‘Til There Was You

My boobs have gone back to being “merely for decorative purposes” once more – a little worse for the wear. The weaning process was made really easy since the nug pretty much just lost interest soon after she started eating and got better at sitting up. I’d try to nurse her in my lap and she would keep sitting up and checking on her toys, as my milk squirted into her ear.

So it became a night thing.

She was cool with us nursing while lying down, facing each other, but no longer wanted to be held while doing it. My milk supply dwindled and soon became too pathetic to knock out even her middle of the night hunger; so now I am up at 2am, warming a bottle for her to guzzle before returning to sleep. C’est la vie. She is almost 7 months old. I feel like we had a pretty good run.

Most of all I am thrilled to no longer have to pump at work! Oh and I can pick up where I left off with that crystal meth habit. Doh!

It’s funny with baby nicknames- how they form and evolve. Before the baby was before I often referred to her as The Nugget and The Widget. Once she was born these were immediately shortened to “nuggie” and “widgie” and with time underwent further modifications creating such appellations as: nuggetine (Jean Georges ref, yo), Widge, Widgerd, Nuggybear, Widgeridoo, (s)Nugglebird, and The Nug Bug (or just simply ‘The Bug’). It’s interesting too to see which ones resonate with whom. Mike was pretty keen on Nugglebird/Snugglebird, while ‘The Nug Bug’ really caught on with my mom.

When we moved on to nicknames 2.0 (Boobaloo) it quickly expanded to include: Boobaloo shoes, boodaboo, Boogaloo, Bugaloo (from Sid & Marty Krofft’s show of the same name) and resting most popularly on: ‘Bulu’ (me) and ‘Boobles’ (Mike).

I will say that we DO actually call her by her real name with enough frequency that she actually recognizes it and will turn around when called. Many times during her thrice-daily dining experiences I can be heard repeating “Virginia Grey, look at me” or “Miss Virginia! Open your mouth please.”

She is just too cute for one nickname- what can I say?

Nothing more, clearly. Wait- how about some facts…

At her 6 month check-up the bug weighed 21.1 lbs, measured 28.5 inches and was given the okay to start yogurt, water, and juice! She also got two ow-ees in one leg and one ow-ee (H1N1) in the other.

I had originally thought I was not going to do the swine flu vaccine but my doc persuaded me- as I had not factored in the international air travel we would be doing. He said he had not seen any negative reactions to the vaccine but that he HAD seen swine flu in kids and wouldn’t recommend it. So I relented. As with everything, she took it like a pro. No adverse reactions to any of her shots other than some mild muscle soreness 2 days later.

Okay- now you’re almost all caught up. I will try and be more regular with updates now that the “holidays” (of which I celebrate exactly ONE) are over!

The nug bug wishes you a very green Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Virginia’s got a whole routine now.

Still no teeth though.

Is it bad to admit that I think this product sounds amazing?

Litmus strips to see if your newly ready-to-party self is still ready-to-nurse when the party is over.

Milkscreen is…

Quick and easy to use

Pediatrician & Lactation Consultant recommended

Helps avoid “pumping and dumping”

Available here.

What are the chances?

Macy’s is doing this promo today in conjunction with that CBS children’s holiday thing, ‘Yes, Virginia.’ All girls named Virginia can come in to receive a $10 gift card.

I may try to swing by but, well, I don’t carry her birth certificate around and it’s negative 3 million degrees out.

never to take fertility drugs.

Overview

Nope, it’s not a typo. It’s two Double-Decker Cribs side by side. You get four cribs in all. Each features wooden rails that slide up and down in a groove, as well as a metal latch to lock the rails in place. Purchase the optional crib drawers for extra storage space under the cribs.
Features:

Space-saving

Four sleeping areas for infants, each with 3″ thick vinyl-covered foam mattresses

Wooden rails that slide up and down in a groove

Metal latch to lock the rails in place

Optional storage drawers attach beneath cribs

Optional storage drawers are constructed of birch wood with high quality drawer slides

Optional storage drawers are ready-to-assemble

Double Double-Decker Crib dimensions: 71″ H x 76″ W x 26″ D

This Crib is approved for use in the United States.

It’s kinda cute? But it’s also very Pound Puppies.

Anybody that has a baby knows about the maelstrom of shit – literal and figurative that comes with baby ownership. I can’t tell you what to do with the former (um. get rid of it. quickly?) but the latter, aka the bouncy seats, car seats, umbrella strollers and never ending parade of clothes, jackets, booties, shoes, and snowsuits… well you should drop them off at Baby Buggy so they can live again, on another baby!

Baby Buggy is a non-profit founded in 2001 by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry’s wife) and has delivered over 3.5 million baby items to families in need through over 50 qualified social service partners. They’ve got a great volunteer network and accept donations at their loft in midtown. Check out the list of items they accept to make sure what you’ve got qualifies.

Then, arrange a drop off!

From their site:
We are located at 306 West 37th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue on the 8th Floor. You can come to our loft or we can meet you downstairs at our freight entrance on 37th Street. We are here Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If you are interested in dropping off, we ask that you call us at 212-736-1777 to schedule an appointment. Since we are a small staff, we want to make sure there is someone here to assist you.

So there you go! A place for your … you know.

Okay. We need to stop the madness. That baby is a thrashing, scratching, wiggling ball of needs and desires with legs! She needs her own crib YESTERDAY! If you were to ask, “How many times did she wake up last night?” I wouldn’t even be able to tell you. What is a time? What is a protracted inability for either of us to fall asleep? What is sleep? What wha whhaaa (zzzzzzz) …??

The fabric finally came for her bedding so it’s time to straddle the ambition bull and test my sewing skills!

That’s the crib I will be ordering in the next 10 minutes. It’s cheap in case she hates it, which I hope she doesn’t since mama and papa need some BLOODY REST!! I mean, to be fair, we’re clearly disturbing her sleep with our giant lumbering bodies as much as she is disturbing ours. A queen sized bed just isn’t made for 3.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

In other news: tomorrow the widgie is SIX MONTHS OLD!! A half year with Virginia! Wouldn’t trade a day of it. She is like watching one of those time-lapse movies of a strawberry going from tiny green bud to plump, juicy red berry but in human genius form. It’s so cool to watch a baby put all the pieces of the puzzle together right before your eyes. Wow. More on that later.

Move over Marc Jacobs mouse shoes…