Thursday, May 17, 2007

talk about being disconnected...

Life with a baby is tiring, I've discovered. Most days I feel fantastic, head over heels in love, wondering how life could get any better. The next day, I might be exhausted and overwhelmed, dreaming about one complete night of sleep, trying to figure out how I am going to stay awake until 9pm. I guess this is typical, but it makes for a lackluster blog, I'm sorry to say. I started and stopped about 4 posts about how little sleep I was getting, but they all seemed so boring, and I was so freaking tired, that I never finished any of them, and now it all seems to complicated that I feel exhausted just trying to think about writing it all out.

Suffice to say, Gabe used to sleep, then all of a sudden he didn't. It got to the point that he woke up every half-hour to forty-five minutes for two days straight, and I almost lost my mind. I talked to a friend of mine, who in grand fashion scared the ever-loving daylights out of me by saying that I'd officially screwed Gabe up forever and he'd never sleep again, so I instituted Baby Boot Camp. Baby Boot Camp is just a fancy way to say that I finally put together a schedule for Gabriel. He'd been going to bed and waking up at any old time, and I guess that wasn't working for him.


Now we get up at a reasonable time, take 3 naps a day (at least), and try to go to bed at a reasonable time. This way, he is in a better mood, and he sleeps for longer stretches at nighttime. He also eats more in the daytime, which he hadn't been doing, a fact that I'm sure was contributing to the lack of nighttime sleep. We also instituted a blankie/lovey (a fuzzy brown blanket with a bear head and feet) and convinced Gabe that he really did want a pacifier. All those things helped.


We're back in California, though, first for a wedding, then for a week of travel with the inlaws in Lake Tahoe, and now for a few day of visiting my parents, and his schedule is all screwed up again. So what am I doing? I'm up at 2:30, of course, writing this blog post, instead of sleeping. It's what all the cool kids are doing, didn't you know?


In all seriousness, though, life is good. Gabriel is wonderful and sweet and adorable and all cooey and smiley and delectable. He has extended his skills to being able to put all his toes in his mouth, and he spends a good chunk of the day loudly slurping on his big toe. It is one of the cutest things I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Josh graduates from business school on Saturday, and I can hardly believe that we've made it through his two years of school. Two years without working, two years of me supporting him, two years of not knowing what our future would be. I am so proud of him.


I'm also trying to figure out my own future, and that has been weighing on me these days. I have moments of crushing insecurity about what I should be doing, both with my career and with Gabriel. Why didn't anyone tell me what a whirlwind motherhood was? Or maybe you did and I just didn't listen. Someone slipped it in when they told me to try to sleep before he arrived, right? I'm working on a blog post to parcel through all my thoughts and get yours. We are flying back on Thursday, and I'll try to put that together soon.


In the meanwhile, I hope that you are all doing well, and that everyone's mother's days were wonderful and sweet. Gabriel came through in grand style, and got me a lovely card that made me cry. A necklace too, but best of all, he's been giving me great gummy smiles and slobbery kisses and those are worth more than everything else combined.

9 comments:

Jennifer said...

I have to delurk to say that I totally can relate to your post since like you, I am a first time mother (to 2 month old boy). I recalled someone told me to prepare for a roller coaster ride after having a baby. A major one I must add :-) But really, no matter what we go through, I think what we (mothers in general) have is very rewarding and joyful. As I am writing this, I am sleep deprived and drinking as much caffeine as I can at work!

Liz Miller said...

A week off his schedule won't mess him up for life. When you get back home, just put him back on it.

Don't forget that you'll have to tweak it periodically (drop or pick up a nap here or there.)

Hugs and kisses

And congratulations on the end of business school!!!

ccw said...

You wouldn't have believed us even if we did tell you. It is impossible to comprehend what it is truly like with a newborn unless you have a newborn. Never fear, it does level out.

Yankee T said...

You sound like, overall, you're doing incredibly well. It IS exhausting!
And huzzah! for the end of business school! Good for y'all!

Anonymous said...

3 naps a day?!? Teach me how!

BabyMac said...

I am also going to delurk and say I can relate to you as well. I am a first time Mum, my daughter is 3 and a half months old and wonderful but also terrifying and exhausting! Each day is different. I will just say hang in there - before too long they will be all grown up and we will be wishing for cuddles in the middle of the night with our little ones! Yeah right! And make sure you keep posting they make me laugh and let me know what might be ahead of me...I have to say I am starting to get scared of the 4 month change!

Gift of Green said...

Uh, I know you're tired and have never heard of me...but I'm coming out of long-time lurking to say...you've been tagged. : ) Maybe you could do Eight Random Things About My Baby?! :)

Unknown said...

Baby Boot Camp--I love that name! We have two kids, the first was the LEADER of the camp, the second a much better follower. But nothing better than when you get them on a schedule. My 10-month-old is finally sleeping through the night. And I think some of my sanity has finally returned...

Crunchy Domestic Goddess said...

hope things are going well for you.

btw, i've moved my blog to http://crunchydomesticgoddess.com

:)