The Diaper Diaries: Surviving 5 Months and Beyond
Dear sleep deprived friends,
Greetings from the land of sleepless nights, endless diaper changes, and a newfound appreciation for coffee! We wanted to share a quick update on our adventures in parenthood over the past few months with our newest addition, Hudson Ray Brown.
Here are some highlights (and naturally, some lowlights) from our journey so far:
1. Diaper Duty Delights
Who knew that something so small could produce such epic messes? Our very first diaper change when we got home from the hospital was, let’s just say, quite dramatic. It involved an impressive amount of projectile poop, and Danny attempting (unsuccessfully) to block it using just his hands before it completely painted the nursery wall. Talk about a crappy situation! We've become experts at tackling these explosive situations with ninja-like reflexes and a lot of stain remover.
2. Mastering the Art of Pacifying
From bouncing on yoga balls to perfecting our "shh" sound (we recently discovered the magic of the Shusher), we've tried it all. Hudson has a sixth sense for knowing the exact moment we sit down to eat or take a shower. I try to take full advantage of those short naptime windows while I race around the house like a lunatic trying to do a million things at once. Have you seen the meme that says “that moment when your baby is sleeping and you wonder if it’s possible to take a nap in the shower while you eat lunch”? Nothing has ever resonated with me more.
3. Hanging on by a Thread
You know the feeling when the baby FINALLY goes down for a nap, only to be awakened moments later by Danny throwing around weights in our garage-turned-crossfit gym, or bursting into the house with the subtlety of the Kool Aid man? Waking the baby, the cats, and probably the neighbors? The Miley Cyrus song “Wrecking Ball” always comes to mind.
4. The Laundry Monster
Remember when we used to do laundry once a week? Yeah, those were the days. Now, it's a never-ending cycle of spit-up-covered onesies, burp cloths, and stains that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen - even the strongest stain fighters don’t stand a chance.
5. Sleep Deprivation Olympics
I have fond memories of those glorious eight-hour stretches of uninterrupted sleep. We’ve now become experts at functioning on power naps and caffeine. Who needs sleep anyway, right?
6. Full Mom-Mode
I’ve recently noticed that I have gone into full blown mom-mode, sharing photos of Hudson with everyone who didn’t ask to see them. It makes me think of Will Ferrell’s character in The Office, Deangelo, when he says “That baby could be the star of a show called babies I don’t care about!” …No? Just me using reruns of The Office as background noise for the past five months? …Okay.
7. Dad Jokes Galore
We've fully embraced the art of cheesy puns and eye-rolling humor. Me: “I just changed him.” Danny: “But I liked him the way he was.” HA HA HA HA HA... I’m about one hard eye-roll away from my eyes getting stuck that way
8. Awkward Family Photos
We couldn't resist the opportunity to
share our first holiday family pajama
photo with you all! I insisted on taking
a Christmas photo in matching
pajamas (this is happening, Danny.)
Did it take us until two days after
Christmas to get our act together a
nd take this photo? Yes. Did Hudson
almost immediately have a blowout
diaper after taking the photo that was
bad enough to just throw away the
pajamas? Also yes.
9. Pajama Obsession
Speaking of pajamas, I’ve recently discovered a few brands of bamboo baby pajamas and am potentially developing an unhealthy obsession with them (especially Little Sleepies). The kind of obsession where I anxiously await new print drops and after particularly long nights with Hudson, packages keep showing up on our doorstep and I have little to no recollection of placing the orders. (Danny says I have to keep writing these letters to support my Little Sleepies addiction).
Despite the chaos and exhaustion, every smile, coo, and little giggle from Hudson makes it worth it. We've never known a love as unconditional as the one we feel for our little munchkin, even when he is testing our sanity at 3 a.m.
With love, laughter, and a touch of delirium,
Elissa & Danny
