Salutations from Postpartum Isolation

Hello from Postpartum Isolation: Month 2 (or, for those who want to get really specific, Day 62)!

It's been quite awhile since I've written. In fact, the last time I posted an update I was halfway across the world traipsing around the U.K. and attempting to stalk Kate Middleton (unsuccessfully, might I add).

For those of you who are completely in the dark, I'll give you a quick rundown of what has happened in my life since then. I did eventually come home from London (sadly), moved to Galveston (with Josh - not by myself), went to nursing school, graduated from nursing school and passed the NCLEX, moved back to San Antonio, worked in the Neonatal ICU for a bit then decided to just volunteer with my nursing license for awhile (because if you've ever worked in an ICU you know that it can be STRESSFUL, especially as a brand new nurse), missed all the babies I took care of as a nurse, spent the better half of 2019 pregnant, built a house, and had a baby boy (Andrew) this past January.

I think that hits all the highlights. By the way, you would think being a nurse and having worked in the NICU would make you feel better prepared to bring home a baby.

It doesn't. I think it just makes you even more paranoid because now you know all the things that could go wrong.

Since Andrew was born our life has consisted of staying in the house and trying to get our newborn to learn how to eat and sleep so he doesn't die from starvation (and gain enough weight to keep the pediatrician happy) and Mommy and Daddy don't die from lack of sleep :)

In all seriousness, the first month or so was especially challenging trying to figure out his extreme fussiness and reflux issues. Turns out he is sensitive to dairy and soy, making it super fun for me to eat (not). I have now become the person at restaurants I hate who has to grill the staff on how the food was prepared because the slightest bit of milk or soy protein equals a very unhappy baby for 2 weeks.

Ok, let's be honest. I don't actually do the grilling - I make Josh do it.

Not that we're really eating out right now anyway because a baby born in the middle of flu & RSV season coupled with the new COVID-19 quarantine means we've pretty much been home since January and will be for the foreseeable future.

Which is why you are getting a blog post from me. I have been cooped up for so long that I am bored out of my mind, and I figured now would be the perfect time to write a post so my family stops bugging me about it. 

Andrew is officially 2 months old (as of the 18th), and I'm learning a lot as a new mom. For instance, the transition between newborn sized diapers and Size 1 diapers (in any brand - we've tried them all) means that you will be dealing with a lot of blowouts until his legs are big enough to fit the leg holes.

Thank goodness I'm not the one who does laundry in this house.

I did offer for Josh to teach me (for the thousandth time), but he just laughed. Apparently he has zero faith in my laundry capabilities or he's just really tired of having to answer my frantic texts about whether darks are washed on hot or cold and how long to leave such and such shirt in the dryer before pulling it out and letting it air dry.

Andrew is growing fast, and I finally understand what people mean when they tell you to enjoy the newborn days because they really don't last long. I already miss the little 6 pound baby that we brought home from the hospital, but I really really really don't miss those sleepless nights. We're getting a 5 hour stretch most nights, and it truly is heaven compared to when we brought him home.

Andrew is now smiling and cooing enough that we forgive him when he's fussy, cranky and punching us in the face with his sharp talon nails. Unfortunately, we are already reaping the consequences of naming him after the Andrews side of the family because he is the most stubborn 2 month old I've ever encountered.

And I can't even pretend he didn't get it from me.

His favorite things to do are look at the wall behind the couch, sit outside (especially when it's windy), play with Mr. Rabbit, read all the books, try to talk to Mommy and Daddy in loud screeches and smiles on his changing table, and listen to all the children's music in Alexa's music catalog.

I really thought listening to Down by the Bay in the car didn't start until toddlerhood, but I was wrong. Most nights we eat dinner to Alexa playing Skidamarink and The Ice Cream Song. There also may or may not be hand motions to go along with them.

Speaking of dinner, at what age are you able to put a child down long enough for mom and dad to eat dinner at the same time and place? Asking for a friend.

