A Fish Out of Water

I've been over a month without internet access in our house. Every stolen minute on the ancient family desktop at Grandma's house is like a gulp of cool water.

Actually, yesterday I took a couple of minutes while Baby was preoccupied at Grandma's house to finally update this blog. After writing two frenzied paragraphs, of course, Baby came toddling over and slowly, deliberately pushed the glowing green power button. Oh well, it was just a blog entry. I suppose I should be glad I'm out of law school and my term papers are behind me and safe from Charlie's remarkable intuition with technology. Today, I accepted sweet Husband's offer to take Baby for the afternoon while I put in some quality time with public computers in the law library.

No internet, no TV, no newspaper. I am almost totally unconnected wtih the outside world. I actually checked a paper map of Utah county the other day to figure out where something was. And a phone book. What, there's a Mormon running for president?

In this temporarily primitive state, Baby and I have resorted to primitive forms of entertainment to pass the time: storytelling, circle stomp dancing, VHS tapes, etc. Instead of parking in front of my laptop, I've started showering and cleaning my house during naptime. Needless to say, my hair and my house haven't been this clean in over a year.

But it's so not worth it. I'm losing my mind. I feel like I'm living on a different planet, missing everything that's going on with my friends on Earth. Well don't worry, friends, I'll be back soon.

Sleepless in Provo

I've been awake since 3:30 am. I have a feeling today will be a cranky-pants day.

This is one of the less appealing life changes that came with motherhood: Nighttime feedings were not bad, but after a year of never getting more than 5 consecutive hours of sleep, I've been trained into an insomniac. The piddlingest little thing on my mind will keep me blinking at the ceiling, twitching my ankle, listening to Baby and Husband snore through the early morning hours. And I'm so tired.

And what's on my mind? What's so desperately pressing that it can't wait until I've had a teensy bit more sleep? Let me share just a sampling: what happened to that one pair of shoes during the move from New York, where will I keep the jogging stroller in our new apartment, how will I make Baby sit still while I clip his toenails before church this morning, remember to e-mail sister in Missouri, remember to find a babysitter for next Wednesday night, etc.

I remember hearing new moms complain about this problem before I got pregnant. I'm pretty sure I thought they needed more exercise or maybe a good snoozy book. I hope I didn't say anything to them. If someone told me today that I needed more exercise, it would probably be the last thing they ever said. Unless they could still talk with a chewed-off head.