How To Travel With A Newborn

Susan asked me to share how it was to travel with a baby so I felt it only right to oblige with some words of wisdom on the art of airflight with a newborn:

1) Bring copious amounts of pacifiers. Seriously, stock up. Never know where they'll spit it out and you'd hate to be without it when they most need it.
2) Nursing covers at least two
3) Or bottles, maybe twelve, for take off and landing
4) Board books incase child needs distraction of the visual sort
5) And rattles if that fails to interest
6) Parenting books dog eared to "traveling with newborns"

Watch as people request seats not next to you. Feel hurt that they find you so unlikeable. Realize its because you are with a baby who holds within him the potential to reach untold decibels in a closed space. Settle down nervously waiting to discover said baby's lung capacity and then proceed to watch as he sleeps the entire duration of the flight take off to touch down and all the way home.

He makes it look so easy but I'm convinced that when ultra-prepared for worst-case scenarios Murphy's Law works in reverse.

No one track mind here, nosirreebob

K: What do you want for dinner?
Jack: I was going to warm up the frozen pizza
K: Is that going to be filling enough?
Jack: Well if not we can supplement the feed with the food your mom made.

It's entirely possible that it requires three hours of sleep to find the above exchange absolutely slapstick hilarious, but I seriously love how even our conversations about something as mundane as dinner has so subtly altered.

Random Thoughts

To the 14 year old girls hanging at the mall who loudly whispered as I walked by OMG is she carrying like sextuplets? Followed by maniacal giggles: You shouldn't make fun of people who you'll likely resemble one day such as the pregnant, and the elderly. I will not wish anything seriously bad upon you, but like Sophia in the Golden Girls I put upon you a curse: when the time comes may you grow large as a house,waddle like a penguin with cankles with stretchmarks coating your currently taut bellies!

Looks like Sunflower is holding strong until at least the shower despite a contraction that felt like an earthquake in the middle of Bath and Body Works. I swear sometimes I get this sensation like he's just going to fall out. There are about 19 people including me attending. I'm ignoring the pics on facebook of other showers with 45+ people. Its quality not quantity and I'm grateful to the people choosing to attend. Thanks to those of you who said its okay to feel nervous. Once I'm there, I'm sure the nerves will die down. I love hosting things for other people, but I have a really hard time being hosted.

Side effects of a foggy brain

Kate: I must say this week has just flown by.
Jack: Yeah? I wish that was the case for me.
Kate: It's amazing! After all these months of days that drag on, I don't know where the week went. Maybe I'm finally more comfortable and secure in this pregnancy. I've come a long way, maybe the rest of weeks will fly by just like this!
Jack: That's great honey, I'm happy for you.
Kate: So, is there a new Office tonight?
Jack: The Office?
Kate: Yeah, I really liked last week's episode, I wish they could all be hour long.
Jack: What day you think it is?
Kate: Thursday.
Jack: *silence* Hmm, that explains the week flying by.
Kate: Whatcha mean?
Jack: It's Tuesday

Growth Spurt

I'm not sure if its normal but it seems I woke up today exponentially larger. My first hint was when I sat to put my socks on and had to struggle to reach my foot. Then Jack saw me and gasped. Its a beautiful thing of course, to grow, but I'm wondering if scientists at NASA are wondering who ate Jupiter:
Feeling mighty full-term looking despite two more months to go. (knock on wood)(salt over shoulder)(insert superstition here)

Incidentally, was watching a show on Kangaroos. [our Bravo channel got canceled] They get to watch their babies and cuddle while they gestate them. Having major pouch envy.

Other Uses For Baby Aspirin

Every state but one saw snow in the past 48 hours. Living in the south when we see flurries we get giddy with dreams of snowmen but to no avail. Except today. Wow did it snow, the nice sticky kind. Now I can attribute two rare occurences to February: my first pregnancy and snow you can sink your shoes into. The rather rare occurrence of snow helps explain the ahem, unorthodox manner in which we gave our little snowbaby eyes. . . aspirin: fever reducer, blood thinner, and a good way to give a snowman eyes! (Doesn't he look so thug?) Hope you enjoyed the snow wherever you are (except Hawaii, sorry, you had no snow, but you live in Hawaii, so there's that).

Thoughts on frizzy unibrows

Today, the unthinkable happened: My hair straightener broke. The light flickered red for a second and then poof, gone into the infinite abyss. The wand still there but the heat, gone. I jumped up fast and in a half panicked state told the hub, I gotta get to a store and get a new straightener NOW. He looked at me like I was insane but I did indeed drive myself to Target and plunk down $150 for my Chi straightener. The wand in my hand, I felt relieved.

I know this must sound strange. I don't think I'm a vain person. I don't own an expansive wardrobe, I have seven pairs of shoes, and I hardly wear make up, but I need to straighten my hair. Growing up I had frizzy curly hair so unruly my mother kept me in a therapy-inducing boy cut for most of my childhood. When I got older it stayed in a bun or carefully braided lest I walk around school looking like this:
I was what they call an awkward youth, because add to this lovely hair do, my eyebrows which more or less, resembled this:

When I met J he couldn't believe the image I shared of how I once looked. All kids are beautiful he insisted until he took a look at one of my 7th grade pictures. "Oh," is all he said.

Luckily, college introduced me to the beautiful world of hair straighteners and tweezers and I never ever went back. My MIL thought I had naturally straight hair until just a year ago, and I get stopped sometimes by random strangers saying how lucky I am to have such nicely shaped brows. This has all worked out for me, I mean, if I had some issues with my appearance I fixed it with relatively minimal expense and I didn't harm anyone, right?

Except today when I felt that strange panic welling up at the sight of my broken Chi I started thinking, what if my daughter is frizzy haired and unibrowed like me? I want my daughter to believe in her beauty and be confident no matter what. I have a friend who tweezes her baby girl's unibrow but the thought of that makes me feel icky. But then, there's me, plucking and straightening away the very features she may have. How is she supposed to feel about her God given attributes if mommy is willing away those very things on herself? Do as I say, not as I do? A friend once considered getting a nose job but I told her, what if your baby has your nose? Then how will she feel knowing mom was ashamed of that nose? Isn't this the same thing?

It's an interesting thought for me without much of a resolution. I'll love my baby no matter how she looks and I want her to not have the self-esteem and confidence issues I once had. If I can give her one thing its to be proud of who she is. As I look at my warming Chi blinking red, its a question that will nag me for some time to come. What would you do?