This month we're working on being able to put him down for an actual bedtime. We will take all the prayers and wishes of luck that we can get because as of now, if we want him to sleep anytime between the hours of 7 PM and 10 PM, he's asleep on us after having walked him around the perimeter of the house 20 times or bouncing on the yoga ball for 30 minutes just so Mommy and Daddy can sit on the couch and unwind after keeping a baby entertained all day.

He's not reciting his ABC's yet, but we're working on it. I've informed him that he's not allowed to be stupid, and since he listened to me in utero when I told him he's not allowed to be an ugly baby, I think we'll be fine :)

Well, friends, I hope you stay healthy and sane during this time of quarantine. If you need any tips on how to get through weeks of social distancing pent up inside your house, feel free to reach out. We have pretty much become pros at staying in.

And if you're really bored, we have a baby we can send to you in exchange for a full 8 hours of sleep.

What We Did in Edinburgh: Day 2

Here's something you need to know about Edinburgh: it's COLD. As in I should have brought my parka in the middle of July cold. It is also overcast and rainy, a fact that I happen to love. If you don't like overcast and rainy, something is wrong with you. 

After Senior 1 & Senior 2 finally decided to wake up, we ventured on over to The Elephant House (the cafe J.K. Rowling wrote quite a bit of Harry Potter). I'm a huge Harry Potter fan - but not like these crazy people. I prefer to keep my enthusiam under the guise of normal (and sane) behavior. 

Also, I'm too much of a semi-germophobe to put my hand anywhere near a bathroom wall - let alone write on one. 

Breakfast was delicious, and I can totally see how the place would be the perfect place to write a book. We need an Elephant House in Boerne where I can write the book I'll probably never write. 

After breakfast, we walked over to Edinburgh Castle. And by walked, I mean we climbed up and down stairs every two feet. I should move to Edinburgh just to get in shape.  

I prebooked our tickets online that morning, which is a good thing because the ticket line was crazy long. Whoever created the internet is a genius. 

The people standing in line are not. 

While admission to the castle was kind of expensive (20 pounds a person), I'd recommend it. I mean, if you like castles and history and life and all. 

We could have easily spent all day in Edinburgh Castle. There was so much to take in. We were on a bit of a time crunch though, so we headed to lunch. At an AMERICAN pizza place because Kristen and Kalie have issues. Coincidentally, that will be the last Italian-related food we eat on this trip because we are sick of pizza. And pasta. And the Italians. 

Actually, not the Italians. We haven't even seen any of those. The UK apparently really likes its pizza though as you can find it virtually on every corner. I mean, where's all the bangers and mash people speak of?

Nowhere. That's where. 

After lunch we ventured down to Princes Street Gardens, which was - by the way - very disappointing. There were supposed to be flowers, but it was just a very green field. With the biggest tree (and circle of dirt), I've ever seen. Besides wanting to curl up with a book in that tree, it wasn't very exciting. 

We also went to Jenner's since it's supposed to be an institution in Edinburgh. Not a mental institution like Kristen thought when I mentioned it. Just - you know - popular. 

I'm still trying to figure out why it's so popular as it was quite unimpressive. Granted, shopping in general is limited in Edinburgh so I can see the appeal. 

I could never live in Scottland for this reason. Where would I get my cute, totally-not-appropriate-for-the-weather clothes? 

By this point it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags and head to the train station. It conveniently started to rain on us and almost turned the ice cream we just got into water milkshakes. Which would have been disgusting. 

Another strange thing about Edinburgh: they have weird ice cream. They call it "whippy ice cream," and it pretty much tastes like Cool Whip. So if you're into that sort of thing, that's a plus. 

When we boarded the train, I was pretty sure we were sitting next to terrorists but it turns out one of them has seen Frozen so we were safe. It's common knowledge that terrorists don't go around singing Frozen songs. 

Once I learned that, I felt bad because apparently I am judgemental. 

