I Should Change My Name to. . .

"I Spoke Too Soon"

I took Adele for a full-out grocery shopping today...not just "run to the store to get diapers" but a "go down every aisle in search of really good deals" shopping. She fell asleep like an angel before we left, and although it was a bit early for her 3 hour nap, I wasn't going to play around with sleeping! I learned that lesson on Tuesday! I loaded her into the carseat and witin 15 minutes was perusing the aisles at Kroger.

Well, kind of... really, I kept getting stuck behind the slowest moving couple ever and their three-year-old who was obsessed with the fact that there was a baby in my cart. I tried my best to pass them, but it was like the dad had "passing radar" or something and he'd step into the middle of the aisle, right into my way. Our Kroger is full of people like this, but today it seemed worse. Probably cuz its hard to see in front of the cart with the baby carrier in it.

Anyhow, I finally lost the slowpokes, and Adele started to wake up. After some fussing, I decided to take the blanket off of her so she could see. She liked that, except when I had to stop. I had to stop a lot because it was busy, and the aisles really only fit one cart...

But, she stayed happy. I talked to her, probably sounding crazy (which was fine with me...especially if it meant people would get out of my way!) I got through all of the aisles and up to the checkout with no real problems, just a random fuss or two. That's when I made my mistake. When the clerk asked how I was I said something to the effect of, "I'm great, especially since she stayed quiet!" Bad mommy! What do you know, my little Ellie started screaming up a storm!

(I'm pretty sure it's cuz we stopped moving, but I'll never underestimate the power of suggestion...remember Tuesday when I said she had gotten herself to sleep...remember that she DIDN'T sleep after that...until like 11:00 at night????)

So, I spoke too soon. Fortunately, although she screamed bloody murder all the way home, when we got home, I fed her and she turned back into the happiest baby ever. She sat and watched me while I put away groceries, and even let me put her into the Baby Bjorn! (Yes, I was crazy for trying...but, hey, it worked!!!)

I'm not about to say what she's doing now, or how she got that way, but you can assume it rhymes with "peeping" and that she's not making a peep. It might start out like the word "Snow," which it is currently doing outside. And she didn't just eat, in fact, she was playing. There, I don't think I can get into any trouble with that...

I'm also posting a few pictures from last night. She was very sleepy yesterday, and took lots of short naps (30 to 90 minutes) instead of one long one, but that was fine. We almost thought she was sick. Very fussy, and sleepy, but she actually would sleep rather than get more and more upset like she does when she's overtired.

So, she was pretty calm and I went upstairs to do yoga around 7:45 (I think I prefer the first 6 post-partum weeks when you're not supposed to exercise, much less expected to do so!) and I noticed that it was exceptionally quiet the whole time. When I came back downstairs, I found Daddy playing PSP, and Ellie sleeping in her carseat. I guess I should say I assumed she was there, cuz I didn't look at her for about half an hour when I discovered that her blanket was UNDER her, not covering her up, and she was naked...oh Daddy! Mostly he was worried that I'd be mad that he let her fall asleep...is he CRAZY!!! I'd be mad that the baby was SLEEPING??? Of course, he was worried about my "Routine."

As it turned out, I woke her up around 9 and fed her, and she went back to sleep for a ful 6 hours, so it was all good! Plus, I had just read the following in "The Happiest Baby on the Block":

"Most infants automatically fall into a regular pattern afer a month or two; however, if you can't wait to establish a more predictable routine, feel free to give scheduling a try.
"If, on the other hand, he seems to resist being molded to your schedule, I encourage you to respond to your tiny baby's needs with promptness and love; you can always try the schedule again in a week. The bottom line is that your job as a parent is to adapt to the needs of your newborn, not the other way around." (p. 220-221)

By the way: that's a size 1 diaper she's wearing, the Newborn ones got too tight for her chubby legs! The size 1's seem SO HUGE!


Well, while she's doing what she's doing now, I'm going to start a new book, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer." Fun, fun!