So much to do… so I just won’t do anything at all.

I am trying to fit everything in. It seems like the days are so long yet so short. The hours drag when the baby is crying and almost fly by when she’s asleep. The hubby and I are starting to fall asleep much earlier than our pre-parenting, blissful days. I can’t believe that my body clock has adjusted itself to waking up at 7:55 am. And now that I am waking up at that ungodly hour, my baby has decided to sleep in longer. So I am standing crib side while she’s snoozing in dreamland. What’s up with that?

Night time routines are followed religiously and no one can break them- not even natural disasters. I can see it now- “Oh look honey, there’s a tornado outside!” – “Well let’s hope it comes and goes before 8:00 pm because we need to put her to bed!”

There is infinite wisdom in the need for routines. I truly believe that parents need them too. They are a comforting sign that soon the baby will sleep and we can finally do adult things- like eating popcorn, watching movies and of course, engage in some real, deep, interactive, awesome CONVERSATION! When she is awake it is almost impossible to complete three consecutive sentences without an interjection of “She needs a bottle”, “Is she teething?”, “She discovered her voice, I guess”.

Talking about that- WOW- did she ever discover her voice? She screams randomly, everywhere. What’s up with that? She yells at me, at the bottle, the teddy bear, the toys, the mobile, the TV, the chair, the cookie- WHY?! Why is she yelling? I don’t know. I like to think it’s because she can and it’s tolerable, for now but really- still very annoying. I can’t wait until she’s three and can finally understand and then show her what she did by yelling at everything like her. That will be funny.

But wait, this wasn’t why I initially wanted to write this blog. I had a point I wanted to make because I didn’t want this blog to be like every other blog I wrote- pointless. This one will have a point. By hook or crook. So here it is.

Have you ever noticed that moms on maternity leave are like bears in a cave. I was speaking to a new mom friend or what I like to call a “Momrade”- and I noticed something- she didn’t know a song that was playing all over the radio by this artist called Rihanna. I was like “Seriously?” and she was so I let it go. Then I reflected on my own life and yeah, very true, my point is valid because my hubby was like “Who names their kid Mitt anyway?” and I’m like “Who’s Mitt?” and my husband looks at me with a wayward eye-brow lift and says “You don’t know who Mitt Romney is?” I did, I think. He was some dude in the United States that is doing something but what, I had no clue. Apparently he is of some note since he is running for the presidency. Meh, how was I supposed to know?

Seriously though- why is it that Momrades [unfortunately I need to give credit for the word to Renee Elise- she thought of it first] are so in the dark? I will tell me why- it’s because we have more important things to do like sustain the life we bore and created and now is crying endlessly and incessantly in order to eat the next jar of baby food or suck back the next bottle of formula or suckle on the breast. We are the caregivers, nutritionists, entertainers, secretaries, chauffeurs, deliverers, nurses, chefs, educators, estheticians, valets, butlers, cleaners and cookers for the single most demanding and sweetest creature ever- our child.

I don’t think I understood what multi-tasking truly was until I had a baby. Now I can eat and feed her at the same time. I can also change her diapers, talk on the phone and reach for a new sleeper with my toes simultaneously. I am starting to recognize the value of being able to achieve so much in such little time. The half hour naps she takes that are sprinkled through the day are little gifts of time that require my full energy because it is borrowed time and a very, very narrow window of opportunity. I need to touch up my roots, pluck the eye-brows AND shower. Then I will try and wrap the housewarming gift for a friend and write a few birthday cards for occasions coming up. I will then create the shopping list for… wait… never mind, she woke up.

Ok. So my point is, fellow momrades, I understand. you don’t have to know the latest hit song nor memorize the names of recent candidates that are running for United States presidents but you SHOULD try and read the highlights on the Internet or watch the 11 o’clock news. That way people don’t start thinking that brain cells are dying as we care for our little ones and learning to speak “babynese” (again, my word) is not a current affair nor international news. So get out there and shed those housecoats and take a walk to your nearest news stand/Shopper’s Drug Mart/Convenience store. Buy the paper and read something soon. FYI- Newspaper is awesome for babies who are learning to sit up because they drool and newspaper stops the saliva from pooling on the hardwood floor which is a safety hazard because you can slip and fall!

So that is my entry for tonight. Before I leave you, here are some current news tidbits you might want to read about (thought I would start you off):

There. You are now caught up. YOU ARE WELCOME!

Until next time,

SMartignani

smartignani