Noticings

Blogosphere... I'M BACK!

Nothing like having a newborn to slow down the blogging process. The problem is that over the past 5 months I've thought of so many interesting blogs to write that I fear this post may be a jumble of awesome and interesting noticings.

Noticing #1: The breastfeeding clinic is the happiest place on Earth. Why you ask? Well, it's a room full of women who are in the EXACT same situation as you and there are the nicest women in the world sitting next to you telling you over and over again what a great job you are doing as a mother. Take it from me - there is nothing better in the world when your baby is 2 days old than hearing someone say "Yes. You are doing a good job. Everything is fine." Audrey was born in the middle of winter and the breastfeeding clinic was our savior. It got us out of the house, it was a relaxing place, and every day I left knowing exactly what my little girl weighed. PLUS our hospital had valet parking, which just made me feel famous and important :)

Noticing #2: Moms and dads are a different breed of parents. Now, I must say I knew this before we had Audrey, but having a baby really brings the differences to light. Take, for example, nap time. When Audrey has had an especially difficult night full of soothing wails and cries one of us usually ends up napping with her on the couch during the day. When Audrey and I are taking a nap together I am never able to drift into a deep sleep because I am subconsciously always aware of how she is sleeping. If she shifts or turns I wake up and make sure she's comfortable and still sleeping. When Audrey sleeps with Scott on the couch they are both out cold. Scott's head lobs to the side, Audrey is dangling in his arms, etc. If either of them were droolers I would imagine large piles of drool coating a multitude of surfaces. Scott doesn't budge for her little shifts and turns so by the end of the naps both of them wake up looking like they've survived a disaster area! The ultra-protective mother in me gets onto the two of them for napping this way but the cooperative mother in me sees the importance of having a special "daddy" relationship.

Take play time, for another example. Audrey has learned the art of infant rough-housing from her father, and she LOVES it. Without a daddy, Audrey's life would be filled with quiet play time, and although that is very important her biggest chuckles come when daddy decides it's time to play and dance.

Noticing #3: Everything that I was told while I was pregnant is 100% true, but nothing can prepare you for actually being a parent. We came into parenthood "knowing" we would get less sleep, "knowing" our day-to-day lives would be different, "knowing" babies would be expensive, "knowing" my stomach would never look the same. I now understand that we now KNOW all of these things to be true. I always wondered why everyone always gave us the same advice before Audrey was born. "Sleep now!" They would say. "Say goodbye to your figure" or "Say goodbye to your paycheck". Every time we heard this advice we thought we "know" all of this already, but boy we had no idea. Something comes over you when your baby is born. Yes, you are filled with a greater love you have never known before, yes your world pre-baby-world seems empty and unfulfilled, but more importantly you are filled with the desire to WARN all the other unsuspecting parents. The baby is born and there is an instant need to make sure every pregnant couple "knows" what they are in for. Before Audrey was born I was jealous of every pregnancy announcement and filled with delight and joy for those lucky people who are about to be parents. Now, while I still feels those same things, I also panic thinking "boy, are they going to be tired!"

Noticing #4: Social media makes trying to get pregnant feel impossible. Being friends with 400
+ people on Facebook means that at one time or another someone is always pregnant. And when you're trying without success every new pregnancy announcement is like a dagger. It's socially inappropriate to share daily "trying to get pregnant, without success, for a 6th month in a row" yet more often than not those are the stories behind the pregnancy announcements. At the same time, pregnancy is an amazing experience, and one of the best ways to work through the changes is to share your experiences with others. By social media standards I found pregnancy to be a conundrum - I wanted to share with others everything I was experiencing without daggering all the couples who hadn't found their success yet. As someone in the education field I know that it takes more than a pregnancy to make a family, and so for those of you out there who haven't been able to make a fabulous "pregnancy" announcement on Facebook, hold-out hope. Your day will come, some way, some how.

Noticing #5: Showers are a gift from heaven. Before I was pregnant I was a "get-in-and-get-out" kind of showerer. I have a brother known for marathon showers and I never understood their appeal. After 20 hours of labor one of the first things I was tasked with was taking a shower. At the time I remember thinking "Yeah. Right. I just created human life and you want me to get up and shower?" It wasn't until I was standing in the steamy hot shower that I found myself thinking I had found heaven. I had a perfectly healthy baby girl and I was clean and warm. Showers have taken on a whole new meaning in my life. I find myself rivaling my brother for the marathon shower award.

A side note: As I was standing in the shower the other day I glanced over at my new body wash. "Be Earth conscious: Save 1 million-billion gallons of water by shortening your shower by only 2 short minutes" Thanks, new body wash, for ruining my chance of ever enjoying a marathon shower again. Now I just feel thirsty.