a napping baby

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When a baby naps, Mom and Dad are just happy beyond words. But when a baby is such a cute sleeper, you don't do much other than stare at him.

I mean, look at that little face as he stretches....

To sleep...

If I didn't start moving, I would have collapsed. As M. napped upstairs, still in a daze from a late night, R. happily squirmed and wiggled - almost as if he didn't care that his parents were too tired to see straight. So, to keep R. happy and me upright, I strapped him in his stroller and set out for the bumpy sidewalks of our neighborhood.

Maybe I hoped the movement would lull him to sleep or maybe I needed the fresh air to clear my head, but not-so-deep down, I wished I were sound asleep. 42 minutes later, we rounded the final corner and headed for home and I watched R. begin to nod off, closing his eyes against the afternoon sun; as I carried the stroller up our four flagstone steps, his eyes shot open and he looked at me with a smile. I realized that a nap - for either R. or me - was out of the question, as he hadn't been lulled to sleep - but at least my head was more clear.

a tired mama

A picture from yesterday - Rylen sleeping in his Boppy Seat....

Do things always look better in the morning? It is almost midnight and I am waiting for sleep to wash over me....Rylen has finally closed his eyes, but it required me draping him over my leg, so I don't see me actually nodding off any time soon. Matt doesn't understand my "mommy radar" (I know that isn't the right term, but forgive me, I haven't slept in a while), but there is no way I can sleep next to Rylen when he is awake - he fidgets and moves and dances and talks, and I am either entertained or at the ready to feed him....it is exhausting. So, Matt is asleep upstairs and I am sitting in the living room with a baby draped over my leg.

Maybe Ry doesn't get the fact that, as it is very dark outside, we sleep now. He is so fascinated with the world around him...and I am enabling him. I am willing to sleep with a light on so that he can entertain himself by looking at the wall. I am an enabler when I should be reinforcing habits that promote....something other than this. But, he is only six weeks old - so....and now his eyes are wide open again. Man.

A growing 5 week old baby

My son is in the midst of a growth spurt, and I am learning to live with little sleep. I know that it is the song of all new mothers, but I am only now realizing how challenging it can be to be so sleepy. Rylen's growth keeps him eating every two hours and actually sleeping quite a bit, but somehow I am failing to nap when he sleeps. It is hard to get a good and restful feeling when your sleep is chopped up into such meager pieces.

When he is awake, he ends up exhausting himself by looking around and taking in his world. I still marvel at how new it is to him - yesterday's trip to the grocery store was by far one of the most thrilling things he has experienced (all the lights and new objects!) - and he really enjoys it all. I find myself, even in my fog of my exhaustion, being as happy as he is. And he smiles a lot, very excited to see it all....

Ah...bathtime

Once a week we bathe Rylen, although we have yet to feel too confident in doing so. Even as he rests in the little net within the tub, it is hard to keep him warm and comfortable and do everything in a timely manner. Tonight's bath was exciting in its cleanliness - he made it all the way through the bath without pooping.

Best Little Boy

When we left the hospital, the nurses praised Rylen as a "laid-back" and "relaxed" baby. I hesitated to take any of the credit for his personality, as I often consider myself a bit...high strung. But yesterday, a woman complimented his calm and happy demeanor, and then made me feel great.
"He can tell that you are calm and he is reacting to your actions," she told me.
I thought about it, and realized that YES, I am calm and rather happy around him. I don't freak out when he cries and I enjoy this little person. So....maybe I can take some of the credit for his awesomeness. Sure, his father is the relaxed one...but I'm in there too. And now I am beginning to see it.