Heather's Handmade Life

I’m starting to break …

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Heather Laura Clarke

They say your baby might be ready for solids if they are “showing an active interest in your food.”

Baby Boy has been doing that for a month now — including a memorable moment the day after Thanksgiving when he grabbed a fistful of stuffing and turkey from Darling Husband’s plate.

Mere moments ago, he grabbed my (sealed) yogurt from my hands and tried to open it. When I took it back, opened it, and started to eat it, he started wailing and trying to take the spoon.

Um … I don’t think I have the heart to hold out much longer on the cereal. It’s starting to feel … right.

Screen scene

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Heather Laura Clarke

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Baby Boy and I often go to the Mommy/Baby movies at the local theatres. I love them because (A) it’s a chance to get out of the house, (B) I love watching movies, and (C) it’s a chance to get out of the house. Did I mention it’s a chance to get out of the house?

When I was there last week, I noticed that ALL of the babies there are much, much younger than my little guy. They are all teeny little people in newborn-sized sleepers. Whereas my baby is wearing jeans, sneakers, and a rugby shirt, standing up on my lap trying to dive into the row of seats in front of us. And grinning at the other moms and babies. And grabbing my straw out of my drink. And trying to steal popcorn.

My friend C had to stop going to the Mommy/Baby movies when her little man was about six months old, because she said he was too active to make it enjoyable for her. I definitely understand that now. And it makes sense why there are only very young babies all around me in the theatre.

Luckily, I have an ace up my (spit-up-covered) sleeve. My kid? He loves movies! And TV shows! And watching YouTube videos. And looking at BlackBerry screens. Yes, he may be destined to be a vidiot, but he comes by it honestly. Darling Husband and I positively LIVE for our computers and smartphones, and we love watching television, and we both appreciate a good video game every once in a while. I suppose it’s in Baby Boy’s DNA.

So while Baby Boy may be a handful for some parts of the outing, he does spent the majority of the movie sitting on my lap, engrossed in it. For that, I am very grateful, and I will take it as long as it lasts. Because, as I may have mentioned, it gets us out of the house!

I don’t want to jinx it, but …

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Heather Laura Clarke

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… for the last two nights, Baby Boy has only nursed TWICE. At midnight and at 4 a.m., both nights, like clockwork.

For those of you who are saying, “Um, so? He is four months old — that’s normal,” let me remind you that since Baby Boy was not quite three months, he has been nursing four or FIVE times a night. EVERY night, for a total of SEVEN weeks. FML, right?

We had no idea why he had gone from a baby who got at least one four-hour stretch at night (oh, those were the days!) to a baby who woke up every hour-and-a-half or two hours.

Growth spurt? Sure, except it lasted SEVEN WEEKS.
Hungry (because he wasn’t satisfied by breastmilk anymore)? Sure, if you ask my doctor (a.k.a. The Formula Pusher).
His newfound rolling-over trick (that he kept practicing in his sleep)? Yup, lots of people think so.
Getting arms/legs stuck in the crib bars? Yeah, that probably contributed to it. Stupid ban on crib-bumpers.
Too distracted to eat as much during the day? Possibly.

In the end, I have no idea which of those reasons caused him to wake up so frequently — maybe a combination of all of them. All I know is that sometimes I could send Darling Husband in, and he’d calm him with his soother, but most of the time, he would cry until I nursed him — and then he ate HUNGRILY while I slumped comatose in the glider and wondered when the bloody night was going to be over.

I was so tired every day that I seriously considered the rice cereal route, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it yet. All of the experts say to wait until six months before introducing ANYTHING other than breastmilk, and I didn’t want to defy them. They say it’s best for my baby! And, and, and … but I’m so tiiiiiiiired.

But before I broke down and tried the cereal, like a beautifully-wrapped present, Baby Boy only got me up three times to eat on Thursday night. And then twice for the last two nights. Sure, there were a couple of other times I had to go in and untangle limbs from crib bars, or give him his soother, but those are quickies. I only nursed him twice, and he ate well both times. Successsssss!

The most interesting thing is how he was different yesterday, after getting such a good sleep. He still slept for exactly 11 hours (went to bed at 8:30 p.m. and woke up at 7:30 a.m.), like he always does, except since he hadn’t woken up as much, he was happy when he woke up in the morning. Like babbling-to-himself-in-his-crib happy! And he actually took two good naps yesterday — one for two whole hours, and one for about 90 minutes. Much better than his usual 30- or 40-minute snoozes. Hallelujah!

So what did I do differently, to encourage such a good sleep? I really hate to admit this part, but if I’m being totally honest, there was something I did differently, that may be the cause. We did our whole bedtime routine as usual, with the exception of reading his bedtime chapter in his glider instead of on the couch — where, truthfully, sometimes I am too tired to read and we watch TV while he nurses off and on.

Seriously, that was the only change, but maybe it helped? Those Winnie-the-Pooh chapters are pretty long, and maybe lying there in the semi-darkness listening to me read put him in a sleepier state than, um, chilling on the couch in the semi-darkness watching Come Dine With Me? God, it looks terrible written down. Of course it helped!

OK, new resolution: read to Baby Boy in the glider every single night, even on those nights when I am too exhausted to move — much less hold a book and focus on tiny print. I am willing to do whatever works to get a better nights’ sleep for both of us. If that means sacrificing quality Brit programming, so be it!

Mommy confession …

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Heather Laura Clarke

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I use my nursing bras as miniature purses. I am constantly tucking pacifiers in the handy little gap between my boobs, so that they’re always accessible when Baby Boy needs one. Sometimes my BlackBerry winds up in there, too.

Probably sounds very weird, but you know what? You don’t have POCKETS when you are practically living in yoga pants and tank tops, do you? How else* are you supposed to carry stuff with you from room to room, and you’re carrying a wriggly four-month-old?

*Before I wore nursing bras, I used to sometimes slip my BlackBerry into my undies** if I needed both hands to vacuum or something (and had no pockets).
**See, isn’t that worse than putting it in my bra?***
***You’re going to think twice before you borrow my phone now, aren’t you?

Five activities my baby is loving right now …

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Heather Laura Clarke

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Four months, 1 week, 1 day old

Five activities my baby is loving right now …

Splashing me while he’s in his tub — HARD splashes that soak my clothes, the mirror, and the walls!
Lying on his stomach and pretending to sleep while you say, “Ohhh, so sleepy!” and then popping up with a huge grin while you say, “Good morning!”
Sitting in the (empty) bathroom sink and playing with the taps. Bonus points if I turn on the cold tap and let him play in the stream of water.
Scooting himself backwards (uh, yeah, backwards only) — until he gets stuck halfway underneath the couch because of his big cloth-diapered bum.
Grabbing my hair and ears as hard as he can, clinging to my neck, and squealing. Ow. But I like to imagine he’s squealing, “I love you sooo much!”