Life, Interrupted

Okay, I'm going to say it. I think Mae has colic.

Waaaaaahhhhhhh!

We're on our second week of mounting fussiness, hours of crying at a time, and a baby who will not abide being put down. Ever. Unless she's asleep. Even then, it's iffy--though at night, she seems to be sleeping relatively well still.

Is it colic? The timing is right. From everything I've read, the symptoms are right: "inconsolable crying, three or more hours at a time, three or more days a week...", but I hesitate to label her as a Colicky Baby before I know for sure. She's not COMPLETELY inconsolable, she just cries if she's not being actively rocked, cooed at, patted, and stroked. Sheeeesh. This weekend the crankiness spilled over from the typical evening endurance test to an all-day whimper marathon. Yesterday was not a good day.

Could it be something else? She's been fighting a cold, so I wonder if she's got some sinus pain or pressure that is making her uncomfortable. She had a diaper rash for a couple of days that could have made her cry. Should I take her to the doctor to rule out something being actually wrong?

I vaguely remember going through a period of time with Arlo when he was tiny when we thought he might have colic. And by most accounts I've heard, if your kid has colic, YOU KNOW IT. Ugh. Maybe I'm in denial, I don't know.

What I do know is, we're doing everything we can to make her happy, and it hasn't been working. I also know that if it is colic, we are in for a rough handful of weeks (I say that because it sounds more surmountable to me than a couple of months), and that it will pass. In the meantime, I am alternately pulling out my hair, shaking my tiny fist at the sky, and crying my eyes out. It kills me that I cannot soothe my own tiny child, whom I love so dearly, and it frustrates me to no end that I cannot for the life of me find the time to do dishes or fold a load of laundry.

I am in complete disarray. Sorry I have not called/written/followed through/been much fun lately. This, too, shall pass.

Grab Hold

Here's a milestone... Macy's First Grab!



She looks completely surprised by the fact that she's holding on to something here, but hey! That's how we all learn, right? My guess is, she was just wiggling around and waving her hands in the air (like she just don't care), and happened to catch hold of one of those link-a-doos. Anyway, this is how I found her.

Thursday morning cute fix

I know, I know, photo blogging is the lazy blogger's fallback, but believe me, I have nothing clever to say today.

Enjoy the show!

Mac & Cheese at Micky's

Mmmmmmmmmm, cheeeeeeeeeesy.

Tiny sweaters, continued

A cotton/microfiber variation on the kimono sweater, handcrafted for Mae by Jen Kaalberg-Freers (who also knits other things, as can be seen by clicking here).

Here's Mae, modeling the yellow henley from the previous post and flanked by Mom, Big Bro, and Olive, our 12-year-old cat.

Because I still have other interests

Here's a collection of finished objects for show and tell. Granted, these are BABY sweaters, so it proves that it's All About Mae these days... but still. I can pretend that my loyal readers are interested in something besides adorable baby photos.


A trio of tiny sweaters

Kimono style, knit of bamboo-cotton blend yarn

Stitch detail

Pullover henley, knit in wool/cotton blend

Yucking it up

I'm recovering today from a major case of the yucks. I was completely sidelined yesterday with a nasty stomach bug, which kept me in bed all day, only sitting up to nurse Mae when she needed it. Daycare was closed, so Arlo and Ted were home too--thankfully--and today I'm feeling shaky but much better, and it's just me and Mae here at home.

Awwwwwwwwwww...

The family bed was full again last night--Arlo between us in the middle of the bed, and Mae swaddled in the co-sleeper next to my side of the bed. Mae awoke just as the sun was coming up this morning, and I nursed her as I drifted in and out of a light sleep. Arlo stirred beside me, rolled over onto his back and rubbed his eyes. He squinted up at me and said, "What are you doing, Mom?"

(Yes, that was "Mom," and not "Mommy." Apparently this is part of the transformation into a big brother/big kid.)

"I'm feeding Macy," I said.

"She's hungry!" answered Arlo.

"Yep," I said, "but she's just about done now."

When Mae pulled away from my breast, I wrapped her up again in a blanket and laid her in the co-sleeper. Wanting to give Arlo some precious one-on-one attention and transition him smoothly from waking to breakfast, I turned to him and said, "Now let's get some breakfast! But first, I need a big hug from my big boy."

"I want a hug from my baby sister," he said.

Yay!

I was all too heppy to oblige. I picked Mae up and placed her in his open arms. He squeezed her just a little bit, and planted a big "mmmmmmmwahhhh!" kiss on her head.

"Now can we have oatmeal?"

Life with Mae, week 2

Story time with Big Bro Arlo--reading a book about being a big brother!

What an attentive audience!

Tiny baby, tiny babysitter: Mae meets Tata for the first time.

I N V U 4 U R A Q T!