If you know me, you know I can't sing. If you know my husband, you know he is a worse singer than I am (sorry honey, its true.) You might also know that I taught elementary school for 9 years as well. I was the non-singing elementary school teacher. There was no Wheels on the Bus or London Bridge going down in my room. Why? Because I worked hard to earn the students respect and one out of tune rendition of Grand Old Flag would chuck it right out the window. I lip synced and hummed and it got the job done.
Then I had Sophia.
Now I sing about EVERYTHING. I have made up songs that I sing daily just to make it through the tedious necessary tasks that my toddler hates. I have a "brush your hair" song, a "eat your veggies" song, a "time for school" song. My personal favorite is the "put on your pajamas" song....which is actually the hokey pokey. "You put your left leg in, you put your left leg out". Whatever, I know its crazy. But it makes Sophia lay calmly while I put on her footie pajamas instead of squirm and kick like a spider monkey. So I sing.
I sing in public too. When I don't even realize I am doing it. Like in the grocery store when I want Sophia to make it 5 more minutes so I don't have to abandon my shopping cart full of stuff. I have been known to not only sing Wheels on the Cart (oh yeah I modified it to keep up with the times) but to do jazz hands and possibly some foot work to keep that little girl giggling through the line.
Not only do I sing, but my husband will sing as well. Ask him about Old MacDonald having goats and fish on his farm (yeah they don't make noises) but he rocked it out to get through an iffy bath time one night.
My point is...whatever you aren't before you have kids....isn't what you are after.
"If you're tired and you know it, chug coffee!" I'll leave you with that classic morning time ditty from my kitchen....
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Rebel thinking.....what's so wrong with 1 and done?
Sophia is over a year old so that prompts many people to begin asking "When are you going to have #2?".
First of all don't get me started on the "whats next" phenomenon. As soon as you get serious with someone its "when are you getting engaged" then "whens the wedding" then "when are you having a baby" then "when are you having another baby". It has always been a concept that bothered me. Why must there be a next thing? What is wrong with finding a stage in life you are most comfortable with and staying there? I mean look at the Duggars is there really a need for kid #20 or #49 ?
Anyway, I guess the general concensus is once you have one kid you must want to have another. But what if you don't? What if you want to be a party of 3?
I am an only child by birth (I have had a few step brothers and sisters along the way). Many only children feel like they were "jipped" by not having siblings because they missed out on a life experience as a result. I am not one of those only children. I am sure having a brother or sister is awesome. I have just never felt a loss or lacking in my life as a result of not having one.For whatever reason people think once your baby is 1, its time to start thinking about the next one.
Um, toddlers are exhausting. The game changes every day. What they can do, say, destroy is ever changing and you just try to keep one step ahead at any given moment. Adding an infant to the mix seems like crazyness to me. More power to you if you want 2 under 2! You deserve warrior status, a key to the city, a lifetime supply of diapers and a new Keurig. No question.
But what is so wrong with not wanting that. If you say "one and done" people look at you like they must have heard you wrong. Now I have not fully committed to "one and done' but I have been very open with the possibility. I have also told most of my friends and family that I won't even entertain the possibility of #2 until Sophia is at least 2 years old. Clearly my one furiously twitching eyelid and clenching and unclenching of my fists when I say it has been convincing and no one has asked....yet.
I just wonder why I would have to defend this concept if that is, in fact what happens with my family? Why is deciding to focus your parenting, effort and love on one precious child something that is so unexpected? Is it truly insane of me after a night where I was puked on three times, spent 3 hours sitting upright in a chair holding a miserable 22 lb baby, only to survive the following day by drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee and covering my whole body in Germ-X to think "I don't know if I want to go through this again"? I think not.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Life Before Baby vs. Life After Baby
One could say that I enjoyed my twenties. One could also say on some nights I enjoyed them a little too much. I continued in this fashion until the ripe age of 30 when I found out (somewhat unexpectedly....) that I was pregnant. And if you ask me how this might have come about, I blame the Party Block's pool bar for opening early and serving me a stiff bloody mary or 3.....
Anyway, as soon as the stick said "pregnant", my current foot loose and fancy free lifestyle came to a screeching halt. No more cocktails, late nights or crazy antics. Unless you count Maalox, insomnia and hormones....
I ,being a truly delusional pregnant woman thought that once I had the baby, life would get back to "normal". Bahahaha! I can laugh at this now because its been 14 months and I know that normal is whole different can of worms.
