Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Teething, Tantrums, and Toddlers

The past few weeks of dealing with the little one have proven to be quite the adventure. Wesley and I were both excited to be out of school and able to spend more time with the little one. Good thing, too. Because exactly one week from the day we got out she started to do big girl things. And I mean just about everything... In a 24 hour period little Aimee taught herself to clap, crawl efficiently, pull herself up, and wave goodbye. Though she's crawling at a point that many would consider late, I am thankful that she waited. Others have babies her age tat are already toddling along, wreaking havoc among everything they can touch. The fact that she's taking her own sweet time only gives me more opportunity to enjoy her baby-hood and watch her grow.

These new developments, however, have brought along a few issues with them. Her excitement at her new found talents grants us a trip back in time to a period where we never slept. Taking turns throughout the night watching her and wondering how she could stay awake for as long as she did left us feeling exhausted and helpless. Well we're back to that and wondering how long we will wait this time before she decides sleeping will not force her to forget how to do all those awesome things. It's proving to be just as exhausting as before, and even more frustrating. Her crankiness is at an all-time high due to her never ending teething and lack of rest. The two put together equal a baby who has learned both independence and how to show defiance, resistance, and throw a complete fit. Don't get me wrong here... I feel completely helpless at the thought of not being able to console the little one during this uncomfortable time of constant teething. I can only imagine how painful it must be to have pressure on your gums for 5 months straight. But now she's learned the art of tantrums, and is experimenting with throwing one as the main alternative to a much needed nap. This, in turn, brings about a new level of crankiness in both her and me. It seems to be a never ending battle between sleep and this monster I like to call 'baby adventure.' Her thirst to explore has created a beast not to be defeated by something so childish as an afternoon nap. So, once again we are left to what little patience we have left in hopes of repeating the cycle and gain victory for the nap.

Occasionally sleep overtakes her and I am left to my own thoughts and future strategies against the beast of sleeplessness. It seems as though I've tried everything possible. We've made car trips around the block at 5 in the morning and tried stroller rides in hopes that fresh air might encourage relaxation. Some techniques bring about even more problems, others work occasionally. The goal is sleep, for both parties. I'm sure there is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, I don't think I've worked myself far enough in to see it yet, which is hugely discouraging. But everyday brings more discoveries for little Aimee and I can't help but smile when she looks at me with her smug little grin when she's pulled off something new. It seems funny that in the midst of complete exhaustion we still find humor and light in the simple things the baby does everyday. Her transformation into a toddler is both exciting and terrifying. I am a neurotic first time mom and everything scares me. But she's taken a couple dives off the couch and I'm glad I don't know what else she's got herself into. I've realized through the whole endeavor that babies are pretty sturdy and seem to have a heavy layer of armor that we as adults have forgotten about. I get more and more excited everyday about what she will surprise me with next and look forward to seeing her take her first steps.

So bring it on, universe. This baby ism heavily armored and heavily guarded. Teething and sleeplessness won't defeat this fighter... Her mother, however, well that's a different story. You can pick me up off the floor when she's out of this crazy stage. I'll pick up where I left off I suppose! For all moms who have been there... Kudos to you.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Post 6 Months: The Downhill Slope

Hello all! I'll start by apologizing for the ridiculous time lapse between blog posts. School has created a time warp in which I am constantly running around like a chicken with my head cut off. As it is, I am writing this post from my iPhone... In a critical lit class. Ignore this fact as it is irrelevant!

During the course of time over which I have not posted I have had numerous epiphanies on future blog posts. Of course, these were forgotten amidst the constant rain of Spanish and literary theory beating down on my head. Waking up at 3 in the morning with a fantastic idea proved pointless, too, as I was just too exhausted to pick up my phone and make a note of what I should post the next day. So when I was struck with a lightbulb moment in class today I didn't hesitate to act on it. To ignore or forget it again would just be more proof of my imminent erosion due to this thing we call an education.

So, while I'm talking about education I'll also bring up the incredible development that has occurred in my little one. Aimee is now 8 months old and it seems as if she has something new to show me every day. Each morning I drop her off with my mom and each afternoon I am left shocked at the learning rate of her young brain. I envy her learning rate and wish I could retain things in the way she continues to.

Over this journey of watching Aimee go through the struggles of being a preemie, the discomfort of colic and asthma, and near constant teething I have realized that making it to the 6 month mark is truly a huge stepping stone for infants. I believe it is at the point of 6 months that the period of adjustment to this harsh world ends, and the period of true learning and growing begins. Aimee had proven this in the short period of time since her 6 month birthday, which was on Christmas Eve. Days after she met this milestone she was sitting up by herself, anxious to try table foods, and learning how to put one foot in front of the other with assistance from mom or dad. As I mentioned before, every day presents new developments and new discoveries. I love watching her eyes as she picks up a new toy or object and carefully analyzes it and tries to figure out what it is or what it does. She is fascinated by anything with a technological influence. She will steal our cell phone when we're not looking and finds incredible fascination with pounding on the computer keyboard.

