Oops!

As I was trimming Will's nails two days ago, I accidentally cut into his finger a little bit.  At first it didn't even bleed, and Will hardly seemed to notice.  But I had to do everything I could not to freak out.  When that little thumb started to bleed, I first thought, "Do I need to take him to the Emergency Room?" and then realized that this was a teeny cut and I only had to recall everything I knew about first aid.  Rule #1: Stay calm.  I knew I would upset him if I was upset.  I willed myself to do this.  Rule #2: Wash wound and apply pressure to stop the bleeding.  I took Will to the sink, washed off the finger, and wrapped it in a paper towel.  This seemed to do the trick.  But it kept bleeding!  I applied and band-aid and it bled through it.  Finally (after what seemed like a lot longer than a few minutes), it stopped bleeding and I knew he would be okay.

I felt so horrible through this!  I couldn't believe that I had done something to hurt my son.  I know he will experience pain in life, but at my own hand?  Poor kid.  This did help me grasp the reality that there will be times in life when Will gets hurt and sick--I just pray that it is never anything serious.  But I will have to deal with this.  It is part of raising a boy!  Also, I was reminded that parents will make mistakes.  I know my parents did, and I know I will.  I may have the best of intentions, but sometimes, things just happen beyond my control and outside of my desires.  Thank God for his grace and redemption.

Preparation is the Key

One of the best tips I got from one of my pregnancy books was to have the whole house "staged" before you went to the hospital.  What did this look like for me?

1.  Unwrap and set up baby equipment.  Trust me, you will not want to do this (or have enough hands to do this) after the baby is here!  I just worked on one thing every day until I was all set up.  I stored things in the nursery, so they were out of site, but ready to go.  I did set up a pack-n-play with a changing station on the first floor to save me some stairs!

2. Pack your hospital bag.  You don't need much, but I was glad I had a comfy set of clothes (yoga pants and a T-shirt), a hair dryer, toothbrush, make-up, a notebook and pen, my baby book (for footprints), Gatorade (you can't eat anything in labor, but you can drink this stuff!) flip flops, & slippers.

3. Set up a changing station with all your baby equipment including diapers, wipes, Vaseline, hand sanitizer, baby lotion, baby body wash (use Cetaphil or CeraVe, NOT Johnson and Johnson), rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, Q-tips.  I also set out several burp cloths and blankets on both levels of my house so I didn't have to go up and down the stairs, especially in those first few weeks.  (I would recommend stocking up on wipes--you can't have enough--and then no more than 100 newborn-size diapers, and about 400 size-1 diapers.)

4. Set up the bathroom with all of the accessories you will need in those first few weeks.  The hospital will give you most everything you need, but I did stock up on extra Tuck's and maxi pads.  I also liked having some of the wet Cottonelle flushable wipes on hand.

Tears!

When did my little boy start crying with tears?!  It makes the crying so much worse!

When I would feel bad when I was holding one of my crying cousins, Grandma used to say, "Oh, look Sarah--no tears!" and I would feel better knowing they must not be too upset.  Somehow now Will cries and his face is stained with tears.  So sad.

I Love the Baby Stage

Why do I love babies? Why do I love these moments with Will in these early months? Yes it's difficult. It's a huge transition. My time is not my own. He can only communicate with crying. He has no set schedule. It's really hard to go anywhere. I spend a lot of time on the couch breastfeeding. A lot.

But I love it. Every day is different. Will is growing so quickly that I want to soak up every moment knowing he will never be just like this again. With the physical growth is incredible developmental growth. Every day he does something he couldn't do the day before. To watch this is to truly witness a miracle. To think that a year ago he did not exist...and now he is a complete human being. This is God's handiwork in full display. We are his greatest masterpiece of creation.

And this masterpiece fits perfectly in my arms--and he wants to be cuddled and held and rocked. There's nothing better than the feel of his head heavy on my chest, content, or asleep, peaceful and secure.

I feel privileged to be a part of leading this child on this journey of life. Each day I get to introduce him to some new facet of life. How amazing. Through his eyes I see life completely differently, like everything is new again.

I love knowing that I am responsible and able to meet all of his needs. When he cries, I can fix it (most of the time!) and I'm rewarded each day with smiles and coos that absolutely melt my heart.

Hmm...

Will is afraid of the hairdryer and the coffee grinder, but not the vacuum cleaner or the garbage disposer.  Hmm....

He laughs at the crinkly sound the stuffed lion makes, but frowns at the same sound made by his giraffe.
Hmm....


Just when I think I'm figuring him out....