Why I'm happy

Last night, Bean celebrated his one month birthday by partying well into the wee hours of the morning. (And by "partying," I mean constant eating and pooping from about 1 am to 4 am. He was nice enough to include me and DH in all the festivities.) But as an overall trend, we are having more good days and nights with the little guy than we were before. Two nights in a row, he woke up only briefly for a meal then went right back to sleep. And the breastfeeding is going better (not well, but better). We are participating in a mommy/baby class at the birthing center, which is fun, and we have gotten in a lot of quality cuddle time. It's amazing how much my mood is tied to what sort of day Bean is having; all the sunshine in the world can't brighten a day with whiny Bean, but the rain is beautiful and refreshing if I'm hanging out with content Bean. Despite a tough night last night, I'm still having a great weekend. Here's what's been going on.

Free Movies. We decided to sign up for Netflix last week. I don't know why we didn't join sooner! What an amazing concept. Movies we like show up in our mailbox out of nowhere, we watch them, and we send them back... all for free! (Okay, not technically free. But $9 a month on the credit card is minimal and far removed from the actual process of picking and watching the movies, so I consider it free.) Our first one came on Friday: A Bee Movie. It was about as good as I expected -- and I didn't expect much -- but as I told DH, I was more excited to mail it back and have another one magically appear a few days later than I was to actually watch the movie. And since it's all free (not really), I'm taking the opportunity to pick random DVDs that I always wanted to watch but never wanted to pay for. Like the Twin Peaks television series. Did you know it was filmed just outside of Seattle? Perfect entertainment for when I'm glued to the glider-rocker with my hungry little muncher. And even though it's not costing me a dime (not true), Netflix is taking the time to learn what movies I like and don't like, and it makes suggestions appropriately. How thoughtful! Now that my world revolves around what Bean needs, it's nice to have someone else taking a genuine interest in me. I can't wait to find out what I chose to show up next!

I Wear my Baby. One of Bean's most endearing, exhausting qualities is that he always wants to be held. I can't blame him, I like being near the kitchen myself (never know when you'll need a snack). But it's really difficult to do anything with arms full of Bean all day. Even when he's sleeping, putting him in his crib is like dumping a bucket of cold water on his head. So I purchased a Moby wrap, on the advice of my good friend Brooke Shields. LOVE IT! There are a bunch of ways we can wrap it that allow Bean to snuggle up while leaving my hands free for exciting things like, oh I don't know, getting a drink of water. I wrapped him up (see below) and was actually able to eat a hot dinner on Friday night! Other than the piece of avocado that fell on his head, it worked perfectly.

The In-Laws. I am one of those lucky women who has awesome in-laws. (And they don't read this blog, so I don't have to say that. But if someone runs into them, please mention that I did.) My mother-in-law, who churned out homemade dinner after homemade dinner for a family of six, has never criticized my lack of kitchen savvy, nor has she given me any God-awful decorations for the house, like this...

... and then asked where it was when she visited. (Apparently that's what an obnoxious mother-in-law would do. Or so I've learned from sitcoms.) Anyway, my in-laws are coming into town this week to meet their first grandchild. DH will be taking off work and can't wait for the emotional introduction. Personally, I can't wait for the aforementioned homemade meals that his mom will be cooking, and pawning Bean off on some new willing victims. But you can leave that part out when you talk to them.

House Hunters. Someone call Suzanne Whang, DH and I are now actively searching for our next home. We've spent the last five months desensitizing ourselves to the outrageous housing prices out here, and we are finally ready to dive in. Bean will be the only one of us who will be eating (the Breastaurant is always free), but at least we'll be homeowners again. Although it will be a pain the butt to move without any help, we are so excited about the possibility of our very own mountain view. I've been watching hours upon hours of decorating shows in preparation for the new place. Being surrounded by the neutral surfaces of our rental home has been slowly eroding my will to live. And it's about time that Bean had a proper nursery, even though all he does in there at the moment is pee on the walls. Yep, just happened again a minute ago.

Baby Love. Last but not least, my sweet little man makes me one happy momma. I try each day to appreciate him, as I know he won't be this small for much longer. Some days I'm more successful than others, depending on how much sleep I've gotten in the past 24 hours, but I am usually amazed and enamored with my son. He has the cutest smile. He laughs in his sleep. He loves the Boppy pillow. His arms and legs flail around uncontrollably. He wears itty bitty jeans. His hair sticks straight up in the back. He loves cuddling with mommy and daddy. His diapers have Cookie Monster on them. He's got strong lungs (waaaah!). He can't hold his head up. He hiccups all the time. He constantly needs his nails clipped. He makes little baby coos and gurgles. He ignores the dog. He loves looking at the light. He has adorable clothes. His face turns red when he's pooping. He looks like DH. He makes soft snoring noises when he sleeps. He pulls his own hair and cries about it. He has an adorable little mouth with a tiny tongue inside. And he doesn't mind that momma takes a million pictures of him a day.