Baby Days

I knew having a baby would be life-altering, but whew. These baby days are rough.

Arthur Scott made his world debut on April 18th – he’s three months today. And I say he made his debut, but really we forced his hand. Once he’d stuck around an extra 11 days, the doctor induced me on the 17th at 8:00 A.M…. and about 30 hours later we landed in surgery to physically remove the baby that would not come out. Stubborn at the first, huh Arthur? Let’s hope this isn’t a sign.

I kind of figured we’d have it a little more together by now, three months in. But no one told me that you have to teach your child to sleep… or that it really doesn’t work too well until they are a few months old. Or that babies eat every 2-3 hours… for months, not just at first. I don’t think anyone ever told me that itty-bitty babies take four naps a day, either. That they are just not as portable as people make them out to be.

I knew that having a baby really alters your schedule, but I kind of thought it got better sooner than this.

Needless to say, I’ve not written six consecutive sentences since he’s been born, and I’ve only really picked up my camera in the last two or three weeks. I’m starting to feel like a human again, to get out of the house once in a while, with and without Arthur. I’m learning which cries are hungry cries and which ones are “I should have napped longer” cries, how to entertain him for the tiny windows of time he is awake and alert and not physically attached to me nursing.

He likes baths, thank goodness. He wants to see the world, which is marvelous. He’s slowly figuring out that our two cats exist and that they move. He often decides that sleep is overrated and then we all regret it later.

So he’s a pretty normal baby, from what I gather.

I’ve never spent so much time invested in the research and deliberation of when and how to get another person to go to and stay asleep. I’ve never done so much math in my life.

And, of course, I’ve never loved anyone so instantly.

While we’re adjusting, I’m trying hard not to be frustrated when there’s setbacks. But that’s a tough line for this over-analyzer to follow. I’m trying to spend time with other moms to remind myself that all of this is normal, that it is a season, that we will get through it. I’m listening to good podcasts, recent episodes of Chasing Creative where we’ve interviewed moms, and trying to minimize the amount of battery operated toys that enter through my front door.

And I’m slowly adding back in things that bring me joy. I’m working a little, taking a few more pictures, reading a few more books (e-readers are a gift to moms everywhere), and recognizing that drive-thrus were created for the parents of small children.

A day at a time, if my planner-at-heart self can manage it.

If you have kids, what new-baby things were you shocked to learn with your first? Any tips for entertaining a 3-month old or getting him to like naps?

P.S. I share things over at Instagram a little more often than here on the blog these days.