Lessons I've Learned

Don't mess with the baby's sleep schedule. Even if it's really inconvenient to you, if you try to mess with it, it just makes the baby really cranky and tired and doesn't really change anything anyway.

You really do have to rinse the poop out of clothes right away, or those stains won't come out.

No matter how tired or frustrated you are that the baby has puked or peed all over you again, you have to put a happy face on. You being tense or stressed or annoyed will make the baby cry, so learn to smile and laugh while you and everything you own are covered in vomit.

Babies are so squirmy! Anything sensitive, like clipping nails or cleaning ears is a huge ordeal because babies move around so much and you don't want to hurt them accidentally, so it takes forever to do anything.

When you give the baby a bath, wash their hair last, because if you leave their hair wet it makes them cold.

When you cook, make a ton more than you'll eat right away and save it for later. I've learned to appreciate the value of having stuff ready to eat in the fridge, even if I do have to eat the same thing for every meal for a few days.

Almost every day, he seems to get bigger and heavier. It's amazing to watch him learn and change every day, as he figures out how to make new noises with his mouth, as he learns to use his hands more effectively. He loves staring at himself in the mirror, and I wonder if he's slowly figuring out that it's his own reflection.

I've discovered that my first instinct is to feed. I'll often catch myself thinking, "Hmm he seems unhappy. I should feed him." This may be why he's such a giant. However, I've been trying to explore other options first, like cuddles or a diaper change, before I teach him that all problems are solved with food.

I didn't think it was possible, but apparently I CAN function off of four hours of sleep every night. It would be helpful if I could nap during the day, but alas, it doesn't seem like something my body wants to let me do. I did not know the meaning of the word tired until I had a baby, because this isn't just a "I pulled an all-nighter" or "I just had the craziest holiday weekend" kind of tired. This is a "I haven't slept more than a couple of hours at a time for four months" kind of tired. I can't even imagine having more than one kid right now. It's just insane.

That being said, Hank is just the best baby. I am so ridiculously lucky that he's such a good baby, because I don't think I could've handled a normal baby. I read online that normal babies cry around two hours a day. Two HOURS?! Hank barely cries two minutes when he's being poked at the doctor's. He doesn't really cry, even. Usually he just shouts at us when he wants something. Otherwise, he's a happy camper.

He does seem kinda shy around people, though, which is something he'll probably grow out of once we start bringing him around other people more often. He's also started a thing where he only wants me to hold him, and he starts getting cranky if other people hold him for more than a minute. He even gets cranky with Brian holding him unless he's well rested and fed. As soon as he starts getting hungry or tired, Hank has to be held by Mommy or else he starts shouting at us. It's pretty funny. But I do wish he'd let Brian take care of him for a few hours so I could sleep more.

I wanna take more video of him talking and being cute, but he clams up as soon as he notices the camera and just stares at it. Too smart for his own good!



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