So, here it is, the first in the Monster Momday series. MOMday…get it? Like Monday? Well, that was my genuine effort in being creative and funny, but don’t worry, I won’t quit my day job. I’ll begin by saying I can’t guarantee any worthwhile content here; there will be venting, rambling, possibly cursing and maybe less than popular opinions shared. To understand why I began this series, read here. But before I begin sharing our life as it is now, we should at the minimum, start with our monster, the newborn.
You should know that he has had that nickname since before he was even born. It really is a term of endearment that is mostly suitable for my boy, especially on his bad days. It started as a joke between myself and M before we even conceived….before we even married! I would share this joke, but trust me when I say it was a definite “you had to be there” kind of thing. We mostly joked about how our children, having M’s quick temper, my determination and both of our lack in patience with a love of food, that we would create a “monster”. Well folks, we have done just that! Don’t let this sweet adorable face fool you!
“Aww, look how sweet he is!” “He is so awake and alert!” Yes, yes he was and still is. In that picture he was only a few hours old, wide awake, and already ready to party. On his first night in the hospital, he cried all night. On his first night home, he cried all night. You must be thinking, babies cry, that’s what babies do Deanna! Yes, that’s we thought too…..until it got worse. Oh so much worse. At his one month check-up, the pediatrician told us to prepare ourselves as the crying would most likely increase as it does for most babies during this 5-8 week time frame. I’m sorry, did you say INCREASE? Really? Is there more than this? When we asked what to do, she said to keep a lot of wine in the house. We loved her.
Holy shit was she ever right. In my opinion, that 5-8 week old period was the hardest and worst time I could’ve ever imagined. During those 3 weeks, our son would stay awake for 16 hours straight. There may have been the occasional 15-20 minute nap during the day, but usually, he stayed awake from morning until night. And he cried all day. The only times he didn’t cry were when there was a bottle in his mouth. I was becoming really concerned that something was wrong. This can’t be normal. I called our wonderful doctor, but unfortunately I had to speak to a different one who was on-call for her. Do you know what she said? She told a sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, stressed out, new mother to “do whatever you need to do to make that baby sleep” and then said “This is not normal”. What the hell did she think I was doing? Just staring at him and politely asking him to sleep like a good boy? I explained I had tried it all and nothing works; her suggestion? Read this book on healthy sleep habits. Sure. I’ll do that in my spare time you whack job. But guess what this crazy mom did? I put him in the car, drove to Barnes & Noble and got the book. Of course this didn’t go without many stares at the disheveled woman running around the bookstore with the screaming baby plus the sympathy stares from mothers and grandmothers who felt my pain. Did it help? Nope. Have you ever read one of these books? Maybe they help Stepford babies, but not this wild child.
We were discovering that our little boy was going into the “he has colic” category and we were coping with sugar. LOTS OF SUGAR. And I was drinking large glasses of wine, every night at around 8, just to help me get through the bedtime routine which consisted of me standing in his room running a hair dryer with one hand and playing games on my phone with the other. I had to make sure he was in a deep sleep before I could turn the dryer off and leave the room. It’s the only thing that worked for awhile.
We didn’t live near any family and our friends were very few. We had little support except for one another. It was a hard time, but you get through it. You make jokes and eat cake. That’s what we did. Not necessarily the smartest idea seeing as how it led to bigger clothing sizes, but it was an outlet that helped us keep our sanity and the weight is beginning to come off. One thing I have learned about being a mom is that we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves or other parents. You do what you have to as a parent and you do it the best way you can. No one is perfect. No one has the right way. There is no right way.
So yes, I call my son monster, I think it’s funny and I like am addicted to sugar.
I also had that same sleep book, and also ended up pitching it against a wall at some point. Especially when the next book I read said to do the exact opposite. We didn’t have colic, but went through a period of my Little Man vomiting ever time you tried to put him to bed still awake. So we spent nearly the first year and a half of his life holding him until he fell asleep for every nap and every bedtime. We do what we have to do and make it up as we go along and remember “this too shall pass.”
But even so, your little monster is pretty cute. =)
I just realized my response to you never went through! Anyway, I just had to laugh about you pitching the book. I wanted to set all mine in fire.
Thanks for the sweet comment!
Oh my I remember when my little one was around 5-8 weeks and just cried a lot, I read a lot of articles online about babies because I was worried sick about all the crying. I found myself saying “They’re supposed to do that at this age, so she’s okay” LOL
LOL. Exactly! I hated the not knowing why, if there was even a why!
I remember a friend of mine in London having similar issues with the sleep patterns of her newborn daughter. If I remember correctly, she only had 3 hours of sleep a night for the first 5 weeks… needless to say she was exhausted by the time I saw her! It did of course pass, and it didn’t deter from having a second lovely daughter.
People used to say we were lucky because he slept at night, but he wasn’t sleeping at all during the day. So glad that was over by the time he was 4 months!
Any excuse for cake and wine…
I was awaiting your reply…..and it was right on target.
Sorry for the lateness of the reply - the wifi wasn’t working on the bus! But I’m now sitting on my sofa with a glass (well, bottle) of wine and catching up!
Oh no worries on that! I was just looking forward to a response about the wine and cake! I knew you’d notice
Ha ha, of course! I had to suffer 4.5 hours with a crying baby on the bus yesterday - wine, cake and wifi-less so I have a newfound understanding!
Ahhhhhh, yes …. The sleepless nights. Eight years on, and I still remember them as if they were yesterday. 30-minute latch (to me of course), 45-minute sleep, 15-minute diaper change, start over … and over, and over … For six long months. Me begging for a blessed four straight hours sleep just once again in my lifetime. Thanks for the memories!!!!!
If it’s any consolation, Kiddo eventually transitioned to 14-hour sleeping patterns.
Well he sleeps mostly good now. Once we hit the 4 month old mark, it’s been golden…..except for naps. He still likes to party all day.
Isn’t it wonderful how everything truly is like a party to them at this age? I love how they can be just as amazed by a hamper full of dirty socks as they can by a $400 race track set. I say pump the music up and join him in the fun!
Oh, no! That is a good thing to remember, “this too shall pass” though! Our little one likes to sleep with us and likes to fall asleep on us. I’m trying to transition him into his own room, if only for naps right now - since he finally has his own room, but it has been a challenge. Honestly, I feel a little weird if I’m going to bed and he isn’t nearby (on my husband’s chest, or mine).
I’ve heard from another mother that an old wive’s tale says that depending on when they were born (day or night) has an effect on how they sleep. Apparently babies born in the night don’t want to miss anything, so can be fussy sleepers. I can tell you I myself was born in the wee hours of the morning and didn’t want to sleep for long at night for the first 24 +/- years of my life because I didn’t want to miss out on ANY fun.
Hmmm he was born at 8am on the dot and I think I was born in the afternoon and I was the same way. I still have a hard time sleeping because I don’t want the day to end or I don’t want to miss out on things! It’s a curse!
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