As of yesterday, if we didn't send you a thank you note, Seamus and I are officially assholes.
Yes, June 16th was our official 1 year anniversary since we exchanged vows at Camp Sycamore.
Yesterday was also the day that Yarden turned 4 weeks old
AND Seamus and my first day back at work.
It was less traumatic than I expected, just because getting out of the house was so hectic so there wasn't time to obsess. Plus - she' s not yet at a "Mommy, please don't go" age.
NANNY TIME
There's been a change to the child care plan since I last posted.
We were all set to go with the infant day care program.
I'd even bought the extra crib bumper for her school bed (what a brilliant idea - I want a work bed).
But then Friday morning, we took the munchkin to Dr. Shaheedy for her weigh in (8 lbs 4 oz).
Side note on her weight:
There are now actually articles of clothing that no longer fit her (don't worry mom, not the Janie and Jack jumper) and she's actually gone up a diaper size.
The doctor expressed concern about putting Yarden into a group situation before she was 3 months old so we called Fairie Poppins and hired her to love and hug and sing to and protect Yarden for the next 6-8 weeks.
Fortunately, she was still available.
Unfortunately, she hard an emergency tooth extraction that needed to happen Monday - forcing Gina and Nancy to step in to take care of the girl. I haven't caught up with Gina yet, but I know that with Nancy she ate like a fiend, forced Nancy to bounce on a yoga ball with her for 1.5 hours and when I got home Yarden was crashed out on the couch, eyes wide open, watching Law and Order.
She is our daughter.
As soon as she realized I was home, she demanded the boob and continued to scream and demand the boob, refusing to be put down till around 11:30. The screams are heartbreaking - they cut right through my being.
Since I know she has no idea of object permanence, I assumed that as soon as I left her sight I ceased to exist in her mind. That helped me to feel better about going back - the idea that she wouldn't miss me as much as I missed her - but her clinginess (and choosing to stay up and feed through bath and naptime) suggested that something was going on.
I described the situation to a mommy discussion group that I've joined and got some sweet, if saddening, responses. One woman pointed out that I'm the only security she's known for the last 10 months - so of course she needed a mommy fix.
Tomorrow, Yarden, Fairie Poppins and I are all going to go into my office together.
We'll see how that goes.
RANDOM MOMENTS FROM MOMMYHOOD:
The reason that I am currently convinced that my daughter is a genius is that she will scream to be fed, but then quiets down when Seamus or I carry her over to the fridge.
We have to assume that she understands that's where the bottles of pumped milk come from.
What other explanation is there?
What I cannot understand is how she can piece that together, but still gets so worked up about nursing that she will cry and bang her head against me looking for the nipple - even when its already in her mouth. I literally plead with her "PLEASE - If you just stop screaming and close your mouth the thing you are looking for is right there".
As she gets bigger, Yarden's screams are now louder, more piercing and go straight to the gut. She also now farts like a big person and makes crazy animal noises while she sleeps - alternately sound like a rooting pig, a bird, a cat and an elephant. There's also a bit of mimicing going on. Once Seamus asked if she was OK and Nancy and I could both swear she said "I'm OK" - though Seamus, who was in the room with her denies that.
It seems that invariably Yarden will start screaming for boob the moment I step into the bathroom, and despite the lack if any evidence that she has ANY idea what this means, it's still my instinct to yell to her "Hold on honey, Mommy just has to pee".
In other news, so far only one person has busted me for pumping while on the phone with them.
FATHER'S DAY
All I can say is that I'm so tired lately that I mailed my Father's Day card to my own dad to our own address.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Three Weeks, Eight Pounds
MARSHALL'S
I've spent most of my maternity leave in one of two outfits.
One: A nightgown that I pretend is a dress (as long as we aren't going to see anyone I know) and Two: A pair of maternity pants that don't hurt my c-section incision and the one proper nursing blouse that I own.
Since I'm going back to work on Monday, I figured I needed at the very least 2 other shirts that I could feed or pump in without stripping down in the office.
I had never been to Marshall's before this Sunday, but my friend Jody who has made a religion of saving money, swears by it and my mother in law does too.
SO - Betsy, Yarden and I (along with Yarden's fancypants stroller) packed into the car went over to Marshalls.
We didn't find much for the girl, but I found three HEAVILY marked down shirts with sufficiently plunging necklines. Never in my life did I imagine that I would assess the fit of clothing based on whether I could pull a boob out of the neckline, but they say that children change everything so here's one big change for you.
