Quiet time

Saturday, May 12, 2012

When Eli was about two weeks old and six weeks old, he went through a couple of growth spurts. Anyone with a new baby knows growth spurts are the devil's handiwork. The kid literally wants to eat. all. day. If they aren't eating, they're sleeping. They wake up and they wail and the only way to quiet them is to feed them. ALL. DAY. You think, where in the hell is all this food going? And then they outgrow all their pyjamas within four days and it all makes sense.

During those times, to deal with the fact that I was spending most of my waking hours doing my best dairy cow impersonation, I got into the habit of making Eli's feeding time into a social media bonanza to "keep from getting bored". I played the maximum allotted number of games of Words With Friends with random strangers. I've drawn "seasick" no fewer than 20 times in Draw Something. Checking Facebook, checking Twitter, checking my email and before you know it, Eli's finished eating and I've multitasked successfully the whole time. Huzzah!

When you do something so frequently, day after day, you start to feel like you'll be doing that thing forever. Same goes for feeding a baby. It used to be eight to 10 times a day. Now it's down to five times a day. But nevertheless, it feels like I'll be nursing this baby forever, that it's like brushing my teeth or drinking water every day, for the rest of my life. It's not. He's six months old and I don't plan on being one of those moms whose school age child runs home after the last bell to get a snack from Mom. I mean, a snack FROM MOM. In a few months, this is going to be all over.

The other day I forgot my iPod in another room so I couldn't go online when Eli was eating (horrors). We settled into the glider and I prepared for an excrutiatingly boring 10 to 12 minutes. Eli reached up and patted my cheek and made a contented little sigh. Big brown eyes stared up the whole time. Afterward we cuddled in the chair and read a story. He smiled, stuck his hands in my mouth, tried to rip my lips off, tried to pull my hair out, tried to rip the pages of the book, closed the book, patted my face again.

What I've been regarding as a chore, another must-do on my to-do list, is probably one of Eli's favourite parts of the entire day. He's warm and cozy, snuggled up, his belly is full and he's happy.

I used to think I wouldn't have to do this forever. Now I realize I won't get to do this forever.



You Might Also Like

12 comments

  1. Sigh, enjoy them! Enjoy them enjoy them enjoy them! I was so ready to be done nursing with my first child, the second child, I could have ended up like the more recent Mother from the Time Magazine cover if she had let me. I miss that quiet time with my little ones.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's weird, now that he's starting solids I'm already getting emo about it. I know it'll just be a blink of an eye and he's going to think I'm a big loser and not want anything to do with me anymore :(

      Delete
  2. Awww, I love seeing the big eyes look up at me during nursing sessions. Nursing is one of things that I absolutely love sometimes, and other times I'm ready to have it over with. I guess it depends on my mood. But those tender moments are the best <3 Nothing comes close.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are definitely times when I'm ready to have it over with too! But now I'm getting all stressy about which solids to feed him, how much, and when. It's so much easier when they only eat one thing :)

      Delete
  3. Ah yes, I remember that. I had a moment last week. I was at a seminar at Disney (of all places) and a mother picked her baby out of the stroller, this little gorgeousness was so small that she maintained her arms crossed above her head and knees pulled into her chest position until she was in her moms arms.
    I wanted another baby at THAT moment. I have been "finished having babies, time to bring up my children" strong for 5 years now, this was a shock.
    I love them, they grow WAY too fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's crazy how fast they grow. I look at pictures of Eli and I can't believe he was that tiny a couple months ago!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thank you! We had a great day. Lots of good food and hanging out with the boys!

      Delete
  5. You are so right about your last line ... enjoy those moments because you'll really be sad when they're gone. Every stage brings new, wonderful things, but you lose a little bit of what you loved in the phase before. It's a little bittersweet to watch babies grow, but it's the best experience there is. Happy Mother's Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has been a great experience for sure! Hope you had a great Mother's Day too!

      Delete
  6. You are so right about everything, I really love it. I do the same things when I feed Caleb and then there are times when I forget my phone, panic for a second but it's too late because he's already bobbed his head toward my nips and has latched on. Those are the times where I actually sit and brush his head, smile at him and look at his eyes. I love every moment of it. I really need to forget my phone more often.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't get me wrong, I'm still playing Words With Friends 99% of the time :) but there are definitely moments where I get a little emo and realize that one day soon he's not going to want to be anywhere near me, let alone snuggle with me :(

      Delete