Parenthood...for real?

Wow. I haven't (really) written anything since that first week. What a ride it has been! Charlotte is now 14 weeks (15 this Friday) and we are 14 week old parents. I have to keep reminding myself of that latter fact when I just don't feel like I'm doing a very good job, which is more often than I'd like. It hasn't been easy, for obvious - and not so obvious reasons.

Obviously, being new parents presents challenges. Michael had NO experience with children before this, and I had barely a bit more than that. We have had to learn how to soothe her, how to feed her (what, you don't just stick the boob in?!), how to change her diaper (we're using cloth, which presents its own challenges), etc. But, Charlotte isn't just a baby. It seems (and even her pediatrician has observed this) she is a fairly "high need" baby. For those in the know, you may be thinking, "Yep. Been there. Continued luck with that.". For those who don't know, here's a good explanation by Dr. Sears. Read that; that pretty much sums up our little bundle of joy.



She is getting better. Turning a corner so to speak. And that's a relief. She's certainly waking up to the world around her, which brings more smiles to her face. She's using her arms, legs, hands and neck to navigate and manipulate, and that means she's using up some of that stored energy, and that's a very good thing!

I guess it's taken me this long to finally get something written here because I didn't want to write as if this parenting thing isn't beautiful and heavenly, which it's "suppose to be" (right?). Well, it isn't, and I was feeling guilty about feeling this way about it. But, a blog is - in my opinion - about being honest. Why else write one, and put it out there for everyone to read? Don't get me wrong: having Charlotte is life changing, and she makes us so very happy. I just don't think enough people are honest about how much work it is. Oh, you hear it all the time: "It's so much work, but it's sooo worth it!". But that's it. Nobody ever says, "Yeah, I don't know what the hell we were thinking".

So here it is. Honesty in my blog from here on out. You will, of course, hear about all of the wonderful things happening to us because of this incredible little creature, but you'll also hear about how many more gray hairs I've found since September (only had two - TWO - prior to this), how coffee and Coke (nectar of the gods) have more or less replaced my usual water and tea, and how, by the end of the day, I look forward to sleeping more than anything else. More than sex, more than eating, more than checking my Google reader. Sleep. The sweet release of 2, 3 or 4 hours in a row...IN A ROW! (Whoot)

I hope you look forward to hearing about parenthood on the REAL side of things, because I'm looking forward to writing about it. Until next time, I'll go wash up some dishes and you go enjoy yourself, hanging out at a coffee shop for endless hours or hopping in your car on a whim and heading on down the road. :)