Things I've Learned from My Son...

In just his few short months this tiny little man has taught me several very important lessons that only a baby could. I look forward to seeing what new things he's going to learn each day, like discovering his hands, figuring out how to hold his own bottle (a dream of mine), realizing a smile from him will get a smile from me, creating baby babble music as I sing to him, and many other baby miracles. However, in the midst of watching him learn, I too, am learning a few lessons of my own.

1. TRUE LOVE DOESN'T JUDGE. Today my hair got thrown in a pony without being brushed, my make up consisted of nothing more than moisturizer and mascara, my outfit took no effort and appeared as such, and I've still got about 10 pounds of baby weight to shed. Yes, if I had stood in front of the mirror today, I would have felt really bad about myself and maybe had a good cry. However, my day was mostly dedicated to a little man who snuggled up against my chest looking for a safe place, gave me lots of coos which I interpreted as "I love you, Mommy" "You're the best, Mommy" "We have so much fun, Mommy", and he gave me the most flirtatious and heart melting smiles and laughs. So while the rest of the jaded world would have looked at me and judged me today, my son's pure little heart made me feel beautiful inside and out.

2. RESTED IS A STATE OF MIND. Pre-Baby I felt any night that did not consist of 8 to 10 hours of solid sleep, was not a good night and made me very tired. There were many afternoons that required a nap. My how things have changed. Now I am grateful for even 6 hours of solid sleep and I don't even kid myself with the idea of a nap....that doesn't mean I don't occasionally fall asleep at my computer or feeding Clinton, but I don't intentionally nap. Somehow I can now get up at 3am or 4am or 5am and go all day. And with so little sleep I can still get in 6 hours of work for my paying job, wash bottles several times a day, get a load or two of laundry done, unload the dishwasher, get myself fed at least twice a day, change 2,435 diapers, conduct 250 feedings, dry a few baby tears, sing 60-70 baby songs, play peek a boo, shower, and whatever else is needed....and even after that I could still muster up enough energy to save the world if my son asked me to....whew, thank goodness he can't talk yet!

3. ONLY THE NECESSITIES ARE WORTH CRYING OVER. Some of you who know me may think I'm a little demanding or maybe have my standards set a little high or maybe you've worded it as "whiney". Clinton has amazed me with his ability to just be content. His crying is often limited only to indicate hunger, dirty britches, gas bubbles in the tummy, and sleepiness. If his belly is full and settled and his diaper is dry, he can lay on the floor and just talk and laugh and squeal. He's not crying to watch a particular show on TV, he's not upset that he doesn't have a friend (other than me) to hang out with, he's not searching for some yummy junk food to snack on because he's bored, and he doesn't even get upset when we can't go to Target and buy a bunch of fun stuff. No, he only cries when necessary...something I need to strive for...I'm sure Rodney would appreciate it if I could follw Clinton's lead. :-)

4. ...AND START EVERYDAY WITH A SMILE. Over the past week or two, Clinton has been waking us up, not with crying, but with cooing and laughing. When one of us goes to get him out of his crib, he greets us with a huge smile followed by a couple of his happy kicks. When you see him you can't help but smile with him, making the early morning waking worth every second.