Blog From A Broad

return to the water, anxiety, and becoming a little man

I found a swimming class for us on Mondays, thanks to a friend and her adorable twin girls. I really want to get Jack back in the pool again, especially because he doesn't seem to like getting his head wet anymore. I think he isn't used to it now, so I want to get him swimming again before he develops a fear of water. Plus, Jack looks so damn cute in his little swimming trunks.

I mentioned the 6am wake up calls, but we've had an unpleasant development recently: nightly screaming for several hours at a time. Jack's been very unhappy when first put to bed and sometimes wakes again in the evening screaming his fluffy head off, and has treated us to a couple of late night/early morning waking sessions, during which time he alternates between screeching and deciding that it would be a really good time to play. He's tired; he puts his head down and settles down when we're next to him, but as soon as we take one step away from the cot, his tiny head pops up like a gopher's and yells out WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! until we return to his side. It's all been a barrel of laughs, let me tell you. I suppose this might be separation anxiety or teething (he's been dribbling like a fiend lately), but either way, it's been tough to deal with. I think when you don't have bouts of sleeplessness for a very long stretch they become much harder to deal with when they do happen. Plus, it's that much worse when you've got to work the next day. Bleah.

Otherwise, Jack's life goes merrily on and it's been amazing watching him develop into a little person of his own. I always thought that this phase in Jack's life would be more demanding on us because small babies just sort of lie there and don't do a lot, but it's actually turned out to be easier. Jack can feed himself, plays quite happily on his own and doesn't need our attention constantly, has a pretty regular routine, but best of all, it's an absolute joy simply watching him be Jack. He makes us fall over laughing, he amazes us with the things he's learned, and he's such a happy little chap (when he's not up all night screaming, that is). There is nothing better than seeing my son's face erupt into an enormous toothy grin as he comes running towards me with his arms wide open, giving me a "kiss" that involves an open mouth and a lot of slobber.

The occasional sleepless night really isn't a big deal in the larger scheme of things, is it?