Life with Landry

As a first-time mom, I really didn't know what to expect when Landry finally entered the world.  Thanks to helpful books, blogs, and friends, I don't feel that I was caught off guard.  It's easy to see how parents can become overwhelmed once their little one gets here.  You wait and wait to meet this little person for months, and then instead of getting to really celebrate, you are introduced to a whole new world of responsibility.  Because I wanted to truly enjoy the experience, I wanted to know exactly what I was in for.  I read numerous books and blogs that let me know what would happen from the moment he was born from what was normal and how I would feel.  I also just focused on being there, in the moment, with the excitement and the challenges.  I think that I did a relatively good job because when I think back on the hospital experience, I think of only good memories.  Sure, we were ready to go home where nurses wouldn't be popping in every 30 minutes and where we could sleep in our own bed, but overall, everything went great.

I had heard that some parents are hesitant to go home where they won't be monitored by medical professionals making sure that they are properly caring for their newly born infant.  Those thoughts never really entered my mind.  We were so excited to take little Landry home and start living our new life.  In fact, in the short 3 1/2 weeks since he was born, there have been very few times where I have second-guessed whether or not I was doing the right things.  I credit some of that to being well-read and seeking the advice of other mothers, but I think most of it is due to that mother instinct that comes into existence at the same time your child exits your body.  Somehow, I just know... I knows what he needs, I know why he is crying, I know when he is hungry.  There is something empowering about being a mother and being able to adequately care for your child.

Our schedule these days totally revolves around Landry's eating, which for the most part occurs at 6AM, 9AM, 12PM, 3PM, 6PM, 8:30PM, 11PM, 3AM...repeat.  In between feeding times, we try to have a little fun (read, tummy time, play with toys, run an errand) and get in a little nap.  I cannot say enough about the book, Babywise, for helping us figure out a schedule.  I think I would have been totally lost if I had not read this book.  I still refer to it when something is a little off to see how to fix it. We have been so fortunate in that Landry has pretty much been on that schedule since he came home.  Besides one night, when he was up from 3-6, he has slept at night, only waking up to eat around 3.  He is a pretty content baby, crying when he is hungry and has just now started fighting sleep, which is a little frustrating because when he is overtired, he cries and screams so loud and sometimes there is nothing you can do, but let him cry it out.  We are trying to allow him to fall asleep before he gets to the overtired stage but we haven't quite mastered that yet.  Each day I try to implement something new like getting him to nap in his crib or playing with a different toy.  Hopefully, he will sleep through the night in the next few weeks.  I can't believe I am saying this, but I think I will miss those early morning bonding moments.

We have taken him out several times to church, on errands, to restaurants and he has slept most of the time.  It has been great for me to incorporate small trips during the day to get out of the house.  Although it is inevitable that our life and routine has changed, I don't want to totally re-arrange our life and instead take the view that he has complimented our life, not completely changed it.

Thank you to the few of those who read and keep up with Landry on this blog.  Some of these posts are more for my benefit so I will remember things, and it is often easier to journal on here than on paper, so I will not be offended if you skip over these long posts to the pictures.