We are Blessed... and that's Spectacular!: Newborns Are for Spoiling

I was blessed to spend most of last week with my newborn grandson, Grady Mack. He is precious (admittedly, I am biased). He nurses well and is gaining weight. All of his bodily functions work just fine. He loves to be held. He is definitely a little cuddle monkey. We were a little concerned that Grady might be getting spoiled as he really didn't sleep very long in any of his beds. I wasn't much help as I didn't worry too much about this with my babies. So Megan did a google search about newborn sleeping habits and found out that babies sleep very lightly at first. This REM sleep is important for the baby's brain development. The article suggested that about 6 weeks is a good time to start "training" the baby. I think both mom and "nana" were relieved to know that our natural instincts to let the baby sleep in our arms wouldn't harm him for life.

Kayla accompanied me to Ozawkie. Besides holding the baby, we browned four packages of ground turkey, cooked and deboned two chickens and grilled up a package of chicken breasts. I ironed 23 dress shirts for my son-in-law. And before we left we cleaned their house from one end to the other.
In our spare time we worked on the quilt, curtains, and a mobile for Hadley's room.

I was so impressed with how Megan and Chad are handling the stresses of being new parents. Chad is an awesome father. He quickly takes Grady when Megan needs a break. He reportedly even got dressed for work while holding the baby so his wife could shower. Megan is a natural mother. Her calmness even when Grady is fussy really impressed me. The dogs, Kai and Kona, seem to be adjusting okay. They are curious about the baby and maybe a little jealous. I have no doubt that Grady's first word will be dog.

One night I heard the baby crying so I got up to see if Megan needed anything. I found Megan nursing her baby in the soft glow of the lamp in the nursery. This scene brought back memories of the intimacy of nursing each of my babies in the stillness of the night. I think the key to parenthood is enjoying your child. Some days it takes a little more effort to appreciate him (or her). On those days you ask God for the special grace needed to know how blessed you really are.

I am blessed. God is good.