Archives: July 2007
« June 2007 |
Main
| August 2007 »
Teo says hello to his peeps.
Shout-outs from odessa and Vimeo.
I have made it a rule not to get obsessed with losing the weight I put on during pregnancy. Nine months up and nine months down, they say, and here I am 1.5 months out with somewhere between 10 and 15 lbs to lose. As a mixed blessing, my scale is either broken or seriously psychotic, as I can gain and lose 4 kilos in the space of a day, so I have given up on weighing myself. Instead, I judge progress by the way clothes fit.
This is not necessarily a good system, of course, because I am still wearing my maternity pants while hoping to get my old figure back (or a modified version of it). This means that everything is baggy, so hey! I've lost tons of weight, according to my clothes. Not really but the maternity pants let me think so.
Yet. Yet. I have one pair of pants that are not maternity pants but that have always been a little loose. I tried them on upon returning from the hospital and nearly cried -- I could hardly get them over my hips! Then I tried them on again three weeks later and could get them up but nowhere near buttoned.
But today, today my friends, I got them up, buttoned, and zipped. And honestly, they look like they fit. I mean, close enough anyway. They're not comfortable like they used to be, but that will come with time. Still -- I am happy to see progress in a concrete way.
Maybe this means that in another 6.5 weeks, I'll be able to wear something other than the two pairs of (maternity) pants I have in rotation. First, I feel gross still wearing the same clothes I felt like such a whale in just a few weeks ago. But second, with a newborn, clothes get pretty gross awfully quickly, and it's been tough to have so few things that fit.
Old wardrobe, here I come!
We have been very busy around here, I am still not totally sure with what. A lot of it is just having a six-week old who would much rather be in someone's arms than in a chair or on a mat. When he's really happy, he's ok with being on his own, but otherwise he'd like to be held, thankyouverymuch.
Littleteo and I managed to make it to the embassy this week -- twice, actually. It was a big, horrific, awful experience that involved Teo having a total breakdown while I was discussing things with the woman in charge of my file. She took her sweet, sweet time dealing with my file while he just got hungrier and hungrier. I then had to go pay a fee, and I asked the woman if I could go feed him first.
"No," she said, "People here are going on their lunch break soon, so if you waste any time you might not get everything done today."
So I see. They are going on lunch break and the little baby should have to put off eating for them.
Awesome. Especially since immediately after that statement they then took FORTY-FIVE minutes to finsh up with my file, and then they kept calling my "number" by the wrong number. I was number 823 and they kept calling 832, and eventually I went up to the window to ask them if they weren't mistaken. "We've been calling you for the last 20 minutes!!" the woman yelled out, all pissy-like. When I explained what had happened, and that the whole thing had in fact been her fault, she didn't even apologize.
In a way, though, I didn't care, because I fed Mateo a little bit in the interim, the poor guy was starving. Pulled a fast one on them, for sure.
Afterwards, we sat in the park and he ate for what seemed like a solid hour. Here he is, announcing to everyone that he's a 'Rican now, just after his meal:
I've been trying to get on camera just how freakin' adorable he is just before he starts crying. People on the street, metro, etc always start laughing when they see this face. I know I'm a mean mama, but it cracks me up too. Then he starts crying and I feel bad, but I can't help but laugh at the pre-cry face. This is *almost* a good enough picture of it, but you have to envision him doing it sitting up, with his head tilted back so that his lower lip REALLY sticks out. It's hilarious. It's also akin to the face my mom makes when we say goodbye after long visits.
Also, the book my parents bought him is still a hit. We read it every night and he is transfixed for at least 20 minutes every time. I am pretty sure that is some sort of baby maximum. He looks totally insane in this picture, and ordinarily I am the one holding the book, but the whole thing just makes me laugh so I am posting it.
So he's really a big boy now, getting to be a serious porker. He'll have his 2-month checkup in just over a week, so we'll see how much he's gained. He's like, 75% cheeks now! Delicious.
