8 weeks

We're at 8 weeks and 12 pounds, today. And what have I learned so far?

Lesson 1: You can't truly understand sleep deprivation until you've lived it. And while people mean well when they say, "Just sleep when the baby sleeps" it just isn't that simple. When else would I eat or shower? Plus, I've learned that I do NOT function well with just an hour or two of sleep here and there. Thankfully, Mr. P must take after his parents because he's quite the sleepy head. I'm now regularly getting 4-6 hours of sleep at night, which is a BLESSING.

Lesson 2: Whoever says breastfeeding doesn't hurt is LYING. While it may be true that for some women it doesn't hurt, you just can't make that generalization for all. I am here to tell you that it does hurt me. In the beginning it would hurt for the first two minutes, right after he latched on. We're talking, take your breath away, toe curling pain. Not fun. Then around 5 weeks it faded. Phew. Except... now it's back again. Argh.

Lesson 3: Babies grunt in their sleep! At least, Mr. P does. I never realized that babies could be so loud while they sleep. It really is the funniest thing. He'll be sound asleep, then throw his legs up and grunt, grunt, grunt! Usually he'll let out a fart or two (or poop), and go back to being quiet, all without waking up. It's amazing... and also why he was quickly moved from our bedroom into his nursery.

Lesson 4: It's incredible how many nicknames you can create for this little being. Just to name a few: sweet boy, little buddy, fart monster, monkey feet, and my favorite, stinka tush.

Lesson 5: Beer tastes good. Okay, well I knew that before. But oh, how it tastes so good after 9 loooong months...

Lesson 6: Swaddling is KEY. When we first brought him home from the hospital we kept him swaddled most of the time. But after the first couple of weeks, we started swaddling him less and less. Now we pretty much just swaddle when he's tired for naps during the day, and definitely when it's sleepy time at night. It's amazing how it allows him to settle down and fall asleep. Plus, he doesn't wake himself up with flailing arms.

Lesson 7: Borrowing is also key. We've borrowed a swing, bouncy chair, and bath tubs from our lovely neighbors. Not only has it saved us money, but when Mr. P is done with everything, we don't have to worry about storing it all in our lil' townhouse!

Lesson 8: It's true when they say it will get better. I think week 7 was a real turning point for me. I'm finally feeling more comfortable in this new role. I feel like I know Mr. P better and have a better sense of what he's trying to tell me, or what he needs. I'm sure that in no matter of time we'll have a bad day or something and I'll feel defeated again, but for now, I'm feeling good. So I'm going to bask in it, dammit!

Of course, we've learned tons of other stuff (like how our lives will NEVER be the same again), but that's a pretty good list for now...