Friday, August 22, 2014

What I've Learned in 3 Months


1. It's ok if your baby sleeps on you all night long 

Sam has always been a great sleeper considering he has never had his days & nights mixed up. And he was sleeping decently in his co-sleeper. Until someone asked how he was sleeping & I got all proud & braggy. He must have heard me and decided to never sleep in his co- sleeper again. I get him dead asleep, swaddle him up, lay him down and the most I get is 30 min before he pops those baby blues open & wants out. 

Out of sheer exhaustion, I would just grab him & we would fall asleep with him on my chest. He sleeps 4 hr stretches like that so I'm not too upset about it.

2. Going back to work is the pits 

I cried and cried. But I managed. Thanks to a very flexible work schedule, I can go home & check on him/nurse him pretty much anytime. But make no mistake, it is not the same as being at home full time with your baby. I hate that I have obligations outside of the home. I've only been back for 2 weeks so I am still adjusting. 

And don't tell me that there will be a time that I will "be happy to get a break & be out of the house". 

3. Eating healthy 

Seems impossible. Before Sam & during my pregnancy, I ate pretty healthy and had plenty of time to prepare meals that made me feel good about eating. 

Now it's shove a PB&J in your face as fast as you can. Or chips. Or leftover pizza. I'm hoping I can get back into a good workout/ eating healthy routine as he continues to get older. 

4. The 3 month rule 

I read several times that babies grow out of their fussy period around 3 months. This seems to hold true for Sam. While he is still very much in love with me, he is getting so much better about being with other people. There was a time where Kyle could barely hold him and now they can spend lots of time together with smiles. And he is lucky to spend time with his Grammy (my mom) during the day & he is getting happier each day. 

5. You will like your husband again 

Haha! This one makes me laugh. Kyle has been such a huge part of us surviving these last 3 month but good lord there were times I actually thought I might kill him. I blame it on extreme tiredness, hunger, confusion & hormones. 
But once you get past a lot of the early hard times, you realize that A) men just think differently than women* and B) he is here to help and you just need to tell him how to help. This isn't a time to sit back & expect him to figure it out and then be irritated when he doesn't. 

*While I have always known that men are different than women, it has never been more glaringly apparent than it was the moment we came home with our baby. 

Cheers to 3 glorious months! Life just doesn't get much sweeter.