Late Nights-
Before Baby- Out and about until the bar/restaurant/club closed down and kicked you out. Maybe a late night diner experience and then maybe even a late late night at a friends house.
After Baby- You're baby won't go to sleep so you have been up all night in a rocking chair. Or you stay up past 10-10:30 watching True Blood and realize that early morning wake up is coming for you....
Date Night-
Before Baby- Long leisurely evening doing whatever the hell you and your significant other feel like. Usually this is dinner, drinks, in the city or maybe an overnight to AC or OC or where ever. You have no responsibilities, its the weekend and you clocked out at 5 on Friday.
After Baby- Date night revolves around bedtime, location and a babysitter. If you are lucky (like we are) your parents will come to your house for babysitting and that makes it easier. That way you don't have to pack up all the baby stuff, drive somewhere, unload it etc.
Once the babysitter has arrived, get in the car and get where ever as quickly as possible. Get there and promptly both parents make sure their cell phones are turned on and up and placed prominently on the table "just in case". Enjoy dinner and maybe even get a drink....if you have an easy going babysitter. But then get home at a decent hour, relieve said babysitter and go to bed because morning comes quick. I distinctly remember that my 5 year anniversary dinner was at 4:30 so that we could get home before the 8 o'clock bedtime/feeding/disaster...
Sleeping In
Before Baby- I was a sleeping in master. If I was ever in a pageant, sleeping in would be my talent. I was able to block out all noise, light, alarm clocks etc and sleep in until the late hours of the morning on the weekends and right through classes back at SSU. As long as I got where I needed to be or needed to get done, done....sleeping in was a given and all other things worked around it. It was glorious. I now look back on my sleeping in pre-baby lovingly as a special time in my life.
After Baby- hahahaha! sleeping in....what the hell is that?
I get truly excited any day of the week when I wake up after 7 am. I am not in the habit of setting an alarm because I am a stay at home mom and also because I have a built in 32 inch tall 23 lb alarm in the other room who promptly begins waking up around 6:30 everyday.
Now I do have a very considerate husband who lets me sleep in on the weekends. Sounds great....except it does not mean the same thing. Sleeping in now means 8:30am, maybe. It also includes the door being shut, the bathroom fan running and a baby who is not crying or running around shrieking just because. If any of those things are not properly executed, there is no extra sleep.
Naps
Before Baby- Stayed out late last night? Don't have much going on today? Why not take a nap? On the couch or in bed. Doesn't matter. No alarm clocks necessary. Just sleep till you want to. Wake up, feel relaxed.
After Baby- "Naps" are something that only truly happen for babies. Yes they say "nap when your baby naps". Great concept except that is the only time you can get anything done. Like bathe or eat or clean. Yes you can occasionally catch a nap during the day but its more like the continuation of the sleep that you got in 2 hour spurts the night before. Eventually the nap schedule gets more defined and you can nap but by then you're getting a decent amount of sleep and you use this time to execute household chores that are impossible with a mobile 1 year old around. Like vacuuming or unloading the dishwasher. Or you pound coffee to keep up with the whirlwind disaster that is a 1 year old.
All in all, EVERYTHING changes when you have a baby. Normal becomes getting up early, functioning with less sleep, running around trying to keep up with whatever new stage develops overnight and then doing it again the next day. Its exhausting and ever changing and so much cooler than you ever thought possible.
Now I do have a very considerate husband who lets me sleep in on the weekends. Sounds great....except it does not mean the same thing. Sleeping in now means 8:30am, maybe. It also includes the door being shut, the bathroom fan running and a baby who is not crying or running around shrieking just because. If any of those things are not properly executed, there is no extra sleep.
Naps
Before Baby- Stayed out late last night? Don't have much going on today? Why not take a nap? On the couch or in bed. Doesn't matter. No alarm clocks necessary. Just sleep till you want to. Wake up, feel relaxed.
After Baby- "Naps" are something that only truly happen for babies. Yes they say "nap when your baby naps". Great concept except that is the only time you can get anything done. Like bathe or eat or clean. Yes you can occasionally catch a nap during the day but its more like the continuation of the sleep that you got in 2 hour spurts the night before. Eventually the nap schedule gets more defined and you can nap but by then you're getting a decent amount of sleep and you use this time to execute household chores that are impossible with a mobile 1 year old around. Like vacuuming or unloading the dishwasher. Or you pound coffee to keep up with the whirlwind disaster that is a 1 year old.