Teo and I had a pretty busy day today, and once we got home he was a little fussy. Nothing major honestly, he's a good baby who only really cries when something needs attention, but this evening he had a little case of the whimpers from fatigue. I knew he just needed to fall asleep, but he seemed so over-tired that he wouldn't let himself do so.
Yesterday I had been reading about swaddling and decided to give it a go. I had never really had the need to swaddle him before, but I thought that his mild fussiness - which was not the result of hunger, a dirty diaper, or discomfort - presented a good occasion to test it out.
My God! I wrapped him up and - no exagerration - he was asleep in 45 seconds. I rocked him a little bit longer to be sure he was in deep sleep, and then I eased him into his crib. Normally, at that point, he does one of two things: 1) jolts a little and then hesitates between sleeping/wakening, but then opts for sleeping or 2) jolts a little and starts crying (and therefore remains awake). But this time? With the swaddling? No jolting, no thinking about waking up, no whimpering. Just direct sleeping.
It's like finding gold, people! He was an easy baby before the swaddling miracle, but this is just fantastic.
So for the BTDT mamas, what can you swaddle your baby with on a hot day? Teo is a hot kid (his skin is always hot and he sweats easily). All I have for swaddling is the receiving blanket my aunt gave me, which is great for a rainy day like today. But what about hot weather? Do you just avoid the swaddling altogether?
It's sort of embarrassing how excited I am about this, but it's really neat that it worked!
Yesterday, Mr. M had an important first. I caught it on camera the second time around at about midnight. The footage was so dark that I had to brighten it up via software, which makes the vid look like something out of the 70's. I used my boss's camera and had to go through a whole series of encoding, converting and exporting to get this to work, and I'll admit to feeling a dorky sense of pride at getting these 18 secs online. Now that I've got the system down, many more (better quality) videos to come!
Read more »Things are looking better.
First, I talked down my taxes to only 150 euros, much to my relief. Then, The Boy helped out with them some, so I was able to just pay that and walk away from it without having to give up any furniture.
Second, I don't know what's going to happen with the apartment and it still makes me sad, but I am trying to take a God-closing-a-door-yet-opening-a-window approach to the whole issue. I'm still searching for that window, but it's gotta be somewhere, right?
Third, Teo and I had such a fabuloso day yesterday. He was being so great all day, just getting upset after naps because it was TIME. TO. EAT. NOW!!! Otherwise, he was interacting with us more than ever and was very alert for a good portion of the day. He has started cooing and making other vowel sounds, which is adorable. Now that he has figured out how to do that, the sounds are pretty much constant, which makes me think we'll have a chatterbox on our hands.
(Family members may insert jokes here)
We went on a bit of an outing and he was an angel the whole way there and the whole way back. My biggest concern when out and about with him is public transportation, as nobody likes to go an entire bus ride with a crying baby. Luckily, Teo slept to and fro, and was content to sit in his stroller and check out the scene in between. I ended up just strolling around for awhile, thinking about how lucky I am to be able to take off these early months to chill with him. It was lovely. Afterwards, I sat and fed him in a park for awhile, a relaxing way to end the day. Once home, we read a book together, and Mateo really dug it! We read it four times and he stared at each page intensely, ooo-ing and aaa-ing the whole while. I could even tell which pages caught his attention better than others. It's so exciting to see these seemingly minute changes taking place.
Also, Aunt Kathy got him a cute little outfit shortly after he was born, and he is growing so fast that I thought I should give him the chance to wear it before he got too big. I don't know if all those strangers who commented on him in the street noticed how hip he was, but I thought it was fun to have him out of his usual onesie for the day:
Read more »Ok, I need your help. For the last few days, we have had a problem around here. When we leave a light on and the window open at night, hundreds of bugs come in. They look sort of like gnats, but they are not attracted to fruit or garbage -- just the light. We also have some moths and ladybugs, but those I can deal with. It's these crazy gnat-like things! They're driving me mad. They gather along the ceiling, or more precisely along the corners where the ceiling meets the wall. Then they die and fall into my clean dishes, my sink, on my floor, everywhere. For the last four mornings, I have had to vacuum my entire house -- as well as the ceilings!
