Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Parenting”
Throughout this first month of motherhood, I’ve been reflecting on what I wish someone had told me about beforehand. It might not have changed anything, but I guess it would have been nice to have known some of these things. Everyone’s experience is different, but I thought I’d try to write mine down in case someone else might benefit from my hard-learned lessons.
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We had some friends visit us on Christmas eve, and one of them asked us, “How is Christmas different with a new born baby?” It was a very good question. Between all the diaper changing, feeding, rocking, laundry, washing, and trying to get as much sleep as possible, I have not had much time to reflect on this question or on Christmas. Over the last few days, in the midst of celebrating Christmas with family, eating great food, and opening gifts, I’ve reflected on this question. Here are a few things I’ve been noticing about having a baby at Christmas.
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The first thing I said to Tim this morning was “I’m done waiting. I’m going to go about my day however I want and this baby can come whenever.” It’s not entirely true, of course, because as long as this belly is about to burst, I’ll still be waiting. But I certainly do not want to live today in the same fevered pitch of anticipation that we lived in yesterday. You see, yesterday, we were so excited and hopeful that we had packed all our bags (PJs and all), only to make it to the end of the day completely exhausted and have to unpack some things to settle in for the night. The upside, I suppose, was that we both had really good sleeps.
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Today has been a day of waiting. Tim says it feels like we’re at the top of a roller coaster, right before the drop; holding our breaths in suspense.
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For a good number of months after we found out we were expecting, Tim and I debated back and forth about what kind of diapers to use. Should we go with regular disposables, eco-friendly disposables, wash-it-yourself cloth or cloth diapering service? (Or, should we go the traditional Chinese way and dress our baby in split pants?…) There seemed to be pros and cons for each option and we wanted to weigh them out.
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My dear firstborn,
From the visit to our doctor today, it seems clear that we are in our final days of sharing this unique and precious physical connection; of you living inside of me. The doctor said that I am close to being 2 cm dilated and that your head is quite low. My body also tells me something is changing. I am getting more frequent cramps and practice contractions and the random tears and hot flashes tell me my hormones are on a roller-coaster ride. You are definitely readying yourself to make your grand entrance into the world!
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6 more days until the due date. The anticipation continues to rise day by day. It really could be any day now. Every time Olive calls me the first thing I ask her is “Is it time??” 5% of babies are born on their due dates. 55% of first born children arrive after their due dates. Our obstetrician is able to make it to 70% of the births of her patients. These are random statistics that are stuck in my head.
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