Growing up so fast

Elliot is about 16lbs. now and snugly wearing the 6 month clothes, he's growing so fast I'm starting to fantasize about having another one so I can have a newer model! (but seriously, no, not for a few years) The pediatrician showed us a growth chart and where our baby ranks, he's in the 90 something percentile (meaning he's larger than over 90% of babies his age) but despite all that he's really still just a tiny baby. He's smiling and laughing all the time and he can really interact when it comes to face-to-face communication. He's mostly just good at saying Goo-aah, but sometimes he'll say boo, or lah, and I love taking turns making sounds with him. When I repeat a word over and over and exaggerate the movement of my mouth for him I can really see him trying to emulate it and focusing all his efforts. Those are the most fun moments, when I'm not just 'taking care' of him but interacting with him.

We have just one more week together before I go back to work and have to get used to the feeling of being apart. It's very strange to go through this life changing experience of childbirth and bonding, living in a cocoon of privacy, only to realize that the world is still spinning and you can't just stare at your baby all day. I have to blend back into ordinary society and earn a living and that makes me a little sad. I know, I know, I'll get used to it, blah blah blah, I'm just saying.. I'm going to enjoy this last week as much as possible.

The importance of routine

I've heard it said before that when it comes to raising kids, routine is everything. Well I'm starting to realize just how true that is. We now have a general best case scenario baby schedule, of course there is some variation from day to day but generally here's how it goes: baby wakes up at around 8am for breakfast and is awake for about 45 afterwards (for some reason that is when he is his most happiest and googliest). Then he takes a mid-morning nap from around 9:30-11 after which he's awake for a couple of hours just hanging out and having lunch. This is followed by an early afternoon nap which is often taken in the stroller during a walk around the neighborhood. After this he is awake for another few hours and has a snack. Before dinner he'll take a 30 minute snooze and this is usually followed by dinner, a bath, some cuddling, some dessert, and then he's usually asleep for the night by around 9pm (followed by 1 or 2 nighttime nursings before he's up again at 8am).

But of course reality gets in the way of routine and creates a domino effect of inconvenience, and if we have to go somewhere or otherwise disturb his eating/sleeping schedule that will result in crankiness, non-sleeping and overtiredness, more nursing (i think for the calming effect of it rather than extra hunger), and general unpredictability. In this sense,  routine actually provides a sense of freedom. When we follow the routine for a few days in a row without disturbance we know when we will definitely have time to take care of non-baby things. If we want to go somewhere and leave at around the time he usually naps then we can expect an easy ride getting there without any crying. Of course it's hard to live each day in the same sequence as the day before but I guess we'd better get used to it if we want a happy baby. I don't really mind though, I knew having a child would completely change my lifestyle and so far this family thing is pretty darn fulfilling with Elliot as king of the castle.

p.s. baby sleep farts are funny :)

cool baby hot mama

I'm getting a little tired of all kinds of strangers and not-so-strangers saying 'oh what a big baby' since when is everyone such an expert on newborn growth progress? Well yes indeed he continues to grow, he's smiling all the time and even laughing, and he's almost reaching out for things. He seems to be putting in all this effort to move his body towards something and of course he's not sure what to do once he gets there. He can hold on to things if you put it in his hands but he's not quite grabbing anything on his own, except of course for whatever happens to be in his way when he's flailing his arms around - like hair and glasses.

As I get closer and closer to going back to work I have a lot of mixed emotions, I miss Elliot a lot if I'm away from him for even a little while so working full time and only seeing him briefly in the evenings before he goes to sleep is going to be really hard. Plus the physical discomfort of the whole pumping thing is going to be a pain in the... boobs. How am I going to concentrate on excel spreadsheets and sales research when all I'll be thinking about is how many smiles and gurgles I'm missing? If it was financially feasible I would stay home with him for about a year, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do and now that my priorities have shifted it is for him that I will be working, sacrificing time together so that he could have a nice home and healthy food, fun toys, and weekend adventures. But I am trying to be optimistic too, I think it will be sucky for a while but once I get into a groove it will be easier, and I know Josh will be a great dad with him when I'm away. I am trying to build up the tiny voice in the back of my mind that says I miss the mental stimulation a little bit, that diapers and naps and being home all the time would only satisfy me for so long and I am some sort of career woman.
Here's an update on the body: well it's really changed in many ways, I have some extra weight which I don't really mind except that it's flabby and I have cellulite and stretchmarks. I keep trying to start exercising but who has the time? I went from wearing size 5 and extra smalls to squeezing into a size 8 and being a solid medium. I'm just glad I don't have to wear a bathing suit for a while. Oh and that darn tailbone is still a pain, I'm considering going to some post-natal physical therapy because sitting is a pretty darn common position for the human body and I'm tired of shifting uncomfortably all the time. What I do like is that this extra weight makes me feel less cold now that the autumn chill is creeping in, I used to get chilly pretty easily but now I radiate heat - that whole evolutionary protection of the young thing.