November 3: One Month Old!

October is over!  Our state of parenthood, as well as our babies, are now officially one month old.  For one month, we present our first video on the blog.

We also present the following reflections on our first month:

• All in all, we've decided that so far, this has been easier than expected.  The image of us both exhausted, bags under our eyes, barely surviving, in dirty clothes, babies screaming all the time has not come true!  I'm not saying it's easy (it's not!); only easier than expected.
• We had to have had a ton of time before.  What did we accomplish with all of that time?  Likewise, what did we do with all the money that we must have had before?
• Even though everyone says this about their own, I cannot imagine any sweeter babies!  Seriously, they're like the first babies ever to be born.  Ever.
• Speaking of which, people who say 'it's different with your own' aren't lying.  You just can't understand that until you live it.
• Even though it seems like an eternity ago, if you haven't heard, I managed not to see anything gross in  the delivery room.
• Babies are tougher than they seem.  Apologies to all the parents whose babies I haven't gushed over for years because I thought they were too delicate to hold.
• Snaps are hard at 3 in the morning.
• Zippers are hard at 3 in the morning.
• Measuring and mixing milk and formula to add up to 75 mL is especially hard at 3 in the morning.
• Diapers are gross, but somehow it doesn't seem as gross as it should?  That's an odd one.
• Our NICU stay was two weeks exactly, but it didn't seem hard at all.  Every milestone seemed like an Olympic gold, and we were home before we knew it.
• Strangely, our house is cleaner than it was before.  Apparently it's easier to fix a mess before or right after it happens rather than spending inordinate amounts of time on chores.  Somehow things just get done.
• Nothing else smells like a clean baby.  Such a sweet smell.
• The realization that we have our own whole family now is still kind of sinking in.  When do the parents show up and take charge?  Oops...that's us...do you think they'll know that we're learning on the fly?
• Poor Chippy has become accustomed to surviving on very little attention.  Somehow cuddling the dog and making sure he has treats are now much lower priorities.  He eats twice a day and gets to go potty outside:  however dramatic he is, I'm sure he'll survive.
• There is no way we could do this alone!  We are so thankful and appreciative of all of our awesome, generous, supportive, willing-to-be-inconvenienced friends and family!!  Really, we couldn't be surrounded by a better circle.