One big thing about having a new baby in the house is that
it reminds one of all the things long forgotten about child rearing. I, for
one, forgot about just how hard it is to keep any kind of real schedule in
early weeks. Outside of me attempting to get to the gym each day and our
early-afternoon viewings of 'Reba', there's not a ton of consistency in our
lives. That's not the only thing I forgot though.
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| What I can only assume is a joke from an episode of 'Reba'. I don't get it. |
For example, it was once common knowledge for me to cover certain
parts of my daughter when changing diapers. That was likely due to my lack of
quickness when it comes to diaper changes. However, now that I have a son, I
seem to have forgotten about the importance of speed, efficiency, and taking preventative
measures. It only takes one time of getting my face urinated on to remind why
that is so important.
It's not just the diaper changing that seems to have slipped
my mind when it comes to having a new baby though. I definitely forgot about
all of the crying that consistently echoes around the walls of our house.
Unfortunately for me, I also forgot about just how bad I am at calming a crying
baby.
It should definitely be said that my lack of proficiency at
calming a crying child doesn't come from lack of trying. Instead, it seems to
come from one of two sources. The first being that I'm pretty sure Ethan can
sense my apprehension and lack of confidence when it comes to calming all that
ails him. Despite my best intentions, it seems that it doesn't matter how much
I hold him, talk to him, bounce him, or sway with him. The boy will not calm.
Of course, I'm guessing that it also has something to do with the fact that
there's something special about Bethany to him. After all, she is his source of
food in the world.
I'm not sure if it's any consolation or not but at least I'm
not just discovering things I've forgotten. I'm also learning about things I've
never known. For example, before today, I never knew just how difficult it is
to tie a simple ponytail or a pair of pigtails. I should add that this wasn't
required knowledge for me until Bethany's purchase of Ellie-sized hair ties
over the weekend.
After Ellie finished her daily nap, I met her in the
bathroom to assist her in changing back into her clothes. As part of those
duties, Ellie had but one simple request: to put her hair up in pigtails. After
watching Bethany do so a couple of times, I didn't figure it would be too
difficult. Unfortunately I was very, very wrong.
Obviously the biggest hurdle for me to overcome was my own
lack of skill. However, things were also complicated by Ellie's status as a
moving target. Seriously, you try successfully putting hair ties in someone's
hair as they're spinning in circles in front of you.
Lucky for me, I have a wife who understands my shortcomings
in life. She also knew the best way to help me overcome them is through
practice. Therefore, her thought was to allow me to practice making pigtails on
her. Even though she wasn't satisfied with the final product, I feel like it
wasn't too bad for my first attempt. What say you, dear readers? #DaddyWrite
