X was such a great sleeper the night before Mother's Day, and napped well during the day, too. It was like he was giving me the gift of his sleeping well, since that's about as much as he could do for me at 8 months old!
Then, on Sunday night, he started to cut his first tooth. I am assured that the tooth was not the actual cause of his waking up, but it may have been why he wasn't able to get himself back to sleep on his own. My husband and/or I woke up with X about every two hours that night, and ended up rocking him back to sleep each time.
This pattern persisted pretty much every night for the week. X was getting overtired, to the point that he had his first temper tantrum when a ball was taken away from him by another baby at his sitter's house. The sitter said she couldn't believe the volume and the length of the tantrum! This was a sure sign that X was not getting the sleep he needs.
On Friday, it all came to a head. My husband and I were the walking dead, X was grouchy and irritable. Heck, we were all grouchy and irritable. It was time to cry it out.
Listening to my baby cry for 30 minutes was no treat, let me tell you. My whole system was going crazy -- adrenaline pumping, heart racing. My goodness, I just HAD to go and pick him up! But, with the support of my husband, we just let X cry. And then, suddenly, the wailing stopped and X was asleep.
Today, he has napped like a champion. An hour and a half this morning, and, as I type, going on two hours this afternoon. I just put him in his crib and told him it was nap time, then left the room. Sure, he fussed for about 10 minutes each time, but eventually just went to sleep.
I think we might be on to something. Let's hope it hasn't just been a fluke!
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Showing posts with label father. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Clap Hands, Clap Hands
X's new skill (clapping hands!) reminds me of a rhyme that my mother used to sing/chant with all of us (well, I imagine with all of us -- I am the youngest, so what do I know?), and now chants with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren whenever they would come to visit at around X's age:
Nobody to whom I have ever repeated this rhyme has heard it before! Is it a Brooklyn thing? Of course, with a quick Google search, I find lots of variants on the rhyme.
Speaking of Brooklyn, there is a song that my father taught us all when we were little, Dunderbeck's Machine. It's probably a song that he learned from the Brooklyn firemen who were a big part of his childhood, or maybe from a neighbor. It is the story of a man who has created a sausage grinder and his terrible demise at the end! Again, none of my friends had ever heard it. The internet, being a wonderful thing, has revealed many variations of this grisly song. There are even videos now on Youtube! This is the closest to the song as my father taught it to us, but there are differences in melody and lyrics, as in all folk songs. Perhaps a bit more research will unearth the origins of this song, but I will teach my version to X, so he can gross out all of his friends when he's older!
Enjoy!
Clap hands, clap hands
'Til Daddy comes home
Daddy has money
And baby has none!
Nobody to whom I have ever repeated this rhyme has heard it before! Is it a Brooklyn thing? Of course, with a quick Google search, I find lots of variants on the rhyme.
Speaking of Brooklyn, there is a song that my father taught us all when we were little, Dunderbeck's Machine. It's probably a song that he learned from the Brooklyn firemen who were a big part of his childhood, or maybe from a neighbor. It is the story of a man who has created a sausage grinder and his terrible demise at the end! Again, none of my friends had ever heard it. The internet, being a wonderful thing, has revealed many variations of this grisly song. There are even videos now on Youtube! This is the closest to the song as my father taught it to us, but there are differences in melody and lyrics, as in all folk songs. Perhaps a bit more research will unearth the origins of this song, but I will teach my version to X, so he can gross out all of his friends when he's older!
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Who Are You?
Who are you?
I find myself asking this question of X, sadly more frequently on Thursdays and Fridays as the work week keeps me away from him for most of the days between weekends. Spending two, or maybe three hours a day with this baby is just not enough to get to know the little person who is now very much becoming his own little self. Following a routine that has been established by X and his wonderful babysitter is easy on the weekends, but it's sad that I need the babysitter to tell me about my boy's day to day routine and growth.
I want to be the one to make the discoveries about X's preference. I want to figure out with X what works and what doesn't.
I love the babysitter, though. She is wonderful. She takes in four children, and runs a home daycare. Two girls, ages three and two, and another boy, about two weeks older than X. It's a lovely, warm environment and X gets lots of one-on-one attention. I couldn't ask for a better situation.
