One painful equation

What do you get when you add--

a wonder week + teething + sleep pattern changes + preparation for finals (both your own and your students') + the holiday season?

A recipe for exhaustion--that's what you get.  You also get a tornado of sleepiness. Crankiness. Coffee...lots of coffee.  

These weeks sure can test a person. They can make you feel as though you're clinically insane.  Sleep deprivation seems to be a norm.  

Since these weeks have come upon us, Kevin has: begun to crawl, sit up by himself, started to say "maaaam" more clearly, can feed himself Cheerios, has started getting at least 2 new teeth (one of which just came in Sunday), is trying to stand alone, and can pull himself into a standing position. 

One of the first days really crawling. 

He was on his belly when I went into the kitchen. I came out to this! 

Aaaaaah! Pulled himself into a standing position!

No wonder he's been so cranky lately! He's been physically and mentally developing soooo much! 

No real point to this post but to remind myself and everyone else that tough weeks are just that--one or two weeks in many weeks and days.  The weeks will eventually be over.  

What I wish I had known about motherhood

With so many websites, books, blogs, advice columns, and movies dedicated to parenthood/motherhood you'd think that this specific role would be easy to play---read a book/blog/watch some movies and you've got it under control, right?  Wrong!  Even with the luxuries that technology affords, I still didn't (and don't) know everything about babies, my baby, or being a mommy.  

With that in mind, here's what I've learned the hard way and wish I had known before I became a mommy! 

--Don't worry about being able to change newborn baby's diapers because those are easy. Challenging diaper changes begin when baby is mobile and can run away from you.  The "easy" diaper is on its way out from the moment baby can scoot. 

--Feeding a baby solid foods is challenging and will test you.  I remember seeing a movie where there was this beautiful moment when the mom was feeding the baby puréed food and thinking that looks like fun.  Uh, no, in reality baby will have no idea what you're doing, will fight you, and will, at some point, spit the food on you. 

--There's nothing more heartbreaking than hearing baby scream "maaaaam" when they are sleepy, lonely, hungry, or just want you. [This one happens to be the most rewarding though!]

--Although sleep is a precious commodity (think: rare and clear diamond precious), you'll sometimes (or often) stay up after baby is asleep to have alone time.  

-- Breastfed babies (because that's all I have experience with) eat. all. the.  time.  Like seriously. Newborn Kevin was nursing a minimum of 9 times in 24 hours.  Now, at 8 and 1/2 months, he still nurses 6-8 times a day...and that's with him eating, on average, 3 "meals" of solids a day. And feedings are not adult length mealtimes...sometimes they lasted 20 minutes when he was a newborn.  

Top 5 Ways Teething Sucks

My baby is an easy baby for all intents and purposes.  He doesn't really cry unless he's hungry or sleepy.   He is friendly, smiley, and laughs a deep belly laugh often.   Although he never has really slept through the night, he does sleep long enough stretches that it's ok and he naps pretty well.  

Teething, however, turns him into another animal.  When he got his two bottom teeth, it took one week for both to come out. Yes, he was cranky and didn't want to sleep or leave my arms for that week, but it was only one week.  

He still smiles when he's teething though!

Well, he's working on the top two teeth now and having more troubles.  So here's my homage to teething...

My Top 5 Ways Teething Sucks:

5) You can never keep the darned frozen teethers frozen. Even those that promise to stay cooler longer lie.

4) Babies become Drool Faucets--and they sometimes choke on their excessive drool. 

3) Everything and anything is popped into their mouths regardless of that item's normative function, price, cleanliness, or safety.  

2) Breastfeeding when a baby is teething just gives baby something else to grind their gums (and other teeth) on.   I'm sure it's great for them but bad on the nips.  

1) My baby now babbles "maamaa" and "maaaam"....which is heartbreaking when he's clearly in pain, exhausted, and has no idea what's happening to him. 

Here's to hoping these teeth come in quickly!! I hope they'll be cutting in the next couple days...!