I’m writing this post from France, with a sleeping baby happily napping in his travel crib in the next room. Every time I put Theo to bed and he drifts quickly off to sleep, I am grateful. Grateful to my husband, for his perseverance; grateful to Theo, for being so willing to change; and grateful to all of the sleep advice I received from books and blogs and friends.
Theo turned seven months old on September 11 while we were vacationing in Beaune, in the Burgundy region of France. We had a quiet, snuggly day filled with naps and books and slow dancing, because our sweet little boy had a low-grade fever. What we thought was teething advanced to his first cold.
I’ve been pretty quiet here lately, because the last month or so we’ve had a full house. Our friend, Michele, visited us from Denver. My Dad came to visit from Mississippi. Elie’s cousins visited from Toronto. My aunt and uncle drove up from Oregon. Our friend, Daisy, and two of her friends visited us from…
When Theo was born, he spit up quite a bit and was very gassy. He didn’t spit up enough to be diagnosed with reflux, but enough that I was concerned that something in my diet was bothering him. When it comes to food sensitivities in your breastfed baby, it can be a frustrating process to diagnose…
Five months. This is it. I remember a friend saying that this is the stage you dream about when you dream about having a baby. The squishy cheeks, the big toothless grins and giggles, the cuddles that envelope you with their trust and sweetness. We’re in it, deep, deep in love with this little one.
I just re-read my first three months about life with Theo, and it underscores three truths about parenting. One, it goes by so fast. Two, once you think you have something figured out and you settle into a routine, it changes. And three, it just keeps getting better and better.
Someone found his thumb this week. After trying to chew on his whole hand for the past month, he finally figured out how to separate thumb from fingers and start sucking on it–a loud, slobbery sound that makes us laugh.
I’m so glad I’m writing down the details of these first months of Theo’s life, so I will always remember what we did and how I felt, because the first few weeks after his birth already feel like a hazy dream of nursing and pumping and snuggles and wonder. It’s amazing how quickly Theo has…
Breastfeeding should be intuitive, right? It’s the way all mammals feed their little ones. And for some people, it is. Like my Granny told me before Theo was born, “You just put that baby up there, and he’ll be fine.” Or like my doula told me about when she had her first child, “I didn’t…
Today is March 14, my 41st birthday and three days past the one-month anniversary of Theo’s birth. When you’re pregnant, everyone tells you that your life will never be the same, that you will be forever changed. It’s true, in both tangible and intangible ways.
