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?
I don’t have a TIVO, but my love for Anthony Bourdain is well-known.
PS) Is there a plugin for the little “kirtsy this” button? Me likey.
becky’s last blog post..And so it goes – something ends, something else begins
(nevermind, I googled it and found it finally.)
becky’s last blog post..And so it goes – something ends, something else begins
First, date night… why not have a date night at home? Is your house set up so that the sitter could be with Jonah while you and hubby watched a movie in another room? Just grabbing some takeout and a movie, spending time together, totally qualifies as a date!
Second – oh man, I love this topic! – Tivo! My shows (and I admit it, there are a lot of guilty pleasures here!): Project Runway, Tori & Dean, Gossip Girl, America’s Got Talent (a friend is in the competition), So You Think You Can Dance, Jon & Kate + 8…
In the fall, I’ll get new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Amazing Race, Desperate Housewives, considering adding 90210 to the list…
Oh, and of course the Olympics will be on there – we’ve got to clear out some space!
Becky
Our DVR has a preponderance of Disney Channel shows; and concerts that my husband records and insists on saving for eternity.
But we do have Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance.
Glad you had such a blissful day!
mayberry’s last blog post..Overheard
First time commenter, but wanted to confirm your suspicion that Jonah doesn’t get that much from you when he nurses! Breastfed babies get about 24 ounces in 24 hours, so about an ounce an hour if you’re looking to make bottles. He was probably “comfort nursing”, which he can do without getting much/any milk from you, but notsomuch from a bottle. It obviously doesn’t bother him to eat more every now and then… but if you’re curious, here’s some links:
How much he needs: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html
How much is “normal” to pump: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html#normal
@MissPriss Becky — Maybe we should start a fan site? Does he have a fan site? I’ll look…
@Stinkylemsky/Becky — Maybe that’s why I don’t jones for a going-out date night. We frequently dine together and watch something good off the TiVo list since Jonah now goes to bed around 6:30.
Even if we did go “out” — I’m not sure where/what we’d go/do. We’re kinda date-in-the-living-room kind of people.
@Mayberry — Disney Channel is so in my future.
Seriously EVERY Saturday for date night? We’ve had maybe 5 in almost 8 months without feeling particularly deprived.
We don’t get any TV channels but we do have a dvd player and a rental store nearby – right now totally loving 30 Rock and Grey’s. Sarah Silverman, How I Met Your Mother and Ali G were idiotic wastes of time. Couldn’t make it through a whole episode of ANY of them.
eva’s last blog post..I think we need to find a new place to store dog toys…
Wow, I thought it would be the spending plan that everybody wants to discuss. I am glad you guys whipped a spending plan into shape. Makes life easier (not that we have one). You can enjoy your indulgences knowing that you can afford them and you’ve got your other bases covered.
TV? I watch all my tv on YouTube. Colbert report, Obama clips, Paris Hilton’s McCain slapdown, and permaculture instructional videos. Yeah, I’m a dweeb.
Leila Abu-Saba’s last blog post..Pear Season
But at least my Youtube habit informed me of hyphy, ghost-riding, scraper cars and scraper bikes. At my Oakland block party last night, none of the other middle-aged hipsters had heard of this stuff. OK everybody had heard of hyphy but nobody had seen the videos. And everybody has SEEN scraper cars and scraper bikes (we live in East Oakland) but nobody else knew they were a phenomenon or a cultural movement, complete with music videos.
Leila Abu-Saba’s last blog post..Pear Season