Wednesday, August 6, 2003

How do people do this?

How can fewer than three people take care of one kid. Let alone more? I know a girl with three kids. And a single husband. And two jobs. Let alone the single mothers. My sister is one of them. She raised two wonderful kids. And she works 24/7. I just do not understand how that can be done.

We are working round the clock over here. My wife, her mother, and myself. Granted, things have been somewhat abnormal, with my wife recovering from our harrowing experience. But still.

Three persons per kids. Fulltime. That's got to be the minimum. Right?

Tuesday, August 5, 2003

Everything about this baby business is completely insane. Out of this world.

First, that you can actually just decide one day to produce another human being. I mean, there can't be anything more fantastic and unreal than that right there. "Hmm... Should I bake some cookies, or just make a kid?"

Then, you grow that new person inside you. For months. Just merrily walking around. La-di-da. With another individual living in your belly!

Now you would think that once your daughter is born, things would return to normal, barring any post-partum complications. But oh, no. Things just keep getting more surreal. Not only does your wife fall in love with another girl. Someone that just somehow automatically moved into your bedroom one day. On top of that, you're just fine with that. Suddenly, sharing your wife's love with another person is just dandy. You're even happy yourself that your wife is in love with this stranger. And then you become infatuated with her, too!

Then, the new girl starts growing. And growing. And growing and growing and growing. She adds 10% to her length in two weeks. And you delight in every new chin and skinfold she adds on. You start feeling like the witch in Hänsel und Gretel, cheering on your offspring on her way to becoming the Michelin man, or baby.

And then it's the every day insanity. For example breast-pumping. Your wife can actually be sitting in a chair, merrily reading a book, while a machine, attached to her breast, pumps ounces of milk out of her and into a bottle! You suddenly realize why the kid is growing so fast. It may not sound weird, but holding a full bottle of your wife's milk in your hand...

I'm telling you. Insanity!

Sunday, August 3, 2003

Tomorrow, I'm buying a breast pump. Nature may have wanted my wife to continue waking up every three hours around the clock for months to come, but I'm putting my foot down. Now.

Hi. My wife is a sleep-o-holic. I mean it. She is literally hooked on sleep. The more the better. Although she is always beautiful, she is never more radiant than when she has slept twelve hours the night before. Then again, she can go on for days without getting any real sleep. But that takes it's toll on her. The color drains from her face. The smile fades. Her eyes become distant. Kind of like that night. After her surgery...

Anyways. I will buy a breast-pump tomorrow, and by week's end, we'll hopefully have enough milk to be able to send her off to the spare bedroom for a full, loooong, good night's sleep.

It will be a dream.