Welcome Little Prince

William Harry was born at 1:27 am on August 29th, weighing 6 lbs 14 ozs and sporting a thick head of dark hair. I can hardly believe he's finally here!!

A "Good" Baby

Tomorrow is my due date, and since there is no baby here yet, I've been ruminating on life with a newborn. It has been almost two years since I've taken care of a newborn. I'm not too worried about picking it all up again, even if this baby is completely different than Medea. In fact, I hope some things about this baby are completely different than Medea. Gotta mix it up a bit, ya know?
But as I'm waiting impatiently, I hear other new moms being asked how their babies are sleeping, or eating, or if they are on a schedule or whatnot. Generally, do they have a "good" baby? Well, what is a "good" baby? If my baby sleeps for 20 minutes at a time every two hours, does that make him or her a "good" baby or a "bad" baby? What if the baby has colic? Does that make the baby bad? What do I do with a "bad" baby?
I wish people would stop asking new moms if they have a "good" baby. All it does is add to the stress and worry that maybe they aren't doing something right, or they aren't doing the best they can. I don't think there is such a thing as a "good" baby. Babies are babies. They are tiny, adorable humans whose brains are not fully cooked yet, and as such, rely on us to meet their every need, and their only means of communication is a series of screams, wails, cries, coos and other throaty noises. So next time you see a mom with a new baby, don't ask how the baby is sleeping, or eating, or if they are generally a "good" baby. Just ask how things are going, and let it go from there.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Raising a child is an exercise in patience and perseverance. Raising a toddler takes this test to a whole new level. One day you spend the whole time thinking, "Man, my kid is a freakin' genius! I must call Mensa!", and the next day, you're huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth, just praying for escape as you are being screamed at by a very short, angry human whose language you suddenly do not understand. I know the cliche is just to take it day by day, but I must say, that it is very difficult to remember that some days. A big challenge is when you try something new, hoping to reach a new milestone, and you soon realize that your child may not be as ready as you thought. These things are not setbacks, and going back to what you were doing is not a step back. But sometimes it is easy to see them as failures because, as parents, I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to do everything "right" because what parent doesn't want to see their child succeed? Society places so much emphasis on the success of the individual and some of the people to feel it most are parents--it is their responsibility to raise motivated, useful and intelligent members of society, and you can see this in magazines, on  TV and all over the internet. I think it is important for us, as parents, to not always take this responsibility so seriously because it can may you crazy from the pressure. Every kid has their own timeline and do things at their own pace, and just because they aren't quite ready for something doesn't mean you've failed in some way. It just means you get to try again later. Besides, every experienced parent will tell you--enjoy every moment because it goes by too quickly and you can't get those moments back. 

Sometimes Life is Like That

There are some days when everything goes smoothly and some days when I feel like I accomplish nothing. With little S2 on the way, my to-do list seems to be like the population of China walking by (the rate of population growth is such that the line would never end)...my mom sent me a blog post that quoted the last two lines of a poem and it made me realize how quickly time flies. My little baby is rapidly growing in to a little girl before my eyes. They are only little once, and I have to remind myself that the to-do list is not as important as making memories and cherishing moments. Easier said than done some days.

Jim Henson Was a Wise Man

"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are."
~Jim Henson