The new little O-Trapette

• mcburg93

  

  Congrats
• BoatShoes

  Congrats O-Trap! No doubt you will be a good dad IMHO. My munchkin is a year and a half old and this is what comes to mind:
  
  1. For me, it was harder to engage in hobbies, productive stuff at home after work, etc. (e.g. beer brewing fell by the wayside, less time to do home mods, wife and I no longer went to the gym together, just me and the baby - can't mow the lawn I guess, etc.). Be ready for it and try not to get frustrated. I am not sure but I believe you've worked at home before or maybe you do now? If so, that may take some adjusting in figuring out how to separate productive work space from baby land.
  
  2. Wife and I have said some crazy shit to each other tired in the middle of the night lol. Don't take it personal!
  
  3. We live in a great time were we can take unlimited pictures - take em! But don't share ALL of them on social media!
  
  4. Nobody will think your kid is as cute/awesome as you do even if they are super cute/awesome
  
  5. If you're able, try to make sure you still go on dates with your wife and get away from baby land - but don't lament it if all you do at your date is talk about the baby lol!
  
  6. Yes your parents raised you but the world has learned some things since then! Respect your parents but don't be afraid to say things are different now e.g. I guess parents always had babies sleep on their belly cus they sleep better but as I'm sure you've heard, the ABC's of safe sleep, etc.
  
  7. After 6 months or so, if your munchkin still won't sleep in the crib after moving on from Rock and Play (see below) - we bought a "DockATot" and it saved our life. With that in mind, remember that your child won't be sleeping in your bed in her teens lol. Point being that "this will pass" is a good mindset IMHO if it seems crazy at some points.
  
  8. In the earlier days - my kid hated the bassinet and would barely sleep in it. We got a "Rock and Play" and that thing was awesome. Highly recommend. Also, the noise apps and stuff really do seem to help e.g. phone app that plays noise that sounds like the womb.
  
  9. Don't let the breastfeeding fascists shame your wife if she wants to give up breastfeeding. At the end of the day, you can't look at any kindergarten class and pick out which ones were breastfed and which ones had formula. They say breastfeeding is free but it's only free if your wife's time is worth nothing.
  
  10. Have fun! As they say, it really does go fast!
  
  Hope any of that helps!
• Belly35

  

  BoatShoes;1884174 wrote:Congrats O-Trap! No doubt you will be a good dad IMHO. My munchkin is a year and a half old and this is what comes to mind:
  
  1. For me, it was harder to engage in hobbies, productive stuff at home after work, etc. (e.g. beer brewing fell by the wayside, less time to do home mods, wife and I no longer went to the gym together, just me and the baby - can't mow the lawn I guess, etc.). Be ready for it and try not to get frustrated. I am not sure but I believe you've worked at home before or maybe you do now? If so, that may take some adjusting in figuring out how to separate productive work space from baby land.
  
  2. Wife and I have said some crazy shit to each other tired in the middle of the night lol. Don't take it personal!
  
  3. We live in a great time were we can take unlimited pictures - take em! But don't share ALL of them on social media!
  
  4. Nobody will think your kid is as cute/awesome as you do even if they are super cute/awesome
  
  5. If you're able, try to make sure you still go on dates with your wife and get away from baby land - but don't lament it if all you do at your date is talk about the baby lol!
  
  6. Yes your parents raised you but the world has learned some things since then! Respect your parents but don't be afraid to say things are different now e.g. I guess parents always had babies sleep on their belly cus they sleep better but as I'm sure you've heard, the ABC's of safe sleep, etc.
  
  7. After 6 months or so, if your munchkin still won't sleep in the crib after moving on from Rock and Play (see below) - we bought a "DockATot" and it saved our life. With that in mind, remember that your child won't be sleeping in your bed in her teens lol. Point being that "this will pass" is a good mindset IMHO if it seems crazy at some points.
  
