Top Ten: Part 2

Okay so here is a continuation of my top 10.

5. Multi-tasking. This word is taken to a whole new meaning once you have a baby. I always thought that I had this skill down pat, but I am know an expert. The other day I found myself hooked up to my pumps, blow drying my hair, standing on one leg, and bouncing Perron with the other while I tried to get ready to get out the door. Gone are the leisurely days of doing one morning task at a time. No siree, i can now do all of them at one time! I have a feeling this skill is going to come in handy in two weeks when I go back to work.

4. Pumping. Okay this is an experience only the lucky few get to deal with. Due to all of the circumstances surrounding Perron's birth I made the decision to pump exclusively with him and not really try breast feeding. Now don't get me wrong, that boy loves to eat and is a great nurser, but with his prematurity and he reflux issues it is more important for me to know exactly how much he is eating at any one time. Little did I know that when i made this decision it would DOMINATE my life. I have a complete love/hate relationship with my pump. It all depends on how good Perron is behaving that day. I have a confession to make. I have a VERY fussy child. (It was really hard for me to admit that but now that I have embraced it it is much easier.) I frequently end up pumping with him lying in my lap screaming and kicking my breast shields...while they are attached. ARE YOU SERIOUS! Like it doesn't hurt enough to have your nipples sucked back and forth in a plastic tube, but I have to add my son kicking me while I am doing it. Sometimes life is not fair :)

3. Diaper Changing. Okay so we all took the Preparing for Parenthood class before we had our babies. They had us change diapers on little dolls as "practice" for when we had to change our own babies diapers. Luckily I was prepared for this skill because I have changed a lot of diapers in my day. What they didn't prepare you for is that babies don't really like getting their diapers changed! Now call me crazy, but if I had to sit in my own waste, I would be kissing the feet of the person that changed my pants....not screaming bloody murder at them. Perron literally acts like he is being tortured everytime he gets his diaper changed. Go figure.

2. Guilt. Okay...this one isn't that funny, but it is just as true as all the others. I was not prepared for the amount of guilt I would feel as a mommy. There is a special breed of guilt associated with being a mommy of a preemie. It is very hard knowing that because your body failed your baby that they had to endure hardship that they shouldn't have had to endure. While we did get the joy of meeting our little man early he has had some issue that would probably not have been issues if I had been able to do my job.

1. LOVE. Love like you have never known before. I look at Perron all the time and can't believe that Stephen and I have created this perfect little creature. He is our true joy and our lives are so much fuller now that he is here. I don't think anything can prepare you for the love you feel for your child until you have one. It is definitely all encompassing (and it certainly needs to be when he is on his fifth straight hour of crying :))