Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mama Bean is no longer absent

Be prepared for the utter fascination of a complete account of my Wednesday. Because that's exciting for all of us! And I guess because one day, I'll wonder how I spent my days when Bean was small, and then I can read this and remember. With Great Interest, naturally.

Bean wakes up maybe once or thrice a night. He woke around 4:00 and 5:30-ish; I got up the first time to return the precious soother to his gaping maw. I had Papa Bean do the next one, because I worry that my presence later in the morning will just make Bean really hungry and he won't want to go back to sleep. I worry about teasing him with, y'know, the milk jugs. He stayed asleep until 7 or so, when we got up for first breakfast. We've been doing this in bed for the past couple days, which lets me sort of sleep through it, but I'm worried he doesn't eat for as long.

After he eats, I have to pump the other side, because long sleeps mean both fun bags are milk-full. The frozen milk bank ran out long ago, so this morning pumping is essential for keeping Bean in bottles while I'm at work. I just don't pump enough while at work anymore. I left him in bed with Papa Bean, but normally I bring him into the office and settle him into the command centre for morning playtime. Then I turn on the 'puter, and pump while I peruse the morning 'nets. Email, tweetdeck, fbook, and RSS. Bean usually lasts about an hour from the time he wakes up, then he has first nap until 10 or 11. There are days when I go back to bed for first nap, too, but yesterday I stayed up and did internets, because we had a nurse coming over at 10 to gather info/samples for our life insurance application, so there was no sense going back to sleep.

We recently met with a financial advisor from Investors' Group, who set us up with life insurance for both of us, disability insurance for me, and an RESP for Bean. The insurance people need urine and blood samples. I hate needles, so letting-of-blood is tough for me. I warned the nurse that I have deep veins which tend to roll, and they corroborated my witness. I have the bruise in my arm from her first attempt to prove it. I was holding Papa Bean's hand while she dug around for it, and I swear I was clutching it tighter than I did during Bean's delivery. I. hate. needles. Thank goodness she used a smaller gauge needle on the other arm (on the first try) to get the samples. But then I had jinxed her, because she couldn't get PB's vein either. His bruise doesn't look as bad, but his muscle is more sore. She ran out of the necessary equipment, so she arranged to come back later that night.

Bean woke up for second breakfast after the nurse left. He was all smiles. PB and I sometimes race each other up the stairs when Bean wakes up to get the first post-nap smiles. They are especially sweet and coy. Daytime feedings happen downstairs with a little more computering. Used to be more, because he'd feed for 20 minutes or more, but now it's like 10 minutes, which is enough for a couple entries on the RSS. PB and I had a mirrorful of tasks to get done (I write to-do lists in nonpermanent marker on our bathroom mirror) and in the interest of efficiency, we split up. Normally we like to run around shopping/erranding together, like a little date, but this is uber-inefficient when lugging Bean in the Beanbucket. So he went to the stores to pick up supplies and foodz, and I stayed home with Bean in the Beanbumbo doing dishes.

Bean gets first cereal a little after second breakfast. He can do about 4 or 5 tablespoons (dry) with just enough water to make it moist, but not too puree-y/runny. If I wait too long, he gets fussy and tired, and then feeding doesn't go so great. Basically, for now, he is good being awake for an hour and a half at home. So I put him back to bed for second nap, then PB came home, and we watched some tv and webbed while we ate lunch. Bean woke up just in time to leave for breastfeeding group at 1.

BFG (ha!) was really busy yesterday! Lots of new babies, seven and eight-weekers, so wee and wiggly. Bean only gained two ounces, I was not impressed. This was after feeding him (lunch) during group discussion. Definitely starting to get a complex about his weight. I have enough weight-related complexes of my own, I don't need extra for my kidlets. The group question of the week was what we're looking forward to doing in summer. I said getting in the garden and eating dirt lol. It's fun to be one of the moms with an "older baby" now, because I can answer questions and offer my own perspective. I feel useful. As always, good conversation and community, and then the Beanlet started squawking and it was hometimes. He lasted just short of two hours, but often when we're out being social he can go three or more hours awake. I think he shut down a little early because group was so noisy and busy this week.

