The other night I found myself thinking, "Man it was easier when he was a new born! He slept all the time and I got so much done!" And yet I specifically remember thinking back then, "Wow I can't wait until he's a little older and then it will be easier!" So obviously the conclusion is, each stage has its pros and cons. I think I need to start writing them down as I go through life so that I don't forget. That way when I start having baby fever again and all I can think about are those adorable chubby cheeks and sweet coos I'll be able to remember that it's not all fun and games...but still so worth it!! Or when I'm having a melt down because he just wont nap, I can look back and remember that at one point he didn't even sleep at night. So here we go, my list of pros and cons...no, I don't like that, how about my list of Ughs and Aws ;)
Newborn stage: First day-2
Aw: He slept like a rock! Seriously this kid could sleep for hours!
Ughs: Didn't sleep well at night. We're talking every few hours waking up and then another hour or so of rocking back to sleep.
Aw: Could sleep through anything. I could vacuum while holding him and he'd fall right to sleep. I got so much done!
Ughs: Couldn't wake him up for nothing! They say the best way to get them to sleep at night is to keep them up during the day, um duh! But that doesn't work if they are impossible to wake and keep awake.
Ugh: He ate literally every hour on the hour even if he just finished 10 minutes ago. That was the worst week of my life.
Aw: It only lasted a week. It seemed like all eternity but it was only 7 days if that.
Ugh: He screamed every evening for hours unless he was eating.
Aw: That lasted maybe 2 weeks.
Infant stage: 2 months-?
Aw: Those SMILES!!! Des started smiling at week 2 but they are so much more focused and direct now!
Ugh: His naps are way off during the day. He really only wants to be held when napping or else they last maybe 30 minutes at best. (Looking for a few tricks to fix this; fan, black out curtains etc. etc.)
Aw: He sleeps anywhere from 7-8.5 hours at night now. And Mommy appreciates it like you wouldn't believe!
Ugh: Just closing his bedroom door can wake him up. Gone is my little baby that could sleep through anything.
Aw: He's pretty good at going to sleep on his own late at night or super early in the morning.
Ugh: If he wakes up from a nap accidentally he is up and cranky until he eats next.
Aw: Talking!! Oh how fun it is to have a "conversation" with him!! He has so much expression on his face while he's cooing and awing that I'm pretty certain he is really trying to tell us stuff!
Aw: He is a Mama's boy. He smiles and talks to me and I can see all the love in his beautiful blue eyes! It's a special relationship that words just can't explain.
Ugh: He is a Mama's boy... If he's tired he wants me, if he's cranky he wants me, if he's hungry he has to have me, if he's happy he wants me after a few minutes. Day and night, night and day, I am the one he relies on the most. It's pretty special and honoring really but there are times I want to hide for a little while ;) Plus I think it bothers Jay a little.
Aw: He loves exploring new things with his hands and gets excited about new sounds.
Ugh: He eats every 2 hours and he hates bottles which makes it hard to go out and do stuff. We've been to church once since he was born :(
Aw: (I have to end on a positive note) he is the bubbliest, happiest baby I have ever seen. Sure he gets grumpy, but over all he just loves to smile!
That's all I can comment on now since he's currently in the infant stage still. Babies are ALWAYS a joy. Even when he's cranky and wailing I wouldn't have it any other way. It's always easy to look forward and think, "It will be easier.." and it very well may be, but there is always something that is hard no matter how old kids are. And it's easy to look back and think, "man remember when he did this and it was so much easier?" But in all reality there were hard times then too.
I think part of God's grace to mom's is that we can't always remember the hard times so it makes it seem like we've had a pretty good time all along. I can hardly remember labor and delivery anymore. So I'm sure as each stage passes I'll look fondly at Des' childhood and not think back with dread :) Because in all honesty I'm loving every minute of it. The good out ways the bad and some things really do get easier and more fun. Motherhood is an upward climb, but it's a fun one :)
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