Well now I have that job I wanted for so many years. I'm four months into parenthood and even if it is different than life before baby, difficult or exhausting are never the first words that come to mind when someone asks me how it is being a mom. I don't even really think of it as a job. The truth is I absolutely love it! I love seeing him smile and watching him learn new things--I even like staring at him while he sleeps! I love dressing him and bathing him and feeding him and rocking him to sleep and reading to him and shopping with him--everything!!
 |
| What a quick trip to the store for a a few groceries looks like |
I could say being a mom is the most rewarding job...blah, blah, blah, but really it's pretty fun too! Dean's a good kid and already makes me laugh with his noises and faces that he makes and his giggles and reactions. I love his chubby little cheeks, hands and feet, and oh my gosh-those big blue eyes! I'm completely crazy about this kid!
 |
| Mommy's Boy |
Even though sometimes I look forward to bedtime (mostly because I can tell when my little guy just needs a good night's sleep), I still don't feel the need for a "break" from my baby...maybe when you wait so long for someone it makes you want to be near them as often as possible. For example he's still in our room and I'm dreading putting him in his own room. I do okay in the daytime with naps (because he's either in the same room as me or I can watch him on my video monitor), but at night I just want to keep him close. I don't even mind bringing him along on date night with Ryan (although I know that might change as he gets older and more disruptive).
 |
| Sometimes he likes to sleep with his feet elevated (top and bottom right) |
I really just love being a mom! My days are not as structured as they once were...I don't always get to run all my errands or clean everything I want to, but that's okay because taking care of our growing little human is more important than mopping floors or having dinner ready on time.
The funnest things right now are his noises! We have a very vocal baby. He makes all kinds of sounds and it is hilarious. He yells and just looks so serious about it sometimes. He also laughs--his laugh is seriously my favorite sound in the world. Ryan and I can usually get him to giggle just by makings funny faces or noises at him.
 |
| Such a fun boy! |
He's learning so much too. He mimics sounds sometimes. I was determined to make "mama" his first word so I would always say it to him. It worked...and kinda backfired on me; when he gets mad he cries or whines and says "mamamamamama" or just yells "mom!" It's pretty funny when he does it in front of people and they seem so impressed that he already says mama...well I don't really count it as a word yet: to him it's just a sound like "ba" or "la" or "wow" (yup he says that too). I'll count it when he knows what he's saying.
He is also learning to grab things, although he reminds me of those claw machines when I watch him try to get his hands to move where he wants them to, grab an object and then get it to his mouth--which is the part he's best at: anything he grabs goes straight into his mouth! He has also learned to splash, which makes bath time more fun...and messy. But it's worth it watching him kick his legs and flail his arms flinging handfuls of water everywhere!
 |
| He might look serious, but he sure seems to like splashing around (note the wet mirror)! |
For the last couple weeks he's been so close to rolling over. Since he was tiny he has like to sleep on his side, so lately whether we put him on his back or tummy he manages to get to his side but always seems to have one arm in the way that keeps him from going all the way over. Well Wednesday afternoon he did it--twice--all by himself: he rolled from his back to his tummy and got stuck there until daddy rolled him back over. Even without rolling he gets around. Last week he somehow turned completely upside down in his bassinet twice in one night. He fussed and I reached over the side of the bassinet to put his binky in his mouth and felt fabric and feet instead of his face. He was swaddled in a sleep sack so it couldn't have been easy!
 |
| Playtime! |
He's not sitting up by himself yet, but he sits well enough to sit in his high chair as long as he is strapped in tight. He will usually let me eat dinner if he is sitting at the table with us. He just likes to be included, and I enjoy having dinner with our little family all sitting together. He'll be eating with us in no time! In fact his pediatrician gave us the okay to start home on solids anytime in the next two months.
 |
| Head of the table |
He's had his bad days too; the sound of him crying just breaks my heart and don't even get me started on his tears--it rips me apart to see tears on his sad little face! Even when we're both tired from a long night or day I still appreciate all the snuggles. I love that he knows us and that sometimes all he needs is mommy or daddy--I'm finally that person that can calm a baby just by holding him because I'm his mom!
Sometimes in the middle of the night he'll get fussy and all he needs is my hand to calm down a fall back into a deep sleep. I'll give him his binky and rest my hand on his chest; he hugs my hand close to his body and grips one of my fingers in each hand as drifts back off into baby dreamland. Sometimes my arm goes to sleep, hanging over the side of his bassinet, before he loosens his grip on my fingers enough that I can sneak my hand back.
He went to the doctor last week for his 4-month check up and shots. He is now weighing in at 13 pounds, 8 ounces and is 24.25 inches tall with head circumference of 42 centimeters. He is still on the skinny side, but his height and head are now closer to average. Doc says his gums are ready for teeth and if we want to start giving him some purees or cereal we can do that. He thinks a little food might help him from continually dropping on the charts in weight (even though he said he is still perfectly healthy, so whether or not we give him food is up to us).
 |
| Waiting for the doctor |
Dean handled his vaccinations SO much better this time than he did at two months. He liked the oral one and only cried after he got poked (only 2 pokes this time) until Ryan put him in my arms and popped his binky in his mouth. He seemed to feel fine for the rest of the day--he didn't even flinch when I pulled off his bandaids or rubbed the injection site. He did take an afternoon nap, which is unusual for him, but I appreciated it. The next evening he had a small fever, but it was gone by bedtime. Overall a much more pleasant experience than the day of his 2-month vaccines when I heard so many of those sad cries!
 |
| Proudly sporting a couple of superhero bandaids! |
I love this time in my life and even though we had fun before Dean I would never dream of going back to the way life was before! Four months has gone by so fast, and yet it already feels like forever. I'm so excited to take Dean on our first real family vacation: we're going to Texas for a week! I just love this kid so so much!
 |
| Growing so fast! |
No comments:
Post a Comment