Contrary to popular belief, parenting isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Ryan and I were sitting at the dinner table last night, talking about our sweet little Morgan. Ryan said, "I wish they (babies) came with an instruction manual. And an on/off switch!" Wouldn't that be nice? Since that's NOT the case, we have to figure it out our own. And boy, isn't it quite the experiment. The following are a few day-to-day experiences we endure...I mean, enjoy. ;)
Poop: scrubbing endless mustard-yellow stains out of onesies, blanket sleepers, and blankets.
Sleepless nights: unnecessarily waking every three hours...we know she can sleep longer than that. She's done it before!
Spit up: change her shirt, your shirt, your pants, the blanket, the burp rag, and flip over the couch cushion.
Tummy time: the doctor said to put Mo on her tummy for 10-15 minutes, 3 times a day...even if she cries the whole time. I think "crying" is an understatement. It's more like a wail.
To pacify, or not to pacify: Morgan has become dependent on her pacifier to fall asleep. We gave it to her, because it calmed her down. Now, she has a hard time falling asleep without it. It wouldn't be that big of deal if she could just keep it in her mouth by herself while she's asleep. But, alas, she cannot. It falls out. She wakes up. It's not there. She cries. So, we would go into her room and put it back in her mouth. 5 minutes later...It falls out. She wakes up. It's not there. She cries. Get the picture? Ryan and my patience level for this has thinned considerably as of late. So, we are attempting to wean her off the pacifier at night. The hard part is sticking to our guns. She needs to figure out how to soothe herself to sleep. She has begun sucking on her hands, so we're hoping that does the trick.
But it's not all bad. And, I think the pros overpower the cons.
Talking to her Bear friend: laying in her crib, being lulled into dreamland, she turns her head and "talks" to the picture of a bear that's on the bumper pad in her crib.
Hugs and kisses: I can't help kissing her chubby cheeks every chance I get. Mo's hair gets greasy really fast because I'm always nuzzling her head with my cheek.
Cooing: we hold conversations, we sing lovely duets, and Morgan tries to laugh...it comes out more like a pathetic cough than a chuckle.
Sleeping beauty: when she is asleep, Ryan and I get time with each other.
We love being parents. It has brought us such joy that we never thought was possible! Being a mother is my divine calling. I know that with all my heart. Taking all of that into considerations, I do find myself saying multiple times a day, "It's a good thing she's so darn cute!"
7 comments:
Such a cute post and SUCH a cute baby. I am glad you guys are doing well and are such a happy little family even with all the not so exciting parts of parenting. I'm sure you are an amazing mother. Hopefully we can come visit sometime soon.
parenting is an adventure. I will tell you that some of those things you mentioned do get easier as they get older and just when you think you are getting the hang of things they throw a whole new set of challenges to you. she is beautiful.
That's for sure
She is so beautiful, I'm so sad I was sick when I was in Spokane and didn't get to hold. I'm glad to here things are going well (for the most part :). I think you guys are great parents. Hope all is well in Provo!
Morgan, is so dang adorable! I can't wait to hold her again. She is probably so much bigger from when we saw her in December. We miss you guys! Give Morgan Kisses from us!
That was a really cute post. It's funny because I just studied something called called social exchange theory that basically examines relationship in economic terms, so it basically says people look at relationships (in your case parent-child) and weigh the cost vs. reward. It's interesting that we do look at those factors and parenting especially is a phenomenon because the rewards are all associated with looking the baby and they outweigh all the difficult costs. You guys are awesome.
Hey! super cute pictures and blog! Morgan is beautiful and it looks like she has such loving parents. Good to see you're doing so well!
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