Anatomy of a Night with Guppy

[ellenmillion]

7 PM: NOT sleepy.

8 PM: Nursing. NOT sleepy.

9 PM: Fussy fit with fists in mouth. You aren't hungry yet, baby girl... you just ate! Oh, you really ARE hungry. Okay... Nursing. Down to sleep. (Yes!)

9:15 PM: Mom gets to go to sleep. (Double Yes!)

11:30 PM: 'Eh! Eh!' New diaper. Nursing.

12:30 AM: Mom gets back to sleep.

2:15 AM: 'Eh!' New diaper. Nursing. I inform her that if this is a growth spurt, it's supposed to be a temporary thing, but this has been going on like this since Sunday night. She yawns.

2:45 AM: Back to sle--

2:46 AM: Loud gross diaper noises mean we're up for a new diaper.

2:55 AM: Back to sleep.

4 AM: Diaper change - Guppy has peed through her diaper, so this means a full bedding change... and she throws up on her new outfit as I'm changing her, so there's a third outfit. While I'm changing her, she decides to contribute some more, so we change the diaper again. By this point, she's wide awake and hungry, so we nurse. I point out that I could get a lovely few hours of sleep before morning things happen if she decides to let me, and wouldn't that be great for everyone? She agrees, but there are no witnesses.

4:30 AM: Back to sleep.

5 AM: Another diaper, are you serious? Yes, she is. Though it was contained this time (I suspect it would not have been, with the Pampers). I point out to her that the average baby is supposed to go through 8 and 12 diapers in a whole day. She is unimpressed.

5:10 AM: Back to sleep.

6 AM: She says 'eh!' I say 'uuuuuuhhhhh'. She insists. We change the diaper... and while I'm switching between them, she decides it's a perfect time to peeeeeeee, so we get to switch outfits and bedding again. While I'm changing out the bed and she's strapped on the changing pad, we get more gross diaper noises and get to change the diaper AGAIN.

6:40 AM: Have laid down to sleep, but hear noises of husband waking up next door. Take baby in to him for cuddles. Steal cuddles for myself. Husband has to get up and start his day, Guppy begins fuss-engine. Nursing. I remind her that the paperwork we got from the clinic says that by 3 months, she should only be nursing 4-5 times a day. She smiles hugely at me.

7:20 AM: Back down to sleep. Please, sleep. Need SLEEP. Starting to hallucinate about diapers.

8:20 AM: 'Eh!' Diaper change. Throws up on outfit. Another new outfit. Looks incredibly cute. WIDE AWAKE. Mom cries a little, then goes and makes bread.

Oo... she's snoozing, I'm going to try another nap. Have 2.5 photos that remind me why she hasn't been left outside for the wolves to raise yet:

Comments

[jenny_evergreen]

Aw. You are WAY nicer than me. I always wiped the kid off and let his outfit air dry. He got one outfit per day unless he had a poop leak or a really BAD pee leak.
And I left those diapers on till they were FULL.
Also, both my kids ate like champs, which means all the time and hugely. The brochures TOTALLY lie.
Absolutely love the 2 seconds apart shot.

Eventually, eventually, she will slow down. It's only temporary. I promise!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

This is why they were made cute, indeed. :)

[raventhourne.livejournal.com]

That is a lot of diapers and spit up for one little girl. Did you eat anything odd lately? That can affect the diapers and the feeding etc.

Boy, she is awfully cute!

Sleep when you can...it will get better.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's being mom to a baby. You really don't get much time to think/sleep/breathe. :,

I was grateful that bottles allowed me to offload feeding to other people while I got some extra sleep. While I didn't breastfeed, I know friends who expressed into bottles for that purpose. -_-

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

My children lived in onesies and blanket sleepers for a LONG time. Makes changing clothes much simpler.

Might I suggest you get a chair that you can sleep in? It won't hurt either of you if both of you fall asleep while she's nursing.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

oh, sweetheart, growth spurts last weeks, not days. at least in my experience. :) Also Henry was nursing 6-8 times a day at 3 months; 4 is unrealistic for someone that little, I think. Their tummies are too small to hold much milk.

She really is tremendously cute. :)

[jenny heidewald (from livejournal.com)]

OMG! The way you wrote this makes it totally hilarious, except, you poor thing, no sleep?! *HUGS*

I betcha she didn't know that your camera was so fast, to catch her Sweet Innocent look that changed into the Evil Plotting look. "I Will take over the world!!!! Starting with Mommy and Daddy's world!" :D

[snippetchick.livejournal.com]

I really love reading about your life with guppy :)

[phoenixelement3.livejournal.com]

Poor exhausted Ellen. *hug* She IS excruciatingly adorable though. It must be a natural defense mechanism babies have to force moms to keep them against all reason. ;)

I also love your adorable photos and tales from the warfront. :3 Your Elsa entries are always enjoyable because of your natural and lighthearted storytelling style. The new-mom journals that turn me off resemble data logs (how many mL they pumped, how many mL baby ate, how many times a day, every single day) rather than anecdotes. Your guppy updates are too cute and too fun (and okay, gross poopy diapers, but we like gross stories too). :3 And even when you're writing an entry about how exhausted you are, you sound so loving and optimistic <3

[rix_scaedu]

Hang in there, it does get better. Mind you, I did find out I'd been sleep walking one night when he was very small because of where I'd left my glasses...

[pixiewildflower.livejournal.com]

So cute pics!

[pseudopagan.livejournal.com]

Dear god. I think I'd leave MYSELF out for the wolves.

[amchristian.livejournal.com]

I love reading about your journey as well. <3