new year, new stuff

Happy 2010, readers! I hope your holidays were as joyful as mine. Because they truly were. I don't know what it was about Christmas this year, but my entire family seemed infused with an awareness of how special and important it was for us all to be together for the holidays. We kept the drama to a minimum (which is a feat for my family, as it is, I'm sure, for most every family) and the photography at the max. Cell phones were put away (or left at home ON PURPOSE in the case of my youngest sister... which was truly a Christmas miracle in and of itself) and Wii remotes were kept out on the coffee table for spontaneous battles (see video documentation of these here and here). I found such joy in my family this year and therefore the holidays were made that much more joyful.

Now that the new year is here, new things begin. The first is, of course, that it was time for me to return to work. I faced the first day back (this past Tuesday) with a lot of ambivalence. While I was excited to be moving and dancing and teaching again free of my pregnant belly, I also felt that I was going back in as a very different person. Would I still be the same teacher? Would the kids have enjoyed their sub so much that they were apathetic about having me back? Would I be able to commit the time I needed to choreography and preparations now that my mornings are filled with feedings and diaper changes and it's difficult to even make time to shower some days? After the first week I think I can safely say that my worries were unfounded. Laine is falling into a more consistent schedule during the days and I have done well so far with using her nap time to my advantage. My kids were more excited to see me than I expected (nothing like squeals and hugs from your students to boost your ego) and are so eager to hear about the baby as well as to get back into a regular ballet class routine. And I find that the time away from the studio has actually made me even better in the classroom since now I am eager to be there... it's the perfect balance in my day to have all morning with my little one and then get to go do the other thing I love most in the world while she gets daddy time!

The other new thing in my life is the Greer VS Tricia Weight Loss Challenge 2010! Tricia (the aforementioned youngest sister) and I both decided that we have changes we want and need to make with our bodies and our habits and so have made ourselves accountable to each other in the way we Smith girls do best- competition! While we definitely have been giving each other a hard time ("first day back at work? very stressful... go eat a twinkie!" "aren't you tired? I bet some sugar would perk you right up!"), we are also really rooting for each other to succeed in meeting our goals and leading healthier lives. I am definitely ready to kick this baby weight to the curb. Grocery shopping now, however, is much more difficult that when I was in the (I'm pregnant and can eat whatever I want" phase. Spinach and protein shakes are much less exciting to shop for than Halloween candy and Little Debbie cakes.

Don't worry though, Trish. I have a fridge full of spinach.

memo to all newborns

MEMO

TO: Babies

RE: How to make your mother twitch

The order of the following steps is not set in stone, but the importance of completing each step can not be stressed enough if you want to achieve the desired results. Skipping a step could result in merely an eye roll or (worse yet) dismissive laughter. ALL steps are necessary to achieve maximum twitching.

STEP 1: Massive, smelly, disgusting poop. Make sure that you are positioned in such a way and use enough force that the poop blows out your diaper and extends all the way up your back, as close to the neckline as possible. Note: This step is most effective if you are wearing something that your mother deems especially "cute", even more so if it is new (say, just purchased and washed the night before).

STEP 2: Immediately after having your diaper and clothing changed, while your mother is holding you and selecting a new onesie, spit up. Make sure you aim so that an equal amount gets on her clothing and your face and body. Projectile is the goal here. You could wait until you are dressed if you also want to factor in the "extra laundry quotient", but being naked is fine.

STEP 3: Undoubtedly your mother will decide that you need a bath. You have two options here: you can pee while being carried to the tub, or wait til you are sitting in it. Both are effective.

STEP 4: Once you are clean, changed, dressed, and settled, spit up one more time. Only a little bit this time, not enough to warrant another change of clothes, but just enough to need cleaning. This last step generally ensures maternal twitching, but overdoing this step could cause more severe damage to your mother than desired, so time it right and be careful of the amount.

STEP 5: After all of this work, you have most likely achieved twitch and are probably exhausted. Take a nice long nap, but make sure to spit out your pacifier at regular intervals. Got to keep those moms on their toes!

weblink... wait, what day is it?

It is long past time for a Weblink Wednesday, don't you think? (And even if you don't, just lie to me, ok? I'm very sensitive right now.) This one comes to you courtesy of Stephen (as many of them do... he has a lot of internet-surfing time on his hands, and for that we are all grateful). I would not be surprised if someone took this idea and ran with it.

Also, here is another (more flattering) picture of my little one. Little snoozy santa baby... doesn't get much cuter than that.

She was very excited about her encounter with Santa, can't you tell?

My New Year's resolution will be to get back into the blogging swing of things (watching Julie and Julia last night inspired me. Maybe I'll get a movie deal... you know how people love watching movies about dogs and baby poop...), but if you must have more blog RIGHT NOW you can go here to read about one of my favorite family Christmas traditions, or here to catch up on the "pregnant five" which is now actually only the pregnant two!

true life: i have a newborn

thoughts on baby poop

Because I am a new mother, and apparently poop becomes not only an appropriate topic of conversation, but a fascinating one.

1. There is something odd about a being that can only really relax AFTER it has pooped and is sitting in it.

2. If your baby does finally settle down after a successful expulsion of waste, is it cruel to leave her in what you know must be a nasty, disgusting diaper? I mean, she's sleeping. It must not be that uncomfortable.

3. Even when a baby is sitting down, poop still seems to travel upward. Onto her back. And therefore onto her onesie. Which you probably just washed.

4. Apparently you are supposed to try and maintain a pleasant expression while changing your baby's diaper so that they don't develop insecurities about their unmentionables or how they look naked or something. I'll just have to hope that my daughter understands that I think she is absolutely beautiful... only slightly less so when covered in slimy yellow poo. I would hope she will eventually be able to understand that distinction.

5. Parent's Choice baby wipes (Walmart's brand, I believe) are not as good as Pamper's. They also smell funny. Which is saying a lot when you think of what smells you have to compare them to at the time of their usage.

week 2

I don't know how to write about my baby. I've kept coming back to my blog site whenever there is a quiet moment, knowing that I need to write something to document these first few weeks... my feelings, my fears, my wonder at this new little life that has entered the world and shaken everyone up. Each day seems to go by in slow three-hour blocks, and then suddenly I blink and it's been almost 2 weeks. She is nothing if not a lesson on the relativity of time. I know I will miss these times, even as some moments I fervently wish to skip ahead to when she can talk and tell me what she wants or needs. I try to freeze frame little snapshots of her in my mind...
curled up on her daddy's chest, sleeping with her mouth wide open (pacifier free... now THAT is real sleep);
lifting her wobbly head to try and look around the room, looking like a frantic little turtle;
squirming and fussing in her bouncy chair until suddenly inexplicably settling, her hands floating down like little spiders to settle by her sides, her head tilted at an impossible angle;
her feet pulled up close to her body so that the ends of her onesie are empty, making her appear footless;
swaddled like a little glow worm, only her head peeking out, lying right in the middle of her crib, making it look like a huge expanse of space relative to her tiny bundled body;
opening her eyes occasionally and seeming to really see that I am there, or recognize my voice among other voices, or calm down when she comes to rest on my chest... and feeling like a mother.

labor story

Check out my (very long) labor story over at Sweet Tea and Strollers! I will be posting about Laine's first days of life soon... basically she is beautiful and perfect and awesome and you should all be jealous you don't get to hang out with her all day.

Oh, and also, go here and watch the newest video of Laine learning a very valuable lesson from her aunt Tricia.