Bathroom Napping, or How I Maintained My Sanity Today

For one reason or another, Davyd was particularly fussy today. Normally the child loves to sleep, & falls asleep quickly & easily at naptime & bedtime, but today naps have not come easily. I held him for the duration of his morning nap. After several failed attempts to lull him to sleep & then gently place him in his swing, which ended in screaming, I finally gave up & held him for 2 hours. Don't get me wrong, I love snuggling with this little guy, but I had things to do this morning (that still aren't done)! After his early afternoon meal, I decided it was about time I took a shower. Davyd appeared to be in good spirits, so I tucked him into his car seat & high-tailed it to the shower. He laid there contentedly playing with his hands and looking at his car seat toy for several minutes. This pleasant interlude ended at the exact moment that I began lathering the shampoo into my frizzled, overly hair-sprayed hair (hair spray is a life-saver when frequent shampoos are simply not an option). I quickly rinsed my hands, hopped out of the shower, and attempted to return Davyd's pacifier to his mouth without getting water all over him. I failed. The only option at that point was to endure the crying while rapidly rinsing the shampoo from my hair and drying off. I was then able to calm the very unhappy little man, and coax him to sleep between applications of various hair products. After completing my grooming routine, I looked at the beautiful, sleeping child & realized that the last thing I wanted to do on this earth was wake him up. I had a choice: move him & risk a repeat of the morning or leave him in the bathroom for the rest of his nap. The latter option won, so there he stayed for the remainder of his nap. For a moment, I felt slightly guilty for leaving my baby boy in the bathroom to sleep, but then I listened to the luxurious sound of silence throughout the house, and decided that my decision to leave him there was really the best thing for all of us. Motherhood requires a kind of creativity that I had not expected. Live and learn, & then leave your child wherever he will sleep (as long as he's safe). 

Lessons in Mommyhood: Two Outings is Too Many

Today I finally got to church for the first time since Davyd was born.  Our morning went very smoothly.  We even got out of the house with time to spare.  We arrived at church and were greeted by many friends who ogled over our little man. Davyd was wonderful at church.  He slept most of the time, got up once to eat, and then promptly fell asleep again. On the way home from church, Matt and I engaged in the typical "What on earth are we going to eat today?" conversation.  We finally decided to use one of the gift cards that we got when Davyd was born to go out for dinner.

This is the decision that caused the evening to spiral into a whirlwind of crying, eating, fighting sleep, more crying, and more eating.  It was very clear to us that Davyd was overly tired (Yes, my mother warned me to be careful not to let him get overly tired.  "It'll make for an unpleasant day", she said. Well Ma, you are right as usual). Finally after several conversations in which Matt and I attempted to figure out what to do (which sometimes consisted simply of confused, frustrated stares), our dear little screaming child fell asleep on his father's chest on his own.

*Cue Hallelujah Chorus*

Minutes later, Matt and I had this conversation:

Matt: (whispering) I think I'm going to put him in his swing.

Me: (also whispering) If you do, and he wakes up and starts crying, I'm going to go outside, get into the car, and drive.  I'm not sure when I'll stop.  I imagine that I will, but I don't know when.

Matt: I'll keep holding him.

He's still sleeping on Matt's chest.  Davyd has a wonderful father. I have a wonderful husband.

<3>

Eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating.

It appears as though our dear little boy is going through a growth spurt.  Over the past two days he has wanted to do nothing other than eat and cuddle, and while I thoroughly enjoy cuddling with my precious boy, I've had little opportunity to do anything else, including taking a shower (Too much information?  Forgive me.  This, I have learned, is the life of a mother).  It is, however, very reassuring to know that my boy is growing.  I have a feeling that in a short amount of time, I will no longer be concerned about his growth.  He is, after all, a Bellis.  (For those who don't know, my husband is 6'4" and broad.  Yes, broad.).  Davyd is now beginning to fit into his 0-3 months clothing, which is so much fun, because he has received many adorable outfits from friends and family.  It seems finding outfits to fit him is going to be a challenge.  He is currently wearing 0-3 month onesies and shirts, newborn pants, and 6-9 month socks.  (The boy has enormous feet.  Perhaps he will be a swimmer.)  The challenge with this is that most baby clothes are sold as a group, which means I may be found in the corner of the baby clothing store, "mixing and matching" sizes. ;) To all the moms out there, where are the best places to mix and match without angering store staff? Are there many places that sell separates?  Most of the clothing we have has been purchased by friends and family, so I'm still a little clueless about shopping for this little guy.
At the moment, Davyd is sleeping peacefully.  So I suppose I really should be doing something other than blogging.  Something like brushing my teeth or changing out of my pajamas for once.  Here's hoping he sleeps for a few more minutes!