Yes, you are on the right blog. And no, I’m not specifically referring to a nun’s life. Today it’s not about nuns … it’s about babies.
I am visiting my brother Paul and sister-in-law Deborah in Cedar Rapids and have the privilege of hanging out with my baby nephew Simon who is almost 8 weeks old. I have discovered first and foremost that parents of newborns are AMAZING people because baby tending is a full-time job (a labor of love) and then some. Simon and I have been hanging out since around 8 this morning and it’s been nonstop. I even forgot to get my coffee!
It’s been a big learning curve for me, having never reared a child before. Have to learn how to change diapers (first couple? not so good), test milk warmth, burp crying baby, figure out if funny face means food, happiness or poop. In my line of work (nun stuff) you don’t come across much conversation about poop and booties and burps and boppies. Yet in baby world, there is a whole different language, and indeed, approach to daily life!
As I move through Simon’s routine and his day, I am startled to find that his routine is not a bad model even for us adults (well, most of it). There is a simplicity to his life, a reliance on the necessities and a disregard for the fluff (not counting his Boppy). He relishes the small wonders of life — light, wind, the warm nose of his dog, the smile of his mom, and the voice of his dad. He has his active time and his quiet time. He takes time for listening to a book being read and for learning new skills like how to hold his head up (he’s awesome at that!). I would like to be more like Simon in my own life, taking more time for small wonders, balancing active and quiet, and developing talents. Not a bad way to live!
What have you learned about life from a baby?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Babies are so totally trusting, dependent and loving, so quick to give a smile and God’s wonderful miracle. I’m sure Simon is enjoying bonding with his Aunt.
Patience. That sleep is optional. To live one day at a time. That this will end–one day, and it will be too soon.
Thanks, xyz. Very true.
Indeed, xyz. they will grow up and you’ll wonder where the years went. It can be real upsetting.
One thing I learned was self-preservation and speed. When changing a young man’s diaper, you must have the new diaper ready and perform the swap as quickly as possible lest the changee has a call to nature and that call ends up on you.
Yup … third one was a charm for me.
I think the love you get from an infant is the most unconditional love you can get from a human being. They don’t care how you dress, how much money you have or what you buy them. They are thrilled with the simpelest things- a smile, a game of peek-a-boo, being held or walked, a full tummy. It takes a lot of energy and effort to care for them but the love they give back is amazing. It will not be as easy when the go to school or become teenagers.
I’ve learned the art of slowing down and seeing wonder is everyday things. I’ve learned to marvel at the way they comunicate and interact with people and the world around them. I’ve learned that the same parents (i.e. myself and my husband) can have 3 very different babies, and that has helped me to respect all children as unique individuals.
On a lighter note, babies have taught me that, as previously mentioned, boys must be diaper-changed very quickly and efficiently, using cloth diapers will have you categorised as insane/a masochist/a granola-cruncher, weaning a baby on “solid” foods disproves many of the laws of physics (we’re talking both ends of the baby), and that pushing a blonde, blue-eyed, very cute boy baby dressed head-to-toe in blue in a pram through town will have people cooing over your “lovely girl”. I must admit to never having heard the line “But he’s too pretty to be a boy!” before.
My nephew, is almost two. He was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate. Right now he’s being taught sign language by a teacher and a speech therapist that comes to the house. (Ugh, speech therapy… I had to go through it, too, when I was younger.) No offense if someone is a speech therapist, though. I am trying to learn the sign language, too. Simple things like “please,” “thank you,” and “more.”
I can relate to his surgeries, speech therapy, and stuff because I was born with cerebral palsy. If there is one thing I have learned about both of us, it’s that we are very strong and brave. I don’t cry when I fall (unless my knee hurts). I’ve always said that that is because of all the pain I went through when I was a baby. Even today, I am known as the “miracle baby.”
I love my little nephew, and admire his bravery. That is one thing that babies (or toddlers) can teach us. Yeah, sure, adults are brave that survive cancer or some other ordeal. But babies go through ordeals, too, and they don’t understand what’s happening. Yet they grow up to be strong adults.
I have learned humility. There is a 3 year old boy on our block – Adam – that is a Little Person, and he is so full of life and lets nothing stop him. He has the temper of a giant sometimes, but a giant heart as well. He will face many obstacles in his life, and for now I don’t think he’s aware of any of them, but life changes, as we all know, and he’ll face the struggle someday. It makes me grateful for healthy children, but also grateful for all children, no matter what shape they take. They all hold the spirit of God within them. In humility, I hope to emulate Adam and radiate God to others just like he does every day.
I have learned so many things from my son. The first is to enjoy the moment. Babies don’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow–they totally inhabit the moment. The second is to sleep whenever and wherever possible–you never know when the next opportunity will arise!
I’ve learned from my niece, Maria, that laughing and having fun with people you love is one of the most important things in the world. From my nephew Tommy, I’ve learned that smiling and sleeping are also some of the most important things in the world.
JMJ+
~Betsy
Totus tuus Maria!
My nephew Wyatt, who is four, has taught me that loving someone so deeply comes from Jesus. He makes me laugh when I want to cry. He shows me everyday the wonder of the world we live in. One thing you realize about children is you miss them even when they are there in front of you. You miss who they were before. I miss Wyatt when he was a newborn, when he was learning to walk, when he was learning to talk. By the way I live with my nephew and has since before he was born. I am very lucky to be in his life like that. I guess babies teach us to be open to love and to the will of God.
Five years ago today my newborn was placed into my arms after I came out from under the anesthesia. It has been five years of the most intense and most fantastic education I could ever have hoped for.
What I’ve learned? Here’s a small sampling:
1) Babies have their own personality in the womb. They come out as little individual creatures and watching it develop is the work of a lifetime.
2) There is no book, no article, no t.v. show that can teach you what having an infant is like. There is no chart that can tell you “normal”. You are making it up as you go along.
3) The entire purpose of this endeavor is simple: You are raising a new little citizen to send out into the world to do Good Things. Don’t try to make them into what you want them to be, but let what they are to be unfold.
That’s what I’ve learned from a baby!
My own son turns 8 weeks today. In the last 8 weeks I have learned:
I can love to lengths I never knew possible.
That a smiling baby is the best thing in the world.
Well, next to a baby asleep on your chest.
That I have a fountain of patience I never knew was there.
That a full tummy doth indeed maketh a stiff upper lip.
That a dirty flat is not important when there is a baby to play with.
That babies can be slippery.
That a warm bath, something to eat and soft blankey are all that are really are necessary for happiness.
Oh, Tee, so true – all of it. It is incredible to look inside yourself and realize that you can love a little creature so much you’d give yourself up in a millisecond for their greatest good. My mother always told me that unless I had one of my own I’d never -really- get how much she loves me. We talk about that now – she was so right.
There is nothing more fulfilling than hold ing a young child, be it yours or your offsprings.. Sorry about the grammer and/or spelling