Let's go back in time...
The Impling was, for the first 4.5 months of existence, what is coined in the nicer parenting books as "high need". Looking back at one particular day gives a good idea of what life was like back then.
So, for all you new mothers lucky enough to have a colicky baby, this is for you. And believe me. IT GETS BETTER. MUCH.
May 12th, 8:20 in the morning, and M is going nonstop, once more. I thought, nearing the 4 month mark, that this sort of screaming would be over and done with, but no. I put in the earplugs to give myself a breather and try to figure out exactly WHAT THE HELL is going on with her.
Night was fine. As fine as waking up every two hours to feed her is. This can’t continue. EVERY MORNING after K leaves, we have approximately and hour of calm. Here is the day so far:
7 AM feeding. M is cooing and burbly and happy. At 7:30, K leaves, she starts to fuss. Change of diaper helps with this. She calms, though still touchy, so we head to the bathroom for my shower.
7:45 AM She dozes out in her little tub, I have five minutes, then M starts crying again and tries to take a nose dive out of the tub. Shower ends. I get out, she stops crying. Starts again before I can get my shirt and socks on. Back to check diaper. She calms.
7:58 AM Now for HER bath...lug the tub to the kitchen crying baby in arms. She settles momentarily in the tub, then starts screaming, tongue vibrating, the windows shaking. I give her my pinkie, and she sucks it vigorously, sulking at me but brightens up after a few moments.
8 AM I turn on the water and start her bath, which goes well. It’s been three days. Cradle cap is coming back. I start on her hair and she wiggles as usual. Finish up and to the towel. And she begins to HOWL.
8:10 @ Manage to get a diaper onto my screaming mass of a child. Cries grow increasingly furious. I am losing my temper, her hair is combed, and her onesie half on. She is screaming and kicking and punching and I have to put her down quickly or lose it.
8:20 Down in the cradle. Tuck quilt around thrashing mass-of-baby. Leave quickly, and there is a slam as I close the door. I feel miserable. The biggest failure.
Earplugs, check. Open Word, begin to type.
8:27 I no longer hear M’s howls over the symphony on the radio, through the closed bedroom door and through my earplugs. I go check. M is fast asleep, breathing heavily.
8:50 She is still quiet and asleep. Lesson here...baths only at night. By 8 she is ready for more sleep? I’m going to keep up this log and see if I can find some patterns to the day. Really don’t know what else to do!
8:55 M is awake and crying. Softer now. I go collect baby.
9 AM feed. Falls asleep.
9:30 finish feeding, still asleep.
9:50 wakes up. We change diaper & finish dressing. Grab paper. I’m already tired. M sucks fist. Maybe I’ll have a popsicle.
10 AM off for a walk!
11:45 AM home again home again. M is fast asleep in the Stokke. Most of the time asleep, had happy playful bits in Pier 1, and again in the Baby Place. Fussed and arched back in both places as well, but not much. Slept through TJ’s. Lot’s of complements on the stroller and M! :)
11:55 paged K to let him know he forgot his keys. M wakes.
12 PM angry baby. Again. Pager not working. This day sucks. Feed.
12:30 M falls asleep.
12:50 wakes when I move my arm. Put in swing so I can have lunch. Fusses. Goes to sleep.
I make lunch.
1:24 still asleep. I lie down for a nap.
1:35 M wakes up. I bring her to bed and we try to settle. With a pinkie, she does.
1:38 M lets out a nice loud wet one. Seems happier, then fusses for diaper change. Perks up on the changing table. Time for laundry! Will try first try settling for a nap one more time.
Nap didn’t happen.
1:55 Clean Baby. Fussy Baby. Angry Baby. Getting laundry together while she chills to the sound of the tub. Or not. Put on Snuggli, place M face out. So far so good. We make it to the laundry room, short crying jag on account of the bad pop song playing, calms down when the motion sensors shut down and music stops.
2:10 PM bouncing with M updating the log. She’s quiet, and undoubtedly thinking of more boob. But as she’s still quiet...for the moment...oh right. NOW she’s making the smacking sounds. Boob call!
2:15 Guess who fell asleep in the Snuggli? Oh yeah. That’s my girl. ;) She’s so cute, her head leaning back against my chest. K’s pager is still off line.
2:25 K calls. SO good to hear him.
