Day 21: Operation Woombie

For those of you playing along at home, this is the 21st day in a row that I've posted. That's every single day this November without missing ONE DAY.

Just sayin'.

So.

The last few nights over at 1821 we've been working on our sleeping. And let me tell you, Max has been a star pupil. For the last week or so, he's been only waking up once during the night to eat. This is fabulous for Mommy's sleep schedule.

To help foster even better sleep, we decided to swaddle Mr. Max. I had written a few weeks ago about Max breaking free from every swaddle out there. Based on your suggestions, I purchased the Woombie (thanks, Kelly!).

I was a little skeptical; Max wrangles that one arm out of everything. But we were willing to try.

Let me set the scene:

Two nights ago.
Bedtime.
Max v. Woombie

the Woombie…waiting for Max

Some family members have threatened to call child services, but I SWEAR 

it's supposed to be this tight. It was created by a nurse, for god's sake.

Look how peaceful he is at 7am, after only ONE wake up during the night.

We are trying to instill on Max the age-old wisdom:

Rested Mommy = Happy Baby.

And…the operation was a success!

We've had two fantastic nights' sleep in a row.

(Did you hear that sound? It's the sound of me jinxing my good luck with Max sleeping)

Max also had his first nap in his big boy crib.

He'll still sleep next to us at night, but he got to enjoy his room during nap time.

This is one Mommy who needs her sleep.

And with the way Max is gaining weight, it might be time to get the Woombie in the next size up!

Day 20: Feeling flat.

Today Max and I were visiting a friend for lunch so we were all dressed up. Max in his hipster eyeglasses onesie and navy pants with tartan plaid cuffs (ridiculously cute), and me in jeans, a cream colored knit shawl and my brown suede booties with the SLIGHT wedge heel.

I was carrying Max in his car seat out to the car in the driveway when I fell. While I was carrying the baby.

I KNOW.

Our driveway is old and VERY uneven, and there's a hole in the asphalt where it meets the concrete of the garage. And my foot caught the hole the wrong way.

I remember thinking, "Oh my god, I'm falling while I'm carrying the baby. My family is going to kill me. I'm going to break the baby!"

The whole thing happened in slow motion. I was falling forward, both hands on the handle of the car seat. I just wanted to hold onto to him tightly. 

The car seat barely hit the ground with a soft bump, bump – completely upright.

Max is fine. (Should I have started with that?) My left knee, however, has seen better days.

Yeah, that's going to leave a mark.

In fact, Max had no idea something went wrong; he didn't even wake up. I think my right hand reached out for the car. My left hand was on the handle of the car seat. But it was my knee that took the brunt of the fall. All that was going through my mind was, "Don't let go of the car seat!" and "I'm never wearing heels again!"

I was a little dazed right after, sort of like when you were younger and you'd get the wind knocked out of you in gym class. My knee hurt like a bitch, but miraculously my jeans didn't rip.

I hobbled over to the car and put Max into his car seat. My little nugget opened an eye to give me a once-over then went back to sleep. 

I gingerly climbed into the driver's seat and sat there for a few minutes. Had I really forgotten how to walk in heels over the last 6 weeks? Has that part of my pre-Max life completely shut down? What's next for me? Mom jeans???

I knew what I had to do. It broke my heart, but it was time to be Max's Mom and tuck my heels into the back of closet. Adios, my friends. We had a good run. I quietly mourned my kitten heel black booties; those camel ankle boots that are the softest leather in the universe that I love so much; and my new metallic pointy toe heels that I've only worn 3 times and that go with everything. 

It's time for this Mama to go all flats, all the time. (Don't worry, heels, I'll dust you guys off for date night!)

Proof that Max is FINE; here he is in his food coma that same afternoon:

My knee, on the other hand, is a pretty black and blue and has a shooting pain every time I forgetfully kneel on it.

Day 19: I have a pretty good memory.

Those people who say, "You won't even remember your life before Max!"

Well, those people are lying.

While I don't ever want to revert to life before my little Max, I do remember my life before he arrived.

In fact, here are 10 things I miss remember about my life prior to October 5…

1. Hot Tea. Every morning I make myself tea. On average I have to microwave it twice before I even take a sip. Even then, it's luke warm.

2. A night of uinterrupted sleep. Don't get me wrong, I'm getting sleep; in fact, Max's new accomplishment is only waking up ONE TIME during the night to eat. However, there was a time when I would sleep for 8 hours straight without any disruptions. ((sigh))

3. Daily showers. Let's see…write a blog post or shower? Eat lunch or shower? Ignore Max or shower? Yep, shower falls to the bottom of the list every time. And forget washing and blow drying my hair (that's an extra 40 minutes!). I do, however, shower for non-blood visitors (for the most part).

4. Going to the gym. As crazy as it sounds, I miss getting up at the crack of dawn and going to gym. It was my routine, and I felt good about myself starting the day with a workout behind me. Plus, it allowed me to compensate for my adult beverages at night.

5. Knowing what day it is. Last week I asked Mr. KK what day it was and he gave me a funny look. "It's Friday," he said, which is a big day of the week for the working folk. To me, every day is Friday. Or Monday. Doesn't matter.

6. Reading. Before Max, I was reading 2-3 books a week. Now that I'm home and not working crazy hours, do you know how many books I've read? ZERO. Do you know how many web articles I've read about "how much should my baby be eating?"? 4,237. At least.

7. People who were happy to see me. When they walked in the door and said hi to me, instead of brushing by while asking,"Where's Max?" 

