Entry 9:

Good Morning, Hanna,

Eli slept through the night. I fed him at about 6:45 in the evening, he went to bed at about 8 p.m., and he wasn't looking to eat again until 7:30 this morning. He has done a 12-hour stretch before, but it was from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. and therefore not much help. And he once went from 9:30 at night to 6:45 in the morning, but that was back around Thanksgiving and such a fluke it doesn't count. This time, I really think he's on to something, and I am guardedly optimistic that this is behavior he can repeat.

Before you get too jealous, note that I said Eli slept through the night. I didn't come close. I was fine from about 10 p.m. until 3 a.m., but then I woke up hearing these vague, yakky-yakky noises on the baby monitor. I've become accustomed to them. I'm not sure what exactly he's doing, but he's probably half awake and either sucking loudly on his fingers or murmuring. Usually it means he's about ready to eat but not always. So I lie there, half in, half out, waiting for a more definite sign of hunger. Ended up dozing until 4 a.m. when my night owl husband finally came to bed. (That long lunch yesterday turfed his day, and he needed to work.) I'm sure I cat-napped some more, but by then I was pretty alert and so engorged that I couldn't lie on my stomach, which is my preferred position for falling asleep. Finally got out of bed at 7 a.m. to come downstairs and look at the Post. By the time he wanted to eat, I felt like I had breasts up to my collarbone.

As for the news, I was relieved to see that I wouldn't have to concoct more to say about Linda Chavez. Did you notice there were three mommy articles on the front page of the Post dealing with the health, safety, and entertainment of small children? First, USDA has conducted a study of various dieting regimes and confirmed what all moms know. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to eat your fruits and veggies, consume small amounts of fat and moderate amounts of carbohydrate. I predict that this will have zero impact on the eating habits of 99 percent of Americans. Second, the government has published statistics on roll-over rates, finding SUV's pose a greater hazard of rolling over than other vehicles. Well, duh. This is something most moms should know, too, but again I predict that this will have zero impact on the vehicle purchasing behavior of 99 percent of new car buyers. What we really need to fix that problem is a good recession and/or a serious gas shortage. And, finally, new pandas debuting at the National Zoo. I can still count on one hand the number of times I've been to the zoo in the seven years I've lived here, but I predict that, courtesy of my new parent status, I am going to develop an enduring relationship with these new pandas. In fact, I can hardly wait until spring when I can take my young one out in his stroller and point to all the animals. I wouldn't even put it past me to purchase some adorable little bit of panda paraphernalia--more for me than for him, of course.

After all, what's the point of having kids if it doesn't give you the opportunity to be a kid again yourself--at least now and then?

XOX,
M