I've read many articles as I was preparing to meet this little one and there were many that stated how easy it was to get your baby in a routine from day one. Yeah, right! I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure babies cannot be programmed right off the bat to sleep through the night by day 2.
Sleep. What's that?!
No, in all seriousness, I'm thankful Corban has finally gotten into the groove of sleeping one 5 hour stretch during the evenings. Sometimes it's 9-2am, sometimes it's 8-1am, or 10-3am. You get the point. I have now caught on that this little guy is a morning person. When he wakes up around the 4-6am time frames, he doesn't go straight back to sleep like his mommy would prefer. Nope, he is "Mr. Smiley", "let's play", "Mr. kick those feet and wave those arms around excitedly" for at least an hour after eating.
As much as I am not a morning person, I can't help but smile back at that bright-eyed baby with his grin stretching from ear to ear. He brightens my day!
This morning however, mommy was extremely tired so instead of staying up after our 5am feeding, we went back to the bed. He laid next to me "kick, kick, kickin" his legs and making his cute little half-giggle noises. I'm so thankful for a happy morning baby who was content to play next to me while I dozed off and on. This is what I saw this morning...
Every day is different with this little guy. Sometimes he will be happy and voluntarily take his naps and other times he fights his naps and gets really cranky until he finally cannot stay awake any longer. We have introduced him to an activity mat that he loves to kick his feet excitedly and wave his arms around, but he hasn't quite grasped the concept of touching the toys hanging down or anything like that. He still spends his time there happily talking to his angels who make him "laugh." I put the word laugh in quotations because he hasn't quite mastered a real laugh, it's more of him sucking in his breath real big and a short squeak comes out, but you can see all over his face that the noise he makes is in fact his way of laughing for now...until he learns
Today he was in a rather fussy mood when he got really tired, but when he wasn't tired, he was really happy. I need to work on my story telling because he loves to smile back and move his arms and legs when I tell stories and use big motions and exaggeration.
Like i said, mommy was tired today, but here is my sweet boy taking a short nap this morning.
I don't always get things done around the house. There are times like this, earlier today, where he will not sleep unless I'm holding him. So I try to remind myself that this is my job. I am a stay at home mom. This is what I'm supposed to do. It's my duty to hold him and let him be comforted. I have to remind myself that the mess of the house can wait. After all, he will only be this small for a short while. Thankfully he is taking another nap right now without the assistance of mommy holding him so I'm trying to scramble and straighten up the house and write this little blog. I do see him rustling about across the room....nap time must be almost over.
I am so blessed to be a mom. It is a hard job. It is never ending. I may not get all the sleep I want, and may be left with a messy house at the end of the day, but I hope and pray that the Lord will bless the time that I spend with my baby boy and that I will realize that he is more important than a small pile of dishes stacking up in the sink or an un-vacuumed carpet throughout the house.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1
