Being a parent is hard. I didn’t realize how hard it would be. I have so much respect for all of you stay-at-home moms because there are days when I just want to rip my hair out.

I feel like Lucy cries all.day.long. Now, this could just be the exhaustion talking, and I know she doesn’t cry like some babies because we’ve been told that what she does is *not* fussy compared to others, but it seems like she cries all the time. And, I have to say, if she’s been fed and changed and I’m holding her, I have no idea what to do to make her stop. And how much crying is considered normal and how much is worrisome?

I’ve been trying to figure out how to get her on a schedule. Her schedule right now is baby-led, and basically consists of eating, sleeping and crying with a bit of playing thrown in here and there. I’ve been looking at different examples of schedules, including the EASY method, but Lucy tends to sleep after she eats and then wants to eat when she wakes up, which kind of throws off the whole eating-activity-sleeping thing. I feel like it’s hard to get active time in right now because she’s not really playing yet. She doesn’t hold things. We talk to her and make faces at her, and I put her on her playmat, but that’s about the extent right now. I feel like I’m a bad mom.

Speaking of her playmat … I’ve started to try to work tummy time into her day. She hates it with a passion. I’ve read that most babies can lift their heads for short periods of time at this point. Joe says he’s seen her do it when she lays on his chest (which counts as tummy time, I believe), but I really haven’t, which makes me worry that my baby is developing behind schedule. I tend to be a worrier because I want my little girl to be perfectly on schedule.

I’m also still trying to figure out napping. I’ve read that you should put babies down to nap when you see them yawning or rubbing their eyes, which I’m now trying to do, but, of course, she fights it. I hate hearing her crying, and she’ll crying, then stop, then start up again. How long did/do your kids cry at naptime before falling asleep?

Another thing I wonder about is her feeding schedule. The sample schedules I’ve seen show babies Lucy’s age eating 6 oz. or so every 4 hours. Lucy eats 3-4 oz. every 2 hours. Is it normal for an almost 7-week-old to still be eating every 2 hours? I also read in an article on BabyCenter that the total you should feed your baby a day is 2.5 oz. per pound that your baby weighs. For Lucy, that would be about 22 oz. a day, and I know she eats more than that. Have any of you heard of this or followed it? I really don’t know how much stock to place in it because I’m going to feed her when she’s hungry. I know our pediatrician said not to schedule her feedings and let her eat when she’s hungry, but it’s still something I wonder about. When will she eat less often? I feel like all I do is change diapers and feed her.

I just hope I’m doing what I need to do to help her develop correctly. That’s my biggest fear. And, maybe I’m just worrying too much.