Love Thy Neighbour

Or not... Ever since Eric and I moved into our current place we have had noise issues with our neighbors. We live in a duplex with paper thin walls with young couple with a 1 year baby next door; an extremely loud and inconsiderate couple.

When I first met them when we were looking at the place my first though was that she seemed a little rough around the edges but at the time her kid was 2 months old and a new baby can make anyone who is sleep deprived a little rough around the edges. We moved in one week before Christmas (a crappy time to move which I don't recommend to anyone) and being that they were on Christmas leave we could here a lot of extra bass from their TV. We let it go then were gone for 2 months on vacation which was pure bliss. Then they came home in the last few weeks of my pregnancy when I was not getting very much sleep.

My issue is with the female we'll call her Sarah. She can't weigh more than 130 lbs tops but walks around and bangs doors like she is 6'5" and 225 lbs. I have asked many times to keep it down at night and it never seems to last long. Throughout the summer things seemed to have gotten better her and I even went out for a drink last Friday night I was giving her a chance all I want is to get along possibly make a friend, but it all came to halt 24 hours later.

Our neighbors were partying and being loud last Saturday night along with their dogs. The have an older dog and just got puppy and ever since they got their puppy their older dog barks like there is no tomorrow as this puppy pisses him of constantly. Well their dog woke up Aaron and Eric lost it and went over to them and told them to "Shut their f***ing dog up." Needless to say that ended any chance of a budding friendship. I was pissed at him but it was 8 months of frustration that spewed out in one statement. I get his frustration. He apologized the next day but the damage was done. On Wednesday morning at around 4am all I could here was banging and slamming of doors. On the other side of my house in our room which doesn’t share a wall with them. (I have to sleep with a fan all the time for white noise as Sarah is so frickin loud!) Anyway so I go over open my front door and their front door is open and I asked her to keep it down as I hadn't gotten any sleep (this goes with having a baby) and she said "Neither have I" in a tone that implied if she couldn’t' sleep that neither should anyone else. She was cleaning up after the puppy that happened to be on the front lawn, hence the door being open. All I said was I ask nicer than Eric and went inside. The next day I went to the housing agency to complain which they told me to put in writing so I sent an email when I got home., I don't know if the agency has followed up or not but our neighbors will not look at us nor will their friends across the street. Not that I care much. I think I have right to be able to sleep in my house at night if my baby is asleep as he likes to get up a lot. From now on I will complain when their loud in the middle of the night. I am fed up we have asked to move units but so far we have been shot down. (We’re renting military housing as it is a lot cheaper than renting at market value.)

I have been a bad blogger and will hopefully be more diligent with my posts.

Update:

Not an hour or so after I wrote this nad went to bed, the yahoos next door were thumping and banging around as per usaul at 11:30pm so of coure I go over there and ask them to keep it down and the first thing the husband asks is "What time is it?"Like I am infringing on his rights or whatever. After this his puppy proceeds to run into my house which I have to capture and bring back to another neighbour at their door as he just walked away.WTF did we do to them? Were going to ask them today (put much nicer of course) and we shall see what the response is.

Where am I?

Currently I am sitting in a HoJo hotel after a blissful night of sleep! That's right this mama to one has managed a whole nights sleep! With the aide of a sleeping pill, but I don't think it would've made a difference. I sleep so well at hotels. My dad was kind enough to stay at my place and look after Aaron for the night. Eric stopped by for a bit, but went home to be there just in case and for my piece of mind. I went to bed at 11pm, woke up once for an hour to pump with a crappy electric pump (I've got to find my hand pump) and slept till 10am! Now I am contemplating a dip in the pool.... What to do?

No Better Time Than the Present

To write a post that is. Today was a good day. Despite the fact that aaron was up at 8:30am instead of 10am. Sometimes if I am lucky, the baby sleeps till 10am! But that usually means he goes to bed after 10pm at night which makes for a long day. I feel like I got a lot done. I went to my PPD group, I cleaned my kitchen with the exception of the floors (that’s on tomorrows to do list) I took a few hours out for myself did a little shopping, went to a lake that I had never been to on a hope, and prayer and fumes ( I miscalculated my gas as I didn’t realize how far this lake actually was, nor did I know there wouldn’t be a gas station on the way) I made dinner, and Eric and I took the baby for a walk. I managed to get through the day without an emotional outburst or crying fit. Not that this happens every day but somehow it usually comes to pass on a Friday or a Sunday… I need to blog more. I have so many posts floating around in my head. It would be optimal to post when I am having a bad day and use my blog as an outlet.

One thing I want to ask any of you mothers reading out there is if you have any advice for a baby who likes to go into blood curdling, raging crying fits? Lately when I breast feed Eric if he doesn’t get latched on ASAP he freaks the f*** out. I think this is due partly to the fact that he is my child and an Aries. (When I didn’t get my way as a toddler I would throw tantrums to the point of pulling my hair out. [I hope he doesn’t do this] I don’t know how my mom explained why her toddler had bald spots. Maybe she told them I had alopecia.) I used to be able to side nurse him at night laying side to side but lately he will have none of this. He will turn his head looking for his boob, but the second it isn’t in his mouth it’s meltdown time. I used to be able to get him on his side but he won’t have any of this either. Sometimes he get so worked up I just have to let him cry for 5 minutes because no amount of rocking, soothing, bouncing, singing will calm him. Then offer him the breast again to calm him which works because he is so upset he forgot what got him all upset to being with. We give him a bottle at night so he sleeps longer could this have anything to do with it s a bottle is easier and he doesn’t have to work for it? We use slow flow nipples on the advice of a doctor who is very knowledgeable on breastfeeding so he will continue to work when he’s at the boob. So if any of you have any suggestions please comment away.

