It's been a number of days since I lasted posted and what can I say? Time moves in two dimensions when you have a 7 week old to care for.
The first dimension is the "oh my god will this day never end?" dimension. It's generally filled with frustration and confusion for both you and your newborn. Often times this type of day is organized around bouts of inconsolable crying (both you & your child), gas...especially the little guy but potentially you too and praying for snippets of peace and sleep.
The second dimension is the " geez, where did the day go?" dimension. This is my favorite. It's got all sorts of great stuff to distract both you and the babe. Quiet moments of smiles, even a giggle, getting ready to go out, going out...coming home, taking baths (the dude that is not me! the day does not have enough hours for that!) and lastly, enjoying a meal with the hubby. Maybe if you're really lucky, you get a few minutes all to yourself!
If I discover a third time dimension I'll be sure to let you know about it!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Routine Returns to Parker Street
Ahh...I love routines.
They make me feel as though something is being accomplished. Predictability is very reassuring for many of us. No wonder I ended up in a career that relies on repeated operational routines!
Christopher has finally fallen into some semblance of a daily routine. Here it is...
~ 4:30am or so it's a big feed! He loves his boobie at this time of morning, sadly this is the time of morning when mommy is crankiest! He falls back asleep by about 5:00am or maybe 5:15am.
~ 7:00am it's time to get up! more boobie and now Christopher is AWAKE until at least 10:00am...often until 11:00am. He is a morning person just like his mommie!
~ Most days he now naps from between 10:00am and 11:00am until 1:00pm or sometimes even 2:00pm. If he is in the stroller and we're out and about, he sleeps soundly and I can get a few things done - think laundry, lunch, general tiding up or quick errands out and about.
~ 2:00pm at the latest and it's time for more boobie! This feed is often quite big! And now he is generally awake until 6:00pm. He does catch a few little cat-naps of 20 mins or so but frankly, he doesn't like to take this nap & if he does, wow is he ever CRANKY when he wakes up...just in time for daddy to come home and think that his son never does anything other than cry!
~ Between 6:00pm and 7:00pm Christopher begins his "night-time" routine. A little more boobie and then he sleeps until 9:30pm or even 10:00pm if we're lucky.
~ The next waking is at about 11:30pm or 12:00am and it's usually pretty short, more like a little snack on the boob & usually right back to sleep!
~ and before you know it, it's 4:30am and we start it all over again!
So there it is. We're still eagerly awaiting the "sleep through the night" bit where Christopher will sleep for a whole 5 or 6 hours straight. If we're lucky, this will happen over the next 2 or 3 weeks. Keep in mind, he is now between 5 and 6 weeks old! Six weeks is the magic age where his biological systems will become more like ours...this means that he'll stop confusing day with night and will be physiologically capable of sleeping longer without feeding.
Did I mention that my son is BIG! He is already weighing at 12lbs, this is 90th percentile! More on that in my next post!
They make me feel as though something is being accomplished. Predictability is very reassuring for many of us. No wonder I ended up in a career that relies on repeated operational routines!
Christopher has finally fallen into some semblance of a daily routine. Here it is...
~ 4:30am or so it's a big feed! He loves his boobie at this time of morning, sadly this is the time of morning when mommy is crankiest! He falls back asleep by about 5:00am or maybe 5:15am.
~ 7:00am it's time to get up! more boobie and now Christopher is AWAKE until at least 10:00am...often until 11:00am. He is a morning person just like his mommie!
~ Most days he now naps from between 10:00am and 11:00am until 1:00pm or sometimes even 2:00pm. If he is in the stroller and we're out and about, he sleeps soundly and I can get a few things done - think laundry, lunch, general tiding up or quick errands out and about.
~ 2:00pm at the latest and it's time for more boobie! This feed is often quite big! And now he is generally awake until 6:00pm. He does catch a few little cat-naps of 20 mins or so but frankly, he doesn't like to take this nap & if he does, wow is he ever CRANKY when he wakes up...just in time for daddy to come home and think that his son never does anything other than cry!
~ Between 6:00pm and 7:00pm Christopher begins his "night-time" routine. A little more boobie and then he sleeps until 9:30pm or even 10:00pm if we're lucky.
~ The next waking is at about 11:30pm or 12:00am and it's usually pretty short, more like a little snack on the boob & usually right back to sleep!
~ and before you know it, it's 4:30am and we start it all over again!
So there it is. We're still eagerly awaiting the "sleep through the night" bit where Christopher will sleep for a whole 5 or 6 hours straight. If we're lucky, this will happen over the next 2 or 3 weeks. Keep in mind, he is now between 5 and 6 weeks old! Six weeks is the magic age where his biological systems will become more like ours...this means that he'll stop confusing day with night and will be physiologically capable of sleeping longer without feeding.
