Snapshot From a Sunday

I have been eagerly looking forward to participating in Snapshots from a Sunday that is hosted at Clan Donaldson.    Check it out.  It is really lovely idea.  

I was musing about all the cool things I could write about being in Italy and all that jazz that people find so unique, exotic and impressive...but when we actually were awake at my assigned time slot of 3:00-4:00 AM, Jack snapped this wonderful (bonus of being married to a photographer) photo of Abigail and me.  

I chose this picture over the photographs we took later of us getting coffee and walking in our neighborhood.  I think that while the subject may not be unique, exotic or impressive, Abigail and I awake in the middle of the night honestly reflects the rhythm of our lives here.  

Yes, we may be in Italy.  Yes, we may be able step out of our door and get amazing gelato and espresso.  But we are new parents raising a baby across an ocean from our families.  That is what colors our life now.  Having a baby changes one's perspective.  Things that seemed to be necessary and important before are instantly banished to the bottom of the totem pole.  To me, being able to step out of my door and be in Europe was very important.  Postpartum, being able to step out of my door and drive to my mom's house is my fervent dream.  

So, this is us.  An American military family awake at 3:22 AM.  Stationed overseas.  Home, yet away from Home.

Nu? Comments?

I am not sure if I am able to get comments... could you, dear readers, kindly leave some so that I can see if it working?  My technologically challenged self would greatly appreciate it.

Today:

1.  Began at 2:30ish when Abigail woke to practice her latest and greatest moves.  The latest and greatest being babbling, crawling and pulling herself up in her crib.

2.  Jack and I went to Base for Abigail's doctors appointment.   (I have left out the marital squabble that ensued surrounding logistics and execution of said maneuver.)

3.  Realized I was to spend afternoon on Base with Abigail.  I forgot the stroller.

4.  Spent morning at Naval Hospital getting Abi her shots and 6 month check up.  Found out that we still haven't applied for her SS#.  Found out that the Italian nationals working in the passport/documentation office once again lapsed in communicating the details of doing all the stuff that one has to do when one has a baby.  There are about three trillion babies born in Naples every year on Base, you'd think someone would come up with a nice organized checklist to give to parents.

5.  Paid our outstanding bill from Abigail's birth.  $2.30 for a breakfast we had sent up for Jack before the nurses told us they'd just order extra for him.

6.  Thanked the US Government for their awesome healthcare that allowed us to have only had to pay $2.30 for Abigail's birth.

7.  Was tired of wrangling squirming baby.  Bought an umbrella stroller.

8.  Drove to Capo without having panic attack!!!!!

9. Dinner.  Fettucini Alfredo---Light from Rachel Ray.  Yum.

10.  Chased down and stuffed baby into her pjs.

11.  Posting.

Blogging for my Sanity

Beware.  This might be a doosey.  We are currently thirty-nine minutes into the first night of our GENTLE- LOVING SLEEP TEACHING with Abigail.  That is what I am calling it for me.

Judging from the wails that are coming from the other room, I am not sure she would agree with the title.  Basically, we are trying to get her to go down in her crib and stay there.  She is learning to sleep in her crib.

I don't know if I am strong enough for this.  I feel like a cruel, hard-hearted mother.

I can hear her settle, fall asleep and then she starts wailing.  I am sure it is when Jack puts her down in the crib.  But seriously.  She cannot be held ALL the time when she sleeps.  I mean-- it is not even the nursing down. It is her being able to sleep without being held.

When I was nursing her, before handing her off to Jack, tonight I was crying.  I am sad to think that this is the end of me being able to nurse her to sleep.  But it isn't, not really.  She needs to be able to sleep in her crib.  She is awake and crawling around our bed in the middle of the night.  It is not safe.  And she cannot spend every minute that she is asleep with me.  It is impossible.

7:46.  Crying again.

We split the evening up.  Jack is on until midnight and then I am on til 6am when she wakes up and presumably, I get to go to sleep for a little.

Not the best night to start, either.  I had a migraine today.  Which means I spent the day trying to keep Abigail happy while suffering though bouts of puking.  Lovely.

Ok.  Maybe knitting will calm me.  Etsy?  Alcohol? Valium?  Anything.

I guess I'll clean the kitchen.

Another day, another load of laundry

It is pouring out today.

I am sitting here trying to convince myself that the workers who are drilling away at something under my feet are not going to bring the floor, ME and Abigail down on top of them.  Last week they took out the wall of our garage and rebuilt it about four or five feet over.  I KNOW it was a load bearing wall.  I mean, don't load bearing walls go under load bearing beams?

You can just feel my faith in Napolitanos screaming out from that last paragraph, can't you?

Tobi is outside at his post guarding the guys who I believe are putting in our new garage door.  I guess that is one of the joys of renting.  Presto!  We have a bigger garage and a new door!  We didn't even ask for it.  I know that the 42 year old man-child has something to do with it.  Now if he could just fix our faulty wiring that shuts of half the electricity in the house if I choose to run the washer, dryer and dehumidifier all at once.

Tobi has been ostracized (that means he had to go live at the end of town...literary reference) because I caught him drying his smelly-wet-doggie-self against the quilt on my bed.  He usually settles for rubbing himself at top speed against the stretch of no-longer-white wall in the hallway.  We call it our Tobi racing stripe.  I usually go at it every couple of weeks with a Magic Eraser (it really is magic!)  

Abigail is sitting in her swing next to me fussing.  She is scowling and wants something.  I am not sure what.  Probably to get out of the swing and be held.  I don't really believe her protests though.  When I look at her and smile she smiles back.  I am trying to see if she might be convinced to fall asleep in her swing.  I don't think it is working.

Ok.  Enough blather.  I am going to try to put this tired baby down for a nap.  I believe I spend an average of two hours trying to get her to sleep for every hour that she does sleep.

My dream is to be able to say, "Abigail, it is time for your nap."  and have her fall asleep. Don't scoff.  This is a true story.  My niece does this-- in the middle of New York City no less.  "Addison, get into the stroller it is nap time."  "Ok, Mommy."  Asleep. Granted she is two, but I can have a long term goal (errr-dream), can't I?

Motherhood.

She is lucky she is so cute.

 

Our Second Anniversary, January 31st

When I walked under that chuppah two years ago today.  I was completely unaware of the scope and breadth of the adventure I was embarking upon.  I only knew that my love for the man I was standing next to was deep, strong and courageous enough to get through anything.  

Not only would we get through, we would do it with love, joy, grace and a lot of laughter.

Two years.  

Two deployments (One combat).

Two Masters Degree (one in progress).

Two moves (one overseas).

One dog adopted.

One Baby born.

One Family made.

Engagement Pic

Jamaica

LOVE

Last Night in Bed

Me: Turn the light out it's distracting her.

Jack:  But then I can't see what she's doing.

Me (still in the dark):  She just puked on me.  It is all over my face.

Lights on.  Baby awake for another half an hour.  Luckily, she got it all over me and not on the sheets.  Only a little got on my pillow.  I turned it over.  Ahhh, yes.  Motherhood.  Now I get it.