New Baby 101

Ok, so maybe the title of this post isn't the best. After all, I'm no expert on the subject of babies. But I'm learning so much everyday, which has been such a cool experience. And with an influx of expecting friends, I thought I'd pass on some of what I've learned over the last month.

But before that, here are some pictures! I mean it's not a good post without some pics, right?

Ahh! She's so cute. I die. 

Anyway...back on topic. Here's what I've learned about childbirth/newborns:

• Milk the hospital for the all freebie supplies you can. This includes the sitz bath, super hot disposable underwear, squirt bottles, witch hazel wipes, various creams and sprays, et cetera et cetera. If you want the pretty details of what all these things are used for, I'd be happy to fill you in.
• Take advantage of the nursery at the hospital! You're not a bad parent if you don't sleep with your new baby in the room. You need sleep and the nurses will let you get it while you can. So do it!
• If you're like me, you might have a little anxiety about the level of...hm...exposedness (yes, I made that word up exactly for this purpose) you will experience in the hospital. Let me tell you. Don't even worry about it. Do you know how many things these nurses and doctors see every day? You are not the worst by a long shot. So don't give it a second thought to let them help you out in delicate situations. They are angels. 
• You will recover. It may feel like a land mine down there for a little bit, but you'll probably be surprised how quickly things start to get back to normal. I had it in my head that it would be so utterly horrendous that I literally didn't get out of the hospital bed for a whole day. That was stupid. Be careful, take it easy, but don't convince yourself that it's worse than it is or that it's ruined. It's not. But! I will say, do not, under any circumstances, look at it for like a week. There's no need and you may be horrified. Just don't. 
• Let people help you, but know that it's ok to say no too. Sometimes you just need a nap or some time alone when the baby's sleeping. So guard your time. 
• Don't get worked up about schedules or routines or how many poops the internet says your baby's supposed to have. If your baby gets a clean bill of health at the hospital and is putting on weight, they're fine! There was a day I panicked that Eva wasn't eating enough so I just kept feeding her and feeding her, which was stressing both of us out. Then she through up all over me. Babies are little people. And like regular size people, they're gonna eat when they're hungry and poop when they have to. Do you let a schedule you found on the internet dictate when you poop? Probably not. So don't worry about your baby. It's not good for either one of you. You'll learn what's normal for them.
• Don't stress about finishing the nursery before the baby's born. You may not really even use it that much for the first month at least. And your baby won't know the difference anyway! So sure it's nice to have done, but if you can't settle on curtains, or still need to add a few things, don't worry about it. There are far more important things to think about. 
• Sleep whenever you can! That's that. 
• Don't read things online that stress you out. Instead, read this pregnancy/baby blog. You'll feel better. 

So there's that. 

Things are going really well around here. Eva's been a really good little baby and we're learning what makes her fussy, so in general we can figure out what's wrong when she gets upset. 

There's no doubt that she looks like her Dad, but I can see some of my personality coming through. For instance, she doesn't seem to be a morning person, she gets hangry, and when she's sleeping, she cannot be bothered to wake up under any circumstances. 

She's off the charts as far as growth goes, so that makes me feel good (not stressing about if she's eating enough), and it's just so crazy to see how much she's grown and changed even in this first month of her little life. 

I so wanted to take pictures of each week for the first month to see how she's changing, but that kinda fell to wayside with feedings and naps and trying to keep the house from turning into one of "those" houses. You know the ones I mean. We'll probably get there someday, but today is not that day. 

As much as I can't wait to give updates on things like "she ate her first solid food!" or "she said her first word!" or "she's walking!" I know that these moments are precious right where we are and there will be a time when I wish we could go back. So I'm just doing my best to soak it all in and enjoy it while it lasts!