Still, the question comes. Who are you?
I'm finally starting to feel like X is a separate entity. He expresses his individuality in surprising, funny ways. His temper is quick to flare, like mine, but irritations are quickly forgotten. He is a goofy, funny giggler, like his dad. He loves to snuggle, but he also loves to play and shout! He is gaining more and more skills that will make him yet even more independent as the days and weeks and months pass. I'm so proud of him. He is the sweetest, funniest boy.
I'm also starting to feel like I am myself again -- not always mommy, but a wife and a friend and a sister and an employee and a daughter. Maybe it's spring. Maybe it's all the new independent things of which X is becoming capable. Who knows? I feel different, though. I feel more balanced, and that's a good thing.
And still: Who are you? How will you be different today? It's a question for both of us, for all three of us, thinking now about my husband. How will we continue to grow, as individuals and as a family? Every day, a question.
I find myself asking this question of X, sadly more frequently on Thursdays and Fridays as the work week keeps me away from him for most of the days between weekends. Spending two, or maybe three hours a day with this baby is just not enough to get to know the little person who is now very much becoming his own little self. Following a routine that has been established by X and his wonderful babysitter is easy on the weekends, but it's sad that I need the babysitter to tell me about my boy's day to day routine and growth.
I want to be the one to make the discoveries about X's preference. I want to figure out with X what works and what doesn't.
I love the babysitter, though. She is wonderful. She takes in four children, and runs a home daycare. Two girls, ages three and two, and another boy, about two weeks older than X. It's a lovely, warm environment and X gets lots of one-on-one attention. I couldn't ask for a better situation.
Still, the question comes. Who are you?
I'm finally starting to feel like X is a separate entity. He expresses his individuality in surprising, funny ways. His temper is quick to flare, like mine, but irritations are quickly forgotten. He is a goofy, funny giggler, like his dad. He loves to snuggle, but he also loves to play and shout! He is gaining more and more skills that will make him yet even more independent as the days and weeks and months pass. I'm so proud of him. He is the sweetest, funniest boy.
I'm also starting to feel like I am myself again -- not always mommy, but a wife and a friend and a sister and an employee and a daughter. Maybe it's spring. Maybe it's all the new independent things of which X is becoming capable. Who knows? I feel different, though. I feel more balanced, and that's a good thing.
And still: Who are you? How will you be different today? It's a question for both of us, for all three of us, thinking now about my husband. How will we continue to grow, as individuals and as a family? Every day, a question.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Messy Morning
Lots of messy things have happened today, but they have all had me dissolving into fits of giggles:
1. During a flying baby game (holding X in the air over my head), there was a burp and a spit-up! I knew the day would come for this to happen. All I could do was close my eyes and mouth and reach blindly for the burp cloth to get the worst of it off of my face. This episode required a face washing (mine), shirt changing (mine) and mouth wiping (X's). At least I didn't have to change his clothes, too!
2. Listening to Raffi's "Bananaphone", I carry X over to the counter and pick up a pretty ripe banana. "This is a banana. Banana! Banana! Banana!" X grabs the stem and gives a hard yank, pulling it off. Okay, I think. I'll just peel and eat it. While I'm holding X. He proceeds to grab and mash the banana. Soon, we are both a sticky, slimy mess. And X still doesn't like fresh banana -- after putting some in his mouth, he did his usual gagging, BLECH sound. O_o This situation called for reinforcements, and it was, after all, 7:30 a.m. So, we go upstairs and wake up Daddy, who takes X for cleanup, while I change my shirt (again) and wash my face and hands (again).
3. X is finally winding down. I see that he's getting tired, so I sit in the rocking chair with him, and we snuggle. I had changed into a tank top, leaving my chest bare. X, who is really working on blowing raspberries, puts his little mouth on my skin and blows, making the loudest, wettest raspberry sound ever. I start to laugh, and so he starts to laugh. He does it again. We both giggle and laugh, and he does it again! Giggle fit ensues. Okay, not too messy this time, but very, very slobbery!
Suddenly, X is curled up like a bean in my arms, fast asleep.
Bliss.
