The Siren Noise

When G was tiny, I was sitting at Easter dinner with a bunch of friends talking around the table, and all the kids were playing/laying near us in the living area (they were all pretty small and couldn't get into much trouble) - they were cooing and "talking" and it got kind of loud. Then someone started crying. Then someone else. And through all the chaos I knew exactly when my baby was one of the ones crying. A friend (who at that time didn't have children) commented that she couldn't believe I could pick out the cries of my child over those of all the others. I told her I thought God/the universe/nature makes a baby's cries the most irritating thing on the planet to that child's mother, so she'll tend it's need immediately. And I still feel this way, although P's cry is less irritating and more painful as I'm pumped full of Fenugreek all day and as soon as she makes a peep my milk lets down with a vengeance. Seriously, it's what I assume being electrocuted feels like. I don't know if that's normal or not, but after not having enough milk for G and practically starving him, I'll take it.

I used to wake up at G's tiniest peep, but since P came along I haven't heard him at night unless I'm on guard (like when he was sick). The other day Erik told me G woke up screaming 3x the night before and I didn't hear a single thing. I felt kind of bad about it. At first I thought it was just the sheer exhaustion of having a newborn but as I kept thinking I decided it must be biology. My body must know that I have a baby to tend to and has made me more in tune with her than with my child who is more likely to be able to fend for himself. Interestingly, Erik used to never be awakened by G at night but now *he* awakens to every peep. Maybe biology is working on him as well (YAY!).

But, until I can get my brain straightened out and trained to awaken to both kids needs (does anyone have any tips on this?), I have told G to wake me up by making a siren noise (the loudest, most annoying noise that boy can make - it could wake the dead) - because that's honestly the only way I hear him on Tuesdays, when Erik goes to work before the sun.