As baby threaded through three month mummery, "wonderful" storms surged at the twelfth hour. Monster babies made toothy grabs for the sweet infant head o' Chai. Future echoes of regressions to come boded ill and stoked discussions on sleep strategy from her hapless handlers. And giant handsy leaps led the way through the cognitive abyss.
As the frenzied fours burble, little handsy baby hones her gnawing mawing oral tour of the world with a fearsome focus and a deadly dearth of rest. Playdates pepper little toesies and stain new carpets far abroad. And Drill Sergeant Chaya "The Drool" Papaya whips mommy into shape.
Fifteen Week Wonder Whiz Wizz Kid and the Semi-Sleep
Miss Chaya is pushing four months this week and it's really starting to show around the eyes... mommy's eyes... with the big enormous bags under them. No har har, really I am now immune to sleep.
Not really. But we have discussed the future sleep of Miss Chaya. Officially. Now that she's closer to four months and just edging into her official sleep regression period during which no sleep will occur anyways. Good to have goals. Quixotc and benighted goals.
Well, one goal will be to re-establish connubial bliss. Some day. As you might have read, sometimes it gets a little wild in the Wright bedroom... possibly in less saucy and sassy ways than pre-baby. Pillows flying and covers getting tossed aren't quite the fun they used to portend. And mommy was kind of losing her mind getting up every two hours for a one hour nursing session with the brute, and then stirring with husband tossing-turning-morning-waking during the down hours. Yes, we're joining the fad and maintaining separate sleeping residences for just a little while.
As long as Chaya is mostly a co-sleeper. Or as long as Adella insists on that darned white noise machine of doom. Andrew was a little nonplussed at first, but after finding popcorn in the bed and realizing that this means he doesn't have to hear his wife whispering "god please noooo... you're killing mommy" after the third almost sleep of her fussy baby in the middle of the night... and maybe noticing the decrease in times she's threatened to injure him when he's come in for a kiss. I think we're kind of adjusting to the idea. Just for a little while.
Until we can get baby back in a bassinet or crib. But she's young and we're just not cry it outers yet, especially not before six months. So we will do our rituals to get her more used to the bassinet. And I'll pump, nurse, and sleep in the bedroom surrounded by coolers and popcorn and all sorts of sundries to squeeze a few half hours of extra sleep in.
Chaya does seem to sleep a little better with the darned white noise machine and without the transitions in and out of the room, so it is helping a bit. Most days. Although sometimes it seems like either she can sleep a bit better at night OR she can not miss her daytime naps and not thusly turn into a bipolar baby psycho for the majority of the day until she crashes at night after an epic fuss or so... I exaggerate, but well. Trade off.
Hey it's hard sleeping when you're engaging full throttle with the world right up until your bursting point. Poor kiddo is a flaming candle right now. So bright and sparkly until she's so exploded that all is lost. It's fun, inspiring and terrifying to see all the little leaps and connections forming every single day. It's exhausting just watching her reach for an object and learn how to manipulate it.
And to watch her go totally bizarro baby. Today it's serious bipolar baby with some fugue states and some major exorcist baby possession. Did I mention she does not want to nurse and is shrieking out in urgency from time to time between being cute and cuddly? Oh the fun!
Miss Chaya is pushing four months this week and it's really starting to show around the eyes... mommy's eyes... with the big enormous bags under them. No har har, really I am now immune to sleep.
Not really. But we have discussed the future sleep of Miss Chaya. Officially. Now that she's closer to four months and just edging into her official sleep regression period during which no sleep will occur anyways. Good to have goals. Quixotc and benighted goals.
Well, one goal will be to re-establish connubial bliss. Some day. As you might have read, sometimes it gets a little wild in the Wright bedroom... possibly in less saucy and sassy ways than pre-baby. Pillows flying and covers getting tossed aren't quite the fun they used to portend. And mommy was kind of losing her mind getting up every two hours for a one hour nursing session with the brute, and then stirring with husband tossing-turning-morning-waking during the down hours. Yes, we're joining the fad and maintaining separate sleeping residences for just a little while.
As long as Chaya is mostly a co-sleeper. Or as long as Adella insists on that darned white noise machine of doom. Andrew was a little nonplussed at first, but after finding popcorn in the bed and realizing that this means he doesn't have to hear his wife whispering "god please noooo... you're killing mommy" after the third almost sleep of her fussy baby in the middle of the night... and maybe noticing the decrease in times she's threatened to injure him when he's come in for a kiss. I think we're kind of adjusting to the idea. Just for a little while.
Until we can get baby back in a bassinet or crib. But she's young and we're just not cry it outers yet, especially not before six months. So we will do our rituals to get her more used to the bassinet. And I'll pump, nurse, and sleep in the bedroom surrounded by coolers and popcorn and all sorts of sundries to squeeze a few half hours of extra sleep in.
Chaya does seem to sleep a little better with the darned white noise machine and without the transitions in and out of the room, so it is helping a bit. Most days. Although sometimes it seems like either she can sleep a bit better at night OR she can not miss her daytime naps and not thusly turn into a bipolar baby psycho for the majority of the day until she crashes at night after an epic fuss or so... I exaggerate, but well. Trade off.
Hey it's hard sleeping when you're engaging full throttle with the world right up until your bursting point. Poor kiddo is a flaming candle right now. So bright and sparkly until she's so exploded that all is lost. It's fun, inspiring and terrifying to see all the little leaps and connections forming every single day. It's exhausting just watching her reach for an object and learn how to manipulate it.
