a few thoughts on Ruu
May 28th, 2008 § Leave a Comment
It’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure what constitutes Ruth News anymore, since everything she does FASCINATES me. All I know for absolute certainty is this: I love my daughter, deeply and completely.
There’s really nothing like this romance and intimacy. Like marriage, it’s a unique bond formed by hormones, time, will, and emotions. There is so much touch, so many hours, and so much effort put into the relationship that I can’t help myself: I’ll jump in front of a train for her.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
May 5th, 2008 § Leave a Comment
This past week we had a breakthrough: Ruthie started taking a bottle without much (if any) fuss.
I started on Thursday, offering her a bottle during her mid-day feeding. Every time she got frustrated, I’d stop and cuddle her for a bit, then offer it to her again. Eventually she settled in and drank a full 3oz bottle of liquid, to my extreme delight!
The next day, I tried it again. This time, without any fuss whatsoever, 5oz disappeared almost immediately. So when Saturday came around, and I had to shoot a wedding in downtown Annapolis, I had no worries. Stephen offered her the bottle. Again: 5oz down the hatch, no muss, no fuss!
This is wonderful.
It’s a Long Road
April 24th, 2008 § Leave a Comment
So I’m slowly but surely working on training Ruu (or Roux, as my french-loving friend Emily likes to spell it) to actually take naps. It makes her a much happier baby overall, although it can sometimes take as much as 20 minutes for her to give in to sleep. I don’t let her scream and wail the whole time, of course… I set a timer for five minutes so that I *make* myself give her the chance to settle down on her own. If she’s not settled after five minutes, I go in, check her diaper, see if her swaddling has come undone, pat her, comfort her as needed, and start the process again.