All in all, EVERYTHING changes when you have a baby. Normal becomes getting up early, functioning with less sleep, running around trying to keep up with whatever new stage develops overnight and then doing it again the next day. Its exhausting and ever changing and so much cooler than you ever thought possible.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Baby Talk = Speaking in Tongues
Sophia has started talking! Its so fun to see her yell Da-Da and run for the door when Bill comes home. She has named our dog "Delda" (aka Stella) and calls all dogs that now. She also has mastered the adorable and very repeatable "Uh-oh" and uses it mostly in context as she chucks things from her high chair.
Now when babies starts making the ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma, da-da-da-da-da sounds it doesn't mean that they are talking. They start doing this at like 4 months and inevitably some mom or grandparent will say "So-in-So is SO advanced, they are already saying da-da". Um no they're not. They are babbling and simultaneously spitting but not actually talking.
Eventually they start using the same sound or "word" repeatedly and consistently to refer to something. These days Sophia has become extremely demonstrative and runs around and points at everything while naming it something in her language. Its adorable. But I am quite tired of being called da-da....
Anyway, most recently she has begun to ramble on in what I call the boogety language. I have been trying to get it on video for a while now and finally succeeded. So here you go....boogety boogety boogety :)
(it takes a minute to load...sorry!)
Now when babies starts making the ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma, da-da-da-da-da sounds it doesn't mean that they are talking. They start doing this at like 4 months and inevitably some mom or grandparent will say "So-in-So is SO advanced, they are already saying da-da". Um no they're not. They are babbling and simultaneously spitting but not actually talking.
Eventually they start using the same sound or "word" repeatedly and consistently to refer to something. These days Sophia has become extremely demonstrative and runs around and points at everything while naming it something in her language. Its adorable. But I am quite tired of being called da-da....
Anyway, most recently she has begun to ramble on in what I call the boogety language. I have been trying to get it on video for a while now and finally succeeded. So here you go....boogety boogety boogety :)
(it takes a minute to load...sorry!)
Its not the best example but I am sure that you can tell she is speaking extremely fast using her own language and clearly thinks we are having a conversation.
Things They Don't Teach in Baby Class (Part 2)
Daylight Savings Time- You are probably wondering why this of all things is on my list. Well, I had no idea that DST was such a bitch until I had a baby. The "fall back" happened when Sophia was about 5 months old. We FINALLY had a schedule and a bedtime routine. She was consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Until Daylight Savings Time....
As a college kid I loved 'fall back' because the bars stayed open an extra hour and I got an extra hour of sleep. Well as a parent of an infant I hated it. I had no idea that when the clocks magically jumped back one hour that my sweet little baby would that that 5:30 am was 6:30 am and be up for the day. But it happened and it took a week of bedtime adjustment to get her to go to sleep at 7pm and wakeup at 7am instead of 5:30! After the fact one of my friends said "oh yeah, you should keep them up an extra hour so they wake up at the normal time". thanks friend.
Babies R Us - Have you ever been a Babies R US (BRU)? I had never bothered until I was pregnant. And when I finally went in...mind blown. It was like a Bed Bath & Beyond....but ALL baby stuff. Aisles and aisles of bottles, cups, pacifiers, and all things baby. I had never felt so out of my element. Don't worry guys, its not just you. Females however will immediately start scouring the internet, baby books and picking their mommy friend's brains about what is what. These days I am a BRU expert and can spend hours telling you the difference between Chicco and Graco infant car seats or Dr. Browns vs. Playtex Drop In bottles. I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars outfitting Sophia in new gear (fortunately for my bank account, there isn't one close) But man that first time visit is NO joke.
Bedtime Routines- Now although they don't touch on this in baby class, there are literally HUNDREDS of books about bedtime and baby sleeping. You can spend hours researching a how to get your baby to go to sleep, stay asleep, sleep long, sleep later, sleep period. Here is my advice....get a bedtime routine going when baby is about 3-4 months old. Do that same routine every night no matter where you are. Same time, same order, same thing...over and over again. Yes its tedious. Yes its usually too early. Yes you can become a slave to it. So why do it? Because now Sophia can go to bed anywhere if we use that routine. Its been tested in Frederick, Long Island, OBX, OC, grandparent sleepovers, etc. It works every time. Do it....you'll be glad you did.
As a college kid I loved 'fall back' because the bars stayed open an extra hour and I got an extra hour of sleep. Well as a parent of an infant I hated it. I had no idea that when the clocks magically jumped back one hour that my sweet little baby would that that 5:30 am was 6:30 am and be up for the day. But it happened and it took a week of bedtime adjustment to get her to go to sleep at 7pm and wakeup at 7am instead of 5:30! After the fact one of my friends said "oh yeah, you should keep them up an extra hour so they wake up at the normal time". thanks friend.