I thought he would fall asleep in the car, but he was still awake, albeit dazed, when we got home. I gave him a quick snack (still part of lunch) and then down for second nap. While he slept, PB and I set up the seed-light for our grow op. Friends at church gave us a fluorescent light fixture which just needed a little cleaning up, one new bulb, and a new cord. I feel so blessed to have a handy kind of manly man who knows how to do these things. Here is the finished product:


This is in the back room of our basement, where the furnace and workbench are. You can see PB's quiver of arrows on the wall, and the dried bunches of sage from last year. The light is hanging from two eye-hooks in a floor joist. We used cheap 90lb dog chain and S-hooks. Luckily the fixture already had holes in it for eye-bolts. We were going to put the seed-flats on the table, but we had enough chain to hang the light to the floor and keep our coffee table for coffee-ing. We will have to insulate the trays from the floor somehow or nothing will germinate, but we don't want to buy a seed heat mat (very chac-ching!) Not sure about a solution yet. I have bought the seeds we're going to start early, mostly squash, the cantaloupe, and cabbage. The pink light is the special growing light we bought, the other three came with the fixture - not sure why one is yellow.

Also, at the suggestion of Aunt Leila that doing so would make me feel like a domestic goddess, I had PB help me hang our broom and dust pan on the wall. And it worked! I feel like a more accomplished housekeeper already, and it really does make it easier to grab the broom and sweep up a little. I don't know why this is so much different from keeping the broom on the floor next to the fridge, but it's awesome. (Well, and keeping your broom on the floor is bad for the bristles, right?) Thanks to Aunt Leila for the awesome tip!


I quickly whipped up this tomato soup cake for small group later. I can't believe Bean stayed asleep through all of this. The cake is definitely a little strange, it's a very thick batter, and it smells super tomato-y when baking. I used butter instead of shortening, and added chocolate chips. Luckily I thought to have PB pick up cream cheese and icing sugar during his earlier outing, so I could make the icing. (I think I need to do a whole separate post on all the baking I do now.) At some point Bean woke up for early dinner, and PB finished some of the dishes. I did the phone interview for my disability insurance at one point, funny how the day is running together now. There was more computering and tv in there - we watched Glee! Most excellent. I've taken to updating my fbook status with funny lines from the shows we're watching. It's an activity much more suited to twitter, I should consider changing this newly formed habit before I'm really entrenched. PB tried to give Bean second cereal somewhere in here, but he was cranky, didn't eat much.


I ate dinner (salad and tuna sandwich) but PB couldn't because he was waiting for the nurse to return for his blood sample. She came just before small group started, but still couldn't get a good vein, or ran out of equipment or something. She said she'd come back the next day (today). During all of this, Bean should have been enjoying third nap, but he was very noisy and cranky and wouldn't sleep. I think he's trying to drop a nap, but he still gets sleepy feeling and doesn't know how to deal with it other than to get fussy, so, y'know, it's a process. We're learning.

Small group arrived and we headed into the basement with our cake and beverages. We've been watching a nooma video each week and chatting about it. They're interesting blurbs, but we don't have the discussion booklets for every one, so the self-directed conversation hasn't always gone very far. Next week we're going to meet at a Christian book store and choose a new study. Bean likes hanging out with us while we're chatting, and he needed late dinner during this time as well. Normally we might give him third cereal after this, but he melted down quickly, so I just put him to bed, around 9. I don't know if this should be considered fourth nap or just bedtime, because I do wake him up between 10 or 11pm for "midnight" snack, which I consider his bedtime, and usually mine (though not always.)

After small group, we finished up internets and tv shows, when Bean woke up at 10:30. Normally he doesn't wake up on his own for midnight snack, it was weird. I nursed him, and then gave him a bath. He had the second part of midnight snack at 11:30 and went to bed. Then, for some unknown reason, we stayed up chatting with people and facebooking and generally delaying bedtime,which was really silly. We didn't get to bed until after 1, which was definitely a bad idea. It's becoming a bit of a habit, staying up late after he goes to bed. We'll have to break it, soon. Bean woke up three times this morning, around 4, 6, and 7, but didn't wake up for first breakfast until 8, which was nice. Of course, on work days (Tuesday and Thursday) it's actually better if first breakfast happens around 7, because I have to fit in three feedings (and first cereal) before I leave at 1:30 for work.

Anyway, so far today we've watched the AI performances for this week, and we're in the middle of Criminal Minds. Bean just had second breakfast, and we'll eat lunch before he has first cereal. Then I'm off to work! I know this post was totally enlightening, and I hope your Wednesday and Thursday are just as interesting and fantastic as mine!!

1 comment:

  1. I totally relate to your day! I understand why it is so hard to go to bed on time. It is the sweet freedom of time to yourself where you can do anything without worrying about the little bean!

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