It's so hard to believe that our little man was already one month old on Sunday! As challenging and stressful as the past month was, it still managed to fly by. If I get the chance, I am going to steal an idea from Alayna and Sacha and attempt to write Nikos a monthly letter. But not right now. Right now, I feel like reflecting on this whole parenthood thing.
Living with a newborn is quite possibly the most difficult thing I have ever done. Whoever says that having a newborn is pure bliss is a) smoking crack, b) has a most unusual child, or c) is lying through their teeth because they think it's what they're "supposed" to say. Pretty much all Nikos does is eat, sleep, and poop 24/7 with occasional (albeit completely adorable) periods of alertness. It's our duty as parents to facilitate all this eating, sleeping, and pooping, which means that our own eating, sleeping, and pooping get moved to the back burner. After meeting everyone's basic needs, there is barely time left over to do other important things, such as go grocery shopping , do the ever-increasing piles of laundry, or clean up around the house. Which means that there is virtually NO time left for things like Christmas shopping, decorating the tree, etc. As a matter of fact, I am quite possibly typing this blog entry at the expense of eating my dinner (I'm hoping Gus gets home before the baby wakes up-- then he's on duty!).
Anyway, to say it bluntly: it sucks. It is a grueling, thankless, and never-ending job to take care of a newborn. Any person who thinks that having a baby will bring them closer to their partner is pretty much delusional. While Gus and I definitely are closer in some ways, the stress of being first-time, sleep-deprived parents is definitely rough. After all, it's hard for us to hug each other when one of us always seems to be holding Nikos (even if he does smell quite babylicious).
Despite the constant challenges and the emotional highs and lows, we'd still do it all over again, if given the chance. I guess that's a testament to how much we love the little guy-- why else would we sacrifice so much of ourselves? I YEARN for a morning spent sleeping in past 6am, but my need for sleep comes after my son's need to eat, and that's about all there is to it.
What am I trying to say here? I guess I am saying that no matter how prepared you think you are, a baby will still manage to turn your entire world upside down. Your life changes drastically, and usually not for the better (at first). I know that there are good things coming down the line, as Nikos continue to develop and becomes more interactive (smiling, laughing, reaching for things, etc.), but the newborn phase is HARD.
And that's all I have to say about that.
1 comment:
I can see how our parents think of us as their babies, since the first impression is often the most lasting impression. Good thing Nikos has the eat-sleep-poop cycle going on. Happy one month!
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