Things I've learned in the last month...

(See point # 10, for things to say about the baby and the parent for this picture :) )
1. Babies are an absolute miracle, and there is nothing like holding a new life in your arms and knowing that you are responsible for them, and they are completely dependant on you.

2. You can function on MUCH LESS sleep than you ever thought was possible

3. Birds wake up at 4am, Melodie wakes up at 3:30am

4. Dad's have an inherent ability to sleep through anything...alarms, storms, coldness, pain and screaming babies.

5. When changing a diaper, NEVER-EVER take the diaper off, toss it in the diaper genie and then put a new diaper on. ALWAYS prepare the second diaper before taking off the first, and be ready to wipe quickly and throw on the new one. If this direction isn't followed, there WILL BE wetness or worse!

6. I am very thankful to be surrounded by young families, especially at our new church. They have been very encouraging and it is wonderful to hear that we're not alone. Also, it's wonderful to hear from multiple other moms that dads do sleep through anything, and go about parenting in a different way than moms do. That's why there's a mom and a dad. It has been very encouraging to hear that the things that I've been struggling in dealing with are VERY normal.

7. It's okay to cry sometimes, and laugh sometimes and go buggy-eyed sometimes for no apparent reason.

8. Eloquent speech is a thing of the past. I can be mid-sentence with someone and completely forget what I was talking about.

9. Things never to say to a new mom:

"Oh she's SO tiny", "I've never seen a baby so small", "Oh, she doesn't need to burp", After telling someone how your baby likes to be held to calm her down hearing them say to your baby "Oh, you don't like being held like that, do you?"

10. Things to say to a new mom:

Anything relating to how cute their baby is, what a wonderful job they're doing parenting, how great they (the parent) looks (even if it's not true).

11. Becoming a parent is the ultimate dying to self. It teaches you how to be selfless in the most difficult situations. Things you hold most dear are immediately challenged and you have to be ready to surrender. One of those things is sleep, another is time with friends and extended family, sleep, another is a CLEAN HOUSE, sleep, cooking, sleep, sounding like you are somewhat intelligent, sleep, even your health (thank you two cases of mastitis in a month---and by the way the current antibiotic that I'm on has an aftertaste of artificial banana flavoring...NASTY!). But it is such a good thing. I was talking with my sister Missy, who pointed out this particular point, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how true it is. Having children is a wonderful blessing, and a great gift. But it is also a wonderful challenge from the Lord to grow closer to Him, by becoming more self-less. Every part of a babies life can correlate to our spiritual lives, and it is neat to see it play out. I am one for real-life examples, and Lodie is a great one for me. It's funny that a 5 week old can deepen your spiritual life more than spending time with great scholars, but I think that's part of the way God designed it to be. I'm looking forward to more challenges, but I'm also looking forward to watching this child become what God has made her to be, and through that watching Ryan and I deepen in our relationship with the Lord.