Biggest Lesson Learned

Last night we had quite the party with several out of town guests.  Cousin Patti from Chicago was here for a business trip.  Then my mom and her sister Lynne decided to come to Austin last minute.  Once they heard that Carla was smiling and cooing up a storm they drove immediately to Austin so they could see for their own eyes.  Miss Carla did not disappoint them one bit.  (Check back soon for a post on her smiles and coos!)

Patti, Lynne, Emmie, and Carla

Cousin Patti asked us, “What was the biggest thing you have learned since becoming parents?”  What a great question and one I thought would be great for the blog!  My response is that I have just been amazed by what babies are capable of doing on their own.  Here are three examples.

First, when we’d put her to sleep at just a week or two old we would do whatever we could to quiet her down and would not leave her crib until she was fast asleep.  But then one time I put her in the crib and she was squirming and squeaking.  I went to the kitchen for a glass of water.  By the time I came back she was sound asleep.  Little Miss Carla was able to put herself to sleep all on her own without me doing it for her.  Amazing!

Now, onto example number two.  Carla did not enjoy her first stroller ride or her first tummy time!  She cried and fussed and our first thought was to immediately rescue her.  Instead, Frank and I tried cheering her on and reassuring her that everything was okay.  Sure enough, after a couple minutes of fussing Carla finally settled down.  It’s like she realized it really wasn’t that bad after all and she could do it even if it was new and uncomfortable.  Now, she loves stroller rides and tummy time.  Wow!

Finally, on Carla’s one month birthday she had a feeding at 5pm and it was REALLY long.  Then she was wide awake for close to two hours perfectly content playing with herself on her floor mat.  Then at 8pm she was hungry again and had another REALLY long feeding.  We put her to bed and she set a personal best record sleeping until 4am.  Her little body was smart enough to stay awake wearing herself out playing and then fill her belly full of milk so she could make it through the night.  Incredible!

So, what have I learned from all these examples?  That as tiny and helpless as a baby may seem they are so smart and capable of doing so much on their own.  Being a parent means being there for your kiddo but giving them opportunities to grow and learn to do things on their own.  How amazing it is to witness her doing it!