Like Riding a Bicycle

I'm beginning to think that raising a baby is much like learning to ride a bicycle. First, you start with that cute little "little tikes" plasticy trike as a wee child. You think you're so cool as you figure out how to lean back and go. But then, you out grow it. You're thrown onto a bigger trike. Something without the back support. Hmm...balance. That's fun. Oh, but wait, your legs are getting too long, so now you need a small bike with training wheels. Wow...the ground looks further away. And then. The training wheels come off. And all hell breaks loose.

Well, maybe not that bad.

But through the evolution, you are sure to encounter a lot of falling down, bumps, scrapes, bruises, laughs and tears along the way.

Having a baby is like that. Just when you think you've got things figured out, you wake up one morning (often at 2am) and discover that the gameplan has changed, and you aren't running the show. Your tidy little routine has been thrown out the window. There's a new Sheriff in town. And she drools. A lot.

This last week was a tough one. We started out with Abbey's four month vaccinations. For two days in a row, she ran a fever, was cranky, sleepy, lacked appetite and just didn't feel good. Poor kiddo. My heart just ached for her. I wanted to spend my entire days snuggling with her to give her some sort of comfort. But slowly, she came out of it and by Thursday she seemed about 80% back to herself. But a few sleepless nights - Friday night in particular - proved otherwise. She finally went to sleep at 9pm after an hour of trying to get her down, only to wake up again at 11:30pm, 2:30am, 3:30am, 4am and finally up for good at 5:30 am. Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were zombies on Saturday. It was the first time I just wanted to cash in the chips, grab a flight to the nearest all-inclusive resort, and drink myself into oblivion in hopes to just get a damn break.

But somehow, we made it through. We dusted ourselves off, got back up and tried to ride some more. And what I'm learning is that every time we face an obstacle whether it be a pothole in the road, a night of no sleep, or a terribly cranky baby (who will. not. stop. crying!) we become a bit more skilled. We pedal a little faster. Maybe even pop a wheelie if we're feeling crazy. And in the end, the ride is totally worth it.