Random Recent Reflections

I have two obsessions: constantly checking and posting in a forum of mommies with babies born in January, 2011, and tracking Siena's naps/nursing to the minute.  While both those habits have done me some good, I've decided to take a little break from them.

The forum, while being a wealth of knowledge, is kind of a time-waster, and tends to bring out my insecurities as I compare Siena to what all the other 4 month olds are doing.  So what if she hasn't rolled over yet?

The purpose of the obsessive tracking was to help me understand Siena's natural rhythms and get to know her sleep and feeding cues better. And it really has helped me be mindful of giving her enough sleep/feeds.  But it was also my foolish attempt to bring order and predictability to our days.  Frankly, recording the chaos of our life in minute detail does not make it any less chaotic. So for now,  I'd rather stare at my baby than stare at my smart phone.

After trying in the beggining to have NO schedule/routine with Siena, and then trying to fit her into a "perfect" schedule, I've decided to park my behind somewhere in the middle.  Consistency whenever possible and a respect for her natural rhythms, but goodness gracious the ability to relax and go with the flow because she deserves a mommy who's not insane :)

The picture above is Siena's first visit to our favorite restaurant in Thai Town, Hollywood.  We stopped there for a bite on our way back from a friend's wedding in Santa Barbara.  I made the bouquets and bouts- so much fun to handle flowers again!  Of course, it took me 1 1/2 days when it used to take me a few hours.  I only had Siena's little 45 minute naps to work with.  Siena did marvelously on the trip, sleeping much of the time on the way to and fro. I nursed in parking lots.  The wedding was in the middle of the wilderness, but she's a sturdy little thing and held up just fine.  We left the wedding early because I was nervous about how she might sleep in the hotel.  We brought her swaddle, moses basket, and night night doll, and set her up under the desk with a dark blanket draped over it.  It looked ridiculous, but she slept 10 hours straight and woke up happy :)  Had I tried to stick to our "schedule", that weekend would never have happened.