Better? Definitely Maybe.

 As I was getting ready to type about how Safia has shown some real and tangible indications that things might be getting better, she has just begun to cry for some unknown reason.  Regardless of this little outburst, and at the risk of totally jinxing it all, I can say that things (fingers crossed, knock on wood, find a four-leaf clover) could be getting better.  Here is some evidence:

1.     She’s sleeping longer: for the past few nights she has slept for 5 hours in her bassinet before waking up hungry.  She’ll go back to sleep for another 3 hours or so after that, and so on and so forth until the morning.  She’s also sleeping a bit longer during the day which is enabling us to get more done around the house, which is nice. 

2.    There’s more happy awake time: there’s more smiling and happy noises! Used to be that whenever she wasn’t sleeping or eating, she was screaming.  Now, she’ll just hang out, show us her big, beautiful eyes, and be generally contented.  We spend increasing amounts of time on her play-mat where she kicks her legs with wild abandon, and I do everything in my power to get her to smile or laugh at my ridiculous antics. 

3.    Her feeding is more efficient: She is nursing for only about 15 minutes at a time (as opposed to 45 minutes not too long ago).  When I take on feeding responsibilities with the bottle, she resists very little and drains a bottle lickety-split, posthaste.

     4. She’s getting better at communicating her needs: Ok, ok…it’s probably us that’s getting better at deciphering her signs, facial expressions, and body language.  Safia’s probably like, “About time you guys figured it out!  I’ve been making it as clear as I can!”  Well, we’re figuring it out alright…little by little we’ll get there together. 

Anyway, it’s nice to not have much to complain about nowadays.  We’re all at home together where we can focus on our family unit.  We’re tending to our garden, cooking more and more, going on multiple long walks, and trying our best to be supportive of one another.  As we’re more relaxed as parents, I’m sure Safia picks up on it, and maybe that’s what is hastening the transition to more copacetic baby and parent life.