Little Burrito

If you have a baby or are close to a family with a baby, you have probably heard about swaddling. As a new mom I had no idea what it was, except that Jesus was swaddled in a manger. Clearly this is a very old practice, but until I had a newborn baby it never really occurred to me what it was or why you would do it.
After having a rather fussy first baby, then being loaned the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD (this is an amazing tool for new parents!), I quickly realized the magic of the swaddle. There is a long scientific explanation for why babies like to be swaddled, but the short version is that it makes them feel like they're back in the womb again. For most newborn babies, this sense of security makes them feel safe and cozy, and they settle down very quickly. It also prevents them from whacking themselves in the face, which wakes them up. In fact, some babies (but not mine of course) will sleep through the night from the very beginning ONLY if they are swaddled. Some swaddle companies even guarantee longer bouts of sleep! Most babies only need to be swaddled as newborns, during the fourth trimester as some doctors call it (this is the first three months of life when all the baby really wants is to get back in the womb). There is also a very specific technique, which is easy to learn and they usually teach you in the hospital. You really only want to swaddle the upper body (arms/chest), and not the hips. Just thought I'd mention that in case anyone tries to swaddle their baby with no instruction after reading this.

As a newborn, Sapphie needed to be swaddled all the time to calm down, go to sleep, etc. When I figured out her cow's milk issue at 2 months of age, her fussiness almost completely stopped and we rarely needed to swaddle her anymore. By 3 months she was pretty much done with it and was sleeping very well on her back or her side. Once in a while if she was really wired or upset we'd have to swaddle her, but never after 4 months of age. Her brother is a totally different story. He is a HUGE fan of the swaddle and just doesn't seem to want to let it go.

From the beginning, Teo has been a total man if you know what I mean. When he is upset or not feeling well, he feels so sorry for himself that you just want to cry when you look at him. He cries the most pathetic cry and puts his mouth in a long O shape. Even when he was a few days old, his cry would sound like he was saying "Oh, oh, oh!" So sad. Then he would wind up and hold his breath until he was red as a beet...and we would wait for it...and then he would really start wailing! In the beginning, he had serious plumbing issues. We were lucky if he pooped once a week and the two days before the big event, he'd be so fussy he would cry the whole time he was awake. How did we stop the crying? By swaddling him of course! Teo was swaddled during every nap and every night for the first four months of his life. Sometimes, he'd be crying, and Kevin would decide he needed to be wrapped up. Then, Teo would fall asleep mid-swaddle! He's done that on more than one occasion. It's so funny.
When Teo was about four months old, Isaac came over. Teo was asleep and all wrapped up. Isaac came into my room and this look of horror swept over his face.
"What the hell is that??!!"
"What?"
"What are you doing to your kid? I'm calling child services."
"Seriously, you've never seen a swaddled baby? He likes it. It's the only way I can get him to sleep."
"That is totally sick to put your baby in a straightjacket. That's not right."

Fortunately Kim was with him, and she's got baby nieces. She came over and kissed Teo on the head and said "Isaac don't be silly. Babies love being wrapped up into little burritos."

So that made me feel better. Here's the funny part though: do you know any babies that still want to be swaddled at 7.5 months?? I do.

Apples!

Yesterday, we went apple picking. It was somewhat impulsive; we just decided in the morning that it was a nice day so we'd go get some apples. We headed straight to Shelburne Orchards after church, and it was packed. There were cars and people everywhere, full of families enjoying the orchard and also runners who were participating in a little orchard race. Sapphie was so excited. We went up to the bag person and got a large bag for us and a small bag for Sapphie. She quickly made herself very busy bouncing from tree to tree, picking apples that she thought were "ready." When her bag got to heavy, she'd dump her apples out into my bag and start over again. We had 18 pounds in about 15 minutes! After picking, we went up to the grill and got our favorite butternut squash soup, grilled sausage, cider, and of course, cider donuts. We listened to the bluegrass band play a few tunes, then Sapphie went down the hay slide a few times. Happy, full, and excited for fall, we headed home for naps. It was the perfect fall day, and Kevin got some great shots:

Super Fun

I can't believe the summer is over. It has flown by, so much faster than I had expected! I am so behind on posting photos and of course our camera is full of them. One of these cold days I'm going to sit down and put them on the computer. For now though, I've got some I took with my phone.

