DUE DATE!

Hello Avery's due date!!!  She can come out now.
Oh wait.  She already did that - 4 weeks ago.


What have I learned being a mommy for 4 weeks?

• Sometimes you have to let them scream so that you can eat.  See the video in this post as proof:  HERE
• Huggies diapers were made by the devil and no sane mother should ever buy them.  (Someone gave us a package of Huggies Preemies - The poop went out the leg and all over everything - including me. It put the swing out of commission for hours).
• Swings are life savers.  (Hence the Huggies are made by the devil).

Even Cassie agrees.  (She's thinking - thank god mom, she's quiet!)

• There is such a thing as the baby being too small.  Too small for clothes, for the car seat, for the strollers, for the Bjorn, for the Bounce Seat, etc.

Can you find the baby in the Bjorn?

• There is no such thing as too many outfits or too many burp clothes once you get past the first week.  Thank you Carter's double-stamp days. Oh. And cloth diapers make the BEST burp clothes.
• The first week is EASY.  Then the real work begins.
• Sleep deprivation has a whole new meaning with a newborn.
• The iPad is excellent for looking up the words to Hush Little Baby and Patty Cake. 

Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man.  Bake me a patty cake..

• Itunes is excellent for finding child friendly songs when you get tired of singing "Forget You", "Sugar we're going down" and "Fat bottomed Girls" to your newborn.  Note to self:  Running iPod is perhaps not the best thing to go to for songs to sing to the baby.
• Practice doing things one-handed pre-baby would have done wonders!
• There is no such thing as having too many diapers on hand!  On the same vein, buying an extra diaper pail so that there is one on each floor of my two story home = genius.
• Showering with the baby - with Dad in the bathroom to help - AWESOME.  I think Avery is destined to be a water baby - she loved it.  Plus, if she pees on me, conveniently there is water to clean it up.  :)
• It is never too early to teach them about school loyalty.

• Buy stock in diapers, laundry detergent, and get practice washing dishes by hand.  Hard to believe how the laundry quadruples with such a tiny addition!  We've washed more dishes by hand in the last 4 weeks than in the last 3 years.
• Even mommy needs breaks.  The few minutes when Mark gets home and I can pass the baby and step away for a minute are WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD!  It's amazing how 15 minutes can rejuvenate you and make the baby fun again!
• Support from friends and family is crucial.  There have been moments where I have just cried.  Because I was away from Avery too long, because I haven't been away from her long enough, because I can't figure out why she is crying.  Friends that will just hug you when you cry and not laugh too hard are absolutely priceless.  Thank the powers that be for each and every one of you!  Friends that bring you meals or adult conversation are equally priceless.

It's hard to believe that I've had Avery with me, outside the womb, for four whole weeks.  It's amazing how time flies when you're living in 2 or 3 hour increments between feedings.  I absolutely love being her mom...although there are moments where I jokingly ask why I did this crazy thing.

The best advice post birth from a good friend:  "Cherish the small accomplishments."  Today maybe it's getting a shower in.  Tomorrow, doing a load of laundry.  With a newborn - that's an accomplishment!

With enough moments like this though - it's worth it.  Of course, Daddy started video-taping once Avery started getting bored with singing and dancing with Mommy...so you'll get to see a bit of Angry Avery.  LOL.

Editor's note:  I just love how the dog and the cat are in the background staring at me like I'm absolutely nuts!


Anyone out there with additional advice/tips?  Any baby photo requests?  (I'm not putting her in other school outfits - so don't ask.  HA!).