This week without Kevin at home has been challenging. There were good times and there were some not so good times. There was some crying… both me and him, but thankfully that is all over now.
I hope think yesterday was the worst of it. I even called Kevin at work, crying, telling him that I needed him to come home. It seemed that nothing I did, short of nursing constantly, would calm Binary Boy. Kevin didn’t come home (during our chat he reminded me that it’s only temporary, which helped) and, eventually, I did calm Binary Boy (nursed him, though), but seriously, a woman can only nurse so much before it starts to get uncomfortable.
Maybe he was going through a growth spurt? Maybe he felt particularly crabby? Who knows. I know I had no clue as to what he was so cranky about! But, like I said, today is making up for it.
Binary Boy, smiling, at 2 weeks old. Amazon Kindle in the background.
On a happier note, it seems that Binary Boy has set a night time schedule of every 2 hours. He sleeps in a co-sleeper (a bassinet that attaches to the side of an adult bed), so I can hear him waking and can pick him up before any actual crying happens. The routine is to change his diaper and then nurse. He’s what you’d call a “cluster feeder” – he nurses on and off for about an hour, sometimes more. It can get tiring (and boring), but that’s just how he is, so I’ve just come to accept it. I also know it won’t last forever, so I’m really trying to just enjoy this time with him.
I do have something to keep me entertained during those long feedings – a Kindle from Amazon
I only wish there were more of my favorites available to purchase in digital format, but I know Amazon is working on it. Any suggestions for books or book series? I enjoy fantasy (think Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings – neither of which are available to legally purchase/download – boo! hiss!), in particular, but I love reading just about anything (except about politics and modern history) and don’t have time to research new titles, so any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Tags: Amazon, Baby, book, breast feeding, co-sleeper, Kindle, nursing, wireless reading device
Wow, he’s absolutely perfect…
the ‘Youth in Revolt’ series is damn entertaining and a really easy read.
I also love Craig Clevenger… no series, but both books I’ve read by him were amazing… and Jonathan Safran Foer…
And this too shall pass…
It’s hard to enjoy the lack of sleep or a crying, inconsolable baby. But it will pass and you’ll treasure those moments that are just you and your baby.
I recommend the James Patterson “Maximum Ride” series if it is available. Also, the “Sookie Stackhouse” novels. Maximum Ride is about children who can fly and Sookie is what the HBO series “True Blood” is based upon, so it’s a bit on the gory side.
Have you read the Phillip Pullman ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy? Awesome. I was surprised how great these books are. I picked them up for their controversy, but stayed for the amazing writing of Pullman. Start with ‘The Golden Compass’, but DO NOT watch the movie. It’s not a great adaptation.
How adorable is he! I would recommend some of the classics like A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I also like the Wizard of Earthsea series by Ursula K. LeGuin. If you want something light and fun, I loved Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella. Hope that helps!
aw he is so precious. hopefully everything is starting to calm down a bit and binary boy won’t be so fussy, i can only imagine what it’s been like for you. and just because i keep recommending it to everyone, try out the ‘twilight’ series, it’s definitely a good guilty pleasure. 🙂
I agree. The Youth in Revolt series are awesome! But, maybe a bit crude for your taste- hehe.
I recommend the Twilight series. It’s about this girl that falls in love with a vampire.
*sigh* How many times I cried along with you guys when you were babies… how
many times I heard people telling me “this too shall pass”… and here I am decades later and now another young mom (one of my own babies!) is going through the same thing… Oy. Once you do everything you can think of for the cute grumpy baby, the next best thing is DISTRACTION. My favorite distraction: DANCING with the baby in my arms too all kinds of MUSIC, from classical to disco. GOING OUTSIDE is another one that worked, even if it was just out the front door.
You may already know of the following authors. They’re mostly fantasy and sci-fi, but that’s my favorite stuff (available on Kindle, I checked):
– Andrew Lang, “Fairy Book” series, especially the Green and Red books.
– Anne McCaffrey (dragons and unicorns and sci-fi, OH MY!). There is a list of her books in proper order by series on her website at annemccaffrey.net
– Neil Gaiman, “Stardust”
– Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Mists of Avalon” series
– Also check out Deborah Turner Harris and Katharine Kurtz
-Also check out the free classic e-books at girlebooks.com
Also think about audio books for both of you to listen to and even fall asleep to… Love you sweetie… 🙂
You are doing everything right. There are no shortcuts – we all go through the sleepless nights, the frustrations of endless nursing, the desperate thirst for the old you. Make sure that you carve out *guilt free* time for yourself so you have some reserve. Remember that on airplanes, you are instructed to take the oxygen mask first and then give it to children – we all need to take care of ourselves! You will have so much more to give.
terry pratchet’s discworld series is huge in the UK, not sure if you can get it, but worth a shot. he’s written like 25 books or something ridiculous.
baby looks like kevin!
Cute baby! Thanks for sharing your experiences with Binary Boy. Really, I like him..
Wow! If you look up cute in the dictionary, his picture will be staring back at you.
Congratulations! 🙂
I would also recommend the Twilight series, there are now 4 books in the series, that should be enough to keep you distracted for a little bit, hope things get better for you, have a great day!