A Day in the Life...Purple Crying and All

Sara Beth's Mommy Monday post this week!

---

I’m not going to lie.  This week started out rough.  REALLY rough. And not just because I discovered that while away from home this weekend the squirrels planned another attack on my swing.

I swear its like they get together, strategize, and plan out the best time for an ambush.  All you people planning for a zombie apocalypse need to wake up!  The zombie myth is just a distraction.  The world is going to end because of a squirrel attack. Just you wait and see.

Anyway, I digress.  My week. It was the kind of week that had me running out of patience with the little one, doubting my ability as a mother, and taking it all out on my husband.  It was really our own fault though. On Saturday we spent the day in Oklahoma City with the husband’s family.  And when I say we spent the day, I mean we spent the WHOLE day.  I knew better but it was nice to be out and about and spend time with our nephew that we don’t get to see very often.  And Emma did SO good.  She hardly fussed, she ate well, and she shopped well.  (*note – the outfit change is because we had a poop incident)

And I got to drink one of these lovelies…

But Sunday brought out a side of my child that I haven’t seen since she was brand new.  A side that made us pay for our fun on Saturday and it lasted for three whole days.  She was tired.  SO tired.  And screamed…a lot…a LOT.  God bless all of the mothers and fathers out there with colicky babies.  I don’t know how you do it.  

When we were at the hospital and in labor with Emma,  they left a video with us the second we arrived entitled “Purple Crying”  The nurse explained that it teaches parents that sometimes babies cry and cry and cry for no reason and that no matter how frustrated we get,  we shouldn’t shake the baby.  My husband and I just kind of looked at her like “duh! Of course you shouldn’t shake a baby.”  Over the course of our 3 day hospital stay they must have mentioned that video at least 10 times.  We started to wonder what kind of vibe we were giving off.  I started worrying that they could already tell I wasn’t going to be a good mom. Even still, we never watched the video.  We thought that surely even the most novice of parents were capable of soothing a crying baby….

About two weeks into the whole parenting thing we found ourselves wishing we had watched the video.  It was 8 pm and this sweet tiny little baby of ours was producing a noise that was so loud that it could be heard outside of our house.  I wouldn’t really classify it as a cry…more like a scream…like she was dying…and it wouldn’t stop.  We went through our checklist…she was fed, her diaper was clean, she might be tired but she wasn’t sleeping for sure…and being brand new parents ourselves we were out of tricks.  We found ourselves standing in the living room passing her back and forth about every minute and a half.  I would take her, bounce her, shush her and she would get quiet…for a minute…and then the scream would come back and off she’d go to her dad.  Stephen would then bounce her, shush her and get her quiet for about a minute and then she’d come back to me.  This wash, rinse, repeat cycle continued for about an hour or two (or more…I lost track of time…it seemed like an eternity) and then she finally fell asleep…and I cried and Stephen sat silently staring off into space like he had just returned from battle.   

This crying/screaming session returned every night at 8 pm for weeks…you could set your clock by it.  Thankfully we learned some new strategies (one being the hair dryer.  She loves the noise.) and she eventually grew out of it.  But I will never forget that phase…and I will never forget the fear that would consume me every time she would start to get a little fussy and I was worried it would grow into a fit that we didn’t know how to stop.  I shudder just thinking about it.

And this week it returned.  Only it wasn’t just at 8pm.  It was every time she got the least bit sleepy during the day.  It was miserable….not nearly as fear inducing (because I am an experienced parent now…kidding) but exhausting none the less.  Again, parents of colicky babies, I don’t know how you do it.   

I saw a post on facebook recently from a new mom who stated that she now knew that babies are so adorable, smell so sweet, and are so snuggly because parents need those things to make it through the rough nights.  AMEN.  Thank you Lord for giving me a cute baby

…even when being a bit grumpy.

 That being said, my sweet girl returned sometime around Wednesday.  And my week returned to somewhat normal (whatever normal is these days) until Friday when I had to go post baby body swimsuit shopping…ugh…but that’s another post for another week. 

Anyway, here’s hoping next week is a little happier and that your week is filled with less tears than mine and more joy than discovering you can fit your whole fist in your mouth (although I’m not sure that’s possible!)!