Friday, August 27, 2010

Night Terrors

Tristan has bad dreams. Already. He starts crying in his sleep. It doesn't wake him up, he just cries for a few seconds, a few times in a row, and then is back to sleeping quietly.

It's happened a few days in a row. A couple of nights ago, at 1:30 in the morning, he started crying. It was the first time it happened in the middle of the night, and I thought it was something else. But no, he was still asleep. Last night it occurred just after we'd put him down for the night.

It makes me wonder, what is it he is dreaming about that makes him so unhappy? There's no more milk? Pato's (his current favorite toy, a duck) rattle stopped working? That he's back in the cradle and can't move his arms? We'll never know...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Breastfeeding in Public

Since I'm exclusively breastfeeding Tristan, there are times when I have to breastfeed in public. I have no problem with this. Except... I'm not sure how the public feels about me breastfeeding. So the few times I have been out in a very public place, I've tried to be discrete. And it ends up being more noticeable and less productive than the times I've been less discrete. Let me explain.

When I'm being less discrete, I hike up one side of my t-shirt, open my nursing bra, and let Tristan eat. Both of us have mastered this way of doing things. He latches right on, eats, and is done in a few minutes. No fuss, no muss. But, it's not very discrete. If someone were to look over, they might notice that I'm breastfeeding. They might see a bit of boob. Unless they're observant like E. But I jest.

When I'm being discrete, I take one of the swaddle blankets, and wrap it around Tristan and I. It makes it hard to see Tristan. And he has a hard time latching on. And I get aggravated trying to keep the blanket in place and nurse him at the same time. And EVERYBODY figures out I'm breastfeeding, and 'stays away' until I'm done. Which takes more time than the aforementioned less discrete method. And since everybody knows what I'm doing, I'm wondering about the 'discrete' aspect of this method.

So, you may ask, why do I try to hide behind the blanket and be discrete? Because I don't like confrontation. And I figure, if someone is uncomfortable with seeing me breastfeed, they'll be less uncomfortable knowing I'm doing it under the blanket. But then again, maybe not. In the words of Richard Feynman, what do I care what other people think? Apparently, I care just enough to be 'discrete' even though it's a hassle. For now. I may be convincing myself being 'less discrete' is better. We'll see. Maybe I should take to heart what one of my friends said: If you're uncomfortable with me breastfeeding, YOU put a blanket over YOUR head!

Any thoughts on the matter, oh friends of mine that read this? I'd be interested to learn what you think. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like, or comment here.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

What do you mean, why haven't I been blogging?

I've been blogging a lot. In my head. It seems that every time I think I have a minute or two to get the blogs out of my head and onto Magic Beans, Tristan decides he needs me. Such is the way things go for a new mom. So, instead of making those long blogs that I used to do, I'm going to try shorter versions. Then maybe you'll get to see them too!

Here's some of the things I've 'brain-blogged' over the past few months:

Tristan went on his first overnight trip to my Grandmother's family reunion. It was a long trip for him, 3 hours one way, and he let us know that more than 2 hours in the car is not fun. But the reunion was nice, and the great aunts and 2nd cousins all liked meeting Tristan.

Sleep is an amazing thing. Get enough, and I stay sane. Don't get enough and crazy things happen.

I'm a stay at home mom (SAHM) now. I resigned from my position as a tech writer at the beginning of August. I was surprised how sad it made me to do it, even though I made the decision to quit. Unexpected sadness, but it was definitely the right decision. I'm enjoying spending the time watching Tristan grow every day.

Being a SAHM is not what I thought it would be. My house is no more clean than it was when I was working 12 hour days at the office. I've figured out I get 15-30 minutes every 3 hours to do something. And, surprise, surprise, eating and sleeping take precedence over house work. But it's getting better, and I know that as Tristan gets older, his schedule will change and I'll have more time to do things.

I'm surprised at how I look forward to the weekends just as much now that I'm a SAHM as I did when I was in the office all week. Now it's for a different reason though. I love watching Tristan and E interacting. Of course, it's also nice to have E give me a break from taking care of Tristan too!

OK, guess who's looking for some attention? Hopefully, more short blogs will be coming soon!