Reflections....

So, Derek is about to turn a year old here in two weeks, and it boggles my mind how fast this past year has gone by. There are a few reflections I have and a few things I've learned that I thought I'd write down, mostly because I haven't blogged in a few weeks and I should post something! Haha! Okay, here we go:

Things I've learned over this past year:
1. Trust your Mommy instincts. I had suspected that something was up with Derek's digestive system for weeks before he started screaming non stop. Everyone told me he was fine, but I was not convinced. After receiving an Acid Reflux diagnosis and receiving Zantac he was fine and had outgrown the issue within 2 months.

2. New moms are actually grateful for advice from other relatively new moms. I could not get enough advice from young women I knew/know who had just had a baby right before me. They were still in the same stage as me, yet a couple of steps ahead and I valued their advice so much!! They also gave me hope that things would work themselves out. (Note: I didn't follow all the advice I received, but I was grateful to receive it.)

3. The nurses and "lactation consultants" in the hospital that try to force your baby to breastfeed while he screams and refuses to latch are NOT helpful. I'm convinced I was sabotaged because Derek wasn't allowed to figure it out on his own, and then I was sent home from the hospital with strict instructions to supplement him with formula. It was only 7 weeks before we were totally formula feeding. It has been a good thing for us, don't get me wrong. Derek and I bonded just fine and Nathan has LOVED being able to bond with him too that way.

4. You don't HAVE to wash baby clothes in Dreft.

5. While the rule of thumb for dressing babies (same as you plus one extra layer) is a good rule of thumb, it is only a rule of thumb and not all babies conform. Derek would be BOILING in his car seat last winter under only a long sleeve onesie, sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks. He had a cover on his infant seat to keep him warm and that thing did a GREAT job! I went to dressing him in only sweatpants or jeans and a long sleeve onesie. However, it still bugs me when I watch moms drag their babies around in frigid winter weather with no coat, no hat, and *gasp* no socks! I mean frigid, like below freezing. Then they complain to me that their child has a perpetual cold. Well duh.

6. Just because a baby spits up on you does not mean you have to change your clothes. I believed I did at first and I started running through shirts like water in your morning shower. After a few weeks I said "forget it" and started carrying shout wipes in the diaper bag. They take away the stain AND the smell of spit up. Shirt saved!

7. I wanted to buy only organic or natural products for Derek... until I saw how much they cost. Then I decided that I was just fine eating regular food, and he would be too. We are all going to get cancer one way or another anyway.

8. You can plug all the outlets, gate every stairway, close every door, put away every semi-dangerous item and your older baby will still find something to choke on. Derek choked on a chunk of cat hair he found under the couch. Luckily I finger swept it out. Now that the first choking is over, I feel better. I'm not in dread of it. Like that Scrubs episode where JD doesn't want to perform any medical procedures because he hasn't killed a person yet and he's terrified of doing it. Then Dr. Cox tells him he actually did kill a patient when he released her before she was ready and he feels better... until JD finds out he really didn't kill her after all........... :)

9. There will always be a mommy friend who doesn't want to hear anything you have to say about parenting. *shrug* oh well. Her loss.

10. It's ok to let your baby explore. I let Derek pull all the DVD's off the shelf and look at them, as long as he doesn't break them. I let him play with the kitten, and rearrange the kitchen chairs. I let him play with my hair and with the light switches and doorknobs, and even the blinds as long as I watch his every move. (There are no blinds that he can reach by himself.)

11. Make sure you keep an eye on your baby while he/she explores. I don't let Derek play with electrical cords, the DVD player, the cable box, or the lamps. This is a "duh" kind of statement, but a lot of parents don't pay attention.

12. It's ok to let Derek watch his sign language videos when he's crabby just to shut him up! It never fails!!!!!! And, there's the added bonus that I can get something done while he's watching it!

13. And the number one thing I've learned about parenting a baby is that every poopy diaper that runs over into a poopy outfit, every spit up, every screaming session, every sleepless night, every early morning, every missed nap, every time I get baby food sprayed in my face, every time he teethes, and every single hard moment is made up for 100 times over every time he plants his little baby lips on mine!!!!!!!!!!!