Yesterday was a rough day for me at home. Every once in a while I start to feel like my every waking moment (and many not-quite-awake moments) are consumed with taking care of Cameron. Let me be clear, I love being a Mom and I love being with my precious little boy. But, I’m not a single Mom, so I feel like I should at least have a few minutes to myself each day. It has been particularly frustrating lately because I’m still trying to get Cameron back into a nighttime sleeping schedule after our trip.
Last night, Cameron went to bed at a good time, but then woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep. I nursed him and he fell asleep in my arms. As soon as I transferred him to the cradle, he woke back up again. He was clearly having gas pains, so he was complaining and wiggling out of his swaddle. I picked him up and rocked him back to sleep. I put him in his cradle again, and he woke up, wiggling and fussing again. I sat beside his cradle rubbing his belly and trying to encourage sleep. After a long day, I was tired and hungry. I found myself getting frustrated. I was somewhat frustrated at Cameron, but I was also frustrated at my husband. Why was he hanging out in bed while I was trying to get my son to sleep? Hadn’t I already spent my entire day taking care of our son?
Right around the time I was thinking this, Hubs asked me how I was doing. He could tell I was frustrated with the entire situation and told me to go take a break. He took Cameron and I went to the kitchen. I heard a few cries (from the baby, not the husband), but told myself that everything was fine – I was going to take a break. By the time I got back to the bedroom, Cameron had just gone back to his cradle and he was out like a light.
All of this is to say that I was determined to make today a better day. When we woke up this morning, Cameron was still dealing with gas pains and he was fussy and upset. I tried to get him to nap, but he couldn’t relax enough to sleep. I decided that I could help Cameron get some sleep by putting him in the car and going for a drive. Thankfully, this also broke up the monotony in my day a little bit.
Later in the afternoon after we got home, I was still feeling like I didn’t want to hang around the house – especially when it was such a beautiful and warm day out. I put Cameron in his stroller and we walked down to the Dartmouth ferry to go meet Daddy at his work.
I really enjoy these outings with Cameron because they make everyone happy:
- Cameron gets to go for a ride in his stroller which he always enjoys. In fact, he usually falls asleep.
- Mommy gets to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air. She also is able to listen to the radio on the walk and read her book on the ferry since Cameron is usually asleep.
- Daddy gets to see his family at work which brightens his day. He also gets company on his walk home.
