Parenting for Beginners

Most of us often heard the advice “don’t let the baby disrupt too much of your life and that includes keeping the house quiet when they’re sleeping …”

I agree that babies should be used to everyday sounds as we go about our daily life after birth but I don’t quite agree with forcing the baby to accept the noises we normally make before baby just because they’re tiny and can’t decide for themselves.

My son would nap through blaring techno music any time of the day but he can’t stand anyone sneezing or the sound of loud running water or banging pots and strange loud voices. When a friend came over to visit and found I was trying to be as quiet as possible because the baby was napping, I was lectured  — babies HAVE to get used to barking dogs and banging pots and pans or MY life will be miserable.

Think about it, if you’re trying to sleep and someone, a neighbor was zooming up and down the street on his dirt bike and your husband was oh-so loudly banging away on the pipes because he suddenly thought it was a great time to fix the leaky faucet, wouldn’t you be annoyed and be unable to get proper rest?

I find it ironic because I’m sure the same person would shush me if I have the TV volume on up and they’re trying to nap. I think it’s rude to assume that just because they’re babies, they have to adjust to our schedule when courtesy would have dictated we respect a grown up’s “quiet” time.

Hah. Yes, I’m still getting used to this new role [newbie mom] and all the terms that go with it. So, I’m a SAHM – Stay At Home Mom. Should I be termed a WAHM [Work At Home Mom] too since I work on my blogs? Hmmnnn.

I don’t know, if you ask my baby, he’d promptly tell you, I’m a BMM – Boobie Milk Machine. You see, there are two things my baby is currently fixating on, my boobies and the overhead fan.

So what’s a SHAM’s day like? Most moms would agree, we exist on baby time. So chuck that clock because it’s useless until your baby’s a year old. Unless you’re one of those never-before-seen moms that have their babies on perfect routine.

More than two weeks ago, the baby “discovered” play. Just about the same time he’s learned that his papa can be his personal entertainment system and mommy’s laptop, his new toy. Refused to sleep, and when I manage to get him to bed, he’d be rolling over, squealing, doing the bicycle move with his legs and plain play in his sleep, which of course wakes him up. So we’d go for almost two day with only catnaps and then he’d sleep for 3 stretches of 8 hours’ sleep with only an hour or two of playing/waking time.

These days, he takes one nap every other day for two to four hours and sleeps ten to twelve hours every night IF mom stays in bed with him. Oh yes, he has his ways of locking the boobie next to him which includes putting his feet on the boobie or clamping his hands on either side of the boobie. I’m not sure if he thinks it’s one squishy toy that he can get milk from or it’s actually an extension of mommy that he doesn’t want to let go.

So what’s your day like?