Singing the Blues

Okay, so yesterday was a tough one. Wesley hit on an all-day fussing, don't-want-to-sleep binge. I now know what complete helplessness feels like because nothing I did made a difference, other than feeding him; however, since I am breast-feeding, that got a little tiring after about the sixth hour of having him attached (literally) to me. I did everything I could think of - I walked him, I rocked him, I talked to him, I sang to him (although with my voice, that was probably more discomforting than comforting, but whatever!). I took him outside, I put him in his swing (which, normally, he loves), I tried to let him play on his playmat. I swaddled him, I unswaddled him. And, of course, I fed and changed him.
The problem with the feeding was that he wasn't eating. He was more comfort sucking, which is probably why it got so tiring. A paci would not do nor would my finger, which he will take if he's calm. Now he might have had a tummy upset because he spit up three times. Then again, he might have just been uncomfortable in some other way. Regardless, by 3:00, this mama was pooped and frustrated and in tears. I actually called Charlie to come home, even though he still had track practice. Wonderful husband that he is, he was home by 3:45 and took my now calm baby (because Daddy was home and apparently that was what he wanted . . . at least for that ten minutes!) off my hands for the rest of the afternoon.

This did not stop Wesley's fussiness, however. Although he seemed comforted by Daddy more than Mama last night, he still acted as though something was wrong though he wouldn't eat or sleep or let himself be comforted with the normal routines. What worried me the most was that he would not go to sleep. One look at his sweet little face and it was clearly evident that he was exhausted. I figured I had just joined the ranks of all mothers out there faced with this dilemma: How do you get a sleepy baby to go to sleep when he is fighting it every step of the way? I still don't know.
The good news is that at about 8:15 last night, Wesley finally met with the Sandman and drifted off to dreamland. He slept through the night, only waking up once to eat, and eat he did. I figured that might be another part of his problem - that he was hungry but just wouldn't eat during the day. Maybe the heat had something to do with it; I don't know. What I do know is this morning has been much calmer for both baby and mama. I've got my fingers crossed that yesterday was a fluke (at least for the next few days).
Serenity is good.

Top 5 Happy Sounds

1. A baby's babble - Wesley is working on becoming as big a talker as his mama and daddy (God, help him!). This is a guaranteed picker-upper on a bad day.

2. A baby's almost laugh - Wesley has this down to a tee. His whole face lights up, and his grin is so huge you feel like a downright grump if you don't smile, too. His almost laugh ends up coming out a coo, which is just as perfect as that soon to be laugh.

3. A baby's cry - as ironic as it seems, this really is one of the sweetest sounds on Earth.

4. "Congratulations on the publication of your first book." This one is self-explanatory.

5. "Congratulations! You just won the lottery!" (Okay, so this is a pipe-dream, which is why it's last on the list, but one can dream!)

Over the Moon

There is nothing in the world that can compare to the smile on a baby's face. Wesley has the type of smile that lights up his whole face. He looks like he is trying so hard to laugh, like someone is tickling him everywhere. Combine that adorable smile with the coos and you've got a recipe for priceless art.
As I sit here at almost four o'clock in the morning, waiting for him to fall back asleep, I can't help but think that as wonderful as having my first book published is, what is making me smile the most these days is my son. He just laid on his changing table for over 15 minutes smiling, (almost) laughing, and talking to me in that sweet baby way, and this is what I will take to bed with me (whenever I go). He has also begun to discover his hands and how much fun it can be to chew on them. The coordination still isn't quite there well enough for the hands to stay in his mouth, but he is definitely starting to figure out a connection between the two. So between hand chewing and baby cooing, the last hour has been like a trip over the moon - priceless and worth every second of lost sleep.

Bottle Steps

Today we tried the bottle. This was not the first time we had tried to introduce an alternate form of feeding. Previously, such an effort had been met with loud protest (babies can be quite adamant when protesting). No way, no how is what he seemed to be saying, and he stuck to that frame of mind for 2 1/2 weeks.
However, tonight we switched tactics and used a nipple that resembles, well, a nipple. This strategy came courtesy of my sister, and it seemed to produce some success. At first, Wesley was still full of indignation that anything synthetic should pass his lips; but once he realized that what was coming from this nipple was the same stuff he got from his mama, he was willing to give a timid suck, then a more vigorous one. I would call this introductory meeting a success, so thanks, Kat, for the advice.
At the last breast feeding, however, Wesley not only latched on with his mouth but also his hands, as if to say there was nothing better than the real thing, and he was going to make sure the real thing didn't get away again. I tried to reassure him we would start slow, one bottle feeding a day, if possible, and work our way up from there. I'm not sure he bought it. But like they say, when approaching a new and unfamiliar task, 'tis best to start with baby steps . . . or, in this case, bottle steps.

Critic's Choice

They say everyone is a critic, and right now that is fine by me. Someone just posted a review of The Secret Keeper (my first one ever!) and he had only positive things to say! Yay! If you are not sure if you want to read the book, check it out on B&N. I am going to give a shout out to arthurrosewood, who wrote the review. You rock, arthur!
My head is really just reeling. First, I have a baby (the most precious little boy in the world) and then I get published and now I have a review (plus the weather is finally starting to turn more springlike). Really, someone tell me - what's a girl to do?

