A mum and a wife and sometimes just me


Tuesday 28 June 2016

Glossy memories


I would often read stories of mum's reminiscing about the baby days and how it all went too fast. The sleep deprivation was part and parcel of the "job" and could be treasured as more time spent together. Don't rush your little one to grow up as it's time you will never get back. 


Nope they have truly glossed over the memories. Maybe it's the unconditional love that makes us forget the reality of it all. The first year with my Diva was hard. Sleep deprivation was real and had a real impact on my daily functioning levels. It didn't seem like a phase with an end in sight. 


I didn't enjoy my late night dates with Google. I was scared of the stories that told me I just had to accept my lot, even worse the stories of those still experiencing the same scenarios at age 2 and 3 years. We co slept pretty much all of the Diva's first year. It wasn't rosy snuggles but a baby latched onto my breast for comfort as the only means of surviving the night. It's tiring and draining not beautiful. I tried every trick in the book to make it easier. You try to be strict with yourself to follow things through but at 3 in the morning with no sleep you just do what works to get you some sleep. What sounds like sound advice during the day is distorted nonsense at 3 in the morning.


I lost interest in the debates of what was best for my baby girl. Making a rod for my own back and all that, I was also not particularly following any philosophy of attachment parenting or reading the baby whisperer. I was managing from day to day. The day times had the baby stresses as well. She screamed at any idea of her milk coming from a bottle. So I could never go that far as she was pretty indiscriminate about when she wanted a feed. I then probably became a part of the problem as I became nervous about leaving her anywhere with anyone else worried about how they would manage.


I found a job and things had to change and I think she must have realised it too as suddenly things started to change. My job involved nights so it started there as my husband had to be able to settle her at nights and she actually responded very well to the changes. One change led to another. She settled into nursery a lot easier than I feared. They could settle her down for a nap without a boob then so could I. She may or may not sleep through the night but we will usually only have one wake up call. She LOVES whole milk and will drink bottles of the stuff meaning family can now settle her to bed and not just me. After 13 months I actually had an evening out on my own with friends.


Writing this now I can smile. Time suddenly seems to be moving fast. She's still my Diva and pretty high maintenance. Suddenly the first year though wasn't so bad and I am beginning to gloss over the memories, a little bit at a time anyway.



Monday 27 June 2016

What are you watching now?


It can be a bit boring the blurb about how fast children grow and wanting them to slow down. It’s just that it seems to happen without you noticing it and you can’t help but wonder where the time has gone. I guess as we are living it we just don’t notice it until one day you realise you are no longer watching CBeebies but programs on CBBC. He is outside in the garden climbing to the top of the apple tree before you have even had a chance to start risk assessing the situation. He is telling you all of the things he is learning at school and you suddenly realise it’s the end of the school year. You take him to bed at night and suddenly he is reading you his bed time story. Singing “twinkle twinkle little star” with a cuddle suddenly seems too “babyish” now. I can watch him from a distance now playing with his friends; he suddenly looks so tall and hardly needs me now. We will be at the park and suddenly he has made a friend all on his own. A play date now means you can actually sit down and have a cup of tea while the children entertain themselves.


I sometimes refer to him as my baby and he says "Mummy I'm not a baby" but I tell him "you will always be my baby!"


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