100 Days of Luca

One hundred days of Itsy Bitsy Spiders and This Little Piggies.

One hundred days of baby play groups and mommy meet-ups.

One hundred days of feeding and burping and sleeping and rocking and crying.

One hundred days of exhaustion, and one hundred days of joy.

Traditionally in Korea, babies don’t leave home until they hit 100 days, a nod—I assume—to the days before Korea was a so-called “first-world” nation, when surviving 100 days was an accomplishment to be celebrated.

My little survivor is thriving, and more and more, I’m learning to be a mom.

I’ve learned to stop looking for patterns in his schedule and behavior; they change weekly. I’ve learned to take walks when we have a rough day; fresh air is healing (and walks usually equal naps). I’ve learned I don’t have to entertain my son every second he’s awake; he’s perfectly happy to chill in his bouncy chair and watch me finish household chores, as long as I talk or sing to him. I’ve learned that getting babies to fall asleep is (an understatement) challenging. I’ve learned that sometimes, when he just won’t fall asleep, it’s ok to rock him to sleep in the living room while I sniffle through an episode of Parenthood. I've learned babies have lots of personality only their primary caretaker(s) can see.

Looking back, the first six weeks were a blur, a crash course. The following eight were an exercise in trial and error, and trying again.

I rarely have a moment to myself, but my life is full.

I get frustrated enough to cry some days, but I am content.

Here's to tens of thousands more Luca Days to come.

Cheers.