Little Pleasures

In my last post, didn't everything look so idyllic and cosy? And truthfully for that particular snap of our day, yes it was. It was very cosy and idyllic indeed. Yes it was warm and peaceful and intimate and creative and accomplished. And quiet. Yeah. I felt like I was reeeeeally doing great.

Today, not quite the same. Lots of griping and crying (no, not me, although I did consider it briefly), lots of pacing and soothing and cuddling and rubbing and patting and shhhhshing and harumphing and moaning and complaining (yes, that was all me that time). You know how it is. Baby is tired, oh-so-tired, but baby has a devil of a tummy ache. Baby cries, baby gets even more tired, baby cries some more. Baby finally drifts off into an exhausted, fitful sleep, only to wake up ten minutes later with that devil of a tummy ache again. And so we go back to the pacing and soothing and cuddling and rubbing and patting and shhhhshing.

Days like these are challenging for sure, and I am trying oh-so-hard to see the good in them, to try and minimize the harumphing and moaning and complaining. On days like these I make a point of seeking out the Little Pleasures in life, the simple rituals that I know will soothe my soul.

I find a cup of tea helps enormously. If in doubt, go make a cup of tea. And yes why not have a little bit of something sweet on the side? Essential in times of need. Sit a while in the Big Chair in the light of the bay window, sip tea and think calm thoughts. Breeeeaaaathe. It will be Ok. Keep Calm and Carry On.

At the tail end of a long and challenging day, a lovely, blissful soak in a hot, deep bubble bath works wonders. Oh how I look forward to this point in my day! Do you like the look of my new stripy flannel there, aren't the colours just so perfectly Attic24-ish? A gift to me from the lovely Heather, do you know her? She writes a lovely blog called Little Tin Bird, lots of b-e-a-utiful hooky goodness goes on over there you know.

The rather posh Clarins bath soak was also a gift from my lovely neighbour a few doors down at number 18. The same lovely neighbour who kindly took me and my three offspring in yesterday afternoon when I managed to forget my keys and lock us all out of number 24. You can imagine my face can't you, arriving home from school with two tired, hungry school children and one hungry, cying baby, putting my hand in my pocket and finding a one-pence piece, a hairslide, an old button and some snotty tissue, but no keys. Arrggghhhhhhhhh!! Yes my friends, we are having excatly that kind of week.

 

And lastly, possibly one of my biggest Little Pleasures at this time is my bed. Ahhhhhh my sweet, sweet, blissful, scrumptious bed, how I Love You! I'm not going to admit to you quite how many times a day I fantasise about my bed, but it's a lot. I go upstairs to fetch something and gaze longingly at the crumpled unmade bedding and my wonderful crumpled crochet blanket.

Some days (yesterday was one of them) I decide that for the good of my health I just HAVE to have some afternoon sleep. And instead of opting for a quick power nap on the sofa I decide to go the whole hog and take myself upstairs to bed. I have to time it right, have to wait until Little B is at the point of drifting off for some deep afternoon shuteye, then I take him upstairs to carry out his zzzzzzz in the above location. And in I climb too, and off I drift....ahhhhh, something so delicously naughty about getting in to bed in the middle of the day, but oh so good! 

So now I've written this post and I've thought about how lovely and reassuring and soothing these Little Pleasures are, and I think this :: life is not so bad. Could be a whole lot worse. I mean, despite our topsy turvy morning, Little B is now (finally) sound asleep and I am (finallY) enjoying a snippet of me-time. And I'm about to go make myself another cup of tea. With a chocolate biscuit to the side.

Actually, I think I'll make that two biscuits.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments

[Becky]

It's been 10 years (yikes!) since I had a colicky little one, but oh how I remember walking the floors with both of mine. You need your rest to be able to take care of everyone else! Even with all the crying, walking the floors and dirty diapers, I miss having babies. That new baby smell is so much nicer than their "pre-teen" smell :-) Enjoy your quiet time!

