Thursday, November 7, 2013

8 weeks old! Ponderings and observations.

Nova is 8 weeks old. It feels both fast and slow, like I've always had her in my life so she must be older but also like she's growing so fast! She's sleeping longer and longer at night and I'm feeling more like my old self again. She changes every day, which is good because sometimes we slip into bad habits but in two days they're gone...and onto another bad habit. Ha!

Every change worries me, though. It's hilarious how much of a worry-wart I've become over the silliest things. She's eating too much, she's not eating enough, she's awake too long, she's napping too much, she's clammy, she's hot, is this normal, is she sick, is her poop supposed to be green? You know, the usual. I suspect this will only get worse as she gets older. Also, my Google searches have become very strange.

By the way, whoever told me newborn baby poop doesn't smell was LYING. I can imagine it gets worse once solids are introduced into her diet, but people kept telling me that babies only on breast milk have mild poops. LIARS! :) No, it's not that bad. Trust me, puppies are a million times worse. I'd much rather change a babies diaper than clean up after a litter of puppies.

Talking about puppies, before Nova was born I used to always compare dogs and children. I couldn't wait to have a child of my own to make more accurate comparisons and I have to say...dogs and kids ARE very similar. I was right! I highly recommend working with dogs at least a year prior to having children. You'll thank me, it will prepare you for many different aspects of parenthood. I know I've only been a mom for 8 weeks, but it's kind of a huge transition. The insanity and unpredictability of working with animals has helped me in ways I never imagined.

1) Changing a diaper and dressing a newborn is much like putting a complicated harness on a wiggly dog- which I've done many times and have finally mastered.

2) Knowing that dog's always bark for a reason helps me know that babies cry for a reason...find out what that reason is and you'll have an easier time calming the dog or baby. And yes, dogs do sometimes bark in order for attention or to manipulate you into giving them something they're not supposed to have....and so to little kids! But not quite yet, Nova's still to young for that.

3) Knowing that dogs can develop the wrong kinds of associations and determine patterns from our routines helps me know that Nova will also learn those patterns. Routines give dogs a sense of purpose and make them feel secure. Same with babies!

4) What are the three most important thing in working with dogs? Patience, consistency, and flexibility. What are the three most important things with babies/kids? I don't know, but I imagine patience, consistency, and flexibility are also very valuable tools.

Seriously, it's mind-boggling.

5) What's uber important for dogs that most people forget about and therefore create many issues in the home? Mental stimulation! Bored dog = destroyed home and frustrated owner. Bored child = fussiness...and probably other things but at 8 weeks old it's basically just fussiness.

Too much stimulation? Fussiness for the baby and frustration for the dog. I could go on and on about this stuff! It's crazy!

Any other observations or thoughts on the topic?

Onto other things...like spiritual matters.

She is a lot of fun. I'm glad Mike and I followed our hearts and took a leap of faith. We felt it was the right time for us to start a family and we couldn't be happier. It's not about financial stability or about accomplishing all your dreams or goals. If we had waited until we were financially secure or until we'd traveled the world then we'd never have a baby. We just knew it was the right time for us, even though the future was unclear we knew it was time for Nova. Having a family is very important to us and I look forward to traveling the world with them all.

Sometimes God has a plan for us that we think we're not 100% ready for, but don't wait for every star to align. If you feel it's right in your heart, take that leap. Everything else will work itself out. It's kind of the theme of my life, really. So many times I've had no clue where my future was leading, but I took a leap and found a net or a pool or a ledge...something to break the fall. Mike and I got married even though we had no clue how we were going to pay our bills. Two days before the wedding, Mike got a job that paid exactly what we needed to survive.

I always say if you're uncertain, pray about it. Have an open heart for whatever answer comes, but I can promise you will get that answer. It may not be what you expect- in fact, I bet you it won't be what you expect AT ALL, but it will be an answer nonetheless. It's amazing.

So there are my gooey thoughts for the day. Some ponderings and observations.

Once again, thanks for listening, friend.

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