Back in The Saddle

Today was my first day back to work.  Surprisingly, it wasn't has difficult as some people said it would be.  But on the other hand it was harder than I ever thought it would be.  Being at work reminded me how much I like my job.  As much as I complain (no surprise to my regular readers) I really do love it.  I have wanted to be a therapist for as long as I can remember.  The aspiration specifically came to me after I read "There's a boy in The Girls Bathroom" by Louis Sacher when I was in the fifth grade.  

But being at work also made me think/realize I would much rather be raising my own child than attempting to raise 50-75 of other peoples' children, depending on my caseload on a given day.  Hopefully I will be able to go part time by the end of the summer; I have been scheming up ideas to make this possible.  Stay tuned for my decision and the outcome of my scheming.

It is once more again apparent to me how much having a child changes things.  I was once a very ambitious young professional.  Now I am a mother.

***

And in other news...

Baby pooped all over Grandma Jeri last night.  After an major Memorial Day BBQ fest she offered to put Baby to bed while L and I and all of his brothers and sisters and some friends went to a movie.  When we got home she informed us that he pooped in his bath requiring her to change the water.  Then he pooped again when she was toweling him off!  It was everywhere! Baby got three baths last night...glad it wasn't me this time.

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Speaking of BBQ fests...We bought a charcoal grill and grilled a rack of pork spareribs.  We used wood to smoke them and you wouldn't believe how much you could taste it.  Let's just say, L and I are just a shade under BBQ masters.  I even made my own BBQ sauce which completely stole the show.  We also made beef short ribs--it was the first time I have eaten and enjoyed short ribs.  My marinade was to-die-for to say the least.  To round things out we threw on some crab legs, had a green salad, and a fruit salad. Since it is L's b-day today I made the most amazing cake.  It had a black-berry cream filling, need I say more?  Too bad we didn't think to take pictures of the grandeur.  Anybody hungry now?

Lightly Used Jogging Stroller For Sale

-One year old

-Folds up compactly, I think

-Comes from a lizard-free home

-Has never ever ever been exposed to any sort of amphetamine

-Has certainly never been stolen

-Excellent condition except some minor scratches on the frame where someone did not scratch off the serial number

We may pay you to take this off of our hands.  Our clean and innocent hands. 

Drop It Like It's Hot

Snoop was on to something...

Looking in the mirror post-partum has become increasingly depressing. I actually lost 20 of 27 pounds in six weeks; unfortunately those last seven pounds are proving extremely difficult to shed.  Since I like Baby and I like to jog L and I began reviewing local ad listings for a used jogging stroller.  After only a few days we found the perfect nearly new stroller listed in Logan for a fabulous price.  Yeah it was a long drive but totally worth it if it can help me lose those pesky love handles...

It was a beautiful evening when arrived at the small Northern Utah apartment complex.  We gingerly knocked on the door in anticipation.  We love making a deal in our family; we were excited about the pending haggling in which we were about to engage. The door opened and there stood a woman holding a baby.  Normal enough...

Until we looked beyond the woman.  L half-way entered the apartment and I rear-ended him when he abruptly stopped before he was fully inside.  I push against him to alert him that "Hey, I'm still out her" and I see his right hand gesture ever so slightly for me to stop and not enter the apartment.  Suspicious I take a look around and the interior of the apartment.  I have never seen so much junk in one place.  And I have never seen so much filth.  At a closer look the woman appeared as if she hadn't showered in a few days/weeks and the baby she was holding was sporting a saggy-bottomed diaper and had snot dribbling out of his nose all of the way to his mouth.   

Looking to the right I saw that the kitchen counter was completely covered in dirty dishes, two feet high  Being quite observant, I actually noticed a bottle of pink dish detergents, completely full.  And a sweet looking pink Iris being kept alive by a dainty beer bottle vase.  Six inches away from my feet stood a crock pot which appeared as if someone had made pulled pork...six years ago.  Ew?  Except there was no insert in the crock pot!  

Then I saw the bikes.  Maybe six within my impaired view from the front porch.  Then I saw the clothes and pop cans and the papers and the food and the grocery sacks and the blankets and the toys and the used diapers and everything else a household typically contains on the floor. There was no furniture in view.  Everything these people owned was on the floor (except their dishes of course. Oh, and the dish detergent and pink Iris).   

During our brief stay the background music was Hendrix and then The Who.  Against the back wall was an aquarium that housed a flourescent light.  It wasn't until the drive home when L and I realized the aquarium was not likely the home of any sort of amphibian but of some sort of cannabis.  

The gentleman of the home began showing us what did appear to be a very lightly used jogging stroller.  But he couldn't figure out how to fold it down when L asked. Then I asked how long they have had it, found out about a year.  Why are they selling it then, and the woman answered that she has a nephew.  I am still not sure what that meant.  I asked where they got it and the woman stated it came from a local retailer.  

By this time there was a funny feeling in the air and I got anxious to ge the H out of there.  L was feeling the same and we began wrapping up with the sellers without even engaging in haggling.  Yes, we purchased the stroller.

