Zen and the art of baby maintenance.

Can I confess something?  It’s 11:30pm and I am sitting here with my laptop on my knees, enjoying a glass of red wine and soon to pick up where I left off in the book I am reading from the night before.  I don’t intend to go to bed until 1am, and I will not wake up for a feeding until 5am.  At 5:30am I will be back asleep and so will Maddie, and at 8:30-9am Mark will grab Maddie for the morning feed, allowing me to sleep until 10 and therefore get around 8 hours sleep.

This is every. single. night.

I am truly blessed with the best, most easygoing baby in the world.  Aside from when plagued by gas, Maddie is quite content doing anything and everything.  Most mornings and early afternoons we have a wonderful rhythm down whereby she will swing contently in her baby swing, watching me get in my morning workout followed by shower (where she follows me into the bathroom in her swing).  Most days her sleep patterns afford me the ability to do the dishes, clean up the house, and get the laundry done.  Hell, most days I can also get in an hour or two gaming whilst the little beauty gets her sleep.  She will also happily spend some time with daddy when he gets home, allowing me to perfect my cooking skills on dinner.

When awake she offers up little flirty expressions and wonderful smiles. Most of the time (98% of the time, as my mom says) she is quietly content with snuggles, feedings, diaper changes, and the one way conversation I am always offering to her.  Bath time is another blessing where, instead of tears, we are treated to a baby who kicks and splashes, enjoying the water and the rubs she receives.  Breastfeeding, while a little rough in the beginning, is a pain free and pleasant experience and I am blessed with an overflowing milk supply with which to feed her.

I say I am blessed in these things because I know, even as a first time mom, that these things are not always the norm.  Many mothers are up every hour in the night with a hungry and fussy baby, and many mothers have to give up on breastfeeding due to the pain of cracked and bleeding nipples.  Sometimes I can get a little frustrated when Maddie has painful gas, causing her to fuss and cry for hours on end.  But, at the end of the day when the moment has passed and I am enjoying some wine, I know I’ve got it easy considering.   My little Moochie and I have an amazing rhythm down and an intuition about each other that makes it all work.

And for that I am so lucky.