We just did a 5 day mini vacation and you ROCKED it! You are such a traveling champ! We had a couple of rough spots, but that is always to be expected. Throughout everything (long drives, hot/cold rooms, changes in routine, hot sun, big crowds, etc.) you maintained your happy, relaxed, and calm attitude. You're just such a good kid. Your father and I are so lucky to have you in our lives.
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| Eating his sword at the Renaissance Festival |
Hello again readers! Sorry for the massive gap in blogs. We went on a mini vacation to see my Mom out in the mountains of Colorado. Such a lovely trip. Best of all? The trip was for my BIRTHDAY!!! Huzzah! That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I'm 25! Holy Guacamole! I'm sure a lot of you are rolling your eyes and saying something along the lines of, "Oooo...25...you're sooooo old." Well, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was turning 18, getting married, and living my new "adult" life. So, 25 feels a little hefty to me. But, I got to ring in this new age with my wonderful Mom, my amazing husband, and (as always) my kick-ass little kiddo. What more could a woman want? *sigh*
That being said, I had a lot of time to reflect on my quarter of a century on this earth and I was able to make some fairly large realizations. See, I have always been taught that with age comes wisdom. It was never defined as any specific type of wisdom. I was never told that by the time I was 30, I would know everything there is to know about Geometry or that when I turned 55, Psychology would make so much more sense. No, just that with age would come wisdom. So, as I said, I had some reflecting time and the one thing that truly stands out to me as something that I have simply learned about as I've gotten older (not through specific study or education) has been Liam. Yes, yes, I have learned all of those "It is better to give than to receive" and "To thine own self be true" such things. Those are all very important and are honestly things that you don't learn until you are put into certain situations. But, in the end, Liam is still the stand out in my "Learn as you grow" situations. As always, I would love to share some of these baby lessons with you with the hope that you won't have to learn them the hard way as I have.
So, without further ado, here are some of the important things I have taken from the wonderfully frightening experience that has been raising my son:
1. Poop happens. Nothing you can do about it. Just gotta move on.
2. Humor can, quite literally, get you through anything. (Patience also helps.)
3. Water, baby wipes, and detergent can clean any mess. I mean ANY. MESS. Don't panic
4. Babies are weird. They make weird sounds, they do weird things, they smell weird, and they do things on weird schedules. Most of the time, if you're panicking that something is wrong with your child, it is probably just being weird. Give them time. They'll normalize shortly.
5. Scrapes, bumps, and bruises will happen. There is NOTHING you can do about them. Trying to prevent them often causes bigger ones. Have a cuddle and some triple antibiotic ready.
6. Germs are everywhere. No matter how many times you wipe with Lysol wipes or scrub those toys with Dawn, they are still there. I'm not telling you to quit trying, but don't get mental about it.
7. There is no such thing as "Tear Free." Nice try Johnson & Johnson.
8. 99.9% of the time, store brand is ≥ name brand. If you absolutely NEED name brand, check the thrift stores first. No-brainer. Especially for baby clothes (I got around $100 worth of baby clothes for $20).
9. Don't buy baby clothes if you can at all avoid it. Honestly. Throw a baby shower, enjoy the donations or lendings of friends and family, whatever. If you must buy them, go to thrift stores (as I said above). You won't truly understand how much money you've wasted on "adorable" or "someday sentimental" baby clothes until you are donating two garbage bags full of BARELY used items to your local second hand store. Hurts the soul a little.
10. Trust your instincts. You will have no idea where they are coming from. You won't believe them at times. People will doubt, question, and disagree with them straight to your face and they will not always lead you down the easiest route. But, in the end, your brain and your heart know. They know better than anyone else what is best for your child and your family. Stand behind them and don't ever question them when they are pounding something into your head and you just "know".
And last but not least:
11. Teething sucks. You may think you got off easy with a kiddo that did great for a couple of teeth, but just you wait. It will get awful. Soon. Be prepared for it the best way you can. It doesn't matter which treatment or preventative measure you take, but be prepared.
So, there they are. My "Things I Figured Out As I Went" for one of the most defining learning experiences of my life. I'm positive that this list is an ever-expanding one. There is no hope that these are the only things I will ever need to know in this line of work but it's what I've got so far. If you're a parent, a soon-to-be parent, or you're thinking about having a kiddo, I hope my little list helped in some way.
That's all for me tonight folks. I'd love to read your lists. What are some of the things you've learned as you've gone?? Anything to help me or others?
Thanks again for stopping by and being patient with me. I promise there won't be such a huge gap next time!
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