Dear Miriam - T-minus 12 weeks
Dear Miri,
And I thought the first trimester was exhausting. Turns out now you are taking all my energy to put on that adorable baby fat and prepping to be born. I’d prefer it if I got some of that energy too, you know. You’re already impending on valuable vital organ space (you’re nearly 15″ now!) and now you have the nerve to take away my donut sugar high.
How rude.
Though I’m happy, I’m very tired. I eat every few hours until I’m full (which happens pretty quickly these days) but two to three hours later, I’m hungry again. Normally, I wouldn’t object to this diet but considering I can only eat a cup or so of food at any given sitting, it’s getting annoying.
I’m also sleeping a lot. Like, a WHOLE lot. And I’m still tired. Daddy has noticed and keeps asking me if I’m okay - “You seem down,” he says to me with a pregnant pause that leaves a question mark hanging in the air. That’s our code for “Are you depressed?/Do I need to prepare for freaky tears and panic attacks?” I tell him I’m fine - I actually am, except for wanting to sleep through the afternoon despite getting up at just past noon.
You’ll learn that Mommy isn’t like other mommies. Mommy’s brain doesn’t quite work the way it should all the time, so sometimes we’ll spend the day watching movies in bed and playing with Zoë and that will be considered an EXCELLENT use of our time.
Part of the fun (and exhaustion) this week was registering for all the stuff you’ll need. This could be a book all by itself.
First, for being so small, dang you need a lot of stuff! And then there are all these people - the “experts”, often referred to as “They” - that say you should do this and use this but don’t do that because it may/may not be bad for baby! Often these people contradict themselves and I’ve just decided to use my good old common sense versus trying to make sense of what They say. They are as bad as those Old Wives who, as Joanne Kimes so fabulously said “need to read some modern research”. They also need to stop butting in on everyone else’s affairs, old biddies!
Second, we went with Auntie Leslee and Uncle Tony which was your father’s very good idea. We had a lot of fun looking at all the little footie pajamas and watching Daddy and Uncle Tony try to convince Auntie Leslee and me that a new tv? Baby Miri DEFINITELY needs a new LCD. How about DVDs? She’ll need DVDs eventually! I concurred that yes, eventually you will want to watch some movies but I don’t think that Stargate SG-1 Season 9 will be one of them. Daddy adamantly disagreed. But Mommy won the argument, as you will learn happens more often than not.
Mommy has been working a lot lately. This means long stints at the computer that you find to be absolutely thrilling - I’m not moving around much so you think it’s high time that you do. Mostly, I appreciate feeling you move around but sometimes you still kick/hit pretty hard. However, our game of chase (I poke, you poke back) has become elaborate enough to where I can get you to move away from the painful area and to a place that doesn’t hurt me so much.
Let me make a deal with you, little girl - you come a week or so early and I promise to eat a lot of chocolate in the first few weeks you’re here (I KNOW you love chocolate). There will be so much chocolate, you’ll be feeding on chocolate breast milk. Deal?
DEAL?!
Love,
Mommy
How you look this week:
How I look this week:
You don’t want to know.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
SG-1 Season 9? I said nothing of the sort. We don’t even have the first season yet. THAT’s what I was trying to point out that she needs. =)
Then you can use your mad money for Season 1!
- mercurial
January 27th, 2008 at 5:31 am
Get SOMETHING on DVD you like so you don’t end up watching CNN endlessly like I did.
LOL. We have half a dozen Veggie Tale dvds and Disney movies, not to mention a dvr for our cable. But considering I won’t be placing her in front of the tv for entertainment until at least 3, I think we have some time.
- mercurial
January 27th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Aw, what a great letter to your little girl. It must be exciting that you are closing in on the finish line. Soon, you’ll have a beautiful little girl in your arms and I can’t think of anything that would be more wonderful.
I hope you’re saving these posts for her - she will love to read them when she is older.
Annie
I have a cute scrapbook going for her. I know I would love reading this stuff now if my Mom had thought of it when she was pregnant with me!
- mercurial
January 28th, 2008 at 6:30 am
That is so cute :))
And it’s funny that you won’t let her see tv until she’s 3. I feel guilty now.
Rowan can’t get enough of the tv or the computer screen. He actually laughs at it, like when we watched Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas, so now he watches Babu Einstein stuff while I’m cleaning or doing my hair or whatever. We are actually the opposite. All the tv he wants (since it is the only thing that can sometimes calm him down) and then once he starts talking no more tv. It’s either kicking and screaming while I’m in the kicthen making dinner, or happy and smiley sitting in the couch with Daddy watching Family Guy. So you can see why we do that.. and you can see why he can’t watch Family Guy once he starts talking.
It’s not so much SEE tv but using it as a regular form of entertainment. I want to make sure I keep her occupied with imaginative play, music and art before we use the “electronic babysitter” as my Dad called it.
And as far as feeling guilty - don’t be silly! Only you can decide what works for your kid. My kid will probably be hyperactive like I was and I don’t need to feed that further with television or video games. I was a handful a la natural! Lots of coloring, building blocks, chasing Zoë and ‘Simon Says’ for Miriam.
- mercurial
January 29th, 2008 at 1:15 am
The whole tv thing is weird. I said the same thing about Rowan before he was born. Absolutely no tv until he can understand the educational value and then it is strictly limited.
BUT… Being that he has no way of occupying/entertaining himself, tv it is while mommy makes dinner. It actually isn’t that bad. It’s not like he’s in front of it all day…. Maybe an hour at the most, at different times. You say “Lots of coloring, building blocks, chasing Zoë and ‘Simon Says’ for Miriam.” I totally agree. But rowan isn’t old enough to do any of those activities yet. He just learned how to “use” his interactive laptop tonight. He is just starting to understand tummy toys these past few weeks. It’s easy to say I’ll do one thing but in reality.. he is just starting to sit up on his own. He would just stare at building blocks if we placed them in front of him. He can’t be by himself for more than 1 minute if I have to clean. He starts to scream and needs to be held CONSTANTLY, or at least I have to sit with him. So TV is probably the best thing in the world to me right now. When he first saw it we were really concerned but he loved the light. Babies are practically blind and see in black and white. So the light of a tv or computer monitor at a distance is extremely captivating to their little minds. I guess I feel guilty about it because I hear so many people say what you have said, and express their concerns about their babies watching tv. His doctor not only approves but says it’s perfectly fine because it is one of the only forms of visual stimulation for the first few weeks, and after that it gives me some sanity so that I can actually go pee without him screaming. It isn’t an electronic babysitter… we don’t neglect him and let him sit there for hours on end… it is just a last resort when I’m by myself with him for 65+ hours a week. He gets hours and hours of singing and reading and tickling, Pilates (!!!), strolls, drives, Griffith park, Tabitha’s furry tail, and tummy time day. But the last thing I want to do is resort to unhealthy crock-pot or “one pan” meals, so I don’t mind sacrificing some tv time, however good or bad it may be, for yummy healthy dinners.
But you are more strong willed than I am. AND you have grammy there to help. So you won’t have to worry about her crying while you run off to pee