Parenting Book Overload

I was putting books back on the shelf, and I made the mistake of counting how many parenting books I've read in recent months....twelve. Most of these have to do with various parenting philosophies. The problem I've encountered is that nearly every book not only says it's the best way to parent an infant (of course), but has some very sharp criticism for all of the other books out there. Some of them actually name the other authors, and say that this or that is going to scar your child for life, make them unhealthy, make them not trust you, allow them to run your life, and on and on. There's attachment parenting, child-led feeding, demand feeding, parent-directed feeding, Ferberizing, the Baby Whisperer, Babywise, Happiest Baby on the Block, and on and on and on! Prior to becoming a parent myself, I had no idea about this huge debate going on (each with its own set of devotees, bloggers, endorsements, critics, etc.), and I'm glad. It's all too much for my brain to handle.

I need to stop reading these books! But it's sort of addictive because, in truth, I really don't know what I'm doing. All of this parenting stuff is pretty new to me, and I'm just learning as I go like everyone else. Anyway, whenever the library books come due I'm returning them and not getting them again. Gotta save my sanity. :)

It has been a LONG day!

So sleepy... After a somewhat difficult night that involved moving our car away from advancing floodwaters at 2:30am, then having baby at home by myself while Will was at church, then having the power go out, I finally couldn't take it anymore and a friend helped us get to her place. It is great to get out of the house, be with other people, and not think about the sandbagging and power outage going on at our place!

Flooding

It has barely stopped raining in the past 24 hours and it looks like we are in danger of flooding if the water keeps rising. From our window it looks like we may not be able get the car out of the alley tomorrow. As long as the first floor of our building doesn't flood!

One month old today!

I can't believe he's a month old already! Wow. Elijah is getting very big, and seems to be changing every day.

Four weeks

How is it that the past 4 weeks have flown by but sometimes each day feels like it lasts forever? It's amazing to me that it has been four weeks since Elijah arrived. He looks a lot different than he did back then. Amazing. I'm coming to terms, albeit slowly, with the reality that he won't always sleep when I want him to (and desperately need a nap myself). I think the day is much easier if I just don't expect to get a nap and then I will be pleasantly surprised if I get one. It's all about the attitude and expectations.

God, in his infinite wisdom, knew I needed some sleep last night. A couple of 3-hour blocks of sleep may not sound like much but it was what I needed. Little dude still doesn't like napping in the daytime in the crib (prefers to be held), but he seems to have figured out what "night" means.

Hmm, do I dare risk waking him by moving him? Nah. I'm sleep-deprived but not crazy. :).

Awww...

...his first projectile spit-up. Ew.

He's still cute, though.

Ten Days

I would be lying if I didn't say that these have been the most difficult 10 days of my life. Despite everything I'd done to prepare myself for having a child, I discovered it's not something you can ever be totally ready for. (And all of the moms out there are smiling and nodding right now.) We've been having some issues with feeding, but the little guy is totally healthy. I'm working with a really great nurse, though, who's helping us through it. And I know that I need to be patient. Everyone keeps telling me that things will get easier, and I do believe them, but when every day seems like it's 48 hours long, it's hard to look very far past the current moment!

Still, every bit of sleeplessness, frustration, and uncertainty has been completely, utterly worth it. Right at this very moment, I am sitting here with a tiny little person bundled in a blanket, sleeping on my chest. And it's the most beautiful thing in the world.

Two Days Old (almost)

It's a Boy!

Elijah James...Born August 1.