What I've Learned

It's no real surprise that the learning curve to parenting is steeper than any mountain I have ever climbed. What I have learned in the last 3 months (well, really 12 months if you count pregnancy), far exceeds all 17 years that I spent in school. Most of it cannot be learned from reading a book, and sadly most of it will be forgotten once our kids are grown, but hey, that's what blogging is for.

So, while the last few months have been crazy- crazy fast, crazy busy, crazy tired, and crazy good of course- they have also been extremely educational. Mostly, I feel like every day of this parenting thing is a series of best guesses. And the process of elimination. Here's my version of newborn slash parenting one oh one (not an expert opinion by any means!):

I learned that you have to be careful when changing a baby boy's diaper, because if you are not fast enough, you will be washing the curtains, couch, and all by-standers.

I learned that  Pee Pee Teepees are a great product in theory, but really a big rag works much better.

I learned that  Designer Gowns might sound appealing for your hospital stay, but trust me, you don't want to spend money on this piece of clothing.

I learned that even though bumpers are supposively a big No No, Mason loves to snuggle up next to his at night and without one he would most definitely bang his noggin against the crib railing and wake himself up or worse, get his arm caught in between the rails since he is a very active sleeper.

I learned that, surprisingly, early to bed does not necessarily mean early to rise, and a good night's sleep often results in later wake-up times. After weeks of keeping Mason awake until 9 or 10 o'clock when he was suppose to eat and then putting him to bed we realized he needed to go to bed earlier, and low and behold he slept even longer. It was sort of an embarrassing realization that he had probably been asking (in his, you know, screamy non-verbal way) to go to bed earlier for weeks, except I thought he was just fussy or had gas or possibly even colic. Experts say the ideal time is 6:30 to 7:00, but Mason sleeps through the night when we put him to bed at 8:00 and we get to spend a few hours with him when we get home from work.

I learned that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping the temperature in your baby's room between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent SIDS. However, our child will not sleep AT ALL in a room colder than 75 degrees without wearing several layers of clothes and a blanket which he will inevitably kick off and wake up cold.

I learned that believe it or not the small things can keep them from sleeping through the night. If their pacifier falls out, sometimes it startles them, then they will wake up and often realize it and not be able to soothe themselves. A good tip- once they fall asleep, go take it out of their mouth to avoid it falling out and startling them. Even though nightlights are good for Mom and Dad to peek in, some babies will focus on the light when they resettle themselves at night and will not be able to fall back asleep. Finally, don't have your sprinklers go off at 4:30 in the morning. It took me two weeks to figure out that is why Mason would wake up every morning at 4:30 even though he wasn't hungry and was most definitely still tired. Once we changed the sprinklers it has been smooth sailing. Who would've thunk he could hear the sprinklers?

I learned that naps are also important to your baby's mental and physical growth. Don't omit or shorten naps in hopes that your baby will sleep longer at night, as the opposite is usually true. Keeping your baby awake for a certain length of time is good to ensure they are tired at night, but we have found no correlation between length of naps during the day versus nighttime sleep. Some days they are just a little more tired, not all that different from adults.

I learned that our baby sleeps through wet and dirty diapers but not through sprinklers going off outside. So whatever people tell you as absolutes are never absolutes.

I learned that consistent nighttime routines can help your baby understand that it's time to sleep. Choose a soothing ritual and stick with it. Consistency is key. We love our bathtime, story time, and dance time each night. Mason just lights up when I start to fill up his bath tub.

I learned that babies love eye contact- both animated and soothing. Make contact while singing, reading, or talking to your little one and they will love to watch your eyes and listen.

I learned that each baby has different cues. I don't know what your kid's cues mean, but I can tell you to a T before Mason is about to have a meltdown versus just talking out loud in a discerned manner. The key is preventing the meltdown but not rushing to their side unnecessarily when they are just talking.

I learned that Shhhh-ing really does work when your baby is upset. Try some gentle touches and shhhh-ing to calm them down and redirect them to something fun or entertaining.

I learned that even though we loved the bassinet, and even more so the idea of it since it was mobile, small, and appealing to the eyes in our bedroom, we should have bought a pack 'n play because Mason outgrew his bassinet within the first month. He did not like being able to touch the sides and would grunt all night long. He still had a lot of wiggle room, I mean a lot, but this kid was not having it. I hear some kids can go for months in a bassinet, but again there are no absolutes. Even though Mason had moved to his crib after 5 weeks, using our bassinet for travel was no longer an option so we have resorted to a pack 'n play.

I learned that you almost need a cover for the changing pad cover, so have at least one extra cover for those instances.
 
I learned that  Dr. Brown's bottles are annoying to clean, just like you've heard, but well worth it, they work.
 
I learned that babies do have preferences. Preferences for a particular pacificer, preferences for certain toys, preferences for being rocked versus walked around. And you will spend hours and lots of deniro trying to figure out which ones make your baby happy. Some insist their babies preferred certain bottles too. Luckily we did not have to try more than one, but again nothing is absolute.
 
I learned that you need to do the research on the baby equipment that you buy (stroller, swing, bouncer, jumper, etc.) because the one thing I did not reseach well is the one thing I am not happy with.
 
I learned that cheaper is sometimes just better. In the case of warmers, we like our less expensive one over some of the more expensive ones .
 
I learned that  Desitin is much messier than Boudreaux's and we're convinced it doesn't work as well either.
 
I learned that babies grow fast, so don't buy too many newborn sized outfits. They won't need many if any at all.
 
I learned that the temporal thermometer really does work, and we can use it too.

I learned that everyone was right...despite my inability to wake up with an alarm clock or the loudest noise, a slight whimper from my child can wake me up.

I learned that sleep is not nearly as important as I once thought it was.

I learned that breastfeeding does not come as naturally as you'd think at the beginning, but once you and baby figure things out, it comes as naturally as walking.

I learned that it IS possible to truly unconditionally love someone.

I learned that, even as a human and therefore selfish person, I would absolutely die for my child.

I learned that you can do a lot of things while breastfeeding, but you cannot wear dresses anymore.

I learned that you can make up a lot of ridiculous songs to entertain your child on the changing table and that my memory of nursery rhymes is truly, utterly, pitiful. I get one line in and can't remember anything else. "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy...uh-oh. Let's try another!" And does "You Are My Sunshine" have any other verses? Please? Because we are singing things like, "oh you should sleep now, should really sleep now, please take a nap now, just close your eyes," and I'm pretty sure that's not an official verse.

I learned that about 90% of me loves nursing - the bonding, the fact that my body is able to do something it was intended to do- and the other 10% of me will happily give it up when the day comes, and go back to normal bras and a pump-less lifestyle and shirts that fit again (hopefully).

Anyway, there are still a million things I do not know. Like how to create a nap schedule. (Schedule? HAHAHAHAHA) And how to tell the difference between "high-pitched-scream-indicating-need-to-fart" and "high-pitched-scream-indicating-need-to-sleep". How to balance work and parenting. How to still have energy for a meaningful relationship with my husband after giving so much of it to work, our son, our home, our friends, our families, and all of the responsibilities that come with this thing called life. Wow, I sure have learned a lot from someone that cannot adequately communicate to me in a way that I can understand.

And as I am writing this I realize the same is true of our Father in heaven. We cannot audibly hear him or visually see him (at least most of us cannot), but he has so much to teach us if we are willing and ready to learn. A valuable lesson for sure.