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I Hate Penguins

I spent all day staring adoringly at my newborn instead of napping and now Cher is awake for the night although I'm ready to crash. After trying to get her to sleep with me in the bedroom for three hours with no luck, I threw my pillow at the wall in frustration and came out to the living room to sulk. I'm not thrilled about the wait for her to get her days and nights sorted out. Cher went happily into her bouncy chair and I flopped on the couch and turned on the t.v. Here's what greeted me:

"It's the last meal in their bellies but the father penguins have saved it for their young. It's been four months since they last fed and they will soon die of starvation if they do not eat in the next few days. But this precious, last meal is disgorged and fed carefully to the newborn chicks."

March of the Self Righteous, Long Suffering, Holier-Than-Thou Penguins. Fantastic.
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dalene said…
Oh Sarah--that is so perfect! Well, except for your not sleeping part.

Best wishes that your days and nights do not stay upside down for too long. Hang in there!
4/14/2007 5:57 AM
Special K ~Toni said…
I remember those days all to well! Hope she gets straightened out soon! How is Penny taking to her baby sister?
4/14/2007 6:23 AM
S'mee said…
That's like watching "Castaway" while we were flying to Hawaii...

May those first three months go quickly!
4/14/2007 7:52 AM
Unknown said…
Awww. But the widdle penguins LOOOOVE you.

Actually, my avian biologist friend hated that movie. About 20 minutes in she hurled a throw pillow at the TV and screamed "THIER LITTLE BIRDY HEARTS CANNOT LOVE!!!" She did the same thing when we watched "Happy Feet."She has cold, hard science where her pen-pen loving heart should be.

Think of it this way, they only do it because of instinct and evolution. The same instinct that keeps you from putting the kid out on in front porch in a basket with a sign that says "Baby, $75 OBO" when she hasn't let you sleep in six days.
4/14/2007 10:57 AM
The1stdaughter said…
Goodluck Sarah....I share your pain. I still am waiting for the night when Jace sleeps happily through the night. For now I will settle for getting up every 3 or 4 hours.
4/14/2007 11:07 AM
Carina said…
What is with them thinking it's perfectly ok to be bright eyed and bushy tailed at 3:30am?? There are other people around here!

signed, your sister in day-night mixups and anti-anthropomorphising.
4/14/2007 12:32 PM
Erin said…
I felt manipulated by March of the Penguins. They're penguins, not people and they are functioning biologically. I agree with Adrienne's biologist friend.

Hope you get some zzzzs soon. At night:)
4/14/2007 1:15 PM
Spike said…
i don't agree that animals can't love. i don't know about penguins, but little bear cubs like to "play" with each other, and they certainly seem affectionate. dogs are loyal and obviously get excited about getting fed. if animals can engage in play, get excited, be loyal, be scared, etc., then why not love too? interesting that a biologist would make such a distinction between people and humans. usually they get accused of the opposite; thinking people are animals. but what do i know?
4/14/2007 3:10 PM
Unknown said…
Well, Adam, the GOOD behavioral biologists have to NOT antrhopomorphize their study organisms. "Love"is a complicated thing when you're talking about behavior, but it's all biology. My cats, as sweet as they are, don't love us. We feed them. I mean, if you get right down to it, biologically love means you find a mate and reproduce, so you might say those with the capacity to love have a better reproductive fitness than the misanthropes among us. There's a definite link between cute and affection: big eyes and big heads trigger some basic care instinct in the human brain, which is why we go "AWWWW" at babies, puppies, that baby polar bear in Germany named Knut...
4/14/2007 3:42 PM
Spike said…
but what i am wondering is, will a good biologist admit that a dog can get "excited"? because it seems really, really obvious to me that they do get excited. and scared. and if excited and scared, then why not love?
4/14/2007 3:54 PM
~j. said…
bless you. I wish you rest and NO PENGUINOS. (may i recommend the weather channel for the late nights? very, very soothing music...)
4/14/2007 5:25 PM
Nikki said…
Oh, I remember those first few weeks. Not looking forward to it. But I just read The Happiest Baby on the Block and it was really good and made a lot of sense. I'm hoping it will work with this one.

And *blech* on the penguins.
4/14/2007 8:10 PM
Janell said…
They really ought to make you feel better by following off with, "Thus 75% of those father penguins will die of starvation and then 100% of those hatchlings will die."
4/14/2007 11:10 PM
Rachel said…
I wonder if those devoted penguins would feel the same if they were up in the night for three hours straight dealing with a baby penguin whose screams could be heard on the other side of the arctic. Only then to have his baby completely cover his feathers in penguin poop, so much for that carefully transported regurgitated meal.

How willing would they be willing to march then?
4/15/2007 9:05 AM
glo said…
Congratulations on the baby - it is nature's cruel joke that they come out all day/night reversed.

Just take a deep breath and remember that penguins get eaten by seals. You may not be as self-sacrificing, but at least you're further up the food chain.
4/15/2007 4:54 PM
acte gratuit said…
Funny...I just wrote a post titled "penguins" but it's not even remotely similar. Except in that it concurs penguins can be very disturbing.

Congrats on the adorable little girl!!! And darn you to heck for looking so good so soon after her birth!!!
4/15/2007 6:24 PM
Robyn said…
Heh. Those penguins are so cute though! Too funny Hollywood! I'm sure your little starlet will have it all sorted out soon!
4/15/2007 7:47 PM
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