the orgin of the taco

So . . . why taco? Most people say bean, right? As with everything, there is a story to the taco name.

Last October The Husband and I boogied down to Columbus, Georgia on a Thursday afternoon to meet my sister and her husband. We were going to see George Carlin -- live! We were very excited, and looking back, we are all very glad we went to see him since he passed away the night before Lydia was born.

We were trying for Lydia by now -- I had another week to find out I had her. I had suspicions that my sister and her husband might be trying for their own child but wasn't sure.

The four of us were waiting for the show to start and discussing our dinners. The Husband and I had had Wendy's, I think, and my sister and brother-in-law had enjoyed some tasty tacos.

"How was your taco?" my sister asked her husband.

"Most excellent," he replied. He rubbed her belly and asked, "And how is your taco?"

There was this split second where my sister looked kinda funny, looked at him, then said rather guardedly, "My taco is fine."

"Oh, my God -- they're pregnant." I thought.

It turns out they weren't, but wouldn't you have thought that, too, what with the belly rubbing and taco questions?

So, less than a week later when I saw those two pink lines, what else could it be BUT a taco?

two month old taco

Last weekend, Lydia turned two whole months old. Crazy how fast it's going. She became more awake this month, though since nothing really interests her yet, being awake was very boring to her and she would get all mad. It wasn't until recently that she started reacting to to stuff like The Husband and I making the goofiest faces we could come up with.



At about six weeks there were some horrible nights where Lydia would scream and holler. We didn't know if we needed to tire her out more or try to work out more burps or if she was just a mad mad baby. She would get to sleep but then flail herself awake with her wiggly arms and legs. Even the swaddle couldn't hold her back.



After we implemented some tips from family and friends, there was a huge change for the better. We ditched the swaddling for footie jammies, got her to nap as soon as she showed signs of fussiness, and we figured out she prefers to sleep on her side. Now she's more comfy, and we're more well-rested.



This past month I've really started to feel like a mom. The first few weeks Lydia was here I felt more like a long-term babysitter for someone else's kid. Now that she's reacting back to us and really starting to show off her personality the realness of having a daughter is pouring over me. We're a family. How awesome is that?



The family keeps growing, too. On Lydia's two month birthday we threw a baby shower for my sister, who is due with her first in a few short weeks. We all can't wait to meet Lydia's little taco cousin.

the taco goes to school

Tomorrow I go back to work, and thus Lydia will have her first day of daycare. On the one hand, I am looking forward to going back to work and am pleased that I still want to have a career. Many people told me I would ache to be a stay-at-home-mom once I had Lydia, and I didn't want to be miserable once my maternity leave was over.

On the other hand, I feel a horrible guilt that I am looking forward to going back to work and leaving poor Lydia in the care of strangers. Why would I not want to be with my baby girl all day? I'm a horrible mom.

Nevertheless, work and daycare are just another sleep away.

Speaking of sleep, it's been a long, hard week. The first half of the week was horrible, sleep-wise. Lydia just screamed and screamed, refusing to go to sleep, not sleeping long, it was just horrendous. The Husband and I were very frustrated and felt like the most horrible of parents. I dreaded the night.

We talked with a few people who assured us this was normal and we weren't on the path to laying down a horrible childhood for Lydia. We got some tips for some different things to try -- we switched from swaddling her flailing legs to legged jammies and we found she preferred to sleep on her side. This plus more sleep during the day and a dash of the rocking chair led to a perfect night the past three nights. Apparently sleep begets more sleep. Here's hoping we're starting a trend.

Lydia had her two-month appointment on Friday. She is now a whopping 10 pounds 9 ounces and 22.5 inches long! Unfortunately, she got the first set of a barrage of shots. There were four long shots in her thighs plus an oral medicine. Ohhh, I have never seen her eyes get so big nor her face so red. My poooor baby -- the tears did flow!

I'm so glad she won't remember a bit of that.