Before bed the other night, I sat down next to Vishnu and said, “Without fail, I feel absolutely drained at the end of every day. And at the same time, I’m so happy. Motherhood’s greatest paradox?” Vishnu said he feels the same way and is always surprised by how we’re able to keep going at the rate we do despite how tired we look and feel. You gotta do what you gotta do, right?!
Anyways, I think this paradox is the theme of the month – for me, Vishnu, and Kaiden! With that, let’s dive into how the various members of our household fared during month 7…
[Side note – I may be forgetting some things here and there because I’m tired. Kaiden’s now battling a cold, so that means little sleep and constant worrying for me and V.]
STATE OF KAIDEN
Kaiden is officially entering ‘big’ boy territory. He’s showing his independence in small but significant ways. For example, he’s well on his way to holding his bottle without any assistance and does so a lot of the time. But don’t let this fool you, he still loves to snuggle with his mama! Just this morning I was thinking about how I need to cherish the snuggles more because before I know it he’ll be a real big boy.
In terms of food, Kaiden is loving all the solids coming his way. (FYI – I have a separate post on this topic coming soon.) He’s been consistently eating two meals a day for the past month – everything from fruits and veggies to yogurt and oatmeal. I don’t think he’s hated anything yet. This coming month, we’re moving to three small meals a day that are thicker in texture. Also, to practice his pincer grab, we’re going to give him little pieces of food and show him how to grab and (hopefully!) put them in his mouth. Fingers crossed!
I’ve written about our sleep woes before, but we’re seriously in need of an intervention over here. The other night, Vishnu looked at me and in a very serious voice said, “We need help.” I couldn’t help but laugh because sleep is kind of like our Everest right now. I know most parents go through different phases and it all ends up ok in the end, but right now, I’m running on very little sleep since the beginning/middle of December. Just when we had things somewhat under control/manageable, we all got sick with the stomach bug. And now, K has a cold with some pretty intense congestion. We’ll get there…at some point!
Daycare is one of our highlights this month. It started off a little rough (but only for me!), and now I can honestly say, aside from all the sickness, it’s going really well. Kaiden loves his teachers and vice versa. And while he is showing signs of separation anxiety at home, they never surface at daycare. Drop offs have been really easy so far. The only obstacle is his naps. They’re so hit or miss. Kaiden’s never been a great napper, and now that he’s in a bright room with eight other babies, they’re even more so. Again, we’ll get there at some point.
In terms of development, he’s sitting unassisted like a champ. It’s kind of amazing how much has changed since last month in that regard. He’s also rolling over but prefers his right side. Tummy time is also getting to be less torturous for Mr. K, which is good because we’re hoping that’ll help with crawling. When Kaiden wants to get somewhere fast, he thrusts his hips to pivot and move. It’s the cutest thing ever! And boy still loves to jump and stand. Our trusty jumperoo is still a favorite around here. He’s also much more stable on his feet. We’ve been practicing standing and want to get him a toy for some fun support soon. For now, I’ve been holding him by the sofa and letting him grab on for as long as he can. Other than that, his favorite toys have been these stacking cups and these stacking rings. He’s a pretty simple guy!
In other fun news, Kaiden got his first haircut this month! It was pretty painless, and thankfully, Nemo and gang provided some much needed distraction. I don’t know where he gets it from, but he’s due for another cut/trim soon. We’re using his bangs as a guide. When they get too close to his eyes, it’s time. And guess what…we’re close!
Finally, Kaiden is a chatty Cathy when he wants to be…usually in the morning. Like mother like son! We’re hearing lots of ‘athathas’ and ‘daaaaas.’ I can’t wait until he actually starts talking! His laughs are also so much fun. I love it when we find the thing that makes him giggle like no other because he finds it hilarious and looks at us like ‘again, again!’
A lot of people told me this age is the best, and I have to agree. Despite the lows we’ve experienced so far, it’s been an absolute blast!
STATE OF MAMA
Honestly, this month (up until this past week), I felt every single emotion known to man. From excited to happy to sad to guilty to overwhelmed. It didn’t show for a while, but I’m working hard to embrace the chaos, especially going forward. Logically, I know so much is out of my control and that I’m better off focusing on areas where I can influence the outcomes. Let’s say these next few weeks are about putting that thought into action!
Like so many mamas out there, I’m just taking every day as it comes and doing what I can, including putting food on the table, exercising, etc. I will say this is much easier to do when I stick with my daily/weekly plan – things like prepping lunches/bottles the night before, meal planning/prepping, etc. If nothing else, these few small tasks really help tame the chaos and create time/space for other priorities. Don’t have it down to a science (nor will I ever), but slowly figuring out what works for us and trying to stick to it.
STATE OF DADDY
Vishnu has officially entered a 12 week period where his weekday schedule isn’t as unpredictable as before. Yay! On the flip side, he’s working lots of weekends (consecutive ones at that). Boo! Honestly, it’s not that bad, except we miss him a lot. I can’t wait until his 4th year when weekends are a thing of the past!
Something Vishnu’s been thinking about (and sharing with me) lately is being a medical professional who’s also a dad. On the one hand, he has first hand knowledge about certain medical issues and knows when to react and when to let things be. On the other hand, it’s hard for him to put that knowledge into action because Kaiden is his precious baby. Even when he knows not to worry, he does. It’s like his head and his heart are constantly in battle. Me on the other hand? I’m always overreacting!
STATE OF PAR AND VISHNU
Vishnu and I finally came to the conclusion that we’re in a rut. A ‘we’re too comfortable in our routine’ kind of a rut. When we fall prey to comfort, it’s easy for us to take each other for granted and not have as much fun as we know we’re capable of having.
Something I absolutely love about my husband is that he craves communication, especially with me. He’s not one to shut down for a long period of time and let things be. He wants to talk and figure things out together. I’m so thankful for this trait of his because in a day and age where marriage often gets pushed to the back burner, he wants to keep us front and center.
With that being said, we each took some time this week to list out five activities we want to do together in 2018. We then compared our lists and came up with a master list. I’m not going to lie, this alone makes me feel more connected to him and not to mention excited about what’s to come.
With that, the MIS household is ready to welcome month 8 and all the adventure that’s sure to come our way!
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Aww these monthly posts of yours are the best ! It is the perfect snapshot of life at this moment. So glad K is doing well at daycare. Our little 7 month bug has had two haircuts already as well and we do the exact same measure of the bangs!
Thank you! So your little guy has a head full of hair too?! K’s hair makes us laugh every day. It’s just so long and plentiful!!