I scream...you scream... at least we get some social smiles, too!

Tuesday, September 18, 12

Maddie is not 6 weeks old and she is growing and changing just like the weather.  It is beautiful outside with fall approaching, but the nippiness in the air brought me to realize how little cold-weather clothes I have for Maddie. I will definitely need to go shopping soon.

Mads is looks bigger and bigger every day and I am noticing recently how strong her neck is.  She is holding it up on her own for short periods of times when I pick her up and she turns it from side to side when playing in her gym on the floor.  She is mesmerized by the toys.  Phil has also noticed how much she loves nature – just like her mom! He brought her outside yesterday when she was crying and she was transfixed by the sky and the trees in the backyard.  I can’t wait to take her on another walk so she can become more familiars with the sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors. 

Another really exciting development is that Maddie is beginning to smile socially now! We are so excited and it makes playing with her even more fun. 

The past week has been very difficult in terms of fussiness, though.  I found myself driving around in the car in the afternoon with Maddie in tow on Friday because she wouldn’t stop screaming.  The car ride was the only thing that would calm her, but by the time I finally strapped her in and went out on my way, I was distraught.  I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Why does this little girl not like me? I am trying everything to comfort her. Why am I not enough?” The screaming continued long into the night and Phil and I ended up driving her around at around 11:30 PM again.  I feel like people don’t really warn you about this part of having a baby.  You hear about fussiness, gassiness, sleeplessness…but no one really talks much about the screams and how heartbreaking it is.  We are getting through it now and Maddie is quieting down more at night, but we have experienced some very difficult days. 

Phil and I are trying, now, to get Maddie into a bedtime routine and it seems to be working great! We started giving her a bath every night, which seems to really soothe her.  I then feed her and rock her a little bit.  Most of the time, I wait until she is asleep to lay her in the crib, but there have been a few times when I was able to put her down when she was still awake.  Remarkably, she self-soothed and drifted off to sleep on her own.  She is still sleeping for 6-7 hour stretches at a time (with one 8-hour stretch which felt like heaven!), so we are well on our way!