i'm so tired i'm starting to hallucinate. it's been 3 weeks to the day that Lucy was born and i've probably gotten about 4 hours total of sleep since. Everything has been falling to the wayside, dog walks, bills, responding to email, dirty dishes. i haven't changed my underwear in god knows how long, but why bother, i haven't showered in that period of time anyway. Now that the moms are gone, my only respite is on fri and sat when Mike is home from work - he'll cook me real meals and do the grocery shopping and even hold the baby while i take a quick nap between feedings. My life is now squeezed in between these Lucy feedings and her meltdowns, both of which occur quite frequently.
I'd like a nanny now. And a wetnurse. And a cook. And cable tv.
Alas, post partum settles in. Umi, don't shake the baby...
What happened to this one month of paternity leave Mike was supposed to be getting?
Did you hear that Mike D had a baby too last week? Truly scary: http://pmonk.patrickpower.com/pmonk.php?id=D20050420
Posted by: Val | April 24, 2005 at 11:47 AM
Hi, Umi,
I remember this. It's very hard. In fact I think my grandmother would look at the way women are expected to raise babies all on their own all day and think it was completely crazy. We used to live in extended family contexts; anybody who has a baby realizes that it would be great to have six adults around the house for each baby!
Sleep deprivation is really underrated as a cause of true craziness (it doesn't surprise me that it's used on prisoners of war -- illegally -- to get them to talk). I remember I used to just magically fall asleep anytime I sat down. Scary!
I used to put my youngest buckled into his infant car seat on the floor of the bathroom with some toys dangling from the carrier handle so I could take the world's fastest shower.
Posted by: Lisa Williams | April 24, 2005 at 05:44 PM
These are the times it's nice to have your mom nearby! Grandmothers have amazing patience - mainly because they didn't just give birth. Tell Mike to cash in those other 2 weeks and then start digging into his 'sick' time! And give sweet Lucy a kiss for me!
Posted by: kim | April 24, 2005 at 05:51 PM
Come back to Richmond, I'll babysit so you can take a nap. I'm sorry honey. I hope you get a nap sometime soon. lovelovelove.
Posted by: styro | April 25, 2005 at 07:32 AM
Awww-- I wish I was near enough to help out!
Posted by: Leigh | April 25, 2005 at 12:14 PM
PS time to break open the GIN! :)
Posted by: styro | April 28, 2005 at 06:51 AM
I agree with Kim and Styro, and wish I were there to give you a hand, or at least clean your toilet or something. I'm sending Lucy my patented "oooh, it's so nice to take a nap" vibes so you can do the same.
Posted by: Lora | April 28, 2005 at 07:41 AM