In my six weeks of parenting I have learned an awful lot. The following is just a small sample.
1. It makes your heart just a little happy when your baby cries when she meets someone new who wants to hold her. I definitely don't want her to be a child who is afraid of people but it thrills me that she recognizes that I'm Mommy and I'm the go to person for comfort. It's a major sign that she is attaching well.
2. It doesn't take long for you to learn your child. Grace's eating has been really off this week. She went from eating 5-6 ounces per bottle to about 3 ounces max and each bottle was taking over an hour an a half. After confirming at a routine check up that she was over the previous ear infection and sore throat I tried to figure out what was happening that was causing the change. When we met with the international pediatrician she told me that Grace was the average size of a 2 1/2 month old. When I get concerned about her not taking rice cereal or not rolling over, my sister Amy wisely reminds me of that statement. While she is 9 months old, she's not totally functioning as a 9 month old. So I tried to think back to what a two month old might need. After thinking on it for a bit I decided to try swaddling her for feedings. She is resistant for the first thirty seconds as I swaddle her but every feeding since I started this last night has been at least 5 ounces and has taken less than 30 minutes. I then follow the feeding with a little extra mommy snuggling time. I had heard that sometimes kids regress a bit when home but since she seemed to be doing so well, I guess I forgot it could happen to us. So much has happened to her in her short life and I think it's now catching up to her. I'm not sure this will work forever but it certainly was a proud moment figuring out a solution that works for your baby.
3. I'm fighting the baby food battle and I have the scars to prove it. 9 months is a little late to be introducing baby food and lets just say that Grace is really having none of it. I wear more of it than she eats. The shirt I have on today was green. It's now green with orange splatters of peaches.
4. Grace can clamp her mouth shut like nobodies business. Seriously, I couldn't pry those lips open with a pry bar to get that baby food in. The other day I got a couple spoonfuls in when she accidentally smiled at me. I was quite proud of myself until she raspberried the contents of her mouth at me. Then she smiled proudly at me as if to say fool me once, shame on me...fool me twice, raspberry on you mommy.
5. People love cute babies with curly hair. We get stopped every where we go by people admiring how cute she is and how lovely her hair is.
6. I have amazing children in my life. We were at my Godchild's birthday party last night and my Nephew Kyle who is 9 was telling Grace all the things he's going to teach her and how they're going to be great friends and then he sang to her, which she loves. You'd be hard pressed to find a sweeter young boy.
7. I have lost all sense of time and dates. It's amazing to me that I show up to appointments on time because I feel like I never know what day it is.
8. When the baby takes a nap, take a shower first or you might not get one. This is a difficult one for me. I know that as soon as I put her down I should jump in the shower but I think oh let me just empty the dishwasher first or send a quick e-mail and then the next thing I know she's up and I'm still dirty.
9. There is no such thing as a quick errand with a baby.
10. My sisters are very smart women. I already knew this but it amazes me just how knowledgeable they are about parenting but at the same time, they let me feel my way through it. They have talked me off many a ledge so far.
11. My daughter is the light of my life. Even when she's flinging baby food at me, she is everything I have ever dreamed of and she could not be more of a part of me even if we had a biological connection.
12. My nephew Jake feels the need to introduce Grace to every person he comes in contact with. We were in a restaurant and the waitress asked for our drink order and he said I'll have a chocolate milk and this is my cousin Gracie Lito Flaherty. She is a baby.
