My Mantra

If I can make it to Christmas . . .

This is what I've been saying to myself for the last 6 long, difficult, trying, exhausting, educational, rewarding, unforgettable, and fulfilling months. I knew that the first 6 months with a new baby and our toddler would prove to be something that I could not anticipate, not pretend to understand until I was living it. It, no doubt, would be tough.

I also knew that many babies fall into a regular sleeping and eating pattern around 6 months, that Meg would (God willing) have adjusted to the changes in our house after 1/2 a year, and that I would have gotten myself into a new routine by that magic 6 month mark. Kate would hit 6 months on Dec 18th, so . . . if I could just make it to Christmas, everything would be better.

And now, here we are. Christmas is just around the corner. 10 shopping days left. Do I feel like I've made it? Well, sort of.

Things certainly are getting easier in some respects. Kate sits up with confidence now, so we can bathe both girls together with ease each night. Kate eats her cereal with us at the table during meal time, so I'm not trying to find a way to keep her entertained while we eat any more . . . eating seems to be entertaining enough for her. Kate sleeps through the night with GREAT regularity, waking each morning sometime in the 6:00am hour and often dozing back off until 7-something. In many, many ways, I do feel like I've made it. I do feel like I've survived the hardest part.

But -- you know me -- I have to be honest and say that it's still kinda tough in some ways. My new mantra seems to be: if we can make it until next summer. When Kate hits one year, a lot of things will be even easier, I think. Trust me, it's getting easier every day right now. By the time this first year is up, so many of the things I find hard will feel like a distant memory.

For instance, I do feel a little bit housebound right now. Naps don't line up most days, so either one kid goes napless (usually poor Kate in the morning) or we stay home all day long. Kate isn't quite a great napper . . . still cat napping for 45 mins, maybe an hour, 3 or 4 times each day. Meg needs her 2-2.5 hours mid day. That should change over the next couple of months . . . Kate should fall into a better napping schedule when her little body rhythms mature just a bit more. By next summer, she should be having a great, solid mid-day nap, just like her big sister.

Another example: I'm back to feeling like I feed Kate all the time. I remember this very clearly from this stage with Meg . . . when you add in the table feedings plus nursing, it seems like Kate is constantly havin' herself a meal. She's not complaining -- and doing very well with solids -- and this phase only lasts a few months. Soon she'll drop some nursings and eat more food, I'll be able to give her cheerios and fruit for snacks . . . the shift will all happen between now and next summer. And by next summer, there will be only one meal to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. THAT sounds so much better than the food prep I go through three times each day right now.

I'm not rushing Kate . . . I certainly don't want her to grow up any faster than she already is. I'm not hurrying her to be a big girl so that it can make my life easier. If anything, I find that I am taking things much slower than I did with Meg, wanting Kate to stay my baby as long as she can. I just know that as this time flies by, I can expect some things to get a little easier and a little more enjoyable. Who wouldn't be anxious for that?

I made it to Christmas. We've endured the horrible spitting up, the incessant crying in the car, the night wakings, the 'when will she poop?' phase, the evening witching hour, the inability to hold up her head, the inability to sit . . . Kate has grown up so very much. Now, as we look toward the summer, we will watch her continue to change . . . rolling, crawling, walking, signing, talking, interacting, playing . . . it's going to be awesome. (And easier.)