Dec
2010

It’s 3 a.m. again.

categories: awake, rambling

Nora woke up around 2:45 or so for her middle-of-the-night feeding, as she usually does. On a typical night Will, being an awesome husband and dad, goes and gets her out of her bed, brings her to me for her feeding, then takes her back to bed when she’s done. Lately I’ve been falling asleep (sitting up) during the feeding because Miss Nora is a gourmet eater who, true to her French roots, takes eight hours for a single meal. Fine, it’s more like 20 – 30 minutes, but whatever. Seth was a get-it-done, I-can’t-believe-you-starved-me-so-long sort of nurser; Nora takes her time and enjoys the experience. That’s fine, though, because usually I fall right back to sleep as soon as Will comes back from putting Nora in bed.

Obviously I didn’t do that tonight.

Instead I lay there with the random thoughts of the day swirling through my head again. You know how they say that dreams are your brain’s way of dealing with what the subconscious has absorbed through the day? Sometimes I feel like that happens while I’m still awake, usually at 3am or some other insomniac moment, and it GETS REALLY ANNOYING.

A sampling of the James Joyce-style rambling that rams through my brain at this time:

  • That manager today asked about the invoice for his training class … he shouldn’t have received one, did he actually submit the external training request, did I already approve it and forget about it?
  • Seth just cried out in his sleep — awake? Dirty diaper? Bad dream? He’s asleep again.
  • Why has Bonnie [black cat] claimed me as her own lately? She used to be just Will’s cat and now Clive sleeps on Will and Bonnie sleeps on me. She’s heavy. And hot.
  • I should really add some links to blogs I read.
  • Do people still check links on blogs? I mainly read through a feed reader and then click to comment. Would anyone even notice if I kept the actual site bare bones?
  • My back hurts. Maybe if I stretch it like this … no good.
  • Seriously, that manager at work. Did I forget that request? What happened to November?
  • I’m hungry.
  • I hate coming up with Truths for “Two Truths and a Lie.” Why are facilitators so bad at the activities/icebreakers we facilitate?
  • I am never going to sleep again.
  • What is Nora going to wear in the Christmas card pictures? I could reprise the Strawberry Shortcake dress with a long-sleeve onesie under it …
  • Why is it raining now?
  • I’m hungry.
  • Need to get that binder over to that other manager today.
  • I am never going to sleep again.

I finally gave up after an hour and got up for an apple, a book, and — since I obviously can’t sleep — computer time. I know that computer time is completely not supposed to help with insomnia, but whatever.

I’m hungry again, btw.

Strawberry Shortcake Nora & Mommy
Halloween 2010: Strawberry Shortcake
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Dec
2010

Back to the beginning

categories: background

The last time I touched anything to update this site, I was 23 weeks pregnant with my second baby. That was in March, and I didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl. Nora was born in July, and she’s five months old today. To say that I’m a little rusty on the whole blogging thing, that would be a major understatement.

Thirteen years ago, when I started any sort of writing online, I kind of floated around in various places and screen names before settling into who I’ve been ever since: Dormousie, since the user name Dormouse was taken everywhere else I looked. I love Lewis Carroll and Alice, you see, and I have always loved that silly dozy dormouse who sleeps in a teapot and tells stories about three sisters living in a well.

“What kind of a well?”
“It was a treacle well.”

I liked treacle because it was sickeningly sweet and I was so sick and tired of all the nasty, bitter things I read online all the time. Also, I was 20 and melodramatic.

I still like treacle because it’s sweet. I’m still kind of melodramatic. I’m definitely not 20, and the past 13 years have been really, really good to me. I’ll tell you more of that later, since I’m starting this up for Holidailies and I’ve got no theme or plan, and I’m not a mom-food-game-tv-hobby-craft-book-blogger.

I’m Erin, and I ended up in a lot of places I never expected. I just put my second baby in her bed and need to go check on the first so I can go sleep next to my husband while our cats weigh like anchors on our feet and the dog “protects” the rest of the house. Nice to see you again. 🙂

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Oct
2010

Diaper Deal

categories: babies, shopping

We mainly use cloth diapers, but Nora is still half in disposables and Seth wears disposables at night. We typically buy them at Sam’s, but I thought I’d check out the Amazon Mom /Subscribe & Save combo at Amazon.com and see if it was better. I also have Amazon Prime (free two-day shipping for a yearly fee) so I thought it’d be a good deal.

