Giggity giggity

We have a gig tonight. Today, I got up at 6am with the baby, nursed her, gave her cereal, made myself breakfast, played with the baby, got her down for a nap, did two loads of laundry, nursed the baby again, cereal again, got frozen pizzas and pop at the store for the sitter, helped my husband jump-start the SUV when the battery died, took a shower, did my hair, and now I'm waiting for the sitter, while the baby takes her 2nd nap. I am so NOT focused on performing. It's funny, though--as soon as I get to the gig, I'll be in rock mode. And as soon as we finish our last song, I'll immediately be thinking about getting home to the baby.

Right now, I need a nap.

Baby's First Gig

Miss Morgan went to her first gig this past weekend. It was outdoors, and our bass player's girlfriend took her for a walk in the stroller. They sat across the street from us for awhile, so Morgan got to hear us from a distance. Let me tell you, it was so hard to stay onstage--I wanted to go smooch my baby!

I'm still feeling sleep-deprived from the gig. Morgan's sleep schedule was normal, but mine was not. Staying up until 1am, and then getting up at 6 with the baby wiped me out. It is now 8:30pm, and I'm thinking about calling it a day.

I'm with the band

Mannnnnnnnn. . . it's been awhile since my last post. Turns out babies keep you busy. And I like naps.

So we have a gig in a couple weeks up near Duluth. It's a two day deal. What will we do with the baby, you ask? That's a very good question. I'm thinking she'd make an excellent tambourine player. Or maybe we'll just see if Grandma wants an overnight visit. But seriously, if I didn't think it was going to be too loud for her, I'd just throw on a Baby Bjorn, and bring her onstage with me. As you can see from the ultrasound, she had a predisposition to rock, even in utero. The ultrasound tech said she was signing "I love you". I burst into joyous tears, and said, "No. . . we're in a band!".

Dr. Feelgood

I've been watching A Baby Story on TLC, and I've noticed a trend. Many of the women on that show kiss their doctors on the cheek--BEFORE the epidural. And the doctors kiss them back! What? Is this a common practice in other areas of the country? Are we Midwesterners out of the kissy-kissy loop? Personally, I save my kisses for my great aunties and my husband, and not for the guy checking my cervix. Well, sometimes my husband checks my cervix. . . heh. ANYWAY, I want to know if other people are kissing hello. "Hello, Mailman Pete! Thanks for not bringing me any bills!". Smooch. "Greetings, Butcher Nadine! Awesome pork chops!". Mwah. "Hi there, Doctor Zbornak! I lost my mucous plug!". Kissy kissy. Really?

Everybody's Working for the Weekend. . . except me

So I lost my job in January, four weeks before the baby was born. Let me tell you, looking for employment while 9 months pregnant is difficult. Looking for employment with an infant in tow is damn near impossible. I know you're supposed to sleep when the baby sleeps, but that's when I send out resumes. Here it is, 11pm, and I'm looking for work.

I've been doing most of my job searching online. I am so sick of the fake ads that reroute you to a temp agency's website. And the companies offering $8/hr for administrative assistants. Come on. And the job postings riddled with spelling errors. If you can't spell "receptionist", then I'm pretty sure you're actually porn.

On the upside, we have a gig this Friday. Yay. And I already have a sitter. YAY!

Rock 'n Roll

The baby rolled over for the first time! I was so excited. Then I realized this leads to crawling, then walking, then asking to borrow the car, then moving to another state. It's a slippery slope, and it begins with one roll. Sigh.

Siskel and Mombert

My husband, Chad, and I have devised our own ratings system for new movies. It goes like this:

• Would pay full price to see the movie
• Would pay matinee price
• Would pay $1 at Redbox
• Would only watch the movie if stuck on the couch with the flu, and unable to reach the remote

For instance, after seeing the previews for the upcoming Land of the Lost, I declared that I would pay $1 to see it. Chad replied with, "Flu". Sorry, Will Ferrell.

Brownies and Bridezillas

The baby and I had the house to ourselves this past weekend. My husband was hired to run sound for four bands in South Dakota. While he was off doing that, she and I watched chick flicks, and baked brownies. Well, I watched chick flicks, and baked brownies. She nursed, played on her mat, and slept. It was a big weekend for all.

You know what show is totally addictive? Bridezillas. I get sucked into the drama of it all. My husband has been the wedding dj for countless brides, and we have yet to run into a bridezilla. An auntzilla, yes. A racist-father-in-law-zilla, sure. But no bridezillas. Maybe someday. That could make for some good blogging.

Jingle all the way

A plumbing and heating company placed an ad on Craigslist, looking for a jingle. I figured I'd give it a shot, and just sent a little ditty to them in an e-mail. How does one break into the jingle business, I wonder? I would enjoy being a Charlie Harper. I mean writing jingles, and wearing cool shirts--not the promiscuity, and crazy stalker neighbor.

You know what would be a good band name?

Quantum Burrito.

I thought up that one during a 3am feeding.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! We had a lovely one here. My darling husband (who is also in the band, by the way) took the baby and me on a paddleboat cruise of the Mississippi River, and then out for dinner. And the baby was an absolute angel the entire time. She was perfectly happy to look at the river, and to charm the people on the boat. It was a wonderful first Mother's Day. And now she is asleep, her daddy is at a Testament concert, and I'm going to end my day in a bubble bath with chocolate.

The glamorous rockstar life

So yesterday, I'm getting ready for our gig. This used to entail picking out an outfit, doing my hair and makeup, and making sure I had a set list. With the wee one, it now involves doing a load of laundry, running the dishwasher, cleaning the house for the sitter, feeding the baby, prepping bottles for the evening, changing the baby, dressing myself, changing myself after discovering spit-up down my back, changing the baby after diaper blow-out, hair, makeup, and set list. Then off to the show, where my boobs steadily turn rock hard and painful. Back home afterward, where my sweet baby is asleep, and I immediately attach myself to the breast pump for some relief. Then I fall into bed, only to be woken by the hungry lass a couple hours later. It's like I'm a singing vending machine. You want milk? I got it. You want the backup vocals for "Highway to Hell"? Can do.

Test one, test two

This thing is on! The internet works! A very sweet friend read of my plight, and offered to watch the baby!

Ok, now I'm looking for more moms to hop on board, and share their thoughts on balancing baby and band. Do other people take their baby to band practice, or is that just me? What about pumping during a gig? Does "Sweet Child of Mine" make you long to be back at home?

Badass Mother

Ok, we are 30 hours away from the gig, and still no luck. I've tried friends, kids of friends, family, and neighbors. I'm pretty sure the bar would frown on me bringing the baby in there (maybe with a fake id?), so I need to find a sitter stat!

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Jen, you look smokin' hot in that picture. Were you four months pregnant at the time?". You're sweet. And yes, I was. If you look closely, you'll note that the jeans do not zip up all the way. I was on the cusp of maternity wear at the time. And let me just say, if this blog explodes with popularity (and why wouldn't it?), I'd like to include info on where to find stage-worthy maternity clothes. I was reduced to wearing maternity jeans, t-shirts, and a hoodie from Hot Topic to our gigs. It was ok, but not as badass as I'd have liked. Because I am one badass mother.

Because she lacks the motor skills to be a roadie

As a mom who is in a rock band, I am facing a unique challenge: to find a sitter I trust with my 3 month old, and who is cool with staying at my house until 3:00 in the morning. There have to be other rockin moms out there with the same dilemma. I propose that we seek each other out, share ideas about balancing childcare and gigs, and maybe even recommend good sitters around the Twin Cities. Or beyond. Hell, this is the internet, after all. I hear it's getting to be quite popular.