It was March 14 of last year when Jason and I discovered that God had decided to bless us with a baby. At first I thought this must be a mistake. Was God really entrusting us to raise one of his children at this point in our lives? We were just kids ourselves! But in true procrastinators fashion “our little surprise” was just the kick in the butt Jason and I needed to get on the fast track towards the rest of our lives!
We immediately sped up the marriage process (We already knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together), found a town home to start our family in and began to read every baby book and article we could get our hands on. My favorite being a book given to Jason called “So My Boy’s Can Swim.”
They say that people nest a week or so before the baby comes, just like mother birds that rush to finish their nest before their baby chicks hatch. Nesting for us started that March 14, and lasted the entire nine months! We obsessed over every detail. Was the “Utterly Pink” we painted the nursery too pink? Where was the perfect location to place the carbon monoxide detector? Bumpers or no bumpers???? Does she have enough clothes? Maybe we should go by one more outfit? PINK! It has to be Pink!
Those nine months felt more like nine weeks, each day packed with preparations that just HAD to get done. Looking back on it now I realize that Lily Beth was coming, whether I had the nursery ready or not. And either way, it would be fine.
On Thanksgiving Day I was scheduled to be induced since Lily Beth decided to stay in a week past my due date. Well, just like all us Parker’s Lily waited til the last minute then came on her own. My contractions started at 4 am November 24 and I finally got to meet my precious baby at 8:29 am November 25.
The next 3 days at the hospital I tried to take in everything. Writing every detail down as if I was preparing for my final exam. I probably slept a total of 10 hours my entire hospital stay. I wanted to get used to being a mother while under the supervision of all the nurses. They say that everything comes natural once your baby arrives. I think that is both true and completely false. Things do come natural, like breastfeeding and comforting your baby just by your touch, but other things they simple do not prepare you for!
Like Lily Beth’s first big poop! It was a couple days after we got home and it got all over her umbilical cord. All I heard in the hospital was “Do not get the cord wet! Don’t clean it. Let it fall off on it’s on.” Well here I was, with a cord covered in poop and no directions for this particular scenario. That was the first time I called the pediatrician in a panic, which would eventually lead to a rather humorous folder detailing each of my phone calls filled with conversations ranging from “She has a temperature of 99.1, I know I’m not suppose to call until it reaches 100.4 should I bring her in anyways?” to “She hasn’t pooped in 3 days. What is wrong with her?”
Over the next couple months things got easier and I really started to own my new role as a mother. I try not to ever get too comfortable because she is changing so fast. What is ok at 2 months is not necessarily ok at 4 months, like laying her in the middle of the bed while you turn around for instance.
Now that Lily is becoming mobile I am having to learn all over again. My goal each day is simply to get to the next. There will be bumps and bruises along the way. She will even face plant every now and then, but the tears will dry up and we will conquer this stage just like we did the last.
What I have learned is that there is no manual that will get your through parenthood unscathed. We learn best by trial and error and thankfully we have the Big Man Upstairs looking down on us to make sure everyone is ok.
I look forward to what each new stage brings but in the mean time I will leave you with a few things that I have discovered so far. I am sure with our next child things may be completely different, but we will jump that hurdle when the time comes.
My List of things I wish I would have known 5 months ago…
1. Your baby will not even step foot into their nursery for at least 2 months after you bring them home. Losing sleep over whether or not the curtains match the throw pillows you have bought for the crib that you have to take out before the baby is even allowed to sleep in there is a ridiculous waste of time and energy. Use this time to take a nap, you will not be able to once your little bundle of joy arrives.
2. Baby’s cry. A Lot. It is how they communicate and they are not going to stop any time soon so program yourself to get used to it. If you get upset over their crying they will sense your anxiety and will cry harder. It is a never ending cycle so be prepared to set them in their crib and walk away to compose yourself before the tension in the air takes over the whole house.
3. Expect to not sleep for at least 2 weeks. God gives new parents super powers that allows them to function on 1-2 hours of sleep at a time. I plan on taking a 2 week vacation when Lily Beth turns 15 in which she will bring me breakfast in bed and cater to my every need. Until then I am all hers, so if she wants to wake up in the middle of the night I am there to comfort her.
4. Except help! Take an hour nap when someone comes to visit. Let them sweep your floors if they offer. But remember to return the favor at a later date!
5. Enjoy it! Don’t be so stressed out that you run around like a chicken with his head cut off making sure that everything is perfect. They literally grow at the speed of light during this first few months so hold them as much as you can. Stare at them for hours. Take tons of pictures. And don’t let time get away from you.
I by no means have become an expert caretaker over the past 5 months but I have become a mother. One that I think Lily Beth will be proud of later down the road. Each day brings a new experience with it, leaving me excited each night for what lies ahead tomorrow.
elizabethprowe 