Sleep, Glorious Sleep
Having received 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night, today is a much better day than yesterday. The previous night, my son kept me up at all hours, and I had to grab sleep in fifteen minute intervals. There was a total of two hours sleep in all, which is making me remember why I added extra time onto my book deadline. I’ve edited 234 pages, which would suggest that I could send my book off within a week or so. Problem is, my brain can barely manage to remember how to open a file, much less process what I’ve written on the page.
In these early weeks, it’s a miracle I remember how to wash my hair and dress myself. Thank goodness for my husband, who has helped immensely with my older two children. Honestly, I would be a slobbering wreck if it weren’t for him. Let’s just say I should not be operating heavy machinery at this time. 
My son is now developing gas pains, the same as my older two. When they reached that point, we had to start giving them simethicone (Mylicon) gas drops to keep them from screaming in pain. It got to the point where we nicknamed it Baby Crack. Honest to God, we survived their infancy by squirting those drops down their throats every two hours. We determined that babies should have one of those hamster water dispensers mounted onto the crib, loaded with gas drops. Either that, or a pacifier hooked up with a medicine dispenser.
No, really. I’m not kidding. There’s nothing worse than watching your infant howl in pain, jerking his little legs as the gas pains hit him. Nobody wants to see a baby suffer, especially when there are ways to help them. So, I’ll be making a pilgrimage to the drug store today, to buy my child his supply of liquid relief.
I did finish making the bourbon balls yesterday, and sadly, a few of them (okay, a dozen) did not turn out very well, with the chocolate sauce slightly melting the candy interior. Darn. Those will have to be consumed by our family so as to hide the evidence. 
I also plan to make homemade ginger bread, fruit cake (yes, really), snowball cookies (shortbread with confectioner’s sugar), banana bread, and possibly pecan tassies.
For those of you who subscribe to my newsletter, I sent out information today about Her Warrior King which is now on sale from eHarlequin. 
I also included the fruit cake recipe. If you want the recipe but aren’t a newsletter subscriber, just scroll down and enter your e-mail address into the subscriber box. You KNOW you want to try it. It’s delicious.
What’s your favorite holiday treat? Which one is your least favorite?
Michelle posted in Writing @ 9:11 am | Viewed 2901 times
Holly(Taryn Raye) Says:
Hello Michelle! I’m glad to hear you’re getting some sleep and I absolutely agree on the Mylicon drops. We always had to have Little Tummies on hand for our daughter. I always said she was just full of it! LOL
Just checked my email and found your newsletter so will definitely be checking it out in a minute. I’m not really big on fruitcake. Not sure I’ve ever eaten any….I know my mom loves it though, so I could either make her one or pass the recipe along to her.
My favorite holiday treat(s) would have to be fudge-either chocolate or peanut butter, bourbon balls, peanut butter balls, sausage balls, white almond coated pretzels, haystacks, pumpkin log, no bake cookies.
My least favorite(s)- fruitcake, but more so my least favorite isn’t the treats themselves, but that my MIL goes overboard and makes so much stuff I haven’t got room in my fridge for regular food and most of the treats spoil before we can eat it all. She loves to cook and make treats for the holidays, but telling her not to go overboard does no good.
Gina Says:
I couldn’t function on three hours sleep. I’d be a grinch for sure! I love rice krispie treats. To me those are always a holiday treat.
Kim A. Says:
Oooh, a whole 3 hours of sleep! LOL. As a person without human kids, I don’t know how parents do it. And more than once! Boggles my mind. My fur kids are enough of a disturbance at night.
I hope little James Patrick finds relief, though. No fun for him — or for mummy and daddy. That’s the thing that always put me off from having kids (besides the 9 months + delivery): the helplessness of the infant, the inability to verbalize, the utter dependency. I know that’s a big draw for most women, but for me it’s the opposite. My hat is off to all the great moms here!
As for Christmas treats: Oh, pretty much anything I don’t make myself. Actually, I used to love holiday baking, but since I’ve been on my own again, I don’t bother. I did get your fruitcake recipe, though, in the newsletter, and will print it out. Just in case I’m overcome with the urge to make something.
My regular morning bus driver, who is a lovely older man, married for 39 years, said he’d bring me one the fruitcakes he and his wife make. They soak it in rum, though. I think I’ll “share” it at the office. LOL.
BTW, I ordered “Her Warrior King” from eHarlequin yesterday morning…at 4:45AM. No way was I going to miss this one! I had to order the last one from Amazon.ca; eHarlequin was sold out.
P.S. Send the bourbon balls my way; I won’t complain that they didn’t turn out.
-Kim
Stephanie Bose Says:
Just wanted to say congratulations on the little one and OMG! you’re baking and editing a manuscript? You truly are Wonder Woman, Michelle!
All the very best to you and your beautiful family!
beth Says:
Ah the joy of what is coming. I don’t think I’m going to function nearly as well as you are on anything like 3 hours of sleep. Gah! Yay for your hubby, the hero.
I make apple strudel every Christmas with a strudel dough recipe from a German woman who was a friend of my grandmother. That’s really all I look forward to - though I have a friend who makes dates rolled in powdered sugar that are always nice for the first 2 or so (then they’re just too much). This year I think I’m going to try my grandmother’s zweibok recipe - not sweet, per se, but happy memories, which is really more the point, right?
Michelle Says:
Holly–oh, I LOVE Haystack cookies. I forgot all about those. Mmm….and yes, our kids sound alike with the Mylicon.
Gina–we make Rice Krispy treats all the time…love those!
Kim–I hope you enjoy Her Warrior King! I think it has become one of my favorites.
Beth–yes, enjoy that sleep while you can! But baby snuggles make up for the lack of sleep. If they weren’t so gosh-darn cute, we’d drown them.
Stacy Dawn Says:
Oh Glory Be I remember those days LOL. Poor guy. Glad you got some sleep. I don’t think anyone appreciates more than a new mother LOL.