sleepytime

The co-sleeper is a great piece of gear. One side drops down and it saddles up to the bed, creating a level extension so that you can easily reach over and grab or soothe the baby at night. It has served us well for the last four months and, even if I had a nursery, I would still use it. Recently, however, Sawyer has taken to swinging a leg over the side ... a casual gesture but one that has me imagining he will, somehow, suddenly catapult himself over the short edge in the middle of the night. In addition, I think he senses my presence next to him and wakes up shortly after I go to bed, wanting attention and company. He produces a low and annoying whine that he can maintain for a remarkably long time, driving us crazy. Eventually, he seems to end up sleeping in bed with me every night. (Please don't call the SIDS police.) While I love cuddling with my bumpkin, this situation simply will not do. I've seen far too many mom friends struggle to get the toddler out of the bed. So, we are weaning him off the co-sleeping situation. I have converted the co-sleeper into a bassinet (it also functions as a pack-and-play/changing table/playpen) with four tall walls instead of three and pushed the whole thing back against the wall in our bedroom. This means I have to get up to soothe him in the middle of the night, but maybe he can't sense my every stir. In another week or so, my plan is to move the bassinet into Justin's room until we get to the new house around Xmastime and then he can upgrade to the crib (which Scott has fully assembled so it will not fit through the door of the bedroom without dismantling).

It's been so long since this has happened that I hardly knew what to do. Sawyer passed out in my lap, mid-shake of the toy. And this after he had just awoken from a three-hour nap.

Airing the (not so) Dirty Laundry

I don't think it's hard learning to be a mom. The loving comes naturally. The transition from not mom to mom is instantaneous. Amnesia sets in and you forget what you did with your life before you became a parent. What's difficult is learning how to rearrange your own life to bring your child into it. How are you going to organize the house? How are you going to build in nap times? How are you going to eat, drive, work and sleep when you have this fragile life in your hands? Everybody ends up with the solutions that work best for them eventually, but the joy is in the journey.

I had this epiphany last night while I was doing laundry, realizing how far I've come. Before the baby was born, my laundry folding skills were well above average. I'm not some military-style freak about my laundry, but I actually enjoyed folding baskets of hot laundry into organized stacks while watching a movie. But, when the baby came, I turned into all thumbs. Presented with tiny little outfits, onesies, footed pajamas, I was as befuddled as I am when trying to fold a fitted sheet. With baby clothes, nothing flattens properly. The shapes are all awkward. Stacks topple over. I struggled to find a way to fit everything in the drawers in an organized manner. (Was I just blessed with too many hand-me-downs or does everybody have his problem?)

I am finding my own way of dealing with the new laundry in my life just like I am discovering the best nighttime routine and nap schedule for our family. The joy is in the journey, but the real pleasure is sharing that journey with friends.

On that note, these are a few things I have learned about baby clothes:
1. Don't cut the tags off anything until you are actually ready to use it! I know this goes against everything "they" tell you about washing all the clothes in scent-free laundry detergent in the weeks before the baby is born. But, trust me. Some clothes will never fit your kid. Others will be the wrong season. You may get something that you love but never find the occasion to use. These clothes are a treasure if they still have the tags. You could have another kid who would appreciate some new clothes. You could make a lucky friend very happy with some top-notch hand-me-downs. Or, an entrepreneur could sell clothes on Ebay or in a consignment shop. Whatever your style - keep the tags on until you are sure. Wash only what you know you will use.

2. Before the baby is born, divide and box all the clothes by size and season. Keep a couple unseasonal outfits mixed in for balmy winter days and cool summer nights. The long plastic bins that slip under the bed work well.

3. Shortly before baby arrives prepare the 0-3 month clothes. In the top drawer place all the white t-shirts, onsies and sleepwear. In the first weeks, this will be the most popular drawer. The baby spends a large part of the first month swaddled tightly in a blanket so a white t-shirt, a diaper, socks and a hat are all that's really needed. (In the beginning, some clothes will be so small you can press them out flat in stacks. Later, they will have to be folded. See folding instructions below.)

4. In the drawers below – now this took me forever to figure out – first fold clothes in half lengthwise and then in half again. Stack them by outfit and place the stacks sideways in the drawer so that pieces of an outfit are next to each other rather than on top of each other. Traditional stacks of baby clothes are simply unstable and get destroyed when people go tearing through the drawer to find what they want - especially in the middle of the night.

5. If you have a spare drawer, place stacked bibs, hats, socks and other accessories together. Otherwise, use a basket or bin for these items. Blankets, burp clothes and wash rags need drawers or baskets of their own. Coats and dressy outfits that are only going to be worn once should go on a hanger.

6. A baby's wardrobe requires regular maintenance. Just as the baby really starts fitting into one size, open the next box and pull out some clothes that look small or seasonal. At the same time, rebox clothes that the baby is outgrowing to make more room.

A new skill

Sawyer is learning to sit up.









Sometimes he just folds in half.













He would have better luck if he didn't try to play with his feet in the process.










Hey mom, the world is tipping sideways.

Bionic Mom

My biceps are growing disproportionately large for my arm. Mommy muscles I call them. Lean, mean and solid as a rock. I don't break a drop of sweat lugging the 25 pound fully-loaded bucket seat 50 yards from the house to the car. I don't even notice Sawyer's weight when I carry him in one arm around the house like a sack of potatoes. But, after 90 seconds holding him Saturday night, my mom was ready to pass him back. Her arms were aching. I'm not making fun. I remember when our friends Bethany and Jon had their unusually large babies, I couldn't hold them for more than a few minutes before my face grew red from the strain. Now, I have one of those babies that other people can't hold. In a few more months, I'll be the only woman who can carry him at all. Let's just hope he doesn't wait until he's 18 months to learn to walk. I'll look like Popeye!

Interruption

I would just like to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to complain about the fact that all my hair is falling out. I've known that postpartum hair loss happens; I just thought it would be more immediate and I didn't realize the actual amount involved. I wake up and it looks like a Shetland pony has been sheared on my pillow. I run my fingers through my hair once and I could braid rope with the hair that falls out. I have hair clinging to all my clothes and I have to unweave it from Sawyer’s fingers. Really - it's gross. If the average person loses about 100 hairs a day, I must be losing 300? 500? Everyone promises me I won’t go bald, but I am beginning to wonder. Fortunately, I had unusually thick hair to begin with and it practically doubled in thickness when I was pregnant. All you pregnant or recently-delivered girls out there: BE WARNED!