Top 5 Ways to View Clouds

1. From an airplane flying at 30,000 feet - this is the most awesome viewpoint because one is on top of the clouds, which is a whole other sightseeing experience altogether

2. From the roof of one's house - this not only puts one in contact with the air and sun but also allows for one of the closest vantage points to the clouds

3. From under a tree - this allows for a complete bonding experience with nature and a crystal clear view of the clouds

4. From the window of a moving car - after a while, it becomes hard to tell which is moving, the car or the clouds

5. From the bedroom window - this does limit the scope of what is seen to just what passes in front of the window, but when the clouds are on the move, it's a pretty cool picture

For more on the magic of clouds, check out my book The Secret Keeper by clicking on the link listed

The Secret Keeper

Okay, so I'm on a natural high right now. I just published my first book! This has been a long wished for dream. I've been writing steadily since the summer before my eighth grade year (and yes, that's a looonnnggg time). Cassia, one of the protagonists in my book, has been with me since eighth grade science class; at that time, I was more concerned with outlining (such as it was) Cassia's adventures than learning the element symbols. Needless to say, she has been through the ringer as far as revisions go, and now she has joined the masses in the world of books!
A little info about the book: It's considered juvenile fantasy fiction, although I think it's comparable to Harry Potter and Twilight (at least, that's what I was going for). It is the first book in a series of four. It was published by Wheatmark, so if you click on the link, it will take you to the Wheatmark home page; click on bookstore, type in the title, and it will be the fourth title on the page. I'm published under Elizabeth Carroll, so if you're looking for good ol' Beth, you may miss it. The book is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Since Amazon offers the review section, please feel free to don the hat of critic. Also, please post your comments and questions here on the blog. Since there are three more books planned in this series, such comments and questions can only be useful. The second book is already underway (such as it can be with a 5 1/2 week old!).
I feel giddy; in the last 16 months, I have become a wife, a mother, and now a published author. I'm just not sure life gets any better than this! And just in case you've always wondered, the answer is yes - when you wish upon a star, dreams really do come true!

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Son

Sleep whenever you are tired!
Lesson #3 sounds like a "duuuuhhh" statement. I mean, Wesley seems to have no problem hitting the zzzzz's whenever fatigue strikes. And it is the advice the doctors give new moms when we leave the hospital (the actual advice is sleep when the baby sleeps). However . . .
Exhaustion seems to be part of the definiton of "new mom." Sleeping whenever I am tired just doesn't seem to work out very well. And sleeping when the baby sleeps seems like sound advice, except that because I'm usually wide awake when Wesley falls asleep, by the time I get to sleep, he's waking up for a diaper change and food! Nighttime has become my favorite time; ironically, I am, by nature, a night owl. However, now I look forward to darkening skies because it means Wesley will sleep for at least four hours at a stretch, so I'm guaranteed at least three hours in Dreamland.
Except for those nights when he decides that 4:30 a.m. is a good time to be wide awake . . .

Top 5 Annoyances of the Day

1. a leaky litterbox - 2 days in a row now, the so-called Cat-Genie has sprung a leak all over the porch floor. Nothing like cleaning up dirty water 2 days in a row with every single towel in the house.

2. washing clothes 2 days in a row - see number 1 for more details

3. having half my blog disappear before I posted - granted, I probably hit some random button; however, after I had been typing for over an hour, this just really put the icing on the cake - grrrr!

4. having the same unknown person with the same unknown number call a dozen (yes, I've counted!) times a day - whoever you are (can you say "solicitor"?), stop calling, or else, get a listed number!

5. cold, windy, gray, rainy days - I'm done. I shan't complain one bit about the temperatures this summer - bring on the heat and humidity!

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Son

Observe the world with the bright-eyed intensity of a one-month old baby!
That's the second lesson my baby has taught me. Wesley is just beginning to truly focus on objects, particularly those in his nursery. This morning, for example, he stared with great interest at the zebra on the valance hanging over his closet. This zebra has attracted his attention before on the bumper in his crib. However, after his study of the striped animal, which by the way is blue and white in nurseryland, he studied the rest of the valance's creatures, namely a giraffe, a turtle, an elephant, a monkey, and an alligator. These animals seemed to delight him, for he then looked at me and let loose one of those precious open-mouthed grins, as though he was trying to laugh but couldn't quite get it out. (This, of course, refers back to lesson number one - smile!)
Even more noteworthy, Wesley has started to focus on my face, to study it with curiosity, as if to say, "Who is this crazy woman making these goofy faces at me?" And yet, I still the same grin given to the zebra! Now how is that for a memory maker?

Everything I Need to Know I Learned From My Son

Smile!
That's lesson number one, and oh, boy! is it so easy to do with little Wesley! He turned four weeks old today, and he is beginning to smile that adorable little baby smile whenever I talk to him. I love how he will grin open-mouthed, then revert to a wide-eyed "what-just-happened?" look. Babies have such an amazing ability to make even the most blah of days sunny. It reminds me of the lyric in "You Are My Sunshine": "You make me happy when skies are gray." Wesley does that for me, and boy, oh boy! can we talk about some gray skies? In the literal sense, these last two months (Feb. and Mar.) have sucked! Wind, rain, cold, and gray. March hasn't been that bad since my little fella's arrival, but we could all do with some warm spring sunshine.

In the meantime, I'll continue to get my smiles from Wesley. I should follow his lead and find the simple joy in the sound of a familiar voice; after all, isn't sunshine the essence of our hearts where our loved ones are concerned?