Reflections on an educational couple of weeks

This past Saturday, I turned two weeks old. Boy, where does the time go? It seems like it was only yesterday that I was just a tiny little baby who fell asleep immediately after sneezing because it sapped up so much of my energy. Oh, wait – that was yesterday, I still do that, and I still am a tiny little baby. But after two weeks, I'm not quite as tiny. According to my two-week checkup this morning, I'm now 21.5 inches long, and I weigh 8 pounds, 5 ounces. And that's all muscle mass, folks.

Anyway, you don't hit the big one-four (that's days, not years) without pausing to take stock of your life and reflect on how far you've come. That's why I thought I'd take this opportunity to share just a few of the many things I've learned. So without further ado, here are 10 important bits of knowledge I've gained during my two weeks of life:

10. Nobody celebrates quite like Dad when he opens up a diaper and sees that it's wet only, and no poop. And while we’re on the subject, pooping or peeing in the middle of a diaper change produces some of the most entertaining reactions from Mom and Dad.

9. Sleeping all day and being awake all night is tons of fun. Mom doesn't mind the fact that she hasn't had three consecutive hours of sleep since I came out, right? It's also fun to sleep whenever people come over to visit. It helps me seem mysterious.

8. Dad sings the WSU fight song way too much, although it is quite catchy. He also points out that the Cougs haven't won a game since I was born, and that I need to "improve my mojo." Whatever that means.

7. Umbilical cord stumps smell funny when they fall out.

6. We live in a beautiful area. I took my first walk on Alki Beach yesterday, and despite the frigid temperatures I was forced to endure (great parenting, guys), I got to see Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains, Mount Rainier and the Seattle skyline. I also saw the police and fire department bust a family that had built a campfire on the beach, so that was cool.

5. Things can get a little awkward when your parents take you to a dodgeball game and then see your pediatrician sitting in the bleachers. Turns out bringing an 11-day-old baby to a gym with balls flying everywhere can bring out the judgmental side of some people. Luckily, Dr. Lindsay is very understanding, and she thought it was great that I was getting out of the house.

4. There's nothing like having the Food Network on 12 hours a day to make a girl crave something more substantial (and tasty) than breast milk. But that Guy Fieri really creeps me out. Why hasn't anybody told him that his sunglasses are on backwards?

3. My Uncle Ben does Halloween right, and he makes for a pretty convincing Cookie Monster.

2. Grandparents are awesome, and I've got four great ones. And for that matter, I'm also crazy about my aunts, uncles and cousins. (Sorry, we're descending into the sappy portion of this blog entry.)

1. My mom is amazing. I think she's at least part superhero. She changes diapers like a champ (and even pinch-hits when Dad's doing one solo and gets grossed out), nurses like a pro, snuggles with me constantly, and keeps me company during my wide-awake-all-night parties. Now that Dad is back at work, it's going to be just me and her together for the vast majority of the days. There's nobody I'd rather hang out with.