What No One Tells You: Newborn Edition

What no one tell you about newborns is that:

- not all of them are sleepy. In fact, some are bright eyed and bushy tailed from Day 1 and you seriously wonder if you read the baby book wrong. Didn't they say newborns slept 16 to 17 hours a day?

- not only are not all of them sleepy, some have a really hard time falling asleep. I used to try just about anything to get Rosie to go to sleep. Guaranteed Methods: nursing, the car and the bathroom fan. Buddy just needed a pacifier, a swaddle and rocking. Different babies, different preferences.

- trying on countless cute outfits grows old. Quickly. No sleep deprived parent has time to mess around with little buttons and bows. Zip-up sleep n play one piece pajamas and onsies are your friends. I didn't have fun dressing Rosie up until she was at least 6 months old. Until then? Pure survival mode.

- a milk-drunk baby, asleep after either the breast or the bottle, is a hilarious and most lovable sight.

- just when you thought your son couldn't possibly spray you again while you change his diaper, he does. Happy to report these incidences dramatically reduce after the first few months.

Most of all, what no tells you about newborns, is that you might feel like a stranger in your own home as you conquer the first sleepless days weeks months of parenthood, but at the same time you've never felt more at home than with your baby on your chest. When you wake up to your newborn's cries at 2am, when they just went back down at 1am, you will want to cry because you'll wonder how you'll make it through with this little sleep. You can do it; you will do it, and when you do it you'll be amazed by all that you can accomplish on less than four hours sleep and a cup of coffee. Or amazed by all that you can't accomplish, because in those first few weeks of parenthood, if you've been able to take a few showers, eat a couple of meals and sleep a few hours, you are a success. Anything more than that is purely extra.