They all tell you to get as much sleep as you can before your baby's born... I tried to. Maybe after six weeks I've gotten used to a minimum amount of sleep. But what I wasn't prepared for was not having time to do little everyday things. Josiah is not really much of a napper yet during the day--his longest is about an hour, a little longer with assistance of movement in the car seat, car or stroller. If we're moving in the car or stroller, then I'm out of the house, which is good, but productivity at home is lacking. Most of Josiah's naps at home are in the 10-30 minute time range. This leaves me enough time usually to take a shower and get ready for the day, and sometimes to make meals. But I have phone calls to make that I can't make with a crying baby in the background. I have a list that is growing daily (and at this rate, will likely keep growing for many years to come). At some point, many of the items on the list drop off out of sheer irrelevance. At least now I have an excuse for my procrastination! What have I been doing with my time? Holding my baby, nursing my baby, burping my baby...
Babies know the difference between standing up and sitting down... mine prefers standing. Babies know when you are not paying attention to them... mine prefers attention and certainly lets me know it! Babies know when you leave the room... mine doesn't like to be lonely. We're getting lots of quality time together, for sure!
Another thing I didn't know: Leaving the house for any reason is a huge process! Sometimes the sheer effort required to leave the house completely demotivates. My process usually goes something like this: Feed the baby. Burp the baby. Make mommy presentable. Check the diaper bag, re-pack the diaper bag. Keys, phone, wallet. Strap the baby in the car seat. Watch the baby make a big mess in his diaper and smile about it. Unstrap the baby from the car seat. Change the diaper. Change the clothes. Strap the baby in the car seat. Oh wait, mommy is hungry. Grab a snack. Baby cries loudly, and look at the clock---no! Can it really be time for the baby to eat again? Unstrap baby from the car seat...
You hit upon so many universal truths of babies. Don't worry, it will get better. Have you tried wearing him? Also, the bouncy chair with the vibration feature...it is a simulated car ride. :) That helped me get a few more things done.
ReplyDeleteGloria
I love love love the first picture! It is the Meagan Manning smirk!! (seems like I saw that expression a few times at PLU...)
ReplyDelete-Doris
I agree with Gloria-slings and bouncy chairs.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those things (life with baby) that you can't fully understand until you're there-and then it's gone.
Tisha