Surviving Colic

I’m back, and I’m about to play catch-up really quickly. The short of the long of it is that our sweet little Cora was cursed with some raging colic from the get go, so the first 5 months of motherhood had me moving a million miles an hour in a full-on tailspin.  

(Please humor me while I recount, not to be confused with complain about, the situation for my own record. Believe me; every tear I cried was for my sweet little Cora, wishing desperately that I could relieve whatever pain she was experiencing.) Cora came out screaming at the top of her lungs, and the poor dear did not stop for nearly 5 months. I don't blame her. Coming into this world must be quite a shock. Her hysterical entry was a shock for us as well. (Isn't she absolutely darling tough?)

Nothing could have prepared us for that. It was far beyond our wildest imaginations. Parker and I felt completely helpless and emotionally fragile when it came to her incessant, every-waking-moment, zero-to-sixty, hysterical crying. I could cry just thinking about it. Every day felt more like surviving than living. It was rough.

The phrase “enjoy the newborn phase” was not even an option for us. That was a really tough pill to swallow. But, we did our best in the name of this little one we loved so much. We tried everything to help ease her pain, but to no avail. At the end of the day it was completely out of our control and she really did just have to “grow out of it,” as any parent who has had a baby with colic will tell you. The 5 months waiting for that to happen just about ripped our hearts out though. I'm convinced that seeing your child in pain and being unable to alleviate it is the worst torture a parent can go through.

I found a lot of patience in thoughts of friends whose children suffer and have suffered much worse. My admiration for them multiplied and my heart broke for them as it did for my own little Cora. Though the constant crying was incredibly stressful, I could handle it knowing that my baby girl was healthy and well. When times got really tough, I consoled myself with sugar and, uncharacteristically, battled the stress with swear words. It may not have been the best remedy or my finest moment in life; but, at the time it just seemed to make things feel better. And, like I said, it was all about survival. 

Flash forward to today, and it's hard to believe things were ever really that bad. Cora is the sweetest and happiest little girl there ever was. In fact, she is so darn sweet that I will sometimes ask Parker if that 5-month nightmare was actually real. Parker is the most patient person I know, so when he is quick to remind me that it definitely was, I just sigh and give us both a nod of credit for surviving those endless days and nights of bouncing on an exercise ball with a crying baby in our arms.

Our little Cora radiates so much love and brings so much happiness to our everyday lives. She is a constant reminder to me that the challenges of life always yield the most incredible rewards if we allow them to.