My First Day

My first day as a stay-at-home mom started out great. Travis and I ate breakfast together: me-coffee and bagel, Travis: sweet potato. He made an absolute mess and loved every minute of it. Afterwards, he needed a bath, so he got one. Then, we headed to Wal-Mart for a few things. I put him in his kangaroo pouch so he'd be close and could look around if he wanted to, which he did! He then played on his mat for a while. So far, he can only go backwards and sideways, so most of the time, he just spins in a circle, but he has fun! He's learning to take the pieces apart, and loves to roll off the mat, so he needs constant watching. No telling what kind of trouble this boy will get himself into!

This afternoon, we went for a walk and the trouble started when we returned. He had only taken short naps, but that's not uncommon for him. He ate, and got very drowsy, but once I tried to put him to sleep in his crib, his little eyes popped open and he started yelling fit to wake the dead. So, I picked him up and rocked him gently. Put him in the crib--boy, those eyes popped open again, the bottom lip quivered, and the tears started. Well, maybe he's not really tired, I thought, and moved him to his swing in the living room, where he happily played until I disappeared into the kitchen to get some work done. He started screaming so loud, I thought he was hurt, but as soon as I came back into sight, he stopped crying....hmm, I thought. All afternoon, once I stepped out of sight, the crying started. Finally, I brought him into the kitchen where he sat in his high chair and happily played while I finished cleaning up. I tried to put him down for naps several times, but then the crying started. Finally, I just sat and rocked him. When he seemed calmer, I put him in his crib, where his eyes popped open and he started to cry. No, I told him firmly. You need to sleep. Then I walked out, and closed the door, hoping it would work. He cried (and screamed) for about 5 minutes...and then there was total silence. So, of course I checked on him. My little man is now sleeping soundly, swaddled up tight like a PF Chang lettuce wrap. All in all, not a bad first day, but tomorrow: longer naps.