It’s hard to believe it’s already been five months. I often think about it and at times it seems very daunting to think about having this responsibility for the rest of your life but then I think of how quickly this time went by and I feel much more at ease. See, one thing everybody tells you and you won’t really listen to until you’re a few months in is it will pass. The seemingly random crying, the late nights, the moments when you have no idea what to do, the self-doubt - well maybe not that one - they are all temporary. The moment that sinks in, it becomes a bit easier.
I remember the first time our son was REALLY crying, we had no idea what was wrong, in hindsight he was just tired but then we were all crying, we were really frustrated and we thought this is going to be a daily thing. Luckily by learning to recognize the signs and establishing a routine, we managed to avoid most of the meltdowns. There’s still some odd crankiness from time to time when we misjudge the time of the walk or forget to bring a bottle but nothing too serious.
Our routine has become very stable, I have no problem waking up early so whenever the lad wakes - usually around 6 am - I get up as well, we play a bit either in his cot in the sitting room or in his little chair, then depending whether I have work he stays in the cot and plays with his toys right next to me or we just play more together. The baby naps a few times during the day, usually an hour at a time at least twice but sometimes three times so whenever that’s going on I can focus on personal projects (or work duh) or do chores. When my partner gets up we get ready and usually go for a walk, the length of the walk depending on whether I’m working that day or not. We try to time the walks so we get home around bed time, peppered with the occasional baths and then it’s sleepy time, goodnight Vienna. During the night he usually wakes up around midnight to get a bit of food in, then straight back to bed.
I’ll be honest, him learning to fall asleep by himself was the most convenient thing so far. Sometimes it can take a while - up to an hour even - but once he’s had his bottle, he’s content in his cot and he’s trying very hard to fall asleep so while we monitor him, we don’t have to physically be in the room. Have to admit it can be super funny to listen to him just talking away and then suddenly falling asleep, it’s just the cutest thing ever.
In summary this last 5 months and some have been an amazing journey so far and I couldn’t be happier with how everything is. We’ve stepped up and we’re killing this whole parenting thing, very proud of ourselves.