They say that with a newborn, the days are long but the weeks are short. How true those words are!
I gave birth to my son, Lil’ Ziggy, two months ago today. Two months ago, I was in a hospital room, swaying through contractions, miraculously avoiding swearing at everyone in my vicinity, and bringing a wonderful, crazy, healthy and bright little boy into the world.
In these past two months, I have learned so much about my son, my husband and myself.
By the way, I wanted to do a monthly update on Lil’ Ziggy, but sleepless nights took their toll and I had a massive head cold on his one-month birthday. What can I say about him at that age? He was smaller and did less. That about sums it up!
Lil’ Ziggy
Wow. What to say about this little guy.
The biggest and best development so far is that he is starting to smile. Those who follow me on my Instagram can find evidence of this adorable fact! He is also making a lot more eye contact, focusing on objects and people. It’s almost like I’m having a conversation with him now! He stares at mobiles with his little arms flailing. He’s basically starting to interact with the world around him, which is amazing considering his potato-like state just a short time ago.
He is also growing like a weed. We had to retire the majority of his 0-3 month clothing last week and he’s now in 3-6 months! He seems to have a very long body, made longer by his fluffy cloth diapers.
Another glorious development in Lil’ Ziggy’s life is that he’s starting to sleep through the night! That’s right, folks, my blessed little guy is sleeping for about 7 hours a night now. How cool is that! Now I just wish I could stop waking up two or three times a night for no reason at all. But I hear that’s just a mom thing…
Now that he’s becoming more awake and aware, he’s making hilarious noises all day long that I can’t help but laugh at. First off, he grunts. All the time. But it’s a weird kind of grunt that makes him sound like a cackling evil mastermind. Then, when he’s laying in his crib and flailing in the direction of his mobile, he’ll often let out a loud “HOO!”. It’s probably my favourite of his noises so far. And of course, his incredibly dramatic sneezes, where he yells at the top of his lungs, pauses for a second, then lets out a huge sneeze. I wonder if he knows I just laugh at him all day long…
In short, things are becoming more enjoyable around here. There are still days that are more frustrating than others, but I’m starting to figure out his mannerisms and *maybe* a hint of a schedule. Even though he’s still fussier in the evenings, I find that he’s becoming less so lately. Thank goodness for that!
My wonderful husband
I’m so thankful that Chris is such a hands-on father. He isn’t afraid to take Lil’ Ziggy while I run out to the store or to a church meeting. He’s not afraid to feed him a bottle if I have enough milk stored up. Most importantly, I think, he’s not afraid of changing diapers.
This isn’t really anything new to me, but I’m continually amazed by how calm and collected Chris is, even when Ziggy is taking us on a wild and crazy rollercoaster of nonstop screaming. When I am at my wits end, Chris knows how to calm both of us down and restore a little bit of peace in the house. I’m so grateful to him for that.
He’s also getting better at cooking, which is great because I haven’t had the time or energy to make a lot of healthy meals since Ziggy was born. He’s made lots of stirfries and pastas with lots of vegetables, and he’s done a great job taking care of me, including being my water slave, filling my water bottle about a hundred times an evening. He’s my sweet caring man!
Myself
I know I have some flaws. The worst is that I seem to have a short fuse these days. It’s like I can’t refill my patience tank even when we’ve had a really good day. I’m trying hard to keep my cool when I have Lil’ Ziggy, because I don’t want him to grow up in that kind of environment. That’s why I’m so thankful that Chris is around in the evenings, when Ziggy is more of a handful.
That being said, I think I’ve learned that I’m a stronger woman than I used to be, and what I thought I was. I was able to push through the extreme frustration and breastfeed Lil’ Ziggy exclusively, and I’m not stopping any time soon. I started to trust myself and my body, and I’m starting to see the bond that has been formed between my son and I.
I tend to be hard on myself, and compare my perceived failings to the successes of other moms. It’s something that I’m working on, just believing that I am a good mother. Believing Chris when he tells me I’m doing a good job. Giving myself some grace. Heck, it’s only been two months!
So happy two-month birthday, Lil’ Ziggy! The adventure is just beginning!
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Yay! I’m so glad that he’s sleeping through the night, it certainly makes the days easier to deal with! I still need my coffee though…
This is a beautiful post. I love how honest you are in opening up about yourself. I still struggle with those things, too. Especially again with a new baby in the house. You just gotta’ keep at it until you hit a stride. Keep up the good work, momma!
Thank you for this kind comment! Things are getting easier, which is good. Just like every momma, we gotta keep at it! 😀