I can't believe that Scotty is going to be 7 weeks on Tuesday. Seven weeks ago tonight, we were watching 'True Blood,' eating BBQ from Lucille's, and timing my contractions. I was HUGE and uncomfortable and thought that as soon as this pregnancy was over, my life was going to get so much easier.
Oh, how I was so wrong.
You know, it's interesting, because as much as I complain about sleep deprivation, Scotty is really a good baby. I mean, he's sleeping right now (it's 6:30pm). He is doing exactly what babies are supposed to do - he eats, he gets drowsy, and it's off to sleepy-time for him. And then in the daytime, he eats, is alert, we play, and eventually he falls asleep again. This really isn't rocket science. And he's about as 'easy' a baby as they come (now that I figured out this whole 'schedule' thing).
But I think the hardest thing about Motherhood (and Parenthood) in general is that it is just relentless. There are no weekends in Parenthood. There are no lunch breaks, no teeth-brushing breaks (which as we all know, I need in my life). It just never stops.
I was so excited for Friday to come because Friday = Brian is home! Yeah! I mean, aside from loving my husband, it also means another pair of hands and I can shower without my glasses on (this is a long story and I will tell you about it one day). It means I can run errands without toting a 35lb car seat around and praying fervently that my child doesn't start wailing in the middle of Babies-R-Us (which, by the way, why is that such a big deal? The first word in the store's title is BABY. You'd think they'd be a little more flexible about crying babies).
But anyways, it's just exhausting b/c even as Brian comes home, tired and weary from another day at the office, it's BabyTime in our household, 24/7. There are no breaks. I don't even know what happened last night, but I was so unbelievably tired this morning that Brian gently removed Scotty from my arms at 8:30am and told me sternly, "Go to bed." Huh? Haven't I spent the last 12 hours in bed? Well, kind of. In and out of bed, heating up milk and changing diapers and rocking a baby to sleep, and then finally getting back to bed. I was thankfully able to sleep for 2.5 blessed hours of uninterrupted sleep and I woke up a new person (much to Brian's delight. I am really evil when I am sleep-deprived, I'm learning).
So that's the thing. I mean, really, all Scotty does is eat, sleep, play occasionally, and poop. (oh, and speaking of poop - we had 35mph poop last night at the 2am feeding. I unhinged the diaper and BAM! Poop came FLYING out. It hit the lamp. It was so surprising [and disgusting] that I started laughing. Had I had any wits, I'm sure I would have cried. But it was just so like, 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?' hysterical, manical laughter because I am so tired of crying. It's just easier to laugh. Oh, sigh.) That's it. That's all he does. But this is so hard b/c it NEVER ENDS.
When you are excited to get 2.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you know that it's bad times. I made the mistake of asking my friend Jen (mother to Rowan) about his sleep schedule yesterday, to which she blissfully replied, "Oh, he was sleeping 9 hours at night by 8 weeks." WHAT? Jen, aka Baby Whisperer, must know something I don't. Or she has amazing genetics that produce sleeping babies to which I am woefully jealous. No wonder she's such a cool cucumber most of the time: she is sleeping through the night.
But again, things could be worse. Last time I talked to my sister, she and Jake were in the throes of both GERD and colic - poor little baby Ben. I cannot imagine what that is like - the little fellow screams several hours a night and there is pretty much nothing they can do to calm him down. The good news: he's healthy and thriving. The bad news: he's fussy and cries. Kelly, if you are reading this, HANG IN THERE!!! You can do it. I read a quote online that I thought might help: If the baby is fed, changed, not in pain, and not sick, then all the rest is just noise. Really, it is...it's easy for me to say this, but man, the schedule of relentlessness combined with colic/screaming...that would be insane. Kelly is going to need some serious R&R when the next few weeks are over...
Motherhood has certainly been an interesting adventure so far. I know we had a pretty rough start (CatheterGate, the whole jaundice fiasco) but things are definitely on an upswing. The weather in Vegas has finally cooled off and Scotty and Brian and I are enjoying some lovely walks without the fear of dehydration. We even had our first family dinner (at a restaurant) the other night. It was only Subway and within walking distance of our house, but hey, it counts, right? And my turkey sub with no cheese or mustard or veggies was surprisingly good. :-)
Oh, how I was so wrong.
