the baby, the milk, the spending plan, and our tivo

I don’t think I say this enough: He is awesome!

I am so in love with this little person. I love him on his good and bad days, but today happened to be a good one. He woke up at 3 for a bottle. Woke up at 5, but I didn’t go in to feed him until 6. After nursing, he was ALL SMILES. He continued to be generally happy all day. Nice long morning nap at around 8:30. Just as pleasant as can be throughout mom-and-dad-and-baby yoga. Scott came with us and did most of the baby-moves and all of the baby-massage. He’s not really a yoga fan, so during the adult yoga hour, he and the boy took advantage of the half-empty room as prime scooching area while I stretched.

After yoga, we put him in the car seat and drove to Bakesale Betty’s to pick up the yummiest fried chicken over a mountain of cabbage slaw (piquant, no mayo) to-go. He was asleep in his car seat by the time we finished the errand and picked up his childcare person. Which was convenient since Scott and I had to get to an appointment, so when we got home, babysitter stayed with boy in the one car so he could keep sleeping, while we took off in the other. Boy slept for over an hour-and-a-half (while sitter drank lemon icee from BB and played monopoly on her cell phone) and then enjoyed lunch, a trip to the swings, some more supervised scooching on our living room floor, dinner, pajamas, and books. Oh, and a whopping 15 ounces of milk over three bottle feedings. I really really don’t think he gets that much when he nurses. But I don’t think it hurts him either. It just blows my mind that I pump so little and he drinks SO MUCH.

He really likes his sitter. He was so content when we got home. He didn’t squirm at all when he saw us. And after I picked him up from her lap, he kept staring at her. Though he kept a hand on my shoulder, possessively (I think).

He nursed a bit after she left. I read him one book and then a few pages into the second he pushed it closed. So I took his cue, picked him up and sang and rocked him. He was clearly ex-hau-sted.

He cried for maybe 75 seconds — after I put him down in the crib and left the room — and then conked out.

* * *

While Jonah was having his lovely day, Scott and I were meeting with a financial counselor who is helping us create a family budget. Challenging, exciting, panic-inducing, tiring work.

The thing is, we didn’t put any money in the line item for dates this month. Well, we did budget to go to the baseball game this weekend, all three of us, but later, on the car ride home, when we went back over the cost of tickets, parking, food, we no longer wanted to go. Maybe we’ll use that money to hire a babysitter and go out one night instead?

When I was pregnant, one of my cousins told me that he and his wife had date night every week, Saturday night, like clockwork, from the beginning. Even if they had to hand a screaming baby to the sitter. Out the door they went. It was his advice on how to have the marriage survive parenthood.

What I don’t know: Did they do it from the VERY beginning? I wonder that a lot. I’ll have to ask him. It’s probably good advice. I’m just not following it.

It’s hard for me to want to go out. It’s hard for me to feel okay leaving the house at night when the boy is sleeping. That’s how I roll.

* * *

I’ve been thinking it would be fun to do a post about what’s on our TiVo subscription list. I feel like it would reveal a lot about me/us. And I like revealing myself.

We especially like to watch TV while we’re eating a fabulous meal. One I’ve cooked, or the occasional take-out. We dine most every night in the living room.

Currently, we have an ongoing relationship with Anthony Bourdain. We prioritize episodes from the new season, but we have at any one time at least six re-runs also in the queue. So whenever there’s “nothing on” (500 channels or whatever, how is that possible?) we hang with the dastardly chef in whatever part of the world he may be eating.

We also are currently watching: Project Runway, Weeds, Mad Men, Swingtown, and I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

There’s 35 other entries on our season pass manager including: Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Bachelor/ette, The Daily Show, Baseball Tonight, The Simpsons, The Batman, Dexter, Survivor, Simon Schama’s Power of Art, Top Chef, The Riches, This American Life, Entourage, Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock, Big Love, America’s Next Top Model.

We’re complex people.

What do you watch?