…is the gummy smile with a twinkle in his eyes (um… and people telling me that the twinkle is totally mine, while in all other aspects he looks just like my hubby, minus the CHEEKS) 
))
One Thing That Always Melts My Heart…
6 MayDisturbing, I find
4 MayTwice, twice I saw mommies with regular sit-up strollers, with the back in a seating position, with teeny-tiny infants there – no more than 3 months old, all crooked and bent and looking painfully uncomfortable.
Seriously? You think it’s a good idea for your baby’s spine to sit him up like this, unsupported?
I don’t know, maybe there’s something wrong with me? I also use a normal stroller, but I keep it totally reclined…
The Rule of Three Days
4 MayAt my baby shower, one of my friends, a mother of two, gave me an advice: whatever is happening to your baby, just keep in mind it won’t last beyond three days. I don’t know why, she said, but that’s how it works. The other moms nodded in agreement.
Last Saturday, Timothy was fussy. I had my first night out planned, so I worriedly left him with the hubby in the evening. Timothy took his 6 pm bottle of expressed milk, but refused point-blank to take another one at nine – and refused going to sleep, too. He was fussy and unhappy until I finally got home around 11 pm. And, uncharacteristically, he then woke up at night.
The next day he kept being cranky and fussy. We went to a conservation park in the north for a stroll – Timothy was sleeping. But then he woke up when we went to have something to eat – and we had to keep passing him to each other over the table, which was hard: I had a burger and hubby had wings, so we couldn’t eat AND hold him.
On Monday he kept whining and I was getting frustrated and then I thought:it’s day three of fussiness, he’ll be fine tomorrow.
And you know what? He was. On the fourth day he woke up his usual cheerful, smiling self, ready to interact or play contentedly on his own, or eat, or sleep, or whatever.
The rule of three days works – AND it helps preserve sanity. It’s much easier to stay calm when you know it’s all gonna be all right in 3 days…
On Co-Sleeping
3 MayI noticed that most of those who complain about how badly their kids sleep – are the ones who co-sleep. Of course, it’s a very subjective perception, I haven’t polled a hundred moms, but that’s the feel. 2 years old and still wakes up 1-2 times? Most definitely is a co-sleeper.
And you know what I suspect? When there’s a milk-smelling mom next to them – the smell wakes them up, enticing them to have a feed.
Because during the day, whenever I am around, Timothy eats every 2.5-3 hours. But if he’s with his dad? He can go for 4 hours, sometimes even 5, without a problem.
I am glad I decided against co-sleeping. Timothy was sleeping in a basket in my bed for the first 4 or 5 weeks, and since then he’s been sleeping in his own crib on the other side of his bedroom (I decided it will be easier to get him settled in his own room from the get-go, rather than moving him there from ours at some point).
He will turn 3 months next week – I am planning to move back to my own bedroom and reclaim my husband.
That’s the plan. I am not sure if I will follow through, though. I feel so bad leaving him, so small and vulnerable, all alone – while hubby and I snuggle together… But I also worry that hubby and I are growing somewhat distant. We shall see.
Regardless, I am glad we didn’t co-sleep – and probably won’t.
Mother’s Day
2 MayThis year, my bday falls within days of Mother’s Day. And I couldn’t care less about my bday – for the first time in my life, I will be celebrating Mother’s Day! (we don’t have Mother’s day in Russia, so I never celebrated it for my mom)
I am now a mom – and I feel so ridiculously proud, like it’s an achievement, an accomplishment. I’ve only been a mom for 12 weeks, there’s nothing yet to be so proud about, really. Nevertheless…
I have a question, though: how do people celebrate Mother’s Day?
Full Cycle
1 MayOne year ago today it was CD1 of THE cycle.
Today Timothy is 12 weeks old.
Thank you, universe.