Was it ever! I got 30% off both these boxes, making each box under $30. I placed the order yesterday and they arrived this morning, even faster than promised! I have Nora’s diapers on a one or two month subscription (can’t remember; they’ll remind me before shipping) and Seth’s on a three month.

It’s definitely cheaper than Sam’s, more convenient, and more variety! I love Amazon.

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Oct
2010

What do babies NEED?

categories: babies, shopping

I spend some time on some Mommy-related message boards (my favorites are actually on the Knitter/Crocheter website Ravelry and get lots of good info there. One of the questions that comes up a lot from soon-to-be moms is, “Holy cow! There’s so much STUFF out there for babies! What do I actually NEED?”

When we registered for things with Seth (August 08), I had to keep reminding myself that babies just need a few essentials and the rest is frosting. Cover the Bs (belly, butt, body, and bed) with something basic and take it slowly with everything else. I ignored a lot of the manufacturers’ descriptions and instead looked at reviews from real parents on places like Amazon.com and the Babies R Us website. And I asked my friends what they actually used and what they never used. Take your time searching and finding what you like best. Anyone who gets impatient about your registry should get off your back – who’s the mommy here?! 🙂 Don’t mess with the mommy!

Here are my favorites/most usefuls for the four Bs. A lot of the list goes way beyond the basics, but I really appreciated all of them!

Baby’s Belly
Breastmilk! I was blessed that breastfeeding worked well with Seth from the beginning. Nora was more of a challenge, but we got there.
The First Years Nursing Pads (already have lanolin on them)
Bravado Nursing Bras
Feeding support pillow – I used a Boppy and had several slipcovers ready to do quick changes
Medela Pump in Style Advance
Medela Harmony Handheld pump (for the just in case; also to use before we opened the PISA and made it unreturnable)
Easy Expressions Hands-free Pumping Bustier
ONE bottle of a few different brands, to test to see what my baby would actually take. I registered for ‘sets’ but should’ve left them unopened until Seth chose a bottle.
Lansinoh Milk Storage Bags
Bottle warmer (bonus – for thawing frozen breast milk)
Ice cube trays for freezing food (bonus)
Booster/High chair combo that fits in a regular chair

Baby’s Butt
Pampers Swaddlers Newborn for the first few weeks
FuzziBunz cloth diapers
Allen’s Naturally Detergent
Cloth wipes (bonus)
Cloth wipe warmer (bonus)
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste (never use without a liner if you use cloth diapers!)
Waterproof pail liner bags (for cloth diapers) – get two so you always have one while the other is washing/drying!

Baby’s Body
Soft, lightweight onesies 
 a lot of them in a variety of sizes and colors – Gerber runs at least a size small, Carter’s and Circo (Target) were mostly true to size
Socks
Cotton zip-up footed jammies
Super-simple infant bath tub
Inflatable “Duck” tub by Munchkin (bonus – awesome when they start to outgrow the baby tub but aren’t ready for the great big bathtub)
Washcloths – thin and thicker
Hooded towels
Floating bath thermometer (bonus)
Grooming/healthcare set – note: you’ll probably get a lot of the basic grooming items at the hospital when you have the baby, so don’t sweat this. We got a thermometer, brush, aspirator, and other things from the hospital. And every medicine we’ve bought has had a dosing syringe with it.
Car seat – I would’ve gone for the Convertible only if my husband hadn’t been set on the carrier
Stroller – try folding it and picking it up while you’re in the store. Drive it around corners to see how it turns. Try putting something in the basket when the seat is completely reclined.

Baby’s Bed
Simple, firm mattress
Crib you can actually reach into
LARGE Square blankets suitable for swaddling – flannel and muslin
Pack and play with bassinet and changing table – this is seriously one of our most-used baby items.
Cotton sheets – several
Large waterproof pads – several. We would “layer” the bed when we made it: waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet. Saves time in the middle of the night if you have a leak!
Tiny Love mobile – it may not coordinate with your decor, but babies LOVE them

Bonus Items
Bouncer seat
Exersaucer/Jumperoo
Swing
Floor play mat
Books
You’ll get toys regardless of whether you register or not!
Cool mist humidifer
Baby book

We never have used a changing table or dresser; we just kept a smaller waterproof pad and changed him in his crib or on the daybed in his room. We use a regular trash can for a diaper pail. After Seth was born, I went with him to a baby store that had several types of slings, wraps, carriers, etc. I found out he hated slings, was okay in a wrap, and did best in a Mei Tai! I’m so glad I didn’t buy everything before he arrived! Also, the Infantino Easy Rider is a way cheaper option than Baby Björn front carriers and worked well enough for us.

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