  8. In the earlier days - my kid hated the bassinet and would barely sleep in it. We got a "Rock and Play" and that thing was awesome. Highly recommend. Also, the noise apps and stuff really do seem to help e.g. phone app that plays noise that sounds like the womb.
  
  9. Don't let the breastfeeding fascists shame your wife if she wants to give up breastfeeding. At the end of the day, you can't look at any kindergarten class and pick out which ones were breastfed and which ones had formula. They say breastfeeding is free but it's only free if your wife's time is worth nothing.
  
  10. Have fun! As they say, it really does go fast!
  
  Hope any of that helps!

  WOW! sensing a turn in ideology
  Congrats to you also being a dad can and will change your life forever... its a good thing embrace the moments.
• O-Trap

  

  BoatShoes;1884174 wrote:Congrats O-Trap! No doubt you will be a good dad IMHO. My munchkin is a year and a half old and this is what comes to mind:
  
  1. For me, it was harder to engage in hobbies, productive stuff at home after work, etc. (e.g. beer brewing fell by the wayside, less time to do home mods, wife and I no longer went to the gym together, just me and the baby - can't mow the lawn I guess, etc.). Be ready for it and try not to get frustrated. I am not sure but I believe you've worked at home before or maybe you do now? If so, that may take some adjusting in figuring out how to separate productive work space from baby land.
  
  2. Wife and I have said some crazy shit to each other tired in the middle of the night lol. Don't take it personal!
  
  3. We live in a great time were we can take unlimited pictures - take em! But don't share ALL of them on social media!
  
  4. Nobody will think your kid is as cute/awesome as you do even if they are super cute/awesome
  
  5. If you're able, try to make sure you still go on dates with your wife and get away from baby land - but don't lament it if all you do at your date is talk about the baby lol!
  
  6. Yes your parents raised you but the world has learned some things since then! Respect your parents but don't be afraid to say things are different now e.g. I guess parents always had babies sleep on their belly cus they sleep better but as I'm sure you've heard, the ABC's of safe sleep, etc.
  
  7. After 6 months or so, if your munchkin still won't sleep in the crib after moving on from Rock and Play (see below) - we bought a "DockATot" and it saved our life. With that in mind, remember that your child won't be sleeping in your bed in her teens lol. Point being that "this will pass" is a good mindset IMHO if it seems crazy at some points.
  
  8. In the earlier days - my kid hated the bassinet and would barely sleep in it. We got a "Rock and Play" and that thing was awesome. Highly recommend. Also, the noise apps and stuff really do seem to help e.g. phone app that plays noise that sounds like the womb.
  
  9. Don't let the breastfeeding fascists shame your wife if she wants to give up breastfeeding. At the end of the day, you can't look at any kindergarten class and pick out which ones were breastfed and which ones had formula. They say breastfeeding is free but it's only free if your wife's time is worth nothing.
  
  10. Have fun! As they say, it really does go fast!
  
  Hope any of that helps!

  Man, I really appreciate the advice!
  
  I've been working at home for years, so I've kinda gotten used to setting up the boundaries as if I were at an office, but with this change, it has also taken some additional care.
  
  Baby has begun sleeping well. Only woke us up twice over a span of about nine hours. We've basically specialized. I change the diaper. She feeds. We haven't said mean stuff, but the first couple nights, we did strange things. At one point, I tried to give my wife a small vase that was sitting on an armoire in our bedroom. I still have no idea why I was trying to do that.
  
  I've already had the conversation with her parents and my mom. Our baby is our baby. We love and respect their guidance, but we may disagree, and we get final say.
  
  We tried the bassinet the first couple days. Explains the zombie nights described with the whole vase thing. Switched to the Rock 'n Play, and turned down the thermostat to about 68. Baby has slept pretty well since.
  
  As for breastfeeding, I told her from the get-go that it was her choice. She genuinely wants to breastfeed, but if that changes, I've already told her I'll support that decision, too. Her body. Her rules.
  
  She's got the baby blues right now, and I hate it. She's even aware of them, but it still sucks.
• vdubb96

  

  Congrats!!!