Lesson #91: It’s Gonna Happen

There’s no way of avoiding it. If your baby’s sick, you’ll soon be sick too.

Mila picked up the bug from her cousin, Ella, who picked it up from either her sister or brother who are school-age. Mila than kindly shared her germs with  Halmoni, (her Korean grandmother), and eventually passed it on to me. Oh what fun!

But the truly sad part of all of this is my poor baby. She gets to the point where she can’t breathe out of her nose, so with mouth open she can’t suck on her binky. It makes for some frequent wakings throughout the night that aren’t so pleasant. She’s not always so cranky, like you would think. It seems to be more of an annoyance than anything else, which is good (if she has to be sick at all). It’s just dragging on for so long and we can’t do much for the poor baby.

I wipe the snot off of her little nose, and kiss her all over her neck and face. It’s really no wonder I picked up her bug and I’m ok with that.

Lesson #90: What If?

You’ll drive yourself crazy wondering ‘what if’.

There’s a lot of ‘what if’s’ for me… My weight gain for starters. The fact that I had a c-section instead of a natural birth or the difficulties I faced breast feeding. All of which, I’m sure, will soon be the subject of a new blog post.

Advice for Dads of Daughters

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters

{by Michael Mitchell}

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

A Thankful 2011

What am I really thankful for this year?

1. For my healthy, little baby girl and how we got to see 4 generations together this year.
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.2. For being invited with open arms into a wonderful family.

LOLs @ Spam

hahahaha

Received this message today, which WordPress so nicely marked as spam:

I would name your blog the dreamland! While Santa knocks at our door just once per year, you blog is open the whole year – wow!

Oh, I so wish this was true.

hahahahahaha

Lesson #89: We Are Kangaroos

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As soon as you think you’re done carrying an eight pound baby on the front of you, you realize you’ve been carrying a fifteen pound baby on the front of you.

Lesson #88: The Guessing Game

It’s all a guessing game, really.

Clean diaper, check. Belly full, check. Sleepy? Well, maybe that’s it…

Lesson #87: Pregnancy Weight

Babies don’t care if you haven’t yet lost that extra pregnancy weight.

Back to Work

So I made it. I officially went back to work on October 24th and it was difficult. I felt happy, guilty, sad, lonely, excited, nervous and anxious, to name just a few emotions. Yes, I cried. It wasn’t when I left my baby for the first time; it wasn’t when I finally made it home to greet her after a long day at work. It was one evening when things weren’t going so well and the pressure was piling up.

Mila’s screaming bloody murder. Work has been stressful already. I feel guilty leaving her and for wondering what goes on when I’m not there. I’m a mess.

The return message I received from a friend is what broke me:

You will always wonder what goes on when you’re not there, and you will always want to be by her side. You’re not a mess, you’re a mom and you’re amazing!

That came from a dad of an eleven year-old. He’s been there; he can relate. And he helps me all the time.

Lesson #86: And In The Beginning…

You will miss what you thought would never end.

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The morning of July 14, 2011 brought many anxieties. I was nervous and excited. My thoughts, that still echo to this day:

“This is the last day I will feel my baby inside of me. It’s bittersweet. There’s nothing closer, nothing more sacred. It makes me a little sad to say goodbye to this.”