Like an actual little child that coos and smiles and acts like a child... Not just a blob that I have no idea what to do with! When did this happen?!
I fully believe that my baby is teaching me how to parent him correctly and I just have to be open to his cues. Saturday we had a major break through and he is now sleeping in his crib in the nursery. No more bassinet or cradle in our room... Which he grew out of pretty much over night. I stuck him in the crib for his nap and he slept like a champ. 2 1/2 blissful hours of no baby attached to us made Eric and I feel like actual human beings again, so after texting back and forth with other baby mommas, we decided to just try it for the night. The monster loved it. He was warm and peaceful. He woke up twice to eat/change diapers but had no issue getting back to sleep. And last night he only woke up once! After 9 weeks of just trying to survive, I think our nights are going to be a lot better from now on!
This morning we're just chilling, in fact he's getting quite sleepy as I type this, but I'm awake and somewhat rested. I don't think I would've made it here without my amazing mother-in-law. Almost every morning during the week she has come over to watch Harrison while I slept a few hours to just keep my sanity. She'll be visiting at more normal hours now, which is awesome.
Even with such a great breakthrough, I did have a bit of a melt down this weekend with regards to nursing/formula and I am so thankful to have my cousin Susan only a quick text away. She is a nurse at MUSC and all out baby guru, so when I started freaking out over all the horrendous crap on the internet, she was there to ease my fears. Harrison's growth spurt has caused quite the increase in appetite and I'm just not able to keep up. His pediatrician said that usually my supply will catch up, but if not, it was fine to supplement with formula. I figured a feeding or two would be all, so I was freaking out when he was starving on Saturday and I just had nothing else for him (nor had I had time to do anything since my boob had been in his face the entire damn day already). Well, my friends, when you attempt to find information via Google, you will surely think you are the world's worst mom and your child will grow up fat and stupid and will die of SIDS if you do not constantly breast feed him.
And the texting frenzy began...
Between my mom (who had to switch me to formula at 2 months, so clearly it's not that bad) and Susan (who not only has 2 children of her own but is actually professionally trained), I learned that just because breast milk is best, doesn't mean formula is the devil. And that it's totally normal for this to happen sometimes. Phew.
Still, I have stayed up the past 2 nights with my eyes constantly checking the video monitor... I am officially a nutbag mother.
To end the weekend, Susannah and Trevor came up yesterday for a quick visit. The monster played along quite well and we had a great time as usual. We even got to visit Uncle Nate and taste some of his delicious Aviator beers!
So fingers are crossed for more great nights and less things to freak over. Although I did almost scream at the 2 people who let their dogs run loose while I was walking this morning. I love dogs, but I don't want your sketchy dog coming up to me and my infant. Stranger Danger people. Come on.
