Happy Friday!
Today my little hunny turned 6 weeks old!!!
It’s crazy to think, also, that 3 whole weeks have gone by since we’ve been in Southwest Florida – and not just any weeks… we’re talking NEWBORN weeks.
They say that the first few weeks (and months) in a baby’s life are the most critical, and they’re not wrong – this is why we have companies like Milestone Baby to capture all of those magical moments for us. Time during those initial days carry on a different meaning, a more momentous one, if you will, considering everything that you’re going through. For a mother, it means dealing with changes in your newborn, bringing a new life into this world, acknowledging and tending to changes to your body, and giving yourself a solid pat in the back just for making it through another day. This is why newbie parents love to document and celebrate the first weeks and months of their child’s lives. “We made it!!” It screams, “we made it through another day, another week!!!” Those weeks then add up to months, and eventually… years.
The beginning days are also the most important, medically speaking… this is why we have doctor appointments up the wazoo (some might argue too many), which then eventually slows down as your baby gets older. My three year old only goes to the doctor once or twice a year now, and only when he’s really sick, or when he just turned another year older. The last time we went (for this three-year check-up), we no longer got an update on what percentile he rests on the growth charts. Instead, we received the equivalent of a manful hand-shake from Soho Pediatrics, and the exaltation that our three year looks, grows, weighs, and acts like a four-year old. Just like that, all those years of anxiety and over-servicing went straight out the window.
I suppose having the wisdom of all of that from my first-born, ought to make me calmer with my second. While my rational side certainly feels more confident as a parent – my all-encompassing, every-day and emotional self is still the amped up worrywart mummy that I’ve always been. Perhaps I treat my little Nuke #2 more delicately because of our first week experience at the NICU (an encounter like that would shake any parent to the core, me thinks). Even though he is growing just fine (he’s now 12 pounds and stretching too big for many of his 0-3 months footies!!), I still fuss over how much milk he’s drinking, the way he drinks, how frequently he drinks, and all that good stuff. Perhaps I do myself a disservice by constantly comparing him to his older brother and how well my first-born grew over the course of those initial few months, but I still can’t shake the fact that perhaps something is amiss. (All of this back and forth led to our discovery yesterday that perhaps our little man has acid reflux, which is quite common in newborns and also very treatable).
All to say, at the end of the day, in spite of my apprehensive tendencies, I am still extremely proud and ecstatic that we’ve made it this far!!! I suppose I’m not alone in feeling this way as a new mommy. Thank you, Milestone Baby, for helping me chronicle my little munchkin’s progress and joy every step of the way! Here’s to many more special “firsts” to experience, and I can’t wait to share all of them with you, my darling readers.
