Mason Shoma

Poor Mommy. Not only is it tough to raise a newborn baby, but I am literally sucking the energy out of her. I don’t know how she does it. There is only one explanation: she is a SuperMommy! It is amazing. She hasn’t been able to sleep more than 3 hours at a time for 6 weeks. She’s feeding me 8 to 10 times a day. And she carries me, changes my diapers, cares for me, and does housework. Daddy does as much of those tasks as possible, but sometimes Mommy beats him to it, feeling obligated to do everything possible to make a good home for me. When he is home from work, Daddy tries to urge Mommy to take time for herself, and suggests he goes shopping or to a cafe to unwind in a baby-free environment. She takes him up on his offer sometimes, but for the most part prefers to stay home with me. I love that she wants to spend time with me, but worry that she is stretching herself thin. I appreciate the effort but I think she needs to get more rest. Poor drained Mommy.

Did you know that I have different gears when nursing? It’s true. Some times I am relaxed and take my time, and other times I guzzle as much as I can as quick as I can. You can hear it in the way I suckle. Mommy often has to tell me to calm down and take my time. It’s not like I have a time limit or anyone to compete with for her milk. (We do have a rough goal on nursing time, but it changes based on my needs.). Sometimes I start off in high gear to satisfy my initial thirst and need for comfort, then I throttle back to enjoy the enriching nourishment. See if you can tell which gear is which.

• 

• 

Following that rough night I had last night, I was surprised by the great night I had last night. Mommy and Daddy stuck to their strategy and tried to make sure I was up as much as possible during the day. They didn’t force me to stay awake or anything, but they made sure they gave me the opportunity to be awake and alert. No long stretches in the baby carrier. That and spending time with Ojiisan and my auntie kept me awake for a large portion of the day so I was ready for sleep. I slept for 3 hour plus increments throughout the night. No fussing, no crying, no problems. I would wake up and call out to let Mommy and Daddy know when I was hungry or needed a diaper change, but besides that, I had a very quiet peaceful night of sleep. Yay me! And yay Team Mason!

After a rough night and long day of being a good boy, I am exhausted. Time to relax.

We had a belated (Grand)Father’s Day today! Ojiisan couldn’t come over on Father’s Day because he was getting his COVID-19 vaccination, so naturally, I completely understood why. So, we celebrated Father’s Day with him today and I was prepared to greet him.

We had a nice lunch together and I got to spend more time with Ojiisan and my auntie. Unfortunately, I fell asleep for a long time because of the previous rough night. Still, we had some quality time.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ojiisan even brought me a birthday cake! I didn’t get to eat this one, but I’m planning to eat the next one 11 months from now.

We got the photos from the photo shoot and I think they look pretty good! Take a look.

Oh man, oh man, oh man. Did I have a rough night. Well, I should say WE had a rough night. I just couldn’t get to sleep and that means that Mommy and Daddy did not get to sleep. Not only did I not sleep, but I was very cranky. I cried a lot a lot a lot. Yes, that much.

Mommy fed me, Daddy held me and sang to me. Nothing worked. Mommy and Daddy took turns carrying me and trying to soothe me, but nothing worked. Around 2 a.m. Mommy and Daddy put on YouTube and started to watch some music related videos (AGT, Pitch Perfect clips, Tony Awards openings). That seemed to make them focus on something other than getting me to sleep, which seemed to do the trick. We finally got to sleep at about 3:30 in the morning. It was a long night.

During the night, Mommy and Daddy started to worry and looked on line for reasons for my crying. One of the first hits they saw started with, “Crying usually peaks at 6 weeks old” and the more they read the better they felt. My unusual amount of crying was actually normal and they had nothing to worry about. Further reading confirmed that 6 weeks old seems to be the time when babies cry the most and longest. I can attest to that. I was on a marathon crying spree.

