I had this grand idea that I would run this week like I was working. I would get up with Tony’s first feeding (usually around 5:30) and just begin my day as if I was going to work. Showering, dressing, make-up, breakfast, the whole shebang.
Which is crap, I realized when Tony woke up at 4:30 on Monday morning. Fuck a bunch of this. I have one more week to take it easy; why be intentionally hard on myself?
But, this morning, since we’ve got to get moving anyhow with a doctor’s appointment, we decided to run the show. A dress rehearsal, pardon the pun.
I fed Tony at 5:45. Typically, I have a good fifteen minutes of burping followed by an hour of dozing from the child. Then, an hour later like clockwork, he would erupt into SHRIEKSOFPAINPLEASEMAKETHEBURNINGSTOP. After a bunch of crying yesterday (on both of our parts), Delle’s comments yesterday made me think about stuff that we, as parents, pass on to our children. Sure, I’m giving Tony great skin and a headful of hair, but I’ve probably passed a bit of my IBS on, too. And maybe he’s got a touch of my lactose issues. So last night, I gave in and switched to a soy formula that we had laying around.
(When you have a baby, you will get so much free shit in the mail, it’s bizarre.)
MY CHILD IS A NEW BABY. Seriously. Bryan may argue because I don’t know how the overnight feeding went, but this child ate, burped, and then laid for my entire shower.. drying of hair.. application of makeup.. and I probably could’ve dressed, too. I was nervously eyeing the clock around 6:45, knowing that witching hour was approaching, but he was still giggling and cooing to the peacock toy sitting next to him. We had a brief burping session as soon as I was done getting ready, and then he went back to conversing with his toy in his pack-n-play.
I had warned Bryan last night that this was the plan and he may have to rouse a bit earlier than normal to help out. But he just stuck his head out of the bedroom and asked if I had gotten a shower, because he had yet to hear a baby cry. I did. I got a shower and it was all fine.
We’ll see if there’s any consistency when we begin next week with the actual return to work, but this has done wonders in easing my mind. Hooray for happy babies!
