Jack says: Grandma Jackie left last week which was a shame because she always seemed so happy to see me – even in the middle of the night!
Grandma and Grandpa, sorry, abuela and abuelo Fischler arrive on Sunday. I’m looking forward to brushing up on me espanol. Unfortunately I’ve got a small, dry, scaly patch on my forehead which is slightly embarassing. Mum says I look like an extra from Star Trek. People still coo over me so I must still look pretty cute.
Life is pretty good at the moment. My every whim is catered for. Sometimes it takes a while for the big people to understand my whims but they get there in the end. Hannah and Stew even bought me a tumble dryer!! Which is great because now my burp rags and blankets are soft against my delicate skin instead of crunchy.
I am really starting to get the hang of life on the outside. I am no longer afraid of my stroller. I do not need to be next to a warm body to fall asleep – although I do prefer it. I have learnt how to roll from my tummy onto my back. Luckily I was on the floor when I executed this manouevre. I have also discovered that I can scream really loudly which certainly gets their attention.
My vital stats:
Length: 56.5cm
Weight: 5250grams
Keelie says: It's been a good and bad week. I lost my home help but gained a job (some freelance writing - yey!). Jack got reflux but I got my Oz visa.
So I've been at home with Jack by myself desperately waiting for him to go to sleep so I can do some work. Reflux is like acid indigestion. Essentially it means trying to keep your baby upright for as long as possible after a feed and listening to him scream for anywhere between 10 minutes and 3 hours.
The experts say the most important thing you can do for your baby is respond to him with love. That way he knows he is important and can influence his environment. When faced with your own screaming baby, I've got about 30 minutes of love response time and the rest wavers between mild annoyance and full-blown anger. After about two hours I have to put him down in his bassinet, leave the room, go into the bedroom and shout 'SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!'. It is incredibly draining trying to make a screaming baby stop crying...I am responding to you and I am getting NOTHING back except more screams!
Eventually Alex comes home and takes over - relief! On Friday night out of sheer desperation we decided to put him in the stroller and head out to buy take-away. It was raining but we persevered for the sake of our sanity. Jack was asleep within minutes. We went to our favourite Greek restaurant and sat down to wait for our food. The waiter came up and commented that we had the best table in the house so it was ironic that we were leaving and suddenly the light bulb! We could eat here! If Jack wakes up we'll just pack up our food and go...three hours, one meat, platter, some red wine, some champs and a few baklavas later...happy parents! Jack even slept through the belly dancing show (not that he needs to see things like that at his tender young age) with very loud music.
The silver lining to crying fits we have discovered is that babies sleep long and hard afterwards. Small comfort when facing a small set of shaking tonsils but it's good to know there is a calm after the storm.
As an aside, the last time we ate in that restaurant it was with Ximena, Luis and Jen in November 07. We found out about the baby the day before. It was kind of strange to see the end result dozing aside our table months later...
The thing with having a baby is that while there are hundreds of books written on the subject, no one has managed to write a manual. Keeping Jack happy is mostly a process of elimination – is he hungry? Tired? Too hot? Too cold? Bored? Overstimulated? Wants a cuddle? Wants some time out? Or the worst possible option – he needs to let off some steam i.e. scream for England (or Australia in this case).
We’re moving into refined guesswork now. Mostly based on knowledge of his preceding activities. He hasn’t fed for 3 hours? He must be hungry!
The other thing to face as a parent is an astonishingly varied spectrum of opinions on how you should be raising your kids. From authors, health professionals, parents and anyone who knows anyone who ever had a baby…
‘They say that babies shouldn’t eat more than every 2.5 to 4 hours so if he’s trying to eat more often try spacing out his feeds. You can try distracting him between feeds’.
If I’m hungry I go to the fridge and fix myself a snack. I do not wave coloured toys in front of my face, put myself in a bouncy chair, sing or dance round the room in the hope that I will become less hungry. If Jack is crying two hours after a feed because he wants a top-up, it seems a bit mean to say ‘No Jack no. You’ve just eaten a full meal. Just because your stomach is the size of a ping-pong ball’. Maybe he likes to snack? If babies learn by imitation then it would be entirely natural based on the snack habits of his parents.
‘They say babies should follow a routine of eat-activity-sleep. After breastfeeding wake your baby so that he does not associate your breast with getting to sleep’.
I don’t know if you’ve seen a baby after a feed but it makes them reeeally sleepy. Erm, hello? My baby is asleep at last and you want me to wake him up so I can then get him back to sleep?? No thanks.
I figure the secret of baby books is to choose the one that supports your own views. I am reading a book by the excellently named Pinky McKay. She is in favour of co-sleeping, feeding on demand and she says it’s okay to let your baby nurse to sleep! So as I read her wise words I can nod my head smugly in agreement instead of thinking ‘oh shit I’m doing it all wrong’.
Alexis says: My life used to be so simple! What have I done?
Photos: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=144266&l=37e85&id=855875421
