Well, lately I have been feeling the exact opposite of this - I am the Most Boring Person in the World. You want to ask me about my life? I will reel off what Scotty is eating, how much he's eating, how he does after his feedings, and this sleep schedule. I can talk about his sleep schedule until the cows come home. Because this one time, he slept almost....and then he...
::yawn::
No one wants to hear about this. But it's like I can't stop myself. I'm probably the only person in the world (perhaps minus my parents, who do not watch MTV) who has not seen the Kayne-Taylor mishap. It took me several weeks to figure out Ted Kennedy died. What is this health care plan that everyone is talking about?? I'm slowly catching up on pop culture (and relevant culture) happenings, but man, my life is consumed with poopy diapers and naps. Even Brian has commented that the blog has become a little 'one-dimensional' lately.
But you know what? I'm kind of okay with that. Yesterday, I went to lunch with my friend Tara (yes! I left the house for more than a doctor's appointment or solo shopping trip!). I will admit, I was extremely nervous about a baby in a restaurant and the potential for a meltdown, combined with my lack of sleep (which equals an inability to be civil to just about anyone) making me a not-so-desirable lunch companion.
Not only was it an awesome lunch, but as soon as I got through my initial 45-minute question-and-answer session re: Tara's 10-month old son ("When did he start sleeping through the night?" "What was your schedule like?" "What did you do to get him to sleep longer?"), we were actually able to move the conversation away from babies to topics that did not involve poopy diapers and naps. Glory be, I am starting to feel 'normal' again!
And then best of all, Brian and I decided to chance our luck by taking Scotty to dinner last night, too. This was his belated birthday celebration, and despite having kept Scotty out for almost three hours at lunch, why not take him to dinner, too? I figured the worst that could happen is that he has a meltdown and then we take our food to go.
The place we went to has an nice outdoor mall attached, so before dinner, we walked around and watched all of the little kids play in the common area. It struck me that this time next year, I will not have a snuggly baby anymore - I'll have an active toddler that is running away from me. That idea definitely sobered me. I can't believe our little pumpkin is growing up so fast - two month vaccinations are on Monday - and we won't get this time back, ever.
I mean, for as much as I complain about a lack of sleep, I love our snuggly baby. There is nothing better than curling up with him right before a nap, when he just kind of melts into my chest. I think I'm struggling with the idea that he is actually growing (above 14lbs here, folks - he is definitely growing). My only other experience caring for a creature I love would be Emma, and in the seven years we had her, she didn't change at all, give or take a pound or two. She never hit any milestones or changed developmentally. She also was extremely self-sufficient (I never had to show her how to use a kitty litter or where to find her food dish), which is one reason I think I was so taken aback by the sheer helplessness of an infant. I mean, Brian and I are cat people - we're not really dog people. We aren't taking things for walks or playing fetch. We're a little more independent that that. Kind of a 'You sit in your chair, I'll sit in mine, and we'll be a family.' I guess I thought motherhood would be a little like being a cat owner, about which I have been extremely wrong. Motherhood is hands-on, go-time, all the time. Much more like dog ownership, I'd imagine, times about 10,000.
Anyways, it is just a weird thing to watch your child grow in front of your eyes. I swear, when I pick him up for night feedings, he's grown and changed. I think my mom is going to freak out when she sees him at Thanksgiving. And watching those little kids last night made me realize I really do need to enjoy this time and stop fixating on what is not going well, but to enjoy what is.
I also stayed up past my bedtime (gasp!) to watch Brian play with Scotty, which was about the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. Their playtime started with 'Baby Calistetics' but quickly morphed into 'Let's Reenact Cheesy 80's Movies.' And before I knew it, Brian had Scotty doing karate moves from 'Blood Sport' ("Break the brick! No...the middle brick!") and was arm-wrestling with him, 'Over the Top' style.
So last night was a great, great night. My little snuggly baby is still small enough to cuddle with and I'm slowly wrapping my mind around the idea that he won't be so snuggly in the months to come. I'm feeling 100x better about leaving the house with him to do everyday activities, and Scotty really seems to be enjoying it. So, all around, things are going great. I might be the most boring person in the world, but I am also one of the happiest. :-)