Baby in the Country

Raising a baby in the prairies of Alberta is a trip.  Let me regal you…

Now that Langdon is almost 4 months old, he has become the fussiest, bossiest, demanding baby.  What happened to my sweet, smiling baby?!  He goes from this:

To this:

In a second flat, in repetition ALL DAY LONG!  Arrrrgh!!!  He’s like the comedy/drama masks but in real life.  WTF.  He needs to be held constantly, if I leave the room for 3 seconds he cries + he now wails when I hand him over to anyone else.

A mom friend told me about the book “The Wonder Weeks”.  And I’m so glad she did!!!  Thank you!!!  If you have a youngling – get it.  Basically, babies go through periods where their cognitive development is surging.  Instead of a growth spurt it’s more like a brain spurt.  Apparently, according to Langdon’s due date he is smack dab in the middle of a “stormy period”.  At this point babies are absorbing + learning so much that they literally can’t even handle it.  I’m so glad I’m reading this book – it makes me feel like I’m not going bat sh*t crazy.  Now when Langdon cries (which sounds like a very loud HEEEEE HEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!) I just ask him, “Is your brain exploding?”.  And I try + help him out as much as I possibly can to accomplish his goal for the moment.

Oh yeah + besides having a diva baby, now I have a 3 legged cat.  Yes.  Megumi.  She developed a fluid filled cyst on her bad atrophied paw before we made the trek to Alberta.  Mmmmmm, yummy.  Here she is 4 legged + bandaged up.

The amazing vet here in Black Diamond sent the fluid samples to a pathologist + they suggested amputation.  It was just a matter of time before that beef jerky leg was given the heave ho.  Poor thing.  I picked her up post surgery + she was doped up as all get out.  Langdon is gleeful because turns out he is a sadistic baby.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, man – no worries” Langdon is trying to convince Megu.  Megu is like “oh hell no” but is too high to escape.

Darling Megu!  Well I’d like to reassure y’all that although she looks like a sad, wretched Frankenstein feline, she has adjusted STUPENDOUSLY!!!!!  She is faster, happier + zippier with 3 legs!!!  Success!!!!  Pictures to come!

Anyhoo, we are seriously in the country.  This is where we are living right now.

I feel so isolated!  The main part of town is literally about 2 blocks long.  Jeff + I were in Black Diamond last summer + the reasons why I loved living in the country before, are the reasons why I dislike it with the baby.  Too quiet, too solitary = getting on board the crazy train with an infant when your husband works 14 plus hours a day, 5 days a week.

Sleep is also an issue.  Jeff got a free crib which is set up in the bedroom:

Langdon hated it with a fiery passion of a thousand suns + lasted one night in it.

Then we tried a mattress on the floor in the tiny sewing room:

Sad looking, isn’t it???  That didn’t last long either.  We are playing bed musical chairs here.  Help me lord!  Help me!!!

Oh yeah + the next town over which I get a lot of errands done is about 35 minutes away.  Langdon has hissy fits + requires food food food.  So what happens?!  We stopped one day + left the air running to keep cool while he ate.  THE.CAR.BATTERY.DIED.  I called triple A + they told me I’d have to wait for an hour for assistance because I’M IN THE FRICKIN’ COUNTRY Y’ALL.  Oh no, I ain’t waiting an hour with this baby – plus that was the day I had to pick up Megu from her surgery!  Luckily, I was stopped at the Okotoks Erratics – rocks transported by glaciers from the Ice Age.  I spied a couple humans, pushed my stroller over + told my sad story to these people so they would give me a jump.  And of course they didn’t know how to use my jumper cables.  Lord have mercy on this mother’s soul!!!

Moving on from my sad sack stories….. Langdon is way into grabbing toys with both paws + squeaking + squalling.

Shared bath time when we can manage it is his ultimate delight!

Here’s Langdon baffled by the goings on of his dad cleaning out his trailer.

He’s thinking, “Why do we have a trailer?  WTF is it doing in Alberta?  Why is it only half finished?  Why do you need the biggest truck ever to haul it?”.  Oh my dear boy, your poor long suffering mother often wonders the same exact things daily.

Father + son.

Jeff’s trailer, which he has used for years as living quarters when working on location in Alberta is now being super generously stationed on a friend’s ranch here in Alberta.  This is where Langdon had his first encounter with a horse!!!!  This is where he lost all his little marbles with joy.  Note his dope sunglasses are on.

Note the super unbelievably psyched face he is wearing.

Well folks, this is my existence for the next two months.  A tiny country house, baby paraphernalia bursting out of the seams + a BOSS BABY.  Welcome to my hell…

Or heaven????  I keep trying to remind myself that Langdon will only be this little + squee once in his life!  And I cherish it all!  Love you all!!!  Miss every single one of you!!!!  XOXOXOXO!!!!!!!!