Parenting 101: Lesson 1

Tonight I had a lesson in parenting--"Sometimes all you can do is be there for your child." We had a busy day getting ready for company and then we went to visit the girls at camp. We had a fun time and stayed late to see what they were doing for their night focused on missions. This meant we got home a little after 10 and quickly changed Ethan into his pj's for his bedtime feeding. He had been more fussy the past day or two during feeding time, and I wasn't sure what all was going on for the little guy. Suddenly, he spit up, which isn't something he usually does. Now, I know the pros out there have this all under their belt and are grinning, but to new mom, it seemed like a lot of spit up and it was covering Ethan's face because of the way I must have been holding him and moved him. The poor little guy just looked up at me as I flicked on the light, and he stared at me through milk that had once been in his tummy or on the way down. So, he had another change of clothes. He was fussing more, so I thought maybe I should check his temperature. Now, I knew that meant I'd probably have a mess on the other end, but I thought I was prepared with a diaper. Something didn't go as planned, and I ended up needing to change the little guy again. Of course, it's getting later and later. It didn't seem like anything was really wrong, but all I could do was walk with him, talk to him, and be there. It struck me then, that this what a lot of parenthood is about. So, finally by midnight, he settled down and was sound asleep and I crawled in bed with a little more insight into what this adventure called parenthood is about.