Parenting is Easy

Just thought I'd throw that title out for the sheer irony of it. I can't even imagine my poor brother and Heather with twins! Turns out this is a tough gig, I mean I knew it was gonna be tough but holy balls! When this kid ain't pooping, she's crying. Moreover, it is absolutely astonishing that even at 4:00 a.m. when I am singing "Bear Down Chicago Bears" to her and she finally calms down and quits crying that it might be one of the most divine things that any human can experience. Every little coo, grunt, or squeak that she makes breaks me down to sheer bliss. On the other end of things, whenever she cries a bit too long or spits up a bit, I'm thinking she could be sick, and I want to fix it. I do my best to not be that over-analytical parent. But, this kid is so important to me, and I just love her so much. I am always worried about her. I have gone from being able to sleep through a freight train crashing into the house, to a slight change in her breathing jumping me out of a deep sleep. While I am on the subject of being the cliché parent, this kid has about 1300 pictures taken of her thus far. I am pretty sure Paris Hilton doesn't get this many shots during the day. In other news, every parent I know told me I would be okay with every poop, puke, pee, etc. that expelled from this little girls body, and sure enough, I was walking around with her on my shoulder and spit up running down my chest when I fully grasped that concept.
I apologize for this being all about me I am, after all, borderline narcissistic. The fact is the only thing I can't put into words about Avery is pooping, sleeping, and crying. Nikki covered the poop thing in great detail in her post, and as for the crying and sleeping all I can tell you is even that is is cuter than snot! Everything else just can't be explained. Really, how can I put into words the way she stretches out real big and lets this long squeal out that turns her reasonably rational parents into absolute mush? The best I can do is take lots of pictures, send them along, then open the house for a visit anytime. As for Avery's Mom, Nichole was like Clark Kent sliding into a phone booth. She became instant Supermom. Nikki was never real big on babies. When our niece Abby was born it took about a year for Nikki to bond, now Abby likes her Aunt more than her Uncle. Even Nikki was worried that she might not feel the motherly gig right away. Turned out to be not an issue at all, it really is different when it is your own. And as much as I love our little girl, it blows my mind that I can love Nikki Marie even more. Even when I walk into our living room and she has a boob hanging out and milk dribbling down, I realize, she is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't imagine raising a family with anyone else. I know.... sappy... right? Don't worry I made myself throw up a little too.

I Cook, He Cleans...

We have a rule around the house that whoever cooks, the other one cleans. Good news for me is that the rule also applies to feeding and cleaning Avery. Since I'm the one doing all of the cooking for her, Mark gets to do all of the clean up. Bad news for me is that after a couple days of explosive poos, he's now put me on a pretty strict diet. Who knew that tomato sauce and citric fruits cause a gassy baby.

Speaking of her explosive poos, she's not afraid to let them rip whenever and wherever. Maybe when she gets a little older we'll fill her in on some rules of etiquette, but for now we let her do her thing while we either laugh or look at her like it's the cutest thing we've ever seen. Anyway, her pediatrician's office offers classes before each check-up so new parents can meet one another and learn tips for caring for their new babies. We had the first class on Thursday and not only did she want to snack during most of the class, but then she let one rip in between her feedings- Mark doesn't have to worry about any of the boys in that class now!

That's probably enough on that topic, though it has become a major topic of conversation around our house. Two more things and then I should probably sign off- first is how lucky we are to have my mom around. It's fun to watch Avery play and cuddle with her grandma and mom has been a ton of help around the house. She cooks, cleans, does laundry, plays with Izabel, and comes up to get Avery in the mornings so Mark and I can get some extra sleep. We're trying to talk her into buying the house down the street or letting us remodel our basement into a nice little apartment for her, but apparently she likes having Tom around :) The other thing I wanted to talk about was something we learned in our class on Thursday. The pediatrician said to wear a shirt and then let her sleep with it because the smell will calm her down. Since I've been wearing my Montana sweatshirt almost every morning and night, we decided to try it. Mom turned the sweatshirt inside out and then put it over Avery when we put her down for a nap. When I went to check on her a couple minutes later, not only was she sound asleep, but she had pulled the sweatshirt all the way up by her face! We'll be thanking that pediatrician for a good night's sleep last night!

Parenting from a week long veteran

Turns out keeping a blog with a newborn is difficult work. First off, there is the very serious issue of sleep deprivation that impairs the creative thought process. Secondly, who wants to sit in front of a computer instead of hold the most amazing creature that has ever graced the planet Earth. The good news for those of you that enjoy reading the updates here is I have to occasionally share Avery with her Mom and Grandma. So, here I am.
Speaking of Avery's Grandma, Tina (Nikki's Mom) flew in on Friday and is spending about 3 weeks with us. Initially, I think the two gals had different ideas of Tina's role here. I believe Tina viewed the visit as quality time holding, kissing, and cuddling little Avery. Nikki viewed it as a live-in maid. My guess is they have landed right smack in the middle. Tina came in a got Avery this morning around 6 or 7 and by the time I rolled out of bed the dishes were done and Tina was vacuuming the floors.
Tina and I are also rolling out some great meals. Granted about half are coming from friends that drop by and bring food. By the way, I didn't know that was a custom when you have a kid... I apologize to those of you who've had kids and I failed to follow this tradition.

