Lessons Learned

As I stated in the previous post, Lilly has been a bit fussier lately due to some tummy troubles...I'm starting to think it's colic. Although this time is a bit trying, we are using it to become better parents. Patience, sympathy, and selflessness are all traits that we are trying to grasp a little better. Here are some things we've come to understand as new parents...my "Dummy's Guide to Being Better Parents" or "Don't Take These Things For Granted", if you will...

1) A constipated baby, who won't settle down for anything, loves a nice warm bath. She takes after me in this regard. Man, do I love a nice hot bath. I'm envious of the little bugger for getting to take baths when I can't take one for another 3 weeks.

2) Forget the normal baby monitor and get a video monitor. I ask myself all the time, "what did mothers of the past do?" I can't stand not being able to see why she's making noises!! I laughed at Ryan when he first got the video baby monitor because I didn't think spying on the baby was going to be necessary, but now I can't live without the thing. It's sound-activated, so the screen on my nightstand lights up if she starts crying. We had her in our room for about 3 days before the constant squeaks and baby noises got to be too much.

3) Bee (haha, yes, I said "bee") careful when leaving the cats unattended. When we were at the hospital after the birth, Ryan went home and found that June's paw was swollen. All I could think of from my hospital bed was how worried I was that she needed to see a vet. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. I told Ryan that I thought it could have been a spider bite or something. The next time he went home, he found the answer. There was a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, dead bumble bee on our rug. It apparently went down fighting...Poor June.

June's left paw was so swollen...and the bee was the size of the head of a spoon.

4) Random body parts make great extra hands. Lilly is really good at wanting to eat when mommy and daddy are eating, so in an effort to be able to actually eat, I found that my chin and cheeks are perfect for holding up the bottle.

5) Pregnancy brain does NOT go away. We were getting ready to leave the house the other day when I went to reach for my cell phone (I usually keep it in my front pocket), only to find that my butt pockets were in the front. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I put my pants on backwards. Sheesh! I'm really losing it!

6) Grandma loves puppet shows...Lilly does not. My mom uses Mr. Frog and Ms. Lamb to teach Lilly about the gospel. I will always remember my mom, in her baby talk voice, saying "We're missionaries! We've come to tell you about Jesus..." Haha! Suffice it to say, Lilly just falls asleep. I sure do love getting to see how much my mom adores Lilly.

7) Neighbors can surprise you. We don't know a single one of our neighbors, but shortly after we returned home from the hospital, we found this note on our door. It seriously makes me so happy that a little kid would take the time to write us a letter. My favorite is the last sentence, "Yeah, now there's one more lovely little girl in this lovely world."

8) I never knew my hubby could be so amazing! The day before Mother's Day, he came home from the store with this. I sent him out for milk and bread, but he said he couldn't resist buying me some "Lilly Bug" roses. Ryan has seriously been so amazing. We're a great team!

Welp, that's only 8 things, but there's a squirmy baby calling for me. Trust me, there are many more lessons I've learned and continue to learn. I'll share more as they come along.