You know what I’ve realized? Baby books are awesome for giving guidance but not answers. You see, my baby is not a textbook. I keep reading these great books expecting him to be just like the babies that the authors write about. But you know what? He isn’t and that’s totally ok. He’s our Bud and I’m glad that he’s an A + B = C baby. And oh my gosh, he’s the happiest, weirdest, and chill baby so in spite of us… he totally rocks.
Sleep: We follow Babywise but obviously modify it to what Bud needs. He is on a Eat, Play, Sleep routine and he takes great naps. He takes a morning nap, afternoon nap, and sometimes a 40 minute catnap in the evening. But about every 2 months, right when we think we’ve gotten his sleep down perfectly… he changes! He has been sleeping through the night since about 2 months but every now and then will just wake up STARVING at 4am. It hasn’t helped that at his 3 month growth spurt and 6 month growth spurt/teething we flew him across the country and added 3 hour time difference to the mix. Luckily he’s back on sleeping 7:30-6:30 or 7 but I’m certain as soon as he’s gotten that nailed, we’ll run into something else. Isn’t that how it always goes?
Eating: We have officially switched to a 4 hour schedule and my little man did it on his own accord. I was still nursing him every 3 hours and I noticed he just wasn’t that hungry when I went to feed him. So I started stretching his awake times and he slid right into a 4 hour schedule and seems much happier. I have realized I can’t follow other people’s schedules or timelines. Bud will let me know when he’s ready to go to the next “chapter” and it’s a lot smoother that way. He is loving solid foods and I made a few batches of pears, bananas, apples, and sweet potatoes to last us for awhile. I’ll do another post about making your own food, it’s actually pretty dang easy!
Awaketimes: We are having the best time now that he’s awake for longer stretches. I told Sam last night that I officially felt like a mom though because I spent the day picking toys up, catching Bud’s head so it doesn’t slam into the floor, trying to do laundry and put away laundry in between naps, and dreaming up different activities to keep Bud entertained since we had more time. Plus, we’re a one car family this week (Sam’s truck is having issues) so we’re stuck at home which means no random trips to distract us. So we’re reading, taking walks, dancing to music, practicing sitting up and inevitably falling down (I made a crash landing pad out of blankets and its actually fun to fall now… probably not the best idea), playing with toys, pulling Roy’s tail, and eating. It’s a really hard life as a baby.
I keep reminding myself that there are seasons as a mama and we just need to enjoy each one as they come. There will be moments that seem so amazing that your eyes fill with tears of joy… and the ones that make you run for the coffee pot (or Pinot Grigio). And there will be moments that just don’t make sense no matter how many books you read. We need to trust our babies and the signals they give us even if they don’t always line up with what the books say. We have been designed to connect with our child and react to his or her needs. It’s one of the most innate things about us. That, and not wanting to waste that little bit of ice cream in the bottom of the carton.
