Melt my Heart

There are times, as a parent, that life seems impossible.  The house won't stay clean, the baby is crying, you haven't slept in days.  Recently, I've been reading some literature on infant/child sleep patterns.  Whit still struggles to self-sooth unless he is in the car and finds it difficult to sleep without a warm body close by.  He demands attention and interaction and has a need to be stimulated during most of his waking hours.  I should have seen this coming (and I may have contributed to the issue) as when I was carrying him we played 'footsie' nearly all day long. Anyone who saw me pregnant can attest to the fact that I was nearly always 'playing' with Whit unless he was sleeping.  And then I was usually rubbing his back while he slept.  This seemed to keep him calm and kept him from bruising my kidneys.

Ironically, I often receive comments on what a happy baby he is.  Perhaps this is because I give into most of his demands - I 'wear' him so that he is close to my body and can easily interact with me. Now that he is getting larger I find it easier to let him ride in the cart but I still make conversation while we are shopping.  Still, Whit has days when he is very sensitive, days when he needs to cuddle all day long. We have been blessed to have Nanny Kate who will also indulge Whit's needs as much as possible.

During my research I found a description that seemed to fit Whit perfectly.  'The high-needs baby'.  Now, a high-needs baby is not an un-happy baby. And they do not lack the ability to self-sooth or to play alone.  They just prefer not to. Especially when Mom is around.  And have someone else put them to sleep at night? Don't even think about it!

Although this knowledge would have been re-assuring when Whit was much younger I'm glad that I'm just now finding it out. I was under the impression that his needs were 'normal' needs and so I did not get frustrated or treat him differently as I might have otherwise.

And as Whit grows older I know that I will continue to find reasons why I am glad that he is exactly the way he is.  Whit craves physical contact. So I get hugs and kisses frequently - sometimes every 5 minutes.  He's always been a champion nurser, even as he has gotten too busy to have a diaper change or sleep he still finds time to cuddle up for a meal or a snack. He prefers to sleep in our arms so Mommy, Daddy, Grams, Nana...etc. have the opportunity to hold and rock him while he sleeps.  Someday Whit will be grown and I will look back at those long days and nights of snuggling with fondness. And maybe I'll have a cuddly teenager and adult son who will not hesitate to come up and give his mom a hug and kiss no matter how grown up he is.

 Dr. Sears: High Needs Baby

A Large Leap

Play Ball!

It may be strange for a 'play ball' post to be coming up at what is considered the end of the baseball season by many.  But, for the first time in school history (all three years), the Hawks baseball team is still rolling out this coming week.  A big congrats to Kirk for his patience and dedication and to all the boys for their hard work this season.  HVA won the District Championship on Wednesday night and will be playing 3 time defending State Champions (Farragut) on Monday at home.  Whit and I, of course, will be in attendance.

Whit has amazed me over the last week with his behavior and attitude at the ball park.  Always a curious and social yet content child he held up well through late nights, travel, and weather hot and stormy.  He seems to enjoy baseball thoroughly. He is the only 11 month old baby I have ever seen who actually sits and watches the game.  Sure, one reason may be that he can hear Daddy yelling from the dugout and he is trying with every ounce of energy he has to find him.  When we approach the ball yard and Whit sees the players in uniforms he yells out what were undoubtedly his first 2 words "Da Da!" and "Ba-baa!"

Also, I had to share this wonderful photo of Whit and I together at the ballpark.  In this shot I'm carrying Whit on my hip in a sling, one of many baby wearing techniques available.  I like to think that this global practice of keeping baby "close enough to kiss" contributes greatly to Whit's overall happy demeanor.

In Full Swing

This time of year I am amazed that I found a moment to sit and type.  Of course, as I type I can see clearly a mound of breakfast dishes in the kitchen and the edge of the laundry pile peeking out at me from the slightly ajar door to the washing machine. 

Spring is in full swing and with it baseball season (although that is actually beginning to wind down).  This means evenings at the ball park, Saturday practice and late nights attempting to keep the house in some semblance of order. Thank goodness for a generous mother-in-law who gave me a slight reprieve this weekend and at the same time managed to keep the ironing basket from overtaking the house.

I'm loving the longer days and the activities that are now possible.  Whit has developed his very first freckles on his nose and despite copious sunscreen use, he is working on his farmer's tan, which in this family we call the baseball tan.

I can hardly believe that in a few short weeks it will be time to address and mail invitations for his first birthday party - there are so many things left to accomplish between now and then.

Spring Fever

One of the joys of having a small child is the ability to blame your lack of organization, cleanliness and motivation on them. Seriously.  I have been very lax around the house recently and have not put in as many hours at work as I typically do because I have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and attending baseball games and playdates at the park.  And I've rarely (if ever) even turned on my computer once I've finished work for the day.  (Hence the lack of blogging!) And I've loved every minute. Last week it seemed that spring was in full swing. Sunny baseball weather, mild nights (great for before dinner walks) and ever greening grass and budding trees.

Now, I sit in a small room in the basement of Wallace Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech. Thank goodness I have a window to look out of as I sit for the next 6 hours and write for my final Master's Degree Exam. And although it is officially spring and the first day of April, clearly God is playing a bit of a practical joke.  My favorite cherry tree is blossoming beautifully against a backdrop of blue sky and small flakes of snow!