And he really is. It's just been a hard week, & I think I really get now how some women really just totally lose it after having a baby. The newness of it all, the upheaval, the lack of routine, the total sleep deprivation. I totally get it. And maybe last night around 3am I finally collapsed in sobs in the middle of my living room floor, surrounded by three how to have a baby books with various sticky notes sticking out of them, highlighters & pens strewn across the floor, spit up down my shirt from Q's projectile vomit & a child next to me that refused to go back to sleep after a 1am feeding two hours earlier (after going to sleep at 11:30pm), & I felt like maybe I was going to be one of those people. My eyes were burning from exhaustion. I was really tired.
And tired, of course, is a total understatement.
But today has been a good day, the kind of day that I needed. Complete with naps, in the crib. And a shower, well before noon. We're experimenting on having a bit more routine to our day. I like routine, & Q is probably a bit like his mama in that regard. We'll see. In the meantime, fingers & toes are crossed for tonight going a bit more smoothly, too.
Quinn is losing hair on the top of his head. But not on the back or the sides. It's long. It's starting to look a little ridiculous, really. Thank goodness winter is coming, because his hat collection will be put to good use.
His neck is getting very strong. We're doing a lot of practicing with tummy time & such.
Today, he made a noise. Like, not a cry, & not a burp or a toot, but a real noise out of his mouth. A happy one! A coo? And then kept doing it throughout the day. That was fun.
(Wow. My life is very different now.)
We went to Costco & Target in Harlem this afternoon, stopping at the dry cleaner on the way. The woman there is obsessed with him. Obsessed. She's all smiles & giggles every time we go in. Today, she wouldn't let me leave before she saw his fingers & toes. She just stared, giggled, & said a lot of things I couldn't really understand, but something about him being so cute & small & a boy (which people from other cultures seem to be so thrilled about). But she obviously loves him.
We've got to figure out our bathtub situation. Our Puj tub is not meeting my expectations, & Q is sort of hating bath time as a result. I need a new bath tub. I can't buy a huge + blue plastic one. We don't have space. Hmm.
Speaking of bath time - I got a pedicure last night, my first one since early September (eek). Right before I left my apartment to meet my friends, I gave Quinn a bath. Of course, he peed all over my jeans. Did I change? No, I did not. I was in a hurry, so I waited until I got back. Gross.
Like I said, life is different.
15 comments:
Oh boy.....Sheer exhaustiion...nothing in the world quite like it. I'm so sorry. Wish I could magically transport myself to you and take a shift - or two or three. Soon your little guy will have to learn that nighttime is for sleeping. In the meantime, keep the lights down super low. and close all doors so you don't hear the warm up peeps that may or may not mean he's going to ramp up for a good squall. There are not many mothers out there that can't relate to what you're going through...not that that helps.
Hang in there. It gets better. We really liked our bath cushion for Drew so we got another one for Owen. It's called Safer Bather by Leachco and you can hang it up to dry so it is great when you don't have a lot of space.
Been there. It's so hard! Sometimes I thought I was losing it and I probably did a couple of times! We used this little seat when Isabella was a newborn :
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Summer-Infant-Mother-s-Touch-Large-Comfort-Bather/10929913
And now we use an inflatable one that we love. When we are done we just hang it in the shower with a suction cup hook. It works great for us!
Hang in there! It gets better!
I've never used anything but those yellow sponge tub things for my kids...don't knock it til you try it, because they are great. Really. And cheap enough to toss out and buy another when they get too used.
I hear you on the sleep deprivation, the crying in the middle of the night with a wide awake baby at your side...oh it's so hard.
Wow. I know people always say, "I know how you feel." But, seriously, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. When I went into my midwife's office for my 6 week appointment, I felt like my life was falling apart. The only advice I have is tie a knot at the end of your rope and hold on. Sooner than you think you're going to be at the top of that rope again and be more thankful then you've ever been.
As far as the bath goes...I just bought this a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier.
http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Child-Care/Bathtubs/Details/2583-BA034-Bath-Cradle
to save money & space, i would strongly consider just filling the tub with an inch of water, then place Q on his back in there with a soft wash cloth under his head.
bath time doesn't need to be a really long process and a lot of babies hate it for awhile. just talk to him calmly, wash him quickly and eventually he will love it.
of course this is just a suggestion from what we did... we just didn't like the extra steps of filling up the baby tub and then washing it out after, drying it and then storing it.
Yep, I'm with the couple others that said to just fill your own bathtub. The yellow bath sponge is awesome.
Avery loved the sound of the stove fan. Ack! Can you imagine? But, it worked.
Wish we could chat about it all! The spit up on the shirt, pee on the pants, milk stains from your over compensating boobs? Love it.
Soon though, the coos turn into giggles and that's the best of all.
Not really "Love it." More like "I get it."
Oh I feel for you!! He is darling and I am a believer that's why newborns are made so cute - because that just about gets you through!! But you will get there, promise.
Agree with Kera's and Missy's comments - we also had a small plastic seat that reclined and she loved it!
Or you could use the kitchen sink for awhile. I think that is what I did because that is what my mom did. Just make sure it is clean before you use it. Good luck.
At least your toes look good :)
After 4 1/2 years, I still think that sleep exhaustion is the hardest part of parenting. I liked your mom's comment- you'll learn to LOVE the other parents that can really understand/remember that. (Physical exhaustion clearly stirs up all kind of emotions and desperation and somehow, someone just really knowing what that feels like is a little bit of therapy.) Thank goodness you have mike.
Clearly we've had major sleep problems with these 2 boys. Cole was born with them and Finn wasn't, but with Cole, he finally started sleeping well around 2 1/2 (3?). Finn is actually on week 3 of about 2 1/2 hours of sleep (total) per night and with no ear infections or reflux this time, my only hope is he'll follow after his brother and figure it out in about 6 months. Point- it eventually gets better.
Just know this- you're probably doing everything right. I think babies & sleep can be a giant mystery. Hopefully he's just learning his schedule.
I think I've had the whole pee on the jeans, but no time to change thing too. :)
I have an eleven week old, and I TOTALLY relate! Sigh...
oh and i'm with everyone else... the yellow sponge bathtub thing was ultimately what worked for us (after trying various things).
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