People will smile at you for no reason other that you have a child with you.
Women are very protective of their breast milk.
You will not have sex again in six weeks…expect it to be much longer. Praise god if it isn’t.
Keep a diaper over his weenie when you change him. Cold seems to trigger a hosing.
Start watching your language now, kids pick up new words daily. (Actual quote from my friends toddler, yelled in a crowded restaurant as she left for the restroom: “Pee? Momma pee? Poo? Momma poo?”)
Nothing will prepare you for the awesome joy you will feel with your child.
You will want another one when you least expect it.
Being a parent has taught me how patient I really can be, how little sleep I can actually function on, and how quick I can think when I have to.
It has taught me about my connection to other generations and other creatures, and that what matters isn’t what you know or who you know, nor how many toys you have, but that you really genuinely matter to somebody out there.
It has also taught me to be thankful I live in an era when running water, electricity, and above all birth control are taken for granted. I can enjoy my two sons’ childhoods, not be tied to the stove and washtub trying to cope with the arrival of a new baby every other year.
The breast milk thing makes perfect sense to me. But then again the little chancling is all of 3 months old tomorrow.
Boys, breast milk is obtained by WORK. Pumping, bagging, labelling and storing. It’s the perfect food for the little one AND has the added benefit of making mostly smell free diapers.
Let me hear you say Hallelujah.
Your wife pumps that milk out. There’s not a LOT of it to go around. It’s not like it’s coming out in Gallon jugs here (um…so to speak). Every drop that’s wasted is just one more step closer to your wife throwing in the towel and converting to formula.
Another point, coming from the lovely and talented Mrs Chance.
Breast feeding = being tied to the baby. If the baby’s hungry you have to stop what you’re doing, hike up the shirt, and sit in one place until the baby is done.
With pumped breast milk your wife can hand the baby off to you, hand you a bottle, and keep on moving. Thus sharing the load.
Pumped breast milk therefore = freedom.
So to put it in guy mode: It’s kind of like having a car. Cars are good. Cars give you freedom to move around and not be tied down. Breast milk can serve the same purpose if it’s been pumped out and not wasted by that inconsiderate fool of a husband!
My niece is visiting with her brand new (not trained) puppy. This morning at 6 she gets up and says, play with the puppy so I can get another hours sleep will ya? Hah! I’ve had about enough of pooch. So far she has pooped and peed on my crapet, chewed my underwear, a comforter and my couch.
I say, ummm no, its your dog you look after her. She says, I need sleep, I say… wait till you have kids hon.
Anywho, the most important thing I have learned from being a parent is the incredible unconditional love you receive from a child. The wonderful feeling of them coming to you when they are hurt and you can console them, when they are sick you can hug them and try to make things better and when they are happy you can make them realize just how great they are by celebrating every milestone.
It sounds corny, but it’s true. Appreciate each and every moment.
All milestones will make you sad when reminiscing. All except one. You’ll love the sound of “Dad, I gotta poop.” instead of, “Dad, I pooped.”
Sleep deprivation will make you not realize just how tired you are during the first six months. Time will make you forget about being sleep deprived to the point where you will consider having another.
The first time they repeat “I Love You” back to you, it will make you smile. The first time they just say it you without any prompting, it will make you cry.
They refuse to get up and get ready during the week, but come Saturday and Sunday, they can get up before daybreak.
Having children has taught me the real meaning of fear. Nothing is scarier than not knowing what to do for your child when something life-threatening happens.
Having children has also taught me how much I am loved. I always thought I knew how much my parents love me, but it wasn’t until I loved my own children that I realized how much.
BTW, yes we are protective of our breastmilk. Luckily my husband never took EBM (expressed breast milk) for granted. I did quit sending it to the day care though. They actually put it in the microwave!..SoMoMom walks away muttering something about cheap breast pumps, taking all week to get a bottle full, then they have the nerve…
Being a parent has changed me a lot. I am a more patient, caring, loving person. The first time my daughter smiled or said Ma-Ma still lingers in my mind as does her first step alone and the first time she used the potty, fed herself, dressed herself, and put her shoes on by herself. My son has been saying Ma-Ma and Da-Da for awhile now and is almost ready to walk by himself. He’ll be 1 year on on September 1 and I can’t believe it’s been a year already! It seems like just yesterday that I was pregnant and waddling around work and couldn’t see my feet. The time goes by so quickly!
