...since I've managed to post anything. Not even sure why, not like the baby and I have been busier than normal, although tax time did involve a whole afternoon of me trying to set up a new printer while the baby sat patiently in his bouncer seat. But to sum up the missed time:
Barnes & Noble Outing:
Yesterday, I took the baby to his first bookstore outing. It was like Heaven to walk into the Barnes & Noble, one I hadn't been to before in an outer-burb of Vegas called Henderson (a few exits away from me). I let out an almost audible sigh of relief and walked around the store with a literal smile on my face. The store was huge, just like the ones in NY, and I felt like I was in NY for a moment, or at least definitely not in Vegas. The weather was gorgeous outside, which automatically put a bounce in my step, and I managed to brave the unknown by finding this new store in an area of town I don't know well, which was a mini-triumph for me. I was in the kind of mood that made me say "Hi" to people, just because. And the baby was in a good mood too, and very vocal. It just cracks me up how assertive he is in his personality. He was talking and squealing at the top of his lungs (his latest, favorite pasttime, which I LOVE, but not sure the reading customers shared my appreciation) as I strolled him through the aisles (thank Heavens it wasn't a library). He did get fussy at one point, and I found a discreet, isolated aisle in the children's section, sat us down on the floor, pulled out my new nursing cover, and began to nurse him under it. He HATES the nursing cover, and kept pulling it off of him, to the point that I just had to let it go and go au natural with the breast feeding, still discreet, but not as covered as I had planned. After we selected books for both of us, we partook in a nice, quick meal at the café (sandwich for me, more exposed breast for him) and headed out to our friend's for dinner. It was really a great afternoon!
RIF: Reading Is Fundamental:
I actually read a novel in its entirety! I haven't done so since before the pregnancy, and it felt great! The novel was The Brief And Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz. Well written, engaging, but very dark. At the end, I was almost sorry I read it if only for the darkness I felt swamped in once I closed the book. But definitely worth a read. I picked up a short story collection by Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake, as my next reading entertainment.
Bouncers Rock:
Just a small shoutout to the bouncer, my baby's new favorite play thing. He'll sit there and just fiddle with the hanging toys that trigger the music, allowing me to get some stuff done (his laundry the other day and this posting right now). The other night, he was so into it, that he was squealing, again, and kicking the toys with his feet. Not sure the foot kicking was the intention when the bouncer was designed, but hey, that's my kid, thinking out of the box, in all his squealing glory.
Roll Over:
The rolling over has continued, and my baby just loves rolling from his back to his tummy, going to the left, and then back to his back, going to the left. I can't wait until he discovers that he can do exactly the same thing all going in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, he takes after his Mom in her frustration at failure - when he can't quite get the momentum to get all the way over to his tummy, he gets so mad and lets me know it! Reminds me of when I was learning to double and triple pirouette (ballet turn); if I couldn't manage to stay up on my leg, falling instead over to the side, I would get so mad, and just try and try (and cry) again, until I was nothing but a spinning, dizzy dervish of tears and flying snot! I try to quell his frustration with energetic adulation and encouragement, an enthusiastic "GOOD JOB", even if he doesn't quite make it over, to keep it fun, you see.
Staying Present:
I am trying to really live by this tenet, staying present and in the moment, despite mounting economic strain, absolute job uncertainty, and missing my husband immensely - K is in Australia and New Zealand until June. I miss my dog too, who is staying with a friend. I am toying around with the idea of getting her for a few days, now that the weather is getting warmer and late walks may be easier to manage. But I digress. What is glorious about this time is that I get to spend every waking moment with my son, and that is a blessing. What is glorious about this time is that I am lucky enough to have a roof over my head. But most importantly, I have this beautiful, healthy, good-hearted son, who is a complete joy and blessing. I am blessed. I found this website, lime.com, of meditational vignettes which I've found calming (the Forest room and the Zen room in particular). I was feeling completely anxious and panicky last week and opened up the Forest room to calm myself down; turned out I wasn't panicky at all but feeling the beginnings of food poisoning, which knocked me off my feet (and my food on the floor) for 24 hours (ah, this is also why I didn't manage to post). But I still loved the Forest room!
Pointing A Finger:
Not only has the baby discovered his hands, but now he's beginning to really dig his fingers. The other day he was lying on the bed, completely content and absorbed in his fingers, lacing them like you would if you were singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider". So cute!
Teething In Earnest:
Poor thing, he's begun teething for real! These days, I have to keep a bib on him, his collars get so drenched with drool it looks like he had a bucket of water dumped on him. And he gets irritable and whimpers as night approaches. I feel so horrible, but know that it is a rite of passage, as it were, something we all went through, and luckily forget.
Multitask Of The Week:
I had to laugh at myself when, the other morning, feeling hungry and smelly, I managed to return a phone call to Xing, while eating cereal in the tub with the baby next to me in his, you guessed it, bouncer. Yes, multitasking at its finest.
Commercial Playlist:
My favorite songs these days come from commercials on TV, which says a lot about my "leisure" time, although lately, the baby and I haven't been watching that much TV at all. My favorites, apart from "Brand New Day" (Target) by Tim Myers/Lindsey Ray, are: "Thinking, Drinking, Sinking, Feeling" (Lays Potato Chips) by Slow Club, "Beautiful Life" (TLC) by Fisher, and "Falling In Love In A Coffee Shop" (AT&T Mobile) by Landon Pigg. The smile I get from the baby once he hears the beginning of "Brand New Day" (our song) is PRICELESS!!
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