The teef monster reared its ugly head this afternoon, after going into hiding for the better part of a week. It was a nice break from the miserable sleep. There was little to no napping today, and a few bedtime wake-ups. The last one was at around 2 am. The Bear is asleep now, and I was almost asleep until Henry jerked suddenly in his sleep, kicking me, which startled me enough to shake me out of sleep. And that’s why it’s 3 am and I’m writing a damn blog post. In case you were wondering, this post will probably be about nothing. Here’s an onslaught of randomosity.
1. On Facebook recently, my status was that I missed being pregnant. And it’s true. Even though we are so not ready for Baby #2 (it didn’t take long for me to change my mind about having them close together), I do miss being pregnant. I know there are women out there who had miserable pregnancies but I was not one of them. I had a great pregnancy, right up until the end (you know, that part where my last few weeks were fraught by anxiety over going under the knife because SOMEONE decided she liked it better when her head was rammed into my ribcage, instead of settling nicely into the space that was freaking custom-designed for her precious little head, and now that SOMEONE has a permanent line on her crown from being mashed into said ribcage.) I had no morning sickness, I wasn’t working, and I just felt really fantastic most of the time. I always like having something to look forward to.
2. I seem to have hit the Identity Crisis stage of early motherhood. Who am I? What am I doing here? Do I have anything to talk about besides poop, baby food, sleep habits? I think about things like going back to work part-time, and leaving Alice for a week to go to Barcelona (I think I could’ve done it but (un)fortunately, finances, or lack thereof, ruled that decision). I think about when I’m going to wean because I’d like my boobs back, please and I’d like to wear a proper bra again, please. I wonder why I can’t summon the time or energy to tame my wily eyebrows, or why Alice dresses better than I do.
3. My favorite pair of jeans are falling apart and I am having the damndest time finding a replacement. I almost found them at Macy’s the other day but alas, my size was not to be had. I thought I found them online but they turned out to almost-but-not-quite-the same, so back in the mail they went. I did try on a pair of Calvin Klein jeans that I actually liked but couldn’t swallow the 50 dollar price tag. Also, I think subconsciously, I’m avoiding the purchase of new jeans because really, I’d like to be able to buy them in a smaller size.
4. A friend’s personal trainer sent me a message via Facebook, offering his services after I joked that I needed “one of those,” someone who would tell me to drop that bagel, as he told my friend, who is on a “wedding diet.” I’ve had no problem losing weight, and in fact, I’ve lost all my baby weight and then some. The problem is the midsection. It needs serious toning. Pregnancy stretches out your belly plenty but when you have a c-section, it just becomes a plain old mess. MUST. DO. CORE. EXERCISES. I have a plan now to do Plank everyday. Also, this.
5. Speaking of core exercises, no more mommy’n'me yoga. Besides the fact that the yoga teacher raised her prices (not by much, but enough to make her class not worth the drive to Yonkers since it now costs the same as any other class within walking distance from me), I felt like I was wasting my money. I was getting no yoga done, because I was too busy chasing after Alice, or nursing her, or she was just plain in my way. I’m looking for a local class to do on my own.
6. This post by Jenifer is so spot-on. The feelings she describes is what led me to decide to seek out yoga just for me, and to be more vigilant about taking care of myself.
7. Also, didn’t I say I would report back here about the Beowulf on the Beach challenge? After comparing the list of 50 books to what I already had on my bookshelf, I decided on Paradise Lost, by John Milton. I’ve had it on my t0-read list for quite awhile, so now is good a time as any! I just hope my brain doesn’t break from the stress of trying to make my attention span last longer than ten seconds.
8. We’re going to Poland in three weeks. I’m ready but I am not ready. Mostly, I’ve been compiling a mental packing list. When I go to Europe, I like to look like I belong there. Unfortunately, the dresses that I plan to wear are not really nursing-friendly, so I’m inventory-ing my skirt collection and will probably have to buy at least two more skirts and a mess of tops. These are things that women think about apparently, when planning a trip abroad. ‘Tis true.
9. This will be the summer of Cape Cod. We’re spending a few days at the cottage right before my birthday, then I’m going for a week with my younger sister and staying until the middle of August. It’s tempting to stay for the entire month of August but I think I’d start to go a little crazy. Also, my very good friend is having a baby on August 11th and I need to be there in order to nom the little munchkin and feed the mommy mac’n'cheese. Also, I think I would miss my husband a lot. That’s a biggie right there!
10. This will be the Brooklyn Weekend. Saturday, we’re headed to McCarren Park for the Renegade Craft Fair and the farmer’s market, and some mamafriend time. Sunday, we’re in Prospect Park for a reuinon picnic of teachers, one of whom is visiting from Kansas, which apparently is the holy land of teaching compared to New York City.
Hey, it’s 4:03 am. Maybe I’ll try the sleep thing again.
I won’t lie to you. Travelling anywhere with a baby is exhausting, travelling to Europe even more so. That said, I’m glad we did this trip and I’d do it again, in a heartbeat. The first couple of days were rough, starting with the travel delays (two hour delay at Newark, causing us to miss our connection in Frankfurt, which led to a 5 hour wait for the next flight to Krakow). Throw some nasty teething into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for good times. Oh yeah.
This is an envelope pillowcase, an incredibly easy project since it requires no sewing of buttons or zippers or velcro! I used instructions 
