Friday, November 18, 2011

Mobile's and music things and why they SUCK!

The inventor's of Baby Mobile's have, via disgustingly complicated equations and nightmare inducing experiments on cute fluffy animals, discovered exactly how much music it takes to send a teeny, tiny, little human directly to slumber land. They have used this information to ensure that EVERY single mobile/wind up musical ornament stops exactly 10 seconds before this happens. Try as you may - there is NO way to wind these damn things up any further. If you succeed in winding them further than intended they usually cease to make any sound at all.

The little Diva, had until recently been terrified of the two wind up mobiles on her shelf. The music would start - she'd seem happy and then the little bottom lip would start to quiver and all out sobbing would commence. The only way to calm her down would be to get her as FAR from the offending musical gadget as possibly... that or hide out in the washroom with the extractor fan going!

Anywho - a few weeks passed and she kept bugging me to play with her music box. I thought, "What they heck lets try this again". It turned out she'd got over her irrational fear of the plinking music and was finally a FAN! The only problem was that she wanted me to wind up said musical gadgets to lull her off to sleep.

It takes a minimum of three wind-ups to get her to sleep. I'll be rocking her - she'll be heavy - I'll be convinced that "She's REALLY sleeping this time" and the music will stop. Her eyes flick open, she points and says "Shhhtop". I wind up the toy. Re-adjust the Diva and we do it all again.

Those of you thinking, "Well why don't you just keep humming the music when it stops?" Let me tell you how well this works: NOT AT ALL! I mean I know I don't have the greatest singing voice, but come on even I can hum. It DOES NOT WORK.

I can hear you in the back there - muttering to yourself, "Why don't you just quickly wind the toy before it stops - I'm sure she will stay asleep". This DOES NOT work either. Do you want to know why? BECAUSE the sadistic toy inventors have made it IMPOSSIBLE to quietly wind these things. It CAN NOT be done!

So yes - I'm currently contemplating recording the music box's sound and playing it on a loop. I'm sure however that the Little Diva won't be fooled. The freaking toy needs to move too!!



(Honestly though I do enjoy my snuggle time with The Little Diva - I just sometimes (after the 4th or 5th wind) wish that the toys could wind up just that much longer!!)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

World Prematurity Day...

I have been absent from my blog for a while doing this: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/dashboard
You can take a look at the site but basically I'm trying to write a novel in 30 days - so far I'm terribly behind but being a mommy (and a naturally born procrastinator) will do that to you - but the creative juices are flowing and I'm convinced I'm sitting on a New York Times Bestsellers List book so stay tuned!

I decided though that I really needed to take a break from the fiction scribbling to acknowledge World Prematurity Day. I've spent a large part of today reading stories from other families with preemies and I'm about to burst with all of the emotions within me. My heart breaks for those families who didn't get to bring their babies home and it overflows with joy for those who did. You can check them out on Facebook but you probably should have a box of tissues handy: http://www.facebook.com/WorldPrematurityDay

Our story began on May 31st when I was rushed via ambulance to a hospital with a level 3 NICU when we were just 26 weeks pregnant. My cervix had started to open and there was a very real concern that the little Diva's birth was imminent. A doctor there painted a very grim picture of possible infections for myself and the little Diva - he wanted us to have an emergency c-section that night.

I am eternally indebted to the nurse who comforted me and told me in no uncertain terms, "Don't you DARE agree to a c-section tonight - you are going to be here for weeks still growing your baby". I was an emotional wreck - we all were - but her words were the anchor that got us through that first night.

I went on to spend 2 and a half weeks on hospital bed-rest. We delivered our 2 pound 4 ounce baby girl via emergency c-section at 28 weeks and 4 days. She was the smallest baby we had ever seen. We were terrified. She was so tiny and seemed so fragile that I was afraid I'd hurt her just by holding her.

They say that You don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have  and the next 3 months were a true reflection of this quote. We went through the roller-coaster that is the NICU. There were good days and bad days - days I'd like to forget and days of immense happiness. We came out the other side stronger as a family and more terrified of germs that any one should ever be.

We've had our Little Diva home for over a year now and she is doing wonderfully. We (as a family) are forever grateful for each of the doctor, nurses, friends and family members who accompanied us on our journey through the NICU and the days since we came home. I hope that all of the families still going through their NICU journeys are as blessed as we were with a loving and caring support system and I hope for long and healthy pregnancies to those who are pregnant!