Under the Inf(ant)luence
I have a confession to make. I’m drunk. I’m totally wasted, puking my guts out hammered and slurring. WITH LOVE! Oh, my effing H. It’s true. I will fully admit that I am punch-drunk heart-swelling in love. And this kind of love? Is TAKING. OVER. MY. LIFE!
Take yesterday, for instance. I literally sat on my couch for hours and just watched Fable blink. Don’t believe me? Here’s a two-minute video I took of Fable staring into space. It would have been longer but the battery on my camera died. And DUDES, there are a hundred more like it I’m not kidding.
The other day Hal reminded me that I’ve been totally breaking my cardinal parenting rule, which is: let the baby adapt to you. There’s an entire chapter about it in my book, how important it is to maintain independence so your children know you have a life outside of being their mother. Right now? As far as Fable’s concerned. I’m an extension of her and as far as I’m concerned? She’s my appendage. She eats with me. Sleeps with me. Washes the dishes with me (in either the Bjorn or the BabyHawk carrier) and we’re both loving it. Fable goes days without crying like some kind of miracle baby which makes her a joy and a pleasure to be around.
She’s five weeks today and I kid you not, sleeping through the night
about 50/50 right now. And when she does wake up? She doesn’t cry. She
just makes sucking sounds and I fetch her either the bottle or the teet
and then she passes out again. She’s totally smiling and lighting up my
life in he craziest of ways.
I do realize that this isn’t perhaps the best thing. I mean, she’s a baby, yes but this could become a habit I can’t break and I don’t exactly want to coddle… except you know what? I just lied. I totally want Fable to be tiny and perfect and wonderful forever and ever. And I want her to sleep next to me and be my snuggly little baby goose.
Fable as Avril Lavigne on Halloween. Other Halloween photos, here.
The thing is? Because I’m so BABY BABY BABY, I’m unable to do anything well right now. Writing? Ha! Even my blogging has been full of dumb typos and errors. I spelled Joe the Plumber Joe the Plummer the other day. I mean…. COME ON, BEC! You’re better than that.
It kind of makes me feel for Sarah Palin. Never mind that I despise her as much as humanly possible, SHE’S A NEW MOM! No wonder she’s so brain-dead, talking about Russia rearing its neighborly head and thinking Sarkozy wants to be her BFF. It takes a woman AT LEAST six months before she can spell her own name let alone talk about foreign policy. (Unless of course you’re Campbell Brown who IS A GENIUS and a rock star and my make-believe girlfriend.)
But I digress. Mommy Brain is REAL, folks. And I? Have mommy brain to the MAX. I’m forgetting everything these days, taking two trips to Archer’s school regularly because I forgot a lunch or show-and-tell or the permission slip for the field trip to the pumpkin patch. Etc. Etc. Babies impair our judgment for sure and the longer we’re on the road, the more likely we’re gonna crash.
And yes, I just typed this entire post with one hand and there are probably typos and I wouldn’t be surprised if it made no sense what-so-ever. Remember, though, I have five more months before you can hold it against me and in the meantime I won’t run for political office.
I won’t do much of anything, really. Besides stare at this all day:
Could you seriously blame me? I mean…
***
So cute to see you enjoying your new baby. I was totally the same way with my twins 2 yrs ago, and makes me want to have another one. Enjoy it!
i have a mummy brain too. and i am trying to write a PhD paper now. WHAT AN EFFORT!!!
Now that my wee one is finally here, I can’t blame you one bit. Because I’m doing the same thing! Taking videos of my newborn staring in space and spending hours looking at him eating and sleeping. Baby fever here!
Fable is gorgeous and I’m so glad for you that she is enjoyable to be around. Even if she were a fussy baby (like my newborn is), she would still be enjoyable to have around. =D
Fable is beautiful! I can totally relate to the videos of blinking babies I take those to. I swear the first time my daughter put her own pacifier in her mouth I declared she was a genius. Oh and mommy brain is total real. I think there should be some bracelet (like a medical kind)we wear for when we forget things or can’t think straight. I used to be so on top of things and punctual and no forget about it.
No, I can’t blame you. I agree with you. With my oldest I was a SAHM and was determined to still have a life, running errands, leaving her with my mother and siblings and other close friends. With my second daughter? She’s never spent a night away from me-EVER. Never had a sitter unless it was Grandma after she was asleep. I went back to work when she was five months, but before that, and after I went back, every second I wasn’t working she was with me. Next to me, and now, as she turns three in eight weeks, she is still my little mini-me. I just had nine days off and she spent every possible second with me, in the same room as me, napping with me, even sleeping with for two nights. And I LOVE IT. I still watch her sleep and play with the same wonderment. I keep telling hubby I’ve fallen in love all over again, with this wonderful little girl.
