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So important...then not

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One of the funny things about the strange adventure of keeping Leo alive and reasonably happy is that things can matter SO MUCH at any moment, and within weeks he has outgrown them (or maybe we just can't take them anymore). I'm sure this will be true for his whole life (just like I moved on from Brio trains...right?), but maybe it won't cycle so fast when he stops doubling in size in a matter of months.

In any case, here are some memories that already seem so distant.

Swaddling - Leo was not a good sleeper at the beginning of his life, so we had to keep him burrito-ed up. Of course, he had outgrown the standard issue hospital swaddle in about a week, so we had him in progressively bigger blankets until the July heat wave when it all ended.

Bouncy chair. First as the only place he would sleep, and then a second round as the only place he could sit after eating without refunding the meal. Then he grew like kudzu, and it just felt mean to strap him down. Thanks to Elise and Andy Goldstein for this loaner - we couldn't have lived without it! (We'll be sending it your way soon :) )


The swing. Instantly went from "Why did we buy this?" to being the only place he would sleep. Absolutely essential. Wouldn't sleep anywhere else. Then he was too big for it within about two months, plus we were implied bad parents if he wasn't sleeping in his crib.

Rocking to sleep. It was good for my arms to be shuffling 10 pounds of Leo back and forth for an hour or more to get him to sleep, but in all, not a great use of time. The lesson: sleep training was totally worth it.

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