The Fountain

The first week as a new mom was tough. There were lots of people around, I was exhausted, my hormones were waaaaayyyy whacked out, it was really HOT, and Rowan screamed. A lot. You know, once everyone had gone back to their air-conditioned hotel rooms. (Sigh.)

A few days later, everyone left, my hormones calmed down, and the Ambien helped me sleep a little bit. (Doctor approved, btw.) Dr. B was a big help, and things started to get easier.

But it was still really HOT, and she still screamed. A lot.

Then Dr. B went back to work. And I was all alone with her. And I was scared.

The first day wasn't bad, though. She had a few fussy times, but slept well for the most part.

Then came day 2 (bum Bum BUUUMMMMMM!!!!)

After a night where she allowed me a total of 4 hours of sleep (not consecutive), she woke at 5. And didn't go back to sleep. At all. She wouldn't let me set her down for a second, or she would scream with amazing fury. She was gassy, and before each fart would scream. Then she'd fart. Then she'd scream some more. And it was hot. Really hot. So, we sat in her nursery, lights off, fan on, drapes drawn.

She sat leaning on my chest. And nursed a lot. I sweated a lot, the sweat dripping off my greasy, hormonal face. I watched banal morning television, and desperately wanted a shower.

Then, around 9 AM, she pooped. This was great news, as she had some issues with the whole pooping thing prior to this. I happily changed her diaper.

Then, around 9:30, she pooped again.

And again at 10:15.

And at 11.

And 12:30.

I gave birth to the Bellagio of Poop. Holy Crap.

So, I lay on the couch in my underwear and a tank top, eating granola bars and teddy grahams, drinking water, nursing her every hour and a half, holding her on my chest, changing dirty diapers, and flipping channels.

Just as she started to calm down and *think* about sleeping, the batteries in the remote control died.

As I was mid flip.

And I had just happened to land on ... motorcross. Great.

Finally, around 1, she fell deeply asleep and I was able to shower. That lasted all of 20 minutes, and she was wide awake again. And wanted to nurse. Again. My boobs felt like humongous raw sacks of pain.

At 2 PM, I had had it. It was 92 degrees, and I couldn't take another minute in our hot house. I loaded the screaming banshee in the car, and we went for a drive. I was nearly hallucinating from exhaustion, tears running down my face, begging her to sleep. It took me about 25 minutes of driving before she closed her eyes. At 2:45, I returned home, set her car seat down, and fell onto the couch and passed out.

Dr. B called a little after 3 and came home early, let me cry for a while, took her and changed her diaper (I admit, I was scared to check. And yes. She pooped AGAIN.) Then he poured me a glass of wine and brought me a whole box of chocolate truffles.

And she started screaming again.

So we took another drive until she fell asleep, and went out to dinner. For some reason, she slept the whole time. I guess all that screaming wore her out.

Thankfully, the days since then haven't been nearly as bad, and we are starting to develop a bit of a routine. She's not sleeping through the night by any means, but now will go 4-5 hours at a stretch, allowing Mom to sleep more deeply without the Ambien. I am still not getting a lot done during the day, but each day I go without crying is a victory. It's getting easier to enjoy her--watching her take in the world around her, seeing her turn her head when she hears my voice, wiping her face when she slops milk all down her face as she eats. I wish I could say it was easy now, but it's not. The doctor says she's perfect, and is doing incredibly well. She's gained a lot of weight in her first two weeks of life, so I guess I am doing my job right, even though it may not always feel like it. It's hard, but it's getting easier.

But it will be worth it. She is worth it. And when she wraps her little arms around my neck, I can feel the future tugging at my heart strings. And it feels good.

Belle

Belle, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

New photos are up on Flickr (click the above photo to go there). I'll blog soon, I hope, but for now it is a little difficult--hard to type with a baby in your arms or leaning against your chest (her favorite spot.)

Plus, we soon have to start packing for the big move to Pennsylvania. Anybody free to wrap china?

...It Pours

We got a phone call today.

Nothing's in writing yet, but it looks like we'll soon be packing up this lovely nursery and moving to Pennsylvania.

Prayers answered. Thank you for all your kind thoughts!

Woo-hoooooo!!!!!

our new family!

our new family!, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

She's here, after 29 hours of labor. Long story, and I don't have the energy to write it now, but know that she's beautiful, and perfect, and has a heck of a set of lungs on her! (I just wish she didn't like to give us a concert every morning from 2-5.)

Rowan Amelia

born June 9, 2007; 8:03 AM

7 lbs. 5 oz., 19.5 inches long

Light brown hair, great big eyes, and she smells like a sugar cookie.

We love her so very much.

More later, when we've recovered a bit...

More pictures on my flickr page, and more to come.

Oh, and if you've tried to call, sorry--I don't often get a chance to answer the phone. When she's not eating, awake or screaming, I'm doing my very best to sleep. It doesn't always work, but I'm trying. I would love to hear from you soon, but will need a little time to adjust.

Water

I think my water may have broken, at about 3:20 this morning. I have had some intermittent back pain, and couldn't sleep any more, and really, really needed some peanut butter toast. I read until 6:30, then called the nurse.

