A Question for the Mommas
I have never ever done even 24 hours alone with Baby L. N.E.V.E.R.
Yeah, spoiled/blessed/lucky me. Until now, that is.
How on earth am I going to survive 4 days of non-stop baby-caring without my Hubbs to help spell me off?!?
More importantly, how the heck am I going to use the potty to do #2 and keep Baby L contained?!?
What do you do when you need to go, and your baby is being uber-clingy?!?
I am worried. Scared, even. And my kid is smart; she can smell fear.
Although the small, rational part of my brain insists that I will be fine and that Baby L and I will have a great time doing "Girls Week" and going on adventures and dates together, there is also that giant hyper-paranoid/emotional/less-rational section of my brain that is drowning in "What if's." What if she misses her Daddy and becomes inconsolably fussy? What if she wakes up every freakin' hour during the night for 4 days, making me delirious with fatigue and unable to function? What if I'm too tired to engage and stimulate her developing little brain? What if I need to shower and she won't sit in the bouncer or the baby snug seat? ...
And so on, and so forth.
This is why I need advice from the mommies out there, the brave and the beautiful who have spent countless hours and days taking care of their little people (often several, and not just one) without the assistance of a dutiful spouse who takes shifts during the evening (or an emergency bathroom run).
How on earth do you do this?!
Help....
Comments
You will get through fine. If I need to shower I put Ollie in his jumper at the door of the bathroom, or in his crib for a little play time. Both give me 5-10 minutes fuss free. Good luck! ; )
In other news... I am giving you a LIEBSTER blogging Award! Check tomorrows blog for details!!
As for #2....if you gotta go..,,well....I put Kellan in his PnP, turn on the Baby Channel (directv....) and do mah thang. It distracts him long enough.
During the day I try to have one "thing" to do (play date, etc) and at night when Tim would usually be home....I just get through it. Dinner is hard -or the lack thereof - but somehow we manage....let me know if you need to vent etc!!! :)
I would also suggest having some people over, such as close friends who might want to hold the baby (especially if you prefer daytime showers). Otherwise, stick your baby in a pack and play during bathroom runs. If you hate to hear your baby cry, you use the potty even if you need to stick an exesaucer or jumper in the bathroom with you.
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE. The hours pass faster sitting at a Barnes and Noble reading books to your baby in the cafe than they do sitting at home.
when im in the washroom, i sit Max at the door of the washroom and he can explore the new environment textures (it doesnt bother me if i'm doing whatever and he's there watching)
when i take a shower, i have him on the car seat with a snack or toys and it's in the bathroom with me. i open the curtain and check on him every now and then (he cries sometimes, but i know he's safe)
if he's sleeping in his room, i just shower with the door open.
if im cooking, i have a baby gate so he doesnt go in the kitchen and cause an accident. but im not cooking like risotto or anything that commits me to the stove forever
Children are pretty resilient and adapt to change better than us at times! Enjoy this time with her!
Btw, I take my showers in the evening, once my kids are settled down for the night, even when my husband is out of town. As for bathroom breaks, I put my babies in a safe place (crib or PnP) and did my business alone. And if they cried, I usually could tell what kind of cry it was ("I miss you" versus "I'm hurt!") and acted accordingly ("I'll do my thing" versus "I'll come get you right away!") That's just me. Do what feels right to you.
One of my simple pleasures right now is having time just with the baby. My husband will take the older one out for a long day outing and we get hours upon hours of time just together. LOVE!