Fourth Month "Fun"

Well, clearly Penelope is having fun!

With each passing day, she becomes so much more active and interested in the world: throughout the day, I move her from play gym, to swing, to bumbo, to bouncer, to my lap, back to the play gym and back to my lap to keep her happy! She is also so close to sitting up on her own (and not able to sit contentedly in her Boppy chair anymore):
We are immensely proud of our smart and fun little girl...so why the "fun" above? Three words: lack of sleep. With so much fun to be had, our little P hates to sleep! And when she does sleep, she doesn't for very long because she gets real hungry from playing all day (as opposed to all of the eating she did all day when she was less aware of the world around her), not to mention that many babies experience a major growth spurt during month four. I sometimes spend almost two hours trying to settle her down for the evening...she is clearly tired but fights, fights, fights that sleep! Some nights I frankly need a break so badly that I want to simply walk out of the house. It does help to remember that this is a phase but I'll tell you what: sleep deprivation doesn't allow for the clearest or most rational of thinking. How women work outside of the home and stay up all night with their babies is beyond me...same goes for moms with more than one kid. Hats off to you gals!

Because I am not comfortable with the "cry it out" methods of getting baby to sleep, I am learning that there is a greater degree of patience required to caring for Penelope than I could have ever dreamed of. I have done extensive reading and thinking about this issue and have concluded that having my child in another room and screaming for hours (she will do this...we have seem glimpses) is not worth my sanity. If I have to deal with a skimpy five hours of sleep, so be it...for now. I really try to put myself in Penelope's shoes; I don't believe (like it was once believed) that she cannot adequately feel emotions--she must be terribly overwhelmed much of the time! I am...that is for sure.

So while I am having so much "fun" being a mommy right now, I trust my feelings about this...she'll be okay...I'll be okay...someday! Yes, it is hard (sometimes I really don't know where I'll find the energy to deal with her nursing for the nteenth time in the middle of the night as Doug and the dogs contentedly snore away) but I have to believe that someday I'll have a full night's sleep and so will she.

Besides, who wouldn't willingly live at the edge of sleep-deprivation-induced insanity for this:

BTW--will you please remind me of my own words, when necessary? he he.