I have also never been more excited then when James started crawling, or reached other milestones. Like, I'm talking "going to disneyland/can't wipe a grin off my face for the rest of the day" excited.
That all being said- motherhood sure is not a walk in the park. Nope. It is hard. It is the biggest lesson I have ever had on selflessness. A lesson I think will take more than a lifetime to master.
Not only do I have to meet someone's every need (change diaper, get dressed, feed, put to bed, etc.), but I have to figure out when those needs need to be met. I cannot for the life of me figure out a schedule for James. When is the perfect time for breakfast? Lunch? Snacks? Let's not forget the naps. I'm pretty sure I get at least one thing wrong every. single. day. What I end up with is a baby refusing to eat, hitting the spoon away and screaming at me. As for naps, I can't time those well either. Yesterday I thought I nailed it. Morning nap- check. Almost a whole 1.5 hours. Then we went and ran some errands, came home and had a lovely lunch (he finally decided to try graham crackers!), and it was time for a nap.
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| James happily eating his graham crackers |
I put my happy baby in his crib, where he began to scream. For one whole hour. You may be wondering how the rest of the day went. Let's not even go there. I'll just say, we were very very happy when Daddy finally came home.
Thankfully, not all days are like that. Every now and then I have a pretty smooth sailing kind of day. Days where he takes his naps, eats his food, plays with his toys, I get to shower, I get dressed, etc. Unfortunately those days are less frequent then I would like. As I type this, I'm wearing a t-shirt, sweats, and haven't showered yet. I'm pretty sure I only do my hair and makeup once a week, and that's on Sunday-for Church.
Now, we are in the process of trying to sleep train James, and James has been sick the past week. Those are not normal circumstances. I'm sure the days will get easier... right?
Here are a few things I am looking forward to:
-James sleeping on a schedule
-James not sounding like he's hacking up a lung
-weather to get warmer so we can go play outside
-when James becomes a big brother in August.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention another "not normal" circumstance. I'm pregnant! And let me tell you, being pregnant while taking care of a baby is pretty draining. But, however exhausted, hungry, hangry (hungry+angry), emotional, etc. I am, I'm extremely grateful for this surprise baby, and for the opportunity to be James's mom. Because lets face it- they're the best kids in the world :)
PS if anyone has any good nap advice they would like to share, please feel free :)
8 comments:
Yay! Congratulations! It does get easier, just hang in there and learn to be flexible. I am so so happy for you guys!
Oh my goodness! Congratulations!! That is so exciting. And I'm totally in the same boat- not showered or dressed. Who needs it? :) Hope things get a bit better for you and that you're feeling good!
Congratulations! Aaralyn was so easy to train and had a set schedule every day. Then Andre came along, and it is so frustrating for me because I like to have a schedule. I have learned that it takes persistence and patience. And at the end, they still won't be on a perfect schedule like you would like. But, like Vanessa said, on those days just try to be flexible.
Congratulations,Sami! That's awesome!
Sami, congratulations on the upcoming blessing of a new baby. I'll make a deal with you, you take Carson for the next couple of years (all he wants to do is Eat and Sleep and argue with every word I say) and I'll take James. I'm sure I would be getting the better part of the trade.
Congratulations! I know how hard it can be, but there are things that can help. Give him a TINY bit of Chamomile tea before his nap. It won't make him groggy or anything like that, but it will relax and calm him. Also, a nice warm bath can help too along with the tea. He will feel warm, relaxed and ready for a nice quiet nap.
There is a book I read called How to Raise your Second Child First, its basically how to lessen the stress of being a mom and focus on the important parts. One thing in there I loved was don't be a slave to naps. Londyn is about the same age as James should be getting two naps a day still sleeping in her crib at least most of the night.. But it usually doesn't happen that way. I find if she doesn't want to go down for a nap in the afternoon if I don't force the issue the only thing that happens is she goes to bed earlier at night. Sleep training was too painful for me, so I just tried to figure my own thing out and it worked for my girls. Routines are helpful. Eating routine we get in our chair, get our bib get our food eat wash up etc sleeping routin we change our diaper/clothes read a story bottle bath what have you it prepares them. They know whats coming they don't get as freaked.
And congrats on your little surprise, being pregnant while having a little one is hard! And there are times I rememeber saying 'what was I thinkind!' BUT The Lord knows your limits, and he send people into your life especially when you're reaching those limits and need help. You can do it Mamacita!
Everyone talks about how their baby takes naps at a certain time everyday, but Carter has never been like that. I've found for him that I just keep track of the time in between his naps. So his naps are never at the same time each day. I know what time he gets up in the morning and then I try and pay attention to when he starts getting fussy and tired. So right now he's decided he only needs one nap. Once he gets up in the morning he's usually good for about 3.5 to 4 hours until he needs a nap. When he was taking two naps it was about 2-3 hours in between the naps. I don't know if that would help with James, but it seems to work for Carter. It makes it a little more difficult to plan my day because I don't know his exact nap time, but at least he usually takes a good nap! Good luck! And congrats on your new baby!!
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