Fuss Buckets and Rainy Day Blues (Week 7, Day 4)

The forecast in Chicago is showing rain and thunderstorms for the next three days, really cramping our outdoor adventure style. Today we spend the morning recovering from the long weekend and Roadtrip (aka napping) and going to the regularly scheduled new mom support group. As always, it's comforting to hear the other new moms questions, and know that we are all struggling to figure out the nuances of our little people. Many of the moms have become friends, and I have play dates with a few later in the week.

Madeline is now past the "peak" fussy stage that occurs at four to six weeks, with just a residual 30 minutes of her fuss bucket time happening at the end of each day. I've been working to follow the sleep doctor's advice, and begin to look for signs of "bedtime" behaviors from my babe starting between five and seven. Each night, I get her changed into jammies, swaddle her up, and go through my small repertoire of songs to put her to sleep. All of this works like a charm, with her nodding off somewhere between "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "You are My Sunshine". However, each time I put Maddy down in the crib during this witching hour, she inevitably wakes right up and begins to cry. As she is not a terribly fussy child, this can be very frustrating. The only cure I can find is for her to sleep ON me - literally wrapped around me with her head nestled into my chest.

I can't say I mind this position all that much - any parent will tell you it is the best feeling in the world to have a baby cuddle on your chest, and they would be right. The serenity on an infants face, their deep satisfying breaths and sighs, and their changing expressions as they dream provide a soothing effect to even the most stressed out person. The only downside - the position very much restricts you from doing just about anything else - no laundry, no dishes, no making dinner (or eating it either). The only other feat I'm capable of is perhaps writing this wildly entertaining blog on my smart phone :)

I know that soon enough, she'll be too big to sleep on my stomach all cuddly and close. And I'll miss her head on my chest, her heartbeat so close to mine. These quiet moments together will be fleeting, and soon enough she'll be a teenager and not want me in her room at all. So for now, I let the dishes pile up, the laundry go unwashed, and leave the dinner plans to the husband. And I sit and enjoy some quality time with my darling little girl.

The Battle of the Fuss Bucket