[Kylie]

Hi Lucy
It's hard when you're in the middle of "one of those" days to see them ever ending but they do! Well done for making time for you, taking naps and looking for the good in your day. My eldest had colic - oh what a start to parenting! We found putting her in the pram and driving the pram over the strip in the floor that separated carpet from wood soothed her. But the best thing was carrying her like Mamalion suggested on her tummy over your forearm. And when you are having one of those days where nothing seems to work remember chocolate and indulge!
take care of you

[Veronica]

It's amazing how a bit of pampering can lift the spirit! Hope your little ones tummy troubles remain a thing of the past.

[Val]

Lucy, just go for it ..... don't fight it .... give in and have lovely afternoon BED times! You deserve it ... for you and your family. I have a little 8 month old grandson and know how important sleeeeeeeeeeps are for the new mum, so ENJOY!
Thanks for taking the time to blog to us:0)

[Ann]

Hi Lucy,
Last year I was in the same situation as you are now. My youngest daughter had a lot of trouble with her digestive system = she had reflux (is this good English?).
Two things I can advise you:
First - if it doesn't get better, go to the doctor and ask for tests on this subject.
Second - make sure that your "baby blues" don't get worse and end up in mild depression (had the same thing with my firstborn).
And to finish on a lighter note ... Within a couple of months you won't remember anymore how hard it was - truly!
Love your colourfull and lively blog with such lovely pictures!!!
Ann

[Katrin]

Hi Lucy, I was carrying our little girl last year in a tricot sling. I put the nice purple sling on in the morning and left it on all day. Babygirl slept in there for hours and I had my hands free for every thing that I wanted ore needed to do. I could easily put her in and out as needed. If one is not used to it, it needs some time to practice but that time is payed back big times! And for me it felt about as if I still had my big bump :-)
Keep the good spirit up. Within a year you can oh and ah again about seeing a newborn :-)
Katrin

[Deana]

Hi Lucy, I remember when my baby was little and my older children at school I would curl up in bed with my little one next to me for some much needed zzzzz's. I remember those days all to well.

[Delilah]

Lucy,
I feel the same way about taking a nap but my babies are 27 and 29. :-)

[kathy(used to be mylifeandotherbeads)]

Aaah, Lucy i sooo remember those days...colicy baby! You are coping so well and I so wish I could make you a cup of tea when it is needed! Kathyx

[Susan]

Perhaps you've already considered what I'm going to say, but in case you haven't - Are you making note of your own diet and what you've eaten before Little Bump nurses and has tummyaches? Just a thought. I found in my own experience while breastfeeding that certain foods I ate (onion, spicy things, maybe even certain teas?) don't go through baby's digestive tract as well - and their nutrients, acids, etc, do go through the breast milk.

Also, something else that came to mind for me while reading previous posts of yours is to ... well, just be aware of temperament and learning issues as they present in the years to come. I had a very high needs baby; At the age of two, I bing'ed (conservative google) her symptoms and then I learned about Asperger's Syndrome. At the age of six, she is now diagnosed with that and Anxiety Disorder. I'm not trying to place ideas in your head inappropriately or in a worrisome manner; I'm not saying that's what *your* baby has, but I just wanted to share that so you can make appropriate choices in the days, weeks, months, years to come.

HTH (which of course is Hope This Helps as opposed to His Tiny Highness :-)

[Wendy Wager]

Wonderful post as ever. My sister found my comment last week and I've just found hers - Jayne Walton! See, you even unite sisters living 100 miles apart. The crying baby and heart-stopping lost key moments will fade into family history. You give us so much pleasure, we all endorse your own little pleasures. x

[Sarah west midlands]

Dear Lucy having just read all the comments from your post today maybe we
should start a "have a nap in the afternoon
in a cosy bed league" by all your fans out here in blogland endorsed by "Lucy of Attic 24". I think one would have done me good this afternoon. How are you getting on with
your project from last week? Looking forward to seeing it. My crochet flowers are improving(it's that wonderful teacher
we have.) In the meantime have as many naps as you need and I hope little one feels more comfortable in the coming days.
Love Sarah west mids.

