It has been a while since I wrote. The past week has been hectic! After moving our things back to my place in bits and pieces, we’re finally settling in. I underestimated the struggles of doing life with a child. I have been a lone wolf for years. Whenever I wanted to go somewhere or get something, I would just get up and go. Now, there is a whole brand new person that I have to take into consideration. My new broke best friend.
Before we could think of going anywhere, we needed to check just how comfortable she was with the car seat. So I have been taking her with me to the shops. I was excited to learn that driving her around is a great way to lull her to sleep. We took things up a notch by going on a long distance trip for her 10-week immunization. What used to be a two-hour drive easily became a three-hour drive because of all the stops we had to take to feed her. This made me realize just how risky it would be to drive with her at night, so I should not even think about it.
Since Monday, I have been moving my things from home to my place, tagging her along so she could get used to her new home. Monday was rough. She struggled to take her naps because of the surrounding noise (it gets really busy around here during the day). It is also possible that being in an unfamiliar environment made her uneasy. She cried a lot, even my sister couldn’t soothe her. She only calmed down when I picked her up and held her. This is expected since I’m the one who spends the most time with her but I now see the importance of spending time with her in the presence of others so she can familiarize herself with them. Especially now that I’m only left with a few weeks before I go back to work.
On Wednesday, we came back to spend the day at my place and it went far much better than I expected. We played, watched cartoons and took our afternoon nap. It was great. The fears I had about coming back with her started to fade. I’m grateful for the lockdown because I had my family helping me take care of my baby. But with the restrictions being lifted, I’m going to have less hands on deck. I need to get used to staying with her full-time. I would have loved to leave her at home with her grandparents but they also have to go back to work. Besides, I love the idea of coming back home to my baby after a hard and long day at work.
Yesterday’s trip to her new home was an event. Well, for me at least. Although she slept throughout the whole trip, I was nervous because it was just her and I in the car for the first time. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I would have to stop on the side of the road if she started crying. She slept the whole way and only woke up to feed as soon as we arrived.
We followed routine for the rest of the day. I even got the opportunity to cook – something I haven’t done in the last three months. I squeezed in some me time by having a glass of wine and watched the Lockdown House Party while she was asleep. And even though she woke up a few times in the night to feed, it was not dramatic. No crying involved. I’m feeling pretty content right now. I know some days are going to be hard but I’m also confident that I’m going to love and enjoy having her around.
Photo by Mister Mister from Pexels
