Pulling my hair out

Starting to teach a class and go back to work in the same week, along with tutoring for biology finals was not a smart move. I almost had a panic attack last Friday when I couldn't find where we had stashed our unused books of checks (I figured out we actually don't have any empty books).

Since I last posted, I had a revelation. Baby N was just not able to sleep more than a couple of hours at night. It seemed like we were moving backwards instead of making progress in the sleeping department. So when I was in Iowa, Mom and I decided to give him some cereal before he went to bed. It worked like magic. He absolutely loves it, and now he usually sleeps 6-7 hours at night. I know starting him on cereal when he was even three months old may raise some eyebrows, but I think the poor kid was hungry all the time.

Now I am trying to be a time management superstar. Trying is the operative word here. Take last Thursday, for example. 7:45 am, run south and drop off baby N at daycare, then drive back North to school to teach at 9 am. This involved me freaking out in rush hour traffic that I would be late and trying to find an alternate route on the GPS option on my cellphone. I made it at 9am on the dot. Then at noon I had to drive back south again to work at TREC, and then pick up N at 6 pm. Then I intended to get home and make dinner, but dinner often doesn't happen because I am so darn tired.

Well, that's my life for now. I think the commuting is eating up a couple hours of my time each day. Boy will I be glad to move back to a smaller place, where you can get to work in 15 minutes vs. an hour and 15 minutes. I think that's why urbanites are so stressed out and rushing around all the time---they spend half of there lives just getting where they need to go.

The great thing is that I started teaching and it is really fun. It's stressful because I never feel 100% prepared (it must be the perfectionist in me), and I really, really, really want to do a good job. But I love interacting with my students. It is a small class with students from all walks of life, and the class atmosphere really breeds many questions and discussions.

Stuff, stuff and more stuff

Gone are the days of spontaneously deciding to go for an ice cream, coffee, movie, you name it. Now I have to take stuff with me everywhere. Not my stuff, but baby N stuff. The diaper bag has replaced my purse. A cool, gender-neutral, black diaper bag so that David is not ashamed to carry it. It's actually a really cool bag, with big and small pockets, a diaper changing mat, and a insulated pocket to keep a bottle cool.

The first time David took baby N in to the doctor by himself, he came home and sheepishly admitted that alas, he had forgotten the ever important bag at home. Of course it was not that big of a deal, a pediatrician's office surely has no shortage of extra diapers. And dads get a little more slack for things like that. I rolled my eyes and teased him a little. I should have held my tongue, however, because when my mom and I took N in for the next appointment, we sat down and looked around and realized that we too had forgotten the diaper bag! The lesson learned? Moms and grandmas are just as fallible as dads. And forgetting the diaper bag is not a tragedy.

My packing skill will soon be put to the test when N and I hop on a plane for the Midwest this Friday. I have to admit I am a little nervous about juggling luggage, security, and a baby. I am hoping he will be good on the plane and keep the screaming to a minimum. Or else I end up the punchline of someone's comedy routine (a la Jeffrey's mom from one of Cosby's classics).

One more thing. Aren't pacifiers amazing? For pacify they surely can. The crying stops, the eyes start to close. Amazing.

I'm back!

Hi all. I'm back from several weeks of life-changing moments. Labor and delivery, bringing home a baby, and saying goodbye to a full night's sleep.

Everyone tells you that being a mother is hard, but really, it is HARD. Hard as in living with constant exhaustion. Hard as in holding a writhing, screaming body and not being sure what to do about it. Hard as in trying to find 15 extra minutes to take a shower. But then I look at his sweet, sleeping face or I get a fleeting smile from him, and I completely forget about the H-A-R-D.

I've never been so appreciative of family. My aunt and uncle have been wonderful, bring us rotisserie chickens, pizza, quarters for laundry, you name it. And taking turns trying to calm little N when he is upset. And my parents have come down to visit a couple of times already. Watching grandparents with their grandchildren is a delight. I can't believe how good my mom is with him. When she talks to him he stares at her, fascinated. He stares the same way at his toy alligator. And his cow.

I have to start getting up earlier, because Baby N has his happy time when he first gets up, around 7am. Up to this point, his dad has been watching him while he gets ready for work, while I sleep a little longer, catching up from getting up in the middle of the night. But I keep hearing how cute he was, how he was smiling and laughing. So I think I have to suck it up and try to get up with them so I can see these adorable smiles.

Well my blog my take a different tone now that my universe has shifted. I probably won't be getting out as often. But that's okay because home has become much more interesting as of late.