What I'm getting at here is the up and downhill progression of infants in their first year of life. It seems that after meeting the peak of 6 months infants are able to focus on learning and forget about trying to get used to their new hectic lives. It is safe to say that the 6 month mark is the start of the downhill progression into toddlerhood. I am sure we can all agree that the progress our kids make everyday is astounding and mind boggling. So with this in mind let us strive to open our minds up to further development just as our little ones do. Perhaps if we tried to learn as much in one day as our children do we could revolutionize the way our lives are progressing. Think of the possibilities! Cures to cancer, flying cars, answers to alternative energy... All just because we chose to try to learn as much as our little ones.

So since class is ending I will leave it there. God bless and happy learning!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Keeping It Together

School has started and with it has come regression.  Though I'm not entirely sure I can blame all of Aimee's new developments on my 'abandoning' her every day.  I'm sure it has some to do with it, yes.  But I also believe she's just growing, and I'll be the first to say she's not the average baby.  In fact, she's probably about as far away from average as you can possibly get.  She even stumps her pediatrician! But I digress to my real subject for this long procrastinated post.

As I have mentioned I am finally back in school, and for the first time in a long time I am loving it again.  So, now comes the really tricky part.  Wes is at school, too, and we are both still figuring out how this whole thing is going down.  My mom has taken up the role of part-time mommy and takes care of little AJ in the morning while I'm at school.  Then, I come back and proceed to carry out this juggling act I like to call 'homework/happy baby'.  Each day brings new changes in both her development and her temperament as she grows and develops and gets used to this new routine we have thrown her in.  In the week that school started alone, she learned to sit up independently, roll from her back to her stomach, and decide that all baby food was for the dogs.  Soon this baby food for doggies could become a literal concept.  So as I'm trying to handle a little one who's anxious to get things moving, I'm also balancing on a very small wire of 16 credits that could tumble at any moment.  And yet, the further we get into this whole thing, the more realistic it becomes.  It almost seems like we could pull it off.

Our nighttime sleeping routines could be compared to the ocean tides... Always coming and going.  A good night's rest has evaded us for more than 7 months, now, and I have a hard time considering that I could ever sleep through the night again.  The little one refuses to sleep for more than an hour at a time, and although this sounds grossly exaggerated, it's really not.  Needless to say, dragging my butt out of bed in the morning is a feat of epic proportions and making it to school on time seems to be completely out of reach.  But so far we've pulled it off and I have lots of hope for this coming semester.  So much will be happening and little Aimee will surprise me every day with what she's learning.  It will prove to be both busy and rewarding, and worth every little bit of the effort it takes to get through it.  I'm looking forward to seeing where the next few months will take us.  And I'll make sure to check in now and again... After all, the action in this family is not to be missed!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

My Baby's 6 Pack

Hello all! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  If you're like me, you love to see it come, enjoy it while it lasts and almost whoop in celebration when it's over.  Our holidays were spent passing around a cold.  Little Aimee got it first, with lots of coughing and wheezing on Christmas day itself.  My cold quickly followed, and I spent New Year's Eve going through an entire box of tissues and trying not to sneeze all over the puzzle we were doing for entertainment.  Wes came down with his a couple of days later and is taking longer to get over it than we would really prefer.  I am happy to announce that Aimee has fully recovered and during the course of her illness has seen the wonders of napping.  How wonderful it has been!  Now we can only hope she continues this!

The title of this post seems strange at first, given the supposed chubbiness that every baby should possess.  Don't get me wrong; my baby is not excluded from this category.  But as her 6 month birthday came and went on Christmas Eve, little Aimee developed many new talents that she loves to show off to anyone who will look her way.  These include sitting up, attempting to hold her own bottle, and just smiling for long periods of time to get a reaction.  What we find as one of the funniest of these, however, is this semi-crunch, semi-situp that she does while grunting and squawking.  This little maneuver of raising her head and feet to her chest has been named by my husband as the 'fat lady situp' and is now a common phrase in our house when we see her doing it. I am convinced these 'fat lady situps' are the reason for her increased strength and is probably the reason she seems so much more happy.  Though this can't possibly seem any more politically incorrect there really isn't another term we can use to describe this act.  And we see her doing it everywhere... In her car seat, in the tub, on the floor with her toys, in her crib in the morning when she wakes up. I walked into check on her during a nap and instead of sleeping, there she was, going through her aerobic exercise routine.

Now, make no doubt about it, this new talent has brought me to the realization that I am WAY behind in childproofing my home... And looking around I see so many hazards.  I find myself panicking when I see a dime on the floor by my dresser, or a computer cord I can just imagine her trying to chew on.  The thought of all the hazards in my home make me want to leave everything behind and go live in a sterile bubble... away from everything I have brought into the house that could harm my child.  I have, however, determined that situation is far from reality and have done lots of research on childproofing, knowing that I may never be able to make my home a perfect sanctuary for babies.  In light of this new realization I thought I would post a few websites I found helpful with tips on making your surroundings safe for the new mover in the home in case anyone else out there freaks out about it as much as I do!  Anyway, happy new year, all! May 2012 bring you much happiness and lots of learning opportunities!

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