It's only for a relatively short window of time. Also, I can.

But it's a huge commitment.  

I haven't figured out the timing of how to express for a bottle because I am constantly feeding him.  So Husband can't help, so it's all on me, 24/7. 

Also, we are starting to be able to get it together enough to leave the house, which means that I am having to figure out how to feed him in public places.  It's been fine, but also, in case you are wondering, though I am managing to avoid flashing (at least 1/2 the time, usually, if it's a good day) strangers, I am not fooling any one.  They may not be able to see the actual evidence, but it's abundantly clear what's happening somewhere underneath my shawl.  

And at home, it's gotten a little less National Geographic these days, but if you happen to be a friend and you happen to drop by, be warned, modesty is a low priority in these parts when Elliot is hungry.

(I asked nicely the first time.) 

It's all a little earthy for me. 

All this to say....last night, when Husband came home, we loaded up the yard gnome and the whole pack went for a walk around the neighborhood.  When we got back, Husband and Elliot visited while I worked on putting dinner together.  And Husband mentioned he checked the blog and I hadn't added anything for a while. 

It's because I'm pretty tired, though I'm feeling much better overall. 

Also, I feel like a boob.  Not in the clownlike, clumsy sense, but in the literal, physical sense. Just a boob. 

Lately ---and I was prepared for this in the beginning days, so it's not a big deal--- I have been doing very little else but feed, play, feed, change diapers, feed, sleep, feed.*  

I am not sure how interesting that is to the rest of the world, but because things have been slowing down a bit, I'll be back here more often than I have been in the past few weeks...

And, in the coming days, as I feel less like a boob and more like myself again, it will be back to the usual general topics (plus my little constant companion, of course)...But in the meantime, because it's all about my world and right now, my world is a little constrained*, that's what you'll find here. 

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*Also, for anyone that is wondering, none of this is regretful or even that negative...For the most part, it's all good and we're settling into how things get done. Every single day is a bit easier and best of all, it's much more fun the older he gets, even by the day.  He is more alert and his personality is starting to really show.  He smiles at us (no, it's not gas) and has even laughed a few times.  Really, he's lovely and at least a part of every day, I spend staring at him, amazed that we made him. While I intend to go back to part time work in the future, overall, I feel so fortunate that I am not working full time in the US right now.  If I were, my maternity leave would be winding down about now and I'd be heading back to work.  I would hate it because the really hard beginning is winding down a bit and it's all just starting to get really good. 

One month...

As I begin to type this, it is almost exactly (to the minute) one month from the moment Elliot was born. It's been a big month.  So big that I cannot quite get my head around it yet. And we only have one more day of BigD in the house, so I'm going to think about it on Sunday, after she is on her way back home, but in the meantime...

We've come a long way...

Happy Birthday Virginia

Big D Has Arrived to Save the Day

(Yep, I'm exhausted and Elliot is too...but it's all fun and good.)

(But the BigD is here to save the day.  And to hold Elliot so I can nap...just a bit.)

More on all of this later...