Where is Baby's Belly Button?

Will is obsessed. With his belly button. And with belly buttons in general. It all started with the book Where is Baby's Belly Button?, which is a really adorable, lift-the-flap (or in some cases, tear-off-the-flap) book. As you might guess, one page asks the question about where the belly button is, and then you lift up the baby's shirt to see it. Will quickly learned this trick for himself:



Now, if Will happens to hear the words "belly" or "belly button," he immediately points to his stomach. If he is wearing something that allows him to lift up his shirt to show you the actual belly button, he will definitely do that. When we're changing him and re-snapping his onesie or romper, he often cries when we re-cover his belly button, and he can't get to it anymore. At random times, he will point to MY stomach, demanding that I pull up my shirt to show him my own belly button, and if I don't comply, he may come over and pull up my shirt himself. (I kindly take this as an opportunity to let him know that he is what made mommy's belly so flabby.) He has also accosted Zach and my mom...insisting on seeing their belly buttons.

So, like I said, he's obsessed. We're hoping that he will eventually expand his repertoire, learning more body parts. We are on our way: last night he pointed to his nose when I asked "where is Will's nose?". Of course, when Zach asked him the same question, he did earmuffs. One step forward, two steps back.

Earmuffs

For those of you familiar with the movie Old School, Zach has taught Will this (actually really adorable) trick. Never mind useful skills like feeding himself, Will can do "Earmuffs"!

New Life

Some of our good friends are scheduled for a C-section tomorrow because their baby is breech. (OK, really only the wife is going to have the C-section, but you know what I mean.) I was thinking about them because they are in the unique position of knowing ahead of time that this is their last night before entering their new life. Of course, they are bringing new life into the world in the form of their little baby. But they are also ushering in a new life of their own. They are ending their B.C. (before children) life and entering a whole new world.

It's a world that's impossible to explain to someone who hasn't entered it yet. I don't care if you babysat a lot, helped raise your siblings, or even were a live-in nanny, nothing can truly prepare you for the life-changing experience of your first child. I thought I knew what I was getting into. I thought I had read all the books, received all of the advice, and bought all of the gear. I thought I was ready (and of course, it does help to be prepared). But looking back now, I realize that there's no way to be actually ready. There's no way to know what you're getting into. Like so many things in life, it is a leap of faith--jumping into the unknown and trusting that things will be okay.

So, what do I want to tell my friends on the eve of their baby's birth? I want to tell them that it's okay when you feel like you have no idea what to do. It's okay to feel completely overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for this tiny, helpless person. All new parents are novices. You didn't miss the passing out of the handbook. Unfortunately, there is no handbook. I want to tell them to enjoy every second. (Which, of course, is impossible. Who really enjoys explosive poop?) But, I do want to tell them not to wish away the time. Not to wish that he were older and could do more things for himself. I've had a hard time with this one myself, and each day, I work on enjoying the present--even if the present means a temper tantrum or food throwing. I want to tell them that it all goes so fast. If you're frustrated with one stage, wait a month, and it will be gone--replaced with something new. Of course, the opposite holds true too: If you love one stage, be sure to appreciate it, because it will be gone soon too.

The husband of this pair recently asked my husband, "So, when does your life sort of begin to resemble normal again?" Zach's answer was three months. My answer is never. Zach is right in that, usually, things settle down around three months, you come out of the baby fog, you can start organizing your life. But as for my answer...life after a baby is never "normal" again. Or, at least, it's never "normal" like it was before baby. But then again, you wouldn't want it to be.

You Know It's Going to be a Good Day

When you have uttered the words "Don't put your hands in the toilet!" before 8 a.m.

Note to self: Close toilet lid. ALWAYS.

Firsts, continued

Will has had so many "firsts" lately, all of which I want to post about. I want to remember all of the details so that I can bore him with them when he's thirteen. Sadly, I don't have time for tons of details right now, so a few snippets will have to suffice until I can write more and maybe even post some pictures.

• First trip to the zoo: We took Will on his first trip a few weeks ago, on September 16th. He loved it! This weekend, we went back, despite the 90+ degree weather IN OCTOBER. On this second trip, he got to ride the carousel! I'm not sure he knew what to make of it...he didn't like the carousel as much as I had expected he would. Maybe next time we'll do the train.
• First trip to the beach: This is one that I REALLY want to write more about and post some pictures. We went to Navarre, FL over the weekend of September 28th with four other (childless) couples. Note the way I put "childless" in parentheses as if it's not that big of a deal. Ha! Actually, they were all good sports about it, and Will really liked the beach. He didn't even eat any sand.
• First pair of shoes: I've actually written a post about this one!
• First haircut, and correspondingly, first lollipop: On Saturday (October 6th), Will got his first haircut. He sat on my lap and seemed pretty interested in the whole process. To keep him still, the woman offered him a DumDum lollipop. He knew exactly what to do with it...and, I don't know why this surprises me. He looks adorable with his "big boy" haircut (the side curls are gone, but the curliness in general comes back with humidity) and new shoes. He is definitely a true toddler now.

Shoes!

Will got his first real pair of shoes today. Since he started walking two weeks ago, we figured that it was time he had some shoes, so that he can walk in places other than the house (and so my mom would quit bugging me about it). I took him to Sikes, and they measured his feet. He was very well-behaved (at least during the shoe store portion of the outing) and interested in this whole new experience. As she measured Will, the saleswoman told me something I was already well aware of--Will has ENORMOUS feet. His feet have always been big; the footprints they did at the hospital barely fit on the card. She measured him as a size 6.5, double wide (for perspective, Will's friend who is three weeks younger wears a size 4).

So, once we were measured, it was onto deciding on the type of shoe. I had no idea there were so many options for little boys and can't imagine what the market must be for little girls' shoes! Anyway, I wanted Keds, but the saleswoman told me that Keds are not flexible enough for kids who are first walking. While this was probably a load of hooey, I believed her and got the ones she recommended. For FIFTY DOLLARS. Yes, you read that correctly--I paid $50 for a pair of shoes that Will will probably wear for three to four months, if we're lucky. They are navy tennis shoes (essentially), have Velcro straps, and Will loves them. I had been worried about how getting him to put on his shoes would be a hassle, but I hadn't anticipated a fight over him not wanting to take them off. When we arrived home, I immediately took off his shoes and socks, thinking that he would want to be barefoot and free around the house. Silly mama. As soon as they were off, he started crying and screaming and handing me the shoes, clearly indicating, "Put them back on!" Which is exactly what I did. Until bathtime. Even I have my limits.