As for Avery's Mom, Nikki is built for bearing the babies! We have joked through the pregnancy that she probably was supposed to have 20 kids. She is already back up and running at nearly %100. She can fit into all her old clothes. (Notice I say CAN, because she hasn't really gotten out of Pajamas... she is on vacation after all!) She is so good with Avery too. Granted there is the whole Oxytocin rush that is influencing her, but looking into Nikki's eyes when she sees her little girl just amazes me.
And me, I have learned all those silly cliches that people constantly tell you when you are getting ready to have a kid are incredibly accurate. For example: "Your kid is the cutest." When Nikki was pregnant one of our chief concerns was having an ugly baby. Yes, having a healthy baby with 10 fingers and 10 toes was much more important, but you've all seen ugly babies and didn't want to say anything. Nikki and I are not afraid to admit some babies are ugly. We were absolutely thrilled to see how gorgeous Avery is. It took about 2-3 days for me to consider that maybe... just maybe... I could be slightly biased. Nichole will still not even consider it. She assures me that Avery is, in fact, a cute baby and she can say that without any shadow of a doubt. I'm gonna go with her on that regardless of rationality. Another cliche that popped up repeatedly was: "You'll never know you could love something so much." I am constantly enamored with every little coo, grunt, stretch, and smile that Avery does. I am a fairly grounded dude that likes to rationalize before being emotional, but I am nearly brought to tears every time I look at this little girl.
"It's okay when its your kid." This one is surprisingly poignant. Within 48 hours of being alive she pooped, peed, and puked on me. And I smiled!!! What the hell? I adore my niece and nephew but I ran like a screaming little girl when they pooped/puked/peed. Now I am laughing about it? Crazy things happen when you become a parent. I mean Nichole can blame irrational behavior on the oxytocin rush, but me... I am just another goofy parent.
And on one final note, the Bears are undefeated in Avery's lifetime... and we were talking after the game on Sunday and she doesn't see any reason why they don't end up winning the Super Bowl this year. Lock it down... Avery's early prediction!

Welcome Avery Ash Beddes!!!

The most amazing little girl in the world showed up yesterday morning at 2:37! After many long talks about scheduling she decided to listen to her Dad and wait until the Bears game was over. I am guessing she came immediately following for one of two reasons. Option #1 to kick Mike Tice and the entire Bears O-line right in the jubblies. Or option #2 to make her Dad feel better about the Bears loss. I'm gonna go with #2.
Speaking of her favorite football team, we were talking yesterday and she has already decided on the Bears for her favorite team. I was completely supportive of her choosing any team she wanted but turns out she knows football straight away. I know this comes as a shock because even I didn't choose my favorite team until 4-5. However, this girl is exceptionally smart (she'll probably be in the third grade within a couple months!). I apologize to my father-in-law who no doubt wants to talk her into becoming a Dolphins fan, her step father-in-law who wants to switch her into a Vikings fan, my Dad who would corrupt her into a Packer fan, and above all to my brothers who I may have had a bit of an influence in making all their kids into Bears fans (Tristen and Traden we'll talk in a few months).
Obviously not running on Ashworth time... Avery arrived exactly on her due date. Like I said right after the Bears game Nikki thought her water had broke, so she called the mid-wife to get some opinion and she set up an appointment for the next day (Monday) to take a look. At this point, Nikki and I decided a walk was in order. So, we made a few swings around the block and the contractions started coming. I whipped out the trusty iPhone and started timing the contractions (of course, there is an app for that). At 11:30 p.m. they seemed to be on schedule according to labor signs but they didn't hurt too bad, so Nikki called the mid-wife again and we decided to stick around a bit longer.
A little after midnight they were getting real bad so I called the midwife and waited for a response. Now we are 5 minutes away from the birthing center, which we thought very convenient, but the mid-wife is 30 minutes away. We gather up in the car and get over there at 1:10 and Nikki is feeling the urge to push and I am praying I don't have to catch the baby in the front seat of the Prius in the birthing center parking lot. Luckily the mid-wife came in about 5 minutes later and we headed in.
Nikki immediately jumped in the tub and starting getting our little girl out. Within an hour of being in the tub, our this cutie came out and said "hi". Uncle Nick and Aunt Cara were there to help us welcome this sweet, sweet, little sweetheart.
The mid-wife/birthing assistant ladies did their paperwork and checked little Avery out then left at around 5:30-6 am. Cara left for work around 6:30 and at about 7 am Nikki and I decided we might as well head home as well. So, the entire process took around 3 hours and we were home within another 6. Not too bad for Nikki Marie, my inside pick for mother of the week!
I am sure that this is a rambling blur, and I am not my usual witty self... but sleep deprivation can seriously impair one's ability to string sentences together. Stay tuned for something a bit more coherent (I hope).