Mommyhood

I’ve been working on this blog entry for several days, getting it all ready. I’m sure I’ll think of things to add to it after I’ve posted it. Please feel free to share your additions to my list as well!

This is a list of a few things I’ve learned in my short time as a Mommy:
1. Poop can end up anywhere. ANYWHERE.
2. Related to no.1 – some diapers are better than others, but no diaper is perfect.
3. Sometimes it’s better to just throw the sippy cup (or bottle) away. Don’t open one that’s been in the car for a week.
4. Babies grow back their fingertips (after Mommy practically cuts them off with the first couple of nail trims).
5. When baby is tired, every little thing is a catastrophe of global proportions.
6. Little girls learn how to wrap men around their fingers at a very early age. Especially older men like grandpas and great-grandpas and strangers at the grocery store.
7. Oxi-clean is the closest thing to a perfect stain remover, but nothing will completely remove those dried-in formula stains.
8. Pink footie pajamas hanging on the clothesline make me smile.
9. We could have skipped the 3-6 month size of clothes completely with hardly any problem.
10. Sometimes a baby just needs her Mommy.
11. Every baby must have a certain number of goose-egg bruises on the forehead when learning to walk.
12. You can use a lot of effort and discipline in your finances, and lose your head when it comes to cute baby clothes. (Which your baby will outgrow immediately.)
13. Baby socks make good cat toys.
14. There’s nothing like a good Daddy to make a Mommy’s life better!
15. No matter how frustrating and exasperating a toddler is, a couple of nights with a 104 fever that doesn’t respond to Tylenol will change your mindset completely.
16. Packing the bag to go to the store with a newborn feels like mounting an expedition. And you will still forget something important.
17. Pediatricians have on-call nurses for a reason – you aren’t the only panicky parent in the world.
18. Even if you think you’ve baby-proofed your house, once your toddler starts to toddle, all bets are off.
19. A toddler set in the yard to play will immediately head toward the street.
20. Nothing beats a snack of juice and Goldfish.
21. Two crib sheets are good, but three is better. (I have two, and once had one in the washer and one in the dryer and none to put on the bed!)
22. Buy a spare Blankie.
23. Take the spare Blankie on trips, just in case.
24. There’s no such thing as a truly leak-free sippy cup.
25. At the end of a rough day, when baby toddles over to you and rests her head on your knee, everything is suddenly OK.
26. Baby, who turns up her little nose at decent, healthy foods, will happily eat leaves, mulch, bugs, and cat hair.
27. It’s better to use the tiny plastic earring backs for babies. They’re much harder to get on & off.
28. Footie sleepers are wonderful. Light ones for summer & air conditioning, heavy ones for spring & fall, light ones plus a heavy one for winter. That works for us, anyway, in our old drafty house.
29. A bare foot is a happy foot – ask any baby.
30. A happy toddler in a bathtub can splash water all over a large bathroom.
31. That same happy toddler does NOT want her face washed.

That’s all I can think of for the moment. I’m sure I’ll end up adding some!