Baby Rules.

When you're expecting your first child, it seems like anyone who spots the basketball hiding under your shirt immediately catches a case of word vomit and offers up all the parenting advice they can think of; This brand is better than that brand, get the baby on a schedule, don't drown the baby, etc... (I made that last one up. Apparently no one thought I should know that. Luckily, Claire is an excellent swimmer.) But I have to wonder, why is it no one gives advice about the biggest changes that you are about to turn your world upside down? No one tells you to appreciate every last moment alone you have with your husband, because those days are about to come to an abrupt end.

And no one tells you you're going to need more than diapers and bottles to get you through those first long nights. Being in the hospital with Claire for the first two weeks was a challenge I had no idea I would be faced with. I guess that's the first lesson in parenting. The baby makes the rules. You thought you had the power since you are the parent? Guess again. Baby rules. And in our case, the hospital staff rules. Since Claire had a feeding tube, she was on a strict every three hours feeding schedule. It was so different than I had imagined. I thought I would have a healthy, full term baby who I would breastfeed as soon as she was hungry. Instead I sat idly as the nurses gave her her first feedings from a syringe into a tube stuck down her nose. Where was all of the good advice then? I didn't remember anyone warning me about the overwhelming sense of loss I would feel when I wouldn't get to see my baby until she was a day old. Or that the first words I would hear after her birth would be "Start compressions" from the pediatrician. All the good advice in the world couldn't have prepared me for what was about to happen.

I don't want to sound ungrateful for all the advice I received while pregnant. Believe me, getting the baby on a schedule is a great goal to have and is something I hope to achieve in the next eighteen years or so. I just want to remind myself to give advice that I believe really matters.

Like go with the flow. Not everything (or anything, really) is going to turn out like you had planned- but you'll survive.

And don't forget to occasionally take a deep breath. And to exhale. And (if you can), grab a shower once in awhile. You'll hate yourself a whole lot less if you do that last one at least once a week.

Most importantly, never forget that Baby Rules.

But if you forget, baby will remind you.

Summa Summa-time.

It's June! And almost a month has gone by since my last post. In a way, I'm okay with that because it means my days and nights have been filled with cuddling and bottles and tantrums and sunscreen. You know, the good stuff.

Here's what the month of June has had in store.

• A visit from my super-duper amazing friend Melissa. Since she moved to Denver almost 2 years ago, I haven't got to see much of her and this makes me sad. :-( Friends as good as Melissa are hard to come by and I hate that she's so far away. But, I know she's living the dream in Denver and getting into all the trouble she can while she still has the chance. Live it up sister. That said, I'm still selfish and secretly hope some unforeseen circumstance will force her to return to the flatlands sometime soon. Just don't tell her I said that. :-)
• I got my first sewing machine (a big thanks to my Dad and Sonja for their shared love of bargain-hunting) and had my first sewing lesson! Very exciting for me, but not very successful. I'll just say that it's a work in progress, and I'm sure the process will provide lots of entertaining material for this blog. Sewing seems to have gotten much more difficult than when I made a pillowcase in fourth grade. But when I think about it, most things seem to have been simpler in the fourth grade. Would I ever go back, though? Not a chance! 
• Claire's first trip to the "spray park". Here's how that story goes... I spent two hours getting ready for this momentous event, and when we finally got there.... the spray park was out of commission! And I kid you not, there was a sign hanging on the fence that said to notify 911 if there happened to be an issue with the spray park. I can imagine that phone call... "Hello, 911 what's your emergency?" "Yes, I was calling because the spray park is broke......". Needless to say we didn't call 911, but instead decided we would try our luck another day. Who comes up with these things? 
• Claire had her first meal of semi-solid food! This in itself was quite an ordeal, so I will have to share another night when I've got the time to post pictures (and possibly video) of how things went down. She sure adds some drama to everything she does! I wonder where she gets that? Must be from her father. :-) 

Until next time!