Progress in the Making

You really do forget how small newborn babies are...even 3.5 months later! I saw a newborn baby at church yesterday who was just two weeks old, and weighed about a pound more than Liam did at birth. He was so tiny! Holding Liam in my arms next to him, I now understood what everyone meant who came to our hospital room and kept commenting about how tiny Liam was. That was so perplexing at the time. They honestly, do not stay that way long at all. Those are the days I used to scoop him up from the bassinet with one arm in a smooth, fluid motion. Now I have to brace myself and carefully lift him using both arms! He's at least double his birth weight and was 26 inches long when I measured him last week as he was sleeping all stretched out in my lap. He's very tall for his age. Sometimes I see clothes and I think they are way too big for Liam. Then I try to put them on and I cannot believe they almost fit! A few of his older clothes are starting to get too small, but I still put them anyway on until they really look awkward.

I hope I made a some progress in helping Liam nap more effectively on his own today. I have been wanting to get Liam used to napping in his crib, instead of just on my lap on the Boppy or in his car seat (his two favorite spots currently). I really believe he will sleep better there, especially on the days I cannot be around or cannot afford to sit at my computer for a couple hours. However, I'm not a mom who wants to let him just cry himself to sleep, like some books suggest, especially when he's this young. So, this morning after he had been awake for two hours and was starting to show the first signs of getting tired, I set him in the crib and put on the Rainforest soother. I kissed him and told him to just relax and to rest. Michael turned on the monitor, and for awhile I could just hear him in there kicking around and playing. He was laying up there happy and content for at least a half hour, when suddenly I noticed he was getting more quiet. Then, the soother stopped and the rhythmic breathing started. He fell asleep!! No fussing, no crying, and no one even needing to be in the room praise God! I'm going to just keep working on doing this habitually, starting with that first early nap and eventually doing it for all naps. As it gets warmer, this also should be easier. Sometimes I think he just sleeps on my lap to stay warm. It wasn't a long nap, maybe 15-30 minutes. Still, it was a good start!

I'm thankful Liam seems to take after his Daddy as a baby when it comes to sleeping. We must have lucked out this time, so far. Another child might take after me as a baby! Anything can change though with babies and I dread when he starts teething. So, I just take each good day as a blessing, but never count on anything being a trend. I'll do all I can to support and encourage healthy habits and the rest is up to him. I cannot take full credit if he ends up being a good sleeper or a napper, nor should I blame myself if he's not.

The other good news is I got a job interview with an exhibit design firm right down the street for this Wednesday at 3pm! Honestly, I bet I could walk there in a half hour, which is how long it used to take me to drive to my old company. It is also near campus and near Michael's office. It is just for freelance work, which is honestly what I'm mostly in the market for right now, so I am excited to see if something works out. It is also just exciting to learn more about this company.

I'm still trusting God when it comes to jobs. I am open to being a stay at home mom, or working a little (as long as it doesn't interfere with me being able to be around for Liam sufficiently). I would greatly prefer freelancing over filing for unemployment right now. I wouldn't even mind the sometimes feast or famine nature of it, especially once Michael has a job that would provide better insurance and a stable source of income if it's enough to cover all our basic needs. Depending on what kind of job Michael gets, we might be able to put my freelance income toward things like family vacations and paying down our college debt so we can eventually begin saving up to help our Liam. Freelance also would let me continue my career, since I don't know if I'm fully ready to take a big break right now. I am hoping to find some kind of balance with family and my career, and will just keep exploring if it is possible or not.