Babies R Us - Have you ever been a Babies R US (BRU)? I had never bothered until I was pregnant. And when I finally went in...mind blown. It was like a Bed Bath & Beyond....but ALL baby stuff. Aisles and aisles of bottles, cups, pacifiers, and all things baby. I had never felt so out of my element. Don't worry guys, its not just you. Females however will immediately start scouring the internet, baby books and picking their mommy friend's brains about what is what. These days I am a BRU expert and can spend hours telling you the difference between Chicco and Graco infant car seats or Dr. Browns vs. Playtex Drop In bottles. I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars outfitting Sophia in new gear (fortunately for my bank account, there isn't one close) But man that first time visit is NO joke.
Bedtime Routines- Now although they don't touch on this in baby class, there are literally HUNDREDS of books about bedtime and baby sleeping. You can spend hours researching a how to get your baby to go to sleep, stay asleep, sleep long, sleep later, sleep period. Here is my advice....get a bedtime routine going when baby is about 3-4 months old. Do that same routine every night no matter where you are. Same time, same order, same thing...over and over again. Yes its tedious. Yes its usually too early. Yes you can become a slave to it. So why do it? Because now Sophia can go to bed anywhere if we use that routine. Its been tested in Frederick, Long Island, OBX, OC, grandparent sleepovers, etc. It works every time. Do it....you'll be glad you did.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Why There are Minivans
I am not a minivan driver. I plan to NEVER be a minivan driver. With that said I know lots of my friends have crossed over into minivan land recently and sadly admit that its their dream vehicle. And as we prepare for a 3 day weekend at the beach I must admit I understand why....
Babies = a TON of stuff
Now, I will say that this summer we are schlepping down a considerably smaller amount of baby gear than last summer. Sophia was only a few months old for our first beach trips last year so we took TWO SUVS. Yes for a family of 3 and a dog. 2 large vehicles. Why would we do this? Here's why:
PNP (Pack and Play- aka portable baby crib)
Stroller
Bathtub
Bumbo Seat
Toys
Play Mat
Diapers
Monitors
Clothes
Bottles
Formula
Baby Food
Bibs
Diaper Bag
Boppy (baby pillow for feedings)
Plus you know all of our stuff and a 70 lb dog. It was great. Plus once we got down there I obsessively worried about the sun. Because you can't put sunblock on babies under 6 months of age and they overheat easily. So much of my beach time was spent...inside.
This summer we are bringing 1 bag each, 1 baby toy bag, 1 stroller, 1 PNP, and 1 bag of misc. baby stuff. It will all fit in the cargo area. Oh and of course Bill's surf board on the roof. Nice. (70 lb dog will not but thats what in laws are for, right?)
Babies = a TON of stuff
Now, I will say that this summer we are schlepping down a considerably smaller amount of baby gear than last summer. Sophia was only a few months old for our first beach trips last year so we took TWO SUVS. Yes for a family of 3 and a dog. 2 large vehicles. Why would we do this? Here's why:
PNP (Pack and Play- aka portable baby crib)
Stroller
Bathtub
Bumbo Seat
Toys
Play Mat
Diapers
Monitors
Clothes
Bottles
Formula
Baby Food
Bibs
Diaper Bag
Boppy (baby pillow for feedings)
Plus you know all of our stuff and a 70 lb dog. It was great. Plus once we got down there I obsessively worried about the sun. Because you can't put sunblock on babies under 6 months of age and they overheat easily. So much of my beach time was spent...inside.
This summer we are bringing 1 bag each, 1 baby toy bag, 1 stroller, 1 PNP, and 1 bag of misc. baby stuff. It will all fit in the cargo area. Oh and of course Bill's surf board on the roof. Nice. (70 lb dog will not but thats what in laws are for, right?)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Why Sleep is Never the Same
When you are pregnant, lots of people give you lots of advice. Most of it is annoying and almost condescending. But the most annoying one is "get your sleep now!!" usually followed by an all knowing chuckle. I remember being pregnant and thinking yeah like I can store up all the sleep I get now and use it later, thanks.
