9.03.2011

besides myself.

i am venting & beyond tired. so, take everything i say with a grain of salt.

there are days, most days, when i do not feel qualified for motherhood on any level. there are days when i look at my dear, sweet {TIRED} baby & wonder how mothers ever find balance in their lives. there are days when i run to the grocery store without a bra on early in the morning & i finally understand {& sympathize} why some mothers look so haggard & am perplexed where other mothers found the time to put on a bra & make-up. there are days when i cry the entire day because my baby is crying & i have exhausted all of my best silly faces, funny songs, we have read every book & the pacifier still isn't soothing. there are days when i feel really alone as my five month old wails for an hour in his crib after i put him down for naps & then i feel defeated when i have to go pick him up & tell him everything is okay when often i dont even feel myself as though everything is okay. there are days when i sing 'itsty bitsy spider' 80 times over & run out of things on the bus to imitate while singing 'wheels on the bus'. there are days when i plan my entire day around driving to salt lake or park city just so that i can get my babe to rest for 45 minutes.

then, there are days like today. where the babe wakes up four times in the night & after crying for an hour when i put him down for a morning nap {like the books say, mind you} he still cries for another hour in my arms midst rubbing his eyes and pushing me away as i try to nurse, sing, rock, swaddle & generally soothe him back to sleep. days, like today, when i think i am making headway, when i think we are taking steps forward to getting our sleep deprived baby on a sleep schedule & i end up feeling like we are taking four steps backward. days, like today, when i want to scream at the book i am reading because all i read about are success stories & feel like i am the only one living with the story of a baby who cries hour after hour that i try to get him to sleep {regardless the technique}. days, like today, when i recall people saying 'stick to it!' & 'it's worth it' & wondering if it really is because through my tears, headache and generally tired mind i cannot see how that can be the case.

i make it sound like i have a colicky/fussy baby & let me assure you that this is not the case, but it is embarrassing & unnerving when your family or friends comment on how fussy your {once happy} baby is being or what bad habits he has. i simply have a baby who will not sleep. the baby i know just wants to laugh & learn & be apart of the action, but in turn the baby you know {the baby who has not slept} complains & fusses. so here i am, following every piece of advice i have been given & read on sleeping, still feeling besides myself because my sweet little babe refuses to sleep.

there are, however, hours of the day when my babe makes me laugh & when we make each other smile. there are days when we walk to the park, lay on a blanket under the trees & enjoy the sunshine together. there are days when he learns something new & i tell him how proud i am to be his mother. there are days when he giggles when i tickle him & flirts with the ladies at the mall. there are days, every day, when i am happy to call him mine & love him more with every frustrated tear we share. there are moments when roe nuzzles into my shoulder or sits calmly in my lap & even, on the rare occasion, that he sleeps there, in my arms. there ARE days when he naps {my beacon of hope} & however inconsistant they may be i relish in the ever so small accomplishment for both of us. there are days when we lay on our tummies together, he grabs for my camera & i try my best to catch this tender & perfect moment.

on days where it is rough & seemingly no end in sight, i relish, bask & cherish the moments below.

5 comments:

Christin said...

You sound so tired, and I have a hunch that you are doing so much better than you think you are. Good luck girl, he really is so cute!

Lea Tame said...

Kayti, you are not alone! I think every honest mom feels all the things you are feeling at some point in this journey of raising sweet babes. I don't have an answer or solution but I know you are doing the best you can and that Roe is one lucky boy to have you as his mama!

Sommer Leifson said...

I think every mom out there feels unqualified for the job at times. Just remember that you have only been a mom for 5 months and Roe didn't come to you with a manual. You are learning everyday just like him. I know you are doing a way better job than you give yourself credit for. There are days I tell myself that I am the worst mom cause I am not constantly stimulating and teaching Liam every second. I think as mom's we have unrealistic expectations of ourselves. If someone comments on how fussy your baby is or how he has bad habits tell them to go to hell.

Anonymous said...

Your words are beautiful and capsulize what motherhood is really like, thanks for your honesty and sharing your heart. You are a wonderful mother, enjoy every minute of it you can, each day is fleeting. Savor!
Love YOU, Mom

k. said...

I think Roe & Q swapped notes i the preexistence. He was such a similar baby. First 6 months = hard, hard, hard (& exhausting).