Colic is hard. Fussy babies are hard. I know I have said that a lot over the past seven weeks but it has been a huge part of my life. Listening to a baby cry, especially yours, really pulls at the emotions and then when you pick the child up and they scream even louder it can make sleep deprived days and nights that much longer.But we all know that there is supposedly a light at the end of the tunnel, Smiles! You won't be out of the dark completely until 12-18 weeks if your child is more then averagely fussy or has colic but you will have smiles to keep you going once you hit 6-7 weeks.We still have a fussy baby who likes to make faces like this.
But you know what? The crying isn't half bad when you get one of these at least once or twice a day:D
Teddy had his 5 week check up yesterday and everything looked wonderful. He is in the 97th percentile for height and weight which is fun for me- except for when I am carrying him up the four flights of stairs to our flat :D But carrying him around all the time is helping me get back in shape so I really don't mind.Things are going so much better. We are getting out of the house often and going for walks, shopping, and meeting up with other mommy friends. Teddy is always on his best behavior for others so it is nice to watch him quietly lay next to another little one, especially since I know he won't do the same for us at home. yet. Even though I am so excited for him to start interacting with us, I know I am going to miss this. The way he looks so angelic when he sleeps in the wrap.The little smiles that he is starting to make and the strange little noises that can occur anytime whether he is awake or asleep.How excited he gets before breastfeeding. He will get a bit hysterical and then instantly calm down when his head gets near my chest. He then gets an impish little smile on his face and takes a few seconds before ravenously digging in with abandon. It is pretty much the cutest thing ever.I love him so much and feel so blessed to have Theo in our life. I knew mommyhood would be awesome but I was not prepared for how high the highs would be and how low the lows. I am so happy that my husband and I took this step and that we were lucky enough to have a baby like Theodor. Even though I sometimes wish he would stay my little baby forever, I know watching him grow and mature and become the amazing man that he is going to be, is going to be such a wonderful journey for my husband and I. The first weeks definitely have been.Teddy as I see him when he falls asleep in the wrap- in this position I can get lots of kisses in while he sleeps :D
I met up with a friend of mine whose baby is a week older then Theodor today. Her daughter is lovely and sweet and a completely normal baby. I was in shock. I honestly couldn't believe how "easy" she was. Not to say that taking care of a newborn is ever easy because it isn't but she was no comparison to Theodor. Before today I always sort of thought in the back of my head that all babies were like Theodor even though I knew from the statistics in my current favorite book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" that 80% weren't like him. Seeing it made it much more "real".
Her daughter was perfectly content to be awake and looking around and even could be awake in her pram without crying. She also cried very quietly and calmly when she was hungry not going from 0 to 100 like a certain someone I know who has no quiet/calm cry. My friend also mentioned that they can put her down and sometimes she will just coo and look around and sometimes she will even fall asleep. Of course her daughter also got fussy and cried a bit but it was honestly not even close to how Theodor is almost all.the.time.
and you know what? I don't mind. I'm not jealous, I just feel like a rock star:D
Because even though I have this baby who SCREAMS as LOUD as he can most of the time when he is awake, or cries for an hour or two in the middle of the night, I'm still getting a marginal amount of things done. I'm getting out of the house with him every day for at least an hour.I am still doing the majority of everything around the house since my husband works so much and I don't feel like I am drowning. Although it needs to be said I could not be doing any of this without my husband, who is a huge help and support. I'm getting a shower or a bath in every day. I'm still madly in love with my husband and can't wait to go on our first baby free date. I mean I even went grocery shopping with the baby and didn't freak out when he cried hysterically for the last twenty minutes spent checking out and walking home... although I did have to take a 5 minute break once we got home;)
So yeah I'm a rock star with an awesome "lively" baby and I am totally OK with it. Although I don't want to sugarcoat that I will be thrilled! when this whole colic thing is over:)
P.S. Chiropractor- he has gone 3 times and it has definitely helped. He sleeps for longer stretches now especially in the wrap- he has slept for 3 hour stretches a few times which is a BIG deal in our house.
