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Recap of the last 26 days

Howdy, y'all!
I am writing from a new location. We have moved two miles away into our new home. No more apartment! We have no upstairs or downstairs neighbors, no lackluster landlords, no overcrowded parking lot and overflowing garbage area! The three of us are exhausted, but my husband is most overworked. God bless him, he's done so much these past few weeks: sanding and sealing floors, packing and unpacking at all hours of the night, painting, working a paying job. I've been helping where I can, as have friends and family. Tallulah has been a typical baby, adaptable yet unflexible.

Tallu had her one year follow-up at CHOP just before her first birthday. She was not as cooperative for the X-Ray, but Dr. Flynn was very pleased with her hip and told us he'll see her in a year. The staff was thrilled to see their little baby, and couldn't believe how she's grown. They were upset that the next time Tallulah comes in she will be a walking, talking little girl!

We celebrated Tallulah's first birthday in our new home. She and I made it to the party! It was a very low-key celebration, given that we were still in the midst of moving into the new house. Her godfathers and aunts from NYC came to celebrate, as did three of her five grandparents, her cafe family, and her NE Philly friends, and her daddy's drumming buddies, and a sweet-tempered dog!

The next day was the pediatrician's appointment. More shots- the last prevnar, the first mmr (measles-mumps-rubella), and chicken pox. I have to fatten her up a bit, so we're letting her eat real food. Her ear was looking off, so the doctor prescribed amoxicillin. We were concerned that she may be allergic, but the doctor said Tallu had to prove she was allergic. Six days later, Tallu had a rash all over. She was never uncomfortable or itchy. We went back to the doctor and, since her ear looked better anyway, the doctor said we could stop giving her the medicine. The rash is gone, and I think we can consider her allergic.

Besides this, Tallu is adjusting to her new home. She's crawling, pulling herself up to stand, and taking steps around tables, etc. She loves the Muppets, is afraid of dogs, and likes the playground.

Consider youself filled in on the goings-on with Tallu :-)

Next time, I'm bringing my ear plugs

We are moving to our first home at the end of this month. I was going to type 'our new home', but I can't say that, after having scrubbed decades of dirt from the living room walls. This job was made more tedious and frustrating by my lovely daughter, who howled like a banshee for most of the time.

I tend to her needs- feed her, change diapers, dance around for a few minutes. She'll calm down, then I explain that I have to get back to work. I set her down in the playpen with some familiar toys. Her butt barely hits the bottom before she's pulling herself up and wailing. The next time I go work at the house, I will get some video of the histrionics and post. It's unbelieveable. Actually, it's plain fucking ridiculous.

All she wants to do is move around the house. I'd would love to let her, but the paint is chipping, and we're positive it's lead paint. Until we put new paint on the walls we can't let her crawl around the house. I know she doesn't understand why she has to be confined. I realize she doesn't know how obnoxious hearing her cry for hours is. I do understand the frustration; I'm annoyed, but I'm not an asshole. I just want her to shut the fuck up...

Okay, now I'm an asshole!

What to do?

Are there any stay-at-home moms reading this blog? If you're out there, I need some suggestions on what to do with my soon-to-be one year old during the day. Free things to do with Tallu :-) Thanks!

Baby on the grow

Tallulah is enjoying the freedom of mobility now that she's crawling. The crawling has reduced Tallulah's frustration with me leaving her in the dining room while I work in the kitchen. It has also allayed my fears that 1) she would never crawl, and 2) that the hip dysplasia was the cause of her not crawling yet. My mom witnessed the crawling tonight, which she loved.

Milady also loves sitting up when it's time to lay down for a diaper change. This has increased my frustration with her because diapering has suddenly become a battle of will. In order for her to sit up, she must turn from her back to her stomach, stretch her legs into a split, then push herself up with her arms. It's great technique. I just wish she wouldn't practice it while I'm trying to change her diaper. Mom opted not to witness the diaper change, but she got a good laugh about it as I explained what my husband was probably going through at that moment.

I'm teaching Tallu to branch out in the communication department. I can't stand the crying or whining, so I told her that when she wants to be picked up or taken out of a toy to raise her arms and say "Up." I also told her that she doesn't have to cry when she wakes up in the morning. I showed her the monitor, which sits atop her crib. "When you wake up in the morning, just call me," I said. "Say 'Mom-Mom-Mom-Mom', and I'll come to you." She's doing pretty well with the arm-raising, and we will keep working on the verbal.

