Say What????

Ok…this is going to be a random post…I want to throw that out first thing, in case you aren’t in the mood to read my random ramblings….you can always scroll down and look at the cute pictures of the baby…if you are up for some of my thoughts….read on dear friends…but you have been warned… First I have to ask…WHAT is the deal with people telling new parents all of the “horror stories” that they suffered when their kids were young? And second, WHY do they insist on telling you these stories, or just offering up their advice on all things under the sun concerned with your child when it’s all unsolicited?? Now I’ll be the first to admit that Michaela and I, as first time parents, have had more than our share of questions…and although we do like to try things out on our own, we have from time-to-time asked people for their advice… But here’s a helpful hint to everyone out there (young and old, dumb and wise, naked and clothed)….Keep your horror stories to yourselves!!! I’m telling you, there’s nothing worse than attempting to do something new with your baby (so you’re already on edge about it), then having someone else tell you about how horrible it was for them with their child….honestly….that doesn’t help in the least! I promise you that we’ll figure it out one way or the other, and getting us more nervous about it is not a positive thing…at all. With regards to babies, I have learned one very important thing….this is the same thing that most parents find out, and that Doctors and Nurses probably repeat a hundred times a day….say it with me now….."Every baby is different!” What exactly does this saying mean? It means that every book ever written on parenting needs to be taken with a grain of salt, especially since any average joe can write a book (PHD's aren't required!)….just because feeding your baby mushy asparagus when they were 4 months old worked for you and got them sleeping through the night, doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go out and write a book about it, because the odds are…that won’t work for many babies…..and some of these baby books are just mean! I’m serious…they make you feel bad if your baby isn’t conforming to what worked so well for the author’s baby some 15 years ago… It also means that people should take this into account before offering up their advice (especially un-solicited!!!) on other people’s babies….Michaela and I have really become a “parenting dynamic duo”, and as a team, we have a specific set of guidelines for the way that we want Landon to be raised….this covers everything to his sleeping and eating schedule, what clothes he wears, what books he is read, and even what toys he can play with…needless to say, right now we are still extremely protective parents and everyone that has seen us in action can attest to this…so when we get people that comment to us about how they did things a certain way and it worked for them and their baby, we sometimes tell them that it’s just not the way that we want to do it…but you should hear the number of responses we get back to that…so we have found that it’s much easier to say to them that “Every baby is different”….that’s much more polite than saying the first thing that comes to our mind. ;-)

Ok…I think that’s it for the rant….this was honestly not targeted at any one person…just a culmination of many people (friends, family, strangers, mailmen, etc.)….we know that you all have the best of intentions…but really, take a step back and think about it before you pass along that next story…if it’s a good one, we’re more than happy to hear it…but if it’s about how horrible the first daycare was for your child or how you got your child sleeping through the night at 2 weeks old by feeding them rice cereal, please be ready to hear the phrase “Every baby is different”… Ok, I feel better now.... I promise tomorrow's post will be all butterflies and rose petals... ;) Enjoy the pictures of Landon, Aunt Laura and Alyssa!!