The reason I couldn’t sleep was probably because I slept so much during the day. We had gone shopping and Daddy was carrying me in the baby carrier the whole time. It is so comfortable in the baby carrier that I pretty much slept the whole time, only waking for feeding and diaper changes. Well, I overheard Mommy and Daddy and it sounds like their plan for now on is to try and keep me up as much as possible during the day. Considering the night I had, I’m completely on board.

Just a quick note. You remember how I mentioned how I like it when Daddy carries me and sings This Old Man? Well, it seems like the song works even without him carrying me. We were driving home from the shopping mall and I started fussing and crying. I got so worked up that my crying got really bad. Daddy started singing This Old Man to me from the front seat of the car while patting my chest. (Mommy was driving.). It didn’t seem to work, but Daddy just kept on singing. To everyone’s surprise, I fell asleep within one full song. That song works wonders. I recommend it to any and all parents of newborns.

If I can look tiny in Mommy’s arms, you should see me in Daddy’s, especially when I’m in my baby carrier.

But I’m not tiny. I’m big. I’m objectively big. There was a nursing room in the shopping mall we went to today and in that nursing room was a baby scale. So we weighed me. The result: 6 kg (13.27 lbs).

At just over 6 weeks old, that makes me a very big baby. Why so big? Well, there’s genetics. Daddy was a big baby, too. But I am also a very good eater. Mommy weighed me just before she nursed me and then right after I ate. I was 150 g (1/3 pound) heavier. That’s some good eating. And I eat about 8 – 10 times a day. That of course leads to some healthy weight gain. So even though I may look small at times, make no mistake, I’m a big baby!

There are times where I look really small, even it Mommy’s arms. It’s usually when I’m curled up, sleeping, and just at peace. I almost feel like I’m back in Mommy’s belly. This is nice!

• 

• 

You would be surprised by what I find comfortable. Most babies like being swaddled, but I do not. Most babies like being all curled up, but I do not. Apparently I like all the blood rushing to me head as I lean back, nearly going upside down. Like I said, you would be surprised.

Don’t I look like one of the pandas on my onesie? It’s my panda pose.

• 

• 

• 

Daddy is weird. I mean that as a compliment. He works hard at being weird to get me to smile. Yeah, it might sound really strange to everyone else, but I know he is being weird out of love for me. He just loves seeing me smile and will do anything to get even the slyest grin out of me. Daddy is weird and I love him for it.

I’m the most calm after I’m fed. This is my time to kick back and relax. Sometimes I take this to the extreme and go full recline.

You’d be surprised, but this is really comfortable and actually good for your digestion…I think.

Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to calm me down. I just cry and cry and cry. Daddy tries everything he can. He carries me, talks to me, sings to me, and rocks me. But to no avail.

• 

• 

If you can’t beat them, join them.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Recently, Mommy has been wrapping me up when I sleep. It’s not quite swaddling, it’s not as tight. But it stops me from flailing around just the same. I still manage to get my arms and legs free eventually, but I usually can enjoy a longer sleep this way.

You know how I feel comfortable in Daddy’s arm nook, right? Well, I took that to a whole new level today. I fell asleep on Daddy’s chest and wiggled my way down into his arm nook. But this time I positioned myself in a way where my face found a nice little opening between his arm and his body, kind of like the whole in a massage table. I was so comfortable and deeply asleep that I slept past my nursing time. But that’s not how it was for me. I was nursing right on schedule…in my dream. Daddy noticed that my cheeks were moving and suspected that I was dream nursing again. With some creative positioning of his iPhone, making use of his Apple Watch viewer, he caught me in the act. I must warn you, the video footage is not pretty. But it is interesting and possibly the first of its kind. It’s kind of hard to unsee it once you watch it, so view at your own risk.

I warned you. This is an image that you will never forget.

Don’t mind me. I’m just staring.

• 

• 

• 

That’s strange. We went for a walk today and although I started off in my stroller, by the time we got home I was being carried by Daddy. I was told that I was crying a lot so I had to be carried. Hmmm…that doesn’t sound like me, but I guess that must be what happened.

• 

•