I love watching raglan sweaters come together -- it's a little bit like spreading the pieces of a puzzle out on the floor and figuring out what edges go where. Of course, it's a little less challenging with the sweater, given that you've usually got a maximum of 5 pieces to work with. But now that I've gotten the front left piece done, I am beginning to imagine that I could actually get this sweater completed before it gets too cold to enjoy it. The fronts don't take long at all to knit up, so I have high hopes of actually maybe seaming this garment over the weekend.
But I'm learning one more thing about life with a baby -- it's great to have goals, but it's bad to get too hung up on them. Some days have to be about her, not about me.
I'd like to say thank you to everyone who commented on Friday's post (and the post from the past couple of Fridays as well). It's re-assuring to hear from people who have been there, people who are going through it right along with me and even people who might be thinking about what they could be going through in the future. And I'm not the only one who reads my comments -- John will often come home from work and say "the people commenting on your blog today had a lot of interesting things to say". And on a positive note, Ms. Z had a much better weekend than she did a week. She slept 6 straight hours on Saturday morning, and over 4 on Sunday morning which did a lot towards helping her Mom and Dad get enough sleep to stay sane and she's spent most of the weekend being smiley. The only exception was when Mom and Dad made a decision to try a Sunday evening outing that didn't turn out quite as planned and kept her from getting her nap. I'm hoping this weekend is a sign of good things to come and the gradual easing of the crying jags. It's so hard to believe that she'll be 8 weeks old on Tuesday.
But just in case things get crazy again, I've put away all my duct tape so that I can't follow another mom's example... (link courtesy of my husband who finds all manner of strange and wonderful things on the internet).
Wow, that little one looks perfectly happy in the duct tape sling. It's hell to get all the tape residue off the walls though! :) [I lived in a co-ed dorm during my boarding school years and the guys would get bored when it was too cold to spend time outside and inevitably one or two would get taped to the wall in the gym every winter.]
Hang in there you two!
Things will certainly look up from here... you're powering thru the hardest part right now. Z is absolutely adorable.
We had a swing for our fussy first baby that we called the Neglectomatic. And really? She wasn't calm unless she was in it and swingin' to high heaven. We were worried about not holding her enough and I wanted some kind of a benchmark -- how many hours could/should she spend in it? I talked the pediatrician about it and he told me that all was well... just not to let her sleep in it overnight!? Um. Rrright. We too kept our bed for us and had baby is a basinette in our room. Still not much sleep...
LOL! Love the duct tape picture. My husband always joked about wanting a velcro wall/velcro suits for the kids for that same type of thing, but that was really when they were a bit older and acting like buggars, not when they were itty bitty things :)
I love raglans for much the same reason. Except, of course, for all that sewing up.
What a fabulous use of duck tape;)
I can't wait to see the finished May. The cables just pop. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my god that's appalling and funny at the same time (the photo of the baby taped to the wall.) I'm so glad that Z gave you a break over the weekend. 6-12 weeks is the fussiest time and you are right in the middle of it. It sounds like you're handling it beautifully.
I have to remember to tell my hubby about that photo. He's had one of those 365 days of Duct Tape calenders for at least a couple of years now. He'll love it.
You're making more progress on your knitting than I am on mine and I don't have a new baby so I think you're doing very well.
Z will get used to you just as you get used to her. She will settle down and you will all make routines as a family. Time flies by so quickly, doesn't it? Before you know it, she will be a toddler and you won't remember all the fussing because it will feel like she has always been running around.
You are definitely doing great. It's the great moms that can recoginize these times of struggle. I must admit when my daughter was that little it was hard not to complete goals because of their needs. When I felt most tired and guilty I would stop take a deep breath and just hold her and look at her. For some reason we would both feel calm. One thing for sure she is a cutie.
Honestly, the duct tape baby looks pretty happy just sitting there, probably because he can see everything that's happening.
I love reading about your journey into motherhood. It is good to see what is working and not before making that leap for myself.
That picture! Horrifying! And yet disturbingly hilarious!
Glad to hear your getting sleep. I was told that the baby in the duct tape was actually quite happy, especially with her ducky close by.
OMIGOSH!! i almost spit out my beverage!! that baby pictures is hysterical! there should have been a beverage warning for those of us with liquids, LOL
:D I can imagine a few things that could have made her do that...
