Friday, June 17, 2011

How we're doing

In the first couple of weeks after Damon was born, people would ask me, "Is he a good baby?"

It was a hard question.

Really, all babies are good, aren't they? And Damon wasn't really a very difficult baby...he just wasn't as easy as my other two. He didn't sleep as well as they did, he was colicky and gassy, and he was not snuggly (a hard adjustment after my uber-snuggly Carmen).

At the beginning of June our whole family went to California for a week for a family reunion. It was nice to see my sweet Grandma Anne (with whom we stayed for a while) and my parents and siblings. The kids had fun playing with their cousins. Traveling with 3 kids wasn't as hard as it could have been, and they were all angels on the airplanes. But the nights, and consequently, the days, were hard. Going across 2 time zones, adjusting to different food, and sharing the same room with 2 young kids (one of whom never wants to sleep) and a colicky baby wore Steven and me pretty thin. By the time we got home, I was ready to...well, I don't know. I was ready to do something to get away from fussy kids and get some sleep.

Somehow, though, that trip did the trick for Damon. Ever since we've been home, I can wholeheartedly refer to him as a good baby! He sleeps at night for 4-5 hour blocks. He manages to poop and toot without straining and fussing for hours. He does not need constant bouncing by a standing adult. He lies on the floor, by himself, for minutes at a time, looking around and cooing. He smiles and makes cute faces. He SNUGGLES!

So, this week has been a happy one, and I am very grateful. Looks like we won't sell him to the gypsies after all.

5 comments:

A Roper said...

Yeah!!! I am so happy to hear that our crazy party did the trick!

annie (the annilygreen one) said...

that's what solved all of maren's sleeping issues too...a vacation to california! too bad we waited till she was 4 months old...

joyous said...

Yeah!!! It can be so hard at times. I"m glad that Damon is settling down. It is still amazing to me how different they can all be. I thought my first two were at opposite ends of the spectrum and wondered where number three would be....way out in left field, no where near the first two! And I love them all. :)

Kathy said...

So glad he moving away from a fussy phase. Those can be so hard and tiring.

Lauren said...

Hooray for sleeping! It's amazing how everything gets a little better with a 3-4 hour stretch of sleep instead of a 1-2. :) I must admit, I'm still looking forward to a good, solid 8 hours, though. I guess I'm just greedy...