Stupid Soothing
I’ve recently discovered a Pandora station that Madelyn and I both like. It’s a station full of lullabies. Some are classics set to soothing music and others are modern or instrumental. I actually find myself listening to the station by myself sometimes, simply because it’s relaxing and pretty.
Once in a while, though, a song comes on that just baffles my mind. I had never paid attention to lullabies until becoming a mom, but many of them are ridiculous and even just downright wrong. Let’s examine some of them more closely:
Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetops, (WTF is a baby doing up in trees?! Whose idea was it to put her there?)
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock, (DUH! Cause and effect. Weather patterns like wind blowing is nothing novel)
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, (Oh shit.)
And down will come baby, cradle and all. (This is extremely upsetting and they don’t even bother to explain what happened to the baby after it fell. Do they just leave her there? Is she on the ground and screaming? Is she near traffic on a highway or is she in a pond near the wilderness? These questions are left unanswered and I seem to be the only one who’s concerned for the child’s welfare.)
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If you’re hushing the baby, a mockingbird is only going to make things noisy. Seems counterproductive to me.
And if that mockingbird don’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.DON’T SING, MOCKINGBIRD! FOR THE LOVE OF TIFFANY, DON’T SING!
And if that diamond ring turn brass, Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass.That totally sucks. Going from a diamond ring to a mirror? That baby is getting cheated.
And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat. “Broke” and “goat” don’t even rhyme, Papa. Nice try.
And if that billy goat don’t pull, Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. Are you giving her a garage, too? Most children’s rooms don’t have room for a cart and bull. That’s bull, all right.
And if that cart and bull turn over, Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover. I hope the bull is okay. And can’t we come up with a less cliche name for the dog?
And if that dog named Rover won’t bark. Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. Again, “bark” and “cart” don’t rhyme. And didn’t we already learn our lesson from the cart and bull?
And if that horse and cart fall down, Well you’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town. Whoa, whoa, whoa. This implies that the baby might not have been cute? She needs the reassurance?
I giggle to myself when these tunes come on, but they make Madelyn happy and so I will continue to play the songs over and over again. That baby can keep rocking up in the trees and Papa can buy his kid whatever his heart desires as long as Madelyn smiles and sleeps, sleeps and smiles.
Baby On The Go!
Madelyn gets around. We have always been the type of parents to say that a newborn baby won’t keep us jailed in at home, and we’ve definitely stood by that mantra. Restaurants, friends’ houses, the mall: we have been brave enough to bring a baby out in the great, big world beyond our cozy little condo and so far, so good!
So we decided to really test the waters last month and brought Madelyn along for her first road trip to Las Vegas. Before you gawk at me for allowing Madelyn to vacation in Sin City, you should know she never danced in a club or gambled at the tables.
During daylight hours.
No no, I kid. We didn’t even make it to The Strip! We visited with friends, my best friends/sorority sisters from college and their men, in the suburbs of Vegas to attend Harmony’s surprise 30th birthday party! The drive to Vegas was uneventful. Madelyn slept the whole time and didn’t even have to endure the “beauty” that is a gas station in Baker. We had a sweet suite at the JW Marriott in Summerlin and set up shop with her tropical playmat and the Pack N Play. Best. Inventions. Ever.
We had lunch with friends at a new shopping center on Saturday and Madelyn was happily passed around among the girls. We walked around and spent some time at the hotel before getting ready for Harmony’s big bash that her fiance, Conor, had planned for her. She had zero idea that any of us were in town.
We gathered at Harmony’s favorite restaurant and when we yelled “Surprise!” when she walked in, she was definitely shocked to see all of us. I was so glad that we had decided to come. Her face was worth the drive and short trip!
The party was a lot of fun! Conor did a great job organizing the event. And because Harmony is a style inspiration, her cake was a Chanel bag, courtesy of her equally stylish mom (Hi, Marla!). Amazing. Madelyn hung in there and was a social butterfly for a good chunk of the party, but got sleepy halfway through, so we put her down to sleep in her stroller and she passed out like a champ. As much as I love holding my little mini, it was nice to be able to put her down so I could
drink my winesocialize and eat.In the morning, we all met for brunch at the JW and rehashed the night. The trip was too short, but oh so special! And when we said our (Jewish) goodbyes, we knew we’d be seeing each other in a few weeks for Nicole’s 30th birthday in Lake Tahoe!
