It was bound to happen. Five days of traveling by plane and car will result in fussiness, right? Riley was sweet and happy (or at least tolerant) until we arrived home this afternoon. He napped as I started laundry and went grocery shopping, but by the time we returned home, things quickly deteriorated. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the bath. The usual squawks crescendoed to an all-out wail until I fed him, and started up again when I swaddled him for bed. Poor kid – J and I are pretty wiped as well, and we had to give him a little extra assistance in getting to sleep tonight, since he was overtired and wound up.
He’s melted down like this a few times before, but this is the first time I didn’t feel any anxiety over it. Since I knew that a crying baby doesn’t equal bad parenting or that he doesn’t like me, I was surprised at how unsettling it was when Riley cried hard. I assumed that I could be as rational as I am when other people’s kids cry. One of the many surprises I’ve had now that I’m a mother.
It still sounds strange to read those last three words out loud. That part of my identity still hasn’t fully sunk in yet.
Looking forward to a long night’s sleep,
2 comments:
Just remember that crying is really the only means of communication that Riley has right now, so loud crying more or less just indicates that he's trying to communicate something very clearly.
Come to think of it, that's how parents sometimes communicate too..
works for mama!
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