10. There is no such thing as "too many pictures."Brandon and I have *always* been bad about forgetting to take pictures. As a prime example, neither I or the ring was photographed on the night we got engaged even though the camera was in tow. Now that Summer has entered our lives, we are snapping pictures left and right (although the pics are mainly on our phones). So far Summer sleeps, stares, and makes the cutest little faces. She has the sweetest smiles but they are fleeting and much quicker than my point and shoot camera can catch. I can't wait till I can capture one of those smiles and share with the world, but for now we mostly have sleep pictures.
9. Sleep is a privilege, not a right.I'll start by saying we are *very*
blessed to have a generally happy baby who loves her sleep. Even still, it turns out having a baby requires a lot of work... she eats 8 times in a 24 hour period, each time taking approximately an hour. Even after she goes down for her nap, I have the *privilege* of daily laundry, loads of dishes and bottles to hand wash and sanitize, and once I'm ready for my nap, it turns out she's hungry again! Let the cycle begin again. :)
I'm not complaining, just saying sleep is a privilege and not a right. On the plus side, I'm learning how to function on less sleep and how to get things done!
8. Some how potty can shift around the diaper and come out at any angle.We are currently trying to find out the best diapers for Summer. So far we have learned Pampers work and Huggies do not... We are working our way through a box of Huggies and it's amazing how potty can surface at any given moment to stain the cutest of onesies! One evening, she managed to go through three different onesies in about an hour. I'm thinking she might be a fashionista and doesn't want to get caught wearing the same outfit for too long?
On the plus side, Brandon and I have determined diapers are not nearly as scary and disgusting as we anticipated. I'll let you know how long that lasts!
7. Suddenly you reevaluate every word.
I'm guessing it is a bit too early for it to affect Summer, but do you ever have those moments where a word slips from your lips and you wish you could pull it back in so your baby girl didn't have to hear it?? There hasn't been anything too terribly bad, but we find ourselves discussing what is an appropriate word for "bottom" and what are the words that we would be okay with them never entering her vocabulary. We definitely haven't figured them all out, but for now bottoms across the world will be referred to as boom booms, at least in this household!
6. It doesn't matter how silly you look or sound.
When she is crying, I will sing her any song that pops into my head in hopes that I can recall the words or carry the tune long enough to soothe her. If I forget the words, then she becomes blessed with a personalized song that is raw and unadulterated with the need for rhymes. It turns out she is partial to the classics: a little bit of Elton John, Billy Joel or the Beatles... and of course she can't resist Hush Little Baby. The song "Rise and Shine" tends to result in a solid eye roll. Fun fact: Rise and Shine has 7 verses, including the promiscuous verse about the animals exiting the ark in three-sies three-sies. This led to a great segway discussing the birds and the bees crossing that awkward conversation off the list early!
On the flipside, when a smile crosses her face we will do just about anything to solicit another smile!
5. She will be dressed to the nines and I will be trying to reassure myself I did in fact remember to brush my teeth.
I think this pretty much explains itself. The few days that we do get out of the house, she is rocking the newborn look and I'm hoping I remembered to take care of myself. So far I haven't forgotten anything major (or at least I don't think!).
4. I will forever appreciate not being pregnant. Best feeling ever. End of story.
You know how some people look super glamorous when they are preggers and they say it is the best they ever felt? I heard so many women say they felt like being pregnant is exactly what God had in store for them and they felt their best when they had a baby in the belly. I thought it was going to be absolutely awesome because I saw Kelly Rippa rock the look so many times... and man, she pulled it off! While a major tip of the hat goes to the women who love being pregnant, I felt like I was 24 going on 84 for most of the nine months. I still exclaim to Brandon at random, "Wow, I am so glad I'm not pregnant right now!!" It's amazing to walk around the block and not feel worn out. I can stand and talk to people in the hallway without secretly scouting out the nearest chair or wall to lean on.
So kudos to all you baby making machines - but as for me, I'm loving being me... JUST me!
3. It takes a thousand times longer to just leave the house. Here's to hoping we ever make it somewhere on time again.
We have been to the pediatrician's office three times now. The first time, Summer was 6 days old and the appointment was at 9:30. Since we were first timers, we were supposed to be there at 9:15. We arrived promptly at 9:35 and I was mortified, saying that we will never be that late to the doctor's office again. In my defense, I had forgotten it was trash day. That morning, we had to throw a diaper bag together, get the trash out, and as I'm *flying* out the door, I see the dog and her empty food bowl. Belle and her food both went outside and we were out the door. Once we got in the patient's room, we were instructed to change Summer to a dry diaper. It would be at this point that I realized we forgot to pack both diapers and wipes in the diaper bag. *ugh!* Am I the only one who has done this before?? Please tell me you have too...
The second visit I wisely scheduled for 10:30, knowing that trash day just throws everything off a little bit. I was pretty pleased with what time we left the house and that I remembered diapers and wipes... however Brandon and I apparently were distracted by our conversation and drove exactly as far past the doctor's office as it is to our house... having to double back and arriving at 10:45. Let's just say I didn't feel like we were making the best impression.
The third visit was scheduled for 10:45 and I talked about it the whole day before just to make sure it was ingrained in my mind. It was 10:38 and I'm finishing up my breakfast with Brandon staring at me and wondering when I was going to kick it into gear. I have *no* idea how it slipped my mind, but it did and the mad dash to the doc's office was on again! This time, we made record time and we were just about 5 minutes late... I have no idea how we managed. All this to say, I really hope we can make it on time to something, anything, again!
2. You can lose an hour just looking at her and thanking God that she's here.
We spent nine months anticipating this miracle and every time we look at her, she is breath taking. She might be making some insane face or have the dirtiest diaper, but she is ours and she is beautiful. We are so grateful for her and cannot believe how blessed we are to have this little girl. All of the sudden, the pregnancy was worth it and I can't wait to watch and record the amazing things that she does. I can't wait for her personality to develop, for the first lingering smile just because her mommy or daddy walked into the room. There are so many firsts in our future and I'm excited to learn with her as each of them come our way. We. Are. So. Blessed.
1. The true meaning of generosity.For months, we have been hearing that our life will never be the same. While the cliche itself makes me cringe, now that she's here I know the cliche comes from experience. Since Summer was born, people have showered us with generosity, particularly in the form of food. We have received so many delicious meals which have given us the energy to get through these weeks. We are amazed at everything people have brought to us and how sweet and understanding everyone has been. We cannot thank our friends and family enough for showing us love and celebrating this new life with us. We are so glad she is here and we are glad that she has a loving extended family, a great church home, and amazing friends who pour love on to her.
Thank you everyone! We are so excited for this adventure of a lifetime and everything that is in store for us. We know it won't always be easy and there are days where we will just want to sleep. But we are glad to take on the adventure as a new little family.
What about you? What have you learned from having a baby? Do you have any diapers that never worked for you?
Of course, I know the real reason you are here is to see pics of the newest addition. Enjoy!
