Well, a few intense months have passed. And I think I may now be able to get into some kind of routine that means I can post here more often.
We moved house… with a four month old baby, that felt like quite a feat, and I am in awe of the friends who have not just moved house, but moved countries with small babies… I have done both kinds of moves many times… and the moving countries type… much harder!! Anyway, moving day was amazing. About 15 friends showed up around 8.30am, and by 10.30am we were all unloaded at the new house! Even more incredible though were the friends who stuck around until later that afternoon and unpacked for us. That was definitely the part I was not looking forward to doing once everyone had scarpered, so it was amazing to go to bed that night with most of our worldly goods in their new places.
Kazuo seemed to thrive on the move. He quickly settled into napping in his crib in his new room, something he was not doing in the old apartment. And although he seems to have stopped sleeping for 8 hours at a stretch, and is waking for an extra feed at 1/2am again, this seems partly due to his new ultra-wriggliness, and partly due to teething and having a bit of a growth/development spurt, so I assume this too will pass. He has recently also become really easy to settle… and so we are hoping that it will not be long before he is self-calming and getting himself off to sleep.
For now, the big deal has been that Dada can suddenly get him to sleep now too… for a couple of months there it was all Mama Mama Mama… and Mama’s hands/arms were really feeling the pain. The Wash U Back Pain Study people have been taking good care of me… but I never anticipated that motherhood would be all about the chronic pain. Ugh!
However, motherhood has also been quite a joy as well… having time just to enjoy the wee things our little pop is learning to do each day has been a real pleasure. I am so grateful for the slow pace of our new life. And not having to choose whether to go back to work or not (since my short-lived work permit has now expired) seems like such a luxury and yet at the same time like I have been given permission just to be Kazuo’s Mama.
So Kaz has been sitting up since he turned four months, and seems fascinated enough by our eating to make the big transition to solid food next week when he hits the five month mark. Suddenly the developmental milestones are racking up quickly, though I am trying to resist the urge to will him onto more precocious development as I am sure that the days will fly by anyway.
It is summer in the Lou… and seems somehow less unbearable than last year, but maybe that is the absence of pregnancy hormones and morning sickness. I am on a mission to seek out suitable sunshade for our little guy so that we can spend more time by the local pool, though I am not really bikini-ready… but my excuse is the back pain slowing down my workout plan… and it can wait. The summer won’t though, so I am looking about for discrete ways to hide the post-partum plumpness.
We are enjoying BBQ weather… and I have discovered the ease of grilling up some amazing Morningstar delights, though when I get some more time (sooooon I hope) I am planning some more home-style taste-sensations, there is nothing like a good lentil burger or aubergine steak to make it feel like summer.
So… have made it through another sunny STL day… and loving not working right now!
50 things for 50 