I remember with my first baby it seemed impossible to find time to take a shower or even trim my toenails - I was at beck and call and otherwise doing diapers, etc. You get a routine going for yourself and one of the most important lessons is the nap when the baby takes a nap, if you need one. And coming out of chemo, I don't think naps are a luxury at this point.

It's next to impossible to get stuff done as Jeremiah wants to be with mommy almost all the time. I know that's not healthy to do but for now, while he adjusts to being in our home, I don't mind. He will sit in his kicky/bouncy seat for 10 to 15 minutes at a shot which lets me get some little things done or put away.

Are you kidding? At this point in his life it is most important that a child feel that when he communicates something he needs, that he get a response. When a child that age has basic needs that are only expressed through crying, you need to respond. As they get older and as you recognize that the nature of the crying shifts, then you teach the child to comfort himself. When my kids got to be a few months old sometimes after nursing at bedtime they didn't really want to stay in bed or want to stay asleep, they wanted to be held more, so I would put them in the bed and then take out one of the nursing pads from my bra and leave it near their noses in the bed. (This was when babies slept tummy down.) It worked like a charm. For you, maybe putting a garment on the bed with him, a headband or a blouse, or keeping a washcloth against your skin under your clothes for a while then putting it in the crib, and you'll see, once he really knows your smell, that this is comforting.

As they learn to suck their thumb or a pacifier or do some other comforting thing for themselves, you're helping build what will in the future be a child then a teen and then a grownup who doesn't always have to look to others for their comfort or validation. The cuddling and response they get now is that important.

AS he grows he needs time to spend by himself, he will need to explore, he will do all of those things, based upon knowing that he is valued. I suspect each of us who has kids will remember those charming times when after waking in the morning or after a nap, you peek into the room and hear the baby cooing and laughing in bed. Just enjoying the view, the light, a toy overhead, whatever. That comfort in being alone comes from knowing they can get attention when they need it. You can tell the difference in the requests for attention as they get older, and respond accordingly. But at this age, a baby is as basic as they come and you're shaping a balanced future adult by meeting his needs today when he asks. Give him a cuddle for us. (He does need to occasionally have his feet on the ground so he can learn to crawl, then walk.)

SRS