Yesterday my daughter really made me laugh though. I have baby gates up in front of the kitchen and bathroom because my son likes to get into the drawers in the kitchen and he likes to play in the toilet. Yesterday I was coming out of the bathroom and as I was climbing over the gate I tripped and stumbled and almost fell. My daughter started laughing and said, “You dumbass!” I almost started laughing myself because she’s only 3 so she still has a little bit of a lisp when she says “s” so it sounded funny. I know that she heard me say that before so it’s my own fault. Oh well, it was cute. Just wanted to share that!
The best thing I think I did was take a poloroid of my kids each month on their birthday for the first year of their life. It’s amazing how much they change in the first 6 months! I have an album for my daughter and an album for my son as well as video tapes of their births, birthday’s, holidays, and any other time I’ve felt like video taping them. You can never have too many pictures! I also have their pictures taken every 3 months at Sears. It’s a pain in the ass sometimes but well worth it to look back and see how much they’ve grown and changed!
I love the way my son smiles when he looks at me and I love hearing my daughter say “I love you mommy.” I’m amazed everyday that I carried these children inside of me and gave birth to them and that they’re perfect little human beings! I’m grateful everyday that they’re healthy and happy and pray that I can be the best mom in the world for them.
baby_thur has given me the opportunity to see the world all over again. It’s a wonderful feeling for him to see a butterfly for the first time, or stars, or a blade of grass, or a leaf. With him I see these things anew. He makes every day an adventure.
I am very protective of my breastmilk, but will share if needed. (I have 2 new cousins who are breastfed - sure makes babysitting easy with all of us breastfeeding. Just pass that hungry baby over here…) And FYI - with a sling, I can nurse baby_thur and shop or do the dishes - hands-free. Nursing doesn’t necessarily bind you to the rocking chair, though it’s not a bad thing those first few months when you really need to sit down and rest.
baby_thur has changed my life. A sentimental, teary-eyed mom has replaced the cynical, hard-hearted woman I once was. The first time baby_thur laughed, I cried. It may sound cheesy, but it was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. I was lucky to get it on cassette tape so I can share it with him when he is older.
He is just amazing. I cherish every day with him - even the days where he is clingy and I don’t get to shower or eat or sleep. This little person depends on me for everything - and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
…And you get to see that a little someone thinks you are the most beautiful, talented, superhuman, intelligent person in the world. You get that lump in your gut when you realize that you want to live up to that and find yourself a better person for the attempt.
Not just when they’re babies either. 11 year old responded to my quip about Victoria’s Secret models being a completely different species than me:
“Oh Mom. You are so beautiful. Don’t you see it? And you don’t need to go on a commercial in your underwear to prove it.”
(good thing I don’t… )
struuter, that is absolutely beautiful. You should write that down, frame it, and hang it up somewhere that you will see it every single day.
My dughter has taught me how incredibly important it is to always tell the absolute truth. There is nothing like having to explain a falsehood to your child.
My daughter has taught me how silly sex sounds when it has to be explained to someone else. “Eww, Mommy, that’s disgusting!”
My daughter has taught me, on many occasions, that she is even smarter and more observant than I give her credit for - especially when I am hoping that she’s not watching.
My daughter has taught me that even a bouquet of grass and weeds can be beautiful, when it is clutched in the grubby little hands of a little girl who looks up at you and says, “I picked these just for you, Mommy, because I love you.”
Wow, this is getting pretty mushy, I agree with the sentiment though. No Doubt that there are few things that compare to your children’s birth and growth. I have never thought that I deserved the love I have from my son, but I cherish it.
Now, can we pleese lighten things up a bit! Hmmmm? How 'bout more on the breast milk discussion? Does it have to be pumped with a mechanical device, or can the husband assist manually???