This summer has been full of "super fun" as Sapphie would call it. When she's in a good mood, she calls me "super mummy" or Kevin "super daddy." It's so funny and I'm not sure where she learned it. We've just come back from an amazing trip to Maine with the family, followed by a quick trip to Northampton for a wedding, then Teo's dedication last weekend. Isaac shot photos so I don't have any to share, but I'm sure he'll post some when he's gone through them. I'll be printing some out as well.

What has been my favorite part of summer? I'm not sure. There have been some big events for sure. I think my favorite has to be continuing to get to know Teo, who is now 7 months old, and watching him bond with Sapphie. I didn't realize how quickly and tightly they would bond. I have to admit I was pretty nervous about introducing a sibling into the picture, since Sapphie was such a strong personality. I was also given ample warnings about how she would probably not handle it well at all, would be jealous, etc. Contrary to my worries, she has been an absolutely amazing sister from the day she met Teo. She is ferociously protective of him, very concerned about what he is doing and what toys he should or shouldn't be playing with, and who is touching or holding him. She likes to yell at me that "he'll choke on that" if I give him something she considers to be "smaller than an apple", which is the rule I have tried to teach her about what toys he can and can't have. When she has a friend over who shows any interest in Teo, she runs over, pushes the friend away, and yells "my baby!!" She also talks to him quite sternly when he's crying or splashing her in the tub, or trying to do his "shark attack", which consists of a quick and strong yank of the hair on either side of the face, followed by a surprisingly strong and passionate bite on the chin which may or may not be accompanied by strong suckling.

The other day, in the car, Teo was being fussy and Sapphie was clearly not having it. She said:
"Teo, listen to me. I'm in charge. You see that sign over there? It says NO CRYING. You see? NO CRYING. You want me to take your nuk away? I will!"

So funny. I must admit I have threatened her on multiple occasions to take her nuk away when she isn't behaving in the car. It's really funny how she mimics everything we say. So far, she continues to show us what a firecraker she is, with her own (quite strong) opinions. On the other hand, she is so sweet sometimes it makes you melt. Teo becomes a bigger lover every day, although he appears to have rather a surprisingly hot temper when mama's tit is involved. Not only does he like to nurse all night, like his sister did, but he will not take his nuk when the nursing is done. He arches his back, screams blue murder like a little piglet and starts scratching at his face with desperation if I don't let him nurse again. He hovers around my chest with his eyes closed and his mouth wide open, like a baby bird. Then he gets back on with a wild wimpering sound (as if he's starving), then about 2 seconds later starts throwing his head back again, impatient because I'm not letting down. Sometimes in the wee hours, when he starts this behavior I just leave him with Kevin in the bed and go out to the pull-out. Cooper loves it when I do this because he gets to have a snuggle like old times.

As we did with Sapphie, we'll start some sleep training and negotiations once he's about a year and can understand what we want to do. For now though, I'll continue to be a zombie mom. I read the best quote the other day:

"The nights are long, but the years are short."

Made me cry. Okay here are the pictures from our Super Fun summer!!

Doing Teo's hair, which she loves to do. It's either mohawks or barrettes and headbands! He's very patient and let's her do anything she wants.

This is Sapphie skinny dipping up to Newport. Getting her redneck on.

Sapphie started preschool! Here she is on her first day. Liz, I swear I brushed her hair and it looked so pretty. Then she decided to remove the headband and put it around her waist. Oh well! So far she loves school, and has made lots of friends. Two boys asked me the other day if she could come over to their house. So cute!! And scary!! It's happening too fast.

This is from our Maine Vacation. Teo in the "command center", which was a very retro toy that our landlady brought over. We don't have anything like this at home and Teo's eyes popped out of his head with all the stimulation. He loved it though! He really looks like Kevin here.

Swimming!! Isaac took this shot.

Hanging with her best bud in the tent.

Morning snuggles and play in Sapphie's bed. She loves it when I put Teo in her bed, and he loves it too! He absolutely adores her, and she keeps herself so busy bossing him around. I love watching their relationship grow. XO