Well, I'm following the wave of people jumping ship and moving over to Typepad!

Come visit me at my new online home, won't you?

The new and improved Gauge!

WORD! This'll be fun!

Even Midge gets tired sometimes. That's her the coffee shop we like - she fell asleep while I was putting our Moby on to take her home - I think she had exhausted herself. She had an epic screaming fit a little earlier, that was so bad that I had to nurse her in the car WHILE I was driving (okay - I wasn't driving, but still). We pulled up in front of our building, and I couldn't fathom the trek into our apartment with that screaming little bundle of cuteness, so I just nursed her right there. Then we headed for coffee and a little r&r.....meaning Robin and Reese, who met up with us a little while later. Thank god for other new moms, I tell you what.

I hesitate to write this down, but Elinor has been sleeping at night this week. It seems that some of her sleeplessness was our fault (duh) for not turning the lights off earlier, and for trying to change her position after she falls asleep nursing. She just can't be moved once she falls asleep, or all bets are off. We've made some adjustments and things seem to be working, by golly.

Don't tell the baby, but after she fell asleep, Ashley and I started to watch The Hills Have Eyes. The last thing I remember thinking goes something like this - "...weird...I'm actually kind of enjoying this film....and I'm not tired! I might get to watch a movie while the baby sleeps....zzzzzzzz..." Fade to darkness.

Well, I went to my first post-pregnancy WW meeting today. I was nervous, but it wasn't half bad. Also? Nursing moms get a TON of points. For those of you who haven't done WW (and if you're trying to lose a little weight I HIGHLY recommend it) every food has a number of points assigned to it and you get a daily allowance of said points. Anyway, they have changed the way they calculate the number of points you get, and nursing moms get a bajillion on top of that, so I think it's doable. I'll keep you posted.

What else?

Oh! The baby! She's doing really well - sleeping more, smiling more, getting cuter every single minute. It's pretty great. In the last few days I went to Fred Meyer's and my meeting without her, which was STRANGE. I realized I hadn't been apart from her in her whole 5 weeks alive. I know that isn't rare, but it still seems funny to say it out loud. But it's good to know that I can leave her with Ashley for an hour if I need to get out by myself, just for a breather.

We're having an "event" at Mabel's tonight. I'm really nervous about it. I feel like I'm having a party and I don't think anybody will show up. If anyone in the Portland area is free tonight at 6, the author of "Punk Knits" will be at the shop signing books, giving a workshop, and showing her wares. Also? She was a rock star in the 80s! So come by and give her a high five!

Crazy crying baby in the other room and milk everywhere! Time to go!

There's my little cutie basking in the sun.

This week has been a mixed bag. Midge seems to be gradually getting better at sleeping at night - two steps forward, one step back, that kind of thing. And that's great! Want to know what's not so great? Mastitis! Holy Crap! That's all kinds of bad news. I couldn't get out of bed, couldn't see straight (my temp. spiked to 103) and had to nurse and BE A PARENT through the whole thing! Crimeny.

I don't think it would have been so bad, but I keep thinking I'm going to feel better and then I get knocked down by something else. I was in such bad shape when we left the hospital, in such constant, scary pain, that I think I'm just feeling worn down by the things that have happened since. I'm frustrated that it takes me so long to get out of bed, that I still can't sit in a chair for more than 30 minutes, that if I do too much I land back in bed for two days. I so want to feel good now. I want Midge to have a mother who doesn't moan so frigging much. I want Ashley to have a wife who doesn't cry in the shower every morning! Don't get me wrong! I know that I'll get all better, and I'm amazed, given my whole disposition, that I seem to have escaped any real depression or anything like that. Mentally I feel good, other than being beaten down by pain/discomfort. And the most important thing? Elinor is in perfect health, and also has the cutest corn kernels disguised as toes that I've ever seen in my life.

Can I try and make myself clear again? I LOVE having my little darling girl, and it's shaping up to be the best thing ever, but it's so hard not to get discouraged by how I feel physically. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining - I save all my complaining for my long-suffering husband, you see.

And really? How can you not be happy when you have this in your back seat?

That's just me and Little Midge at the coffee shop this afternoon.

Okay, so I'm reading this book about families who have made the switch to being TV free. It's called "Living Outside the Box" by Barbara Brock, and it's actually pretty good and not too preachy. HOWEVER, in one section she is suggesting dinner conversation starters to get your kids talking, and comes up with this gem:

"Would you rather have ice cubes for hands or not be able to tell the difference between a baby and a muffin?"

WHAT?? That's the creepiest thing I've ever heard in my life!! Ha! Can you imagine asking your five year old that question? Oh my god! I'm falling over laughing...though these actually are the kinds of things I pondered when I was a kid. Hmmm.

Sigh...all I can picture now is furiously trying to nurse a muffin in the middle of the night.