Happy Birthday to . . . Me?
My first birthday as a mother. Here’s what I did:
I slept late. I got up and ate pancakes. I took a long hot bath.
Then I woke up.
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Baking the Blues Away
Every mother knows the importance of a good schedule for her baby.
I’m not talking about sleep training or scheduled feedings; we’re setting those hot-button topics aside. I’m simply talking about a predictable routine for each day, so your baby has an idea of what’s coming next: walks, naps, playtime, and so forth, all happening in roughly the same order. I’ve found this makes Madeleine much less anxious (and keeps me from watching the clock with a “Dear God, how will I fill the rest of the day?” sort of attitude). Every morning when she wakes, we have our dressing routine complete with songs and stories, breakfast, and then our walk for the day. We’ve been walking every day since she was three weeks old, partly because she loves the stimulation and partly because Mommy needs to get out of the house.Baby Steps Away
Yesterday, Madeleine took two steps away from me.
Not physical steps; she didn’t magically stand up and walk on her 4 1/2-month-old legs. But she began her journey to independence from me in two very real ways:- Madeleine ate her first grown-up food. True, it was only a tablespoon of rice cereal mixed with a lot of breast milk, but it was the first time she put anything in her body that I didn’t make.
- Brian and I both left the house. Together. Without her. For four hours, she was in my mother’s care, and not within earshot of at least one of her parents, again for the first time. And what was worse, when I called to check in, I could hear her cooing and giggling in the background! No crying, no anguish, no loneliness. Which is good, right?
Mary Poppins for Mommies
Josh, my girlfriend Abby’s newest babe, has officially hit two weeks old, and while Abby seems to have gotten off remarkably easy emotion-wise – no real heavy post-partum blues – she is definitely experiencing post- post-partum-doula blues.
Former Secret Service Wanted
Anybody know any private security firms that specialize in stroller walks?
Madeleine’s been so alert and interested in her surroundings recently that she’s imitating an owl, twisting her head as far around in a perfect circle as she can go while I’m wearing her in the Bjorn. So I thought it might be time to crack open the “big girl” stroller, our forward-facing Maclaren.Comfort Foods
Pacifier or thumb; the age-old debate never ends. Unfortunately (or fortunately), many times the child decides for herself.
Brian and I originally decided to try for the pacifier; we reasoned it would be easier for us to control, and help her to use it for comfort rather than habit. When Madeleine was just a few weeks old, it became clear she occasionally needed to comfort suck at not always workable times, and my finger just wasn’t cutting it. We tried several different brands and types of pacifier, and she would have none of them.
Moving Forward, Reluctantly
I can’t believe Madeleine’s four months old. Time is flying so fast and she’s not sitting still for me. We have to start thinking about solid foods already! I thought I’d be throwing a party in celebration of moving to solid foods, but I’m already sad that soon I won’t be all that she needs to keep growing big and strong. It’s her first step in moving away from me, becoming truly independent. It sucks.
