I don’t think you could approach parenthood without being told it’s hard to have a baby. From the sleepless nights to cluster feeding, most aspects of being a parent in the first few months are difficult.
My little one is a relatively happy baby. His weakness is gas. He gets really fussy when he has to fart. Gas can be painful! We all know that. His little belly doesn’t know how to get the bubbles out and since he eats around the clock, he’s always got trouble brewing. Even though he burps after nursing, within an hour he sounds like a musical instrument. Toot, toot! No matter what I eat (or don’t eat), he’s got gas. The pediatrician says it’s normal. His stomach is still trying to learn how to digest things and by 12 weeks, things will get better. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Little Leigh had his 2-month vaccines this week. The nurse gave him two shots and an oral vaccination. He screamed so loudly! I always thought injections were worse because you think about a needle going through your skin. Well, Leigh didn’t know what was going on and he still screamed, so I know it was painful for him. I nursed him right afterwards to calm him down, but I still felt horrible when I saw those big alligator tears rolling down his face. On top of everything, his eyes are infected, making him look even sadder. He’s got green goop pooling in the corners of his eyes. We apply an ointment that makes it look like he’s been crying for hours.
Needless to say, Leigh’s been through a lot the last few days. That translates into lots of snuggles. I learned the longer you leave band-aids on, the harder (and more painful) it is to take them off. So I gently pulled off his bandages while he nursed (nursing also helps make everything unpleasant easier to handle). I put one of his Sesame Street band-aids in my journal and the other on the back of my phone to remind me that my baby needs me to be extra patient with him for a few days.
Even though Leigh’s not at his best, I’m happy that I am the one who gets to comfort him. He finds solace burying his head in my chest and slowly closing his eyes, giving his body the rest it needs. I’m going to miss these moments when he’s older and doesn’t want to cuddle up with me on the couch.
In other news, our baby now weighs 13 pounds, 12 ounces and measures 23.5 inches long! How is that possible?
The Glory of Life as a Suburban Wife 
Aww what a cutie. When my guy was that age I would pump his legs in and out to get the gas out while singing songs to him. I tried tummy massage but that didn’t work as well.