New Challenges at 9 Months

Things are changing around here. While no one is crawling yet, I think it's safe to say that our days of sitting nicely on a blanket and playing are over. Sebastien is wanting to be on the move all the time, which is fun to see. He loves to roll around, and uses that as his primary means of transportation. He also now loves to hold fingers and try to walk, and wants to be standing rather than sitting most of the time.

Eden has been experiencing some changes as well. She has reached a point in her development where she wants to spend a lot of her time being with her mommy. By this, I mean being in some sort of physical contact with mom - standing on mom's lap, holding on to mom's fingers, sitting in mom's lap to play, touching mom's face, etc. Eden's arms are often reaching out to be held. (She's such a sweetie.)

Now those who know Eden's mommy (who is the affectionate type) knows that this is heavenly for her. However, it is also somewhat of a challenge, given Sebastien's need for safety, support and supervision, and some cuddling as well. I can't help Sebastien stand and walk around while I have Eden on my lap. Or, actually, I CAN, or at least I try, but not to either of their satisfaction. So I feel as though I am juggling between what the two of them want/need, and there is often one at least semi-unhappy child.

Again, those of you who know me know that I like to please people. And I especially want to please these little darlings who I adore so much. So, this has been draining on me.

I am optimistic that it will not always be exactly like this. But I also understand that I will spend more and more time chasing these two the more mobile they become. I think I am just finding, as any mom finds, that things are always changing and that with each new and exciting stage, there are new challenges that come with it.

Mostly, though, I try to remember to not wish away time. There is so much that I enjoy about my two little nine-monthers, and keeping those things in mind helps to energize me in the midst of the challenges.

Sleep

For as long as I can remember, I (Caryn) have had a tough time falling asleep. I can sleep great once I fall asleep, and I can nap with the best of them... but falling asleep has always been a struggle. I think it's hereditary.

During the first half of my pregnancy, I was exhausted all of the time. Luckily, and to my surprise, I could go to bed early and fall right to sleep. Within seconds of hitting the pillow, I would be sound asleep. It was a new feeling. I liked it.

When mid-pregnancy hit, so did bed-rest, discomfort, using the bathroom every hour during the night, etc. And I was back to sleeping troubles.

Eden and Sebastien were born, and naturally I went mostly without sleep. A good day contained about two to three hours of sleep total. That lasted for the first few months. But even after Sebastien and Eden dropped their night feedings, they both woke up needing this or that quite frequently, and I still felt somewhat zombie-like and sleep deprived.

During that time, I fell asleep very easily because I was beyond exhausted. I felt as though I would never have trouble sleeping again. I thought I would never again lie awake in bed, practicing different guided imagery, taking deep breaths, counting the passing hours, or any other various practices that I have used over the years.

Just over 7 months, something magical happened. Sebastien (who at that time was the one keeping us up more) learned to roll to his stomach. Now, I know "back to sleep" so we lay him on his back at night, but he started to roll himself over and sleep very soundly all night long. It was and is a beautiful thing. And I thought, Great! They're sleeping all night, now I can too!

So, here we are at nearly 9 months... and sure enough, Eden and Sebastien generally sleep fairly soundly most nights. And sure enough, I don't. I'm back to insomnia. I'm tired, I really am. But I lay there at night, back to my old ways. Strange, isn't it?

Oh, and here are some cute pictures of the kids, because I know I have certain readers who are really only interested in seeing Sebastien and Eden.

Here's Eden doing her thing - she reaches out a lot, trying to wave, trying to touch faces, sharing toys, sharing her paci. She's a very sweet little girl.

This is something funny Sebastien does a lot with mirrors. I hope it doesn't mean that he has vision problems or something. But he likes to put his face up really close and look in his own eyes.