My Little Elf is ten weeks old today! She has been mostly delightful for the past couple weeks. Thank goodness we passed through the 6-8 week slump of fussiness, nap resistance, wailing and disgruntlement! Everyone said it would start to get easier around 6 weeks and I was feeling hopeless when it got harder for us! If there is anything that is true about babies, it's that change is a given. You never know what each new day will bring. She is changing all the time. Sometimes it's a new skill or milestone she hits on a particular day. Sometimes she has a rough or moody day. But then the next day it can be totally calm and mellow.
In the past couple weeks, Avery has really become more babyish and less of a newborn infant. She is much more playful now and will sit and smile at you if you talk to her. She has also started "talking" herself. My mom taught her to say "ah-goo" and it's really cute, she will say it! I'm sure it's just developmentally easy for her to make that noise, and she can't always do it, but when it comes out of her she just about turns herself inside out with excitement. She also loves getting massaged. Rub her feet and she will just sit there and bliss out. Like mother like daughter.
The nights are still occasionally killing me. We are still co-sleeping and I'm growing to like it more and more. The best part about having her in bed with me is that I often don't have to get up at all during the night. Yes, she is still waking up to nurse every 2-4 hours depending on the night, but I don't actually get out of bed unless she poops or her diaper leaks (which unfortunately happened TWICE in the last week!). It's never the sound you want to hear at 3 in the morning - the baby ripping a huge poo in the silence of the night. It doesn't always happen, though, so sometimes I get to stay in bed all night. But when it does, or her diaper leaks, or she is having tummy issues, and I only get 4 hours of restless, broken sleep during the night, I start to feel like the days are impossible and the baby is out to get me and there is no way I will ever be able to hack this motherhood gig.
I love waking up with her in the morning. I undo her swaddle and her little arms pop up like rubber bands and she starts stretching and squirming. Then I nurse her and we doze a little while longer and she's so cute with her little belly against mine and her head resting on my boob and she will occasionally stretch out her arm and whack me in the face.
She still loves to be held constantly. But she is getting more comfortable with sitting in her bouncy seat or her swing. Now instead of 2-3 minutes, she will sit there for 10 or 15 before she gets frustrated and demands to be picked up. This would have me exhausted if it weren't for my mom being here. I think Avery gets bored of me too, because sometimes when I have her and she starts getting frustrated, Mom will take her and she'll be all smiles again.
As much fun as we are having with her, it is still hard for me to fathom how people have multiple children. I mean, just logistically, how do you handle taking care of a baby when another child also needs to be fed, bathed, dressed, put to bed, etc.??? All of my energy and attention is going to Avery and I can't imagine having to also care for another kid. I've heard tons of people say second babies are easier... There are moments when I think I might be in the one and done club!
Finally, I made an important decision this week. It sounds like my office is not going to let me work part time. I told them if that is the case I'm going to stop working altogether. I'm not even sure I want to work part time, but I'm willing to give it a try if they are going to let me do it for more than a few weeks. I haven't gotten a response from them on it yet. As much work as it is to take care of Avery, I honestly can't imagine being away from her for 50+ hours per week. At this point, I don't think I could leave her at all since she won't take a bottle. Some babies never do! I think I might have one of those. But it's not just that. I just don't want to be away from her. I mean, yes, I do want space sometimes, and I can't wait until she is able to entertain herself for a spell while mommy eats breakfast or takes a shower, but I don't want to be at work and now knowing what she's up to or able to kiss her chubby little cheeks or see her smile. I'm addicted!
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