I've Been Tagged!

My friend Benah (rhymes with Dana ;) ) tagged me. And that means I am supposed to impart 7 pieces of my motherhood wisdom. More specifically, wisdom I aquired in my first 3 months of parenting. So let's see what I can dredge up from that sleep deprived period of my life.

1. You cannot spoil a newborn. Don't be afraid of holding them too much, giving them too many kisses, or whispering too many I loves yous into their tiny ears. You never get these newborn days back, so as exhausted as you may be, cherish it! Your tiny miracle will never as tiny as they are today. All too soon they will be scooting, the crawling, then walking, and then off to college. Make the most of every day.

2. BUY A BOPPY! This thing is a lifesaver. From feedings, to cuddlings, to learning to hold thier head up this thing is a godsend!

3. Breastfeed. It's the easiest thing you can do for your baby that counts in so many ways. Your breastmilk is taylored to fit your baby exactlly, and your milk changes nutritionally to meet the constant changing of your baby. The bonding you experience through breastfeeding is unlike anything else. I see it as the 2nd way you give life to little love.

4. This one only applies to boys, but it's something I learned in the early weeks with Henry. Point their penis DOWN. For some unknown reason I was under the impression that you were supposed to point it up. Frustrating diaper change after frustrating diaper change, soaked outfit after soaked outfit and my friend Misty finally clued me in. DUH! If the pee pee is point up then guess where the pee goes? Up and out. Tuck it in! lol

5. When your baby wakes up in the middle of the night, keep their surroundings the same. Don't turn the lights on, don't make eye contact (this speeds up their heartrate and makes them wake up more), and try to keep the atmosphere the same.

6. White noise. Get a humidifier, white noise CD, or something similar. Both of my boys still use white noise for sleep and it helps so much. If muffles all the things that go bump in the night so they can sleep more sound.

7. Get into a routine. Since so much a mother's hardships in the beginning revolve around sleep, this one is key. A bedtime routine is especially important, but getting your baby into a routine gets their little body into a routine, and this makes falling asleep easier because their body is anticipating it. We did dinner, bath, jammies, boob, rocking, and then bed.

So that's some of my motherly wisdom. I hope it helps someone out. I'm off to tag 4 other mamas!

1. Misty - Be Cool, Be a Guhl
2. Laura - Wait. What are we talking about?
3. Michelle (mama) - The Process of Changing Michelle
4. Stephanie - The Osbornes