Coming in to this, I knew a decent amount about babies from having a little brother, watching other peoples' little ones, and reading books, but I knew there would still be more to learn because, not only had I not had a newborn before, but I knew my little Liam would be an individual. I'd have to say my first notable lesson came when we were in the hospital and I was feeding him. Most of the time, my little man only wanted to eat about half an ounce in an hour before he would fall asleep and not want to wake up. The nurses kept telling they wanted him to eat at least 3/4 of an ounce each time, so I should try to keep him awake and keep feeding him. This is probably why I thought it was a good thing when, during one feeding, he downed almost 2 ounces in half an hour. It seemed like a good thing until he spit it up all over himself, my bed, and me. That was when I learned to try and make sure he didn't eat too much too fast. Of course, since then, he's come to be able to eat much more much faster without any issues.
A second important lesson presented itself on the first night we had Liam at home. After he eats his last bottle before bed, he likes to just suck on his pacifier a bit to fall asleep. That first night, we gave him his pacifier and then just laid him in bed to sleep. This didn't work out so well. We quickly learned that if we just let him have it while he was trying to sleep, he'd cry every half hour because it would fall out of his mouth. Since then, I've tended to give it to him until he's ready to go to sleep (which I can tell by when he'll let me take it) and then put him to bed.
Beside those two important lessons, there have been many other little things I have learned about my boy as an individual. So far, I have picked up on a few of his likes and dislikes. I know that he likes snuggles, being in his swing, and lots of food. As for his dislikes, he is not a fan of being cold, loud noises, or getting his clothes put on. Those things weren't too surprising, but there were a few things that did kind of surprise me about him. One of those things was that he could sleep through anything. We took him to a car show and while we were there, the fire siren went off. Instead of waking up and fussing, my sweet little baby, tucked nicely in his carrier, just went on sleeping like nothing had happened. If he's only starting to fall asleep, he will wake up any time you try to set him down, but if he's truly out, there is very little that can wake this sound sleeper. Another thing that surprised me is that he really doesn't care too much if his diaper needs changed. We check on him and change him frequently, but he rarely fusses about it. It was strange to me because, when I was little, being even the slightest bit wet upset me greatly. Liam, however, doesn't really seem to mind at all and I'm hoping that this doesn't cause trouble later when we're working on potty training. A third and sort of quirky thing I've learned about his is, although he doesn't really like loud noises when he's awake, sneezes don't tend to bother him. A slammed door or clattered dishes tend to startled him, but if I sneeze while holding him, it's often as though he doesn't even notice.
Those are just a few of the things I've learned about him, but as I've mentioned, I've learned more as well, including things about my husband. I knew, from the start, that my husband didn't have a lot of baby experience, so the fact that I had to teach him a few things (like how to cover up little boys so they don't pee on you) didn't really surprise me. There were, however, things I learned about him that, while I wouldn't exactly say they surprised me, were interesting finds. One thing that did surprise me though is how my husband, who never really was a heavy sleeper before, can now sleep through a baby crying. Of course, after a few minutes or so he always wakes up if the baby cries, but by that time I'm usually already up and getting things ready to feed him. I never really expected that because it used to be that any little change in noise would wake him right away, but I guess he has adapted quickly in this last month in order to survive.
The other thing I've discovered about my husband is how sweet and nurturing he can be. While most of this past month has been characterized by me doing most of the caring for Liam because I've been off work, his daddy does a pretty good job of caring for him too. It's the sweetest thing when I see that my boys have fallen asleep on the couch or that Daddy is playing with him and telling him how he loves him and that he's "sooooo cute." I've always had a soft spot in my heart for men who care about and love their children and my husband is one who knows just how to touch it. I can see, in him, a strong desire to teach our little one and watch him grow. He often talks about various things he can't wait to share with Liam and the excitement in his voice is heartwarming.
He's not the only one, though, that is finding out how much they love this little boy. As his mommy, I knew I would love him, but I guess I didn't really realize how deeply it would touch me so quickly or how, at times, it would cause me to be conflicted. Just today, I was thinking about one of the conflicts I have come to face when thinking about my little blessing. That is, how I feel about the thought of him growing up. Like his daddy, I can't wait to teach him things and see the person he'll become, but at the same time, I almost wish he could stay my little baby forever. What mommy wouldn't like to have a continuous supply of little snuggles and baby smiles? Granted, I could do without the midnight feedings and diaper changes. There are clearly pros and cons to each and I'm kind of glad I don't have a choice of what will happen. Really, I don't have to be conflicted, I just have to commit to enjoying him as he is every day, and that I do.
All in all, this darling child coming into my life has already been a great learning experience and I'm sure it will continue to be. These are only a few of the lessons he has taught me and there will be many many more. As I can't wait to see him grow, I also anticipate the growth in my husband and myself. God has truly blessed our family and I pray that he continues to do so as we grow and learn together.
