Baby William

[AMC]

People can tell you about the sleep deprivation and stress.....but you don't understand. Closest analogy I could come up with for the first 12 weeks was like being a Russian defender at the battle of Stalingrad.

Lots of good advice here. My two cents: get a good baby bag for travelling(visiting friends/doctors). Keep 2 changes of clothes and at least half a dozen diapers in it always. A good ointment is a must (desitin, Bodreus Butt Paste, Triple Cream, etc.) .Use regularly to prevent diaper rash! If early on the baby becomes attached to a particular toy.....buy a backup! One is none, two is one!

Lotta good advice about keeping the wife rested and happy. Believe me....she will make you believe in demonic possession (mine started yelling at me about the way I tie my shoes. Seriously.) The more you can do in those stressful first weeks, the more rested and reasonable she'll be.

I can honestly say, though, that it is all worth it. You think you know love, and then you hold your child in your arms. For me, the impact was immediate. The moment I held my son the night he was born, my life changed. It was about him (and later his sister) from that moment on.

Last thing for now.....Lansinoh brand baby wipes. Softest, gentlest wipes out there. My little guy talked early, and if he had a bit of a rash and I reached for the Kirkland wipes, he'd say" No hot wipes, daddy!" Guess they kinda chafed his little bum....the Lansinoh were good even on a rash, though.

[AMC]

Ok, one more thing. Start filming them, especially later on when they can talk or interact with you. Don't watch them grow up through a camera....be there with them. But try to capture those little quirks and smiles and cries. And later those cute little phrases when they start to talk. You will want to revisit those memories later....especially when they approach the teen years. Helps to remember why you love them.

[Guinnessman]

Pistol is covered (92a1, has significance for my wife and I). Thanks for all the advice guys. I like to think I'm used to not sleeping because of deployments but I feel like this is going to be a smack in the mouth.

Great choice on the pistol! I was worried that it would be a G17M.. I kid, I kid.

[breakingtime91]

Great choice on the pistol! I was worried that it would be a G17M.. I kid, I kid.

Almost had me.. The quick disassembly would be easy to teach him.

[txdpd]

Link to a freezer?

I think the first one was an Igloo 1 cubic foot mini freezer and then we got a 4 cubic foot Danby at Costco.
https://www.amazon.com/Danby-DCF038A...ords=danby+3.8

These changing pads are nice. They help keep the baby in one place while changing and mid diaper changing accidents contained.
https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant...a+changing+pad

[LHS]

Sleep whenever you can, except when it would mean making your wife not sleep. When the kiddo's asleep, you should be asleep.

Get the kid on a schedule as soon as possible for sleeping. Build a routine. Get them conditioned to going to sleep based on that routine. It will take a few months (and the first several months are all kinds of buggered up), but it's well worth it.

Always have a fresh diaper in hand before removing the dirty one.

Boys WILL try to piss in your mouth when you change diapers. Develop your fast-twitch dodging reflexes.

Boudreaux's Butt Paste is worth its weight in gold. Best thing I ever used to fix diaper rash.

You will at first be disgusted by contact with so many types and such large quantities of bodily fluids/wastes. That will pass. Eventually accidentally sticking your finger in shit won't bother you.

Gerber's strawberry-banana baby food is actually one hell of a great topping for vanilla ice cream.

[hufnagel]

Tag team. If you're not dealing with the baby, you're sleeping as much as you can.

Yes it is possible for mommy to be asleep while the baby nurses. Mine slept through many a nursing session asleep. Also, you'll melt when both are asleep next to each other like that. Try to sob quietly.

If your or her parents offer to stay and help at all, VET THEM. I mean seriously, sit down and have a talk with them about how things will be, especially if they're the kind that need attention themselves. My mother-in-law isn't a mean person, but she stayed for a week under auspices of "helping out." To put it simply, she didn't, was a burden, and was upset we weren't paying attention to her. She left after 3 days of her "promised" 2 week stay. The two of you will be 200% BABY, so if the new grandparents are of the kind to take such as a slight, decline their offer for help.

Boys like to pee when the diaper is whipped off and the cold air hits the downstairs. That's your only warning.

Baby's come with hats. No one really knows where they come from, but you get a free hat.

Your wife will have a melt down at some point. Let her. Hormone dump post-pregnancy makes post adrenal dump look like a snooze-fest. I suggest keeping a pocket recorder handy and discretely on your person. My wife's melt down was a 15 minute rant about swollen ankles, baggy eyes, saggy monster boobs, wrinkles, stretch marks, and a myriad of other topics. Hers was late (about 4 weeks after birth) and I was getting a little concerned she wasn't going to have one. The only reason it ended at 15 minutes is I couldn't contain the laughter. I got a murder stare for a couple seconds but then she started bawling and laughing at the same time as she caught on to how epic it all was. It was good for everyone and I wish I had it on tape because it was comedic gold.

If she starts singing strange made up lullabies, let her. "Hush little baby don't cry now, mommy's now built just like a cow!" should not be laughed at nor the commentary of "moo!" be udder-ed , lest you have objects thrown at you.

Yes you will get in a groove pretty fast, so don't sweat it so much. Humans have been reproducing quite successfully for many thousands of years.

[JclInAtx]

Lots of good advice. Mine's a teenager now so this is going back a ways...

Swaddling is a godsend. For us the miracle blanket was a miracle.

Coffee will be important. If you by whole bean switch to ground! Anything that wakes the baby is bad.

Along those lines white noise helps to drown out other sounds. An air filter can work well, as well as music. An ipod and portable speakers can travel with you. Vacuuming works the same way; we had a very clean house for a while, then I recorded the vacuum and burned it to cd.

I know some parents that relied on a car ride to get their baby to sleep, not a good habit to get into. We had a battery powered swing that worked well to rock her to sleep.

It can help to keep a regular bedtime routine. Say bath, story time then bed. My daughter has a love for reading and I like to think it comes from us reading to her every night.

Diaper genie did a pretty good job containing the smells of dirty diapers.

They really are a reflection of you. If they're tired and cranky, and you're tired and cranky, it can become a negative feedback loop. It's hard but you learn to step back, take a deep breath, and 'reboot' the situation. It's important to tag team with your wife too. Realize what's happening and step in (which also requires them to let go, which isn't always appreciated)

[Paltares8]

Congratulations. Definitely get in your sleep, and insist that your wife get hers. I just tried to be as accommodating as I could. She breast fed and that meant waking up randomly throughout the night, one of the twins on each side doing their thing. So I'd get the boys, do they dipes, get her a glass of milk/snack or whatever, then get them back in bed. Also I'd just say to keep open lines of communication with your wife especially, but with everyone who could potentially be involved in his life about your outlooks on parenting and how you are planning on doing things (even though chances are you'll definitely change your mind on some things). Wish you all the best. I could have never imagined how awesome having kids would be. And it really does go very very fast

[VW.45]

Don't try to make it too quite when the baby is sleeping, they need to be used to noise. Or else it will wake up at a mouse fart,lol. The white noise suggestion is a very good one, or one of those nature sound machines.