Thank goodness for Daddy whisperer!

As the title suggests, Phil has a magic touch when it comes to Samantha (or maybe all babies for all I know). I call him Daddy whisperer because he can soothe her fairly quickly and he himself remains calm in the face of uncertainty. This last part is where we differ some, and why I can not be called Mommy whisperer just yet. It is my nature to be worried in times of uncertainty...and slightly more at risk for getting frustrated if something doesn't work out as I have planned. Having an infant definitely falls into the uncertainty category....why is she crying? when will she stop crying? Why won't she nap? How do I get her to nap? How do I time naps and feedings for going out to run an errand especially when she doesn't want to do either? Do I actually wake a sleeping baby if I need to? What if she doesn't like doing tummy time -isn't that somethings that's required??

Over the past 7 weeks, we have asked ourselves these questions and many others. It's amazing how uncertain we are about a lot of things related to Samantha. While there is no helper manual for babies (unless the "expecting" books count as this), we weren't prepared for how much we didn't really know (that's a double negative, I realize). You get so much advice from people, books, Internet blogs, but you can bet that a lot of what you hear won't work with your child, which can magnify the sense of uncertainty. I mean you get all of this information when you are pregnant, and you think, parenting an infant won't be too hard....because I know what to do! After 7 weeks, we are just now starting to figure Sam out....her cries (which differ for being hungry, tired, bored, or whiny), how to get her down for a nap (although we don't always succeed), how to determine if her poop is the right color and consistency, does she have a rash or baby acne, and why can she only nap on the couch????

Throughout these 7 weeks, Phil has been amazing at handling Sam and staying calm when she's fussy or when we don't know how to answer the questions I mentioned above. Actually, having him around gives me more confidence to act the same way. Keep in mind that "calm" isn't necessarily in my bones :-) I am very lucky to have a husband who takes such an active part in raising our child - from late night/early morning feedings, changing diapers, to being spit up on...he's doing it all!! He's my rock during my times of uncertainty of whether I'm doing a good job as a mom. And as Father's Day approaches, what better time to tell Phil what an amazing job he is doing as a Dad...and I can't wait to see him and Samantha grow together as she gets older...lots of fun times ahead.....

On another note, we are starting to see Samantha smile more and more each day. She's also adding in some coos here and there. She mostly does this in the morning times and then after a nap. We LOVE it! I can't begin to describe how it is to see your child look at you and smile a big smile. She recognizes us now and will follow us with her eyes as we move about the room. We spend as much time as possible kissing her little hands and feet and playing with her when she's in the smiley mood...I have tried to take some photos of her smiling, but haven't quite timed things correctly...so stay tuned!!

We have also moved her out of our room and into the office next to our room (not quite to her nursery yet). We wanted to try this first as a transition. So far, it's worked well...we have the monitors on at night and then a night light in her room. This helps with our sleeping too, as one of us can get up and doesn't have to wake the other. In a few weeks we will move her to the nursery. I feel as though she's growing so fast already...she's already outgrown staying in our room! I'm not ready for her to grow up :-) My maternity ends in about 5 weeks...again something I'm not ready for....but I will cross that bridge wants it arrives. For now, I want to enjoy every second that I have with Sam...as it's all very precious time. Having gone through these periods of uncertainty, I have become a better person and opened up new parts of myself that I didn't even know existed....

On Thursday of this week, Sam will be 8 weeks old...I can't believe it. She's the love of my life (in addition to Phil, of course :-)....

Enjoy your week, and thanks again for reading!!!