perpetrating counterculture....: Getting the hang of things

Gah, well I started to write a birth story about a week ago, but it got long long long, and things (well one little thing in particular!) sort of distracted me, so I don't know when it will get done. I really hope I do manage to do it whilst the memories are still sort of fresh-they're already fading, what with having to get used to looking after an ACTUAL PERSON 24/7...whew. It is, I must admit, rather hard. She is a lovely, lovely, super mellow baby, but the adjustment from complete freedom (or almost complete freedom, whilst pregnant) to complete lack of it has been a bit difficult for me, and there have been meltdowns a plenty. But I think I'm getting into the swing of it. Can't believe she's 4 weeks old tomorrow! Really quite scary, and a reminder to me to stop moping and enjoy her extreme little-ness (especially since I'm not really intending to have any more babies). The health visitor came and weighed her yesterday, she's 9lb 6! (7lb 12 at birth). I was so chuffed, the feeling that it's all my milk that is making her grow really helps with the baby blues cos goddamit, I'm keeping her alive! And growing her big! All with my own body, it is very satisfying. And it makes me resent the puddles that I wake up in constantly a little less....

Plus we have managed to get out and about plenty. Cara got to go to her first gig aged 2 weeks and 5 days-not bad! Kimya Dawson played an all ages baby friendly show at the Common Place, a radical social centre in town. It was a great evening, packed with people that I know who were all very keen to see the little (you know that you have made a place your home when you can go to a gig and chat easily with about half the people there). Kimya has an 11 month old girl called Panda, and we had a quick chat about babbies, which was nice because she is one of my favourite singers and she came up to talk to me-the advantages of having a wee one! It was such a good gig for a new mum, loads of her recent songs are about motherhood/pregnancy and I got a bit teary. Plus she played one early set specifically for babies, which was brilliant. Need to get hold of her baby album, Alphabutt, which she had sold out of the night before. Anyway, it was great, we watched music and chilled with many friends and well wishers, ate good vegan food, and my lovely elegant daughter did a projectile vomit with my boob in her mouth all over the floor. Lurrvely. Well, at least it was at the Common Place, where a bit of boob vomiting won't even raise an eyebrow and the floors all wipe (fairly) clean, rather than in the bank, where I had fed her earlier that day! Don't think they would have been quite so cool with it...

Couple of pics of the gig and us:

Anyway, I have been on the net plenty but not really felt able to post much anywhere (mostly cos I always have a baby on my arm drinking away), but will hopefully get back into it soon. I don't know what I do all day, because she really isn't as demanding as some babies, but it's just difficult to get back into a rythym (especially as I've never been the most motivated person). I desperately want to knit and sew and bake again, but I really feel like all I should be doing when not tending to her is housework. But it must be possible, so many of the amazing crafty women I 'know' on the internet are mamas, so I'm sure eventually I'll get it back, won't I? I did make these socks!: