Suddenly you find that everything is a complete mess. The house is in disarray, dishes are piling up and your clothes are ending up in a pile in the corner of your room. Okay, I'm sure there are probably some 'Wonder Mums' out there who can look after their new baby and keep the house spotless, so props to you! Unfortunately I am one of the many who can't seem to find the time to keep everything in order. My son can be a bit needy. He always wants attention. Pop him in his bouncer, he might be content for a little while but soon he starts fussing and all you have to do is look at him, make noises and he's happy again, but will only stay that way if you're giving him all your attention. I've started putting on kids tv shows for him to watch when I really need to get something done. That seems to last him 30 minutes before he loses focus. My mum would say that his neediness is my own fault and she's probably right, but being a new mum and not knowing what to do when your child is upset, wanting to give them a cuddle and calm them down in your arms is a reasonable thing to want to do.
However, we have now made it past 3 months and he is slowly starting to get to the point where he can be more easily distracted by toys etc. Just this week I purchased him a baby play gym, which is of course Dinosaur themed (I'm obsessed with dinosaurs!) and it seems to be a total winner. He isn't quite at the point where he's trying to grab toys but those colourful, hanging dinos sure do keep him distracted.
Baby gear! Before Toby was born I thought we had everything we needed for his arrival. Turns out I was wrong. First of all, Toby was very small at birth and none of his newborn clothes we packed in his hospital bag were small enough for him to fit. We had to borrow the hospitals prem baby clothes until my mum could go get us a bunch of stuff later on when the shops opened. And then as he grew and grew, you might think you have enough clothes but you don't. Babies can go through their clothes like nothing else. Vomit, wee and poop. One mess up can mean a whole new outfit. Toby just had his 3 month shots which made him a little unwell and he's been throwing up more than usual which means that we have gone through our whole collection of bibs multiple times. Thank goodness for washing machines!
Once he arrived we also bought many other items. A portable bassinet for when we go away or visit family. A baby carrier (really we should have thought of getting one earlier but whatever). We also bought another portable floor bed/change mat before we got the proper portable bassinet, not that I'm too bothered, they're both handy at different times. Extra baby bottles; I ended up not being able to breastfeed (or express) so bottle fed was the way we had to go which mean't we had to buy more bottles. We also bought a bottle warmer and a microwave steriliser which ended up being too big for our tiny microwave (blame the husband for buying us such a small microwave in the first place). I've bought alot of other items but they aren't particularly things that were necessary, I just wanted them haha.
And of course we can't forget one of the biggest changes; SLEEP! You lose any kind of sleeping habits you once had and if you are a night owl like me then you suddenly relish the thought of going to bed before 11pm just so you can get at least 3-4 hours in before the baby wakes up. Toby isn't too bad when it comes to sleeping through the night. He has those odd days of waking up every 3-4 hours but usually he sleeps a good 6 hours straight before waking for a bottle and then back to sleep again. Last night he slept 8.5 hours! unfortunately for us our sleep was disrupted by a construction vehicle making loud noises on the street outside at 4:30am (um excuse me!!). Sometimes you just can't win.
There are good days and bad days.
Some times I want to do nothing but scream and rip my hair out because I think I might lose it from lack of sleep or not being able to calm down a screaming baby (we've had a few of these type of nights since he had his shots). There are days when I feel down for no apparent reason and might not have anything to do with having a baby and being a mum, sometimes I just get a little depressed. It helps to get out of the house as much as possible. Go out with a friend or family member, or just pop baby in the pram and go for a walk round the block for some fresh air.
Then there are those beautiful moments, when you're holding your baby and they are looking up at you with those gorgeous eyes and that loving smile and you just can't believe how you got so lucky to end up with such a beautiful little human being in your life.
Change can be good and I think having Toby has changed our lives for the better. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it and he's only been here for 3 months. I think I was born to be a mother and I love my new role as mum. It challenges me and it strengthens me.
Like always, I am looking forward to our future with our son, watching him grow and develop.
Here's to living with a baby and loving every (well almost every) second of it.
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