Driving home we discussed the strange circumstances around purchasing the stroller.  And it dawned on us that we likely just bought a hot stroller.  When they said it came from a local retailer they weren't lying, they meant they got it out front of the store where it was parked by the unsuspecting legitimate owner.  Plus, weren't these people meth-heads?  So, they are stealing bikes and strollers and possibly other things like nasty crock pots and selling them to naive middle class citizens like ourselves...

The Last Few Weeks

After a brief hiatus...

While I was posting my last entry L was fetching my sister and her two boys from the airport; they came into town to visit with Baby and I. And things have been very busy ever since. That week she helped me prepare for Baby's blessing and helped teach me some valuable parenting tips. Unfortunately Baby continues to have a crying problem (some may say it is my problem), despite my best efforts at implementing her, and others', advice.

She did help me determine that there is something wrong with Baby...this type of crying is not normal--it literally will last for hours and it is extremely vehement. His face turns bright red and he thrashes his arms and legs. Nothing helps and nothing works to stop the crying. It is frustrating to not have experience behind me as a parent. I had a feeling there might be something wrong but since there was nothing obvious, besides the crying, I kept blaming my inexperience. I have never been around babies, I avoided them growing up. I didn't have that typical female draw toward them (there was this church song for young women when I was growing up that said, 'Whenever I see a baby cry, my heart reaches out...' Yeah, my heart and mind ran away...fast). In fact, the only babies I have liked, in my life, include my own baby and my sister's children.

So I made an appointment with the pediatrician. He pretty much did nothing except give me a handout which informed me of the following: babies get cold, babies get hungry, babies get bored, babies get tired, and babies get over-stimulated. The handout also included a list of books I can read to help me learn how to calm my baby. He didn't stick around long enough for me to tell him I have already read three of the listed books. You can imagine my frustration. Taking things into my own hands, I changed his formula (would any of this be happening if I breast fed?) and my sister's friend showed me a stomach massage that is the only thing, thus far, that will even take the edge off. I should note at this point that he is crying at the top of his lungs in his room next door to my computer and has been for the last two hours. Should I mention to my pediatrician I swaddled him twice, fed him, changed him, played with him, distracted him, rocked him to a semi-sleep, and turned out the lights?

How could I forget? There is one more thing that takes the edge off, the baby front carrier my book club gave me as a baby gift. The kid loves it. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love it because baby is happy in it. I hate it because wearing it is like a continuation of pregnancy minus the convenience of the placenta feeding him and the amniotic fluid caring for his bathroom needs.

My sister and I have hypothesized, and everyday the evidence adds up more, that Baby has acid-reflux. Moreover, this is probably why he likes the front carrier, other than the obvious reason is that he is reminded of his perfect prior home in utero, it keeps him completely upright--a task not otherwise possible at this stage of his development.

A college friend once said, "Don't get mad, go shopping." And after that unhelpful doctor visit I took Baby to the Gateway, in the front carrier mind you, and enjoyed a wonderful day shopping. He loved being in the carrier and I loved being in the GAP.

***

Later that week my sister and I painted one of my basement walls red. It turned out fabulous.

And then more family came into town making my house full. We all chipped in on household chores and cooking Saturday night in preparation for the blessing. Funny thing is, we couldn't hold it at church the following day because we accidentally planned it on the same day as Stake Conference. Oops, I swear I wasn't trying to get out of Stake Conference this time. It turned out just as L wanted, however, at home. All the family and many friends came to support us and Baby. I think it was the first time our entire family was in one place at once--no one away on missions or away on sports trips or too busy with school/work.

I dressed Baby in this adorable white outfit I paid way too much for for 15 minutes of use. Baby will hate it and hate me, when he is old enough to care, for making him wear it...but that's what Mommies get to do. We served Hawaiian haystacks (later my Hawaiian uncle informed me there is nothing "Hawaiian" about the meal), an assortment of salads, and Strawberry Shortcake. It was a big hit, inauthentic as it was.

There is something special about your baby being blessed by your husband and family members. Of course I cried. And Baby did too if you were wondering. Remember? He ALWAYS cries.

***

Then it was off to Oregon. We stayed with my parents and Baby got to sleep in the cradle I slept in as a baby. He actually really like it and slept well.

My sister's baby came down with pink eye before they left Utah and thank goodness no one got it (except L's mom) but we all came down with a horrible cold the second the plane touched down.

So, here is one more thing that takes the edge off Baby's crying: airplanes/flying. I can't explain what doesn't make sense, okay...

We got to go to my favorite place on earth, so far. The Oregon Coast. So beautiful. The sun was shining and it was just a little bit windy. I wrapped Baby in this beautiful baby coat my sister loaned to us which looks like a polar bear. I couldn't stop snapping pictures of him. We just had to stop in at Tillamook Cheese Factory to watch the production and sample cheese and ice cream. If you have never eaten Tillamook Cheese you need to stop reading and run to the nearest grocery store right now. We purchased Baby a cow stuffed animal, the same one we bought his cousin three years ago.

Saturday was a very special day for my family. We were able to go to the Portland Temple to see my sister's new baby sealed to their family. I feel honored to have been in attendance. Especially since there was some drama around being admitted; I'd lost my temple recommend!

Sunday was another very special day. We were able to attend my sister's new baby's blessing. The baby's birth mother was in attendance and it was an honor to meet her.