A life full of Errors: Raising a little boy

Before January 16, 2013 my days were filled with hours of work taking care of sick patients, cooking dinner for my husband, taking my dog Timber for hour long walks, and serving in the primary in my ward. Skills that I used at work involved managing ventilators, chest tubes, EVD drains, giving powerful pain and sedating medications, and educating staff members on the latest in nursing care. For many people the thought of managing a ventilator that is reponsible for breathing for a patient is terrifying. To me it was second nature and very comfortable; and honestly if a patient was sick enough to need it, you woud rather they already had an endotrachael tube in then having to emergently intubate them.
So what terrifies someone who manages critical situations with people every day? Burping.
Burping a newborn baby that is. Luke Michael joined our family on January 16th at 2:40am, and since that moment life has never been the same. Marc and I thought we had a pretty good idea what having a newborn at home would be like; we were way off. Luke is not your typical newborn. He didn't sleep for the first 48 hours of his life, crying if you even attempted to lay him down. Needless to say no one slept for the first week. Slowly we began to understand each other and the days were filled with less and less tears from both Luke and me. He will be turning six weeks tomorrow and I can't believe how the time has flown by.
His most recent milestones:
*Sleeping for 5-6 hour stretches at night!
*He currently weighs 10 pounds 3 ounces, and is 22 inches long
*He is in the 39th percentile for weight
*He has managed to have a major blow out in every white onsie I have bought for him
*He is starting to make eye contact and trying out his smile

So what does it take to raise a little boy?
I am nowhere near an expert on this and I am sure that I will be learning something new each and everyday. So far this is what I have learned:

Patience- he is as scared of everything as you are. Everything is new and foreign. What is an everyday thing to us is something that he has never experienced. Take it slow and talk to him, even if he doesn't understand your words, your voice will help comfort him through it.

Even boys like lotion- Lotion is not just a girlie thing, even the manliest man enjoys soft skin.

Bending the rules won't ruin them- I have heard countless stories from other parents of how they let their little ones sleep in bed with them once and now they can never get them out. I always told myself that I would never let that happen. Babies bed was for baby, and Mommy and Daddy's bed is for Mommy and Daddy. Well there is something that happens to your heart when you have children. A little string appears on it and they are capable of tugging on it every single moment. I don't think a four week old can form a bad habit of sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed, so for now, the rules are being broken.

A good story can captivate any age- I know that there is no way he can possibly follow along the adventures of Harry Potter or the Hobbit. But there is something that capitvates even the fussiest baby and that is a book. Whether it is sitting snuggled on your lap all warm and cozy, looking at pictures, or hearing the familiar tone of your voice little boys love to be read to.

Boys do mind being dirty sometimes- Luke has taught me a valid lesson; do not dress him in white...ever...or it will no longer be white. And he has also taught me that there is nothing more distressing and embarressing for a little man then having messy pants. After the diaper is changed and a new onsie is on he somehow stills has a somewhat proud look on his face that he ruined that "girlie white thing" that mom made me wear.

Snuggling is a must- While tummy time was not his favorite in the beginning, this has become his favorite activity before nap time. On more than a couple of occasions I have caught this little man skipping activity time and heading full on into nap time early.

There is no such thing as normal with babies- I thought thumb sucking and pacifier addiction was the only thing that I would need to worry about. Luke taught me that there is more than one finger you can suck on.