Sleep, babies, parents, lack of

Get pregnant and the further you get along you will notice how often people tell you to "get your sleep in now".  Ha ha, you laugh and wince thinking that it is so cliche for someone to tell you that.  Since sleeping becomes harder in later pregnancy so you become more adept to less of it and it feels okay to do so. 
Then you have the baby...la dee da.  That baby doesn't know day from night, up from down.  It's cool because I was on such a whirlwind of high that I didn't know those things either.  The months start to move and you still live on a cloud that is drifting on some kind of renewable fuel.  You just keep going.

I think from around 10 weeks to 20 weeks is where I started to loath most people who came from the outside to contact with me on my cloud.   I looked at them and thought "you think you have problems, try not sleeping at all".  That is if I could think at all.   You find yourself staring into small corners of your living room dissecting dust buildup while sitting on the couch breastfeeding for the 12th time that day.  You stare down at that soft head and watch those puckered lips slurp this precious concoction from your body at 5 in the morning and ponder how you can love someone so much and also wish you were a hypnotist that could put any living creature into a deep sleep.   Mentally your on a roller coaster.

I tried to over analyze this or to compare it to other mothers until I wised up and realized there is no one way.  I went to a class with a sleep coach and she gave me sympathy for being in the 4 month old range, which she classified as the worst month.  I took notes on how to get my baby to sleep longer.  What a joke.   Tell yourself how cool it is to be up and at them in the middle of the night.  Some of the worlds greatest artists and thinkers were up in the middle of the night.  Appreciate that alone time with your little sleep deprivation machine.  They way a baby looks under moonlight coming through the window will bring goosebumps up your spine.
With that,  I guess I have some tidbits of wisdom for any struggling moms out there:

• Eventually, they will sleep.  I still tell myself this every day
• Phases.  Babies are in a perpetual motion of phases.  Some are happier and easier and others...not so much.  Welcome to a life of endless cycles.  They will always pass.
• Schedule-  I had to force myself in to this one but it has paid off.  Buckle down on what you want for now, all you really need is sleep and that means all attention and time is centered around the bald buddha in your lap:
• Naps:  Attempt to put your babe down at round about times for naps so they learn to expect it.  Happy babies nap, end of story.
• Song:  I played the same song Woodie Guthrie's "Goodnight little Darlin' for weeks straight everytime I put him to sleep.  Now if he is tired I sing him that song and it is like I finally became a hypnotist.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TDacirqSsg 

• Swings & other contraptions:  There is a point where these things are the jam.  Arlo would pass right out in the swing till about 3 months, when all he wanted to do was escape the swing.  Find one at a consigment store cause all these gadgets can be expensive.

• Wind down:  If you want your baby to fall asleep at bedtime then don't run around the house like a wild woman trying to be everything to everybody while listening to loud music.  Talk softly, take him outside, tell him a story, chill that bugger out.
•  Baby carrier:  If all else fails, put that little snuggle buggle in a carrier and wander around.  This is a must have if you still want to maintain any type of night lifestyle and attend dinner parties etc.  
• Ear Muffs: I'm serious.  Go ahead and break the bank with a $20 pair of ear muffs.  You could even still go to rock concerts!
  

So there you are and there is always something better to look forward to mamas....Last night, for the first time in Arlo's baby life he went to sleep at 8:00 p.m. and didn't wake up till 5 a.m.  I had to check my clock 3 times to really let this sink in.  It may be a little rainbow over my cloud but what a beautiful rainbow it t'was.

The beginning of solids

Baby Food. This has become a big new obsession and time consumer for me. I thought making food for me and my husband was enough of a time suck. Welcome to life beyond breastfeeding! Arlo loves food, all kinds, all the time. He would be attached to my boob all day if he could and then maybe chomp on some other snacks in between. When people say that you will know when a baby is full I have to laugh a bit because I have never seen him turn down food. So I have decided to start documenting my escapades in baby food making. What I have learned:
- Use food that you are already eating
- Steam or boil fruits in water
 - Blend mixes
 - Use fun stuff like cinnamon and use coconut oil to add in a little bit more fat (maybe he'll sleep longer, please gawd)
 - Freeze in ice cube trays then transport to zips so your not spending your whole life making baby food

Life in Baja is simple and easy

South of the border in the land of the endless coastline. One of the joys of living in San Diego is that there is a place called Baja 15 minutes away. When you cross into Baja a lot can change. Yes, somethings seem a little bit more down ridden at first. Then you head further south and the ocean slides endlessly in front of you. The swells come from every direction to break on the shores and we flock to these sands in search of surfing, sunsets, and a mellower mode. My parents are currently living in Las Gaviotas, a cute and quaint small community only a half an hour from the border. Palm trees, hibiscus flowers, spanish tile roofs and fluorescent emryald moss growing on the shore help you fall quickly in love.
 Then, on top of all of that, add in the simplicity of freedom of a weekend where you can walk to the surf and there are babysitters to watch your beauty of a child makes you officially pumped on life. Life in Mexico is good. There is a sense of freedom and no constraints that will dig you in the norm..... those daily chores, worries and thoughts are adios amigos. The waves break on you, over you, within you and the pelicans soar while the sunsets electrically over your head and the full moon subtly graces the sky to the east. It's purity in all its forms. My sunburned family dreams of moments like this.

Mexico has been such a big part of my life and it will continue to stay that way.  Things have changed down there with cartel issues and shifting governments but I would say that, for the most part, Mexican people are gracious, simple, generous, and extremely helpful.  My family brought me up to think more globally and we have lived our lives this way.  It is nice to not pass quick judgement over countries as a whole.  It is a beautiful thing to be able to pass in and out of others cultures with ease and interest in what their lives are like.  From my perspective right now I find it cheaper in Baja, the waves are less crowded (and more plentiful) and life is simple.  You can drink cocos frios on the side of the road and there are less rules, less muck to get through on a daily basis.  It is an escape...yes, but one that I have come to find very rewarding.