Wednesday, September 29, 2010

The Wee Hours

Sleep deprivation has taken on a whole new meaning. Avery woke me up last night after a couple of hours of sleep and we partied until dawn. Later than dawn, actually. She ate, peed, cried a little, and ate a little more from about 3:30 to 7 this morning.

In my sleep-deprived state I considered ordering a Magic Bullet. That infomercial just makes it look so appealing. But I finally had to turn off the television when the infomercial for a "man problem" pump came on at 6. Too much information for tiny ears.

But we prevailed. Avery finally conked out. And we got a few hours of sleep. I'm still exhausted, but this little grunter makes it all worth it. If you can stomach the baby talk until the end, Marti makes a grand appearance.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Happy Birthday, Martikins!

Little Marti is 5 years old today.* I think this means that I can no longer blame bad behavior on her youth.

As bad as she can be sometimes, she makes up for it by having the biggest heart and the most love for her humans as pugly possible. As I write this, she sits on my lap, resting her head on my arm. Yes, it makes typing take twice as long, but I can't bear to make her move.


We may have a new member of the family, but Marti says the more the merrier. And Marti will squirrel her way into any situation. No really—any situation. This is my view when I'm feeding Avery.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather today and went for a walk. I've got my hands full. Especially when I have to pick up poo.


Here she is, hitting the books. I hope one of these covers pug obedience.


Self Portrait: The Pug and Baby Wrangler.


*I had joked that if Avery went past her due date, she and Marti could share a birthday. As it is, they don't even share a birth month.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

One Month Later

It's been a month since Avery arrived and we're adjusting to life with the little girl. Kitchen floors have been completed, appliances are now installed, and we're able to live a little more like humans. As human as one can be without sleep, anyway.

I won't say that I can't remember what life was like before Avery. Because I do. Lots more sleep. A lot more relaxation (although I didn't know it then). Quicker trips outside of the house. But life since her arrival? Lots more bodily fluids. Lots more laundry. Lots more laughs. And a lot more love. How can your heart not just explode when you look at this face?

The bodily fluids? Boy, you better watch out. Projectile poo can shoot crazy distances. And the girl has a penchant for what I call "free peeing," her preference for peeing as soon as the diaper comes off. This necessitates many an outfit change and many loads washing her changing table pad covers. I never knew that such a little person could create so much dirty laundry.

Avery also has a thing for making funny faces. We are going to have the ammo for a lengthy blooper reel someday. Take this cross-eyed glare, for example.

For the first two weeks of her life, Avery hardly made a peep. I don't think she officially cried until well past the 2.5-week mark. But she finally found her voice. And sometimes I think she's trying to reach Child Protective Services without picking up the phone.

Luckily, she's easily comforted. While she sometimes lets out a random, quick blood-curdling scream before passing back out a split second later, usually her cries are easily figured out. A diaper change, a meal or a warm snuggle is all it takes to make her happy. Or some daddy/daughter time.


Avery also makes friends easily. Like her bosom buddy, Minnie Mouse.


And Marti.


The Marti adjustment has been fun to watch. I knew Marti would be great with the new addition, and I was right. She seems to know that Avery is very important, and while Marti would like a little bit more attention, she takes being a big sister very seriously. The pug has always greeted visitors with a stuffed animal in her mouth. When Alan comes home, she frantically looks around for a stuffed toy to show off. Now, when Avery makes any sort of peep, Marti looks around for a stuffed animal and takes it to her. It's pretty adorable. Just wait until Marti discovers that Avery drops Cheerios and other yummy foodstuffs.