Internet Mom

Some might say that I'm bordering on a Type A personality, or they (aka Chris) might say I can be just a bit anal (I call it organized). And to help me in my anal-ness, 'er organization, is the internet. The Google search engine is my best friend. I use it for everything, there is nothing I won't research. How I ever lived without Google search I don't know. After these last six month with internet (and Google) I'm not sure how I survived our five years "unconnected". Of course there is a downside to having all this information at my finger tips - it can be too much information, and I don't doubt that I have wasted many hours of my life over-researching things, with no real gain to my over all well being!

Jake is no exception to my internet obsession. If anything he as only stoked the fire. I can Google every hiccup, every cry, every snort, smile, blink, and ... well you get the picture. On one hand this is a huge benefit to me. Still far away from friends and family, with no one to easily call and ask some of those first time motherhood question to, Google has become my lifeline. On the other hand I get carried away, and I know it. I mean do I really need to Google about his bowel movements? And there is WAY too much information out there ... it can take days just to sort through all the crap (wink, wink) that comes up on the search. There is also a thing as "too much information" ... for every good piece of information there is bound to be hundreds of crap pieces, and for every opinion that recommends method A there will be an opposing opinion that recommends something entirely different. So, I can't really win, I'm bound to just be more confused after a days worth of researching, but still I can't stop myself ... as part of my Type-A personality I want to be the perfect mother, and I'm convinced that somewhere out there in Google land there is advice that will help me. (Hey, before anyone starts to think I'm off my rocker, I am exaggerating just a bit here folks).

As of late I have been spending my time on the internet trying to figure out how I can get more sleep ... which of course means how I can entice Jake to sleep more. I realize that with infants come the sleepless nights, but I am also one of those rare breeds that requires, desperately needs, a good 10 hours of sleep in order to function ... so you can imagine that I am barely running on two cylinders since Jake has come into my life. Still I was managing pretty well ... until a couple of weeks ago, when Jake decided that napping was overrated and he now fights sleep to the point of pure exhaustion (and crankiness). My little angel who used to nap in 2-3 hour stretches (during which I would also do a bit of napping) now barely lasts 30-45 minutes at any one time (and it takes about that long to get him 'down'). So, what do I do, call Google of course. And what do I find? Well, I'll let Jake's Grandpa Dave tell you:

When I got to Turkey I watched as KT set up a CD player to play Mozart for Jake while he was in his little chair. KT spent some time telling me how "studies" have shown Mozart songs help in brain development, and over all well being of the child. She had researched this thoroughly and I was impressed.

In fact there is no end to the studies available on the Internet. So many that I have watched KT spend hours researching Jake's every action or inaction. Watching all this has made me very happy none of it existed when I was raising the kids.

Today I came into the living room and KT was setting up the CD player. Less than four weeks from Mozart, the player was playing, are you ready, hairdryer noise. It seems the kids have not been getting enough sleep. The "studies" indicate Jake is not sleeping enough during the day so he is awake at night more than, well, more than KT and Chris would like. KT noticed that when she vacuumed the house Jake went to sleep right away and when the vacuum stopped he woke up. She could not find vacuum noises that she could download for free (that's my daughter) but she could find hairdryer noise, so Jake is being bombarded with hairdryer sounds so he will sleep.

Mozart and brain development will have to wait, there are priorities in life.

So, you must be wondering ... does it work? Yes and No. First I found that Jake prefers pure white noise or dishwasher sounds over the hair dryer (even writing that sounds ridiculously funny to me). It helps him fall asleep, but unfortunately does not keep him asleep, and so his naps are still ridiculously short and I am still Google-ing away!

Grandpa Dave just departed to return home. I was quite worried how this would further effect my sleep, as we were doing a 5/6am hand-off to Grandpa Dave every morning while I crawled back into bed for a blissful 2-3 undisturbed hours. Thankfully Chris and I have worked out a plan that involves Chris removing Jake from our bed around 6 am (after his feeding and when he starts to get all fidgety), and Chris then takes the next feeding. No, Chris has not magical found a way to produce milk, I am pumping, and it is the best decision ever made ... that extra couple of hours is pure bliss! My dad, Grandpa Dave, wrote a funny blurb about his mornings with Jake in one of his emails home:

Since I am an early riser I have been getting early morning time with Jake. KT finishes feeding him about 6:00 or so then staggers out to the porch where I am drinking my coffee and passes him off. She goes back to bed and I try to keep Jake happy until he’s hungry again. What is really an interesting sight is how KT and Chris can look so beat up at 6:00 am and Jake looks so refreshed. It would seem that every two hours at watch on the boat is easier than doing every two with Jake. Its great being a grandpa, sleep through the whole night, every night.

I’ve been trying to pass on some good tips to Jake. Like “honey coated cheerios are better than plain” and “why West coast teams don’t get a fair shake in the sports writers polls” and “why my generation’s bail out is really going to be his generation’s bail faster”. Jake pays attention to every presentation, but I am sure he’s just being polite. Sometimes polite is all you need.

Well, I'll keep you posted if I discover any sleep miracles for my little bundle of joy ... in the meantime here are a mix of photos from Jake's first eight weeks of life.

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