Things I Want to Remember.......

I went to a baby shower this weekend and we all had to write some piece of advice on cards for the new mom.  I totally blanked.  I'm always asking Josh, "what one piece of advice would you give new parents?"  Normally he has some silly response, but this time he had such a great nugget of wisdom.  He said, "Everyone will offer their opinion.  As new parents, there will be so many people who want to give you their advice or their solution to your problem/issue.  Just remember that you are the parents of this baby, you are the ones that God has hand picked for this child.  Trust Him and you'll always know the right thing to do."  I wanted to cry when he said that.  I totally should have written that on the card at the baby shower and I'm so bummed I didn't.  It is so true.  Especially as first time parents, so many people are eager to share their experiences and I was very eager to seek out wisdom from other moms.  At the end of the day it's just Josh and I with our baby and I trust that we'll know what to do.  I was talking with someone at church the other day and I was considering the cry-it-out method for Jackson.  At the time, he had been waking up around 3am to play.  She told me how happy she was when she used the cry-it-out method.  The first day was hard, but it got better from there.  But she also said to me, "Michelle, you'll know the right thing to do.  Whether it's letting Jackson cry-it-out or not, you'll know."  I felt so confident in my mothering skills when she said that.  It doesn't matter what anyone else does with their baby, I will know the right thing to do for MY baby!  I know we'll make mistakes as parents and there will be moments when Jackson doesn't like us, but I'm confident that God will give us wisdom as we need it.  


Since Jackson has been born, I'm always thinking of things that I want to remind myself of when we have another baby or things that Jackson does that I don't want to forget.  I'm finally going to write them all out, I'm sure that once I do there will be more things I think of:)


Michelle, never forget:
*The first two weeks after having a baby are the hardest.  You will cry a lot and feel really overwhelmed, but it absolutely gets better.

*Also during the first two weeks, you will probably want to quit nursing- don't do it!!  It gets so much better.  Jackson is 7 months and it makes me sad to think I'm going to quit nursing soon.
*Just when you think you have a schedule mastered, Jackson will decide that he wants to change that.  Don't stress about it, just work around it.
*So many people will offer you advice.  Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's ok to smile and nod:)
*Josh is an amazing dad.  You couldn't have a better husband/dad to Jackson

*Just relax.  You stressed about a lot of things and did all the things you said you would never do.  Everything will be ok!
*You love the way Jackson holds your pinky finger when he nurses.  One day you won't be nursing him, so cherish every moment!
*His sweet dimples and the way he scrunches his nose when he smiles so big.
*How he gets so excited when daddy gets home.  He squeals and waves his arms:)
*His sweet feet!  They still fit in your hand.  One day they will be big and stinky:(
*He loves you so much.  He cries when you leave his sight, he loves to sit in the highchair while you cook and you explain to him all that you're doing like it's a cooking show.  
*He's not really sure about feeding himself, but he sure enjoys playing with his food.

I love this baby more than I ever imagined I would.  I know that there are things everyday that I want to remember about him that I will probably forget.  Jackson is such an amazing baby!  I thank God everyday that He blessed us with such an amazing child.