These Are the Moments...

Jake is 10 weeks old and for the last 2 nights he has slept all the way til 5:00 am, when I wake him up for his first feeding of the day!  We knew he could do it eventually!  It took lots of patience and consistency with our routine but it has definitely paid off...so far.  I have become a believer of parents providing some order in their babies' lives instead of automatically responding to every cry with a bottle/breast.  I have learned how to make assessments with each cry and that there are other sources of comfort for him besides my breasts(i.e., holding him, burping him, bathing him and changing his diaper comfort him when he is uncomfortable, gassy, and dirty)!  Most importantly, I have learned to respect other parents' parenting and feeding preference with no judgment or criticism.  I just know what has worked for us and am happy with that.

Jake has definitely made progress when it comes to sleeping.  He sleeps in his room, though still in the sleeper and not his crib (that will be our goal at 3 months).  We no longer rock him to sleep for what seemed like hours.  When we put him down to sleep we do let him cry for a few minutes, console him, then walk out of the room.  Sometimes he talks himself to sleep and it is the cutest thing you will ever hear.  Think what you will, but letting your baby cry for a few minutes (at 2 months old, not any younger) as he goes to sleep doesn't make one a bad parent!  Everything that I have read and older moms I have talked to will tell you that crying won't kill a baby, nor will it give him psychological issues later on in life :)  Besides, he has learned to fall asleep on his own, which is a skill that he needs to learn anyway.

I am absolutely in love with my son.  He is such a good, easygoing, happy baby.  He cries only when he is hungry and fusses right before he falls asleep at naptime.  He smiles, he "talks", he melts my heart.  My favorite moment is just holding him and cuddling with him in the rocking chair after his first feeding at dawn.  He is the happiest right after his feedings; he "chats" with me or Chris as we change his diaper-- also some of my favorite moments.  These days Jake has also become my favorite shopping buddy.  I put him in the Baby Bjorn and we walk up and down the aisles of Target.  Most of the time he falls asleep in the baby carrier.  He doesn't really cry in the car either.  He just looks around and takes in everything that he sees.  I think he enjoys being out.  Last week, we attended Chris' basketball banquet at Glendora High and Jake did so well for his first big public event.  He slept on my chest in the Bjorn while I ate dinner, then I fed him in Chris' car and enjoyed the rest of the banquet with Jake while Daddy did his coach thing. 

I have to say that being on a schedule has made our lives easier.  Having a set (but flexible) feeding schedule helps us plan our day.  Jake eats about every 3 hours and in between feedings he has waketime and naptime.  So when he eats at 5 pm, we know that we have until about 8 pm to do something like go on a walk with him or go shopping with him.  And since he is content after he eats we can be confident that he will be happy while we are out and then head home in time for his next feeding.

I feel like we have come a long way since January.  I am truly enjoying being a mommy.  In fact, it is the best thing that has ever happened to me, next to marrying my best friend, of course.  I am so thankful that I am at a phase in my life where I can be home with my baby most of time.  These days, everything that I was used to doing before--school, practicum, life--seem doable again.  And on top of that, I have so many moments in between that I treasure...precious moments spent with my baby boy. 

"These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive/and these are the moments I'll remember all my life/I have all I've waited for/and I could not ask for more..."

Jacob - 10 weeks old

Progress

Jacob is 8 weeks old!  Hard to believe but he will be exactly 2 months old on Monday when he goes to the doctor's for his check-up.  He is doing so well at home and last night he had the best sleep of his life!  At 8 weeks I felt that it was time to start letting him sleep on his own, in his own room.  We have had him on a flexible eat, wake, and nap cycle every 3 hours for about 3 weeks now.  Normally we would rock him to sleep for his naps, which would take an hour sometimes and cuts into his sleep time before he wakes up to eat again.  During the day I was lucky if he slept for an hour in between feedings.  So yesterday I tried the tough love method.  After I fed, burped, and changed him I held him for a little bit then put him down for a nap.  I let him cry for a few minutes, then came in to soothe him, then walked away to let him sleep.  It took a couple of tries at first but sure enough he fell asleep on his own.  By bedtime he totally got it.  He was fed at 8:00 and in bed by 9:00.  He slept til 12:30 am, I fed him, and went back to sleep around 1:00 am...he did not wake up until 5:30 this morning!  Hooray, more sleep for mommy and daddy! 

Progress, progress, progress.  A month ago I was frustrated, weary, and not fully enjoying being a new mommy.  I was at my wits' end and did not know if I would make it to the next day.  But now I am actually enjoying it and look forward to our feeding sessions when I get to bond with my baby boy.  The best part of my day is when I have Jake on the changing table after he eats and we "talk."  He smiles and coos and melts my heart in the process.  I'm happy that it just gets better each week and everyone tells me it only gets better from here. 

Lessons learned this month: trust yourself as a parent, know that you are doing the best job you can, and be patient- especially with a newborn.  Trust that your child has the capability to be a good child, maybe the best in the world, even at 2 months old.  Everything is trial-and-error in the beginning and things get easier the more you get to know each other.   

Jake - 8 weeks old