Did I mention that my son is BIG! He is already weighing at 12lbs, this is 90th percentile! More on that in my next post!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
You Should Just Enjoy It
The most common comment that I get these days from various sources is that I should 'just enjoy this time with my baby'.Hmmm...Yes I should at least try to enjoy these early weeks with the little guy. I know that these days are slipping by quickly & that before I know it Christopher will be going off to preschool and these special days will be lost forever.
The deal though is that these 'special' days & weeks are coloured by a complete lack of sleep, utter exhaustion actually. It's this exhaustion that makes it very difficult to enjoy much of anything, let alone all the moments I have with Christopher. For a day or two I was feeling guilty about this lack of enjoyment for motherhood. Not anymore. I now understand that my feelings of frustration are completely normal, this is not a reflection of my ability or my dedication to being a great mom.
The days after Christopher (and thus me) sleeps well I LOVE being with him. Who wouldn't love looking into his beautiful, smiling face! On that note, Christopher is starting to develop a few little tricks. He can hold his head up for short periods of time, when he is on his tummy he can lift his head up & do little, tiny push-ups...too cute! And blissfully, Christopher is starting to smile for the sake of smiling rather than due to passing gas! Not to mention that last night he slept for 3 hours at a time! This is real progress!
Fingers crossed that we continue to progress in the sleep department! I am very much looking forward to days when Christopher is a little more interactive & responsive to the various things around him...I am much better when the conversation is not just one sided!
The deal though is that these 'special' days & weeks are coloured by a complete lack of sleep, utter exhaustion actually. It's this exhaustion that makes it very difficult to enjoy much of anything, let alone all the moments I have with Christopher. For a day or two I was feeling guilty about this lack of enjoyment for motherhood. Not anymore. I now understand that my feelings of frustration are completely normal, this is not a reflection of my ability or my dedication to being a great mom.
The days after Christopher (and thus me) sleeps well I LOVE being with him. Who wouldn't love looking into his beautiful, smiling face! On that note, Christopher is starting to develop a few little tricks. He can hold his head up for short periods of time, when he is on his tummy he can lift his head up & do little, tiny push-ups...too cute! And blissfully, Christopher is starting to smile for the sake of smiling rather than due to passing gas! Not to mention that last night he slept for 3 hours at a time! This is real progress!
Fingers crossed that we continue to progress in the sleep department! I am very much looking forward to days when Christopher is a little more interactive & responsive to the various things around him...I am much better when the conversation is not just one sided!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Dinner Out...
I now realize all of the little things that I used to take for granted...in no particular order:
1. Dinner out - at friends or a restaurant. We used to go to restaurants a lot. I look forward to all of the money we'll save!
2. A nice big glass of wine. A small glass of scotch or maybe a Manhattan.
3. Leisurely mornings with the news, a cup of coffee & the duvet pulled up high.
4. Last minute plans, for anything.
5. Quiet time with Michael. Snuggling in bed for hours.
6. Going to see a movie.
7. My breasts belonging to me.
8. Time to procrastinate all those little projects.
9. Quiet time to myself.
10. Reading anything not related to babies.
Sure, there are likely many more but these are top of mind today.
I know that as Christopher grows and starts to develop/show his personality that I will discover new things that will bring great pleasure & will fall into the "taken for granted" category. I look forward to it and to sharing that list with you too!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Grandparents Make A Difference
Grandpa spent the day with us today.
You know, I really did not understand the role grandparents can play in your and your child's life until I saw my dad with my son today. He was great & really all he did was cuddle and coo at the little guy but wow, it sure made a difference for me and my mental health, not to mention that Christopher was basking in the love being showered upon him.
I really enjoyed listening to my dad talk to Christopher all day...little private conversations, cooing and general baby talk. Really I had no idea how good my dad could be with a baby! He is also quite a wealth of information about calming a fussy baby & burping! Both topics that we've struggled with for the past few days.
Suffice to say that I'm thrilled that grandpa is eager to come over at least one day a week to hang with Christopher and me!
See you next week dad!
Can't wait for Oma to get here on the 8th...two whole weeks of grandparent help!
You know, I really did not understand the role grandparents can play in your and your child's life until I saw my dad with my son today. He was great & really all he did was cuddle and coo at the little guy but wow, it sure made a difference for me and my mental health, not to mention that Christopher was basking in the love being showered upon him.
I really enjoyed listening to my dad talk to Christopher all day...little private conversations, cooing and general baby talk. Really I had no idea how good my dad could be with a baby! He is also quite a wealth of information about calming a fussy baby & burping! Both topics that we've struggled with for the past few days.
Suffice to say that I'm thrilled that grandpa is eager to come over at least one day a week to hang with Christopher and me!
See you next week dad!
Can't wait for Oma to get here on the 8th...two whole weeks of grandparent help!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back?
It's really very confounding. One night is great, the next day is a disaster. I guess I am still trying to cling to some semblance of routine and, well, newborns just are not wired that way.
Growth spurt day today...I wonder how long it will last for this time. He's been on the boobie every hour all day. The girls are about to go on strike because of it. The real drag? I have not been able to pump today because the little leach has been attached to me most of the day.