8. Day of kk. That weekend day when we had NOTHING planned? And that day becoming whatever I wanted it to be? Oh, the possibilities! Pedicures! A trip to Homegoods! A boozy lunch! This day has morphed into "Hour of kk" (But I'll take it!)

9. Ah, the to-do list. I've written about this before. That awesome accomplished feeling you get crossing something off your list? Just a fleeting memory. The to-do list, however, makes a nice coaster and coffee table decoration.

10. Having two hands. It's amazing how skilled I've gotten at doing things with a baby in one hand: making bottles, putting clothes away, even putting on makeup. Hell, the other day I made the bed with one hand; that is talent, people.

I'll end with a ridiculous cute picture of Maxwell (which has nothing to do with anything but who cares this is my blog).

Day 18: it's the little things.

Max smiled at me today!

After he ate, when I was making funny faces at him.

(It was a legit smile, not from gas.)

#thatisall

Day 17: A baby changes everything. (thanks, Captain Obvious!)

A baby changes your whole life. That's what everyone told me while we were waiting for Max's arrival; and now that I've experienced it, I completely understand what they mean.

My "routine" is different. 

PRE-MAX: wake up, go to the gym, work, come home, cook dinner, watch TV and go to bed. Basically, do stuff for ME.

NOW: wake up, clean bottles, make bottles, feed Max bottles, change diapers from bottles, repeat.

"Oh I can't, the baby is waking up/hungry/crying/needs my attention."

When in doubt, blame it on the baby.

PRE-MAX: "Ugh. Okay." (cue guilt)

NOW:

On the phone

Representative: "Would you like to take a quick survey about our service?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I would love to, but I have a newborn just waking up from a nap. Maybe next time."

In the bank

Teller:  "Do you have time for me to tell you about the 2,347 benefits you could be taking advantage of by banking with us?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I wish I did, but I have to get home to my baby."

To people trying to sell me something/collect donations

Strangers: "Hi, would you like to buy a calendar to support the high school basket weaving club?"

KK:  "Oooh, you know I wish I could, but we have a college education to save up for!"

Date night at home.

PRE-MAX: enjoy a few chilled cocktails, open bottle of wine, cook a late dinner, watch a movie, relax.

NOW: strategically feeding Max and calculating nap time, then sipping on a warm cocktail while coordinating dinner with the precision of someone organizing a space shuttle launch. Then asking, "If we do bath night tomorrow, can I have another glass of wine?"

Date night out.

PRE-MAX: drinks and dinner at night; or a full-day of visiting breweries then happy hour then dinner.

NOW: Date night what?

Shopping at Target.

PRE-MAX:  Self-limitation of ONE trip per month with a triple-digit total.

NOW:  With Max in the main part of the cart, I only have the little front section to put goodies. So, in a way, Max is helping me SAVE money. (How's THAT for logic, Mr. KK???)

Shopping everywhere else.

PRE-MAX:  "OMG! Look at this cute sweater/pair of shoes/coat/necklace/pillow! I must buy!"

NOW:  "Does this sleeper come in 0-3 months?"

But I wouldn't trade any of it. 

Not for a second.

Day 16: Happy 6 weeks, Max!

It's hard to believe that it was 6 weeks ago we scrambled down to Georgia and Max was born.

He's changed so much; I love watching him grow and learn new things each day. He doesn't look like a newborn anymore; he looks like a little baby boy now.

I'm starting to see his personality a little bit, too. Like how he furrows his brow when he's trying to figure something out. Or the recognition in his face when he realizes that his pacifier doesn't have any food in it. Or how he can fart so loud and startle himself.

Our sweet little boy!

 1 week old

 2 weeks old

 3 weeks old

 4 weeks old

 5 weeks old

6 weeks old

Seriously, this kid. I can't even.

Just love him to pieces. He just so darn cute.

Day 15: I'm feeling flush. (and we're halfway through the month, folks!)

I have an irrational fear of toilets.

To clarify, I'm not afraid to flush the toilet, I'm not scared of using the toilet, nor am I afraid to go to the bathroom outside of my own home.

My fear is more operational: I'm afraid of a toilet malfunctioning when I'm around.

Of all of the appliances in my home (including my bad-ass 8 burner propane stove), the toilet scares me the most.

Don't let toilets fool you; they have minds of their own.

I can't even begin to explain the panic I've experienced after I've flushed a toilet, and instead of the water going down, the flush fizzles out and all of a sudden the water starts to rise slowly. (NOTE: we are talking normal 'number 1' situations here, people. I'm not in the habit of clogging toilets, thank you very much).

The room gets hot, I start to sweat, and immediately I start to look for the little shut-off valve that's supposed to be my saving grace. But even if you do reach the valve in time, you still have a toilet that's filled with water. No bueno.

Cut to today, at a car dealership.

I had held on as long as I could, but I couldn't wait any longer…I had to pee. Badly.

So I went into the single person ladies' room and saw THIS:

The whole situation looked suspect.

So before I could even THINK about going, I did a test flush.

The toilet did a fake-out on me. I could feel the heat prickles on the back of my neck. 

The toilet pretended it was going to flush normally and I could go on my merry way of relief. HOWEVER, it stopped mid-flush and started swirling the other way and the water started to rise. Stranger toilet paper started making its way toward me.

I KNEW IT.

So I did what any normal person would do.

I made a beeline out of the bathroom and pretended I didn't know anything.

BUT, we bought a car from them, so I think I more than made up for my behavior. :)