1. During a flying baby game (holding X in the air over my head), there was a burp and a spit-up! I knew the day would come for this to happen. All I could do was close my eyes and mouth and reach blindly for the burp cloth to get the worst of it off of my face. This episode required a face washing (mine), shirt changing (mine) and mouth wiping (X's). At least I didn't have to change his clothes, too!
2. Listening to Raffi's "Bananaphone", I carry X over to the counter and pick up a pretty ripe banana. "This is a banana. Banana! Banana! Banana!" X grabs the stem and gives a hard yank, pulling it off. Okay, I think. I'll just peel and eat it. While I'm holding X. He proceeds to grab and mash the banana. Soon, we are both a sticky, slimy mess. And X still doesn't like fresh banana -- after putting some in his mouth, he did his usual gagging, BLECH sound. O_o This situation called for reinforcements, and it was, after all, 7:30 a.m. So, we go upstairs and wake up Daddy, who takes X for cleanup, while I change my shirt (again) and wash my face and hands (again).
3. X is finally winding down. I see that he's getting tired, so I sit in the rocking chair with him, and we snuggle. I had changed into a tank top, leaving my chest bare. X, who is really working on blowing raspberries, puts his little mouth on my skin and blows, making the loudest, wettest raspberry sound ever. I start to laugh, and so he starts to laugh. He does it again. We both giggle and laugh, and he does it again! Giggle fit ensues. Okay, not too messy this time, but very, very slobbery!
Suddenly, X is curled up like a bean in my arms, fast asleep.
Bliss.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Winter
Having such a young baby during the winter stinks in a lot of ways. And not entirely in the ways I expected it to be difficult. X was born in mid-August, so he was three months old in November, and this is when I had to return to work.
So, X went into daycare at the beginning of the cold & flu season, and he has had a number of colds and viruses. One the one hand, he will ultimately benefit from having built up his immune system. On the other hand, it is no fun for the little guy to be sick, and it's also not very fun for us! Our scariest time was our ER visit with X when he had a virus called RSV. We were lucky, though, because he responded quite quickly and really well to the breathing treatment the nurse administered. It helped that X was pretty calm through all of the testing and treatments.
Another downside to all of this, is that hardly any of our friends have actually met Mr. X! We're hoping that the gorgeous spring-like weather we've been having here in the South will stick around. Was Punxatawney Phil right this year? Will spring be early? We hope so, so that we can introduce our favorite X Man to all of our friends, sans germs!
So, X went into daycare at the beginning of the cold & flu season, and he has had a number of colds and viruses. One the one hand, he will ultimately benefit from having built up his immune system. On the other hand, it is no fun for the little guy to be sick, and it's also not very fun for us! Our scariest time was our ER visit with X when he had a virus called RSV. We were lucky, though, because he responded quite quickly and really well to the breathing treatment the nurse administered. It helped that X was pretty calm through all of the testing and treatments.
Another downside to all of this, is that hardly any of our friends have actually met Mr. X! We're hoping that the gorgeous spring-like weather we've been having here in the South will stick around. Was Punxatawney Phil right this year? Will spring be early? We hope so, so that we can introduce our favorite X Man to all of our friends, sans germs!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Indigestion
The indigestion started at the beginning of December, 2009. It was constant. It was awful. My stomach hurt. I complained to my husband, we tried various antacids, but they barely took the edge off.
I was under a lot of stress at the time. I began to think I had developed an ulcer.
Or a milk allergy. Yogurt also seemed to upset me more than usual. Was I becoming lactose intolerant?
By Christmas, my husband was as worried as I.
Then, inspiration struck. My husband asked on Christmas day, "Do you think you might be pregnant?"
My answer? An emphatic NOPE. It wasn't possible. I had PCOS. Endometriosis. I couldn't be pregnant. We'd been trying for a year to get pregnant. I had surgery to correct some of my issues, and had taken three rounds of Clomid with no ovulation. I'd had a period in August, but that seemed like a fluke. I hadn't had one since, but I certainly didn't FEEL pregnant. And, surely, I couldn't be four MONTHS pregnant without knowing it. So, nope. I had an ulcer. Or giardiasis. I was going to call the doctor after Christmas.
