A few weeks ago I remarked to my husband, "I just figured out that I spend approximately 25 hours a week
just getting him to sleep."
We had just gotten to a stage in which we actually had an hour or two in the evenings during which we could actually sit down. Together. That means
at the same time!
Not uninterrupted, of course, as there would be a rustling and stirring on the baby monitor after an hour, or a half hour, that I'd have to run upstairs and quell with nursing, but still. There was some sleeping, while we were awake. This went on for maybe a week.
But shortly after that remark, Limelet's teething escalated, and now I spend probably an additional 10 hours a week getting him to sleep. It's been like when he was a newborn, lately!
Some days I've only managed to eat toast and popcorn until TheLimey got home and made something else. After the four-hour bedtime-a-thon, I had maybe 15 minutes to run down and eat some of whatever it was in the middle of the night before Limelet woke up and needed me there to soothe him back to sleep again.
Luckily for both of us, he's very nice to snuggle up with at night.
I'm sucking up valuable dissertation minutes writing this. I only got to do about half an hour's work yesterday out of my allotted Saturday five hours--it took two of us to take care of him most of the day. I even resorted to baby Tylenol during the day--twice! TheLimey appeared ragged and spent after carrying him around just for a couple of hours.
Nevertheless, I do want to update a little bit.
The teething is not fun (for me) when it comes to nursing, though usually Limelet only bites by accident, a little bit. If he's upset and crying, he often can't help biting because his tongue isn't in the right place for nursing. This has led to some pretty vicious circles involving me being bitten and him being scared by my reaction and then crying worse. Sometimes he bites in his sleep, but so far only a couple of times.
Lately he's been getting his bath in the big-people tub, as he's outgrown the little tiny countertop one. At first I was worried that his new nighttime crying was because of this change in ritual, but it seems that the crying is not about the bath. It seems more about teething, being cranky in general, and being tired, all of which feed on each other and create hysteria about any little thing.
If we can manage to keep things flowing and low key, he's actually content to lie back in the big-people bath on his bath pad and be bathed. It's easier having the bath and bed on the same floor and not having to carry stuff down to the kitchen and back up again--though it's not as cute as bathing in the tiny tub, of course.
Limelet seems to have conflated the
milk sign with the
up sign, which is understandable since he usually nurses in his wrap. So either one gets me to pick him up. Plus I realized that TheLimey makes a
come here sign with both hands when he's about to carry Limelet--it looks like a two-handed
milk sign. (Double nursie!) No wonder Limelet is convinced that Daddy can nurse him and just won't. I'm trying to clarify
up and
milk, and I've added
toilet and
food.
He's developed a tiny spot of eczema on his chest. Although I staggered his food introduction, I'm not really sure which thing it might be from. I'll wait a few days and see if it goes away. The eczema on his forehead has been gone for a while now, though he still scratches there when he's tired. Maybe the fish-oil capsules have helped. (His pediatrician recommended I try taking them myself to help his skin.)
His most recent food was avocado, which he likes. Really, he likes everything so far. The little green strawberry bowl is now the avocado bowl, as that's something that doesn't need microwaving to thaw it out. He seems to enjoy eating solid food, and when in the mood he can polish off three ice cubes' worth of whatever.
Limelet is about 17.5 pounds now. He doesn't turn over very often, partly because he hates being put down long enough for him to learn how. We had a couple of nice days here, and he loved being outside, though he's still unsure about the whole jogging-stroller thing. He likes grabbing tree-branches and twigs, and loves when people talk to him.
He's also discovered that whatever our hands can do, his can do, too. Maybe the signing did it. But he loves to pound on the computer keyboard now! Here, I'll let you write it in his own words, while Daddy's in the laundry:
b bcbfvfvt fg4e
gjmfvbv
h xhf f 67jnb
There--clear as a bell!
I've been reading up about vaccinations (while carrying him around or putting him to sleep, of course) and I'm now more confused than ever. I don't want to give him autism through having to get twenty frickin' vaccination injections in his first year (or whatever the normal course of vax is), but I also don't want him to end up sterile through getting mumps or something either. I have to figure it out, quickly.
I keep thinking of things I want to write in here, but I never have time to sit down and write them, so now I can't remember what they were. Maybe I can use the PDA-notes method again sometime. It's just so hard writing on that thing in the dark, lying down, in bed. While nursing.
We have the (potluck) reunion for our Bradley birthing class today, so I made some food and took a shower, therefore also sucking up dissertation time. So now I
really have to get to work while I have a chance.