Yes, we went to Tahoe this past weekend. I’d never been and obviously Madelyn was a Tahoe rookie as well. But Nicole and Michael are Tahoe lovers and have a family friend who owns a glorious cabin-mansion in Truckee that we all thoroughly enjoyed. We joked that we felt like we were on The Real World, exploring the house and shrieking “OHMYGOSH” as we got acquainted with all of its splendor.
The drive to Tahoe really wasn’t that bad because we broke it up. We stayed in Monterey on Thursday night and woke up on Friday to drive to Sacramento where we met the rest of the party who’d flown in from L.A. and Vegas. After a quick lunch, we caravanned up the mountain to Truckee.
We ran through the grocery store to collect nosh for the weekend and then spent some time in the great living room of the house to relax before going to Nicole’s favorite restaurant, Cottonwood, for dinner. We had a yummy meal — who knew a simple hamburger could be so heavenly? — and spent the rest of the night at home with some great wine, laughter, and conversation.
Saturday morning was yummy as we all made breakfast in the big kitchen. Michael is the master of eggs and Jordan makes a mean bacon — extra crispy! Some of the gang went skiing at Northstar while the rest of us took our time to get ready before heading to the village to walk around. We also took the big gondola up the mountain and enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the Ritz Carlton where we met Top Chef Masters contestant, Traci De Jardins who is a consulting executive chef there and happens to visit once a month! Good timing gang! She was so nice! All of us foodies were impressed.
Harmony, Nicole, and I went to the candle shop toward the end of the day to make our own candles. It was a relaxing craft with good conversation and pretty results. Madelyn slept through the whole thing, but I think in the future, she’ll enjoy arts and crafts, too!
The sun went down, we all reunited in the village, and took some photos before heading back to the cabin-mansion for a team-cooked meal. Lots of specialties graced the table like Nicole’s eggplant parm, Harmony’s baked tomato and feta asparagus, my spring-even-though-it’s-winter-salad, Bryan’s vegetables and pasta, and Madelyn’s formula. Oh wait, she didn’t share that with the group. We were okay with that. Lots of champagne toasts and great conversation made the dinner one of the most memorable meals we’ve ever enjoyed together. So fun!
After dinner, we played a white elephant gift exchange and then showered Nicole with some presents. We played some fun board games and got silly while Baby Madelyn slept for the night. It was like our late nights in the sorority house… except with boys in our group and a baby upstairs. And Albert didn’t make our food and Kristy didn’t shake the trees. But still! It was a Phi-tastic night!
Sunday morning was our dreaded wake-up where we had to clean up and anticipate saying our goodbyes. Once the cabin-mansion was in order, we drove to the lake to have brunch and then exchanged hugs before going our separate ways. It’s always sad when we leave each other. Madelyn loved being with all her Auntie AEPhis; Love you, Auntie Nicole, Auntie Harmony, Auntie Alison, and Auntie Lindsey (and we missed you Auntie Erin!).
Before heading to Paso Robles for the night to sleep, Bryan and I decided to swing by San Francisco for a couple hours to see his friends from college, Brian and Anna and their two adorable ones. Their daughter, Adie, is two weeks older than Madelyn and it was so fun to see them together and analyze their similarities and differences. What cuties!
Our big road trip ended in San Luis Obispo with a quick trip to eat at Bryan’s favorite college grubber, Firestone Bar & Grill. We enjoyed yummy pork and tri tip sandwiches before heading back home.
I think that’s it for our big road trips for a while. We definitely put the miles on the Jetta before turning in the lease, and it was fun to spend so much time as a family with some of Madelyn’s biggest fans!
Where should our next road trip be?
When would you want that to be? The sooner the better.
Our next road trip should be to Hawaii. We can drive there, right?
Four Months!
I seriously can’t even believe we’re 1/3 of the way through Madelyn’s first year. Wow. December 9th marked four months of Madelyn! We are constantly blown away by what a little person she is! Every day is better than the next and it’s really a fun age! Her personality is shining through, she expresses wants, needs, and even her opinion, and I am even finding that over this time, I am able to read her better.
Before having a baby, I never believed that a mom could really know her baby’s different cries. And… now I do! It feels like such an accomplishment. I can tell when she’s hungry. I can tell when she’s sleepy. I can tell when she has a diaper that is anything but empty. This method of communication blows my mind, and I’m so glad to be involved in Madelyn’s little language.
At four months, Madelyn has…
At her four-month check-up, Madelyn weighed 13 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 25 inches long. She’s doing great and right on track. The doctor likes her schedule, and says she’s meeting all the developmental milestones perfectly. You can call us proud parents. Sure, why not?
Mom Bod
Princeton the dog is our first child, and even though he’s not human, I swear we are more related than I ever thought.