And Mommy brain doesn’t go away after six months…it still hangs around, popping up every now and then. I just tell people I’m too busy thinking about my girls to think about anything else!
so cute. i was/am the same way with gus. a crazy in love, gut wrenching bond and he’s my bff! she is so cute.
You say exactly what I mean….I totally relate to the mommy brain and the, I’m thinking…what was it…hmmm…let me check.
Okay…
It was the typing one handed thing! I’m serious, I totally forgot. I love your blogs, and I keep meaning to get my hands on your book, if I could remember what it’s called when I’m in the store…
ROCKABYE!!! Just think.. Rockabye BAAAAABY on the treeeetoooooop.
I LOVE my Babyhawk. It took me weeks to pick it out online, but we’ve been using it since little dude was about 3 weeks old. I’ve even carried my 40 lb 4 y/o in it for about 10 blocks. I was having such trouble picking a carrier–my baby’s middle name is Hawkeye, so DH was all, “Just get that one, it kinda has his name on it.” Best new baby purchase.
Anyway, I have 3 boys (6 y/o, 4 y/o and 6 months). With my first, I was all about the “fit the kid into your lifestyle” theory of parenting. With one, it’s not too bad. Now, with three, I still maintain some of my non-mom identity, but my life is definitely (and by necessity) more kid-centric.
Do I miss having the time (and finances) to take all of the sewing classes and buy all of the fabric, and books, and coffee my little heart desires? Damn straight. But taking my oldest to pick out fabric for a dress for his baby doll, or showing the 4 y/o how the foot pedal on the sewing machine works, or subjecting the babe to my attempts at making baby clothes–well, so much cooler and ultimately more meaningful than taking some classes with some fashionista sewing hipsters.
Baby love is the best kind of love! I’m the same way with my daughter. I get flack because she’s so in love with being held and cuddled and I totally allow it. I love her sleeping in my arms and sleeping next to me in bed… and oh… love.
You definitely need you post more videos. This is not even my child and I have played this video (no joke) 7 times in the past four hours already. Fable is beautiful and she looks so pensive lying there…it’s truly marvelous. You and Hal are creating some of the most gorgeous children ever. Don’t stop?
That’s so funny, I was Ashley Todd for Halloween also!!
Fable is gorgeous!
Oh god, that video just made my freakin’ uterus jump up and down, but I am determined to only have 1 child! I love my almost 2yr old to pieces, we are best friends, she is my little companion, my partner in crime, so although that SUPER ADORABLE baby of yours is very mellow and oh-so-cute to the point that I want another one, I am happy with my one.
haha at first glance i thought the post was about flatulence- hahahahahahaha!!
there are two kinds of mommy brain. the newborn gaga mommy brain which you have. then there is the oh my god i have 3 kids in 3 different schools and they all need different things on different days and i missed parent teacher conferences because i mixed up the days (AGAIN!??) but i’ll tell them that i was busy working so i’ll just look like an unconcerned parent rather than a complete idiot…mommy brain. yeah, it never goes away.
my son is just now two months and is already extremely attached to me. (which i realize could present a problem later, but i could care less right now) we have mommy-micah giggle time several times a day where i just stare at him and he just stares at me and we go to town with our happy sounds. (he always tops me once he gets to his high-pitched coos) when he smiles at me, i totally forget how exhausted i really am. it is wonderful.
and he is starting to grow out of some of his clothes (he’s up to 3-6 months in sleepers), so i’ve already had to deal with the him growing up too fast.
yeah, so i can totally relate.
and you can obviously understand the reason for my rambling.
You know what, I still have this… and my child is 19 MONTHS OLD!!! I still stare at her, hold her, snuggle her, for hours! The poor child.
You go girl! Stare away! Stare away…
still.love.to.stare… zoe was the same way when she was born. she cried so little for the first 2 months that we thought something might be wrong… silly us. i took a nap with her this afternoon and just cuddled alongside her. i love watching her eyelids get heavy as she drifts off. i went back to work when she was 3 months old and it was hard, but it makes every moment that much sweeter. enjoy your time with her. don’t feel guilty.
That was perfect- song and everything! And I think how you are doing it is just as it should be. I love it that my baby doesn’t have to cry and I can tend to her needs- we are so in sync that way. It’s bliss.
Fable is just precious.
Steph
What is the song playing in the background? It’s nice.