What ARE these creatures and how do I get rid of them? We tried just leaving the windows closed but it got way, way too hot in here. Leaving the lights off all night is not an option either. What do we do? Is there some sort of product I can buy?
I feel like I am going crazy -- not a pleasant thing to wake up to! Any ideas?
After a rough day, nothing better than saying hello to your very own mini Michelin man.
Today was not a good day. And it's only four o'clock.
1) Mateo woke up at five and did not even consider going back to sleep until 11 -- and that was after getting up three times in the night. He had a very upset tummy, so most of that time was spent either feeding him or soothing him or changing his diaper. Poor baby. He's doing much better now but he was Fussy McFusserson for several hours there.
2) I got a note from the French government telling me that if I don't pay them the almost 300 euros I owe on my taxes from last year, that they are going to come to my house and seize my furniture (they even included a clause about how they will break the lock -- at my charge -- if necessary) on August 1st. For those who aren't aware, that's in less than two weeks. This means I have to solve the situation sometime... oh... now-ish. I don't have 300 spare euros. Bah. Time to go to the taxes people and set up a payment plan, and then I have to call the "huissiers" and notify them of the arrangement. It's going to be fun. Looking forward to tomorrow with the French tax people!
3) I went to the post office to pick up a package and a certified letter that I had gotten notices for in my mailbox. I knew the certified letter would be bad news (they always are) but I was looking forward to picking up the package. Of course, they couldn't find the package and are going to call me when they do. I highly doubt that will ever happen so I am going to have to stop by again in a few days to see what comes of it.
Meanwhile, the letter was from my landlord, informing me that he is going to sell my current appartment as of 2008, so my lease will end on December 31, 2007. The timing is crappy, and as I honestly don't know what I'm doing with my life, it sort of puts on the pressure to make a decision. I have been wavering on the stay-in-France vs go-back-home question for years now, and it has been further amplified by the birth of Teo and the problems with The Boy. My main goal this year was to go back to work for six months and then decide. I think I owe it to my employers to do at least that much, and plus I would like to stick it out there for my own reasons. However, there are all kinds of thoughts and details and issues I don't get into on this site that are involved in this sort of life-changing, should-I-stay-or-should-I-go decision, and finding out my apartment will no longer be available somehow turned the spotlight on all of them in a major way.
So now I'll only be back at work for two months before I have to make a move of some sort, and a part of me thinks that if I'm leaning towards moving to the US at that point, I might as well do it then. But what if I don't know? What if I am still in the limbo I feel now? Where the hell could I find a reasonable apartment again, need be? I guess I was just happy to not have to make any sort of decision just yet -- to just work and take care of Teo and see where things take me. But now I feel pressure to Figure Things Out. Plus, I am super sad about having to leave this place, as it's a major steal and I really love living here. Sadness, all around.
So yay! Poor and homeless as of 2008! Awesome.
Then, while in line at the post office, I also had this dreadful conversation:
Read more »So about that going to bed easily at night thing? That not-partying-at-three-am-anymore thing? Yeahhhhh... scratch that. It's five am and we've been up since 3:10. He's feeling perfectly fine and is gurgling and checking things out around him. Just straight up not tired. Unlike his mama.
Hey buddy, I can't believe you're one month old already. In some ways, it seems like you should still be only a week or two -- because time has flown so quickly. In other ways, I feel like you've been a part of my life forever, and a month is just a drop in the pan. I was thinking last night about what a blessing you are, and I'll admit to getting a little misty watching you sleep, grateful for the chance to be your mama.
Your big achievements this month have included learning to support your own head (most of the time), steadily working your way towards a smile (so close:!), and completely and totally wrapping your mom and dad around your little finger. You've also become a definite chubster, with big big baby cheeks that beg to be kissed.