My husband told me, "I'm going to get you a home pregnancy test tomorrow morning, first thing." Then he went to cook our Christmas dinner -- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. Usually a favorite of mine, this time the aroma of the cooking meal made me sick to my stomach. Oh, I was definitely sick.
The next day, true to his word, he went out for a home pregnancy test. He brought it to me and I said, with a roll of the eyes, "Okay. I'll be back in three minutes."
Four minutes later, I was stumbling down the steps in a daze, gripping the positive test stick. "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!" And we started laughing, crying, hugging. We were going to be parents.
I was under a lot of stress at the time. I began to think I had developed an ulcer.
Or a milk allergy. Yogurt also seemed to upset me more than usual. Was I becoming lactose intolerant?
By Christmas, my husband was as worried as I.
Then, inspiration struck. My husband asked on Christmas day, "Do you think you might be pregnant?"
My answer? An emphatic NOPE. It wasn't possible. I had PCOS. Endometriosis. I couldn't be pregnant. We'd been trying for a year to get pregnant. I had surgery to correct some of my issues, and had taken three rounds of Clomid with no ovulation. I'd had a period in August, but that seemed like a fluke. I hadn't had one since, but I certainly didn't FEEL pregnant. And, surely, I couldn't be four MONTHS pregnant without knowing it. So, nope. I had an ulcer. Or giardiasis. I was going to call the doctor after Christmas.
My husband told me, "I'm going to get you a home pregnancy test tomorrow morning, first thing." Then he went to cook our Christmas dinner -- turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes. Usually a favorite of mine, this time the aroma of the cooking meal made me sick to my stomach. Oh, I was definitely sick.
The next day, true to his word, he went out for a home pregnancy test. He brought it to me and I said, with a roll of the eyes, "Okay. I'll be back in three minutes."
Four minutes later, I was stumbling down the steps in a daze, gripping the positive test stick. "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT!" And we started laughing, crying, hugging. We were going to be parents.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Blisters
When the excitement of the birth started to die down, and all of the necessary tests had been performed, my husband and I pored over Mr. X, counting his fingers, caressing his earlobes, kissing his round little belly. Then we noticed the small blisters on his hands, just below the thumbs and on one wrist.
"What are these?" we asked the midwife.
She looked. "Oh, those are sucking blisters, he must have been pretty busy in there!"
I knew all at once what those tickling sensations low in my uterus had been. Little fingers, wiggling and working their way into Mr. X's mouth! He was busy inside, to have blistered himself!
The marks have now faded, but he still LOVES his hands and fingers. Some habits die hard, I guess.
"What are these?" we asked the midwife.
She looked. "Oh, those are sucking blisters, he must have been pretty busy in there!"
I knew all at once what those tickling sensations low in my uterus had been. Little fingers, wiggling and working their way into Mr. X's mouth! He was busy inside, to have blistered himself!
The marks have now faded, but he still LOVES his hands and fingers. Some habits die hard, I guess.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Three
My husband described the hospital stay as being very much like a private vacation. Everything stopped, we were all together -- three of us, now -- without the interruption of working. It felt like a cocoon, almost. We only had visits from my in-laws, who stayed with us for two months, helping out with our new little guy. Other than that, it was just hospital staff, our pediatrician, meal service.
How I miss the insulation, the protection from daily life. Those days in our suite were like heaven. I find myself wishing for the same solitude, the same time to bond as a family. We are so busy now. Both my husband and I work full-time. X goes to daycare. The moments together are precious and few, as everyday life takes us over.
So, I try to savor the memories of those first few days when it really was just the three of us, feeling safe. Feeling the love with such intensity. Feeling amazed at the life ahead of us, now that we were three.
How I miss the insulation, the protection from daily life. Those days in our suite were like heaven. I find myself wishing for the same solitude, the same time to bond as a family. We are so busy now. Both my husband and I work full-time. X goes to daycare. The moments together are precious and few, as everyday life takes us over.
So, I try to savor the memories of those first few days when it really was just the three of us, feeling safe. Feeling the love with such intensity. Feeling amazed at the life ahead of us, now that we were three.