Sunday, July 14, 2013

Observations and Truths

  • D is 16 weeks old TODAY. 
  • I need to get better at posting from my phone. If I can't do something from my phone, it ain't happening. At least not today. Or tomorrow. Or any day I don't have child care. Forget flashy blog posts with links, letters I need to write for work that take any sort of research or multiple layers of thought, anything that needs to be mailed....This is more resignation than observation. But there you go.
  • Steel wool is amazing. I'm sure I'm late to the party on this. One day with D on my hip, I was tidying up the kitchen and got sick of looking at crusty bits here and grubby bits there, so I picked up a box the next time I went to the store. Wow! Those little rusty balls really buff things to a lovely shine. And can be used one-handed. My teapot, stove top and sink now adore me.
  • If there is a crack of a space between the crib and the wall, that is where the binky will fall. And the next one. And the next one. There are binkies breeding among the dust bunnies behind the crib in the nursery.
  • I think D might be teething. If he's not, we are living with a little being who drools nonstop and gnaws voraciously on hands...his, yours, mine. And makes bizarre animal-like sounds as he does. That's weird. I choose to believe he is teething. 
  • babyproofing this apartment makes M and I wide-eyed and panicked. it feels like an impossible feat. Can't we just sequester him in the hallway?
  • I can absolutely see the value of a standing desk, considering D squeaks every time I attempt to sit. "Squeaks" makes it sound cute.
  • I now say/sing just about everything to the tune of Lullaby and Goodnight. It's a tune that works well to get D to chill, and I usually give him a little recap of the day as I sing him to sleep. But if M walks in the room I'll ask him a question or tell him something without breaking the song. Earlier tonight I was thinking about something and actually found myself thinking to myself in tune. Kind of like talking to yourself in another language, only disturbing.
  • Getting offspring to sleep and to stay asleep - is this a uniquely human dilemma? Are there any veterinarians or animal behaviorists in the audience? Does any other animal struggle with tucking their little ones into bed? We hadn't, until the last few nights. I do believe we are heading into what AskMoxie calls the four-month sleep regression. You know, where there is just so much shit going on in your little brain (and mouth. See teething) that it's enough to keep a little dude (and mommy. and daddy) awake.  So, monkeys? elephants? mice? Are we the only animals that hover in that middle space just above the crib waiting to see if our shushes have worked before stepping backwards out of the room?


8 comments:

Esperanza said...

I never wondered if humans are the only animals that struggle with getting their offspring to sleep. Good question.

And good luck with teething and the four month sleep regression.

Alicia said...

Yes! Animal noises while hand chewing - I choose to believe this is teething too. Isn't it so cute? J gets mouth fussy right before bed some nights... I'm thinking those little teeth are making their way.

I have caught myself talking to people (like adults) in a weird sing song voice these days. I've also caught myself bouncing and swaying (as though to calm a baby) when shopping at the grocery store solo. Haven't thought in sing song yet though - love that one.

Good luck getting past the sleep regression... We're on the other side of it and we're now on to full night sleeps (with occasional wake ups for bottles).

Just a heads up - we're at 18 weeks now and oh my GOD they really do keep getting cuter!!!!!

Glad to hear that life is good with little D!

luna said...

oh man, the sleep thing can just be so brutal, especially once you've returned to work. so hard.

your boy could def be teething at 4 months. that's when J started and she cut her first tooth at about 6 months. so hard to see them in pain. sometimes they just want to gnaw on stuff, or they drool and have runny noses (and maybe poop too). but sometimes it can really impact sleep. then we used homeopathic teething remedies and when they weren't enough we used baby motrin. (during the day, she actually loved sucking on a wet washclot, fwiw.) good luck!

Monique said...

Ugh. 4 month sleep regression makes me shudder just remembering that time with Henry. Again, just saying, I don't know how you American people can function at work with a baby who does not sleep well - my hats off to you all. Hope you all get some zzz's tonight. xo

Heather said...

It's always sleep or eating or mood swings with kids. As soon as you figure them out they go and change on you once again. It's always new and exciting!

When our dog was a puppy he would cry at night, but since he was a dog we would take him outside and then let him CIO. He was 8 weeks old.

Michael said...

Been there done that with almost everything you're saying. My twins were always bad sleepers but at four months things got worse so I believe there really is a problem with sleeping at that age. I barely have time to blog anymore. They demand more attention as they get older, but the interactions get to be more fun so look forward to that and don't worry about the blog. And just for fun you might enjoy this post about a few fun facts including info on the infamous "baby in a box" that would prevent the need for childproofing your home!

http://www.michaelsfatherhoodexperience.blogspot.com/2012/08/elephants-on-acid.html

Em said...

Oh my gosh...the sleep stuff was MISERY for us. Here are two posts I wrote about it. The first one has the bad news. The second one has the good news.

http://teachmetobraid.blogspot.com/2013/01/lullaby-and-goodnight.html

http://teachmetobraid.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-dreams.html

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