Whine about Whining

I can handle teething, gas, cold and flu, but separation anxiety drives me nuts.

Cutie Pie is going through another stage. He must be touching Mommy, or Da Da, but preferably Mommy, at all times. This means I can't go anywhere or do anything in the house if he is awake. Want to clean up Cutie Pie's highchair after breakfast? Cutie Pie clings to my leg and whines until I pick him up. Cutie Pie actually prefers to help do dishes instead of playing with his toys. I've got to remember to tell Cutie Pie this interesting fact in say, ten years.

I've gotten very good at multitasking with Cutie Pie balanced on my hip. My only problem is when Cutie Pie decides he wants to touch a dirty pan in the sink or a boiling pot of water on the stove and he unexpectedly throws all his body weight to the side. So far I've been very lucky to catch him.

Cutie Pie used to like to practice walking and play with his toys. Now he just wants to be held most of the time. He also prefers to be walked around the house or danced with, thank you very much.

The most difficult aspect of Cutie Pie's fear is that he cries every time he realizes that I am not with him. This means that his naps do not last long and nights last forever. As long as I'm holding him, he sleeps. But when I put him down, he screams the second he wakes up. Poor Cutie Pie gets lonely sleeping in his crib. Never fear, Mommy is here!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

One Small Step for Cutie Pie, One Giant Leap for Cutie Pie's Mom

With all the drama surrounding Cutie Pie's eyes the last few days, a major milestone has been overlooked. Cutie Pie took his first step on Tuesday!

Cutie Pie was hanging out in the kitchen, doing his best to get in the way and distract Mommy from gathering her things to leave for work. He loves to hang on to the cabinet handles and swing his body weight back until the safety latch catches him. It's not the safest game for a baby to play but when you're just trying to open the freezer drawer without two baby hands rushing to grab the ice, a little cabinet swinging seems like no big deal. Once I had what I needed, I bent down to pick Cutie Pie up. I held out my arms for him, expecting him to grab one of my hands like he usually does. Instead, he let go of the cabinet and took a step toward me. I was in total shock. My first thought was Oh my gosh! Is this really happening? Then I thought: Oh no! Not on the tile floor! Don't fall! Don't fall! Don't fall! He caught his balance and tried to take another step when he fell. My heart leaped! I caught him in mid-air and scooped him up into a big hug! I couldn't believe it! Cutie Pie probably didn't even realize what had just happened.

When I dropped Cutie Pie off at school today, his teacher told me that yesterday he took two steps. She said he was standing and watching another baby when he suddenly let go and took two steps. She said he seemed to suddenly realize that he wasn't holding on and fell to the floor.

Her story made me feel a little sad that I had missed his second steps. I know I won't be there for every one of his milestones. While my back was turned at dinner today, he signed for "more" food. Thank goodness his dad saw it so we knew he was still hungry! Maybe I can set him up with a Twitter account so he can tell me each time he's about to do something new.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Black Eye, Pink Eye

In a THUD heard all the way on the other side of the house, Cutie Pie's head crashed against the side of the bathtub the other night. He ended up with a small bruise just under his eyebrow that makes him look like he's wearing dark eyeshadow.

When I saw what had happened, I quickly wrapped him in a towel and ran over to my husband, telling him to get Cutie Pie some clothes because we were going to the hospital. Luckily, Da Da was unruffled. He looked carefully at Cutie Pie's eye and told me all he needed was an ice pack. Unfortunately, Cutie Pie didn't like the ice pack. This led to a whole new set of worries for his over-anxious Mommy. If I let Cutie Pie push the ice pack away, am I being a good mother for letting him assert his independence or being a bad mother for not making sure the ice keeps down any swelling? What if his eye swells shut? What if the swelling damages the eye? Can you get a brain injury from a hit to the eye? Should I keep the ice on him when he falls asleep? What about those scary stories you hear about children that fall, seem fine and then a few hours later they have to be rushed to the hospital? I just couldn't stop myself. I checked with my favorite Baby-Bible, Baby 411. The author reassured me that Cutie Pie was fine. I must have checked on him a million times that night, though, just in case.

The next morning, Da Da woke up with pink eye. Positive that Cutie Pie gave it to his Dad, I braced myself for the worst; a baby with a black eye and pink eye! But when Cutie Pie woke up, his eyes were clear. Thank goodness! I can only take so much!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

Shots?!

Cutie Pie recently went for his six month well-check appointment. The visit went well. The doctor checked him all over and declared him perfect. All except for a little cold. Then the doctor asked me, the most anxious new mother in the world, if I felt comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today. "Uh.. I guess so? He only has a little cold. The worst of it passed days ago. I got plenty of sleep last night so that must mean he's not sick, right?" What I should have said was, "You're the doctor! Tell me if YOU feel comfortable with Cutie Pie getting his shots today!"


