Mom Ears

It didn't take long after Alli was born for me to find out that my hearing changed dramatically. I would liken it to that of a bat's. If I needed to, I'm sure I could've heard Alli crying from a mile away. It definitely has not changed throughout her months, even though obviously, her crying and waking at night has decreased to hardly ever. Now that Aiden is here, my "Mom Ears" are back with a vengeance. I swear I hear him when he slightly squirms in his crib... and we don't even have a baby monitor. (Note to new or expectant moms... waste of money! Especially if you develop mom ears, which most moms do!) What are Mom Ears? –The ability to hear and know exact movements they both are making without seeing them, whether the slightest sound they are making requires a 40 yard dash to their rooms, or deciphering the sound of your child above a crowd. The other night, after a "Mom Ears" episode where I awoke with Aiden to feed him right after he made a few noises, I had him quietly back in his crib (success!), and was about to pass out for another quick nap, when I heard another noise. What?! That came from further down the hall... and I ran down to Alli's room to see what was up. Poor little peanut must've had a bad dream, and she needed snuggled. Those are definitely the moments I live for. Even though I was tired, ready to crash, and just a walking zombie... knowing that your "big" girl needs you still is such an incredible feeling.

Another phenomenon of Mom Ears has to do with the ability to tune out unpleasant sounds. For me, this trait showed itself one day while riding in the car with "A" man. Dad-E and I were heading out for a quick lunch together, and poor Aiden was, of course, crying inconsolably as he does so frequently these first few weeks/months.  After running through my gamut of soothing techniques (that rarely worked while he's in the car seat) I sat back and began to enjoy the car ride, a rare moment for me outside the house.  Poor Dad-E, probably frazzled and distressed by the incessant crying was probably baffled that I had stopped trying to sooth him.  He was rested, clean, fed, burped, and simply crying for no reason. I have finally realized and knew that there was no reason to stress myself over something I had no control over.  So I decided to just make the best out of this rare outing.  It was those Mom Ears that made the sound of a screaming baby fade into the background while I enjoyed the view of this beautiful city we live in. I never would have thought that tuning out a crying baby would even be possible, but it was, thanks to Mom Ears.

Acquiring your Mom Ears can be a blessing and a curse.  Now, the slightest of noises can wake me up, even out of a deep sleep. Like I said before, who needs a monitor when you've got Mom Ears? And thank God for earplugs and for wonderful husbands who take the first shift of waking up so I can get a few good hours of sleep. I truly don't know what I'd do without you in my life, Eric <3