Filth

Filthy fingernails.  Even filthier toenails.  ????????  How does a person only 8 weeks old acquire such dirty nails?  I am perplexed.

Mr. Jarcy is doing vocal warm ups right now to encourage Baby Jarcy to sleep.  It's amazing how the loudest sounds promote infant sleep...walks along bumpy and busy Chicago streets, hairdryers, stove top fans, etc.  Very odd.  

Speaking of city streets, Chicago is a very quiet city at 2am on a Monday morning.  There is really nobody out then.  How do I know?  Car rides in the middle of the night to soothe a screaming baby.  It works wonders...if you yourself can stay awake behind the wheel.  

3,295 other tasks await while the little dude is sleeping...  

Eat It

Hello!

It's 4:25am and the perfect time to blog.  It's also the most perfect time to eat!  Baby Jarcy takes up all my time during the day and lately I've taken to eating in the middle of the night when he's sound asleep.  I know I should be asleep as well but food is just as essential and it's quite nice to eat in peace! By the time he's up again in a few hours, I will already have "eat breakfast" crossed off my TO DO list.  Now that's efficient.   

Casserole

I just made a casserole.  I've never made one before but I'm a mommy now and that's what mommies are supposed to do.  I think.

My only regret is that I didn't have bread crumbs to sprinkle on top of it.  Bread crumbs go on just about every casserole known to man.  I think.

My little baby boy is getting so big I cannot believe it!  He's growing like a weed.  Must be all the casseroles I'm eating.  I think.    

Peeing For Two

Every day I am presented with a new challenge as a new mommy.  Saturday's task was breastfeeding a crying newborn in the bathroom of a restaurant (standing up and in a stall no less).   Yesterday's was attempting to soothe a crying newborn while driving down the tollway for an hour.  The challenge on today's agenda was quite interesting...

I had to pee.  And I have a baby strapped to the front of my body in a wrap.  It's a huge piece of fabric that one sees crunchy granola type mommies wearing in Whole Foods.  It keeps baby calm and secure.  And it's great.  However, it's also not easy to extract him from in order to pee in private without disturbing him.  He cries and awakens if I pull him out before he's ready.  I also can't stop moving--rocking, swaying, walking-- or else he'll awaken and cry.

So I just peed with the said newborn all wrapped up on my chest/stomach.  

I also did it while swaying back and forth.  And as I write this I am swaying back and forth and then taking breaks to pace the floor.  It's a somewhat complicated routine so we all keep from crying and maintain calm.    

Survival Mode

Hello!  Life has been a little turned upside down here.  That's a good thing--let's face it, I was bored with life before Baby Jarcy--but it has definitely been an adjustment.  So much has happened in the month since his birth but here are some thoughts on being a new parent...

1.  Blogging and newborns don't seem to mix.  In fact, most activities I once engaged in and newborns don't work well together.  Newborns take up any and all activities one once had.  These activities include but are not limited to eating, sleeping, bathing and peeing.  

2.  Newborns will test and yet also strengthen a marriage.  This is in large part due to sleep deprivation.  One minute you're working as a team to soothe a screaming baby, the next you're at each other's throats over who got 13 more minutes of sleep.  Luckily you go back to the strengthened part fairly quickly because baby will do something like fart and you'll think it's the most amazing thing ever.  That and you have to make up or else you won't be able to do any of the above without your spouse's help.    

3.  Speaking of sleep deprivation, I am not sure how newborns get away with behavior that creates this.  Baby Jarcy can scream at the top of his lungs for what seems like days.  He can also be awake and adorable.  Or only able to sleep on mom's stomach.  Sleep deprivation is used in torture tactics, so how is it you are expected to take care of a completely dependent being at the same time?  The deprivation combined with  breastfeeding is enough to send any new mom to the looney bin.  Or at least this new mom.  

And with that, I'd still do it all again.  Gotta go, I hear my little dude stirring and he will be hungry, hungry.