Me and Wee: Couch Potato

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Couch Potato


Hi friends! I first want to thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes and sweet words! I was so touched by your lovely comments!! Thanks so much, it truly made me feel so special. And that Chris...so sweet to break in to my blog and write all that! He's a wonder! Also, thanks so much for your lovely response to my previous post about my post-partem issues...I'm feeling pretty good and am working toward recovery. My insomnia is pretty much gone and my anxiety/nervousness is gone for the most part. I feel so much more like myself again! For now I'm in an onward and upward mode. In more good news, Paige slept through from 7:30 pm-ish to 5/5:30 am the past 2 nights! I hope it continues! She'd been down to one night-waking at around 3:30 (on average) to eat and then sleeping until 7 or so. Then, 2 nights ago she went all the way to 5:00 and I about crapped myself: 1. out of surprise and 2. out of fear that something was wrong. But alas, all was well and she was fine. And no, I didn't end up crapping myself after all. I put her back to bed after this 5 am feeding and she's gone another 2-3 hours or so. My fingers are crossed for continued sleepful bliss on both our parts. In other news Paige has started babbling quite a bit (a joy!!!!) and she's even starting to grab with her hands instead of just flailing them around aimlessly all the time. I like having "conversations" with her now and she's practicing SO HARD to say "la-la-la". She's having fun discovering her tongue. So, that's the news with her!

I have a confession: before Paige was born I bought (on a whim) a Baby Einstein DVD. One for age 3 months and up. I dug it out a little while ago and plopped it in the DVD player on a lark just to see if she'd be interested in it. Well, she ended up staring at the screen for the entire duration of the DVD...from her little bouncy chair. Oh crap. She loved it and has seen it a few times since...not every day...but here and there and she continues to love it. The problem is that nobody else I know has the TV on in the house with the baby during the day. I have it on ALL DAY LONG as background noise and for myself to view while I feed her. I'll admit it here, since I like to be candid. I feel like maybe I should have it turned off as well...that I'm being some sort of bad mom for having it on and corrupting her little mind. I know she likes the sounds and the colors and lights of it and I certainly don't want her to become a couch potato. I don't want to allow her to one day sit in front of the tv all day when there is a world to explore outside...but for now I figure "what's the harm?" Some people feel like it's no big deal while others feel like it's a horrible thing. It was on the other night while Chris and I were eating dinner in the living room...and Paige was in her bouncy chair. She turned her head to see the screen and we were watching a rerun of "Bones." Of course, there was a freaky human carcass of bones and wilted flesh on the screen...being dissected by the scientists on the fictional show...and Paige was fascinated and staring. Then I realized: I'm allowing my baby daughter to see this! What the fuck is wrong with me??? She didn't seem to mind as she had no idea what she was watching...but I turned her chair away anyway since I was ashamed of myself. Next thing you know: " WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Sheepishly, I turned her back 'round to watch the dissection, and I swear, a little smile curled on her mouth. So I told myself "hey, maybe she just wants to be a forensic scientist one day and is getting a head start with her research?!!" and I went back to what I was doing. Needless to say, the TV has been off all afternoon today and I've learned my lesson. But, I think Baby Einstein will be here to stay...who can say no to a bunch of puppets and funky looking toys all played to the music of Bach? Sure, I'll want to gouge my eyes out with an ice-pick but what's a little sacrifice for a happy baby?

6 comments :

Hillary said...

I think every Mom thinks that if she lets her baby watch tv that she is a "bad Mom." But as my husband often reminds me, he watched tv all the time as a kid and he turned out just fine (and a smarty lawyer at that :)). Obviously moderation is the key!

Hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Teresa Meyer said...

Are we living parallel lives...I too have the t.v. on as background noise pretty much all day long. I've tried to not let Gray watch, but he really seems to like the colors. We're both bad moms and are going to hell. : b

Anonymous said...

I had a lot of guilt about having the tv on for background noise when my son was Paige's age. He's ten months now and I couldn't care less; he plays with me or his toys, reads with me, naps, listens to music.. all while the tv is on in the lounge room, and he's fine! He watches his Baby Einstien dvd once or twice a week too, but other than that doesn't pay much attention to the tv. If it wasn't on I'd feel lonely! I need the noise. I try to make sure it's off for dinner time, but we live in a small house with the living room at the center and it does accidently become a living family member sometimes. There's so many other things to have mummy guilt over so I'm not going to bother getting upset over that.

Megan said...

OMG! I'm so glad you brought this up. I have the tv on all day too!!! It's great background noise and I like to watch The Price is Right at 10am and LOST reruns at 4pm. I try to mute it when I read to Claire, but otherwise it is always humming along in the background. Really, I can't imagine just having it on does any harm, right?

What is going to stink is when she is older and can pay attention to what is on the tv. I guess I'll have to wean myself at that time.

Thanks so much for blogging about these things. Its so comforting to know someone else is going through the same stuff.

Lynn said...

I wouldn't worry about it at all. As long you're doing lots of activities and less tv when she is older, enjoy the sanity saver!

Unknown said...

I play the TV all day too...Hannah isn't interrested much of the time. She does enjoy "so you think you can dance" though...probably cause of all the action/movement.

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