Merry. merry.

Aw, man. It's really all or nothing with me, isn't it? I was doing so well with the regular blogging, then...wa-BAM! I vanished again. But I really have a series of Very Good Excuses. First, the obvious, Christmas shopping which I left until the last minute, something very unlike me. Second, I got my bandage off my slashed up finger which left me with a creepy typing sensation in which I feel as though I'm using someone else's finger. Apparently, I did quite a number on the nerves in my fingertip. Third, and probably most significant, Pigpen simultaneously got his first tooth, entered his six month growth spurt, ceased sleeping through the night, and contracted RSV last week.

Needless to say, that kind of tore things up for a while. He was just starting to recover when he started to get his second tooth, a stage which we are still in. Just to add to the fun, though, we are doing this stage at my inlaws with Pigpen in the room with us at night. Did you know that babies with respiratory infections snore? Did you know they snore like full grown men? Sleep was lacking last night, to say the least. Which brings me to my interesting inlaws story of the day.

If you don't know, my husband is an only child. In normal life, he doesn't really act as though he is an only child, but when we go home to his parents' house, it's amazing what happens. Here's how last night went down:

I fed Pigpen at 10pm and put him to bed. We went to bed also, as he is in our room and there was no light to be had. I can't sleep without reading, so I laid there for a long time. Sleep until 12:25 when Pigpen wakes up. I didn't feed, but but waited for him to put himself back to sleep. After a few minutes he did (husband slept through this), but I was left awake for a good 30 minutes. At 2:30, he awoke and firmly told me that he wanted to eat. He went a long time in the car without eating on our drive to SC and may have been making up for a lost feeding, so I fed him. Put him back to sleep. I dozed off sometime after 3. (Husband slept through this.) At 4:45 he woke up and was ready for the day. I was not. The only way to get him to keep sleeping is to lie down in the bed with him and feed him, but I won't do this unless husband is out of the bed as he has no awareness of baby's presence (clearly). Sent husband to sleep on couch in den. Got no sleep from 4:45 to 7:00 while Pigpen snorted and snored, coughed and sneezed, and used my boob as a teething device. Got up to find husband blearly-eyed and dazed as Piglet had just awoken, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. This is the conversation that followed:

MIL: (to husband) Are you tired, honey? You poor thing, you just don't get enough sleep.

Mr. Pigs: I am tired. Pigpen had a rough night last night.

MIL: Aw, you just don't get enough rest. Why don't you go back to bed? Don't worry about us, we'll take care of Piglet!

Mr. Pigs: You know, I think I will. [saunters to bedroom to sleep until - are you ready for it? - ELEVEN THIRTY!]

Aghast, I chugged some coffee and slogged through my morning, getting Piglet and Pigpen ready, playing super-hard with Piglet to get him to wear out properly in hopes of getting a nap our of him today, even going outside in the 20 degree weather to look at the tractor. Are you KIDDING ME?? Only children are a different breed altogether when around their parents.

Tonight? Mr. Pigs said offhandedly, "Do y'all have any Russian tea made?" They did not. Usually, they do at Christmastime, hence his question. Within five minutes, both parents had rushed into the kitched, grabbed the cookbook and made him some Russian tea. I'm not lying. I just can't wrap my head around this.

Anyway....tis the season to be merry. (That's my name! Ten points for movie reference, but if that's all you have to say about this post, you lose.) I'll try to do better about posting. I did actually post over at Eddie's place, go here to read her second edition of Mensicle Monday. Ho ho ho!