Random

I am a very bad blogger! I have so many posts going on in my head when I am lying down to sleep at night that never get written. Maybe I should start sleeping with the laptop. My excuse is currently sleeping in my bed, My son Aaron. I just seem to bed tired all.the.time. For awhile he would sleep 6 hours for the first leg of the night, then it was between 4-6 hours, sometimes now its 3 hours. Eric wants to start Aaron on solids already, I am not for this. He read somewhere that if a baby is 15 lbs and 4 months old they can be started on rice pablum. My son is on the cusp of being 15 lbs and will be 4 months on August 1st. I, am fine waiting until he is 6 months old, but the fiancé is pressing the issue, he thinks Aaron will sleep better. I am breast feeding him and supplementing him with formula before bed which makes him sleep longer. At the moment his sleep schedule is all messed up, which admittedly is my fault. I took him over to my dad's for a few days and kept him up later. In my defense, I have a lot of socializing to get in when I am there to even out the loneliness here. Which Is why I initially started to blog when I moved here a year and half ago.

Well the boy is up from his nap which means my little post is doen for now.

10 years ago today...

I was 16. And I am remember this day very clearly as I got my drivers license on June 30th, 1998. I can't believe how fast 1o years has flown bye. And oddly enough I remember the events (or most of them) of today pretty clearly. Oddly enough I had my road test at the same time as a close friend, I passed, she failed therefore I wasn't able to celebrate at the DMV because she was so down. Instead of driving home with my driving instructor I ended up going home with said friend and her mom (who followed her to the DMV as her road test was with the same driving school I was in, and her mom wanted to be there in case she failed.) My dad picked me up from her house and I picked up another friend and went on my first adventure by myself to the beach! It was only later that night after dropping everyone off at their places that I realized I was driving by myself for the first time! I was a little freaked out, but made it home alive.

And here I am 10 years later on a day just as hot, a day which I did not drive or go to the beach. Instead my partner did the driving and I got a CT scan instead. Oh how much has changed in 10 years.

Why I love Tim McGraw

This is why I love Tim McGraw! Did I mention I was a country music loving Grey's Anatomy addicted Canuck who is secretly American at heart. (I'm half American.) And to think I considered going to this concert as it's near Seattle WA and I am only a few hours from Seattle. (But I didn't think taking 12 week old infant was a smart thing to do.) It can also be viewed on Youtube here.

Co-Sleeping

Is a controversial topic to most people, parents and non-parents in my opinion; to each their own. It doesn't work for me. Before Aaron was born I knew I didn't want to do it because it wasn't a habit that I wanted to have to break him of later on in life. The 1st night in the hospital he was in the little clear bassinet all swaddled on his back. We were only in the hospital one night. The second night home I laid in the guest with him all.night.long. Because all he wanted to do was nurse as my milk hadn't come in and I way to tired after 42.5 hours of labor to sit up and feed him. Needless to say I was a zombie the next day.

On his third night of life, I got the idea to sleep him swaddled in the horseshoe shaped breast feeding pillow. This lasted about 2 weeks. He would sleep in the bed with me, in his own area. Being a new mom, I wanted to be able to see him in the middle of the night. Eventually he was put in the bassinet next to me after I got over not having to see him and settled on hearing him. (We were sleeping with a night light.) This lasted maybe 2 weeks, I was very sleep deprived as I am a light sleeper and every little grunt or snore would wake me up. Especially an hour before he would wake up for his next feed he would be grunting and squealing and it kept me up. When he was about a month old I moved his bassinet to his own room, where he still currently sleeps but in his stroller. How did we arrive to this you might wonder? He was always inclined a little in his bassinet (me being afraid he may choke on his own vomit, silly new mother mistake) and then we went on a road trip and used his stroller as a bed and my son got used to sleeping on an incline. So when we came home and he would only do 2 hours in his bassinet it was back to his stroller because he will do up to 6 hour sleep stretches sometimes 7! So I am not one to mess with that! But now that Aaron is 13.5 lbs I think that he needs to get used to sleeping on his back because he is getting to be a big boy and will be ready for his crib soon.

As for co-sleeping when I was pregnant my sister said "Wait and see till your a mother, you'll do anything to sleep yourself." (She co-slept with her 3 kids and had a hell of a time breaking 2 of them.) Now that I am a mom I wish I could co-sleep with my son, but I can't sleep with him next to me I will often side nurse him at night but put him back in his room when he is done. I wish I could so I could have more of a bond with Aaron but I just don't sleep well with him in bed with me. (My fiancé is currently sleeping in the guest room due to a hacking cough he has at the moment, in case you are wondering where his sleeping arrangements fit in.)

Some how I feel odd that I am not able to co-sleep with my baby and that I am missing out but I don't know what I can do to make it work so I see it as one habit of not breaking him of. I still usually wake up right before he does because my mommy clock is in tune with him. I wear him as much as I can and I will nap with him during the day in bed, some how I can sleep like this but not deeply and in the mornings often I will wheel his stroller in the room as it is darker in our room and he sleeps longer this way.

Do you co-sleep with your baby?