Top 10 Things That Surprised Me Most About Parenting

Just relaxing during nap time, and thought this would be fun to have.  So, my top ten surprises so far have been:

(1)  The physical trauma of the birthing process... and the difficulty of recovery!  I naively thought you just had to get to that epidural... Ha.  Pushing the baby out was just half my battle.  Hopefully next time will be better... when they induce me at 39 weeks.  M was born 9 lbs, 10 ounces and his head is still 99th percentile circumference.  I'll never see 40 weeks + 5 days again!

"Do not try this at home."  At least not with a big baby.

(2) The sheer bliss of it.  Imagine suddenly adding, seriously, at least thirty more smiles to your daily life. Every day.  I'd wanted a baby for so long... but couldn't truly fathom the joy it would bring until he arrived. 

(3) That I love, love, LOVE having a boy.  Best surprise.  EVER.

Mark has taken many photos of me on the couch, holding my baby boy and crying through Celine Dion's "A New Day."  Listen to it if you have a son... with Kleenex though.  Better yet, I'll add it as background music to this blog.  Done!

(4) That all the things I thought I'd dread taking on 24/7 - my least favorite parts of the nannying I did and the daycare center I worked at - I barely notice when it's my own baby.  I actually enjoy diaper changes!  Big relief! 

Changing Table Fun!

(5) On the other hand, I was naive about travel.  Air travel "infant in arms" is crazy rough, at least without a spouse along, and I had no clue how important nap schedules and crib familiarity would be.  Ouch!

(6)  That in some ways it's easier, not harder, to deal with Mark's hours.  Baby keeps me company, and the loneliness and monotony were always hard.  Now once I have two on my hands, I'll probably have to retract this.  ;)

(7)  That having a baby would intensify, enrich, and deepen my affection for other family members.  I can so clearly see both my own father and Mark in this little one; he is truly a hybrid of those two men.  I love feeling like I'm holding a miniature version of my kindhearted, sweet father, and I LOVE thinking of Mark as the "adult version" of such a dear baby boy.

Grandfather...

... and grandson.  M lives up to his (middle) namesake, Ellis - even two generations later and a quarter Asian to boot!

 (8)  The guilt when they cry.  I really thought I'd be a tough "cry it out" parent... but there's always some reason to think you caused the crying. 

(9)  That there "is no later."  I accomplish more and have a cleaner house now that I have a baby.  I'm even more punctual.  You just can't live "last minute" when there IS no last minute!

(10)  That I would love all of it this much.  Mark and I often say that if we'd have known how much we'd love this, we'd both have rerouted our careers and started earlier.  Too late... but we still want at least three.

Bliss.