Well, as you may have guessed, Cutie Pie got his shots. This led to 24 hours of anxiety and nervousness for Mommy and crankiness for everyone involved. I had just finished reading Jenny McCarthy's book, "Mother Warriors." OK, you got me. I didn't actually read it. I listened to the audio version in the car whenever Cutie Pie wasn't there and I could safely turn off the never ending Wee Sing CD that haunts my brain all day. Her book was terrifying. Many of the parents she interviewed said their children were sick when they got their vaccinations. She explained that their teeny tiny immune systems couldn't fight off the germs and the shot at the same time. Those babies became autistic after they got their shots. One Mommy said that she gave her baby medicine to help with the pain of the shots and that the medicine likely contributed to her child getting autism.

So there I was, a nervous wreck. The nurses got out their syringes and I'm cringing and wondering if I will live to regret this day. They gave Cutie Pie his shots and he didn't even cry. He got a second shot and he whimpered but he stopped in the one second it took the nurse to pick him up and hand him to me. He smiled and laughed while I got him dressed and I took my Cutie Pie home.

Between jars of baby food and countless verses of Old McDonald, I watched my Cutie Pie for signs of a reaction. Nothing. Whew! He's been his usual self all week. I realize that I am very lucky to have a healthy child.

No more books for Mommy. I think I'm going to go back to listening to that baby CD. It may haunt me but at least it doesn't cause anxiety attacks.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Sleep Wars

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there lived a perfect baby who slept through the night, only waking for legitimate reasons and he easily fell back asleep when his mother put him into his bed. Cutie Pie has never met this baby.

For the past few nights, Cutie Pie has been running the show. He hasn't been sleeping well because he's been getting over a cold. Each time he coughs he wakes himself up. Then he's miserable because he wants to be asleep but he's wide awake.

I realized tonight that Cutie Pie's cold is gone but he's still crying each time he wakes up. I also noticed that I am running into his room just like I said I never would do. I heard a wail or shriek and it was like I'm off to the races. I would arrive at his crib side panting. Cutie Pie would just smile. Sometimes he'd even laugh. This is how I knew that if I ever wanted to sleep again, it was time to do something about it.

My favorite baby-bible, "Baby 411" says that six month old babies often develop bad sleep habits and it's time for me to teach my Cutie Pie how to fall asleep properly. I read the chapter on Ferberizing Cutie Pie and the next time Cutie Pie woke up I tried it out.

It was horrible. It was torture. Cutie Pie screamed and wailed. He cried big crocodile tears. I cried too. The first five minutes seemed like five years. I kept reading the line in the book that says "Yes, the first night will be ugly." Yeah, no kidding. But I held strong because I felt like this was the right thing to do.

The phone rang and someone (you know who you are) told me he sounded like he was sick. Thanks for being supportive. Now my Mom-anxiety was running on overdrive. What if he is sick and I just don't know it? He wasn't. What if letting him cry will emotionally scar him for life? I'm pretty sure that won't happen in one night. What if Ferberizing means teaching Cutie Pie to just give up on his goals and I'm sending him down a path of failure? That one was a stretch.

As you can tell, I gave up. I picked up my baby boy. I cuddled and kissed him and he laughed and laughed. Boy is he good. Then we started our bedtime routine over. We rocked, read and nursed until he fell asleep. I laid him down in his crib and tip toed out of the room. I felt like a failure because I caved. But at least he was asleep.

Not two minutes later, the dog barked. I wanted to scream but Cutie Pie did it for me. Here we go again. I would try the technique again. I understood that it would be harder this time because I had already given in but I was prepared. Or so I thought. I don't know how many cycles of the technique I waited because it all seems like an emotional blur. But I caved again and failure never felt so good.

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Boo Boo

Poor Cutie Pie has had a rough couple of days. Now that he is becoming more mobile, danger lurks in every corner (and flat surface). Cutie Pie woke up this morning with a little purple bruise on his forehead. It's hardly noticeable but it's officially his first boo boo.

We've had several sitting accidents recently. You know how it goes. Baby is sitting straight up happily playing, when out of nowhere he decides he doesn't want to sit up anymore. His back simply stops supporting him and his head crashes into the floor. This causes a lot of crying, of course. I would be quite upset if I hit my head on the floor too. You've gotta love how Boppy transforms into a baby bumper, perfect for preventing sitting injuries!

Yesterday, Cutie Pie was playing near the wall when BAM, he gave himself the bruise. You can hardly see it anymore. I didn't want to take a picture of it because it made me too sad. I have obviously failed as a mother to allow my child to be injured under my watch. Not only was I watching him when it happened, I was helping him stand next to the wall.

Cutie Pie's injuries upset him greatly but they upset me even more. Each time I kiss his little noggin to make it better I find myself fighting off that motherly anxiety once again. He hit pretty hard that time. Is he going to be OK? Should I call the doctor? If it's after hours then should I take him straight to the ER? How can you tell if a baby has a traumatic brain injury? Has his head always been shaped like that?!

Other moms have told me to get used to it. After all, he's a boy. Boys get boo boos, it's their job. Well my job is to worry and I take my job very seriously!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/