1. this thing called parenthood is hard! no matter how many parents you talk to, i don’t think it’s possible to fully understand the size and scope of the job until you go through it.

2. front to back. enough said.

3. i don’t trust anyone but mommy. as hard as this may be and as much as we could probably use some help, i find myself favoring doing everything myself instead. it’s hard to not feel like the best care for your kid will come directly from you.

4. my child hates everything. if it’s not food, don’t even try it. changing her diaper? hates it. changing her clothes? hates it. bath time? hates it. sleeping anywhere but in our arms? hates it.

5. babies poo a lot! my god. within the first week, not only was I peed on twice, i was poo’d *on* twice, including once in the face (don’t ask). outside of that, i’ve put my hand in every form of the substance and it’s not pleasant.

6. always leave the diaper under the butt while cleaning the area! whether on purpose or not, that’s up for debate, the kid seems to know (!) when I’ve removed the diaper. she then chooses those times to release the muscles controlling her bladder. this results in an additional diaper change (remember, hates it) and a clothes change (again, hates it).

7. when you have an infant, you never leave the building unless you’re heading to the doctor or forcing an extremely planned out walk. everything is a production.

8. sleep. let’s not even go there. i’ve had it reasonably well thanks to mommy, but i still feel it.

9. it’s hard to eat. with so much attention going to the kiddo, you sometimes forget to eat. bryn does sometimes, unless i make food for her, particularly lunch because she’s always alone during the day (poor heen).

10. this is the best one. love. much like hearing from others what parenthood is like, and how hard, i don’t think either of us were fully prepared for how much we could love something that we made, that came from us. we’ve been together for nearly 10 years and don’t have much but memories and pictures to prove it, but now we’re joined forever by this beautiful, perfect little person that has no idea what kind of impact she’s had our lives so far, and it’s only been a month and a little bit. we’re head over heels and, while stressed and tired, very, very happy and proud.