Never Again

It's Sunday afternoon. We have four diapers left. I am in a race between running out of diapers and making it to Costco before they close to buy more.

The phone rings. I glance at the caller ID and see that it is Brian and answer despite the fact that I am attempting to calm Kyle down with one hand and the other is reaching for the bulk package of diaper wipes.

"Never again" I say when I pick up the phone.

"What?" replies Brian.

"I am never going to Costco again on a Sunday afternoon by myself with a small child and no help!"

"Things aren't going well?" asks Brian as Kyle wails in the background.

"That's putting it mildly," I say. "I've got to go! Love you! Bye!"

My eyes are darting around looking frantically for a place to nurse the baby. I briefly consider the bathroom but I don't want to abandon the shopping cart piled high with necessities such as pre-made meals, label maker tape refills, fudgesicles, and a discount pass for Golfland; You know, the bare necessities. "Could I sit in the middle of an aisle and nurse?" I wonder. I'm not overly modest and I have a "Hooter Hider" with me, but the thought of sitting on concrete while leaning against 50 pound bags of dog food just doesn't sound appealing. Luckily, Kyle quiets down after a couple of minutes once I pick him up in one arm and steer the cart with the other, not an easy thing to do in the middle of rush hour traffic with a cart that has one wonky wheel and a car seat blocking your view.

I manage to pick up the last few things on my list (shampoo, conditioner, B-vitamins), plus a few extras that were purely impulse buys (macadamia nuts and dark chocolate pomegranate candy--though these were now a necessity due to my state of mind). I find a cashier with no line and have someone else unload the cart while I continue to hold the baby.

I survive my trip to Costco, but I will not willingly subject myself to that misery ever again. Oh, and remember those diapers I was there to buy? Apparently size 1 diapers are not sold in bulk, so I didn't even purchase the one thing that was the biggest necessity of all!

No Longer a Lump

I'm happy to report that at just over 6-weeks of age, Kyle is no longer a lump (as one of Brian's friends so lovingly referred to the baby). Kyle is a stereotypical baby in that he actually says, "Ah-goo" in a very quiet voice. He is smiling at us too; real smiles, not just gassy ones. All of this, plus the intense gazes, just make my heart melt.

Kyle continues to sleep a lot, both day and night. Last night I put him down around 11:30 PM. He didn't wake up until nearly 8:30 AM! I was a little worried, but still chose not to wake him up. I don't know if tonight will be as good, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Today Kyle attended his first kids birthday party. He wore a festive Hawaiian shirt to the celebration. He doesn't look so much like David Cook here, now he kind of looks like a drunk movie star, Brian and I are thinking Nick Nolte.

1 Month

Having two kids, you can't help but compare them. My memory of Kiersta during her first month is probably spotty at best, but this is what I remember.

Kiersta was a horrible sleeper, still is. She was awake, alert, and crying much of the time (she had colic). She still cries more than her brother does! As a result of being up so much of the time, Kiersta had a lot more tummy time and her neck muscles were much more developed than Kyle's are at one month. Kiersta was also quite a bit more photogenic than Kyle is, not sure why though.

Kiersta at just over 1-month old

Kyle is a good baby, that's not to say that Kiersta wasn't, but they just have very different temperments (as most siblings do). Kyle tends to sleep away most of the day away and much of the night, too. He wakes up to eat and have his diaper changed. He tends to not cry much. He'll cry for short amounts of time, but once his needs have been met, he stops. Kyle is beginning to be awake for longer amounts of time but he is still not particularly demanding during those times. Kyle is cute (I'm obligated to say that as his mom), but he is not very photogenic. When I try to take his picture, he just looks a bit like David Cook.

Here's Kyle just after a bath

Kyle at one month old looking like David Cook