Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A Little Bit about Our Little Bit

Our Little Bit is four and a half months old now, and here is what we know about him. He smiles often, melting our hearts. He laughs out loud, filling us with joy. He slobbers a lot or, as the Bub would say, "a lot, a lot." He is a cuddle bug who until recently (as in, four nights ago when the hubby finally moved the crib out of the danger zone of Bub's room so Little Bit could start sleeping in it) did his best sleeping in bed between mommy and daddy. Whether he is wide awake and curious or ready to be soothed to sleep, Little Bit likes to be held facing outward. Little Bit loves bath time, especially when mommy lets him slurp on his wash cloth a little. Not to brag, but he loves his mommy (daddy too, of course) and will light up when he hears my voice or sees my face. His fingernails grow at the speed of light, and I am sad to report that, despite my clipping efforts, he pretty much always has some scratches on his face (and I, thanks to his affection, have scratches on my neck). He loves to grab my hair and hold on tight. He is not overly fond of bottles, but will take one in a pinch if the bottle-giver is willing to be patient and persistent. He very rarely cries in an inconsolable fashion. In general, he seems happy and content, far less restless than his older brother was at the same age. Little Bit will almost always fall asleep in his infant seat if you take him on a strategically-timed car ride or stroller walk. He adores his big brother and looks at him with pure admiration and enthusiasm, as if to say, "Whatever you say or do buddy, I'm with you." He laughs and smiles when the Bub gives him any kind of attention at all.

In short, Little Bit is so, so sweet.

Of course, there's still much we don't know about our Little Bit. There are the long-term unknowns--his passions, talents, dreams, goals--that my husband and I will delight in discovering and nurturing. There are near-term unknowns as well. For one, nights are still a crap shoot around here. We had a good stretch a couple of months ago wherein he woke up only once per night. That's no longer the case, and I am often feeding him two and even three times a night these days. Though he naps far better than the Bub ever did in his first few months, his naps are not yet long, regular, or taken in his crib. Other questions are still unanswered: Will his eyes remain bright blue like daddy's or turn hazel like mommy's and big brother Bub's? At what point will he begin sleeping through the night and taking regular naps? Will he be an early crawler yet late walker like his big brother? Will he like rice cereal when it's time or make a big mess of it? How long will he be nursing? Will he eat Gerber baby food lasagna as frequently and enthusiastically as his big brother did? Will he jump out of his crib before we are prepared for it (also like his brother)? Will he too become a master of the code brown? Will he one day resent us for comparing him to his big brother all the time?

These unknowns are less scary this time around. I don't find myself scouring parenting websites, consulting sleep books, and interrogating other moms as I did last time. It's not that I have all the answers, far from it. Rather, I think that I understand, more than I did with the Bub, that everything is a process and that what works for one child and his mom may not be right for another pair. When the Bub was an infant, I found myself frustrated when I did not know the answers and spent far too much time feeling like an inadequate, incompetent fraud of a mom. This time, I know to be patient with Little Bit and with myself. Everything will be okay, and the most important things are already okay and are even pretty wonderful, especially when I just let myself enjoy the journey. Whatever mistakes are made, I know that Little Bit will always know that his dad and I love him "a lot, a lot."


Little Bit's preferred "get to sleep" hold. Daddy (aka The Sandman) excels at this one.


Did I mention how sweet Little Bit is? NTB, but how can you doubt his sweetness when looking at this photo?


Bub loves to jump up and down so Little Bit loves to jump up and down (with Daddy's help).

And now, let me share a few lines from the Supertramp song I've been singing to myself since I heard it on the radio last week:
"Give a little bit / Give a little bit of your love to me / Give a little bit / I'll give a little bit of my love to you / There's so much that we need to share / So send a smile and show you care / I'll give a little bit / I'll give a little bit of my life for you . . ."

And of course, for my Little Bit, I want to replace "little bit" with "a lot, a lot."

17 comments:

Maggie said...

Very cute post, and very cute Little Bit.

Not to steal LB's thunder, but Bub looked also looked very cute in the Halloween pics on Facebook.

E... said...

Love this post. What a great great baby he sounds like. I'm still looking forward to meeting him -- a lot!
The four and half month mark, for me, was a milestone in so many ways, they start to get to be people with personalities -- have fun continuing to get to know him!

Anonymous said...

How nice for Little Bit to be able to read this someday. Having the pleasure of spending rare back to back weekends with him, I can verify all of your claims. He's just too sweet, but then again, he is my godson, ntb.

Actchy said...

This is a wonderful, touching post. Especially salient for yours truly. Thanks, MEP.

CaraBee said...

Oh MEP, that was wonderful. I identified with so much of it. What a lucky little boy to have such a loving family. That picture of your three guys is so great. Their smiles really light up the room!

PS - I loved Supertramp! One of my favorite songs of 1980 (or so) was Take the Long Way Home. I still listen to it every now and then for nostalgia.

PPS - My living room is that same yellow.

Anonymous said...

I fell in love with him the day he was born. Each child has a characteristic (at least one) that when you say the name, you conjure up the picture of him/her and actually feel that special part. With LB it is definitely "He is so sweet". With the Bub, "He is so curious", and "sensitive" and . . .
m

Anonymous said...

I have tears MEP. Too sweet.

cake said...

it is no wonder he is so sweet, considering what a sweet one you must be yourself, to write such a post. i love hearing that you feel a new confidence and motherly wisdom with the second one. i think we all do a lot better when we can just trust ourselves.

it is funny how they each have their own particularities. cosmo, as an infant, preferred to be held facing in, up high, so he cold look over the shoulder, or rest his head there, and sometimes fall asleep. he never wanted to be cradled, on his back. sounds like little bit will be a great candidate for the baby bjorn, facing out.

on another note, reading this post brought back all the wonderful, and all consuming aspects of caring for an infant. the fact that you are also caring for a busy toddler, AND finishing a dissertation, is nothing short of superheroism.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'm almost in tears. What a sweet post! It is clear that Bub and Little Bit are apart of a wonderful family. Rita

Anonymous said...

wonderful sweet post, mep. i, too, gained some of the same perspectives the second time around, for which i am very grateful. somehow it makes most days pretty amazing. keep enjoying...

Anonymous said...

I'm tearing up here, too. So sweet, MEP. Its just the greatest gift, isn't it?

Totallyscrappy said...

Sweet.Very sweet.

Bailey said...

Hey MEP, We braved the weather yesterday and went to Old Orchard. My husband suggested I try Oakbrook. Maybe I'll go there next.

My problem is that I have no sense of direction and despite living here 10 years, I don't know how to get anywhere outside of city limits but Skokie.

Steph said...

Look at those great smiles with all 3 boys!!

Sue and Randy said...

You inspire me to write down more of my babies lives (3 1/2 and 7 mos). You are so right about the second one--but you also remind me how easy I've had it with both of my girls in the sleeping department.
It's been great catching up-even if it is through Facebook. You bring a lot of positivity, even from a distance!
Sue

Anonymous said...

MEP,
I really, really loved that post. It warmed my heart!!
Leah

Anonymous said...

That was the sweetest post. I hope you save this (maybe post-dissertation you can pick up a new scrapbooking habit?) for him.

 
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