I now have an almost 14 month old and she sleeps pretty damn good :) She has been sleeping 11-12 straight hours a night for about 8 months now. We were lucky and she followed the typically sleep extension progression that all the books said. She started soothing herself to sleep at about 4 months (i.e. we didn't have to hold her or rock her to sleep anymore) And we only had to deal with 1 week of "I learned to stand up so I won't go to sleep anymore" drama. All in all we have been pretty damn lucky on the sleep front.
But after you have a baby you NEVER sleep the same again. Maybe when they leave the house for college?? I don't know.
Here is what I do know: (yes I know every kid is different, this is based on my experience)
1-2 months - You are up every 2-3 hours. 4 hours if you're lucky. You never knew you could appreciate 4 straight hours of sleep in your life. This goes for men too! Whether your wife is nursing or not, when your little baby lets out that "what the hell? Where am I? Why am I alone? I'm hungry!"cry in the middle of the night...you'll wake up too. Those of you who say "I can't function on less than 8 hours of sleep"....uh YES YOU CAN. Its at this point that coffee becomes more than a beverage and more like a salvation.
3-4 months - You start getting 5-7 hours straight if you are lucky. Some still only sleep in 3 hour stints. But you are so used to getting no sleep that you wake up thinking something must be wrong, panic and check on the baby. Then the baby looks so peaceful, you stay and watch the baby too long. Now you are wide awake. Great. Inevitably when you finally settle back in, the baby wakes up.
5-6 months- This is when many babies turn the corner and really start sleeping for 8 hours or more at a time. Now depending on when your baby goes to sleep at night this can be wonderful. Sophia went to bed at 7 so she still woke up at 2 or 3 am. However, she also started getting teeth at 5 months. Teething is the anti-christ and mortal enemy of sleep. A teething baby wakes up to a sore achy mouth all night long and in response cries and cries and drools and cries. So you will be up all night long. You may cry and drool as well. Hope you got a comfy chair for the nursery...you will spend many hours not sleeping in it.
7-9 months- SLEEP! Around now Sophia was done with middle of the night bottles. She started sleeping 12 hours straight every night. She did this earlier but I know that at this point she was doing it consistently. Its wonderful. The first time your child does it, you might freak and worry. The 2nd time they do it, you think please don't let it be a fluke. By the 3rd,4th and 5th time...you are joyous. You feel the need to (and do)post about it on facebook and brag to your friends.
** Don't forget evil teething can interrupt this wonderment at any time**
8-10 months- For us this time frame went from fantastic sleeping back to what we called the "Bedtime Battle". Before we figured out that little 4 month old Sophia did not like to be rocked to sleep anymore there was a harried week or 2 of us almost losing our minds at bedtime each night. The local wine shop had an increase in sales because I would have a glass of wine or 3 after bedtime each night just to calm down.
At 9 months Sophia had discovered how to pull up on stuff. So cute. So deceptively cute. Its cute until its bedtime and you put your wonderful little sleeper in the crib and expect the normal, roll over go to sleep routine. Oh no. Not any more. That kid can stand!! The crib is a cruising baby's dream. Until they figure out they are exhausted and don't know how to sit back down....then its a nightmare. Stand up, cry, repeat. Even when you put the exhausted baby down, they stand back up. At this point you consider trying to explain why this is silly to a baby...then you realize you are losing it. Eventually we had to CIO (Cry It Out). It sucked. Doesn't work for everyone. Daddies tend to be the weak link (Sorry Bill). But if you stick to your guns, it works in a day or two. Unless you have a stress puker (a baby that stresses out when you let it cry and pukes instead. then you have a crying baby covered in puke and you have to start all over again.) I thank my lucky stars that Sophia was not a stress puker.
12 months - Your now toddler has made it back to the typical sleep routine by now. You have become accustomed to the occasional teething interruptions. Things are good. So why aren't you sleeping like you did pre-baby, you ask? Because after a year of not sleeping like a normal person, you are conditioned to sleep lighter, hear every sound and wake up. Also babies don't understand the "its the weekend so we sleep in" concept so whenever your kid wakes up during the week, thats their weekend wake up time. And randomly they will wake up at like 5:30am for no reason and so will you.
Now I am only 14 months into parenthood, so I am hoping or have been told that it keeps getting better. And I know when she is a teenager, I will be dragging her out of bed. But all I know is that I never appreciated how truly blissful it was to go to sleep whenever I wanted with no chance of being woken up unexpectedly at 3:18am. Or how what a true gift being able to sleep in on your day off for a long as you want really is. Because once you have a baby...you never sleep the same again.
