Musings on Josephine: Four things I thought would never happen.

One. Josephine slept straight through the night. Two nights in a row. 8:30 pm to around 6 am. I guess this is right on time, but I was getting pretty sleep deprived, so it felt like a long time coming. When I first had her, and she was about two weeks old and I was up most of the night, I remembered that Eleanor slept through the night at four months. I thought, only 3.5 more months of sleeplessness. And, then I thought, I simply cannot do this. But, aha, Josephine is just over 3.5 months old, and we have made it to the other side. The night before last, I didn't get much sleep at all, because I was constantly fretting over her and checking on her, and waiting for the other shoe to drop (aka, for her to wake up starving). But, that didn't happen until 5:30 am! And, last night, I timed my pumping so that I would have some six hours of uninterrupted sleep! (Of course, that didn't happen, because I checked on the girls about five times each. But, I now know it is a possibility.) In fact, I plucked her up, happy and bubbling, at 6 am today! I fed her and she is now lying beside me, smiling. Oh, the joy of sleep for us both.



Two. I am letting Josephine's baby feet hang out. You may or may not know about me that exposed baby feet are a pet peeve. Don't get me wrong - I think baby feet are delightful. I am not (completely) crazy. But, when I see raw, red little newborn feet, they just look cold and naked. I like my baby feet tucked away into socks. And even shoes (I know that's silly). Maybe it's partly that I've realized the world won't stop spinning if Josephine's feet are exposed, or even if they get a little cold. Maybe I have recognized that I am too busy to be constantly vigilant of the state of her socks. You see, when Eleanor was a newborn, it was summer. But, despite the heat, I didn't want her red toes out in the elements. And, by the time she was four months old (out of the true newborn stage), it was getting cold. Sock time again. And, by the time it was warm, she was toddler, so her real "baby feet" never got much air time. Josephine, on the other hand, will be four months old just in time for Spring. And, this weekend, with the warm weather, her baby feet made their grand debut. (Half covered by pink BabyLegs, I will admit, but her toes were out and about in Sykesville.) I am loving her chubby-but-still-tiny-little feet! Come on warm weather -keep it up!



Three and Four. Finally, Josephine is fussing WAY less and I have adapted to waiting on coffee until after morning milk time! Josephine is so much happier now that I am not pumping her full of caffeine. She sleeps better, so she is better rested through the day, and able to regenerate. Also, her indigestion has all but subsided. And, you'd think it would be hard. But, it's so much easier to wait an hour for coffee than to have a sad, uncomfortable baby all day!