Easy Like Sunday Morning

We're having a tough week.  Joey's been under the weather for most of the week, which makes me under the weather too.

He's hard work:  I can't put him down because if I do within seconds he's crying, or if for a surprising minute he's happy, as soon as I leave his sight he starts crying.  He cries when the kids try to amuse him; he cries when the kids annoy him.  He cries like he wants to eat; he cries when he's trying to eat.  So of course the never ending question springs to mind: Is it teeth?  But then it's always teeth, isn't it?  He doesn't have any yet, and he's drooling as much but no more than normal, and his fingers are in his mouth as much but no more than normal.  He doesn't have a temperature, but he does have a snotty nose, but that's kinda par for the course in Fall and Spring in Midland.  It's not separation anxiety (yet), because he was fine last week, though was like this the week before we went to Austin too, so what could it be...?  Teeth, I'm sure.

But that's not really what this post is about.  Not being able to put him down and, therefore, not being able to get very much done, makes me realise how easy he is for normal.  We've always thought he was an easy baby, at least in comparison to our other kids, for the most part because he didn't have a 'girning' period between 6 and 10/11/12pm.  All three of the others needed rocked and held and walked around and rocked some more and pushed in the pram all evening, every evening, for about the first twelve weeks, or until they found their thumb.  They seemed tired, but they couldn't settle themselves, so we just accepted it and the back breaking work began (how do babies know when you sit down??).  Then, magically come 12 weeks, it all stopped, and they went to bed at 7pm or 8pm and slept soundly.  Joey on the other hand, from the beginning had his last feed at 6 or 7 or 8pm or whenever, and then just slept.  Sure he was up during the night for feeds, sometimes still is, but before and after he just slept.  All.  Evening.  Long.  It was wonderful, and desperately needed since our evenings were full of feeding three children and tidying up after them and going to Awana and Small Group and Gymnastics and doing homework and giving them baths and getting them to bed, which still takes till the best part of 9pm most evenings.

I remember reading this blip from iChum, who's been through a lot with me and my kids and her kids over the years, and I nodded and understood and thought "Yup, yup, been there".  Then suddenly I was like, "You know what?  Nope, we've not had ANY nights like that with Joe.  Not a single one."  Well, not after the second week of his life when he caught a cold from the pesky Kindergarteners he visited and couldn't sleep for a week except in my arms...  Every other night he has slept.  Slept like a baby some might say.  And it was wonderful.

So without doubt he's been a 'good' baby at night.  Great in fact.  But during the day?  Of course he's 'good' and 'easy' but I also stand by the fact that the day must have more to do with being number four and kinda needing to fit in.  For the first five months of his life he was barely at home and awake for more than an hour without either feeding or sleeping.  He was in and out the car seat (which he hated), he was in and out the buggy (which he also hated), and carted from pillar to post at his siblings needs.  And if he did start getting upset in the house and I still needed 10 minutes to finish getting ready or to finish whatever, off I'd send a sibling to 'entertain' him, which always ended with a smile if not a giggle.  And I think that's the thing, if it's your first and your baby is girning and you have to get ready, of course you find it hard work: you're trying to hold them and put your makeup on, or finish getting dressed and entertain them, or cook the dinner and trying to feed them theirs at the same time.  I don't think I managed to cook an evening meal by 6pm till Toots was close to a year.  But I think by number three and especially four, not only are you a bit more immune to their grumbles (because you know sometimes you can't just drop everything and get to them; their sibling still needs their bottom wiped), but you can often dispatch someone else to amuse them.  Plus, and this has been a big thing for me with Lightning and now Joey, you aren't at home all day alone with a baby (or two under two - not that I was with Toots or Tiger either, but that's another story... many folks are though)) thinking about what to do that'll entertain them now.  Poor Joe barely got a full sleep in his cot for the first five months I think.

Anyway, that's all by the by and no great insight, just something I've been thinking oooh, probably since Joey was born and I started getting asked whether he was a good baby or not.  "You get what you get and you don't get upset," Pinkalicous's mum says, and thankfully, except for when he's not, Joey is a really easy and happy baby.  Or perhaps he's just easy when compared to an almost six (7 days to go and counting!), a four and a half, and a two year old ;)

[I'd insert a really cute picture of him here except 1. he's not up for any really cute pictures at the moment since he's got both snot and tears on his face most of the time and 2. he's sporting a rather fetching bruise on his forehead in which you can actually see our carpet design, which is probably not the best advertisement for a well loved fourth child.]