I now age like him. I had Madelyn at 28, but I am certain, just three months later, I am now 196. What is it with having a baby that ages women in dog years? Before I know it, I will be sticking my head in a bowl of water to hydrate myself and peeing on trees.
I’ve always been told that I look much younger than I am. I’ve often been mistaken for a high schooler, and when I was pregnant, I sometimes got looks from judgey old ladies who probably thought I was a regular on Teen Mom. I’ve never really minded looking young except for the times that customers or colleagues didn’t take me seriously because I lacked an older look.
Now, though, I don’t think those customers or colleagues would take me seriously because I look like Benjamin Button. A baby popped out of me and now I look like the subject of a Renaissance painting. And I have aged so much, people might actually mistake me for being as old as the Renaissance. Over night, I noticed lines in the corners of my eyes and the early signs of Bassett Houndism in the jowls. My Chanukah wish list is starting to rival an Oil of Olay catalog.
My energy has plummeted and I can’t even blame it on sleepless nights because Madelyn snoozes like a champ (wonder who she got that from…). I constantly feel lethargic and conk out around 10 p.m. which is so unlike me since I’ve always been a night owl. I thought that maybe I needed to do some physical activity to elicit energy, but I actually become more exhausted. Going on a walk makes me feel like I should actually use a walker. I thought about going for a swim, and despite the fact that it’s a freezing 60 degrees in Southern California right now, I don’t have a ruffled one-piece bathing suit and arm floaties — the official old lady swim costume.
Speaking of bathing suit: never again. No really, I will never wear one again. This post-partum body is a horror. Three-way mirrors are now my new sworn enemies. I thought I’d try a little shopping to get some new seasonal clothes and it’s almost funny how unfunny the shopping experience was. I could open up a bakery with the muffin top that now resides where my fairly trim middle used to live. Don’t get me wrong, I was never Scarlet O’Hara with that ridiculous waist (must be nice, Viv!), but the extra skin that used to house my baby is a little — how shall I say this? — in the way. To accommodate the extra bulk, I tried on a bigger size (I try not to get hung up on numbers), but then the pants are too long or the dress is baggy on top. My new official post-partum uniform consists of stretch pants and long shirts. I have become that person.
I really am going to start more regular exercise now that my wound is better and I have the go-ahead from Dr. Fiiiine, and I hope I can reverse the aging that occurred in dog years. I want to go back to feeling and looking youthful because if this keeps up, people will tell me what a sweet little granddaughter I have and I don’t want my image to go to the dogs.
You are not alone. Like your friend above I also didn’t go shopping for a year. It takes time… a long time to get the body back to it’s regular self again. I am still working, but have seen so many improvements. Don’t get me wrong, there are still many more improvements needed 🙂 . The tired thing… yeah, sorry to say drink more coffee.. my hubby and I are falling asleep on the couch around 9pm and still wake up feeling tired. It is all part of the job and by looking at all the happy pictures of your beautiful baby girl you have this job down pact!
Ali! We ALL feel this way. I didn’t do any clothes shopping until I had to for work, when my dear little one was over a year old. And while I fit into most of my clothes, it’s only because the flab is really squishy and easy to rearrange.
Don’t fret, it just takes time. You will get your old body back probably just in time for the next baby).
Madelyn Gets The Giggles!
Music to my ears! I finally got Madelyn to giggle and I wasn’t even trying!
She’s been smiling for weeks and as much as I love her huge, gummy smile, they’ve been silent and I’ve been craving a belly laugh to complement them. This afternoon, I thought we’d take a little siesta together, but that was not part of Madelyn’s agenda. She was wide awake and did not succumb to her usual coma like she typically does after gulping a big bottle. So, what’s a mom to do with a baby and all of her energy? Play!
I propped her up on my thighs as I stayed in bed and made silly sounds. She smiled over and over and finally let me know I was hilarious by offering a giggle. And another giggle. And more giggles! My heart inflated like a big, red balloon! It was probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and heard and I immediately tried to capture it on video, but the lighting in the room was too dark. So, I thought of the next best thing: audio! I’m so glad I thought to record her giggles because they are just too adorable; coos interspersed with gasps from deep down in her scrumptious belly!
Seinfeld… Crystal… Martin… some of my favorite people that slap grins on my face, but there’s nothing funnier or more entertaining than a 3-month old giggling. I’m Madelyn’s biggest fan and there’s nothing I won’t do to elicit more giggles from deep down to her toes (you’ll notice I sound like a lunatic. Oh well, it works!)!