This post has been updated with a photo of me and Claire (in profile) below. (I don’t post photos of Husband on the blog.)
I’ve got one new photo up of Hurricane Claire in addition to the one below. After several days of long crying bouts and obvious tummy pain, we help Claire catch sleep where and when she can. The photo is how she has spent much of Saturday afternoon — on the Daddy Divan.
I’m providing a link to it, though since it’s categorized for friends and family, if you’re not a Flickr member with that status, you might not be able to see it.
But give it a try: here.
I gotta say, colic throws all hope of a routine or schedule haywire at a time when they are most needed. I’m not a fan of CIO (Cry It Out — hell, I can barely tolerate my baby’s cry), but I’m also sick of the guilt trip I feel when I read anything by the Attachment Parenting Terrorists. (That is not my term but I love it; I’ll let the person who coined it claim credit in the comments. Per the suggestion of said person, I’ve stopped reading their material.) Our doctor has said the baby is too young for sleep training, but that’s not what we want to do. We’ve needed guidance on how to ease this child into the sleep she so desperately, clearly needs. As I sorted through handouts from the class we took at our medical center, I came across a list of suggestions that seem helpful.
At the yarn store the other day, I commented on how she will not permit herself to be put down for very long. Someone said, “Why would you want to put your baby down? Why wouldn’t you want to hold and carry her?” I replied that sometimes you gotta answer the call of nature, or geeze, maybe eat something. The reply came, “Well when she’s a toddler and going through separation anxiety you won’t be able to go to the bathroom alone anyway!” That’s not the point. Since Claire fights the Infantino carrier and the Moby wrap, I can’t wear her as I’d intended. I really resent the implication in that question that I’m an unloving parent simply because I don’t want to hold my child 24 hours a day every day. It’s not just that I don’t want to — it’s also physically unfeasible. So if you’re inclined to think this way and judge me, do us all a favor and shut up already.
My mother-in-law called; she just returned at 11 p.m. yesterday from a trip to China. She wasted no time telling me she’ll come back to help out if I want her to. We may just take her offer!
hehe…i like your attitude here, kathryn.
and btw, you look beautiful in this picture!
Ignore all Parenting Theory Terrorist. Really. What is with people who think that wanting to put your baby down is somehow unmotherly? What kind of love is it anyway when you have to prove it to strangers all the time? And hey, my son’s learned that Mom likes to go to the bathroom alone.
Hey, not only can you set your child down, you can actually leave the room and still love her. Shocking, isn’t it, that love stretches so far.
I’ve long suspected that Claire really likes and needs to sleep on her tummy. That’s another mountain, though. Suffice it to say that in our house, when we could keeps watch, i.e. day, we put baby to nap on her tummy a lot and she quite simply could sleep no other way.
And you do look lovely. I bet you’re hoping you never look this lovely again.
If you never put Claire down, then she’d not realize how good it is when you pick her up. Geesh.
Came here after reading your comment on Momma Zen’s posting. Your blog looks interesting. I’ll browse for awhile but will be really quiet so as to not awaken Claire….
You have probably heard it all, but just in case you haven’t, someone once told me they had a difficult baby and this saved them: http://www.babyhammocks.com/
Good luck, and hang in there!! It sounds like you are doing a fab job.
She may be exhausted, but she sure is pretty. Lovely photo of the two of you.
Sometimes it feels like you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. When my own son has gone through difficult phases and others give me advice, I noticed that while they were willing to tell me how to do it, none of them were willing to come help me do it. So I had to stop listening.
I love your attitude: honest, irreverent, funny, compassionate.
And no matter what, sometimes it helps with these things to remember nothing lasts.
My first child had colic for 3 months. I had this beautiful child and she cried 24-7. After taking her to a special pediatrician, the only thing she said was she would out grow it and sometimes it is a sign of intelligence. My daughter graduated from college Magna Cum Laude and is the so calm and kind- hang in there, the best is yet to be
I really love that Sign of Intelligence thing. It’s certainly true for Georgia, and since I can’t remember my infancy I’m starting to cry right now and I won’t stop!
Lovely to see the two of you, nice photo. Hope all goes well.