If people really knew how tough it is to be a parent, I do sincerely believe that the human race as we know it would come to a complete halt. That realization, in light of today's attempt to get some semblance of our past independent life in, as Hubby and I marched ourselves to the local movie theater to watch a matinée showing of Harry Potter. Let's call our attempt feeble, at best. Everything seemed to start off all right, but it quickly escalated into an action-reaction dance as Baby decided that yes, indeed, she'd like to watch the movie too, and she'd like to provide active commentary during the quieter parts. I had delusions that, since there were other babies present at the matinée showing of the movie, that perhaps then we would all be in good company, and that Baby would be somewhat calm. Nope. I had stuffed her ears with a napkin, in an attempt to try to shield her ears from the noise of the theater, hoping that after I fed her, she'd *maybe* try getting a little shut-eye. Did I mention that today was a feeble attempt? Alas, to no avail - active conversation started right off with the first quite segment after she finished nursing, and I was left with a half-watched movie in the end while I tried to calm her down outside of the theater. And wouldn't you know it - she really does have a penchant for timing - just as soon as the movie ended, and everyone started pouring out of the theater, she was fast asleep. I really felt like just putting one between my eyes at that point.
Such is parenting. And I swear, if I hear my father even ask once when we think we may have a second one, I'll really just have to ask him if he thought it would be a great idea for us to have a second child, why he and my mother didn't. This whole experience has really shown me exactly what true patience is, and while yes, Hubby and I are in the upper half of the percentile possibility of wanting to have a second child, right now, if the human population were left up to me... well, let's just say that the job would have to fall to someone else.
In other food news - I am happy to report that, yes, indeed, pre-prepping food during the weekend for cooking during the week is definitely the thing to do. Especially since I'm now playing "Working Mom" the real game, that step has been a life-saver. Food prep during the weeknights has been cut down to simply assembly and saucing, as opposed to washing, prepping, and assembly/saucing. And admittedly, some nights, I do find it a lot easier to just make something that's somewhat "pre-made". Last Wednesday evening - I found ease to saute some chopped seasonal vegetables, mix with ground beef and with ricotta, boil up some penne, and layer the penne with the sauteed mixture, jarred marinara sauce, and provolone. I've made gumbo on a couple of occasions now - so easy to just start up the roux, mix in the vegetables, add some water and seasonings, and then leave alone to simmer until ready to serve. And we don't shy from ordering in - either for pick-up or delivery, though I did wish that more places around us delivered. Oh, if we were in Manhattan...
Gear reviews... yes, we have discovered the truth that babies grow incredibly quickly (I should have Baby talk to my measly vegetable garden!), and that clothing purchased for babies really should just start at the larger sizes. She's filled in to her 6-9 month clothes, even though she's still a couple weeks shy of 5 weeks. Carter onesies tend to run long and lean, so I've been getting the 9 month onesies for her since Baby's been growing laterally. The recent Fisher Price recall...at first, in the beginning, I worried that we weren't giving her enough stuff for her world and growth - but I also realized that our whole world is so new, it really is quite enough for her to take in. And then, when the recall happened this past week, I have to admit, I felt vindication for the choices that Hubby and I have made, that some of the cheap crap that we avoid out there on the shelves really are, well, cheap crap. Our Uppababy stroller still works great, though we did get a Maclaren Volo for the car and for travel, since the Uppababy was too large a stroller to take for long trips without filling up the entire trunk of our car. And we have, as parents of a girl, gotten a lot of mileage out of Trumpette's mary jane socks. The socks up the ante on her outfits, even dressing up a simple onesie outfit, and she doesn't kick off the socks like she may with shoes.
I'm still torn right now, with the plastic vs. glass bottle debate. Of course, the plastic bottle manufacturers will state left and right that their bottles are completely safe for babies - and it seems just about everyone uses the plastic bottles - but I don't believe that we see the true impact of the products we use until after a full generation has used the products. In any case, I purchased some Evenflo glass bottles just this past weekend... we'll give them a try to see how Baby takes to them. I have to believe that at some level, the more natural the ingredients in the objects we use (and not just ingest), the better they are for us.
So another weekend ends... and another week begins. We'll see what this week has in store for us.
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