[Barbara]

Oh Lucy take some "me" time whenever you can! You might not get some time for yourself that ofter. LOL

[Bethany]

I nap with my baby everyday and I don't feel a bit guilty about it. It benefits everybody if mama keeps her health and sanity!
I'm curious about what kind of tea you drink and how you prepare it. It looks so yummy in your pictures and I'm a big fan of strong, hot drinks!

[jo]

My little one (now 15 months) suffered badly with colic. We found colief to work really well. You can get it from the chemist but is really expensive (about £10 a box) but will be perscribed by the doctor. It is a bit of a faff especially when bfeeding as you have to express milk and add it to that. I used to give the dose to him in those syringes you get free with childrens Nurofen. Anyway, it was well worth the hassle and made a huge difference to his colic. As for naps - oh yes, afternoon ones are the best. I still will have an afternoon nap whenever I get the chance!

[lyndelou]

Awh wee mite - if he continues to have a rumbly tumbly you sould try holding him in a more upright, vertical position (sorry it will probably means no hooky - but you still have one arm free to turn pages of some eye candy magazines :-). Theory is, it allows for the air to rise above the milk as he is consuming it and not getting it trapped - worked great with my three.

[Jo]

I hope you enjoyed the tea and biscuits. You should not feel at all guilty about snuggling up in that lovely blanket and having a sleep with baby, it does you both lots of good. It is a huge adjustment you have gone through this year and things are bound to be very trying and tiring, but you know the little moment when that baby looks up at you and gives you his first smile makes everything worthwhile. Keep in there x x

[Katie]

Oh super, another post from you! I do so enjoy reading your updates. I think that all us Mummies can appreciate those little pleasures that you describe - they strengthen you so that you can get on with the not-so-fun times.

I was amazed that you had managed to do so many squares last time,the new project is looking great. My crochet hand has been out of action so long I have now taken to sewing inspired by http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/ - well worth a look if you haven't seen it before.

Enjoy these special times with your baby and remember - if the Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Katie x

PS I found chiropractic very helpful for my gripy baby

[Sandy]

You're such an inspiration. I say a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!!

[Louise]

Why not make it three?

[lucy]

When I nursed, if I drank TEA my babies would get tummy aches.

Lucy (in IN, USA)

[Marcia]

You're so sweet. One of my all time favorite birth gifts was a copy of the book "Operating Instructions" by Annie Lamott. It's a chronicle of her first year of motherhood. She has such a bad attitude and is so funny. It made me feel so much better and made me laugh about some of the harder days. Give it a try with a nice piece of chocolate! Take good care of yourself! Those early days seem to go on forever and next thing you know they're 15 years old! I love your blog!

[Carol]

Naps are good! If anyone deserves to do that, (and have chocolate!)
it's you---don't feel at all guilty about it. I started to do naps after my first son was born---he's 33 now and I still like naps, although I don't manage to do it much any more. Loved the baby picture the other day---how great that you can manage to crochet while being "milk tanker". (I well remember those days, felt a great affinity to the cows when I was at our State Fair that year...) Hope that the baby soon is feeling better. Thank you for taking the time to post when you have so many other things to do!

Carol in snowy Minnesota

[greenrabbitdesigns]

Good for you Lucy, thats right go ahead have two chocolate biscuits, you deserve it!! It's always such a pleasure to find a new post from you. :)
Vivienne

[Amanda]

this reminds me so much of my little girl just a few months ago - she is now just 6 months - the tummy aches do get better - not sure when I am going to get any me-time - I have only managed 1 bath since she was born!! ( Lots of showers I hasnt to add!!)

We did venture into town for me to get a hair - revamp today and how refreshing that has been!! I feel almost revived - now off to have a cup of tea myself before helping the boys tackle their homework! You are doing fantasctically Lucy