2:40 timer goes off for laundry, M wakes up, but peacefully, and is just hanging out in the snuggli. Off to the dryers.
2:50 after a nice ten minutes of transferring clothes while M appropriated my left hand for some heavy-duty thumb sucking, my back feels remarkably flexible. Like a gumbi. The only way to reach into those washing machines is by some fairly improbable body bends. Thumb is not losing its appeal...
3 PM asleep. Unfortunately, on me. No chance of a nap. Thumb is now a raisin. Spend time reading the Trixie blog and feeling slightly less alone.
3:45 after sleeping through my deep squats to retrieve clothes from dryer, M is waking up. And she’s playful. And hungry. And cute. And hungry
3:50 feeding munch munch munch
4:30 asleep!
4:50 phone rings...now its a sleepy playtime
5:30 wow...K is home and in the interim no major crying jags! In fact, pretty playful, trying to talk and doing her standing thing.
5:45 K has baby who is starting to fuss again. Here we GO. Thai food tonight. M has been appeased by a piggy back ride on K. Happy Baby!
6:30 K off to get dinner. M happy with boob once again. What next?
6:40 A few show tunes (and one dancing firefly) later, M settles down to punch the fish in her aquarium swing. And she’s got a mean left hook. Fists of fury, man. Look out Flipper.
6:45 after taking out a blue felt dolphin, M feels guilty and needs some snuggle time. But still wants to watch the fish.
7 PM K arrives with food and we tag team...M falling asleep after a tussle with getting her into the sling. She has a wonderful way of turning herself into a miniature 2 X 4. We tag team for dinner. She sleeps till 10:30 with K in the sling. Then feeds. And
Well, I've left this trip back in time mostly unedited (this is your brain with no sleep). "And" was the last word before the night feeds. There was no point in going back to it the next day.
The Impling is now 15 months, and sleeping through the night for 11 to 12 hours in her recently derailed crib (she was climbing out), and having one nap of 1 to 2 hours a day. She is very curious, loves her books, climbing, running in that ducklike way toddlers have, and is mostly a joy to be around. She smiles and laughs and has the cutest grin, likes sneaking up on me to give hugs and kisses, and runs to meet K when he comes home (if she's awake...K is a 2nd year resident).
So hang in there, all you sleep deprived moms. This too, shall pass.
So, for all you new mothers lucky enough to have a colicky baby, this is for you. And believe me. IT GETS BETTER. MUCH.
May 12th, 8:20 in the morning, and M is going nonstop, once more. I thought, nearing the 4 month mark, that this sort of screaming would be over and done with, but no. I put in the earplugs to give myself a breather and try to figure out exactly WHAT THE HELL is going on with her.
Night was fine. As fine as waking up every two hours to feed her is. This can’t continue. EVERY MORNING after K leaves, we have approximately and hour of calm. Here is the day so far:
7 AM feeding. M is cooing and burbly and happy. At 7:30, K leaves, she starts to fuss. Change of diaper helps with this. She calms, though still touchy, so we head to the bathroom for my shower.
7:45 AM She dozes out in her little tub, I have five minutes, then M starts crying again and tries to take a nose dive out of the tub. Shower ends. I get out, she stops crying. Starts again before I can get my shirt and socks on. Back to check diaper. She calms.
7:58 AM Now for HER bath...lug the tub to the kitchen crying baby in arms. She settles momentarily in the tub, then starts screaming, tongue vibrating, the windows shaking. I give her my pinkie, and she sucks it vigorously, sulking at me but brightens up after a few moments.
8 AM I turn on the water and start her bath, which goes well. It’s been three days. Cradle cap is coming back. I start on her hair and she wiggles as usual. Finish up and to the towel. And she begins to HOWL.
8:10 @ Manage to get a diaper onto my screaming mass of a child. Cries grow increasingly furious. I am losing my temper, her hair is combed, and her onesie half on. She is screaming and kicking and punching and I have to put her down quickly or lose it.
8:20 Down in the cradle. Tuck quilt around thrashing mass-of-baby. Leave quickly, and there is a slam as I close the door. I feel miserable. The biggest failure.
Earplugs, check. Open Word, begin to type.
8:27 I no longer hear M’s howls over the symphony on the radio, through the closed bedroom door and through my earplugs. I go check. M is fast asleep, breathing heavily.
