Five months and counting

As I said in my first entry, my husband Rob and I became parents on August 19, 2008 when our son Quinn was born. Our world changed forever at 7:48 p.m. that day, and every day since then we have learned something new. Apparently all of this learning is what actually creates what is called "baby brain". Even fathers get it, at least that's what we heard one day on the radio. All of this new learning gives our brains quite a workout and because of this we forget even the simplest of things, like where we put the car keys, our cell phones and other personal belongings. Although Rob and I will be the first to admit we were quite forgetful before Quinn came on the scene, now we can legitimately blame it on Baby Brain.
Anyway, these first five months of parenthood have gone by in a flash, but if you ask Rob, he says that it feels like time is going by at a regular pace. And although I think it has gone by quickly, it feels like forever ago that I was pregnant. We both agree however, that it feels as if Quinn has been a part of our lives all along.
Everyone told us our lives would never be the same, and they were right, but I guess we kind of expected it to be more dramatic. And for many couples it is, but Rob and I are fairly relaxed when it comes to parenting, and I feel as if we know what to do most times as if it is second nature. But we have learned a few things along the way, like... not all diapers are created equal; if you have a boy, point his peter down to cut down on the number of times he pees through the diaper (of course this was only possible for us for the first three weeks, then Quinn got snipped - yes our poor guy got circumsized, and no we aren't Jewish); we know exactly what to look for when we buy our next car seat (thank you to Scott and Charlene for giving us our sanity back - a word to the wise, don't buy a car seat unless you can loosen and tighten the straps from the front), everyone you talk to about immunizations will give you completely different and conflicting advice, and the best advice is to be educated and make the decision for you and your child, not what is the current trend, thank you very much Jenny McCarthy (if you need some literature on this topic, I think I have literally read everything out there); don't get dressed to go out until you are at the door (I now lay out the shirt I am going to wear with my jacket because otherwise you will get spit-up on); and companies who make formula are very clever, and I only figured this out a three in the morning one day - they send you formula samples before you have the baby so you have it on hand when your baby goes crazy with hunger your first night home from the hospital, before your milk comes in - I am proud to say I didn't succumb to this temptation, but it was close - they also keep sending you formula after the baby is born, and at exactly the time when your baby goes through a growth spurt; and breastfeeding does actually get easier with time, oh yeah, and less painfull and time-consuming.
Our list of course will grow longer as the days and weeks progress, so we'll be sure to keep you informed.