You know, it's interesting, because as much as I complain about sleep deprivation, Scotty is really a good baby. I mean, he's sleeping right now (it's 6:30pm). He is doing exactly what babies are supposed to do - he eats, he gets drowsy, and it's off to sleepy-time for him. And then in the daytime, he eats, is alert, we play, and eventually he falls asleep again. This really isn't rocket science. And he's about as 'easy' a baby as they come (now that I figured out this whole 'schedule' thing).
But I think the hardest thing about Motherhood (and Parenthood) in general is that it is just relentless. There are no weekends in Parenthood. There are no lunch breaks, no teeth-brushing breaks (which as we all know, I need in my life). It just never stops.
I was so excited for Friday to come because Friday = Brian is home! Yeah! I mean, aside from loving my husband, it also means another pair of hands and I can shower without my glasses on (this is a long story and I will tell you about it one day). It means I can run errands without toting a 35lb car seat around and praying fervently that my child doesn't start wailing in the middle of Babies-R-Us (which, by the way, why is that such a big deal? The first word in the store's title is BABY. You'd think they'd be a little more flexible about crying babies).
But anyways, it's just exhausting b/c even as Brian comes home, tired and weary from another day at the office, it's BabyTime in our household, 24/7. There are no breaks. I don't even know what happened last night, but I was so unbelievably tired this morning that Brian gently removed Scotty from my arms at 8:30am and told me sternly, "Go to bed." Huh? Haven't I spent the last 12 hours in bed? Well, kind of. In and out of bed, heating up milk and changing diapers and rocking a baby to sleep, and then finally getting back to bed. I was thankfully able to sleep for 2.5 blessed hours of uninterrupted sleep and I woke up a new person (much to Brian's delight. I am really evil when I am sleep-deprived, I'm learning).
So that's the thing. I mean, really, all Scotty does is eat, sleep, play occasionally, and poop. (oh, and speaking of poop - we had 35mph poop last night at the 2am feeding. I unhinged the diaper and BAM! Poop came FLYING out. It hit the lamp. It was so surprising [and disgusting] that I started laughing. Had I had any wits, I'm sure I would have cried. But it was just so like, 'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?' hysterical, manical laughter because I am so tired of crying. It's just easier to laugh. Oh, sigh.) That's it. That's all he does. But this is so hard b/c it NEVER ENDS.
When you are excited to get 2.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you know that it's bad times. I made the mistake of asking my friend Jen (mother to Rowan) about his sleep schedule yesterday, to which she blissfully replied, "Oh, he was sleeping 9 hours at night by 8 weeks." WHAT? Jen, aka Baby Whisperer, must know something I don't. Or she has amazing genetics that produce sleeping babies to which I am woefully jealous. No wonder she's such a cool cucumber most of the time: she is sleeping through the night.
But again, things could be worse. Last time I talked to my sister, she and Jake were in the throes of both GERD and colic - poor little baby Ben. I cannot imagine what that is like - the little fellow screams several hours a night and there is pretty much nothing they can do to calm him down. The good news: he's healthy and thriving. The bad news: he's fussy and cries. Kelly, if you are reading this, HANG IN THERE!!! You can do it. I read a quote online that I thought might help: If the baby is fed, changed, not in pain, and not sick, then all the rest is just noise. Really, it is...it's easy for me to say this, but man, the schedule of relentlessness combined with colic/screaming...that would be insane. Kelly is going to need some serious R&R when the next few weeks are over...
Motherhood has certainly been an interesting adventure so far. I know we had a pretty rough start (CatheterGate, the whole jaundice fiasco) but things are definitely on an upswing. The weather in Vegas has finally cooled off and Scotty and Brian and I are enjoying some lovely walks without the fear of dehydration. We even had our first family dinner (at a restaurant) the other night. It was only Subway and within walking distance of our house, but hey, it counts, right? And my turkey sub with no cheese or mustard or veggies was surprisingly good. :-)
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