The Backseat Pug 3 and Postpartum Top Fives

The Backseat Pug vs. The Angry Tomato. The photo on the left was taken as Vince and I left for the hospital to have Benjamin.

The second question on everyone's lips (after "How is motherhood??? Isn't it GREAT????") is "How is Oliver doing?" I have to admit that he has been quite neglected. I didn't think it would happen, but Oliver has, indeed, taken a backseat to the Tiny Dictator. Hubby asked me the other day if I'd been paying attention to the Pug. I looked down at the spit-up and milk-stained sweats I'd been living in all week, gazed longingly at the shower that I hadn't used in two days, and quelled a rumble in my empty stomach that had yet to be fed although it was afternoon already and told him, "No, I haven't been paying attention to anyone." I have faith that in time, both Oliver and I will make a comeback though. He'll finally get another marathon walk around the neighborhood with me and I will finally get to brush my teeth for two days in a row!

I'm going to use my Hubby's pointed question about the state of Oliver's care to segue into the next part of this post.

Top Five Things Not to Say to Your Wife Right After Your Baby is Born
# 5. "Have you been paying attention to the dog?"
# 4. "Chinese food again?"
# 3. "I can't get the door right now... I have to beat this high score."
# 2. "My jeans feel tight right now."
# 1. "I've been averaging only five hours of sleep a night."

In the "Top Five" spirit, here are a few other Postpartum Top Fives for you...

Top Five Books
# 5. Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali
# 4. The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins
# 3. Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields
# 2. The Baby Book by Sears and Sears
# 1. The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

Top Five Postpartum Lifesavers
# 5. My Brest Friend - It allows me to nurse Benjamin and check emails (i.e. stay in touch with the real world) at the same time.
# 4. Glamourmom nursing tanks
# 3. Baby wraps and slings
# 2. The Pump Station
# 1. OTHER MOMS

I can't emphasize that last one enough. As I touched on in a previous post, other moms (especially my own) are what have kept me from jumping out of my skin and off of my balcony on an almost daily basis.

Speaking of my previous post, Benjamin has decided to continue working on his dance moves. Instead of Fosse, he's taken up the Macarena.

Before I go, I want to quickly comment on that first Top Five List. To be completely fair, my husband has been the perfect partner through our postpartum odyssey. He's taken on nighttime baby-calming duties, taken my PPD meltdowns in stride, made it a point to tell me that I look like I never had a baby (good one, Vince!) and dutifully refused to work late since the baby was born. So I won't begrudge him the occasional foot-in-mouth comment, though I will draw the line at more than two consecutive hours of video game playing. But you know what they say about boys: They will be boys. And it is my fervent hope that my little boy will grow up to be just like his Dad.