And paranoid. 

Until tomorrow, 

The Americans Who Don't Want to Come Home

What We Did in Edinburgh: Day 1

Fun fact about Europe: the sun rises way before the buttcrack of dawn. When I woke up this morning to get ready to catch our 8 AM train, the sun was already fully alive and kickin' at 5 AM. I'm not sure why it took me four days to realize this - observant I am not.

We took the train at Kings Cross to make our journey to Edinburgh. I was a little disappointed that our train left from Platform 4 though because I had really high hopes of finding the elusive Platform 9 3/4. Next week before our train leaves for Oxford, we will be on the hunt. 

Another fun fact about London: they apparently do not believe in trash cans (or "litter bins" as they call the very few and far between around the city). We grabbed breakfast while we were waiting for our train, but could not find any litter bins. And believe me, we looked. 

You also have to pay for public restrooms (or "toilets"). Why anyone would actually want to pay to use a public restroom is beyond me. My change has stayed safe and sound in my wallet. 

Since it was my and Kalie's first time to ride a train, I spent a lot of time looking out the window. Kalie decided her time would be better utilized by watching Arrow on her iPad. 

Once we made it to Edinburgh, our 3 minute walk to the hotel quickly turned into 20 minutes as we walked up and down the same street looking for the hotel that Google said was right in front of us. Eventually a very nice gentleman took pity on us and walked up and down the street with us inspecting said Google maps. We eventually found the sign hiding next to a bar, and he walked up with us to make sure it really was said hotel. 

We checked in and then went looking for a place to eat lunch. Little did we know that in addition to the British Open there was also a Blues & Jazz festival. The streets were packed, music was pouring out of the sky, and people were even resorting to carrying their dogs to make sure they survived the crowds. 

After lunch we walked through the city to take in the sights and observe the commonfolk. There are a few things we noticed straight away: 1) The city is built on different levels, so avoiding stairs and/or hills is next to impossible and 2) the Scottish like their booze. Even at 2 PM in the afternoon. 

We made our way to Arthur's Seat, and I convinced Kalie and Kristen to hike up to the top. I conveniently left out the fact that it was a dormant volcano until after we were up there. By the time we got to the top, we'd ditched our jackets that were a necessity only 30 minutes before. Hiking is hard work, apparently. 

We could see the entire city of Edinburgh from the top. It was spectacular and almost made me want to adopt hiking as a hobby.

Almost. 

We made our way back down the mountain and popped by the Holyrood Palace. It was massive and I wanted to go in, but at 20 pounds a person we decided against it. I should have just walked over and demanded to be let in. Because I'm royalty and all. 

Obviously. 

We resumed our journey around the city and stopped by a fudge shop because who actually passes up fudge? 

After that we made our way back to the hotel because the old people (Kristen and Kalie) were tired. I stared out the window while they slept and observed the Scottish in their natural habit: the pub. 

When Senior 1 and Senior 2 finally woke up, we made our way to dinner. We tried to give the restaurant/pub a go since it was close and convenient for aforementioned Seniors, but when we walked in we quickly realized it wasn't our scene. 

And by that, I mean it was pretty much a club, and we probably shouldn't have even had Kalie in there. Which was confirmed later that night when we were trying to get back to our hotel and two security guards almost didn't let Kalie and I in. 

You know, because we're 12 and all. 

We finally found a real restaurant pub that actually had room to move, and I finally tried a British pie. I kind of cheated though and ordered the Chicken, Chardonnay and Pancetta one. Because it seemed less scary. The pie was delicious (if a little big). The mashed potatoes, on the otherhand, were not. But then again, I'm not really a huge mashed potatoes fan. 

We returned to the hotel where we were lulled to sleep by the peaceful sounds of the crowds chanting Little Jon's "Get Low" and The Proclaimers' "500 Miles"... among many other lullabies. 

Until later, 

The Americans Who Will Eventually Be Returning Home, But Reluctantly