1) My daughter is actually a boy. I remember all of these moms saying "Oh I NEVER had to baby proof with my girls, only my son!" "She just didn't want to get into anything." WRONG. So WRONG. My daughter seemingly has an insatiable thirst for the danger my house presents at every corner. Her favorite things to do are try to pull up on the sharp edge coffee table, lunge head first off of any bed or couch, try to put her fingers in electrical sockets and put small, old dirty objects in her mouth. Like the 30 year old rubber end to a doorstopper.
As a direct result of this, we have been forced to create an enclosed playroom out of an old couch and our formerly formal dining room. It's actually amazing. Nothing but carpet and soft furniture. As I type, she's playing on the floor and I'm not worried about her.
2) The word of the week is "commitment." I have to be committed to getting that girl to sleep. No matter how long it takes, no matter how tired I am or how much my legs ache from slow dancing with a 20 lb weight on my arms for 30 minutes, if she even so much as senses that I'm getting really impatient, she fights it. Therefore I have to relax my body and be all in. I have to send that message "I could do this all day." and mean it. It's not easy. But God bless those long naps where I can read or catch and episode of Ugly Betty on Netflix.
3) Teething is the DEVIL. Seriously, her bottom two teeth barely hurt her, but I imagine her top two to be angry little sharp dwarves that are pick-axing their way through her gums day and night. There's been a lot of crying, finger chewing and motrin over the past week. I just want my happy girl back!
4) Solid foods are also a pain in my butt. And hers. Who knew that a variety of yummy foods would wreak such havoc on my poor baby's tush? We've bought three different diaper creams in the past week, including one prescription. I can't just not feed her. She has to learn to eat what we eat, but man is it painful. I blame myself. She inherited my sensitive skin. BHH.
5) All of the toys in the world are not as interesting as the blinds cords in the playroom. They are white, dirty, make no noises and have no lights, but she is completely amused by them. Kids, right? She's getting a box for her birthday.
6) I'm having a hard time re-defining Chris and mine's parenting roles. The truth is I shouldn't be changing anything. But now that I'm staying home and he is working all day, I struggle with asking him to help me with the baby in the evenings. I should note that he is more than happy to do it. Chris has never thought of fatherhood as a duty. He wants to do things with her. But I feel guilty asking him to let me have a break after he hasn't exactly been relaxing all day. When we were both working, I felt that we were equals. We both had demanding jobs, so our jobs as parents were split as well. I fed, he bathed. I read a story, he fixed the bottle. And we both passed out around 10pm exhausted. Now I feel like we both have crazy jobs, but mine just doesn't end at 5pm anymore. I need to get over this ASAP.
7) I really want to take advantage of my freedom right now. Odd that being attached to my baby 24/7 again feels more free, but it is. No more worrying about when the grocery shopping will get done, or the laundry or doctor appointments. We have nothing but time together now. I even want to spend a few extended days in Mobile with my family, just me and her - just because we can. Honestly, I don't know if this is going to last until next month, next year or next kid. So right now I'm cherishing it.
8) Getting dressed is seriously an accomplishment. Bonus points if you shower!
Well that's all I got for today. Happy Wednesday everyone! The work week is almost over, right?
Love,
Dominique
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