THE LITTLEST VAMPIRE GETS A LITTLE BIGGER
All the feedings have paid off and Yarden put on a pound in the last week.
As of two weeks she was still only 6 lbs 12 oz but just one week later, with an empty stomach, clean diaper and wearing a onesie, she now weighs... a whopping 8 lbs 2 oz!!!!
She's still got the long skinny arms and legs, but the extra pound is evident in her big cheeks and her neck has transformed from many small folds to a definite chin.
Looking milk drunk and self-satisfied. 
Looking at Daddy with affection.
UNCLE LIAM ARRIVES - DA AND GRAMMY DEPART
Last night Liam got to town and we had a night of all the Hurleys on the West Coast.
Already Liam has subjected the little girl to the effects in the "Photo Booth" on his mac.
If she had better than 20/400 vision, her self esteem might be damaged.
Judge for yourself.
Light tunnel.
Warp
Bulge
Thermal
Then today Betsy and Dick had to leave.
It's been a godsend having them here.
Not only are they great company, Seamus and his Dad have been building a storage shed and sanding 65 years worth of of lead paint layers of the door to her room and Betsy's been cooking us great meals and taking the early shift playing with the girl so Seamus and I can sleep or shower between 7 and 9 am.
It's amazing that one 8 lb girl demands so much time and attention, but she's had 4 adults at her beck and call all week and this daughter in law is going to miss all the extra hands.
It got emotional seeing them off and Grammy cried on the baby.
We set up another visit for August before they left.
Yarden has been moody all afternoon and I suspect that she looked around and figured out that all the folks with baby experience have taken off and the rest of us are just winging it.
In the next posting:
Nancy Comes To Visit and The Lady Who Made Mommy Group Lame
I've spent most of my maternity leave in one of two outfits.
One: A nightgown that I pretend is a dress (as long as we aren't going to see anyone I know) and Two: A pair of maternity pants that don't hurt my c-section incision and the one proper nursing blouse that I own.
Since I'm going back to work on Monday, I figured I needed at the very least 2 other shirts that I could feed or pump in without stripping down in the office.
I had never been to Marshall's before this Sunday, but my friend Jody who has made a religion of saving money, swears by it and my mother in law does too.
SO - Betsy, Yarden and I (along with Yarden's fancypants stroller) packed into the car went over to Marshalls.
We didn't find much for the girl, but I found three HEAVILY marked down shirts with sufficiently plunging necklines. Never in my life did I imagine that I would assess the fit of clothing based on whether I could pull a boob out of the neckline, but they say that children change everything so here's one big change for you.
THE LITTLEST VAMPIRE GETS A LITTLE BIGGER
All the feedings have paid off and Yarden put on a pound in the last week.
As of two weeks she was still only 6 lbs 12 oz but just one week later, with an empty stomach, clean diaper and wearing a onesie, she now weighs... a whopping 8 lbs 2 oz!!!!
She's still got the long skinny arms and legs, but the extra pound is evident in her big cheeks and her neck has transformed from many small folds to a definite chin.
Looking milk drunk and self-satisfied. 
Looking at Daddy with affection. UNCLE LIAM ARRIVES - DA AND GRAMMY DEPART
Last night Liam got to town and we had a night of all the Hurleys on the West Coast.
Already Liam has subjected the little girl to the effects in the "Photo Booth" on his mac.
If she had better than 20/400 vision, her self esteem might be damaged.
Judge for yourself.
Light tunnel.
Warp
Bulge
Thermal
Then today Betsy and Dick had to leave.
It's been a godsend having them here.
Not only are they great company, Seamus and his Dad have been building a storage shed and sanding 65 years worth of of lead paint layers of the door to her room and Betsy's been cooking us great meals and taking the early shift playing with the girl so Seamus and I can sleep or shower between 7 and 9 am.
It's amazing that one 8 lb girl demands so much time and attention, but she's had 4 adults at her beck and call all week and this daughter in law is going to miss all the extra hands.
It got emotional seeing them off and Grammy cried on the baby.
We set up another visit for August before they left.
Yarden has been moody all afternoon and I suspect that she looked around and figured out that all the folks with baby experience have taken off and the rest of us are just winging it.
In the next posting:
Nancy Comes To Visit and The Lady Who Made Mommy Group Lame
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