September 22, 2012 1:05 pm

Escapee

The other day, Wesley finally figured out how to escape from his crib. Of course, he discovered this new trick right before Daniel was about to leave on a business trip for four days. The following is a timeline of my experiences over the last few days.

Context:

https://twitter.com/meggan/status/172790680240930816

Day 1, Naptime:

I put Wesley into his crib. Wesley escapes. Repeat x7. I become more and more furious with each escape, and Wesley becomes more and more amused as fury levels rise. After roughly the twelfth attempt, complete with threatening to take his Binky away, he stays in his crib and naps. I resolve to not outwardly show emotion when he escapes.

Day 1, Bedtime:

I take a deep breath and start bedtime at 8pm. An hour and a half later, I am still attempting to keep him in his crib. Finally, after telling him if he got out again I would take his Binky away, he gets out. I take the Binky and put him back in his crib. He starts crying, and decides to get out of his crib, AGAIN. He army crawls down the hallway, crying (not hysterically though, I want to be clear – just normal semi-whiny crying). He gets almost to the end of he hallway, coughs, and then throws up all over himself and the floor.

I almost have an aneurysm.

I change his jammies and we re-brush his teeth, and put him back in bed, where he finally goes to sleep. It is now 9:40pm.

Day 2, Naptime

Wesley wakes up at 7:45am. (Normal wakeup is around 9am.) We spend two hours at the park, hoping that will wear him out enough that he will fall asleep easily. He yawns on the way home, eats a gigantic lunch, and then it still takes me 8-10 tries to get him to stay in his crib.

He then wakes after roughly 40 minutes. (A normal nap for him is about two hours.) I put him back in his crib a few times and he finally falls asleep again for a while.

Day 2, Bedtime

We spend the evening at Grammie and Grandpa’s house and pick up the toddler crib rail while we’re at it. We have lots of talks about when Mommy puts you in your crib, you… “Stay in!” He falls asleep in the car on the way home from Grammie and Grandpa’s so I am hopeful he will be drowsy and go right to sleep. No such luck, but escapes are at a minimum.

Day 3 (today), Naptime

Wesley wakes up at 6:55am. I install the crib rail and lower the mattress and have more talks about staying in bed when it is time for sleeping. We plan to go to the Farmers’ Market with my SIL and her nanny kids, but they had a whacked-out morning and weren’t able to make it by the time Wesley would be getting sleepy.

After several attempts to get him to stay in his bed, I notice he has gotten awfully quiet. A quick peek into his room reveals that he is laying on his back on the floor in front of his closet and has fallen asleep there.

He sleeps for thirty minutes.

……

That about brings us up to date. He is still not napping. I am supposed to attend a wedding this afternoon. Solo now, because Daniel is unexpectedly out of town, but with Wesley, who has been up since before seven and has slept for a grand total of thirty minutes all day.

Daniel won’t be back until late, late tomorrow night and then he has to work the next day which would normally be his day off. My SIL is going to watch Wesley while I’m at work, but because she is nannying that day, I have to drive Wesley up to the nanny kids’ house (which is 15-20 minutes out of my way) to drop him off and then still make it back to work before 8am.

In case it is not abundantly clear, I need some moral support. THIS IS THE PITS. Truly. Solo-parenting plus toddler bed transition equals HORRIBLE. Why anybody would choose to transition their kid to a toddler bed I have no idea, because it is the suckiest thing I have experienced in a long while.

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August 20, 2012 6:37 am

VBAC Inspiration

Lately, I’ve been collecting VBAC birth stories and anecdotes that speak to me on some level, and I’d like to share some of them here.

My new celebrity VBAC hero: Kate Winslet

I’ve always really liked Kate Winslet; she seems very down-to-earth and funny and normal. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that she had a very healing VBAC for her second child!

There’s this thing amongst women in the world that if you can handle childbirth, you can handle anything. I had never handled childbirth, and I felt like, in some way that I couldn’t join that “powerful women’s club.” So it was an amazing feeling having Joe naturally, vaginally. […] It was an incredible birth. It laid all the ghosts to rest. It was really triumphant.
-Kate Winslet

Birth Story: Accidental UHBAC (Unassisted Homebirth After Cesarean)

This birth story is great. (Plus, the picture of that baby’s chubby little face up top is great too.) This lady birthed her baby into her husband’s arms, in her kitchen, after her labor went much quicker than she expected and her midwife and doula weren’t able to make it in time. She used hypnobirthing techniques during her labor, which is something I’m interested in checking out, and her description of her postpartum experience is so sweet – she felt great, and her family got to come over to meet the baby!

At that point I really wasn’t in too much pain. I didn’t really feel anything other than a baby’s head just hanging out. It was obvious my body was in control and I was just along for the ride. I attribute being a birth story junkie to knowing what to do, since it’s not like I had previous practice.

Her tone is really conversational, and I’d say her story is probably my favorite of the ones I’ve found.

Empowering Hospital VBAC

I like that this birth story shows it’s possible to have a really great hospital experience. I kind of feel like positive hospital VBACs are few and far between, so it’s nice to read of one that went really well for both mom and baby.

I couldn’t believe it: I pushed her out. Not only was I in awe of my newest daughter but I was in awe of myself. I was so happy and I kept saying “I can’t believe I pushed her out!”

Obviously not all VBACs are sunshine and butterflies, but I really enjoy reading positive accounts of women’s experiences, as they help me envision all the different ways a birth can go and still be a positive experience.

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August 17, 2012 10:34 am

Fitness Class Update

So, we re-tested yesterday and it’s official: Not only did I not lose any inches around my waist or hips, I managed to gain three pounds. This bumped me from a weight I was unhappy but somewhat comfortable with to a weight that is just over half of a REALLY REALLY BIG NUMBER of which I am very scared.

BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING, I know. I know it’s “not about the number,” I know it’s “how you feel” or “how your clothes fit” that matters. BUT. Since I did not lose any inches anywhere AND I gained weight, my clothes do not fit any differently. I do not feel different.

For once, I would like my efforts to pay off. JUST ONCE. It would prove to me that at least it’s possible, that I am capable of seeing change in myself and that working toward a goal is not a huge waste of my time. I do not yet know this. Once I fully decide to hit the gym, healthy snacks like those protein bars must be incorporated.

I have been trying to think of what I would like to do when this class is over next week, and I’m having a hard time coming up with something that still seems fun but isn’t wildly expensive or difficult to maintain. But, I’m looking into something like weight loss in Dallas, TX or other weight loss procedures like Semaglutide weight loss in Commack, NY. Since we lost the option of a free bus pass at work, I’m now hesitant to pick something that will require me to use the bus to get to, like any classes on the East side or where my current class meets.

We live close to a couple gyms, but I don’t know the first thing about gym memberships and I don’t want to get ripped off. I doubt Daniel would get a membership with me, but the girls at work all go to the same gym so I guess I could start there, but I don’t want to take the same classes as them because they are waaaay more fit than I am. It would just be embarrassing.

I did manage to purchase a Wii Fit, so I have been using that every day this week (well, except for Friday) and I have found that I have fantastic balance. The games are all pretty fun (with the exception of the tightrope walk – how the heck do you get it to recognize you are taking steps? Argh!) and so far my favorite activity is the Hula Hooping. Wii Fit shames you into working out every day so I’m thinking I can at least do something to keep myself in shape while I figure out what I want to do next.

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