Lessons for a new mom

Here are a few things I have learned over the past three weeks:

1. Baby/Parenting books lie.

They tell me that I need to have my baby on a strict schedule.  It will be easy, it will fill my life with bliss and I will be a wonderful parent for having accomplished it. Do they tell me how to manage this? Nope! Just that it should be done and I am a loser if I don't accomplish it. 

 2. If a baby falls asleep, do NOT move her.

I worry that she will become dependent on the swing or the bouncy chair or the car seat to fall asleep and then not be able to sleep in her bed. Who cares if she is not in her bed, she's asleep for cryin' out loud!

3. In the grand scheme of things, dirty diapers aren't that bad.

Pooping (or pooty's as we call it) means she is eating, which means she is growing, which means we are succeeding. 

4. People are obsessed with your child's size and appearance.

She's a big baby. She's way too small. She has long toes. Her fingernails are too long. Her eyes will be blue. No, they will be brown. She looks dehydrated. Her belly looks really full. Is she getting a flat spot on that side of her head? Can she even wear newborn size clothes? Oh, those clothes look way too big on her. She'll be petite. She'll be tall. Her hair is getting lighter. I think, her hair is falling out. 

5. The things that I thought mattered, don't.

Before Harper was born, when I was put on bed rest, I made a list of all the things we still needed. On that list were mattress covers and sheets. We have a crib, a bassinet, a changing table, and a pack-n-play that all require sheets. For some reason, I got it in my head that Harper was going to poop or pee on all of these surfaces the very night she came home. And if we didn't have enough mattress covers we would fail as parents, never to recover or redeem ourselves. I became obsessed (although I didn't realize it at the time). I couldn't go to the store. But other people could. And guess what, I made them buy mattress covers! Every time I received a cover or sheet at a baby shower, I would breathe a silent sigh of relief, thankful that we had one more piece of fabric for Harper to poop on. Well guess what, babies don't really leak that much. In fact, looking back now, I realize that I went a little bit crib-sheet-crazy. 

I can be certain that I will add to this list soon. I must say, this baby raising thing is quite an experience.

But an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.

No matter how sleep deprived I've become.


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