Mr. Serious

Yesterday was hard. Well, I shouldn't say hard - but more like L-O-N-G.

Max is not sleeping as much during the day - but takes little cat naps. When he's awake he needs constant tending. He doesn't like to just chill out in the playpen, baby bouncer or swing. I often wonder why we even have the bouncer and swing taking up space in our already cramped living room. I'm considering moving them out to the studio once the next round of visitors depart.

He does however love to be in his sling. Thank goodness for that! The sling is one of the best gifts I received (thanks Grandma Nancy!). I have a few friends whose baby's never took to the sling (but they did like swings and bouncy seats). Max eventually falls asleep in the sling. Unfortunately I haven't mastered the art of transferring him out of his sling and into the crib or playpen. He almost always wakes up when I do. OR! If I'm successful with the transfer - the dog barks and wakes him! Argh!

There are certain things I can get done while using the sling:

Make coffee
Make the bed (S-L-O-W)
Unload/load the dishwasher (very S-L-O-W-L-Y)
Take out recycling (S-L-O-W-L-Y)
Laundry (again - very S-L-O-W-L-Y)

Things I cannot do while Max is in the sling:

Shower
Go to the bathroom
Eat
Pump
Blog or check email

So...my days have been spent pacing, bouncing, dancing and rocking to keep Max content. Luckily they all seem to work and he doesn't fuss and cry too much. It's a big improvement from last week, when the only thing that kept him content was eating. I was so sore and exhausted that I was in tears. What a site it must have been to see us both crying in agony! It was so bad that I actually decided to thaw out some frozen breast milk, give him a bottle and then pump just to have a change from his painful suckle. Unfortunately it completely back-fired and he wouldn't take a bottle from me! Of course I had already pumped so I didn't have much milk left to give! So I had to let him suckle anyway (this is when the tears began). I declared it a "pump and dump" night so that I could have a few cocktails (it was my birthday) and Brendan bottle-fed him (he takes bottles from Brendan).

On the upside…

Max gave us his first smile over the weekend! I’ve been trying to capture one on camera – but they are few and far between! I did manage to snag one this morning:

Also – the nights are going great. The past few nights have been pretty consistent. Bedtime for Bonzo is at around 9:00 – 9:30. He has been sleeping a heavenly FOUR hours before waking up for a diaper change and a snack. He then usually wakes every two hours after that – but is easy to get back to sleep. I can’t complain one bit! I feel pretty rested.

Max is a very good and content baby. However, he seems to be a very serious little guy – feeling all the pains of the world (like Paris Hilton going to jail). The one smile I get each day is in the morning - and that's it. The rest of the day he just takes it all in…

Comments

[Andrea]

Good thing Auntie Andrea will be arriving tomorrow. I am quite versed in multi-tasking with an infant in a sling! I can't wait to snuggle with Max.