What I've Learned - 1 week - Anna

Things I have learned in Anna's first week of life:

1. How to spell Bilirubin (and that Facebook does not know how to spell Bilirubin)

2. That Hallmark has convinced a number of folks that congratulations has a "d" in the spelling.

3. Adrenaline will help you stay up for unreal amounts of time.

4. That Anna's cry can at times actually be comforting.


5. That vomit is not the only bodily function for babies that can be "projectile". 


6. That God apparently gives parents of newborns a longer lasting "battery".


7. People become much more interested in your life when you have a baby with you.


8. The rules for when to put a hat on your child and when to go without a hat are blurry and confusing.


9. That cloth diapers are the "Superhero" of baby accessories. They are amazing and super absorbent. And we don't even use them as diapers. 


10. Now there is someone else in the house, when Amy talks she is not always talking to me. 


11. That I can in fact love someone as much as I love Amy. A very different kind of love, but I'd do anything for either of them.


12. I already knew Amy was an amazing and strong person, but I have seen her be amazing and strong in incredible new ways this week.

What I've Learned - 2 weeks - Anna

What I have learned in Anna's second week of life (not an exclusive list, just some of the highlights).

1. Babies have no concept of schedule or convenience.

2. People feel a need to share their “one out of a million chance” horror baby story with you and think it is comforting to hear.

3. Everyone has an opinion on how to raise your child. Makes me think of the old saying… “Opinions are like butts...everyone has one and most of them stink.” 


4. It was way more difficult to go back to work than I thought it would be.


5. The phrase “which end is that sputtering coming from” is now a daily question. (More like hourly)


6. When I tell folks that Anna has been sleeping well and their response is “just wait, that’ll change”…it seems to always be someone who had a little one that didn’t sleep well…and they are just jealous.

7. While changing a diaper, if you hear a “bodily gurgle” sound…do not lift up to look and see what it was. 


8. There are lots of “rules” to parenting and Amy and I break most of them already…and Anna is doing just fine.


9. Taking babies out with you (to Lowes specifically) gets you faster service. 


10. A lot of folks have no faith in the ability of a new dad. (I’m getting the sense that the bar is very low for Dad’s in general, and this saddens me)


11. There is not a lot of consistency in sizing for babies clothing.


12. It is amazing how quickly human beings form habits, even at only 2 weeks old.

What I've Learned - 1 month - Anna

Lessons learned in Anna's first month of life...a few days late

Great Advice I’ve received:

1. Your goal as a parent is not to raise a healthy, well-behaved child, but a mature healthy adult. (not the first time I’ve heard this, but good to keep in mind).

2. Start “letting go” of your child from day one. (This would likely help with number 1 as well)

3. Don’t blink.

Things I’ve learned:

4. Do not say that you have a child that sleeps well…it may possibly jinx you. :-)

5. When someone sends you a DVD titled “The Happiest Baby,” do not wait to watch it until your child is 3 weeks old.

6. Babies grow fast…very fast.

7. When all else fails…play Sidewalk Prophets.

8. It is amazing the amount of “volume” babies have with gas…this can be read in all meanings of the word.

9. Communication is an important component of marriage…it becomes significantly more important when a baby comes in the mix.

10. People in fact are not more interested in Amy and my life…they are interested in Anna.

11. Amy and I are vying for parents of the year…I think we are leading the race; you could ask Anna for confirmation of this but she doesn’t talk yet.

12. The last month has been one of the best of my life.