I always hated forking out the cash to buy textbooks in college. The whole selling them back thing was such a rip off and lets face it, most of the classes never required opening the textbooks at all.
I'm now kinda wishing I had a textbook. Hundred bucks, sure, anything to tell me that I'm doing something right here. Babies. ugh.
I've read about a hundred books on adoption, attachment, sensory disorders, racial issues, you name it I've got it stored, hopefully for future reference in my brain. Add on all the baby books about pooping, sleeping, and eating that I read to prepare for Miley and you'd think I'd have a tenuous handle on things. Except that, Miley was a textbook baby. I could read the next chapter and say, check, check, check. That kid loved her a good schedule. Jovey is not textbook. She is the furthest thing from it.
It's weird jumping into baby stuff again, but not from the beginning, from a middle place without much knowledge of what her beginning looked like or felt like. I don't know how often she was fed, or how, when, or where. I don't know what her schedule was like or what calmed her. We're shooting from the hip here. I'm usually a pretty good aim, but this has me a bit rattled. Where is my dang textbook.
Side note: Miley's been saying 'dang old' a lot recently. I don't know where she got it from.
How much should an 8 month old eat? I had to look that up. My baby has some weight to her, does that mean she's been fed too much. I'm sure of that part, since she wants a bottle any time she feels the slightest bit upset. That's been fun to try and break.
How much should she sleep? Should I try to train her to sleep through the night? Too many questions. We survived the jet lag portion of this adventure, finally. We can't do the cry it out thing, that would be harmful to a baby who has trust issues. She is waking up with less panic attacks than before. We must be doing something right.
Dave's all, 'it's all ok, we're figuring it out as we go.' I'm not as easy going as that. I'm sure you are surprised by that. ;) Seriously, textbook where are you?! I threw the other ones away, they no longer apply to my family.
I'm going to channel Dave's laid-back-California attitude for awhile since the book store has totally let me down here. Thankfully he's around for awhile more to help me keep it up.
I always have to put a caveat on my complaining. . . don't get me wrong I'm happy and feeling so lucky.
Seriously, may be the most grateful person in the world for my kids. People don't like to hear adoptive parents complain, so I hesitate to do it. Obviously not enough to stop myself from putting it on the internet. ;)
Someone actually said to me about my kids, '
beggars can't be choosers.' Yep, people are awesome. I actually don't remember who said that, so if it was you and you're reading this right now just know that I don't hold grudges which is why I can't remember who said it, but it was SOOOOO
rude and so the comment stuck with me. Don't say it again. Ever.
Sorry for throwing you under the anonymous, but still painful, bus. Well a little sorry, maybe. ;)
If I didn't have complaining, my blog may be a bit of a ghost town. ;)
