I've heard it often said that there's something magical that happens when a baby is about 12 weeks/3 months old, that all of a sudden they change and become that much happier and more fun and "easy." D is 11 weeks old as of yesterday. I don't know if this is the magical 3-month-change or what, but the past few days/week or so has felt pretty good. Sure, there was one night last week when it took for-e-ver to get him to fall asleep for the night. But now all of a sudden he's napping so much better during the day, which makes SUCH A DIFFERENCE. I don't know how long it'll last (and by now if I've learned anything about babies, it's that their patterns don't last), but for now I'm LOVING it.
It feels like we've found our rhythm again. I know about when he tends to eat, and how long he can stay awake before getting tired, and so I'm able to respond or even somewhat anticipate his needs without him having to cry at me to figure it out. It also really helps that putting him down for naps has been much simpler lately, for whatever reason. He spends less time during the day crying, which makes for a happier baby, which makes for a much happier mommy.
I'm having fun with him. I find myself laughing at little things he does, all day long. He's smiling so much now, flashing big grins at me almost any time he sees me. He didn't sleep longer than 4 hours at a stretch last night, yet I feel inexplicably well-rested. It almost doesn't feel like work.
And as I write this, I realize that just days ago I was writing ranting posts about how hard this was, and my guess is next week I'll be back to feeling frustrated about something or other (if it seems that parenting is a bit of a rollercoaster, that's b/c it is. I also feel like I should be making regular offerings to the gods of Murphy's Law, hoping to keep them appeased as much as possible). I guess now we're on a good patch, and it's wonderful, and I'll enjoy it while we're here.
And maybe try to remember to read the happy posts when we start hitting the bottom slope of the ride.
Great job finding a schedule. I hope that I will be able to find one quickly too.
ReplyDeleteYay! Congrats! Do you suddenly feel like you have so much free time you don't know what to do with yourself? :-) I found that naps made the difference between barely keeping my head above water and actually enjoying this whole motherhood gig!
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on. I feel like I am on a wild roller coaster ride for sure and I never know if it will be an up or a down day. Things certainly get easier after 12 weeks- but each age brings challenges. I am happy to see you and D are in a routine- that always makes things so much easier.
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