5 parenting things

As we approach 6 months (Tuesday!) here are some lists:

5 things I have found myself saying, that never occured to me I might ever say:
- Mummy’s just going to put you in the bathtub while she goes pee
- before guests arrive) Oh can you hide the breast pump for me?
- Let’s wipe the poo off your heel.
- handing over a page from The New Yorker) Here’s a crinkly!
- (to a tune vaguely like the theme song of Pinky and the Brain) It’s Mr. Schmoo! It’s Mr. Schmoo! He’s just a baby, he doesn’t know what to do. He’s hungry but he won’t eat, he’s tired but he won’t sleep, he’s Mr. Schmoo, and I love him truly true!

5 things I could not live without, that I never really thought of before having a baby:
- breast pump
- Raffi
- wheelchair accessible buses
- those little stain-treater sticks where you can leave it a day or two
- crockpot (okay, I did think about it, but one million times more so!)

Gear I am glad I acquired
- My funky stroller, as ridiculous as it is
- sling
- rocking chair
- bouncy chair (‘tho ’tis outgrown *sniff*)
- the co-sleeper

Stuff I did not need much at all, that I or other people thought I would
- baby towels
- crib toy with music and flashing lights
- What to Expect the First Year (Dr. Spock rulz!)
- breast pads (lo, I am fortunate, and rarely leak)
- baby mitts (the indoor kind)

Five amazing things I am so glad I have gotten to experience
- baby laughter
- rooting
- that first realization that he could grab something
- the camraderie of mothers & parents
- trust enough in the future again