Just two days ago on February 18th, 2011 my brother and his wife welcomed their first child into the world. Jordan Christopher Fredendall was born at 9:58 pm central time weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Finally at the age of 34 (a few weeks shy of 35) my brother who has always wanted to have children is now a daddy. Unfortunately most of my family lives in Wisconsin which is about a good 14 hour drive from our home in New York but the blessings of technology and Facebook have made it possible for us here on the east coast to share in this wonderful event.
As each passing of a day brings me that much closer to the delivery of my second child I am starting to remember all of the little things about having a newborn that are so easy to forget. My brother posted on his Facebook page this morning that Jordan is eating like a monster and he thought he broke his thumb off while trying to change his clothes. I added to the post that once Jordan is running around like a maniac he will look back on these days and miss them terribly. My brother begs to differ on that one.
I remember when I first had Loreli the world felt like it changed forever. I was in a state of euphoria and yet a tornado of emotions. As we were being discharged from the hospital, the pediatrician told me he would like to see Loreli poop on average 5-6 times a day to completely rid any jaundice. We arrived home that night around 9 pm and we were all exhausted. My mom was staying the night to help us get adjusted and sleep.
In the first 24 hours of being home my child did not poop even once. There was a state of pure panic that rushed over me, as if this were life threatening to my child. We desperately attempted to get a hold of the pediatrician and after nearly 36 hours of no poop, the doctors office finally got back to us. "It's ok if she doesn't poop for up to a week at first, we just like to see them poop as much as possible. She is fine." With those reassuring words the Poop Scare of 2009 ended.
It doesn't matter if you have a P.H.D. or never finished high school, a newborn baby can stump and push anyone to their limits. You can prepare by going to the birthing and child classes, reading books and watching all of the television shows about bringing home a baby but there is absolutely nothing that can fully prepare you. Countless hours of trying to nurse or taking turns bottle feeding, what seems like a billion diaper changes in one day and keeping the baby clean and warm all may seem like no-brain tasks, but add a complete lack of sleep or energy and a surge of raging hormones to the mix and these simple tasks quickly turn into monumental events. Sleep deprivation most definitely will take a person to a different level of being.
When all is said and done, weeks go by and you settle into a routine. You know what each cry means and you begin to feel like you've got the parenting thing down. Then the weeks turn into months and before you know it a year has gone by. Your cute little newborn baby has grown into a beautiful and curious toddler who is constantly full of energy. The nights of snuggling with that whole baby's body on your chest are gone. The hours of holding her close and simply staring are but a dream.
I am sure that life with a newborn and a toddler will prove to have many funny and trying moments. I look forward to being further educated by my children on the craziness of life. Only a few more days...
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