it's not just me

Jake has a bit of a cough lately, and it is the most pitiful thing I have ever heard in my life. After he is through hacking he looks at me with big wet eyes and sighs, as if he is doomed to endure the uphill battle of a chest cold for the rest of his life. A regular Sisyphus this kid thinks he is.

Now that Jake has been getting some formula there is a lot more laundry to do too, since it is notorious for making babies spit up. How and why anyone gives this crap to their kids all day every day is beyond me. It is actually more work, making and cleaning bottles, diapers are dirtier and burping takes longer, it stains fabric so you have to wash immediately. Not to mention it dribbles down their chin while eating and makes them smell like spoiled milk. But, at the end of the day it is making my life easier and I have to go to work eventually so he gets it. It is almost like McDonald's in a bottle. It's convenient when you are on the go, fills you up, makes you fat, and has nutritional value, but you are guaranteed a tummy ache afterwards.
I had Jake at my office on Friday, where he got a bottle and I got three separate lectures from nurses and social workers about how formula is for drug addicts and medicated people, which I agree with- babies shouldn't have those things in their milk, but a girl's gotta do what she can to get out of the house so she isn't one of those medicated people. Plus, there is a time and place for breastfeeding, and it is not in front of your boss.

Today begins the painting of the non-pelican side of the Pelican Room. I think that opening the sliding glass door and turning on the fan should give plenty of ventilation up there, and I'll keep Jake downstairs all day. I'll post some after-pictures by this weekend, when I plan to complete the task of painting over eight layers of wallpaper and oil based paints. I'd remove it but that excavation could take forever, and who knows what lead-based horrors lie within. My mission is to make it so breathtakingly beautiful that Dave agrees to let me paint over the pelican too. I don't think that will happen any time soon, despite the creepiness of the giant bird.
I am excited to begin something constructive as I thought that I would get to do more during my maternity leave, but I would rather spend my free time out of the house instead of in. So paint projects and organization goals have been neglected as I walk all over town. My goal is to have the pelican room done by this weekend, and the laundry room done by next. So here I go. Off to do housework. No really. I'm getting up right now. In a minute. After I check my email. And eat this can of beans while I catch up on everyone's blogs. And make a shopping list because I'm eating a can of beans.