Tony and I began our journey as parents learning one very important lesson…we are no longer the boss! That’s right. The lil guy is fully in the driver’s seat and we are just passengers now, strapped in to the car seat of life.

Our beautiful son, Anderson (“Andy”) was due November 17th, 2016 but waited to join us a full week later, on Thanksgiving Day.

The birth plan all along was for a natural delivery, and our doctor repeatedly said that she thought I would be a good candidate for it. We attended numerous labor classes offered by our hospital, and diligently did our homework, so to speak. And just when we were certain we had it all figured out…the little guy reminded us that we are doing things his way now.

After unsuccessfully attempting natural labor for over 24 hours and not progressing, it became clear that al naturale may not be possible, and an epidural was no longer out of the question for me…in fact, it became a necessity! Tony was at my side all the while, witnessing every painful contraction and feeling increasingly helpless until the final push, 39 hours after my first contraction. Ironically, or more like disappointingly, the final “push” did not actually require a push at all, as Andy was at last delivered via c-section. The entire delivery seemingly slipped away from our control. When did this happen? HOW did this happen?

We are now 4 months into this rodeo, and feel blessed each day to have a most beautiful baby boy. Each and every day is different, though, and at this age, he’s growing so quickly that one day he can be laid back and the next he doesn’t want to be put down or held by anyone but his mama. Of course we wouldn’t change any of this for the world, but there are times we wish this little guy came out of the womb carrying a user’s manual!

Recent FAQs include:

He’s drooling a lot! I think I see teeth buds! Wait…I have no clue what a tooth bud even looks like! So…is he teething? Or maybe he’s just an excessive drooler?

Why is his poop GREEN!?!?

What is this scaly stuff on his scalp?

Why won’t this diaper rash go away?!?!?!

It would be wonderful if there were a crystal ball or app that said, “Your child will begin (insert action verb) on (insert specific date), so don’t plan on getting any sleep that night!” And while life would be easier if that were the case, every parent knows that, at least with infants, it’s all a guessing game. And it’s not always a fun game to play! However, all of the smiles, laughs, coos, and mini-milestones along the way make all of the tough days (and nights!) completely worth the effort.

We may not be the boss of our lives any longer, but we’ll settle for employee(s) of the month if it means that Andy has a happy, healthy childhood.

Here’s to the journey!

-Jen (of Beauty and the Knee)