So right now, we're getting things ready, showering, eating breakfast, walking the dog (him), putting away clean towels and scouring the sink (me), and preparing to go in and find out if it has.

Broken? I stay and have a baby.

Not? I come home and blog about how frustrated I am.

So if you don't hear anything, you know what's happening.

Comments won't be posted until I get back (as there's no Wifi at the hospital), whether that's in a few hours or a few days, so please post them only once. Thanks!)

No News is No News

Nothing's happening yet, but there is some major severe weather on the way.

If you don't hear anything from our end, it could be that the power is out and we can't post.

Hopefully, the baby will come and everything will be fine.

But wouldn't that be a story to tell, if she chose the biggest storm of the century to make her appearance? My daughter, a drama queen?

I wouldn't be surprised...

Due

Woo hoo!, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

I found this on a roll that was missed in my camera bag, so I decided to spend the afternoon of my due date walking around Walmart for an hour and wait for it to be developed, hoping it would launch me into labor.

It didn't.

But, there are new photos on Flickr, so click that one to go there, if you like. There's a few of the nursery (in progress--the finished room is on the roll that's currently in the camera), some of the April shower, one of the May shower, a few taken this last week when my cousin visited, and some Dr. B took to record what I looked like during my last trimester of pregnancy.

I am smiling, so obviously those were taken before I got completely fed up with the whole being pregnant thing. My due date has come (and nearly gone) and I am still here, swollen, bloated, crampy and waiting. Unfortunately, a due date is not an expiration date.

So, I have been trying to keep busy. This week, I said I'd only work if they requested me specifically. I guess most people have either not needed a sub, or they know my time is close, so I haven't gotten any calls. Thus, my surfaces are dusted, floors are swept, floors are mopped, laundry is (mostly) done, bathroom is clean and the dishes are done.

The nursery is ready, there is extra toilet paper in the closet, the fridge is stocked (except for fruit, yogurt and eggs which we keep eating), and there are even new tomato plants and eggplant plants on the porch (though I haven't potted the eggplants yet.) Lucy has had an excursion to the country for exercise, gotten her rabies shot, and even got a new bag of peanut butter cookies in her Boîte à Toutou.

The finished and overdue library books are returned, my hair is freshly cut and styled, and I even finished knitting that scarf I started for my stepsister a long time ago. Even Lucy is freshly trimmed (thanks to Dr. B with the clippers on the porch).

The new-to-us baby stuff is 409'd and washed, the G diapers are loaded and ready, and there is a brand-new crib, with freshly ironed dust ruffle, lined with a duck and frog sheet and waiting for its occupant to make her appearance.

But we are still waiting. On the job for him, and the baby for both of us. Feels a bit like suspended animation--difficult to keep busy, not get too bored, and try to keep the house clean for the visitors that will come as soon as we make the announcement (though we know they love us and don't care if the bathroom is spotless.) We get a lot of "have you had it yet?" phone calls. It's nice to talk to people, but if I hear that question one more time, I think I'll scream.

Maybe that will trigger labor. One can hope.

The Motherlode

With no labor in sight, I taught a full day on Friday. French at a middle school--not a bad assignment. It was a tougher school, but generally, the kids in French classes aren't too difficult, I know the subject matter very well, and I've found that they tend not to mess with me too much when they see just how pregnant I am. Though I'm not very "big" on the scale of pregnant women due to my freakishly long torso (one girl asked me yesterday if I was 4 or 5 months along), an announcement of my due date being "Wednesday", usually results in a few jaws scraping the floor. Even the tough kids back off when they hear that, telling me about their mothers or aunts or sisters who are expecting, and hoping I don't go into labor right then and there. Heh! Whatever works!!!

After school, I planned to hit a garage sale I'd seen listed on Craig's List. Y'all know I love me my Craig's List. After a successful find a few weeks ago of a complete starter set (with extras she added when I arrived) of G diapers for about 1/4 of the cost online, I had a sneaking suspicion that my Craig's List luck may have run out, but decided to perservere nonetheless.

This sale was listed as "everything you need for baby", so I hoped to find a few things we didn't have yet, though I didn't count on it. I was showing up at the end of the day on day 1 of a 2 day sale, so I knew my chances weren't great.

As it happened, we were in a tornado watch, so the sale people were pulling things inside when I showed up, about 3:30. They didn't have anything I needed. I was a little disappointed, but figured I'd just have to keep watching the website for more, and I'd eventually find things.

"We don't have any of those things, but you should check their sale," the lady said, pointing down the street. "Keep driving around--there are lots of sales in the neighborhood."

And boy, was she right!!!

I found an exersaucer jumperoo, a swing, an older style baby gym, a travel bed and an antique wooden Jenny Lind highchair, that I will probably strip and refinish to match our table set and the hutch my grandfather built.

For all of this, I paid about what I would have paid for our highchair. (And that one was plastic.) And, I'm recycling!!!

Today, my cousin and her husband are going to help us pick up our crib, and then we should be pretty much set.

Except for one little thing.

Theme Park

J.K. Rowling gave the thumbs up to plans for a Harry Potter Theme Park in Florida.

I totally want to go.

Honey, can you take my cloak to the cleaners? I'm too busy waxing my broom.

Yippeeeee!!!