Shh..did you hear that? Oh yeah, that was the sound of your heart melting. Believe me, I know.
Up until a few days ago, Ben was not as happy as he was in the morning. In fact, he was a real drag, but a cute one at least! I had no idea what his freakin' problem was (no matter how many times I asked him nicely) but it seemed like there was no rhyme or reason to why he was crying. And the only thing that made sense in my head was:
Crying baby + boob = happy baby
It worked most of the time, but my poor mammaries needed to take five and I needed to take a shower. We needed to get to the bottom of this and quickly, before I shriveled up and started to stink. I was starting to lose my joy about this whole parenthood thing. If you were looking for an upbeat and typical "my baby is awesome" post, I apologize. I love my son, and he knows I do, but I'm sure I'm not the only person who has gone through the phase where you are "over" this whole having a baby thing and want to give him to someone else to take care of. Someone who knows what they're doing. But God is gracious and is teaching me a lot about taking care of this mini person of mine.
I came to the realization that Ben was not sleeping nearly as much as he needed to during the day. Instead, he was getting overstimulated and way overtired to the point where he couldn't fall asleep anymore. Nursing was the only thing that helped him really drift off but after a while, he was just full and crabby. So I had to get off my bum and figure out new ways to get him to sleep. After several different trials and errors, I am now sitting here on my couch, watching my beautiful son sleep all snuggly in his swing. This is his second nap today and the first was a great 2 hour stretch. I got so much done, I was so impressed! I realize that every day is a new adventure, but God also renews his mercies every day, so I know that I can make it. Even when bad days (which there are many in the beginning) come, they are eventually over and the good days make them seem like a distant memory.
A few days after his 2 month birthday, we took Ben camping with many of our church families in Olcott, NY. I was a little apprehensive about sleeping in a tent with a very needy 2 month old, but it turned out to be one of the most stress-free weekends since his birth. I barely held him, with the exception of feeding him or transportation to Grandma's campsite, and got to enjoy seeing him be loved by so many friends and family. It was a great vacation for me and a wonderful occasion for them! I think Ben liked all the fresh air, too. He slept so well outside that I was considering setting up a tent on the front porch so he can keep sleeping out there while it's still nice out. Don't worry, I'm not leaving my kid outside overnight. Not in my neighborhood at least.
So there you have it. 2 months and he's doing great. I am so overwhelmed with my current freedom that I am going to tackle my mile long "to-do" list while I have the chance. There's no way I can nap with this much excitement about him sleeping on his own. I'll sleep when my kids all move out...in 40 years. Oh delight.
Ben and his cousin Sam, who is almost 9 months old.
