How is my little girl already a month old and beginning to outgrow her newborn-size clothes? Already, the expression “The days are long but the years are short” is ringing true. It seems hard to remember our life before Nadia arrived, but maybe that’s just because we were feeling desperate to add another member to our quarantine pod 😉
For the most part, Nadia seems to be a happy, easy-going baby. She loves to be carried (in the Moby wrap or Baby Bjorn) whether on a walk outside or when I’m trying to do things around the house and her favorite place to nap is on top of Daniel or me. She likes when we sing to her and really likes when Daniel plays guitar (which now is often part of our bedtime routine).
She absolutely despises bath time– it’s hard to believe someone so small could make such a loud cry! And oof- getting in/out of the car seat rarely is a quiet affair. Daniel is convinced she’s jealous of us at meal time, as this is often when she starts to act fussy. I’m not convinced as I don’t think she can actually see us when we’re sitting at the dinner table. Who knows, maybe she’s trying to tell us she is sick of breastmilk and is ready for the good stuff! I must say, I think I have really mastered the art of eating with one hand so I can also hold Nadia.
It’s a bummer that we haven’t gotten to take Nadia out much or had too many visitors thanks to COVID and cold/flu season. We tried to do little things as a couple to make her first month feel special to us– we enjoyed having a birthday cake for Nadia when we got home from the hospital. Daniel also brewed a beer to mark the occasion– “Oktober-baby Fest” and we enjoyed decorating the basement. Not the party we would have thrown another year, but still festive!
As for me, mostly I’m enjoying life as a mom. I have often thought working as a social worker is probably some of the best training for parenthood; not necessarily because of the coursework on human development but rather because it teaches the importance of going with the flow and not taking things too personally when everything falls apart! Recently I read a blog post about maternal satisfaction and how so much of it is about perspective. It gave the example of how two moms with babies of similar temperaments might have totally opposite reactions– “Motherhood is so hard; it feels like I have to hold or feed my baby all hours of the day” vs. “Motherhood isn’t so bad, my baby is happy as long as I hold or feed her.” Most of the time I feel like the second mom; although sometimes by the end of the day I feel so tired of being needed. Fortunately, I discovered Nadia can scream at the top of her lungs, but I can’t hear it when I’m in the shower. I’m glad Daniel is more than willing to accommodate my LONG showers on those days.
Things that are keeping us sane:
-Our White Noise machine– I think all three of us are hooked to falling asleep to the sound of ocean waves. It’s certainly making our nights more pleasant!
-Podcasts!!! Armchair Expert and the Sporkful help pass the time while nursing.
-Baby carriers!!! Lifesavers– almost a guaranteed nap for Nadia and they give us the chance for us to walk trails that aren’t stroller friendly.
-The puzzle section of the newspaper– this is often a highlight of my day! It feels like I’m really doing things with my life if I can get through the Soduku and Wonder-word before lunch.
-”My breastfriend” pillow– I think I’ve tried just about every setup imaginable and this is the comfiest, it was so helpful for the first two weeks when we were both learning the routine.
-”Eat, Sleep, Poop” journal– not glamorous but it’s the only way I can remember when she last ate, which side, when did we change her diaper. It helps me decipher some of the “I’m hungry” vs. “my diaper is a disaster” vs. “I want some snuggles” cries… because they all sound the same to me!
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