25.11.10

3 months in...

I'm in love!
With Lily.
With being a mom.
With babies in general.

3 months in and life is glorious. I can't say enough about Lily... She's mastered her scheduling and sleeps all night and naps on cue. Her smiles turn our hearts to mush. She's turning into the most beautiful baby we've ever seen.

Wow! When did I become THAT mom?! The mom who thinks every little thing her kid does is magic. The mom who bores you to tears going on and on about how much she loves her baby. The mom who will take up an hour of your time showing off pictures of that same sleeping baby, just in slightly different poises, from slightly different angles. Yes. Look out people. Because I'm THAT mom.

The more I bask in Lily's "good behavior" the more I'm certain those three horrible weeks of sleep training were SO WORTH IT.

Every time people congratulate me on having an "easy" baby I am taken back to those three weeks. Of crying. Every day. All day. Of heart-breaking seemingly-cruel parenting. Letting Lily cry for LITERALLY TWO HOURS STRAIGHT while she was taught that it was nap time, not sob fest 2010.

The reality is I paid my dues for having this nap-on-cue baby. She didn't seem so easy two months ago, that's for sure. And maybe some babies are that great from day one. Eating well. Sleeping soundly. Not fussy in the least. But that wasn't my baby. And it was hard work getting her to this current state of blissful babydom. But she's here. And I wouldn't change a thing.

I know there are about a million legitimate ways to parent and I certainly don't know what the top way is, but for our family, it was sleep training (Baby Wise). Leaving a crying baby not because you don't care, but exactly the opposite. Because you want her to be able to sleep well, and be anxiety-free, and not need a parent holding her to be happy. I had a VERY hard time getting to this point, and without my network of mom-friends (shout out Hailey, Erin, and Vanessa!) me AND Lily would still be crying, I'm sure. But honest to goodness, since we've arrived at the third month of Lily's life, we are SO THANKFUL we did it all.

Lily's been maybe a little TOO good, in that she already has us thinking about baby #2. That's one price you pay for having a good baby, I guess! Are we ready now? I doubt it. Although making a baby takes 9 months... But we're definitely open to whatever comes next. So far, I'm not pregnant and Lily is still an only child, but this past month has brought so much life back to our home and we want more!

Other things melting our hearts these days are her smiles and laughs, notably when Brad comes home after being away at work all day, and her noises. Lily currently does a great impression of a kitten and a baby monkey, and on occasion a baby opera singer. I'm serious. You've got to hear it. Oh and holding her neck up (most of the time). Go Lily! You've managed to do all these things this month, all the while, convincing us that we're ready for another baby. Well done.

4 comments:

  1. Brooke Anderson25.11.10

    YAY for future Baby Bump Blog #2!!!!:)

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  2. i feel like she is looking right at me in that last picture and its melting my heart!

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  3. We were Babywise parents too. I can't say enough good things about it.

    And I relate to EVERYTHING you are saying. Good for you for sticking through. You will never regret it.

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  4. Can't believe I still have to meet her! I hope she stays this good for you Em!

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