Question the Wisdom
Posts tagged Boss
Some people don’t adjust well after returning from a vacation. And by some people, I mean The Boss. She was a hot cranky mess during our first few days back in New York, constantly whining about nothing in particular. I’d run through her usual reasons for fussing—hunger, teething pain, exhaustion, a soiled diaper. Still, nothing remedied her irritability.
After one week, I figured out what she needed: decaf.
Power lunch
At Grandma’s insistence, The Boss had her first taste of solid food today—organic brown rice cereal in breast milk. Watching her slurp gruel from a rubber-tipped spoon was bittersweet, as reaching this milestone meant my precious baby was one step closer to becoming an adult.
I don’t know how Gertrude and Gloria will take the news.
One more disadvantage to co-sleeping with The Boss: she monopolizes every square inch of the bed. It’s an acceptible hazard for a twin-sized mattress, total humiliation when it’s a California king.
The Boss took her first subway ride into Manhattan on Saturday. The ride went well, but getting her stroller to and from the subterranean platform was a bitch. Elevators in this subway system are rare, and the cabs are slow, cramped and reek of urine. It was quicker (though not easier) to carry her and her stroller down the stairs.
Night shift
I was supposed to spend last night (and early this morning) writing an essay for a prospective employer. Instead, I spent last night (and early this morning) tending to a teething Boss.
That “mom sleeps when the baby sleeps” mantra is bullshit. It doesn’t take into account that the only way baby sleeps is when mom carries her in a darkened room, dancing and swaying to no music. It also doesn’t consider insomniacs who do their best writing when the rest of the world sleeps.
By the way, that essay was eventually written sometime before noon today, tapped out on my cell phone as I pranced around the apartment with a napping Boss strapped to my chest.
I’ve been tracking The Boss’s habits — when she sleeps, when she eats, when she plays — to get a better picture of my parenting skills. So far, she’s getting enough sleep, and last week’s visit with the pediatrician confirmed that she’s getting enough to eat. I’ll take that “parent of the year” award now.
Here’s the key to the chart’s abbreviations: “F” represents 10 minutes of feeding, with an asterisk denoting an untimed feeding in bed. “S” is for sleep; “A” means The Boss is awake and active, and “Ch” means she’s in chill mode. The Greek symbol delta means a nappy change, with the number two denoting a bowel movement. An up arrow indicates a spit-up.
Health benefits
The Boss received her dental coverage card from our health insurance provider today. That should come in handy once she has teeth.
Reboot
The Boss has been running the show for the last three months, and so far so good. She expects a lot from me and Ron and has us hustling 24 hours a day. But our sweat and tears are rewarded with big smiles and adorable coos.
And now that we’ve gone through this orientation period, it may be time for me to return to some of my pre-pregnancy projects. I want to write again. I need to write again.
But I must pace myself. I must remember that I’m no longer self employed, that I answer to a new Boss.