Tallu can now clap her hands. She does it when you say "yay" or "clap." She also gives kisses. My favorite are the ones I don't have to ask for, and the ones that don't end with my cheek between the little ivory razors in her mouth. They're pretty wet, but I still love them. It makes me think she actually likes me!

The biting is a bit less, now that teeth numbers 5 and 6 are erupting. I still have to give the firm "no biting," and end the feeding, but not as much as a week or two ago. I'm beginning to get the question about when I'm going to end the breastfeeding. A friend reminds me that her two children stopped shortly after they turned 1. My mom suggested I start two nights ago when I mentioned a quick bite Tallu took that day.

It's easy to answer my mom - I told my mom that what Tallu needs to learn is that if she wants milk she cannot bite me. I have no reply for my friend, however. Maybe that's the best answer, because I really don't know when Tallu and I will decide to end nursing. She's healthy thanks to the milk I provide for her. Hell, she's even clapped during a few nursings. How can I stop now?

Mommy Abuse?

Tallulah bit my leg so hard on Tuesday morning she broke the skin. I now have two little puncture wounds to the left of my knee cap. I reported her to the local authorities. An officer came to take a report, but took one look at Tallulah and refused to believe someone so adorable could commit such a heinous act. The officer then asked Tallulah if she wanted to press charges against me for making a false statement. Tallulah shook her head no (one of many new tricks she's learning), smiled and waved bye to the officer. Then she scratched my neck as a warning.

I was nursing her before her nap on the same day. My nephew (who is visiting us from NYC for the week) sat by me on the couch, and brushed Tallulah's head. Five seconds later she realized what happened and started crying. She bit my nipple, turned and bit my arm. When I moved her to my shoulder, she bit that, too. My nephew woke her, but I get attacked? That's bullshit!

I quit my job to care for her. I used to get up in the middle of the night to feed her. I even suck the snot out of her little nose to clear it, because she refuses to let me use the aspirator on her. And this is the thanks I get? I'm on edge, I tell ya. I never know when she's gonna strike, and it's so distressing. I really do feel like I'm being abused. I know she's just a baby, but I can't help but feel like she's doing this on purpose. How do I stop the biting?

Can't Sleep? Post on the blog!

It's 1:13 am. I am exhausted, but I feel like I should post an entry. Tallu's cutting another tooth on the top row. The top two aren't completely down and she's starting with another one! I've given up on the teething tablets, mainly because I like the extended relief of ibuprofen. I feel badly that she's suffering, but I'm so glad she will have no recollection of this experience.
The good news is Tallu's making good use of her teeth. Wednesday she bit my nipple, my bottom lip, my cheek, and my left shoulder. I'm becoming more observant during her nursing sessions, watching to see when she's finished eating so that I don't become her chew toy. Baby teeth are like jagged razors, and the jaw strength is superhuman. This will sound crazy, but I think I'm afraid of her!

More good news is that she's eating solid foods, and she's less messy about it. We've added yogurt to the menu. The consistency took some getting used to, but Tallu definitely likes it! I get a whole milk yogurt. Last week's flavors were blueberry and apple, and tonight she ate pear. The serving size is one container, but she never eats a whole one. I'm trying not to feed her too much yogurt at dinner, because I want her to have her warm milk before bed. I'm frightened of Razormouth, but I'm still required to nourish her. A friend asked if I was still planning to nurse her for a year. I have a month and a half to go (can you believe it?), so I don't want to quit now. I'm not sure how long I want to go after that. I'm glad that she's better with solid foods, though I must admit the only time I give her a meal is dinner, some Cheerios if she gets whiny between nursings, or Zwieback toast, or some prunes.

Lastly, when it comes to food, the girl knows what she doesn't want. I handed her a prune today. She threw it on the ground. So we walked to the kitchen, and I grabbed the box of Zwieback. Tallu and I reached into the box at the same time. She ate her toast, and I ate her prune.

It's 2:11 am. Wake-up time has been about 6:45 the past two mornings, so I should get to sleep.