Well, when Lexie said this isn’t pretty Wyoming, and she was right. I said it looks like the moon; she said Mars. She hasn’t been to Winslow! Rawlins is actually the Wyoming version of Dave’s hometown with a slightly greener cast and antelope running through the gas station instead of wild dogs!

Here’s what we learned yesterday:
– Tess can’t live without prune juice. Either can we. She missed 2 doses and was miserable all night, writhing and crying. She also eats less. Not good. Prune juice this morning = happy, healthy baby tonight!

– The volunteers at the hospital gave us diapers. They were bad diapers. Do not worry about wasting bad diapers. Throw them away! Dave did a low rider styling that left me thanking god she couldn’t poop last night. Pee everywhere at 4 am does not a happy mommy make. We left the bad ones in the hotel room.

– I knew babies created hella quantities of laundry. Now I’m experiencing it. The burp cloths stay clean. Without fail, she nails her clothes and the blanket she’s wrapped in – and all of me. Some scrambling will happen at her next feeding to dig out more clean everything. I think she went through what I thought she’d need for 2 days in one! I might go back to feeding her in her diaper until there’s a washer in sight. Sigh.

– I hate hand washing bottles as much as I remember. All hail the dishwasher!

– Tess + car = happy sleeper! Win.

– Tess is loud. Ask our nurses. We’re not talking preemie grunt either. This is serious noise-making. She’s very vocal when she’s happy, sleeping, eating, uncomfortable, tired…you do the math. Very expensive monitor going back. This kid makes noise every second of the day. If she stops breathing, we’ll know.

– Coffee and a shower can still fix almost anything.

So we’re crossing Wyoming. Dave got rest because he’s driving. I had my first night feedings with Tess. I am very tired. If she’d slept in between it would have been fine. Prune juice, away!

6:30pm
So we’re in the parking lot at Mount Rushmore as we decided to crash in Rapid City tonight, and we’re fighting Tess over a bottle! Parenthood really has set in. 🙂 I don’t think the prune juice has worked its full magic yet, and until that horrifying relief of a moment, we have a sometimes sluggish eater on our hands.

Dave and I are getting pretty good at figuring out who needs a minute and who needs baby time. I didn’t sleep last night. Dave has been driving all day. He wanted to cuddle his daughter. 🙂

So with the sun setting and president’s behind us, we’re focusing on the important stuff: Tess!

11:20pm
Alright Denise. Are you contacting Tess somehow? Not only did she take more tonight, she demanded more! She’s already had 80 and she’s still going. 🙂 Prune juice: win. Food: check. Sleep? We’ll see. Tess is at her most alert now until about 2 am. That kinda hurts my everything! Still, bathed and fed and snuggled makes for a happy baby.