Friday, March 04, 2011

Getting Back to Normal (And By That I Mean Teetering on the Edge of Chaos)

Petunia made it through an entire week at day care without getting sick. I wonder whether the fact that she was still on antibiotics had anything to do with that? Rationally, I know that most of the things she picks up at day care are viral, and therefore not effected by antibiotics, but still....

I made it through an entire week back at work. I've got several projects already, and I think I have already started to make a difference on at least one of them. My new boss is over the moon happy that I'm there. Everyone has been very nice and welcoming. So, all and all, a good week. I'm not over the moon happy to be there, but I think that is due in large part to two things: (1) I'm still in that "everything is new and just a bit overwhelming" phase, where every little task I try to do is harder than it needs to be because I'm still trying to figure out the rules and systems at this company, I don't have my computer completely set up how I want it, etc., and (2) working is a lot harder that putzing around my house working on projects as the mood takes me, watching episodes of Bones, and doing some chores.

I'm settling back into the weeknight dinner routine and remembering why it drove me crazy. Petunia is in a phase where she wants to nurse and nurse and nurse and then gets distracted and then comes back five minutes later and demands to nurse and nurse and nurse again. This makes cooking challenging. I cleverly loaded up this week's menu plan with leftovers. I can only get away with that for so long, so I think that next week I need to try to cook more. Luckily, Petunia is still enamored with Signing Time. Unfortunately, Pumpkin often demands a turn watching one of her shows, and Petunia is less fascinated by Dora and Kai Lan and when presented with one of those shows, tends to toddle into the kitchen and start signing that she wants to nurse. So I'm trying to convince Pumpkin that she wants to color or something while I cook. This is having only marginal success.

After some back and forth with our cleaning service over a new quote that seemed strangely high (it turns out that they were planning to clean a third bathroom that we do not have), I have a cleaner booked to come in next week. I'm excited to have someone else clean our floors and dust- Hubby is pretty good about cleaning one of the two bathrooms we do have and sweeping the floors, but he has a blind spot when it comes to dust on furniture, and I can't remember the last time he actually mopped the floors. So I was doing all of that, and hating it. Now that we have the cleaner scheduled for a monthly visit again, I just need to update and reinstate our chores schedule, and we'll be back to the same adequate but not great place we were last November.

My "at home" to do list is overflowing. Some of that is extra things getting added onto the list: we're combining Pumpkin's birthday party with two of her friends from day care- the three birthdays are right in a row, and the kids are still young enough to think that a combined party is cool- so the logistics of arranging that are more complicated. I'm also having a hard time clearing things off the list, though. Petunia is healthy, but her sleep has yet to settle back into anything like a predictable routine. She may sleep until 1 a.m. or she may wake up at 9:30. We never know, and that unpredictability is messing with my sleep patterns, too, as I find myself either waiting up for her to wake up or lying in bed going through the motions of trying to go to sleep, but really listening for her cry. I've occasionally resorted to my old trick of taking a Benadryl, but since Petunia and I are both still getting over the sore throat from last week, the dry mouth that comes with that is extra annoying. So mostly, I've just accepted that I'm going to be tired until she decides to start sleeping better.

In short, things are just about back to normal here. How are things with you?

5 comments:

  1. I'm sure you'll start to feel more settled at work soon. It's always an adjustment to start a new job at a new place with new people.

    YAY for a cleaning service! DH and I are really tidy people, but we hate to clean, you know? So, we have a cleaning service come in every other week and it has been amazing! No more fighting over who did the bathroom last or having to dust the picture frames. It's a life saver and well worth the $$.

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  2. We really could use a deep cleaning service like once a month to tackle the dust.

    I'm impressed that you are still nursing - around here people last either under 3 months, or until one year exactly. The extended nursing is also probably helping to keep Petunia healthy.

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  3. @Alyssa, my husband remains unhappy that we're "wasting" money on a cleaning service, but I am THRILLED to be adding it back. I hate cleaning.

    @hush- it is sort of funny that I get all sorts of kudos for continuing to nurse now. This is the easy part! I found the first 6 weeks hard, the first 6 months challenging, the first year of pumping a bit of a headache... but now it is no problem at all to keep nursing! Although she is currently going through a nursing-intensive phase that is a tad annoying. But mostly sweet. Nursing an older baby is sweet- she knows how to do it and doesn't hurt me, and she looks so content. Anyway, thanks!

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  4. Congrast on the first week of work under your belt, and settling into the new routine! I don't think I congratulated you when you got your new job--so I guess I'll just congratulate you now on your first week there!

    And yes, yay to the cleaning service. We have a service that comes in twice a month, and it's like heaven after they've come in. I swear, it's worth it to work (even at my postdoc salary) just for the excuse to hire a cleaning service.

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  5. I have to admit to having a weekly cleaner - it takes 1.5 hrs of my after tax pay to pay for 3 hours of cleaning. I think that is an acceptable cost, especially Given I've been managing to actually work while she's here and my house is the cleanest it has been since my mother spring cleaned for me just before Moo was born- oh and arguments and resentment about who should be cleaning are now nil - 100% worth it according to both of us!

    Glad to hear everything is back to chaotic normalcy and I hope Petunia stays healthy next week too. Moo has been off colour for a week now - I've spent the last 3 nights with her sleeping on my chest or snuffling in my ear as the husband has been away at a conference. He's back now and on baby duty while I catch up on a bit of me time and some sleep!!

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