Baby Cooper’s First Two Months
July 26th, 2008It’s been a little over two months now, and what a change to life as we know it. If I thought our time in the hospital was tough, that was nothing compared to those first two weeks at home. Here are some quick takeaways from our first two months with baby Cooper.
Don’t Be Too Eager About the Diaper
Initially, I wanted to be extremely responsive about the diaper changing. After all, I wouldn’t want to sit in my own urine and feces for any longer than is necessary, and I thought it would be considerate to extend that courtesy to Cooper. However, this is not the case. If the early bird catches the worm, then the early diaper changer either gets peed on, pooped on, or both. Faith and I have called this rapid-fire succession of excrement the “Cooper Midnight Special”. So we now take the approach that any diaper activity by Cooper is likely an act in three parts.
Losing Sleep Really is Worse Than Missing Concerts
Now i feel old. The other weekend I had tickets to see the Breeders at the Metro and I skipped it to take a nap. Writing that sentence pains me, as that kind of behavior was exactly what I was dreading. But it’s true. Having a newborn means sleep comes in small doses, and there’s never enough. That means I’ve missed two concerts now because of Coop – the Breeders and the Cure. Coop was born on the day I had 8th row tickets to see the Cure, which is why he’s grounded until he’s four years old.
Sure, a four-year grounding for something he didn’t have total control over may seem harsh, but really – where was he going anyway these first four years? It’s really more of a ceremonial grounding for my own peace of mind. At least I didn’t miss R.E.M. at the United Center the other night.
Babies Are Not That Similar to Cats
Faith had been joking for months that having a baby would be a lot like having a cat, which I was opposed to initially (but now I love our cats on a completely ridiculous level). And this is nothing like having a cat. Cat’s don’t need your help to eat or use the restroom every two hours, and crying from a cat is typically short-lived and not that abrasive. The crying of a baby is like standing next to a fire engine siren, it’s a horrifying sound that pierces the mind.
On the other hand, while our cats are less maintenance, their range of expression is also fairly limited. More often than not, Coop is a pretty good-tempered guy – smiling, laughing and typically enjoying himself. And he leaves less hair on our clothing, which is a bonus. So I can safely say that he’s grown on me quite a bit from those first nervous moments at the hospital.