This is when Sonny is at his most joyful. He is generally the grumpiest baby in all of California…if not the whole of the US of A. But he loves him some bath time. I KNOW you are not supposed compare babies and all… but I can not help but feel a little jealous reading many of my fellow bloggers go on about their smiling cooing babies. My baby neither smiles nor coos; he pouts and grunts…or screams. He hates having his diaper changed, he hates being put down, and he hates getting dressed or undressed. But man, he loves him some bath-time.I have been able to find a few tricks to soothe my little sour-puss. In the evenings I can lessen his crying tantrums by nursing him incessantly. Starting about 5 o’clock pm if he does not have a breast in his mouth he cries. This is okay except it means that just when Smoochy gets home from work and would like to play with his baby, and I would LOVE a break from the baby, the kid wants to nurse constantly. The upswing to this is that Sonny tanks up on so much milk in the evenings that he usually only wakes up once to nurse (snack) at night and then quickly falls back to sleep. I can handle the fussy baby, I could not handle sleep deprivation.
Smoochy found today that if he holds Sonny in the air like a baby Superman that he can get him to stop crying. This is a very neat trick, but not so much a practical long term cure to the crying. However, Smoochy held the baby aloft for as long as his human strength could endure. This took no small effort, as our little porker weighs in at 14 lbs at six weeks (it will be seven on Monday). Of course, it is no surprise that the babe looks like the Michelin Man seeing as he eats constantly from about 5 pm on every night.
Well, I am beat after another deafening day of baby care. It is a good thing that God made babies so cute. It guarantees the survival of the species against amazing odds.
17 comments:
It can be so hard sometimes can't it? My Mum always says that's why labour is so hard.. so you don't throw the baby out the window later on! You work so hard to get them, they are extra precious.
I've been feeling similarly to you lately, and I read back over the journal I kept with Amelia, my first daughter, and I wrote that things got a lot easier after 6 weeks, and then even easier after 3 months... so hang in there - I think they get easier as time goes on.
But I know Natalia gets extra hungry around 5pm too - the 5pm feeding frenzy, my midwife calls it. It can really try my patience too because it's Amelia's whinge time, and time to start getting dinner organised etc. Eek!
That smiling and cooing will start any time now - and it feels so good - kinda like a reward for all your hard work so far. He is gorgeous - I just love babies that are bonny and squeezable - too cute!
You are doing great to keep on with the breastfeeding. I had a lot of friends who switched to formula around this time because it kept the baby full for longer - and I was so jealous of their long periods of 'rest' that they got - but in the end I was glad I stuck with the breast feeding.
Whoa, long comment.
Oh yeah, and a Weta is a yucky big insect - kind of like a grasshopper I'm told. There is a good article on wikipedia about them. Ugh!
I would have to agree. It will change. There is a name for what you are going through..at least according to the pediatrician for my girls. It always seemed they were both fine until I put the frying pan on the stove, and they would start to cry. I went through my journals and both girls did this. I remember, with both of them, just when I thought I might crack from the stress of it all, it stopped.
And that's when the coos, and the smiles, and the girls...and the little laughs started.
You are doing great! I really love your positive attitude. Like you, I was blessed with children who slept well so I didn't have the whole sleep deprevation to deal with as well.
I can't get over how big Sony has gotten. With each picture you post, he seems to have grown.
I miss you, and even the guy you are married to, but I'm glad to see that you are settling in to a new life.
It will soon stop, just keep him in the bath water. LOL. Try holding him with his face and neck supported by your hand, tummy across your arm and his feet draped over and on either side of your elbow so that he is face down. This is known as the colic hold, and even when mine did not have colic, they like being held that way. Just a thought. Also have you tried a sling?
Oh, my oldest boy was a bit of a 'grunter' too. It seems that for the first 20 months of his life that's the only sound he could make. Then one day, sentences poured out like William Faulkner novels, no breaks, no puntuation. And to this day - he hasn't stopped talking. LOL
Okay, wow. Our babies are just two peas ina pod, aren't they? After I had Eli, I almost felt ashamed to tell my blog friends that he was not like their sweet little babies. But then, I didn't care. I just told it like it was. (I have a cranky, high maintenance baby!!)
So I am glad to hear that I am not alone in this. What's funny is that Eli sleeps through the night, too. (On most nights that is.) He is just such a handful during the days when he is awake. And then the hubby working extra long hours is starting to take its toll.
Well I am really glad that I don't feel like I am alone in this, even if you are half way across the country:)
My Sweetpea was a grumpy, surly, complaining baby with only rare moments of serenity until she was four months old. Then I had a two month break of happiness until teething started. I feel for you. It gets better eventually.
