Baby Love

Nobody ever had a baby because they wanted to be appreciated... by the baby. In terms of being thanked by the person you're waiting on hand and foot, mothering a newborn is the most thankless job on the planet. Or so it would seem.

Tonight I put Baby R down for the night before he was asleep and left the room. I did this the night before and for naps today, and I discovered that he will go to sleep on his own, as long as his tummy is completely full and he is generally content. Tonight, though, he wasn't quite done his evening nursing marathon yet, so he stayed awake and fussed. CV and I could hear him on the monitor. At first the fussing was mild, and I thought he might still drift off, but then he started to get a little louder, and I knew he wasn't done with me. So I went upstairs, even though I had wanted to spend some more time downstairs with CV.

So, I was feeling a little put out, but when Baby R saw me leaning over him, he broke out into a huge happy smile. Suddenly I realized, I'm this kid's favourite person! All I have to do is make eye contact with him, and he's thrilled. When I picked him up out of the playpen and sat him on my bed propped against my pillow as I changed my clothes, he smiled at me the whole time. It made me think, maybe the babies do thank us, after all. They thank us with helpless love and total trust.

When I got into bed and started nursing Baby R, I realized the TV remote was too far away for me to reach. I knew it could be the netter part of an hour of nursing, so I really wanted that remote. I had no choice but to interrupt Baby R just as he was vetting into his groove. I was afraid he'd be upset, be he wasn't. He just waited for me to lie back down and continue feeding him. It was like he had perfect confidence that I'd take care of him. Now that's trust!

So I guess I'll take that as my thanks, at least for now.