Surviving Solo

Another week has passed. Lola is now 3 weeks old. And I'm awake enough to blog about it. :)

This week had special significance because it was Josh's first week back at work and the first week that we did not have house guests. This meant, obviously, that I was flying solo with the bean.

The first two nights were rough. Waking up every one to two hours to change a diaper and feed a wailing baby (I swear her cries sound like, "miiiiiilllllk! miiiiiilllllk! miiiiiilllllk!") is definitely an aspect of mommyhood that I do not enjoy. I've done pretty well at following the advice of many, and I try to sleep when Lola sleeps, but still its hard when you only permitted to sleep in such small increments of time.

By the way, total out of character events ensue when you are sleep deprived. For example, one morning, I started the tea pot but forgot to put water in the pot. At some point later that morning, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I wonder why the tea pot isn't whistling." That would be because tea pots don't whistle when there isn't any water in them. I have no idea how long I left it, waterless, on the stove, because time is something that I no longer pay attention to. (Don't worry, lesson learned: I'm no longer allowing myself to walk away from anything I put on the stove).

But I believe this week, I've sucked it up. I've accepted the fact that 6/7/8 hours of sleep is a luxury afforded to those who either A) feed formula to their baby or B) forgo children and college funds altogether in exchange for large retirement funds and nice vacations. Two options that aren't really options at all to me.

However, after the initial rough start and ruined tea pot, the rest of the week improved mostly because Lola started to sleep for 2.5 to 3 hour stretches. It is incredible how nice it feels to sleep for 3 hours after two straight days of tortured two hour increments.

The week was also made easier by the fact that two friends of mine brought Josh and I some pre-cooked meals. Besides sleep, there is no greater gift to a new mom than delicious homemade food that she did not have to cook herself. And, I'm lucky that I have friends who are really good cooks. Maria and Ellen's enchiladas, pot pie, and lasagna made life much less stressful. Maria also made us some of her infamous cupcakes, brought a variety of soft cheeses (she knows me so well!), and some See's cigars for dad. Needless to say, Josh and I were very grateful (and well fed).

When I uncovered Ellen's pot pie, I had to snap a photo before we devoured it. It totally made me smile. CUTE!

The Sling

Buying a sling has been on my To Do list for quite some time. I envisioned that with a sling, I could snuggle Lola in all hippy-like and multi-task my heart away. It took all that was in me to NOT purchase one while I was pregnant. I was told by multiple baby-wearing mamas that a sling purchase should be a post-birth purchase as some babies are picky about what type of sling they like. So, I held off - until yesterday.

Josh learned about a children's consignment store in our neighborhood and I couldn't resist checking out. I stopped by, just to window shop, but ended up purchasing a maya wrap ring sling.



Initially, we were a little nervous about putting Lola in it. The fact that the sling is only consists of fabric and a metal ring and she is an itty bitty vulnerable baby didn't seem like the greatest combination. So, while she was sleeping, we tested it out using Gizmo, our 11 pound chihuahua/dauschund.

















The next day, while Josh was at work, I put Lola in. I wasn't quite able to multi-task like I wanted to, but that had more to do with the fact that L was being so cute I sat around taking photos of her instead. :)

Our Neighbors

The neighborhood we live in is unlike one we've ever lived in before. It's located in an unicorporated part of the county and is somewhat of a strange mix of suburban-rural design. For example, our block is typical suburbia: We're at the end of a street lined with sidewalks and 3 bedroom track homes. And yet, around the corner are sidewalk-less streets with homes on large plots of land and residents who own horses as pets.

One of the interesting, and somewhat endearing, aspects of our neighborhood are its protected chickens. These macots mostly congregate in the downtown section of our neighborhood, but there is a single red hen that hangs out across the street on our neighbor's front lawn. Until yesterday, she kept to herself and never ventured into our yard. I always assumed it was because she could sense our dogs.

Yet, it was proven to me that this bird was no Chicken Little.

Knowing we may only have a few hours of clear skies, Josh pulled the lawnmower out of the garage to give the grass a haircut, and lo and behold, the red hen waddles up the sidewalk and starts following him (and the lawnmower) around the yard.

Here's Josh, looking a little nervous, but appeasing me by allowing the chicken to approach him. (I believe its pretty obvious that we are not country-people).

The chicken was all about the fresh weeds.