It was so lovely to wake up to all your helpful and reassuring comments this morning ladies! It is nice to know several of you have already gone through it and survived. (Better yet, your children have survived.) Moogie, I know your girls, they are both such giggly happy people... I know there is light at the end of the tunnel! Veronica, I remember a previous post of yours talking about Sweetpea and her fussiness. I tried giving up chocolate (and my morning coffee) in an attempt to find a solution. Nope. That's kind of a good thing though because I would have found it PAINFUL to give up either. And SmockLady, I got a good giggle out of your son's explosion in to Faulkneresque speech. What a riot. Gosh, and Suzy...I was also relieved reading about Eli in your blog. In a blog-sea of perfect giggling cherubs it is so nice to read about another grumpy-old-man of a babe. Our boys are perfect in their own surly way! Well, I am off to Wickipedia to look up wetas; I am hoping for a picture. My imagination is concocting something out of a Clive Barker fantasy novel. Thanks to Kate I am suddenly intrigued by life in New Zealand!
Oh yeah, there were many a day when Ella (who is still my little sourpuss and full of spit and vinegar, but I like to lovingly call it "spirited" instead ;) was a wee babe that I would say "darn good thing you are so beautiful" too. And my only son? I'm pretty sure he'd still be nursing if I'd let him. They really love their "boo" as he used to adoringly call it, eyes glazed.
I can relate. Hang in there. Lots of btdt hugs and positive vibes your way. (and Sonny in the tub? couldn't be cuter!)
Ahhh...Super Sonny! We have a Super Henry in our house and it gets BIG laughs. As does Benchpressing Henry.
When Henry criedandcriedandcriedandcried, it took us a while and nearly 10-hours of nursing to figure out that the baby was just hungry. Upon the suggestion from the pediatrician, we plugged him up with 3oz of formula and the baby slept for 6 hours.
I remember those screaming days and sleepless nights when I thought that there was no way in hell I was going to be able to pull this off.
Thankfully, the crankiness subsided and he's otherwise a pleasant fellow.
The bathtub photo is a-dor-able.
Hang in there!
It was such a pleasure to catch up with you on the phone tonight. I obviously don't have any cute baby stories to tell of my own...yet. Oh, but I must admit I absolutely love reading yours and your fellow bloggers. Keep it up ladies!!! I miss you Bec... XOXO, Angie
Well he is an adorable little guy. Maybe he's missing his own private ocean of amniotic fluid. Can ya' just keep him in the bathtub all the time? :)
Too cute, that little guy in the tub.
I remember thinking at around 6 weeks that Lucia was going to be a very serious child and I was worried for her sake - with us as parents she's really going to need a good sense of humor. A friend's baby started smiling at 6 weeks but Lucia didn't crack a smile till about 2 months.
Luchi also wants to be attached at the boob all evening long. It's frustrating, but I figure if it has her sleep through the night, I'm ok with it.
Like everyone else has said, hang in there. It does get easier (and then it gets hard again and then it gets easier, etc, etc) I second whoever else said it, you have a really good attitude. You're doing great. Your little fussy britches is lucky to have you for a mama.
I too have an evening grump... what works wonders for us is the bouncy ball. one of those birthing/exercise balls. I sit and bounce for an hour and he sleeps most of the night away.
Don't worry about the grunting - Baby E grunted so much, and so loudly, Dh and I were kind of disturbed. The dr didn't seem to think anything of it. It just seemed so...weird. SO much grunting. And then I think around 6 1/2-7 weeks, she started trying to talk, and grunted less, and fussed less. She still grunts, believe me. The cooing, smiling periods are brief (but intensely enjoyed by Momma!). Maybe Baby E still grunts a lot, but I just tune it out. Ha ha That's a definite possibility.
And Baby E loves her bath too! She hates after the bath, though - cries and cries.
Hang in there! You're doing great!
The bouncy ball works great! Amber and Joel discovered it by accident, but soon realized that Sam could not keep his eyes open when bounced to a rythmic beat! Jacob should start cooing in the near future, I mean little Jacob!:)
Sam grunts alot and I think it is hilarious! This to will pass, and then you will miss all his odd little baby noises! Hope you guys aren't still suffering in the heat. Can autumn be too far off???
Look at him, just chillin' in the tub. That pic is too cute.
I've been saying that's why God made babies so cute all along, no matter how good those babies are, there will always be a day or night where if they just weren't so darn cute...
;-)
HA...I've come to the conclusion that all those bloggers that go on and on about their perfect babies...they're simply liers :). Or at least that's what I told myself when I'd read those posts and couldn't understand why their babies were so good and mine had mini temper tantrums all day. Oh, and I feel you about the nursing from 5PM until you go to bed, we did that for many many weeks. It's all getting better though; I promise.
This too shall pass. Babies, even so-called "cholicky" babies (like my first child and many I have helped with postpartum) DO grow out of it...often the very week they turn 3 months old, often sooner.
I think BOYS are more likely to hate their diapers changed. Water is soothing even babies and glad you have discovered that!
Hh
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