Unsolicited Newborn Advice

Today I ran into an old friend with a 5 week old baby.

My baby is 45 weeks old.

This gap in age was apparent as I ooed and awed at this tiny human strapped to my friend's chest.

He was soooo tiny.

So incredibly tiny, I couldn't imagine how R could have ever been that small. But she must have been. At some point, she had to have been.

I then tried to remember what she was like when she was 5 weeks old. Thoughts flew through my mind, but after a few moments I realized my memories centered around what my life was like when Riv was a new born. I was tired and in a perpetual state of warm, fuzzy baby snuggles. It was awesome.

But what was she like? I remember as a child I use to always think to myself, "I'll never forget this moment." As I grew, the memories faded.

I don't want her memories to fade.

So what do I want to remember? Every single moment.

Like how she was happy as a newborn, I think. At least she smiled (pretty sure it was has). Now she smiles all the time, any time. Today she laughed and smiled as we rolled around on the floor together. A moment I don't ever want to forget.

She hated tummy time. She lasted 45 seconds on a good day before crying. I had to fool her into spending time on her tummy by putting her on an exercise ball. Today, she climbed up on the couch on her own. When she was done exploring,  she did a somersault off the couch, onto the floor.

She loved breast feeding. Now she's an independent lady who loves to drink her sippy cup in my lap, while turning the pages of her favorite books.

She cried like a little lamb. Now she laughs like a little lamb. The videos best prove this.

She was a clone of her daddy. And now, although she still looks just like him, I see a bit  of him (like how she loves to figure out the world around her) and a bit of me (like how she loves to laugh -- giggles fits best describes it).

But most of all, I remember how perfect she was and still is. Every goober laugh, every silly giggle, every fussy cry makes this tiny (still) perfect human. So I think if I were to run into my friend again, I would say to take less pictures (you don't need 100 photos a day, be honest, you do it too) but instead write it down. Write down a fun day, writes down a stressful day, even write down a boring day. You'll need those memories again someday and your brain isn't as reliable as you may think.

Trying to write a bit more,

J