Serious nap time after dinner - it's only the second time that we've ordered in since coming home from the hospital. Not bad really - we ate take-out and in restaurants way more than that be fore Christopher.
It's a bit of a ramble but that's how I feel today.
Growth spurt day today...I wonder how long it will last for this time. He's been on the boobie every hour all day. The girls are about to go on strike because of it. The real drag? I have not been able to pump today because the little leach has been attached to me most of the day.
Serious nap time after dinner - it's only the second time that we've ordered in since coming home from the hospital. Not bad really - we ate take-out and in restaurants way more than that be fore Christopher.
It's a bit of a ramble but that's how I feel today.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Adjusting
Christopher will be 3 weeks old tomorrow.
It's been 3 weeks of adjustment for all of us. He's new to the whole world, I'm new to mommydom & how utterly dependant he is on me and Michael is figuring out his role in all of this as well.
When I decided that I wanted to have a child, I forgot that that meant that I would become a 'mom' & really had not a clue of what that role change would truly entail. Frankly, I did not believe what my 'mom' friends said about being a mom. And being the egoist that I am, I assumed that regardless of anyone else's experience, that I would be able to do 'it' better & with the usual ease that I take on new projects and roles.
Ha! How wrong I was! I realize that it's only been 3 weeks and that all of my thoughts & emotions are coloured by lack of sleep (mind you, we did get 4 hours straight last night!), raging horomones and not least of all a slight idenity crisis but this new role is the hardest thing I have ever done. Really. Becoming a mom is not a project, it's a life change.
So what makes it so hard? It's not the tasks themselves...breast feeding, changing diapers & onesies, doing laundry, cuddling baby are all relatively easy things to do. It's hard because it's so unpredictable. For example, you change one diaper, he pees all over himself while you're doing that and now you've got to change the onesie...you run upstairs with the naked little dude, get him into a clean, dry onesie and whoops, now he's puked all over the new one. You get that one changed and guess what, now he needs to be fed...out comes the boob for 20 or 30 minutes, change the diaper again, pray that when he spits up that he misses himself and gets it on the burpy towel...nope he's puked all over you, now you have to get changed...you get the picture.
I now understand why it takes parents 2 hours to get ready to go out for 2 hour excursion! You know, this is not 'hard' at all. It's simply exhausting - you are not in control, your time is no longer yours, you are at the complete mercy of the little dude. For me, a true type 'A' personality it's the lack of control that is hard.
Don't get me wrong, I am totally in love with the little dude. I am however looking forward to the days when he is more than just a breast suckling, diaper dirtying, sleeping, crying machine - there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Christopher is 3 weeks old tomorrow. That means that we're half way through the roughest of the adjustment period...my reward? Christopher is starting focus on my face when he looks at me & he is often smiling when he does look at me, that just melts my heart.
It's been 3 weeks of adjustment for all of us. He's new to the whole world, I'm new to mommydom & how utterly dependant he is on me and Michael is figuring out his role in all of this as well.
When I decided that I wanted to have a child, I forgot that that meant that I would become a 'mom' & really had not a clue of what that role change would truly entail. Frankly, I did not believe what my 'mom' friends said about being a mom. And being the egoist that I am, I assumed that regardless of anyone else's experience, that I would be able to do 'it' better & with the usual ease that I take on new projects and roles.
Ha! How wrong I was! I realize that it's only been 3 weeks and that all of my thoughts & emotions are coloured by lack of sleep (mind you, we did get 4 hours straight last night!), raging horomones and not least of all a slight idenity crisis but this new role is the hardest thing I have ever done. Really. Becoming a mom is not a project, it's a life change.
So what makes it so hard? It's not the tasks themselves...breast feeding, changing diapers & onesies, doing laundry, cuddling baby are all relatively easy things to do. It's hard because it's so unpredictable. For example, you change one diaper, he pees all over himself while you're doing that and now you've got to change the onesie...you run upstairs with the naked little dude, get him into a clean, dry onesie and whoops, now he's puked all over the new one. You get that one changed and guess what, now he needs to be fed...out comes the boob for 20 or 30 minutes, change the diaper again, pray that when he spits up that he misses himself and gets it on the burpy towel...nope he's puked all over you, now you have to get changed...you get the picture.
I now understand why it takes parents 2 hours to get ready to go out for 2 hour excursion! You know, this is not 'hard' at all. It's simply exhausting - you are not in control, your time is no longer yours, you are at the complete mercy of the little dude. For me, a true type 'A' personality it's the lack of control that is hard.
Don't get me wrong, I am totally in love with the little dude. I am however looking forward to the days when he is more than just a breast suckling, diaper dirtying, sleeping, crying machine - there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Christopher is 3 weeks old tomorrow. That means that we're half way through the roughest of the adjustment period...my reward? Christopher is starting focus on my face when he looks at me & he is often smiling when he does look at me, that just melts my heart.
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