Two weeks down. Two blurred, sleepy, fussy weeks.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.
So…babies are a lot of work. I’m fully aware that we were told that for the past 9 months, but I’m not entirely sure there is any advice that can be given that can truly prepare you for having a baby. You can read every book, watch every video, and take every class, and you’re really only getting a few tools in your “Daddy Tool Belt”.
Oh, before I go any further, I was informed that my last post, and all future posts, needed a small correction. I guess I can’t really call Elise “MOMFC” anymore, can I? Henceforth, she shall be known as MOMPC.
So our baby is two weeks old, now, and I’m going to say the most cliche thing I can and ask, “Where did the time go?” We haven’t really had a chance to do a whole lot with him, and after last week’s “Sunday Blues“, I managed to survive a week back at work, get a client’s newborn shoot done and processed, finish 3/4 of a wedding and tackle a few of our own newborn shots. We’ve also had a few great opportunities to learn a bit more of what works, and what doesn’t, with this little guy.
So what works?
The Marpac Sound Machine continues to be the greatest single piece of modern science ever invented. You can keep your space shuttles, your internets and your combustion engines, so long as I get to keep that sound machine any time the little one needs to sleep. It has tackled the worst nights to date, and also helps us sleep a little better at night.
A Pack and Play – I wish we were rich, because I would have one of these on every floor of the house. The one we have has wheels, and it allows us to drag it around the floor it’s on, keeping the little turd near us no matter what we’re doing.
Some of the techniques found in “The Happiest Baby on the Block” – I had a lot of this pegged as hokey science. Why weren’t more people making a big deal out of this book if it was the “most important parenting book of the decade” (Seriously…that’s the tag line for the book). Is everything in this book going to work for every baby? Not a chance, but it works for mine and that’s really all I care about at this point.
What hasn’t worked?
The Mustachifier – BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF PARENTING, TO DATE! He’s really picky about pacifiers, really only taking to the Avent Soothies, so anything else we’ve tried, he just spits out. The upside to this is that I’ve been able to say, “Just put this in your mouth and suck on it” a lot, which…well…
“Sleep when they sleep” – Yeah…sure. Let me get right on going to work for 8-10 hours a day, attempt to still function as a human adult, doing paperwork, paying bills, feeding ourselves, and still attempt to “sleep when he sleeps”. I’ll also be “going through life without debt”, while he “sleeps through the night” and I “win my fantasy football league”.
Tomorrow, he’ll be leaving the house and going somewhere for the longest period of his two week life. It’ll be a good test for the holidays, when we likely take him out of the house for more than 24 hours. It’s been fun seeing the progress he’s made in just two weeks, and I really can’t wait to see what he does next.
And hooray for PeePee TeePees.
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