And to watch her go totally bizarro baby. Today it's serious bipolar baby with some fugue states and some major exorcist baby possession. Did I mention she does not want to nurse and is shrieking out in urgency from time to time between being cute and cuddly? Oh the fun!
But she can be a charmer. And she's liking other babies now! Yes, she had her own playdate recently with Miss Lucy, the older rockstar daughter of Molly the awesome. They did tummy time. Lucy tried to eat Chaya's feet. And Chaya spat up. I'd call that success.
And the demon rouses with a cough and a cackle... I'd best run now. Wish me luck for Baby Jeckyll!
Thrilling Threes Meet the Fab Fours Toothy Regressions and the Mouthy Marvels
Happy birthday once more to Miss Chay-Chay the Magnificent (Drool Beast)!
Huston, we have a four month old baby.
Today is actually the anniversary day of my positive pregnancy test. The things I remember when my life is dutifully archived and recorded across several media. Yes, I probably still have the two positive tests. Yes, it's gross, but welcome to parenting. That's about the least gross thing in my life these days. In fact, really I think maybe it's time to turn that positive pee stick into a proper Christmas ornament.
Maybe not...
But we are heading into ornament season and I do like to accumulate one a year to represent that year. So many options for Miss Chaya's first Christmas! One of her teething toys (which she's suddenly discovered as awesome mouthy marvels where she would once balk at them and fuss when they were placed near her mouth). Something made with the fabric of her newborn onesies. A vial of her precious drool.... Maybe just a little monkey, because she is our little monkey girl.
At four months old she's abandoned work on some of her potential "milestones" in favor of others. Namely, the impending rollover has been preempted by "GRAB AND PUT EVERYTHING IN MY MOUTH!!!" She no longer cares to be on her back, is fairly neutral about tummy time, and mostly writhes around searching for things to grab when she's laid out on her table.
Or practicing her modern opera. This girl shall be a superstar. Whenever I video her, she starts to verge towards fussing, but she has been trying out all kinds of new noises this week. With insistence. Clearly she thinks mommy and daddy are morons for failing to speak Chayese, and will repeat herself slowly and loudly for our benefit. We're still falling behind since her vocabulary alters and expands daily. We are so behind the times and struggling to keep up. Her language is part cuckoo bird nightingale, part tiger with a head cold, and part ... shrieking german? Maybe a few Chinese phonemes thrown in there somewhere with an Italian intonation.
So yes, no rolling. No sitting. Some standing. But boy is she working on her noises and her devouring of all things. Daddy got experimental enough to almost feed her some pumpkin pie before mommy reminded him that there were allergens therein and maybe her other milestones weren't screaming for solids yet anyways. But of course we'd start with pie here!
And very little sleep because four months man! "Regression" is a euphemism. More like Sleep Rejection. Sleep Disgusted Repudiation!
More hours for cuteness and overtired raging!
Half hour morning nap? Oh dear, oh dear...
Baby-P(eepee)X-90
Clearly motherhood is turning me into a superhero. After about of week of "sleeping" in forty five minute increments between baby rousings, I am pretty sure I can hear colors, taste notions, and communicate with the room elephants by singing itsy bitsy spider. Yay four month sleep regression! Soon I may also be able to fly!!
In the meantime, baby is preparing me via baby boot camp. I shall be a woman of steel following her rigid training program. Body by Baby is tough going. Here is a sampling of her routine:
Walking - for hours. Because no matter the research and rituals... no matter the rituals and research, baby mostly only sleeps on mommy while mommy is walking. Evening exceptions still involve "on mommy" but sub in nursing. Baby will also occasionally sleep on daddy while daddy is playing video games, which is a far less effective fitness regimen. But for mommy, it's walk baby to sleep for twenty minutes or however long it takes and then keep friggin' walking until your physical exhaustion outweighs your fear of a cranky baby. Occasionally baby will remain asleep once the walking has finished. This is usually only after about 90 minutes of sleeping while walking and usually requires a certain level of random luck or pre-established baby exhaustion.
The adductor squeeze - opening jars while nursing/holding a baby requires some leverage. Squeeze jar between legs while unscrewing with the freer hand. Bonus effort level if daddy has recently used the jar, because he screws lids back on very tightly.
The abductor sweep - also, everything that needs opening and closing is at pants level. Pull open by hooking a foot to any latch and extending leg. Then close by sweeping the opposing level.
The baby boba squat - affixing a thirteen pound creature to your chest, realize that everything you need is at shin level. Attempt to go deeply down into a plie to grab things while keep baby upright and undisturbed.
Wriggle fuss baby squat - baby's toys and baby are always on the ground. You need to pick baby up before the cute little mews turn into a frustrated scream because she can't actually put every object into her mouth reliably yet. Just try to do it one handed while baby is screaming without pulling a back muscle. If you managed, that's a good squat.
Baby arm curl - airplane distracts baby from fussing and is more enjoyable than tummy time. Also provides baby with a great target (mommy's face) for spit up bombs and general drooliness.
Baby biceps - Baby will only be held in one arm with the other arm supplying a thumb for baby to suck on. Baby gets heavy.
Baby bounce - baby will only be soothed while being held in one arm, with your thumb in her mouth, and while you are bouncing up and down on an exercise ball.
Baby crunches - in the middle of the night, a constantly waking baby ends up putting in some serious time on mommy's chest. Mommy has to get in and out of bed with baby on chest. Weighted curl!
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