Confessions

I haven't written a new post in a week. It's not that I'm lazy but I'm not super-busy either. I actually can type with a baby in one arm so Mina is not an excuse. It's just that I haven't had any exciting, cute, or happy Mina stories to share. This past week has been frustrating. My darling little girl has decided she only wants to nap for 20 minutes at a time, if ever. And if she does happen to fall asleep for five minutes, she wants to eat when she wakes up... even though I just fed her. So this past week has been me feeding Mina then desperately trying to wash a couple bowls and some plates while she naps, then feeding her again. And this cycle just repeats with some diaper changes, a bath and playtime thrown in. The plus side is that she is going to bed a little earlier and still sleeping to the same time in the morning... she gets about 10-11 hours a night. So I know I can't complain. But when I stopped getting those glorious two or three hours in the afternoon, it was like my world turned upside-down. I hear kids have a way of doing that to you.
I think Mina and I are finally working out our differences and have settled on some sort of schedule where I'm not feeding her every hour. But it was really painful getting here. It took some crying (I won't say from who) and a LOT of frustration... and some more crying. At first, I tried to get Mina back on her usual routine but quickly realized that just tired both of us out. So we adjusted. I hope I haven't lost my "me" time in the afternoons forever but right now the whole family is happier if we keep Mina entertained, encourage her to sleep in the afternoon, but don't force it if she doesn't want to. Right now I am amazed because she fell asleep while we were walking back from the store and is still out. It has been at least 40 minutes. Woohoo!
I thought getting past the 3-month mark was a huge hurdle and it would get easier from there on out. I guess I was wrong. Will it ever get easier? Probably not. My parents are still taking care of and worrying about me. I'm guessing, like most things in life, it ebbs and flows. Some days will be nothing but smiles followed by a week of crying. I would say to just roll with it, but I tried that. And every time I told myself it would get better, I just felt worse. So don't roll with it. Allow yourself a mini pity-party if necessary, then get help. Having Ben home the past couple of days has been amazing! I didn't have to change every diaper and if Mina refused to be set down, there was someone else to hold her. At the risk of sounding uber-cliche, I am going to propose that it not only takes a village to raise a child but it takes a village to raise a mother as well. Just over three months in to motherhood and I can already see how the support of my friends and family and especially my wonderful husband has kept me grounded and made me a better mom.

This 20-minute nap was great while it lasted

On a completely unrelated note, does anyone have advice for getting rid of a mouse family that has taken residence in your home? Baby mouse was cute but papa mouse is a giant and they have not made this week any easier.