Surprise, Surprise, Surprise. . .

I’ve already written about how surprised I have been that I’ve been so tired since becoming a mother of 2. I’ve also been surprised by some elements of being the mommy of a baby again. I thought mothering a baby would be like riding a bike (i.e. you’ll never forget how to do it).

Well, I beg to differ.

Either I’ve forgotten a lot about babies or this baby is re-writing the book on the rules of baby care -- or maybe it’s a little of both. So I assembled a list of 10 things that have surprised me about being the mommy of a baby again.

You’ll notice that most of these observations are negative, not positive, surprises. I think that is because I remembered many of the positive elements – the sweet smell of a baby when she gets out of a bathtub, teaching her how to clap her hands or wave goodbye, seeing the immense satisfaction on her face when she accomplishes something monumental like pulling herself up, etc. And these memories are forevermore etched into my brain. With that said I even have discovered a few positive surprises which I have added to my list. Here they are:

1> When did disposable diaper get so hard to use?

My sisters all had their children almost 20 years ago – so I’ve had a long term relationship with disposable diapers. When I started using them again with Little Zo Peep I remember how advanced diapers had become. I’ve been surprised, therefore, on the struggles I’m having both putting on and taking off Libby Doodle Doo’s diapers.

I find that if I don’t put the diaper on precisely right and line up all the “around the edge gathers” properly, I may be facing a messy leak later.

Taking them off is even more difficult. The Velcro tabs are so sensitive that I find them catching on the changing pad, my shirt or the folds of Libby Doodle Doo’s boda-licious belly. As I whip off the dirty diaper I find that if a tab catches on something/anything, the diaper contents (use your imagination) may go flying into the air.

2> Were crib sheets always this hard to put on?

I have a lovely crib that I borrowed from a friend. I've used it for both girls. I purchased some new sheets for Libby Doodle Doo and have had a bear of a time trying to get them on the mattress (have crib sheets gotten smaller?).

I first realized the problem when I was home and Susie my once-a-week cleaning lady asked for my help in changing the crib sheets. What a nightmare. The crib sheets seemed slightly too small to fit on the mattress and the mattress was so close to the walls of crib that I kept on scraping my knuckles trying to tuck the sheet down.

A few days later, the Doodle had a leaking diaper in the middle of the night (see #1 above) and I had to change the crib sheet on my own. During the ordeal, my precious little baby learned some new American words that would make a Teamster blush.

3> I forgot how delicious it is to have your baby fall asleep on your chest.

During the time that Libby Doodle Doo was not sleeping through the nights, I would crawl into Zo Peep’s empty bed with her and lay the Doodle on my chest in hopes that she would go to sleep. It rarely worked and I thought she didn’t like it.

But now if she’s having a rough night (like she did last night – congested) and I take her into my bed, she immediately crawls over to me and climbs onto my chest. She cradles her soft, downy head right under my chin, tucks her left arm into the neckline of my pj’s to keep it warm and sucks on her beloved right thumb.

That’s how she fell back to sleep at 4am this morning and that how we both woke up at 6:30 today. Wonderful.

4> Since when did baby girls pee all over their mommies?

I remember in my early days as a 1st time mommy -- right after I had removed her from a bath – Little Zo Peep would sometimes pee. I quickly learned to get a diaper on her even before she was completely towel dried – so these accidents ended soon after they had begun.

But Libby Doodle Doo is much more of a challenge when it comes to avoiding pee accidents.   Any moment without a diaper is an invitation for her to pee. I’ve been peed on after lifting her from a tub; as I was putting her into the tub; first thing in the morning; last thing at night; during a mid day diaper change; as I apply medicine to her privates;  and one memorable time when I was closely examining whether her diaper rash was healing properly – and she got me right in the face.

Maybe one of the reasons I’m having so much trouble with her diapers is related to my fear of keeping the Doodle bug naked for more than 1 milli-second and risking another shower of pee.

5> I thought sippy cups weren’t supposed to leak.

When I adopted Little Zo Peep, I was also please to see the improvements made to sippy cups to make them spill proof.

And then I started to give them to the Libster. I don’t know if these cups (left over from the Peep) are too old and that the seals don’t work as well or if the Doodle shakes them so vigorously that liquid can’t help but come out -- but Libby Doodle seems to be spilling liquids from her sippy cup every day. I’m going to invest in some new cups to see if that solves the issue.

6> It’s a special joy when your baby kisses you for the first time.

Libby Doodle Doo did not know how to kiss when I first met her. Isn’t that sad – a little girl who had not learned the joy of exchanging kisses with the people that she loves.

I’ve been working with her to help her learn to kiss. She still hasn’t mastered puckering, but she does close her mouth a little and presses her lips next to mine at the most surprising, unexpected moments. It’s magical.

7> Why am I going through so many containers of baby wipes?

I am using more wipes than I thought was humanly possible. After all, how many wipes can one use to clean the bottom of a 16 pound baby. I think there are 3 reasons this is happening. First, I have noticed that the variety of wipes we’ve purchased sometimes dispenses two to four sheets at a time – a wasteful glitch in its design. So I may have to change brands.

Second, I also have noticed that Libby doodle Doo moves around like a corkscrew when she is on the changing table, so I don’t have time to properly position the wipe for maximum cleaning ability. Finally, I’m using a lot of wipes on crusty nose droppings, so I know that until that nose stops dripping, I’ll be using whatever is close by to wipe up the latest disgusting collection that has emerged from her nose..

8> Did formula always smell this bad?

I remember Zo Peep’s formula had a distinctive odor, but I would have never described it as unpleasant. Libby Doodle Doo’s formula makes me sick to my stomach sometimes. I’ve made 2 changes to formula since Little Zo Peep. I’ve switched to Soy – based formula because the Doodle seems to like it better than milk based (she doesn’t seem to have any allergies). Second, I’ve switched to an organic brand. Is it the Soy? Does the Organic label mean that flavoring agents that masked the odor have been eliminated ? I don’t know. I just know that the smell of this stuff is overpowering at times.

I can’t imagine how she drinks it.

9> Car seats seem to have gotten more difficult to install.

I want my baby to be as safe and secure as possible while in her car seat – so why do they make car seat installation so difficult that a mommy needs to be a mechanical engineer to understand the installation procedure. I’ve installed and reinstalled the seat 3 times since getting home a month ago. I still don’t think I have it right. I need to find time to go to a state police barracks, a firehouse or somewhere where someone can install it for me in the proper fashion.

Update -- my babysitter just showed up for work and decided to solve this problem for me. She -- although not a mechanical engineer -- installed the seat properly.

10> Every baby has her own unique laugh.

Little Zo Peep had a great baby laugh – sort of a combination of Santa Claus and Maurice Chevalier (imagine Santa with a French accent). It went like this , “ho, ho, ho” with lovely rounded Gallic “o’s”

Libby Doodle Doo also has a great, unique baby laugh. I would describe it as a hyena with hiccups. It is louder and more robust the Zo Peep’s. Libby Doodle Doo lays out her laugh for all to see and hear. Nothing is held back. And the unfettered joy behind that laugh makes my heart smile.

The surprises of motherhood are – in my humble opinion – what make this second time experience so much fun.