After Josh was done with the yard work, the chicken poked around the lawn for a few minutes and then wandered off to visit another house. In honor of the visiting hen, Josh and I ate Trader Joe's orange chicken for dinner. :)

What a Difference a Year Makes

Today is Day 1 of the February Bar Exam.

(just writing that made my stomach turn a little sour).

One year ago, I sat through the first day of the February Bar Exam 2008. I was a mess. I was stressed, sleep deprived, and depressed. Josh and I were living in a dinky townhome located behind a 24-hour taco shop and every day I doubted whether my law degree was worth all the time, money and effort that I put into it.

Since February 2008, so much has happened:

• I was in a car that caught on fire


• While surfing, I broke my nose


• I passed the bar exam!


• I was sworn into the California State Bar while wearing my lovely nose cast (which made for great photos)


• I accepted a job with an employer in a legal field that matched my education


• Josh and I moved 500 miles away to a new city


• We found out I was pregnant


• We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas on our own


• And, most importantly, our little Lola arrived.

It's amazing how much my life has changed in the past year. I might still be sleep deprived and stressed, but I would much rather be sleep deprived and stressed with a little baby than the bar exam. Sometimes its hard for me to believe that now I am lawyer, living a in new city, and now, a mother. I feel like life is just SO different.

On the other hand, Josh keeps it real. He has adapted to fatherhood by simply adding Lola to his normal routine. For example, here he is, playing on his xbox while simultaneously sharing his lap with our napping babe.

Some things never change. :)

The Caramel Macchiato

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was alter my diet. I diligently read up on what foods and beverages I was allowed to eat and even went the extremist route and eliminated anything that had the potential to harm the baby.

This meant I said good-bye to sushi, soft cheeses, deli meat, hot dogs, all caffienated drinks, all alcoholic drinks, and poached eggs. For me, the most difficult sacrifice was the denial of a Starbucks caramel macchiato. It's not that I was one of those Starbucks-obsessed persons in my pre-pregnancy state, but that the occasional indulgence of a caramel machiatto was just that, an indulgence. And because my range of indulgences is limited to caramel machiattos and reality television, giving up the machiatto was a BIG deal.

Fast forward to Saturday. After nine, nearly ten, long months of no caramel machiattos, I indulged. Amy and Adam drove out from Berkeley to bring us lunch (grilled cheese that bordered on gourmet) and Starbucks. I inhaled my caramel machiatto and for the majority of their stay, Lola slept in her godmother's arms.


However, a few hours after Amy and Adam left, I suspect that the espresso made its way into my milk as Lola transitioned from a content sleepy baby to an alert baby to a wide awake baby. And she stayed in the wide-awake-baby state for HOURS. Of course, this made for good photos, but bad for baby (and mama) as she did not fall asleep until after midnight and then proceeded to wake up every hour.

The macchiato was amazing, but I don't think I'll be indulging again any time soon. :( While I love my Starbucks, I love my sleep much more.

Lola's First Bath

People say that when you have a child, you experience lots of "firsts." The first smile, the first day of kindergarten, the first poop (which by the way is a big deal -- "meconium" was recently added to my vocabulary), the first steps, the first words, etc. As a new parent, these firsts take on a special meaning. Oftentimes they confirm that your child is on the correct physiological (hence the poop) or developmental path, and then other times these firsts are more like a rite of passage for both the baby and the parents.

A few days ago, Josh and I gave Lola her first bath. It's funny how something like bathing a baby, which is such a basic act, requires two (inexperienced) adults. It took us nearly a half-hour to accomplish the bath from start to finish. Of course, we captured it on video because, you know, this is something that Lola is going to want to watch when she is older. :)

Part I - The Preparation

Part II - In the Tub

Part III - Rinse and Dry

On our Own

Josh and I were quite fortunate to have an array of family members stay with us over the past 10 days. Between my mom, my sister-in-law Andrea, and my father-in-law Manny, Josh and I were able to avoid cooking and cleaning, and instead, spend time with our Lola. Of course, the honeymoon eventually ended.

Luckily, Curtis and Vivian arrived shortly thereafter. (And they brought ingredients to make gyoza (dumplings/potstickers). YUM.) Can you believe that prior to Lola, Curtis had never held a baby? He's a natural. I believe his godfather status suits him well.