Today we met the baby who lives across the road, and tried to remember that Bernard was once that small. In only three months, our tiny mewling scrap of life has turned into a chunky little wrigglebeast with an adorable smile. He’s a very social animal, and the barmaid in his favourite pub recognises him [but never offers him a drink].
I’d be lying if I claimed to have enjoyed those first six weeks, with the hot weather and the feeding and the total lack of confidence in what I was doing; but now – well, now he grins and giggles and is learning to sit by gripping my fingers and pulling himself upright from a slouched position. His morning naps are becoming regular, although his afternoon ones still need some work. Until last week, he was sleeping well at night, and will surely settle back down after a few days with less disruption. It’s still hard work, but so, so much easier than it was.
When he’s in a sunny mood, i really like his company. When he’s in a scratchy mood, in the evenings when he’s tired, I hold him and rock him and try to soothe him, but really all he wants is to be fed to sleep. We’ve discovered that he likes his bath to be hotter than the Scald Warning Triangle recommends; as he is lowered into the water, the screeching is usually replaced by a blissed-out look, and he giggles when I clean out his neck-cheese with a sponge.
After his bath we zip him into a Grobag and I read him a story or some poetry while he has his bedtime feed. He almost always falls asleep, or is at least nearly asleep, and I transfer him to the cot beside my bed where he sets up a wimpery little snore. On a good night, he will then sleep for seven hours before waking for a feed; the last few nights he has been awake and yelling after three, which means around midnight. This eats into my own sleep more than I like, especially having become accustomed to four or five uninterrupted hours lately. I’m astonished at how well I can function on so little sleep, although I’m probably difficult to live with because I get pretty grumpy when I’m tired.
Warm days and cold days, I never know how to dress him. The rule is that he should wear one thin layer more than I do, but the rule doesn’t mention how to adjust that for putting him in a baby carrier, where he gets heated up by the parental body, or what to put him in at night when it’s 24 degrees at bedtime, but gets much cooler in the small hours. It’s easy to sit back and point out that it’s obvious: take a layer off, or put a blanket over him; but I find it hard to be that practical and objective. I find it hard to string a sent
It gets easier and easier and then they turn into teens…then all you have is your memories of how much you loved them when it was easy…that gets you through it. Continue to have fun. It’s a grand time.
I could have written this post – its so strange that they go through such similar things at similar ages.
today we are suffering through a cold – but also a ‘wake up and feed me’ growth spurt too.
unfortunately, we also have sore gums so i wonder if a tooth is imminent.
frankly, i think babies come out 8 weeks 2 early.
Funnily enough, the lady from La Leche League said the same thing – human infants probably need another two or three months’ gestation, but have to come out early or they won’t fit through the pelvis (imagine giving birth to one the size they are now!).
He had his longest sleep ever last night: 8.5 hours, followed by a feed and another 3.25.
Glad all’s going well with Bernard and everything.
Don’t forget to let me know the new address when all’s sorted!
Our new challenge is infant mobility – twice in the last two weeks, we’ve put Tom down in the middle of the double bed in his room, turned around to get a clean nappy and heard "bump" (long pause) waaaaaaaaaaaaa! before we turn back. No harm done (Tom bounces nicely and the rug on the floor is soft) and nothing that some cuddles won’t fix, but we are now looking anxiously around the house at all the things that either have the potential to damage Tom or be damaged by him (or both). All he is doing at the moment is rolling and writhing, but it will only be a matter of a week or two before he gets to full-on crawling and bottom-shuffling. The cats already have a look of fear about them.
Enjoy these weeks where you put Bernard down and he is still where you left him two minutes later. After that, you will need eyes in the back of your head!