(no subject)

I am playing with okcupid just for the heck of it, and am amused to discover that I know (or know of, anyways) many of my local "matches" already.

If I extend the search to 100 miles, I only have to go down 5 matches before I hit someone I know of. That I know I know of, anyways.

The interesting part of all this is that these are people I know/know of from different contexts.

I actually do have substance to post at some point. Or rather, 789435365 disconnected thoughts that are a little more relevant to my life than okcupid matches. Just have to actually write it.

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Originally uploaded by harperfamily.

I've uploaded more pictures of Astrid and Leif. Yay!

As previously mentioned, 789435365 disconnected thoughts

Leif decided, entirely on his own initiative, to learn to write letters and numbers. He also started drawing figures that are more recognizably human.

Today he made a toy/book/animal store that he was incredibly proud of. This involved taking every single toy and book he owns and piling them on the bed. He owns a lot less toys than most kids, but it still took forever to clean up.

Astrid eats and sleeps a lot. It feels almost like she sleeps too much, but she does have alert periods, and she seems to be eating enough, so I suppose I shouldn't worry.

I realized I can barely remember what it was like when Leif was a newborn. koyote says Astrid's personality is already very different from Leif's. I seriously can't remember enough to say.

I do know it's a lot easier this time. Constant nursing feels like a nice excuse to sit around being lazy, rather than hell on earth.

Breastfeeding has been easier, and she likes the sling better. Leif wasn't willing to be in it unless I was actively moving (even washing dishes wasn't enough). She's ok in it most of the time, even if I'm sitting still. This is a good trait for a second baby.

Cloth diapering rocks during the stage when they poop approximately every 15 seconds. One day she pooped for the 3759872218701th time, and koyote and I looked at eachother and simultaneously said something along the lines of "Thank God for cloth diapers".

She seems to be moving past the pooping every 15 seconds stage already. My big girl, growing up so fast.

I think the two fleece fitted diapers (in other words, the diapers that stay reasonably dryish overnight) are actually preemie size, as I can barely get them fastened at this point. I may have to go back to disposables at night until I can get something else.

My cousin also sent an All In One diaper that I'm afraid of. It's so unused and cute and all, and AIO diapers are notoriously hard to maintain (the absorbant part and waterproof part need pretty much opposite types of care, which can't be done, since they're sewn together and all). I'm wondering if I should just sell the thing and buy something I'll actually use instead.

( Don't read if you're still pregnant )

I didn't nap today for the first time in a long time, and I'm not particularly feeling the lack. Not feeling it yet, anyways. I suppose I will in the morning, especially if I keep writing this post.

We have to be out of the house by about 10:00 tomorrow if I want to go to LLL and show off tiny baby. This is the earliest we've needed to be out of the house since she was born. We're often not actually out of bed at that point.

For the first six weeks or so after Leif was born, I slept this really amazing deep dreamless sleep whenever I actually got the chance to sleep. That hasn't happened this time. I'm not sure if this is good or bad.

I'm having incredibly idiotic crunchy-angst for having had a hospital birth, which I realize is incredibly stupid. I'm quite certain it was the best choice given the circumstances, and it was an amazing birth, and overall I have no complaints (um, except about the hellish IV). But a hospital birth is like -123567724399 mommy scene points, you know? Right up there with feeding Diet Coke to a 2 month old.

I wonder a bit if we named Astrid the wrong name. We'd had another name picked since before Leif was born, and I've thought of Hypothetical Girl Child by that name for so long that I still think of her as that when I'm not paying attention. But I thought Astrid seemed right, and so does koyote.

My hair does not seem happy. I originally thought it might be the conditioner, as I got a bottle of a different brand than normal last time, and I've not been terribly happy with it. But I think it's just hormone changes, as now my face has started to break out, too. Bah.

Maybe I'm complaining a lot, but overall I'm the happiest I've been in a long time, and most of the non-happy is about things unrelated to being a mom. I had pretty bad postpartum depression last time. Like understanding where Andrea Yates was coming from bad. I'm glad that's not the case so far this time. I kind of figured it was just my lot in life, since depression and hormonal upheaval seem to go together for me. But maybe it was the circumstances (having just moved across country, and not really knowing anyone or having any support, somewhat unpleasant birth and hospital stay) more than the hormones.

In the hospital, they give you a squirt bottle to clean yourself with after using the bathroom, as it tends to be rather sore and all. The day we were leaving, Leif found mine, and decided that, being a bottle, it was obviously intended for the baby to drink from. Damn the ubiquitousness of bottlefeeding in the media! (No, he did not actually succeed in feeding her from the peri-bottle. She has had nothing but boob juice pass her lips. Um, except for the grape that Leif tried to feed her. And the piece of kettle corn. He sure knows how to pick the choking hazards.)