It has been 12 years since I’ve had a new baby around. That is a long time gone by; Back then I was 25 years old, and now I’ve just turned 38. Plenty of time for growing up and gaining knowledge. And if you think you’ve gotten all the knowledge you need at 25, well then, you’re probably not much older than that. This time around, it seems as though I take time to acknowledge how a new baby can affect a parent. I may have noticed these same things 12 years ago, but just as you gain knowledge with age, you also lose certain things!

Here are some things I’ve noticed recently about how your baby changes you:

• Baby spit-up is not as gross as you think it is. (at least until they start eating solids)
• Who ever coined the term “sleeping is for when you’re dead”… did not have children. This is especially true in the first few weeks.
• You have a high tolerance for examining poop… daily.
• You wash your hands more than now than you ever had, no matter how neat you are.
• You have more patience than you ever thought you did.
• You’re amazed at how stupid you can sound when talking to your infant.
• You don’t really care about how stupid you sound when talking to your infant.
• You become amazingly agile doing everything with one hand (while the other is holding baby).
• A little smile from your baby is like a drug, and is extremely addictive.