All I Need to Survive

Here’s what I’ve found out about myself since becoming a mommy: I can manage without sleep, without a shower, without a heater, and without going outside for days on end–BUT if my baby is unhappy for too long or my coffee maker stops working I will probably flip out.

1. Harvey Karp’s The Happiest Baby on the Block was a lifesaver for me once Aisland entered Fussy For No Reason Land.  I was already instinctively doing the 5 “S’s”  Karp recommends to calm her but there are lots of little tips the book has given me that has made THAT TIME OF DAY much, much easier.

2. My beloved Aveeno Ultra-Calming Moisturizer is the only constant in my life. I don’t know how long my baby will sleep or when I’ll get a chance to shower, but I know that everyday I can go into my bathroom and the best moisturizer in the world will be there to freshen my face and help me feel less drabby.

3. The other day the coffee maker had issues and my Dunkin’ Donuts Hazelnut Blend was ruined halfway through brewing.  I Charlie Brown-walked back to the living room and pouted. Joshua fixed the coffee maker as soon as he woke up but I still so traumatized I refused to drink coffee for about, oh um, 2 days. Going without the DD didn’t last long but now I treat the coffee maker like it’s my other child.

So yeah, I’m one of those people who say, “Oh la-tee-da I never wanted kids. But then I had little Madison Ann Marie and I can’t imagine my life without her!” That is so true, Yo. Aisland turns 1 month this week and she is the shit and she knows it. There is a very good reason her father and I nicknamed her Henry (as in: King Henry VIII). She’s a little porker and she’s loud and demanding and gives people looks like she wants to behead them. She is definitely our daughter! Having a child has made me smarter, and not just because I google every mini-issue that comes up. I’ve learned to be more communicative, instinctive, practical, and logical. 30 days into motherhood I’m doing swell, but ask me again when she becomes a toddler or even worse, a tween, OH NOOOO.