One Month(ish)-iversary

* Caveat: I started this post two days ago, on her actual one-month birthday.

Well, we made it to one month! This is when all sorts of wonderful, well-meaning people start saying things like, "Oh, you've made it through the first few weeks. Starting to settle in to your new routine? Hopefully now you're starting to get more sleep!" I sort of pity them, and sort of want to punch them, and also want to cry a little. : ) In my experience, this is the point at which things start getting harder, not easier. The sleep deprivation is more acute and the adrenaline has worn off, so you feel it more. The baby is awake much, much, much more than those first drowsy, quiet weeks. The other children resent and resist you more with each passing day. You finally get them to bed at night, look back over the day and realize you've done....nothing. Not one thing except keep everyone fed, bathed, and alive. This produces less of a sense of accomplishment than you might think. And just when you start to breathe in the quiet, the baby starts the customary two-hour crying jag. Things settle down around 11:00...you figure you have til at least 1:30 to sleep...but when you wake up again for the 4:30 feeding you realize that's it for sleep, because Cody will be up in about 45 minutes, and the cycle will begin again. Sometimes it feels funny, sometimes harrowing. And then you remind yourself to keep putting one foot in front of the other, because before too long, Emma will be sleeping through the night and throwing her own special tantrums during the day. : )

Anyway, Jonathan is away for five days for the first of several work/book promotion trips (YAY!!!). My amazing parents came to the rescue this weekend, basically taking over C&C during daytime hours so I can nurse Emma. Which I did 21 times yesterday, and 24 times on Sunday, in case anyone is keeping track on a really cool baby app. Emma has doubled in size, but this is much less satisfying to the rest of us, since the weather has been sucky and so have the children. (If you're reading this and it's 2023, children, know that I still loved you, even if you hated me.) Last night, Emma and I fell asleep around 10:30. At 11:30 Cordelia woke up because, "I'm sad, and I have to pee." I had to put Emma down (she will only sleep if she's being held) to tend to Cora, so by the time I got back down she was crying. We got back to sleep around 12:45. At 1:30, Cody woke up with a stuffed nose. I put Emma down. I went up. He refused to blow it. A scuffle ensued. Then he, too, had to pee. As I was running down to calm Emma I heard, "MOM! The TOILET is BROKEN!" 

This job is awesome. : ) 

But seriously, folks...my parents are awesome. Dad's back in NJ but while he was here Cordelia only had eyes for him -- and Emma opened her eyes for him. Here are a few highlights.