Seen here plotting evil deeds
Besides the obvious benefit of getting to see one of my best friends and her absolutely adorable son for a couple of days, this visit also gave me an opportunity to try out some of our new baby gear and to see what life with such a young baby is like minute by minute. Do things flow in our house the way I think they will? What items are most useful? What should I have within arm reach at all times? How often can one realistically get out of the house with a baby? How long does it take to get out of the door, and how long can you stay out? The list goes on.
Also, will the Bun possibly be cuter than little Blue Steel?
He models her white blanket and baby toys quite well, yes?
Well, I'm happy to say that things went very well. Maybe Ethan is just an extraordinarily good baby, but no moment (during the day when we saw him) got too overwhelming or taxing. I still remember how to soothe a baby and was reasonably good at getting him to sleep. We had much of what we will end up needing in the first few months, and should always remember to keep a burp cloth close. White noise is awesome, as are swaddles. The swing will be very useful for actually putting a baby down on the first floor. One needs to plan any outings at the beginning of the day to coincide with awake or nap periods, definitely not when a feeding will need to occur, and definitely not at the last minute. Time out of the house should be limited to an hour or less without needing to pack major supplies and bring as much extra help as possible. Nothing is precious, everything will be drooled on/burped on/peed on, so don't let unwashable things around the baby. Even the smallest baby will actively seek the most dangerous object from a variety of items (seriously, he went for my boring old sewing scissors on an ottoman full of colorful yarn and baby toys, yikes!) These are just some of the lessons I learned from just 48 hours with someone else's baby.
I'm sure the Bun will teach me many more!
All good observations, and your little one will throw you plenty of curveballs too. One baby will love white noise, another will hate it. Each of these little ones is unique, right from the start!
ReplyDeleteSwings on every level. No- swings in every room!!! ;) You are an awesome mama and together you and Miss Bun will be an amazing team.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Car rides can be baby soothing lifesavers and breastfeeding works anywhere (metro? elevator? pumpkin patch? grocery store?) Adventures await!