Every Baby is Different

I thought I would do a quick post today.  I’ve noticed over the years that each baby is truly an individual and you have to learn to parent all over again in many ways.   

For example, I’m an old hand at diaper changes but Mason’s brought new aspects with the cathing, frequent bowl movements due to low muscle tone in the anus, and a never-ending battle with skin breakdown due to all the poop.  I’m comfortable feeding and burping a baby, and reading baby’s cues.  I’ve learned that babies are noisy and don’t need picked up at the first little sound – they mumble, grump, coo, and make a whole host of sounds that are just them talking to themselves about how they’re feeling. 

Sleep has always been individual from child to child.  I’ve had several who preferred to co-sleep in bed with mommy and daddy, a few who liked the crib or the bed, some who slept in a swing, and one who would only sleep in her crib.  Sleep is a loose term.  Most of my children don’t sleep through the night without waking until after age 2, and many were still waking 2-3 times a night at age 2. 

Mason seems to be a generally predictable sleeper.  He wakes up to eat every 2 hours on the dot during the day (with diaper changes often coming more frequently due to the muscle issues).  However at night he sleeps a 4-5 hour stretch, wakes once for a diaper, cathing, and bottle, and then usually sleeps the rest of the night.  He seems to prefer filling his tank so often during the day so he can get this nice long night sleep.  It’s blissful and I hope it lasts! 

Mason can sleep through just about anything during the day.  Not all my children have been that way.  Maybe it’s because he’s the 7th child and the house is always full of noisy siblings?  They can be singing, playing piano, running, jumping rope, playing tag, or banging on pots and pans and if Mason’s sleeping he’s not likely to wake up.  I love it!

Some of my children had a very specific preference for mommy from day one.  They wanted only my arms and would be content nowhere else for the early months.  Mason’s pretty mellow and accepts Daddy, Grandma, and big sister Makayla’s arms any time. 

Another thing I’m loving during this time is seeing my other children mature in different ways.  It’s been most noticeable with Makayla age 10.  There’s a difference even from a year ago when I gave birth to Caleb.  She is very capable – she carries and holds the baby, soothes him, feeds the occasional bottle, and can do diaper changes.  Last night she asked if she could learn to cath Mason so today she did it.  She amazes me!  In many ways she knows more at her age about caring for babies than I did.  I did not have any experience with babies before I had my own.  I had a decent amount of babysitting experience – but almost always with toddlers or older children.

Oh, and one last thing:

Happy Valentine’s Day!