Noah...The First 8 Weeks

So, in exactly 4 hours and 45 minutes, Noah will be 8 weeks old.

When we first brought Noah home, I tried putting him on a feeding/sleeping schedule. HA. That went out the window very quickly. I could not stand to hear him cry when I knew he was hungry. He's a NEWBORN, he doesn't understand that I want him to sleep. All he knows is he is hungry and wants FOOD. I was more than happy to give it to him.

I never let him "cry it out". I think it's just ridiculous. If they are crying, they are trying to tell you something. Newborns don't just cry to get on your nerves. My friend told me that research shows that babies who are responded to quickly, calmly, and lovingly, are much less fussy when they get older. They learn better ways to communicate what they want because they learned to trust you from a young age. Sure I want Noah to sleep through the night sooner rather than later, but honestly, it's not like he's going to be 18 and waking me up in the middle of the night to feed him is bottle.

That's my philosophy on parenting. "Whatever, he's not going to do this when he's 18." I remind myself of this when he's crying because he's overtired and I missed his bedtime. I remind myself of this when I am in a dead sleep only to be awoken by the sounds of a hungry crying baby who wants food NOW. And really, is it HIS fault that I stay up late on the computer because it's the one time of night I have all to myself?

Everything I thought I'd do as a mother, went out the window as soon as I became a mother. And then Noah got sick, so everything I planned on doing after I had Noah, went out the window. When Noah gave us that heart scare, it was then and there that I realized how parents end up on Super Nanny. All your kid needs to do is scare you half to death, and then you are so grateful he is alive, you will do anything to make his life easy, pleasant and drama free.

For example, Noah was extremely congested for the first few weeks. The grunting, gasping, and snorting of air was enough to send me to the looney bin. It jolted me out of my sleep more times than I can count. The kid always sounded like he was on his last breath! I discovered that if I let him sleep on my chest so that he was sort of in an upright position, the snorting and gasping diminished greatly. Having a baby in my bed was the first "I will never..." that I broke. I have broken many more since then, and will probably continue to do so.

And now look...it's already been two months and I can't believe how much he's changed already. He is eating and gaining well and is still a pleasant and content baby, but he certainly has a stubborn streak. If he is uncomfortable, he wastes no time in letting you know. For instance, we used to fight with him to burp him in between ounces at his feeding. I finally learned that if he wants to be burped, he'll let me know. I at least try at the very end when I know he has been fed and is full. But for the most part, if he cries and you respond right away and take care of the need, he is good as gold.

He has been smiling since he was around 5 weeks old, but I've noticed this week that he actually recognizes us. His smiles aren't just for his friends whirling around on the ceiling fan anymore.

And the coos and goos coming out of him! I seriously think he thinks he is talking to me. I just pretend I understand and make up some story out loud that I think he is telling me. If anyone heard the way I interact with my baby, they would either think it was absolutely adorable, or completely insane.

Either way, he likes it-- and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing that little boy lock eyes with me to give me a million gummy smiles.