one of the cool kids now

i finally got my computer fixed and decided to join the cool kids table and start a blog. yes, i've finally emerged from beneath my rock. with so many daily occurances to rant and rave about, laugh about, cry about, etc, i figured all moms should have one these days, right? speaking of kids, i feel i should provide an overview. i have 4 of them. yes, 4. and i consider the fact that i'm not typing this from a prison cell or a padded room quite an achievement. my oldest, p, is 8. p is an amazing big brother, a great swimmer, and can read your emotions like a book. he has adhd, talks non-stop, and pretty much has the ability to drive me up the wall. but he's the sweetest most compassionate child i've ever met. he's followed by my boyfriend's son, pickles, 6. pickles is spunky, silly, and always up for a challenge. i don't think that kid is scared of anything! he's also over-indulged and extremely spoiled, which can be quite a challenge. we have him half the time, and i try terribly hard to be a great influence in his life...this is really the hardest thing i've ever taken on. then comes funky, who's 5...and my only girl. she's my little sidekick, is girly and sassy, and just like me. feel no sympathy for this one, she runs circles around all these boys. and most recently we've added the mav, who was born nov 08. quite a run-down, eh?

so tonight i find myself cradling mavo till my arms hurt. he has colic, which is "doctor" for "really, really fussy baby". he fooled us, you see. he was the perfect baby for the first 2 weeks. nursed well, slept well (mostly)...i bragged to everyone i saw about what an easy baby he was. then something happened. he stopped pooping. as in, from after every single feeding to every 2, 3, 4 days. my perfectly happy child went out the window. they swear breastfed babies don't get constipated. i'd like to see scientific research. either way, this lack of pooping thing makes him terribly gassy, which was originally blamed on me. i drank/ate too much milk/milk products? tomato sauce? onions? i cut out half my diet, but this only made us BOTH scream and cry continuously. only to finally be told that he has colic. i was stoked to be told i could have dairy again, but admit that i squirmed a little when they mentioned that this could last another 7 weeks! he has also decided he's a night owl and chooses to stay awake until sometimes as late as 2am. i realize this is where i'm described as an overly-permissive parent who is discussed negatively at strangers' dinner tables. but he very well may be my last. and i want every second of this baby-ness. so he is exclusively breastfed, i co-sleep with him, and he's pretty much held or carried non-stop all day. part of me knows this isn't helping. most of me does. but i also know how fast this time goes, and i must shamefully admit that i'm attached. probably more than he is. so i'll blog. at 1am. with a kid lounged in a boppy on my lap. i swear i used to have a life.