You're doing it right

I wish I could say that life with a six month old is now easier.

That we are getting sleep.

That my baby doesn't scream through a good portion of the night.

That I feel more at ease as a Mother.

That we are settling into a routine.

None of those statements is true.

But you know what is?

I've decided to stop caring about those things.

I cannot waste any more time caring about how Asa can not sleep through the night...about how what worked yesterday does not work today. It doesn't matter that naps one day are plentiful and the next almost nonexistent. I just can't care anymore.

But you know what I can say?

Asa is amazing.

He is strong and hilarious.

He loves to smile and move all over the place.

I'm biased but dang, the kid is CUTE.

So maybe one day he'll sleep through the night.

Maybe one day we'll get to those predictable nap cycles.

Perhaps I can sleep for more than two hours at a time....

But for now, I'm just trying to enjoy this.

My one tip for new moms? Believe that you're doing it right.

Comments

[mjb]

Yes yes yes! I think the hard thing is that when you're in the fog of being a new mom, you can't listen to anyone clearly, but not enough people tell you that.

And there's hope - we hit through the night sleeping around 7 months, although it's not always constant. Some of my friends had through the night until 6 months and then lost it til 1 year, so I was glad to have put in my time of sleeplessness already.

[.tif]

Hugs, mama. My little one will be 2 in less than a month and while he still doesn't sleep through the night (he's up at least twice), he's still an awesome, adorable, happy boy. I remind myself that in all things, comparison is the thief of joy. It's so easy to want to fall into the "norm," but I'm not convinced that sleeping through the night needs to be a normal measure of baby development.

Asa is adorable. Asa is loved. Asa is happy (most of the time). Those are much more important things.

You're totally doing it right! <3

[jennifer w.]

He IS adorable!! I basically came to this same conclusion. I decided not to dwell on fixing things (sleeping issues, things that didn't synch with the baby books I obsessed over) in the present, but rather project out few months and say -- will this still be a problem then? If so, then I will address it again. It took away a lot of anxiety, and allowed me just to enjoy the moment, versus feeling I needed to control it. Everything basically resolved itself without my tinkering -- just needed time.

[julia]

yes! and damn that kid is so adorable. you are amazing, i know that for a fact. xo

[Raia]

Agree! He is adorable and you are doing it right! My little one is 16 months and is inconsistant with sleep patterns - sometimes two naps (can be long or short) and sometimes one nap, she wakes up at least once per night, sometimes 4. Sometimes I think it's teething, sometimes she's sick, sometimes she's learning new things and needs some additional attention, I can only guess. It's tough to not get much sleep, really hard. If nothing else, know that you are not alone! Hugs from one mom to another.

[alyson]

<3

you're the best Abby!! I loved this post. and I love Asa. I can't wait to meet him.

[Janet]

This is absolutely the right attitude. I wish I could always feel this way, but it's hard (lack of sleep doesn't help :). I'll try harder. Good luck, and you are so right, he is adorable!

[Maimai]

Good tip for not so new Moms too!
Love you!
Exactly what I needed to realize!

[Anna]

Thanks. I still struggle with this one, and my little girl is almost a year. Hang in there, you're doing a great job!

[brooke]

nice.

all we can do, you know, is see the positive side to things, no matter what we're dealing with. it sure beats fudging around with all the stuff we wanted to - hoped would happen, and hasn't yet.

there's always good stuff around to see, all the time.

you're doing a great job!

[mary catherine]

YES!!!

[Amanda]

You are absolutely doing it right. But it is still okay to be frustrated and freaked out sometimes! And yes, one day he will sleep. He will.

[Solar House]

this baby was wonderful. It is good when a child had enough sleep at night to have good waken morning and also to the mother.

[Lesa]

You cuodln't pay me to ignore these posts!