Colic

Just after my parents left, I took Tayler in for her 1 month doc appt. I'd hoped the car ride would calm her down and put her to sleep so I could chat with the doc and pick his brain for any advice he had with helping her. Not surprisingly, the car ride didn't do a thing, and she sat bright eyed in her car seat as I was waiting for the doctor. And, within a couple of minutes, she was red faced and crying her heart out.

At this moment, I started to chuckle a little. Had this been my first baby, I would have been worried the crying might be bothering the other patients, or thinking that every glance would be their thoughts of "she must not know how to calm that baby down." I probably would have stewed with stress during the whole visit. I probably would have driven home contemplating how the next visit could be a happier one.

But, since this is #3, and I have a leg up on the life of a newborn, I felt exactly the opposite. It was a relief that she was showing the doctor everything I'd planned to describe to him anyway.

And after listening to me, checking her out and coming to the conclusion that she is, in fact, completely healthy (at 4 weeks - 10 lbs and 22"), he confirmed that she's nothing more than a colicky baby. Who will get better with time. He gave me a few tips to try, a sympathic look, and a reminder that she'll probably get to a point of a predicable window of true fussy time.

Such a relief to hear. Not that the visit cured her of anything, but sometimes when you've already tried everything you can think of, just confirmation that your baby is colicky is enough. Enough to know that she will cry for no good reason. And enough to know that she will get better.

The kids have been awesome sports through all of her fits. The only real response I have from Alexis is when she'll plug her ears and tell me "baby cries too much, mom" and then walk into another room. I'm so grateful for their patience and happiness when I've been at my wits end. Just seeing Max pull a funny face or watching Alexis piece together her outfits with such care makes me laugh and has reminded me how the little things really are what count. I love their hugs and kisses and their sweet, positive spirits that bring me right back along smiling with them.

And, Tayler has had huge improvements over the last couple of weeks. For the most part, happy throughout the day and only fussy in the evening hours. Best part for me is that she's sleeping so much better. I actually think the evening cry wears her out for bedtime. She's pulling out smiles more and more often, and tries to make a short "coo" sound already. When she's tired, she loves to snuggle right into your chest. And when she's awake, she loves look around. Her eyes study our faces as if there is nothing more important than memorizing our every feature. She recognizes the sound of Mike when he comes home. She loves to be outside for walks and to catch fresh air and the weather has been amazingly warm (already hit the 80s this year!). She's most content being held, but is getting more comfortable in other places - on blankets, in her swing and in her crib. She loves her bath. Both Mike and I are convinced that her hair now has the same tint of red as the other two, although there is still not enough to tell. She's really strong and not only has great head strength, but has managed to roll herself over from tummy to back. I think it's purely accidental, as both times have seemed like flukes, but she's a definitely a mover. With a good set of lungs.