There are classes
and support groups for parents who bring baby home … most of them are about
'embracing the new normal'
… since it
feels like we are still figuring out our new normal I figured it was a good
blog title :)
We are still figuring
everything out … but one thing I know: no two babies are alike… therefore
'normal' is different for all parents, and changes with each kid … Here is our
'normal' with Maya:
Before I begin I
want to say … Maya is perfect and I fall more in love with her every day. I say this because some might read this as me
complaining .. But really, I am just trying to be honest and tell it like it is.
No frills : ) So lets get started shall
we?
First a bit about
Maya … as you already know, she has reflux … also, she seems to have food
sensitivities which we have not totally figured out yet … on top of that I am
blessed with an over-supply of milk and she has not adjusted to the flow yet …
So … here is what a
'normal' day looks like … If she has had a good night, Maya will start to get
fussy around 4 or 5 am … she usually has some burps to get out … lots of
bouncing and patting ensues. I am not ashamed to admit I have taken to using
Emily's trampoline when I am tired of bouncing :) Once we get a few burps out I
will try to feed her … once dada gets up I will get dressed
(and hopefully remember to put on deodorant ;-))… put on a baby carrier and
start my day of baby wearing. I thank
the people who came up with these carriers every day … though my back sill gets
sore, I cannot imagine what I would do without them. Hats off to women like my mom who had 'fussy'
babies (yup, that was me) and no carriers!! We have been trying to get into a routine where one of us gets in a workout in the morning ... but it hasn't happened yet. We are lucky that Emily has taken to reading in bed with me while Maya nurses in the mornings ... this lets Dada catch up on some of the sleep he lost so I could sleep the night before :)
Maya and I generally
get out for a walk (how she sleeps best) before 11am - we do a 2.25 mile loop
that has some hills … we've been adding more as I get faster. I am nervous to
go more than 30 min - if she gets too hungry, she gulps and this makes the burps
worse :) After that loop I sometimes walk up and down our street. I am sure our
neighbors think I am a bit nuts ;-)
After a mid-morning feeding we'll do medicine … and then a few times a
week, a bath. On a really really good day, Maya will sleep on top of my chest
while I nap …
Maya has taken to
talking, cooing, smiling, and reaching for things which is loads of fun and we
get about 10 min of time on her back with her telling me stories after a good
feed before her tummy starts to hurt. She really likes to talk to me and enjoys
the feel of different textures on her belly. She seems to like really colorful
toys and also watching herself in the mirror.
Some days she will
sit in the bouncy bjorn chair while I bounce her with my foot and do something
… like write a blog post or eat. She hasn't taken to her swing yet - lasts about
3 minutes (man, I can get a lot done in 3 min these days!) before it irritates
her.
Showering happens
when dada has time in the morning or my in-laws come over for re-enforcements.
I've managed to shower on my own with Maya exactly twice in 8 weeks :) Hmm … I
wonder how she would feel about taking a shower in the bjorn with me? ;-)
Eating? I have
figured out that I can eat while she is in the Bjorn without getting food on
her by putting a blanket and dish cloth over her head :) She does not like it
when I get food on her … lol. Can't blame her … Dinner is usually in shifts -
dada and I take turns … on a good day she will sit in her bouncy chair for 10 -
15 minutes and we sit down together!
Dada takes a feeding
shift each night so that I get a full REM cycle of sleep …
after that she generally eats each hour … or on a good night every 1.5 hrs. We
have even had a few nights where she eats every 2 hours! In between feeds she
will sleep on me … or we bounce and
walk.
That about sums it
up … we hope that our precious peanut will outgrow her upset tummy or we will
figure out what food(s) might be irritating her.
