Thoughts & First Video

I am really enjoying my maternity leave. I get 12 weeks of paid leave + 4 weeks of vacation which I saved up. Everyday is pretty much the same routine but I am enjoying that fact that my only responsibility is to be a caretaker to my child. No deadlines, timelines, place to be, people to talk to, meetings, issues. Even though my schedule revolves around the baby's feeding and napping schedule, and even though I'm more limited in being able to go outside, I like being at home and having a somewhat flexible schedule, not to mention the quality time spent bonding with my baby. I go back to work in Jan 2014 and even though it is a while away, I'm not looking forward to it. I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom but it doesn't seem so bad. Realistically I don't think it would ever happen but if it does, I would be stealing Tom's dream of being a stay at home dad ;-)

I see other kids like 10 months, 2 year old and I can't wait to experience Allison at that age. A child of my own who laughs, giggles, walks around, play - I can't wait. But I know that I need to cherish this time because everyone says that it'll go by quickly. It's true, because already she is 7 weeks old. It's very important that I step up taking videos because those moments will never happen again. The other night, Tom and I were in the living room with the baby in her room. I heard a door open or close and I imagined that it was a little 1.5 year old Ally coming out of her run towards us, as in, "mommy, daddy, I can't sleep". Tom really liked that imagery.

I also really look forward to experiencing the love that a child has towards his/her mother. There is a special bond, a special unconditional love that exists - at least until they become a little older and resentful.

Daytime naps are so important for babies and little kids. Missed naps will result in fussiness and crankiness, as we have experienced on a few occasions. Fussiness = hysterical crying. Caretakers need to protect their little one's sleep requirements at all costs. So if the baby wakes up from a short nap, they should be rocked back to sleep If baby keeps waking up in crib, then caretaker has to hold them for the entirety of the 1-2 hour nap in order to ensure that the nap is taken.

Yesterday, Allison had the longest sleep stretch so far. Once there was a 6 hour stretch, but yesterday was a 8 hour stretch! 7pm feeding and 8pm down in crib.. and next wake up time at 4am! What the... how crazy good is that? Let's see if it continues..

Here is a video of 6+ week old Allison cooing and smiling: