Ten Things I Think I Think About Parenting - The Second Month

Hello Friends and Family,

I’m back for the second month with some hot takes on parenting. As a reminder, each month for the first year of Mills’ life I am going to put some initial thoughts down about parenting in real time.

I might be completely wrong about some or all of these, but here’s where I am today after 2 months.

Ten Things I Think I Think about Parenting after Two Months

1. I am beginning to think that just about everyone oversells the “bad” experiences of parenting. I’m going to recap our first family trip next week, but it was not terrible. It was different than our normal trips, but of COURSE it would be!

2. People are amazingly understanding when your baby is a little fussy in an elevator. Thanks to everyone at the Renaissance Asheville for being kind as Mills is learning how to travel!

3. People LOVE babies. I thought having a dog brought attention, but when you have an 8 week old out in public…they are ROCK STARS!

4. Go live your life. You didn’t die when you had a kid. Mills was fussy some, sleepy some, hungry some, and just fine most of the time. I saw so many parents this weekend just taking their kids along for the ride. Dinner, breweries, food trucks, restaurants, hiking, biking, and all sorts of other things.
   
   I’m glad we just took him with us. My bet, he’ll be better off for it in the long run.

5. Everyone told us that time would fly after Mills was born. They were right! I’m convinced it’s because there is no downtime. Every minute of the day has been consumed with “what’s next” and making sure we have enough bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, and clothes.
   
   I am embarrassed to say that I wasted so much time before Mills was born. What on earth did I do with all of this extra time?

6. Formula is still a rip off. Let’s get some competition in this market.

7. Sleeping babies are adorable. It’s all I can do sometimes not to pick him up and give him a kiss when he’s napping…but I’m smarter than that.

8. Month two is pretty boring. The first month everything is new and the adrenaline of being a new parent keeps you on your toes. The second month is exactly the same as the first month except he is bigger, eats more, and poops more. It’s still great, but man the monotony kills me.

9. Introducing your kid to your favorite places is one of the great joys of life. Even though he will have no memory of this trip, it was so fun for us to all be there together. I hope this never changes. (And I hope that he likes these places because he is going to be there a lot.)

10. Mills had his 2 month shots and we had to go to a traditional pediatrician in order to utilize his insurance benefits for immunizations. I don’t know why some doctors feel the need to treat parents in a patronizing and/or condescending manner, but it is repulsive.
    
    The total time the doctor spent with us was 7 minutes 47 seconds. He didn’t even administer the shots. Remind me what our insurance is paying for again?

Bonus:

We continue to be overwhelmed with the kindness of our friends and family. Thank you for the kind emails, the wonderful gifts, and your unwavering support as we navigate these first weeks with our favorite little boy.

Until our next adventure,

Austin, Courtney, Mills, and Willow

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