I now have an almost 14 month old and she sleeps pretty damn good :) She has been sleeping 11-12 straight hours a night for about 8 months now. We were lucky and she followed the typically sleep extension progression that all the books said. She started soothing herself to sleep at about 4 months (i.e. we didn't have to hold her or rock her to sleep anymore) And we only had to deal with 1 week of "I learned to stand up so I won't go to sleep anymore" drama. All in all we have been pretty damn lucky on the sleep front.
But after you have a baby you NEVER sleep the same again. Maybe when they leave the house for college?? I don't know.
Here is what I do know: (yes I know every kid is different, this is based on my experience)
1-2 months - You are up every 2-3 hours. 4 hours if you're lucky. You never knew you could appreciate 4 straight hours of sleep in your life. This goes for men too! Whether your wife is nursing or not, when your little baby lets out that "what the hell? Where am I? Why am I alone? I'm hungry!"cry in the middle of the night...you'll wake up too. Those of you who say "I can't function on less than 8 hours of sleep"....uh YES YOU CAN. Its at this point that coffee becomes more than a beverage and more like a salvation.
3-4 months - You start getting 5-7 hours straight if you are lucky. Some still only sleep in 3 hour stints. But you are so used to getting no sleep that you wake up thinking something must be wrong, panic and check on the baby. Then the baby looks so peaceful, you stay and watch the baby too long. Now you are wide awake. Great. Inevitably when you finally settle back in, the baby wakes up.
5-6 months- This is when many babies turn the corner and really start sleeping for 8 hours or more at a time. Now depending on when your baby goes to sleep at night this can be wonderful. Sophia went to bed at 7 so she still woke up at 2 or 3 am. However, she also started getting teeth at 5 months. Teething is the anti-christ and mortal enemy of sleep. A teething baby wakes up to a sore achy mouth all night long and in response cries and cries and drools and cries. So you will be up all night long. You may cry and drool as well. Hope you got a comfy chair for the nursery...you will spend many hours not sleeping in it.
7-9 months- SLEEP! Around now Sophia was done with middle of the night bottles. She started sleeping 12 hours straight every night. She did this earlier but I know that at this point she was doing it consistently. Its wonderful. The first time your child does it, you might freak and worry. The 2nd time they do it, you think please don't let it be a fluke. By the 3rd,4th and 5th time...you are joyous. You feel the need to (and do)post about it on facebook and brag to your friends.
** Don't forget evil teething can interrupt this wonderment at any time**
8-10 months- For us this time frame went from fantastic sleeping back to what we called the "Bedtime Battle". Before we figured out that little 4 month old Sophia did not like to be rocked to sleep anymore there was a harried week or 2 of us almost losing our minds at bedtime each night. The local wine shop had an increase in sales because I would have a glass of wine or 3 after bedtime each night just to calm down.
At 9 months Sophia had discovered how to pull up on stuff. So cute. So deceptively cute. Its cute until its bedtime and you put your wonderful little sleeper in the crib and expect the normal, roll over go to sleep routine. Oh no. Not any more. That kid can stand!! The crib is a cruising baby's dream. Until they figure out they are exhausted and don't know how to sit back down....then its a nightmare. Stand up, cry, repeat. Even when you put the exhausted baby down, they stand back up. At this point you consider trying to explain why this is silly to a baby...then you realize you are losing it. Eventually we had to CIO (Cry It Out). It sucked. Doesn't work for everyone. Daddies tend to be the weak link (Sorry Bill). But if you stick to your guns, it works in a day or two. Unless you have a stress puker (a baby that stresses out when you let it cry and pukes instead. then you have a crying baby covered in puke and you have to start all over again.) I thank my lucky stars that Sophia was not a stress puker.
12 months - Your now toddler has made it back to the typical sleep routine by now. You have become accustomed to the occasional teething interruptions. Things are good. So why aren't you sleeping like you did pre-baby, you ask? Because after a year of not sleeping like a normal person, you are conditioned to sleep lighter, hear every sound and wake up. Also babies don't understand the "its the weekend so we sleep in" concept so whenever your kid wakes up during the week, thats their weekend wake up time. And randomly they will wake up at like 5:30am for no reason and so will you.
Now I am only 14 months into parenthood, so I am hoping or have been told that it keeps getting better. And I know when she is a teenager, I will be dragging her out of bed. But all I know is that I never appreciated how truly blissful it was to go to sleep whenever I wanted with no chance of being woken up unexpectedly at 3:18am. Or how what a true gift being able to sleep in on your day off for a long as you want really is. Because once you have a baby...you never sleep the same again.
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