Board Report

I’m getting used to this whole maternity leave thing. The first few weeks were a little strange; not just the fact that I suddenly wasn’t working, but figuring out who this little person is and learning how to take care of a newborn baby - it was a lot of change all at once. We’re halfway through now, and it’s getting really fun! Not only is Aurora smiling and interacting more, but I’m settling into it. We’re getting out more often, I have more energy, and I think I’m pretty lucky that I get to spend my days with my daughter. After all, she won’t be this tiny and adorable for long.

Yesterday we figured out how to get her to sleep longer through the night. In hindsight it seems so obvious, but once Chuck started giving the last bottle of the day and putting her down to sleep, it took a couple days to step back and figure out how we could establish a better nighttime routine.

The first nights that Chuck put her to bed, she woke up before 3am, which was just too early. I’d feed her and put her back to sleep, but it messed up our schedule and made for an overly tired momma. I realized in the morning that Chuck had left her in a onesie, and she was wriggling out of her blankie and getting cold. I’d bring her into our bed and we’d snuggle to warm her up. I asked Chuck to be sure he’s changing her diaper and putting her in warmer pj’s before bed, and the last two nights he also swaddled her more snugly. Low and behold, she started sleeping longer! Turns out, the warmer and cozier she is, the more she sleeps. It’s been so hot here in Austin that I think he didn’t want her to overheat, but we do have the A/C and ceiling fan on, and she has a very little body.

The other thing that’s been bothering her is gas, which is a struggle day and night. About a week ago I picked up Mylicon infant gas relief drops, and they’ve been helping. Now before bed we feed her, give her Mylicon drops, change her diaper, change her into pajamas, rock and sway her, kiss and love her, wrap her up nice and warm, and voila - she sleeps 6 hours straight, from about 10:30pm-4:30am. And this will continue to extend as she gets bigger.

Parenting really is a full-time job, and having a happy family isn't just luck - it requires the same skills as any other job: analytical thinking, planning, organization, scheduling, flexibility, delegation, communication, creativity and patience. I think I might deserve a raise!