Baby stuff

Here we are in December with only about three short months to go before a brand new person enters our household. The room that shall be hers is still the room that I am typing up this blog in. Read: Office/Computer/Bill Writing Room. We are still in need of a bigger house, but have put that on the back burner for the time being. There is just so much to do in our lives currently that we couldn't devote the time and energy needed when trying to pick a new domicile responsibly. Thus, we are here making it work. So we've got a new nursery set, new baby bedding, new baby clothes, and are acquiring other various new baby necessities and not so necessities. (Don't take the word 'New' too literally. It merely means new to us, not brandy spankin' new in most cases.) So this made me think of a few bits of baby wisdom and other things that I learned from the past 18 months with Little Guy.

Stuff that wasn't a necessity, but that I adore and am glad I had:
1. A video baby monitor. This was a present from T.G.'s parents and it was the most amazing thing ever. I could watch Little Guy while he slept and know he was breathing and safe. There is nothing like peace of mind when you have an infant. I still use it because I love it and he is a total monkey that I enjoy keeping an eye on to ensure his safety. Plus he has a tendency to wake up and put on a whole show with singing and dancing in his crib and it is better than anything they've got on TV.
2. A wipe warmer. Ok, this is not even close to a necessity, but we got it for free second-hand and there is nothing like putting a warm wipe on a baby's butt at 3AM as opposed to a freezing cold one that will make them all screamy and wakeful. Currently it is not plugged in and I use it only because it is heavy enough that when I pull a wipe out, even the very last wipe, the box stays put instead of coming along for the ride. Again, totally free, warm baby butt, stationary - this equals a win in my book.
3. A microwave bottle sterilizer. This is an amazing invention and I adore it. It's about ten times easier than boiling bottles and nuks and whatever else needs to be sterilized.

Stuff they told us at the hospital that was nonsense:
1. Don't use a wipe if the baby just pees. Um...right, and are all those nurses going to show up at my house in the middle of the night when the baby is sore from not having pee wiped off his skin? I thought not. This was terrible advice. I'm so glad I thought they were nitwits and did not follow it, as people I knew who did had constant rashes on their baby's undercarriages.

2. Don't use diaper lotion on the baby's bottom, or powder after a diaper change. Once again, these people are not going to show up at your house when your child develops a yeast infection around their little rear because they had nothing to protect them from chafing or moisture after a diaper change. It took me one rash to realize they were morons and to start using cream on Little Guy after he pooed. I found an all natural cream that worked great for him, and we've used it ever since with no problems. If I fail to put some cream on, he will begin to get red and sore within a few hours. Powder works too, but it is harder to control where it goes.

3. Stop breast feeding after ten minutes and put the baby on the other breast. Yeah. Right. And then your baby will only get the foremilk and become the Unhappy Hungry Crying Machine. Babies are actually born knowing how to breastfeed. It's amazing. Once I stopped doing the regimented hospital boob nazi version of breastfeeding and let him nurse until he felt he'd emptied the breast completely I had a happy full baby and a contented non-frantic self. I must give a giant shout out to my friend Nickel here because she bought me the La Leche book and without it I would have lost my mind. That book is invaluable if you are breastfeeding.

4. Give a sick, jaundiced baby in the NICU inoculations. Um, no. I shall not. I shall wait until said baby is better before clogging up his system with more stuff. It's not like I was running him all around town and visiting billions of people. I kept him home, I made sure everyone used soap and hand sanitizer, and I waited until he was better. Currently he is up to date on all shots, and I feel like we did the right thing, and that is all that matters. When you have a baby that almost dies and is given a drug to stop their immune system from functioning, you tend to be a bit protective. This is fine. You are the parent. It is your baby, you do what you need to do. Actually 'It is your baby, do what you need to do' is good advice for any parent. Nobody knows your baby like you do. Not everyone's methods, rules, and ideas will work for you. Find your own best way to do things. :)

Great advice I received:
1. If the baby's feet are warm, the baby is warm. Ice cold feet on a baby usually mean you don't have enough layers on them. A chilly rear really means they aren't warm enough.
2. If you give a baby assurance, love, and support you are not spoiling them.
3. Bland baby food is a waste of money, and unnecessary. Feed them what you are eating. Little Guy loves hot salsa, spicy Indian curry, and will try pretty much any type of food. We let him try things from our plates as soon as he showed interest in doing so.
4. Nuks are for naps and bedtime. This was genius advice. Not all kids are pacifier kids, but Little Guy is and he knows when the Nuk comes out it means sleep. This doesn't mean I'm totally inflexible. We use it for some other situations where he needs extra comfort, but he is not allowed to wander around the house mindlessly toting a Nuk in his face.
5. As I just sort of pointed out, don't be inflexible. Stuff will not always go to plan and that is ok. Just be the best parent you can be and love your child with all your heart and things will work out.
6. Make God a part of their life from the beginning. This was the all-time best advice ever. Thanks, mom. :)

Anyway, that is the stuff that is rolling around in my head right now. I'm sure I have a lot more to learn, and there are many people who could add so much to any of these lists. In fact, feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments if you want. I can always benefit from more mommy advice.

Blessings

I was just thinking of how blessed I am in my Christian friendships. My three closest friends encourage me, support me, hold me accountable, and love me. Isn't God so good in providing the right people in you life to help you along? We do not always agree and sometimes we have to say difficult things to one another through the love of Christ, but this makes us no less dear in the hearts of the others.
I am not a person who has a giant network of friends and acquaintances. It is more my style to have a few very close friends, and to feel complete in those friendships. This is the way the Lord fashioned me to be. For a long time I worried about it. Should I be more social? Should I join in with more outside groups of people? Was my lack of needing more outside social activities a sign of being unfriendly? Then I realized that it was ok to be peaceful and happy with the small circle I have because this is what God had planned for me. It isn't that I am not open to more friends, I have just come to understand that I do not need many 'sometimes social' friends, and that I am a person who bonds deeply with a few people. I'm sure that if God chooses to enlarge my circle He will do so in the time He finds suitable. He has always done so in the past.
So I no longer feel guilty about not being a 'joiner'. My calling just isn't social butterfly, not that there is anything wrong with social butterflies. I admire their open personalities and enthusiasm, but the world is made up of many kinds of people, and I am not that kind. Currently my focus is on the Lord, my own small and growing family, the dear friends I hold in my heart, and my duties as a wife and mother. I need nothing else to make me whole, and I am thankful to God for the quiet life He has chosen to make mine.