I got that duct tape picture emailed to me early this year and posted it to my blog then too! Only, the email I got with the picture was titled "RedNeck's Time Out" LOL.
As for the co-sleeping thing - I think most parents do it at one point or another - from sheer exhaustion if nothing else. I know I did with my girls & it was never a problem getting them to sleep in their own beds when they got to be a little older. It is amazing how incredibly difficult parenting is & there is no way to be really prepared. I am the oldest of 5 & spent a lot of time as a teenager caring for my 2 youngest sisters (11 & 15 years younger than me) so I thought I knew what I was getting into. Hah! - the 24 - 7 responsibility of taking care of a wee one is so overwhelming (even with a "good" baby) nothing can prepare you. Thanks for the photo. If I had been drinking milk, it would've been coming out my nose!! I have sent it to my daughter whose youngest baby M still has not settled into a good sleeping pattern & who still only has 2 teeth [so almost constant teething] - she will be 10 months old tomorrow. The baby even looks a lot like Baby M (altho Baby M is skinnier).
When our baby turned one month old, people started thinking she was colicky too. It turned out that she was simply independant. Once we figured out that she wanted an eat, play, sleep routine, everything was fine. If someone insisted on holding her during what was her playtime (solo time on the floor), she wailed and was really hard to calm down. Doing activities in the same order (eat-play-sleep) also really helped us figure out why she was crying, or at least, it helped us narrow down the reasons.
You're doing fine with the challenge of raising a lert--an extremely alert baby. They grow into fascinating children. Janis Joplin helped me as did my glider when I just couldn't be trusted to walk.
my goal for today is to somehow pump every 2 or 3 hours before my milk goes bye bye lol
routine - most bubs love routine - and watch for overtired babies - its true - if they are to tired, they are like a bhd - you can't do a thing with them. that baby taped to the wall - I'd hate to admit it but i've been tempted, really tempted. here in NZ we have a thing called a jollyjumper
here which is a godsend, http://www.kiwibaby.co.nz/afawcs0122064/CATID=28/SUBID=36/page=1/products.html
which once babies can hold their heads up, they safely hang, walk, run in circles, an jump in. IT was a lifesaver - it clips to the door and iused to move them around the house while I worked, tidies, vacuumed, just hung them up in the adjacent door, where they could watch me and I could talk and watch them.
Tried to post yesterday about all this and it disappeared when I hit post. I just gave up for the day.
Practical advice: babies generally don't fuss unless they think something is wrong. This doesn't mean anything really is or that you can do anything about it. You do the best you can. You make sure she's fed, clean, dry and warm. If she still fusses, you cuddle and doze and plan the revenge you'll take when she's a teenager. Think about all the times you'll embarrass her by your very existence when she's 12 or 13. Plan how you will tell her it's payback for the sleep she cost you. Enjoy every minute, even the ugly ones because before you know it she will be a teen and then an adult and you won't know what hit you.
Really practical: Lots of times breast fed babies fuss because they get a little gas-not necessarily enough to qualify as colic, but enough to bother them into fussyhood. Be really careful of what spices and what foods you eat. Every one knows about chocolate and cabbage-but cheese and milk can give baby gas too. Talk to LaLeche for recommendations. I just figured my name was Elsie Borden and I lived on grass and grass products. My boys got very fussy if I ate much red meat. I hated chicken when I was pregnant and nursing (turns out chicken may carry really bad bacteria. Maybe my body is smarter than me) That didn't leave much in the way of protein besides peanut butter and Mrs. Pauls (babies didn't like spicey food either)
Look for a heavy, upholstered overstuffed armchair that you can make level with your bed. Pad the seat and arms with clean sheets and make a connecting bed for baby. You can pull her into bed with you to nurse and gently put her back to sleep, but you can keep your hand on her and she can hear you and husband sleeping. I really liked cosleeping and had no trouble with it, but also used this chair trick to keep babies from getting squashed by bigger siblings when they were very new.
When they're about 8 they suddenly move out and inform you they are adults now and don't need to hang with M & D.
If you ignore it, they'll clean their bedrooms when their about 14 or 15 too. This required that you NEVER nag about the mess, but suddenly they will decide a clean bedroom will generate better chances with girls.
All information past the age of 1 is qualified by the fact I had only boys and they are different than girls. really different.
Lin