My little portable space heater

The boy wore me out today. I'm beat, and that's with having one of the devoted aunts watching him all morning and Phillip due to walk in the front door any minute now. If you're wondering how I managed to get to the computer AND type with both hands, it's because the boy is propped up in the Boppy on my bed and I am using the laptop and nudging him every three seconds with my toes.

He's suddenly figured out that he can conquer gravity, simply by fussing until someone (namely, me, his wuss of a mother) picks him up. Who wants to sit or, horrors, sprawl out in bed if there is a perfectly soft and cozy human nearby to haul you into the air and nestle you into their pudgy folds? He's smart, my kid. It is, however, 85 degrees today, which is a full ten degrees hotter than the average Pacific Northwesterner's melting point, and I am no different from my pasty brethren. Not only is it Officially Too Hot To Live, I also have to hold a small furnace all day lest he torment me with the fussing.

Which he is doing right now. Please excuse me.

No doubt you think I am a rotten mother, what with the propping in the Boppy and the jamming in of the pacifier and the mad dash back to the computer, but whatever. At this point, Day Two of Endeavoring to  Keep Baby Alive All By Myself, I am doing whatever keeps me sane. And that little Soothie pacifier they gave me in the hospital? Praise be to God for the Soothie pacifier.

My original plan for the day was to put the baby in the wrap and enjoy the sunshine, but the wrap was too hot yesterday, at a mere 80 degrees. No way was I wearing the baby today. Which meant I was standing up and holding him and bouncing him and enduring the shrieks of indignance (is that a word?) whenever I set him down to rehydrate. I decided I was going to go nuts if I didn't find something to do, so I took advantage of several fuss-free minutes to assemble the stroller and the car seat and off we went to the Asian grocery store twelve blocks away. (I counted. If only you lost one pound per block. Wouldn't that be awesome?)

I only bought what would fit in the bin thingie on the stroller (fruit, yogurt, more chocolate for my depleted-daily candy dish) and I graciously allowed the checker ladies to coo over my TINY BABY. Then we hiked home where we both promptly collapsed of heat exhaustion and the sheer exertion of pushing a stroller for twelve blocks. How am I ever going to make it all the way around the lake again?

Phillip is STILL not home. Not that I want to be at work. I believe I even said to myself today, out loud, "Self, even though you are overheating and you smell bad and you are wearing the same pair of shorts you've worn for a week because NOTHING YOU OWN FITS YOU, this is still a much better job than the one you had before." And then I kissed the baby on both of his fat little cheeks because they're THERE and how can you NOT kiss those cheeks?

And because someone has STILL not uploaded the new pictures, here's the birth announcement I made with one hand. Will someone please tell my child that he need not look so worried? It's not like we're forgetting to feed him or anything.

Those stripey pajamas? Do not fit him anymore. Wah. I am totally going to bronze them and frame them in a memory box to hang above his crib. Hee.

Oh wait. Phillip is home and GUESS WHO JUST NOW FELL ASLEEP WITHOUT ANYONE HOLDING HIM.

Comments

[Laura]

Hey..do what you gotta do...I plop my little one down in front of the Backyardigans and surf away : ) You are doing great and 85 is NOT hot silly girl.

[karianne]

If only the lb/block loss equation was the truth!

I swear to you, Chris seems to be late every single time I'm watching the clock for him to come home. It's some sort of daddy phenomenom.

[Christina]

Wow, an outing with the baby all by yourself AND announcements done one-handed?! You totally rock.
I'm loving the weather... but then, we live in the woods so it's a good 10 degrees cooler in our house. Our last house used to get SO ungodly hot I'd come up with any excuse to go somewhere air conditioned - even the grocery store. Hope it cools down a little for you and baby space heater tomorrow.

[Carrie/Piesbonitos]

His cheeks *are* very kissable! Kiss them for me!

Hooray for getting out with a new baby and on a hot day even. I think that covers a new mom's to do list for at least one day!

[Angela]

Okay, but really, come on... 85 degrees is just not that hot, Washington people! In fact, after the months of rain you'd think people would be less prone to complaining about the intense heat beating down upon them! Ah, it's a good thing y'all are all so cute, I just can't stay mad at you!