Mommy Learning Curve

No sooner do I finally get a handle on what Alex's cries or calls out mean than they become more complex two weeks later, because his development moves along. At first he cried only because he was hungry. I had the habit of changing him for every feeding and burping him halfway through.  Then his needs got more complex. He started rejecting the midway burping and I had to figure out what that all meant. I learned to burp him after the whole feeding only to have to eventually return to mid-way burps anytime his appetite grows to the next ounce.

Recently, he's learned that he can cry to have his diaper changed alone. If I changed his diaper before a feeding, I could expect howls. Get to the feeding first, then he'd let me know if he wanted a change.  Now he actually cries to go to sleep or be alone. We've been puzzled at his screaming towards the end of a feeding. Trying to burp him brings angry shouts and even swinging arms pushing us away. I'm finally getting it that he will now cry to be put down for a nap or to be left alone with his music and mobiles.

I'm sure once I build in the nap response into my repertoire, his communication skills will just get more complex and I'll miss the cues again.

Man, this learning curve is brutally fast.

July 2, 2007