B.A.B.E. Week 2: the Longest/Shortest

I have heard the early years of parenthood referred to as the longest-shortest time- the days of parenting babies and young children can be long but the years are short.  This week has felt like this – long days but a short week.   

The long days have included

•  a couple of trips to the hospital to treat me (not Elle – thank goodness!) due to mastitis
• worries over Elle and her sleep preferences or disposition to cluster feed (e.g., Elle wants to eat/nurse constantly for hours at a time).  Or I also get worried that my milk supply is low or that Elle is overstimulated… And our stack of books around the house--Babywise, The Art of Breastfeeding, Bringing up Bebe, Bringing Baby Home from the Hospital, Your Baby’s First Year Week By Week etc.—don’t help tremendously. The parenting advice in these books has helped in some ways but caused worry in others.  For instance, I am worried when Elle sleeps too long and then I am worried when she is awake too long….  I also wonder if the 3 hour Eat-Play-Sleep cycle advocated by many really is possible... 
• humid & hot days where I don’t exercise all day because it is too hot to take Elle with me on a walk and she doesn’t want to sleep long enough (hunger and gas pains) during daylight hours to allow me to leave her with Wilson and walk by myself.

These “long days” have added up to a short week of:

• savoring the moments of being together with this tiny sweet being who hugs me back when I cuddle her or nestles so peacefully into the crook of my arm
• watching Wilson so ably give Elle baths that she loves.  Wilson lays her on a bath pillow in the kitchen sink and she seems to love the sensation of a warm washcloth over her body. feeling satisfied at each poopy/wet diaper telling us that she should be getting enough nutrients.
• long conversations with loved ones and wise girlfriends who reassure me and give me great advice about how to care for Elle.
• not enough computer time … J   I have had to do a little work, which has been rewarding in the middle of babydom but I haven’t been able to do everything that I want to do on the computer.   That said, my phone and I have become fast friends.  Part of this is the ability to look through the phone with one hand and the other is the app – BabyNursing (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/baby-nursing-breastfeeding/id420447115?mt=8).  Based on my brother’s rec about finding a good breastfeeding app, I found BabyNursing and I am really pleased with it.   Easily tracking Elle’s sleep, breastfeeding time, diapers, etc. has given me a lot of peace of mind.

This past week has seen a lot of ups and downs for mom but Elle seems to be developing on pace with what one of the books says -- J.   She is alert more of the day, she responds well to people’s voices, and a melty for me—when she fusses in other people’s arms, she quiets down when I take her in mine.   This is mostly due to my capacity to give her milk but it still feels so tender and special.