Sometimes when I am out in public with you, people stop me and say, "Wow, he's so little!" or "He must just be a few hours old!" and I think about those early days -- with your grandma and grandpa, when you really were just a few hours old -- and I feel both happy and sad. I'm happy because you are healthy and growing, and every day I get to spend watching you do so is a gift. But I'm sad because every new day is also one step away from this wonderful time of you being a newborn, and I can feel myself already getting nostalgic. I'm doing my best to slow down and just appreciate, and not worry about the time passing. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to blink my eyes and you'll be in third grade, and then I'll do it again and you'll be on your way to college.
We spent the early part of your birthday with your brother, whom you've been getting to know over the last few days. The two of you have a bit of an age/cultural/language gap, but it's been cute seeing the two of you interact. The Little Guy is really happy to have you around, and you seem super curious about him, too. Here you are checking out his finger at dinner. You look confused, but it sure kept your attention for a solid few minutes:
Read more »Ok. These last few days have been insane. It's 7 in the morning and I am making use of a quiet moment to update. This is literally the first time I have been able to sit down and just take a second. I don't know how mamas of more than one kid do it. Jesus. You are my heros.
The Little Guy has been here since Sunday, and suddenly having both a ten-year-old and a newborn demanding attention is really time-consuming. Granted, it would probably be easier if said ten-year-old was my own, or if we shared a common language, or if he had a room with his own toys to retreat to, but... details, details. Basically, my previous recuperating technique - of sleeping very little at night and making up for it whenever possible during the day - has been thrown out the window, and that has lead to one incredibly sleep-deprived soul. Today, The Little Guy and The Boy are heading out for a variety of tasks, and I am going to capitalize on that and sleep, sleep, sleep. It's been fun having him around, and he is a super well-behaved and polite kid, but man! Ten-year-old boys have lots of energy to burn. I also think his energy level is inversely related to my own.
But there is plenty of other random good news.
Read more »It occured to me yesterday that I have not slept more than three consecutive hours since Mateo was born. I am adjusting to that reasonably well, considering IT'S NOT HUMAN to live this way.
So what do you mamas with boys do about that uncontrollable desire these little fellas apparently have to wait until you're changing their poopy diapers to pee? And how does his pee have such an arc to it? It's incredible! (Oh my God, Sophie's right... I've become that parent who talks about their kid's poop/pee all the time...)
Also, more advice: This is a little personal, but I had to special order a nursing bra. When it arrived, I took it out of the package and held it up, and both Kizzy and The Boy said, "Are you sure you ordered the right size? That thing is huge." I laughed and wore it on my head for a moment to demonstrate the hugeness (because I can be very mature when the situation calls for it), and then tried it on. IT FITS. So that's insane. I am firmly in the special size department, aka the unavailable-in-stores no-(wo)man's-land that makes bra shopping impossible anywhere other than online. So my question is: am I going to stay this size until I finish breastfeeding? Do I need to order another bra? I can't wear one same bra this whole time; I'll need to have at least two in rotation. I've still got another 10-15 lbs or so to lose, but I am assuming that won't affect my bra size for the time being (or if so, only minimally, and embarassingly enough even this monster bra is a little snug). What would you experienced mamas do?
I was thinking today that pregnancy and parenthood both require a healthy dose of humor. I just can't look at my new purchase without giggling. Because this is just RIDICULOUS. It fits my HEAD, people. And laughing is much better than crying, because there is a part of me that could go either way on this one.
Otherwise, Teo and I are doing well. He is asleep in my lap as I type this. I am already starting to get a little sad at the fact that he is getting so big. I mean, he's only three weeks old as of today, but I feel like he has changed so much. He's got a little boy face now, and his body is stretching out. I can't tell how much he has grown, exactly, but he is obviously a whole lot bigger than before. I am excited to take him to the doctor's next week to find out how much he weighs, because he is definetly porking up. He's still a skinny kid, of course, but I don't think that situation is going to change at any point in his life. Let's just say that he clearly got his father's genes in the fat reserves department. Teo's got little chicken legs that are just now starting to develop the typical baby fat rolls, but I believe that at his age, I was probably the same length but weighed a good two lbs more. I think I came out of the womb with rubber band arms. Teo came out looking like a long-distance runner. You can see he very beginnings of some baby fat in this picture.
Read more »
