Christmas snoozing

The Chop and I brought the Peanut out to visit my parents this Christmas… it was the one thing my mom wanted, and after all her help this year, there was no way we could say no. It went surprisingly well — he slept on the plane and we’ve been sleeping 6-9 hours at a stretch as my parents and sister take turns with the Peanut at night. Magical Christmas, truly.

Sadly the little guy is teething. It started at 10 weeks, and now he is working on tooth #2 and #3. It’s crazy for a baby this little to teethe—there aren’t even teethers small enough to fit into his mouth. He’s pretty advanced for his age, but having teeth already? Crazy. So although he’s having a lovely Christmas, he’s still sad sack. 🙁 Poor little guy.

Superior, Speed Fly from Marshall Miller on Vimeo.

We’re currently having our shower re-tiled (there was a crack, which led to a leak, which led to a duct tape patch job until the contractor could get to it – thank god I have more than one bathroom, otherwise FML), and every morning at about 830-9, our contractor shows up. It’s nice, except that half the time we’re still in pajamas (Chop always is) and half the time the Peanut is sleeping… out in the living room, after having been up since 5, but still sleeping.

Sadly ripping out tile and re-installing it isn’t a quiet job, or surprisingly, a quick one. They started last Friday, so it’ll be at least a solid six days before all is said and done. Of course, we did have to bring in a plumber because I wanted to change the fixtures. Apparently there are valves for each particular company (Symmons, Pegasus, etc.), and one has to have that particular valve installed in order to match up the fixtures. So if you switch to Pegasus fixtures from Symmons ones, you have to bring in a plumber to change out the valve. Yeah. Who knew?

I know you’re thinking, just get Symmons fixtures, but they are all kind of blah… except for the bronze I wanted. Where the shower combo was $500. WTF. So the other bronze I found that was $150? Worth bringing in the plumber. All the fixtures I got (including towel bar, robe hooks, shower curtain rod, grab bar and shower/bath combo = $330. The same in Symmons? $1200.

Why does this matter? It doesn’t. But this is my life now. Home all day with the Peanut, doing work when I can and dealing with contractors. I know, you’re SO jealous. 😛

Things I’ve learned so far:

• Too much vodka will make you feel very, very good. Then very, very bad. Combine that with fresh citrus-type fruit juice, and you’ve screwed the pooch for two days.
• One should elope. No matter what you do or say, your mom will commandeer the wedding. Elope while you can.
• Working for yourself is awesome. Until you want to take a vacation, or have a long weekend, or a baby, or a wedding… then you’re screwed.
• Planning on getting pregnant? Pregnant already? Take a vacation. Now. You might think that it will be too much of a hassle, but trust me, you haven’t experienced hassle yet.
• Having a baby before your first anniversary is definitely an experience. Don’t do it if you haven’t been together very long and/or haven’t been getting laid regularly. You won’t know what being married is like… being married with kids is a vastly different animal.
• Moving across the country to a place you love is perfection… until you have a baby and you realize that having family around might be really helpful.
• Pregnancy sucks. Also labor. It will be worse and hurt worse than you expect… for both of you. You have not felt pain. Plus the hormones afterward are a nightmare.
• Sleep is magical. Sleep in, sleep late, go to bed early, etc. Get it while you can, because if you a) get older, b) get pregnant or c) have a kid, you will never get as much as you want again. Ever.
• Having a great camera is key. Particularly one that can also take video. One of my favorite mementos from our trip to Ireland is a video of me driving a tiny car in the country. 😀 A smart phone is good too… especially if you have kids and there are grandparents involved. My mom now expects a picture every morning.
• Visiting Santa at Christmastime with an infant is a freaking nightmare. Prepare for everything.
• Children require constant stimulation and attention. Want to get some work done? Invest in every type of baby toy imaginable. Particularly the play mats with things that move and mirrors. And mobiles. I’ve currently reached the end of the attention span of a two month old.

One year ago I married a really awesome Porkchop. I had big plans for today, but we didn’t anticipate having a Peanut before our first anniversary, and toting around a 12lb bundle of joy makes most of them hard, if not impossible, lol.

Fortunately my my sister surprised us by showing up on our doorstep Thursday morning, so our anniversary involved sleeping in a bit (we gave her the Nut at 8AM and went back to bed until 1130… heaven), getting laid right about the time we got married last year (the sister went for a run, the Peanut decided to finally nap = win) and going to dinner out — complete with gorgeous one-year anniversary ring. 🙂

Isn't he cute? Love you honey... Happy 1st Anniversary.