July 27, 2006, meet my firstborn, Braelyn Grace.. So pretty and sweet. 8 lbs 2 oz.. healthy and gorgeous. What a blessing! Braelyn quickly went from sleepy and sweet to screaming and mad.. ALL day long.. Whew! Colicky? YES! I was exhausted and stressed.. I felt like I was doing something wrong but the tables turned and she really was a happy baby in the later months of her first year. Sometimes I think she probably wasn’t even that bad and most of the crying and stress was just me being a first time mom with no clue what to expect. 20 short months later.. Enter Brylee Faith. My sweet second baby. After a really hard and stressful pregnancy, what a joy to finally be holding a second healthy baby. 7 lbs 13 oz and over 2 weeks early, Brylee was healthy and here safe! I knew she would be good because, you know, who has TWO fussy babies… well let me tell you.. Brylee Faith broke the mold! She is one passionate kid and hard to please. Colicky? Again, YES! And more exhausting with a 1 year to chase, as well. I sleep little and bounce all day long. In her defense, most of Brylee’s screaming is due to a really bad case of acid reflux and the pain that goes a long with it. So probably half colicky and half hurting.. My poor baby screams a lot!
But one day:
I will yearn for their little bitty hands to wrap around my neck and hug me or for the best kisses in the world from those teeny, tiny lips.
I wont be able to “fix” their entire world just by picking them up and holding them or bouncing them thru the house for hours on end.
They wont depend on me for every single need in their life.
Those screaming, awful, LOUD cries will just be a memory.
I’m going to blink and these fussy babies are going to be moving out of the house and I am going to long for the days I could rock them so sleep or comfort them with just my touch.
They wont love their mommy and daddy more than anyone else in this world.
I will sit in a church with giant tears in my eyes and watch them give their lives to another.
I will watch them become mommy’s and learn all the things I learned from them.
And one day, they will probably take care of ME!
The author of that article went on to say that she has read research that babies that cry all day long are actually more intelligent and alert than those who do not because they are more in tuned, even at such a young age, at what they want! I’m not sure if I really believe that or not since I know smart kids who were good babies too but it makes me feel a little better on the days when the screaming has pushed me to the edge! My kids DO know what they want and are very in tune with their desires! :)
So for now I am going to push through trying to soak in every moment and try to not blink so I don’t miss anything. I will try not to wish away these super stressful infant days and enjoy them small as much as I can. These kids are my life and screaming or not, I will love them more everyday.. I’ll just wish I had some mommy ears plugs.. :)
