Sunday, October 23, 2011

Tips for New Moms

It's Monday again, and you know what that means.  Monday Listicles at Stasha's placeCookie's Mom chose today's topic, and she wanted us to share some advice with new moms.  Well, I already did that on a more serious note in Letter to Myself.  So, for some inspiration and a fresh take on this theme, I started looking back through Lilah's newborn photos.  What I realized is we took a lot of shaky, blurry photos of Lilah with our point-and-shoot when she was brand new.  Part of it was probably due to sleep deprivation, but man, our camera skills have come a long way since we got a D-SLR!  The other thing I noticed is we spent a lot of time on the couch.  In any case, I had fun going back through old photos and writing this list.

1.  Your baby may look a little like an alien at first.  Don't worry, she will go from this


to this
in the blink of an eye.

2.  For the most part, I fully subscribe to the "sleep when the baby sleeps" school of thought.  But sometimes you just gotta catch up on your email, you know?



See? I was addicted to the internet long before I started blogging and tweeting!


3.  Never underestimate the power of matching outfits.


4.  Your pet(s) will likely feel neglected when the new addition arrives.  Don't forget to show them a little love from time to time.


5.  Two words: milk coma. So. Awesome.


6.  Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for indulging your inner couch potato from time to time.


7.  Practice your posing.  We all know the camera adds pounds, and you don't exactly have pounds to spare shortly after giving birth.  So find some sassy poses that flatter your new figure, and find your inner top model.


8.  Prepare to fall in love with your baby daddy (or partner, or anyone else who helps you take care of your new babe) all over again.


9.  Whenever you are in the vicinity of other newbies, take the opportunity to line them all up on a couch for a photo.  Bonus points if each and every parent there is also frantically snapping photos.  The more pictures, the better.  Because once they are mobile, there is no way in hell you will get them all to sit in the same place at the same time.



10.  All the sleepness nights and projectile poop and sore nipples and spit-up and mewling cries and blood-curdling screams (yours and the baby's) and anxiety and feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt will soon fade to a distant memory, and what you will be left with are these moments:




40 comments:

  1. Thanks for the comment on my blog!
    I agree: amazing changes... I try to be in on it every 3 months or so. Only a few more days and C and J will leave, I'll be finished with one of my classes, and I feel like it will be vacation time! Oh, yeah... holidays...

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  2. Awe....! Love those couch shots! Tee hee... and the photos...

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  3. Fantastic Amanda! I really enjoyed all the pictures you shared here and the commentary for each of them. That one with your cat really made me laugh!

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  4. @harriet glynnTip # 11: invest in a couch you love, because you'll be spending a lot of time there. And other people might come over and want to line their babies up with yours for photo ops.

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  5. @KiddothingsPoor cat. He's been sorely neglected since the moment Lilah arrived.

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  6. Aw, so sweet! I love looking back at those early cuddly photos.

    Guess what else we have in common? A neglected cat. Poor things. We should get them together. Mine is a 'she' - geriatric and sometimes a little cranky, but still purrrrty. :)

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  7. Oh my goodness! cuteness overload on the couch photos =) Look at her in # 6 - so engrossed with whatever's on or is that a stunned look!

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  8. So funny and heartwarming at the same time! #9 made me LOL, and #8 and 10 made me go awwww...Oh YES, love the milk coma / overdose look too! Lovely lovely pictures!

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  9. This is the first list I read this morning. It is perfect to start the day of. Love the matching outfits and remote control. Well they are all just right :)

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  10. This is so right on! I love the lining up the babies one. Once they crawl and/or walk, it's so over!

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  11. Ahh, #10 sums it up perfectly! I love it! I have to admit my favorite picture is her with the remote.

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  12. Love the blood curdling scream comment and the pics of the babies on the couch. I have a few of those pics myself. You pics are really cute!

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  13. Great pictures and great post!

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  14. @Cookie's Mom Sadly, we have not one, but two neglected kitties. A male and a female. Last night I kicked the male off the bed repeatedly as he insisted on sleeping on my feet for warmth. In the end, I lost the battle. His will was stronger than mine. So I myself am a little cranky (and quite possibly geriatric as well) today.

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  15. @JanieHaha, the TV was never actually on when she was awake, so it's got to be a stunned look. She didn't perfect her "Blue Steel" pose until about 6 months.

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  16. Fabulous post, and more importantly, I love those photos. That last one, absolutely precious!

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  17. Great advice! And I love, love, LOVE the milk coma picture!!

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  18. I thought Buggy was the cutest most adorable baby in the entire world when she was born. Like seriously? I even forced some people to agree with me on this subject :)
    Re-looking at some photos, yes alien like is a fantastic comparison!

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  19. Awwww, so sweet how you did this...I love it!! I also loved the milk comas. And just for the record, I don't think she looked like an alien ;)

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  20. The pictures are perfect additions to your lessons learned and shared!

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  21. Love your list, fabulous pictures and each point is so true!

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  22. Love this. it almost makes me want another. Almost. :)

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  23. Aww! So sweet. I love the little dribble of milk in the corner of her mouth!

    And cats...they sure have to work for the "head of the household" crown when baby comes!

    All of those pictures are just too much! Love them.

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  24. Great post! Brought back some good memories!

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  25. Number 9 is my favorite! You're so right, I haven't gotten a decent picture in ages!

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  26. I read a post like this and I say, "That's right, I know her, she's my friend uh huh." I feel like if I say that, people will think I am as good as you. Everything you say is true and when I read it, I almost want to do it all over again.

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  27. @StashaGlad you enjoyed it. Hope it went well with your morning caffienation!

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  28. @Living with BugsI guess we don't realize how weird-looking they are until they're actually cute and we have something to compare to. They say hindsight is 20/20.

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  29. @JenOkay, maybe not an alien. But definitely an old man, at the very least! ;)

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  30. @Galit BreenOh. My most sincere apologies to your uterus. :)

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  31. @LisaAww, that's pretty much the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me!
    It seems I have a few uteruses to apologize to after this post!

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  32. I loved this post and all of the pictures. I thought my first kid was so strange looking when she was born but then she emerged into a beautiful little girl. I was amazed.

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  33. I laughed out loud at number six. I've definitely seen that look on my daughter's face.
    Love this post.

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  34. @JessicaSomewhere along the line they get WAY better looking. The addition of hair and eyes that actually focus definitely help.

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  35. @VenassaIt's the glassy-eyed stare! Glad you enjoyed this.

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  36. Beautiful, and I couldn't agree more on all points! Milk coma is also my all-time fave look for my little guy.

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  37. So sweet and the pictures are beautiful. Stopping in from Stasha's.

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  38. This post is so wonderful - I love all your pictures! Milk coma cracks me up!

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