I came to a conclusion this month - we didn't get our easy baby first. That's right - I'll admit it! If this blog is still kickin' around when Madelyn gets old enough to read, I'll let her read it too. Don't get me wrong - I love my baby. Those smiles melt my heart and hearing her babble is awesome but she can wear you down! We've decided the Davis temper can't be bred out and can definitely be traced right down to my daughter! She will smile at you and literally 5 seconds later she turns and is screaming her head off for no particular reason other than she wants her opinion heard.
That being said, we've come up with a pretty good list of ways to get your baby to chillax. If you are reading this at your wits end, feel free to try some of them out.
1. Stand in the bathroom and turn on the shower. I would recommend cold water since it is for the sound, not the steam and Consumer's Energy doesn't get you a break on your bill because you've got a baby at home. I use this time to get caught up on my magazines while I hold her.
2. Put her in the stroller and walk around the house. She loves her stroller and this has successfully lulled her to sleep a few times. It is especially fun when you get a train of animals following you and you get to feel like you're part of the real live circus!
3. Go outside! I don't care that it is 10 degrees in Michigan right now. I don't even care if it is in the middle of a snowstorm. When you bundle her up and take her outside the crying stops within 10 seconds. We've walked the neighborhood several times but if I need a quick fix, I will throw a blanket over her and just step onto the deck for a few minutes. It's usually calms her down enough to realize she's not that mad after all.
4. Sing. Yup - I'm now one of those parents who is singing "If You're Happy and You Know It" at the top of my lungs while I dance around with a crying baby. It works - don't judge.
5. Carseat on the running dryer. One night, Nick and I considered sleeping in the basement. Madelyn woke up 5 minutes later and we ended up nixing that idea but it worked for 20 minutes of silence.
The month hasn't been all crying baby - there's been some awesome moments as well.
1. Madelyn started sleeping through the night at about 7 weeks. She has kept it up for a week and a half now! I don't take a single night for granted, and I think that's key. I always plan on getting up at 4am and view it as a pleasant surprise when I don't have to. That first morning I woke up at 7am and freaked out that I hadn't heard her cry. I promptly checked that she was still breathing - she was! I nudged Nick and in his sleepy state, he jumps up and says "does she need a diaper change". I told him no, she's still sleeping! We then went back to sleep for another blissful hour!
2. Baths have gotten to be fun! She likes when we fill the kitchen sink and hold her while she splashes in the water. She can really get her feet going and would prefer we keep her there until the water gets cold. Getting her out of the water is a bit of a screamfest but we've started tossing her towel in the dryer for a few minutes first and it goes much better.
3. Madelyn loves naked baby time. I think her favorite time of the day is when I strip off the diaper and just let her hang out for awhile. Her legs kick nonstop and she shrieks in absolute happiness.
4. She is recognizing people and smiles when you talk to her. She loves when you sing and could hang out on her changing pad for hours just babbling. Adorable!
5. She loves getting read to and we can usually get a book or two finished before she gets distracted. She will just sit on my lap and listen to the story and I can't wait to figure out which ones will be her favorite!
3 comments:
If you ever need to convince anyone, I will testify that your daughter does not like underwear or pants. Seriously, she does not like them. At all.
lol. sounds like dexter has been talking to her MI friend telepathically and teaching her how to be difficult.
have you tried using the wrap? dexter wouldnt let us stand still with the wrap, but if we were bouncing or walking around with her in it, there was silence, and at least you had your hands free.
also, you should peruse youtube for a waterfall sounds video. i cant for the life of me find the one we used everyday for dex, but basically it was a roaring waterfall noise and we BLASTED the sound on the computer. we called it a brainmelter, but it helped her calm down and/or go to sleep. you could try that instead of running the shower.
i cant think of any other tricks, but im glad to hear that fresh air works for her too! babies just love it!
we do use the moby - it definitely is working my butt and leg muscles since i have to squat with her in it rather than bend. she only likes the positions that allow her to look out - no more newborn hug hold for miss m. we have the happiest baby on the block cd with the shower water track. dang girl knows the difference between the cd and the actual shower. nick and i have both woken up in the middle of the night thinking the other person was in the shower...nope - it's the cd. m however is NOT fooled.
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