So the end of last week/this weekend was a little challenging for me. I've been blessed with a baby who is usually exceptionally content/happy/enjoyable/sleeps through the night and takes some good naps. Starting last Thursday night, this all seemed to change and I really thought I was going to lose it! Maybe it's the fact that she's been so good from the beginning, that I'm a little lost on how to handle the whiny, non-sleeping baby that she turned into overnight? Maybe it was all the sleep I was missing out on that left me completely incapable of dealing with my little crabster? Or just maybe, I was so scared that the not sleeping and the clingy-ness would become our new "normal" that I was paralyzed and didn't know what to do?
Perhaps it was a little bit of each, but either way, I hit my breaking point on Saturday morning. Scott had left for the day to help his parents move. My plan for the day had been to paint while Elliott napped, and just hang out and play with her while she was awake. Well, our day started at 4:30 a.m. and just went down hill from there. There was no napping, no smiling or giggling or playing, and not even much eating. I really wanted to call my mom, but for fear of really breaking down and crying, I did not. It's amazing how moms develop a type of sixth sense when it comes to their children......11:30 came, I was out of patience, tired of trying to hold/rock/pat/sing Elliott to sleep, and truly just out of ways to even distract myself and her, and that's when my mom called :) She must have just known that I needed her. I started crying the second I answered the phone, and within half an hour she was at our house and all was well again.....sort of. Mom took over for me, and she did a pretty darn good job of keeping Ellie happy. She didn't try to make her eat or sleep, she just played with her, and I even heard some baby giggles! I guess that's the joy of being a grandma, you don't have to keep the baby's schedule or follow the rules. Regardless of whether Elliott was sleeping or following her routine or not, I was just happy that she was happy, and I was relieved that my mom was willing to stay and let me get some painting done! I finished our bathroom and bedroom, and I was happy with that because it meant I had actually accomplished something that day.
After I was done, we decided Ellie really did need to sleep, so my mom offered to sit with the monitor and let Ellie "cry it out", and she told me to go take a shower (she knows I'm a softie and the whole process would be easier if I couldn't hear my baby crying). Well, I made sure to take a long shower (effectively getting all of the paint out of my hair and off of my body) and didn't hear any screaming as I got dressed and even put on some make up. However, when I went out to ask my mom how long she cried for, I realized that she was rocking Elliott in the nursery......no wonder I didn't hear any crying!!! Since when did my mom become the softie?! That's my job!! Haha! The rest of that day is history, and it's a good thing. Elliott never did take a nap, and yet we survived.
My fears of losing my "easy" baby were put to rest the next day when she not only started sleeping through the night again, but she even took a couple naps with no crying. I made sure to thank my mom, and let her know that our happy baby was back, and hopefully we wouldn't be needing to let her cry it out anytime soon. The rest of the weekend was quite pleasant. We got to see Scott's family, and I had some great girl time with my sisters-in-law, and then a nice family dinner to top off our Sunday. I had fun taking pictures of Elliott and her cousin, Michael. They are just two months apart, so it's always fun to see what new things they're doing, and watch them interact with each other. Each time we get them together it's even more entertaining than the time before as their personalities continue to develop and they become more mobile and interactive. I'll leave you with some pictures from this weekend, of course, and I'm hoping by the end of this week to have the first set of "before and after" pictures from my painting adventures!
Elliott playing in a box and Nana and Papa's. This kept her entertained for quite a while!
Elliott and cousin Mykayla
Elliott and cousin Michael
They're both mobile!!
With their toys that Auntie Cookie bought them
Taking pictures is quite interesting with two very active babies!
Adorable!
I see you!!
Laughing at Kayla
Brother and sister :)
~Amanda
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