No manual

I have been someone's Mom for seventeen days now. Oh, have they flown by! I've been blogging the highlights of Silas' weeks on his blog, but wanted to share some of the lessons I've learned thus far in the journey.

There are no manuals. Even with twenty years of consistent baby exposure and experience, I am reduced to tears when my son cries so hard he turns purple, and floored when he stops the instant I snap the last button on his jumper. Oh - and today we figured out that he likes showers much, MUCH better than baths.

You immediately stop thinking of breasts as anything to hide. I have already breastfed at a plant nursery, a parking lot, a crowded restaurant, and in front of every visitor we've had...I've also learned that big babies are hungry a lot.

You can prepare for it all, and you'll still never be ready. Nat and I are scholars - we read and discuss and reflect and prepare. It definitely helps to have he resources and background, but we still have to parent moment by moment. Our baby is leading us through this maze, and we're learning how to follow - from his birth (nothing like I'd pictured), through each and every day.

The village is real - and we need ours. Having supportive family, friends, neighbors and physicians surrounding us during this time has made everything so much easier, it is amazing. Without them I can't imagine how much harder this would be! And it helps to have a mother who can clean my house to higher standards than my own flirtation with OCD. Also helps to have friends who know good food and like to feed it to us. AND it is great fun to show off the baby without leaving the house.

You do need all the blankets, burp cloths, and baby sheets. It looks like a lot, but they do a lot of leaking...especially in cloth diapers.

And now onto more nursing...