I can hardly believe that Eli is 10 weeks old today! It’s amazing to think that when I was 10 weeks pregnant, we had just celebrated Thanksgiving when we told our parents and in just a few days, we would see our little bundle swimmin’ around in my belly! There are certainly days when it feels like Eli was born just yesterday, and other days like I’ve been a parent (translate…I haven’t had sleep) in FOREVER. But when you see faces like this – how can you not be in love!
So here are some reflections on motherhood over 10 weeks:
1. It’s easy to obsess over everything. I swear, I have googled SO many things related to having a child. From things like, “baby’s soft spot” to “how to get out baby boogers”, I feel like I just need to research anything and everything ALL the time.
2. I love when Eli smiles at me. It seriously is heart-melting. And he is trying to hard to giggle these days. He’s definitely got the cooing down, but sometimes he lets out these high squeals that you can tell he just wants to let out a sweet laugh! I can’t wait until I get to hear a big, fat, belly laugh!
3. I swear breastfeeding can be an olympic sport. It’s full contact and it takes practice to get it right…and we’re still not quite there yet, but we’re learning. Which leads me to the next one…
4. Few people talk about the hard stuff related to parenting. Outside of not getting a ton of sleep – people don’t generally volunteer information like, “breastfeeding was really hard for us” or “there were times that I just had to walk away”. I think we’ve idolized and idealized mommyhood to something that I feel like no one can achieve. No one is perfect, including me and including Eli. Things take work. Learning to be a parent takes work. And yes – I think it will all be worth it someday, but that someday isn’t always today. So for those of you thinking about having a baby, make sure you find people who can speak into the hard parts of parenthood as well.
5. Working while holding a kid is next to impossible. I swear, I can’t get any work done with him around me. First of all, he’s so darn cute I can’t stop staring. But as soon as I do pull away my gaze to turn it to my computer or my students or anything else for that matter, I’ve got a shouting one competing for my attention. And if he’s tired, forget it! All hell breaks loose because this kid fights sleep like no one’s business. It’s like he wants to be a part of everything! I wonder where he got that from…
6. Monitoring your baby’s poop can be a full time job. ‘Nough said.
7. I need to be better about making time for Daddy. It’s hard because this precious little bundle takes up so much of my mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual energy that when Seth and I put him down to sleep – I can barely maintain an adult conversation due to lack of, well, everything. But that’s not fair to my baby daddy! I need to give him attention and love, and show him that he’s still my numero uno, even if it didn’t seem like that today.
8. The laundry is never ending, and yes, we cloth diaper. I LOVE that we got Eli into his cloth diapers this past weekend, but I swear I am doing laundry every day! As per number 1 on this list, I think I am still a bit obsessive and so I am trying to make sure I get all the poop out of the diapers (see number 6) each wash. I need to learn to let it go and just let the laundry be the laundry!
9. Not only was the birth ball extremely instrumental in my birthing process – but it’s been extremely helpful to soothe Eli too. If he can’t sleep, Daddy and I take turns bouncing him while singing, humming, shushing, etc. etc. If this thing ever popped, you can bet that we would be hitting up target asap for a new one.
10. One of Eli’s favorite new things, and mine, is bath time! This kid LOVES to take baths! He loves splashing in the water and now that he isn’t confined to the newborn sling in his baby tub anymore – he gets so much more enjoyment! When people come to visit, I love giving him a bath because it’s just so cute and so fun for the whole family! We’re giving him one tonight – maybe I’ll see if I can take some video!
Well, that’s what I’ve been up to lately. Obsessing, laundry-ing, bathing, breastfeeding, and overall loving! It’s a crazy ride, but a beautiful one for sure!