Infant Daycare - Not So Bad After All

Cadence began daycare this past Monday. And honestly, it wasn't as hard for me as I thought it would be to leave her with other women for a majority of the day. Many mothers will probably verbally eviscerate me for saying that, but it's the truth. It is and always has been my belief and practice that babies should learn independence and self-soothing from a young age. While I wholeheartedly agree that teeny tiny newborns should be held and cuddled and cooed at as much as possible, I also think that once they begin to realize that there is a world around them, they should be prepared for the possibility that things might not always go their way. Over the last month, I don't stress out as much if I can't put the pacie back in her mouth while driving 65 (ok, maybe 75) miles an hour on the highway. Yes, my heart rate is still elevated until she calms down, but logically I tell myself that she's not going to die from crying. I'm not beating myself up (like I did with Ava) about supplementing my breastmilk with formula. Many babies don't get any breastmilk at all. And I don't freak out if Ava's 3-year-old classmates manage to touch Cadence's face when I'm not looking. She's got to get sick and start building antibodies sometime. While some may see my actions as lazy, or even slightly neglectful, I honestly believe that I am doing my daughter a service by letting her learn that sometimes in life you have no control over what happens to you and you simply need to make the best of the current situation. As a result, Cadence has found out that her fists substitute nicely for a pacie. She can switch back and forth between breast and bottle like a pro and be happy with whatever she's getting. She already knows to close her eyes and turn her head when she sees a grabby preschooler moving in to give her a kiss. I'm actually really proud of her. Of course, what mother isn't proud of their baby? :)

And We're Back!

Wow. It's been two and a half months since I last posted. Here's a quick catch-up.

My baby girl is now 10 weeks old and as perfect as I could ever ask for. The C-section (yes, I went with the elective surgery) went wonderfully, aside from both Cadence and myself being hugely bloated for the entire week after her birth due to an excess of IV fluids given to me prior to the operation. I never thought I would give birth to a 8lb 15 oz child - She looked so chunky, it was hilarious. And big sister Ava has been amazing! Not a hint of jealousy, provided that we pay her as much attention as we did before the baby was born. Which, to be perfectly honest, isn't hard since we've raised her to be very independent. She can be a lifesaver, pulling herself out of her Spongebob zone to put the pacie back in the baby's mouth or announcing that the baby is crying upstairs when Mommy forgot to turn the monitor on in the living room. Although I wanted my children to be as close together in age as my sister and I were, 18 months apart, I'm beginning to see the merits of a 3-year separation. In short, life is good. I'm back from the fantasy life that is maternity leave, and ready to reenter the real world.