3 months, 2 days
It took this long, but I finally got babied out yesterday. I expected to get tired of nonstop infant time long before this and was surprised to find that I never really got sick of being with the little man. More often I miss him after he goes to bed.
But, oy, it was a long week and mid-day yesterday I had to hand Henry over to Karl and sit quietly upstairs for awhile. It was like hitting the wall in a race; everything was going fine, and then suddenly it wasn't. You always hear that parenting is a full-time job, but I work for a law firm, which means I'm already intimately familiar with being on call, day and night, to somewhat arbitrary and capricious masters. By comparison, being with our jolly baby all the time is pure happiness. But even law firm partners sometimes give me a night or weekend off, and they only occasionally make me do stupid dances for their amusement.
I felt bad about feeling bad, because it wasn't like the baby had been fussy or difficult. He's just so much happier if I'm constantly holding and actively playing with him, and it's surprisingly tiring. We also spent every evening this week interviewing nannies and discussing childcare ad nauseum (more on that later). I also realized I hadn't left the house without the baby in over a month -- so not only was it growing increasingly likely that I'd hit the wall, it means my pedicure is in a sad, sad state.
Luckily we have no plans this weekend, so Karl and Hal are going to have some man time in the basement and I'm going to run errands toute seule. Wild Man also let us sleep until 9:00 this morning (after one 5 a.m. feeding) so we're all feeling rested and rosy again. But I have a new level of respect for moms who don't have help or whose babies are more difficult.
But, oy, it was a long week and mid-day yesterday I had to hand Henry over to Karl and sit quietly upstairs for awhile. It was like hitting the wall in a race; everything was going fine, and then suddenly it wasn't. You always hear that parenting is a full-time job, but I work for a law firm, which means I'm already intimately familiar with being on call, day and night, to somewhat arbitrary and capricious masters. By comparison, being with our jolly baby all the time is pure happiness. But even law firm partners sometimes give me a night or weekend off, and they only occasionally make me do stupid dances for their amusement.
I felt bad about feeling bad, because it wasn't like the baby had been fussy or difficult. He's just so much happier if I'm constantly holding and actively playing with him, and it's surprisingly tiring. We also spent every evening this week interviewing nannies and discussing childcare ad nauseum (more on that later). I also realized I hadn't left the house without the baby in over a month -- so not only was it growing increasingly likely that I'd hit the wall, it means my pedicure is in a sad, sad state.
Luckily we have no plans this weekend, so Karl and Hal are going to have some man time in the basement and I'm going to run errands toute seule. Wild Man also let us sleep until 9:00 this morning (after one 5 a.m. feeding) so we're all feeling rested and rosy again. But I have a new level of respect for moms who don't have help or whose babies are more difficult.
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| Dad to the rescue. |
Give yourself time away from baby. It's good for both of you!
ReplyDeleteGotta take care of you, too. Get a sitter and go out with Karl for a movie or dinner alone.
ReplyDelete