The New Normal

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl.
-James Barrie, Peter Pan

Robbie is officially awesome, in case you hadn't figured that out yet. The past few weeks have been really amazing. The best part of it all is the fact that he has started to "socially smile" and practically giggles. Right now it is the funniest thing in the world to him when I wiggle his pacifier up and down in his mouth. He squeals and smiles and is SO CUTE. I can almost forget the fact that I was up at 2:30AM begging him to go back to sleep when he does this. The sleeping has gotten better. He is sleeping longer through the night and we only have to get up about every 3 to 4 hours now.

Robbie had his first long weekend at Sam's parents house while we went to Brianna's wedding in Chicago. They took him Thursday night and brought him back Sunday afternoon. I did really well and only cried once... well, okay, maybe twice... But I know that he had a good time! I had to go and register him for daycare yesterday. I go back to work Nov. 12th, but am going to start taking him to the daycare for short lengths starting the week before so both of us can ease into in.

Robbie also got to meet my parents who were up visiting from Florida this weekend. It did my heart good to see how excited they were to meet him. Dad is convinced that Robbie knows his papaw's voice, and I'm inclined to agree. My mom also taught me a little "pat the butt" trick which works wonders to keep him alseep in the tricky phase after I just put him down in the crib.

My heart is full of joy. My brain is fuzzy from lack of sleep. Things are hardly back "to normal" in our house, but then again, they probably never will be. I'm dealing with this "New Normal" and loving it. Who says hours of sleep needs to be consecutive or that spouses need to eat dinner simultaneously? Who says that hearing the same baby song play on your child's swing over and over and over again is annoying? Not me! I say, "Bring it on, Itsy-Bitsy Spider! Entertain my little man!" I wouldn't trade this New Normal for the old Normal for the world. The old Normal had no tiny toes to tickle or fuzzy new baby hair. The old Normal had no toothless smiles or sleepy baby sighs. It had no tiny socks or itty-bitty hats. It also had no diapers... but hey, you can't win them all! So three cheers for the New Normal and my heart goes out to those who have no idea what I'm talking about.

Now I must sign off, as "Pop Goes the Weasel" plays in the background. There is dinner to cook and laundry to do and drool to wipe up.... and a baby boy to love.