I'm a Sucker For a Cute Baby

Over the past few weeks I've realized that its a really good thing that the Bink is cute.  Otherwise, I might just have had to return him.

Last week we had grumpy Bink.  He was sleeping decently and only (ha, ha) getting up once or twice a night. But he was just...off.  He screamed.  He cried.  He kicked.  He flailed.  He head butted me in the face and split my lip open.  I'm 95% sure it was an accident, but you never know with these babies...always up to something.  

We finally realized that the problem was that his two little bottom chompers had just poked through the surface.  Once we knew the source of the drama, we orajeled, we tylenoled, we shoved teething rings in his general direction whenever possible.

Then one day he was suddenly in a better mood.  I'm not sure what switch flipped, but all of a sudden we had happy Bink.  However, happy Bink doesn't feel the need for sleep.  We're still playing the "get up to watch the Olympics" game at least four times a night, which is slowly killing me (or at least making me loopy and unproductive with the sleep depravation).

At 5:15 this morning, after getting up at 2:15...and 3:30...and 4, I begged Hubby to take over when Bink decided he was rested and ready to start his day.  I snuck in a half hour more sleep and got ready for work, muttering about making Binky sleep on the roof if he kept this up.  I'm not sure why the roof, it seemed like a fitting punishment.

The Bink must have known he was on thin ice with me.  So in his sneaky baby ways, he waited until I was completely burned out to bring on the cuteness.  As I was dropping him at daycare this morning, he brought out the big guns.

He was sitting on his daycare provider's lap and I kissed him goodbye.  I waved good-bye to him and he said "Mama!" and reached out his arms for me to pick him up.

I guess I won't make him sleep on the roof after all.  I'm such a sucker.

Olympic Dreams

Actually, most of my dreams lately are about the distant possibility of sleeeeeep.  Instead of sleep most of the last week, Bink and I have been watching the Olympics.  Thankfully NBC runs coverage into the wee hours.  I've been able to see some really great moments that I wouldn't have seen if I were busy doing other things (like sleeping, for example).

I have always loved the Olympics, but this one feels particularly special.  I think it's the contrast with the 2008 Summer Olympics.  Besides the obvious Winter-Summer thing, my life has changed SO MUCH since those days.

Living in Maryland, everyone was obsessed with Michael Phelps and the gold medal quest.  Hubby and I stayed up late to watch his races, back when I could do frivolous things, like stay up until midnight on a weeknight (er, any night).

That was also just before we could out that the Bink was on his way.  Hubby and I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months and I remember being so upset in August when I got my period.  And then my whole world changed in September when I didn't.  I tend to mark time in my head as pre-Bink, pregnant with Bink, and post-Bink. 

Now the Olympics are here again and I've got my own little Olympic athlete.  Right now, he's competing in the Pulling Up Using Unstable Objects, Stuffing Puffs In Your Pants, and Crawling Over Hurdles events.  And he's kicking the rest of our butts at them.  He's also won gold every night this week at the Wake Up Mommy at 3 a.m....and 4 a.m....and 5 a.m.. events.  Shame he couldn't be a little more of an under-achiever.

This morning in particular Bink seemed not only focused on his own gold medal, but also on seeing Shaun White take home snowboarding gold.  He woke up at 3 a.m., nursed for a while, realized it was just figure skating on, and decided to take a quick nap to save his energy for the half-pipe.

 Right around 4:30 his little eye plinked back open and he actually sat up in his crib, held onto the rails (like in a little baby jail), and wailed his baby cries at me.

Moooommy!  Mooooommy!  Hurry!  We're going to miss it!  There are only three more snowboarders left!  Moooommy!  We can't miss the Double McTwist 1260! 

(See, he's a genius!  He already knows his snow boarding lingo!)

 I dragged my sleepy self out of bed, snagged him, and plunked us both on the couch.  He happily nursed, watched the end of the snowboarding competition, and promptly fell asleep two seconds after Shaun White's second run.  He knew.  I'm sure he knew.

Back to bed we went (again!)  but as soon I put him down he started to cry again.  Mooooommy!  I was just resting my eyes.  We can't sleep now!  Lindsay Vonn is getting her gold medal.  Don't you want to see?

So back to the Olympics we went.  I'm all caught up on exciting Olympic news (including the US Speed Skating qualifying run).  Hopefully there aren't any super important Olympic moments being replayed tonight.  I'm not sure who gave this kid the TV Guide (or how he's reading it for that matter), but either way...

Mommy needs some sleep.