I realized tonight that there are a lot of things I understand or see a lot more clearly now that I have a baby. Including:-public bathrooms need change tables, or at least useful counter space. Do you really want someone to lay a baby down on a bathroom floor?
-Babies bring joy, even when they can be a lot of work, stress, exhaustion and frustration. They are joy!!
-Babies are miracles. Any time I think back to pregnancy and birth, the miracle and magic of how it happened come to mind and more than compensate for any pain or difficulties
-Time changes with a baby. That is, if you’re being responsive to a baby’s needs – you can’t always predict what, when, where you’ll need to do what. If you know what I mean. And I can either go with it or stress. Being in the moment changes the experience. And breathing helps me be in the moment.
-Related: be patient with parents who aren’t giving you their full attention. Tuning in and being responsive to a young child is challenging and requires full attention.
-Related again: tuning into Alya and hearing her signals is probably the most challenging and rewarding part of parenting so far. And it requires discipline to slow down and listen.
-the quality of each day depends on what I bring to it. This morning I thought today would be hard; then I chose to have a good day; and so far, it’s great.
-Babies each have a unique smell. Alya is a soft gentle baby scent; my niece smells a bit kickier! And they’ve had these smells since birth, too.
-Babies change priorities. I always knew I wanted to stay home with a child – but the reality of meeting and bonding with a baby magnifies those feelings. I cared about child rights before – now I’m passionate about them.