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