Monday, June 30, 2008
Baby The Second
This coming Thursday will mark 3 weeks since Koren was born. How is it going? Well. Really well, I can’t deny it. Most of that can be credited to the amount of time he spends sleeping. Particularly at night. I know I keep talking about this (and did I mention? He SLEEPS? AT NIGHT?) but you have no idea what a difference it makes.
Kaelin was a pretty easy baby. But there were nights during her infancy when I would have given my left arm in exchange for a few consecutive hours of sleep. For that matter, there were nights where I would have given her left arm for a few consecutive hours of sleep. Jens can tell you that I don’t do well when deprived of sleep - a fact he learned while diving out of the path of the laser beams that shot out of my eyes because he had done something utterly offensive, like breathe.
I’m sure that the derangement caused by lack of sleep colored my judgment and assessment of parenthood the first time around. Also, there was the fact that I was a newbie, and the thought of being in charge? Of a real human life? By myself during the day? Was sort of akin to someone saying, “Here, hold on to this hand grenade for a while and don’t do anything to piss it off.”
This time around, I know that the world isn’t going to cave in if the baby has to fuss for a minute or two before I can passify him. I am reasonably confident that nobody is going to break into my house in the middle of the night and abscond with my child. I don’t feel the compulsion to look in on him every three seconds while he’s sleeping to make sure he’s still breathing. I have learned the difference between a receiving blanket and a washcloth, and realized that when you use the latter to mop up baby messes, it makes much less laundry. I’ve stopped trying to fit my day into a schedule and am content to get done whatever I can. I’m comfortable with the state of my house, even though it’s not pristine. The dishes get cleaned, the laundry gets done - though it may remain folded and stacked on the couch or scattered around the living room for several days.
Overall, there’s much less stress this time around, despite the fact that I now have two “bosses” to appease. There are of course times when they’re both fussing at the same time and I have to pick and choose which one to see to immediately and which one can wait. The choice usually comes down to who is screaming the loudest.
Koren eats a lot. In addition to the fact that he makes up for “missed” nighttime meals during the day, he’s also becoming quite a snacker - preferring to nurse, nap, nurse again, nap, take half a 2-oz bottle, nap, take the rest of the bottle, nap some more. Sometimes he ends up eating every hour this way. I’m not sure why this doesn’t bother me, but at this point it doesn’t. When the summer is over and I need to fit our schedules into more of a routine, it will probably start to become a hindrance. But I’m choosing to deal with that when we get there.
The only thing that is starting to bother me is the fact that he doesn’t seem to like breastfeeding. I basically have to wrestle him into it each time and it gets a little tiresome.
Sometimes I think we’d both be happier just to switch him completely to bottles and formula. Especially that indignant part of me that is all, “Dude, you’re the one who has it EASY, all you have to do is latch on and get a free meal. I’M the one dealing with the soreness, the leaking, the engorgement, and YOU’RE going to get all snobby about this??? I have one word for you: MASTITIS. And also, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GIVE UP SOFT DRINKS???”
Babies. You just can’t reason with them.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to get some sleep.
