So here I am with my second child only 16 months after my first. . .in my mind I should be a pro right?!?! WRONG!! It is as if I have forgotten everything I did with Jackson and things with Rylan seem so different. Again, Rylan is separating herself from her brother. As the school year begun I found myself alone with Rylan, Jared returned to work and Jackson happily went back to Miss Tiff’s to be with his friends. We spent our days alone together trying to figure each other out and trying really hard to remember what I did with Jackson but not comparing them all at the same time.
When I think back to Jackson as a baby I seem to only remember the good, in my mind he was ALWAYS a great baby, he slept when it was time to sleep, ate when it was time to eat, and was active and alert during play time. I forgot the hours I spent holding him and bouncing on an exercise ball or the edge of our old guest bed (I was convinced the squeaking of the springs in the old mattress was soothing to him) trying to get him to calm down or get him to fall asleep. I forgot that I pumped him full of Gas X because he was toots magoots and that we would spend several hours bouncing and rocking after his one middle of the night feeding because he rarely fell asleep nursing. I forgot about how wonderful Gripe Water is.
I forgot that as a new parent you drive yourself crazy trying to make your little one content! “Is he too hot? No he is cold! I think he likes to sleep with his head to the left. . no the right! He likes to be held up and only on the left shoulder. I think he is allergic to lactose I need to stop eating dairy. No you know what it is, it is the beans I had last night for dinner they are making him gassy for sure!” Then I thought the advice I have given so many of my new mom friends. . . “They are babies, they are going to be fussy for absolutely no reason at all except that they are babies.”
Rylan is a baby. She is a little over a month old and already I expected to much of her. Part of it is her fault, there were many nights that she would go to sleep after her 7:00 feeding and sleep till 5:00 in the morning, I mean for a newborn she was setting a pretty high bar for herself. There were a handful of nights that I would feed her and put her back in her crib awake and she would fall asleep like a rock star all on her own. So when she wasn’t sleeping through the night or she wouldn’t put herself back to sleep I found myself getting annoyed with her. Yes, I was getting annoyed with my 6 week old. Part of it was that my back and hands were killing me so it wasn’t always easy to hold/rock her, even so it wasn’t fair to her, she is a baby!
So now I let her take the lead. . .sometimes she falls asleep on her own other times I get the pleasure of rocking her and watching her sleepy smiles and coos. Sometimes she stays asleep in her swing, crib or on her playmat, other days the only place she sleeps is on mommy and that is OK because she is a baby. Who am I kidding, I am hoping that she will always want to snuggle me and take naps!
Rylan slowly complied with my crazy need for her to be on a schedule, our days start at 7 and follow the same cycle. . .eat, play time, nap time, repeat! By the time the boys get home I was ready for the noise and activity in the house and for someone else to help with the rocking and bouncing.
Have I mentioned how much Jackson loves “sissy”? He showers her with kisses, he is upset when she cries and tries to give her the binkie, and loves to lay with her and tickle her. The video below shows him tickling her. On several occasions I have come into the family room from the kitchen and see him tickling her toes and giggling or giving her kisses, talking about filling a momma’s heart with joy.
With time Rylan has become a little bit more awake, she has started to notice the toys that hang on the playmat, will engage a little bit more with tummy time (she used to put her head down and fall asleep), and has started to smile in reaction to voices (instead of gas). She is slowly finding her voice and will make little baby cooing sounds.
With the boys being gone during the day, weekends are special because it is our time together as a family. Jackson is at such a fun age and loves to play and go places, so we usually try to do something in the morning before his nap. He is DYING to talk, at times he gets frustrated because he can’t communicate what he wants to. He continues to learn different animal sounds and different body parts. He will say some numbers and letters (not in order he isn’t that advanced lol) and loves to “sing” songs like ABC and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
He loves playing at Strong Museum, we are so lucky to have such a great museum near by. Every time we go he plays and discovers a new area and loves running around with all of the other kids. He definitely thinks they are his friends! The Zoo and The Jump Club still seem to entertain him as well as playgrounds and family walks when my back is up for it. He continues to LOVE cars and trucks and wakes up most mornings pointing to the pictures in his room saying “truck” or “beep beep” or complete gibberish as he points to them. He seems so big and old compared to Rylan, but Jared and I constantly remind ourselves that he is also a baby. He isn’t even 2 yet?!!?
I have said it before and I will say it again, watching your kids grow up is bittersweet. Bitter because they are getting older and boy do they grow fast, sweet because so far each phase has been more fun than the last. I truly enjoy every minute I have with my kiddos and wonderful husband. I may not have the cleanest house and our dinners are simple, but on the weekends when we have time together as a family we are making amazing memories that I will cherish forever.
Enjoy the photos. . .
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