Updates from sleep-deprivation land

Hello! This will probably not be very aesthetically thought-out, but rather more of a ramble, as that's all I'm capable of these days. I am sleep-deprived, and I feel cranky a portion of the time, though surprisingly happy another portion. What makes me cranky: well, a lot of it is the fact that there are milk stains on my sheets and on a lot of my clothing, and we generate an astonishingly large volume of dirty laundry. I feel...bovine and milky. And there are just some moments when despair sets in-- say, when I've just put Daisy on the changing table and removed her diaper and she explosive-diarrheas at me. And it's four in the morning.

But I have also had some truly joyful times. Never in my life has taking a walk been so fun, nor have I felt so appreciative of whatever destination I end up at. Going to the grocery store feels like a million bucks, I tell ya. And she's cute, and is starting to be more alert and look at me and do smiling-like things with her facial muscles.

Oh, and I figured out a great trick for bath time so she doesn't cry. Not only has she not cried during the last two baths, but she actually looked like she was sort of enjoying them. The trick was not to start by washing her hair. I was shampooing her hair first, which plunged her into instant distress and doomed the rest of the bath to screaming failure. I now realize that the wet head is the worst part of the whole experience for the baby, so the key is to wash the rest of her, leaving her head dry, then towel her off and wash her hair while she's dry. This has worked beautifully.

Anyway...I can't believe I am now blogging about baby bath techniques. It's no use pretending that I still have the same range and diversity of thoughts that I used to have. The brain is working very slowly these days. It's a good thing my mother listens incessantly to Air America so I know something about what's happening in the world (though, to be totally honest, I occasionally tire of Randy Rhodes...in general I applaud her).

A final comment for today: this baby farts so loudly it's mind-blowing. You would not think someone so small could fart like that. And she spits up--big volumes of milk. She is such an amazing collection of bodily functions. It must be hard for her, too, to feel so beholden to these functions. She is vulnerable and depends on me, which makes me feel moved. Tomorrow is her three-week birthday.

(Apologies for the red-eye on the Daisy pic.)