8:50 She is still quiet and asleep. Lesson here...baths only at night. By 8 she is ready for more sleep? I’m going to keep up this log and see if I can find some patterns to the day. Really don’t know what else to do!
8:55 M is awake and crying. Softer now. I go collect baby.
9 AM feed. Falls asleep.
9:30 finish feeding, still asleep.
9:50 wakes up. We change diaper & finish dressing. Grab paper. I’m already tired. M sucks fist. Maybe I’ll have a popsicle.
10 AM off for a walk!
11:45 AM home again home again. M is fast asleep in the Stokke. Most of the time asleep, had happy playful bits in Pier 1, and again in the Baby Place. Fussed and arched back in both places as well, but not much. Slept through TJ’s. Lot’s of complements on the stroller and M! :)
11:55 paged K to let him know he forgot his keys. M wakes.
12 PM angry baby. Again. Pager not working. This day sucks. Feed.
12:30 M falls asleep.
12:50 wakes when I move my arm. Put in swing so I can have lunch. Fusses. Goes to sleep.
I make lunch.
1:24 still asleep. I lie down for a nap.
1:35 M wakes up. I bring her to bed and we try to settle. With a pinkie, she does.
1:38 M lets out a nice loud wet one. Seems happier, then fusses for diaper change. Perks up on the changing table. Time for laundry! Will try first try settling for a nap one more time.
Nap didn’t happen.
1:55 Clean Baby. Fussy Baby. Angry Baby. Getting laundry together while she chills to the sound of the tub. Or not. Put on Snuggli, place M face out. So far so good. We make it to the laundry room, short crying jag on account of the bad pop song playing, calms down when the motion sensors shut down and music stops.
2:10 PM bouncing with M updating the log. She’s quiet, and undoubtedly thinking of more boob. But as she’s still quiet...for the moment...oh right. NOW she’s making the smacking sounds. Boob call!
2:15 Guess who fell asleep in the Snuggli? Oh yeah. That’s my girl. ;) She’s so cute, her head leaning back against my chest. K’s pager is still off line.
2:25 K calls. SO good to hear him.
2:40 timer goes off for laundry, M wakes up, but peacefully, and is just hanging out in the snuggli. Off to the dryers.
2:50 after a nice ten minutes of transferring clothes while M appropriated my left hand for some heavy-duty thumb sucking, my back feels remarkably flexible. Like a gumbi. The only way to reach into those washing machines is by some fairly improbable body bends. Thumb is not losing its appeal...
3 PM asleep. Unfortunately, on me. No chance of a nap. Thumb is now a raisin. Spend time reading the Trixie blog and feeling slightly less alone.
3:45 after sleeping through my deep squats to retrieve clothes from dryer, M is waking up. And she’s playful. And hungry. And cute. And hungry
3:50 feeding munch munch munch
4:30 asleep!
4:50 phone rings...now its a sleepy playtime
5:30 wow...K is home and in the interim no major crying jags! In fact, pretty playful, trying to talk and doing her standing thing.
5:45 K has baby who is starting to fuss again. Here we GO. Thai food tonight. M has been appeased by a piggy back ride on K. Happy Baby!
6:30 K off to get dinner. M happy with boob once again. What next?
6:40 A few show tunes (and one dancing firefly) later, M settles down to punch the fish in her aquarium swing. And she’s got a mean left hook. Fists of fury, man. Look out Flipper.
6:45 after taking out a blue felt dolphin, M feels guilty and needs some snuggle time. But still wants to watch the fish.
7 PM K arrives with food and we tag team...M falling asleep after a tussle with getting her into the sling. She has a wonderful way of turning herself into a miniature 2 X 4. We tag team for dinner. She sleeps till 10:30 with K in the sling. Then feeds. And
Well, I've left this trip back in time mostly unedited (this is your brain with no sleep). "And" was the last word before the night feeds. There was no point in going back to it the next day.
The Impling is now 15 months, and sleeping through the night for 11 to 12 hours in her recently derailed crib (she was climbing out), and having one nap of 1 to 2 hours a day. She is very curious, loves her books, climbing, running in that ducklike way toddlers have, and is mostly a joy to be around. She smiles and laughs and has the cutest grin, likes sneaking up on me to give hugs and kisses, and runs to meet K when he comes home (if she's awake...K is a 2nd year resident).
So hang in there, all you sleep deprived moms. This too, shall pass.
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