Bringing Home Baby: A Blur of Joy

DISCLOSURE: This post about bringing home baby is sponsored by Huggies^® and written by NYC Dads Group member Oliver Ellner.

We thought we had our act together. The doctors estimated our baby Isaac’s arrival date to be April 15 — a special day given that I’m an accountant. We planned for an earlier arrival in April, though, since the ultrasounds showed our little boy was going to be a big baby.

So we made the move to a larger apartment with a nursery (a “junior four” in New York-ease) on March 8, giving us plenty of time to settle in before baby arrived. My wife set up a registry with all the basics then she was overjoyed when she fell for her office’s surprise baby shower. Like a good husband, I ordered all the essentials from Amazon, carefully following the consumer ratings. The crib, the bassinet, the changing table and the stroller would arrive and be assembled in time. We had boxes and boxes of Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers and Huggies Natural Care Wipes ready to go to help keep our boy’s delicate skin clean and healthy. My wife, obsessed with all things animal, had animal artwork and a row of stuffed animals just waiting to welcome Isaac Mel to his new, cozy corner.

Well, you know what they say about “the best laid plans,” right?

My wife started showing signs of labor in mid-March. It all happened so fast — within three days of those signs, her water broke.

I didn’t really think it was possible since it felt like yesterday that we learned we were expecting. Our baby decided he’d had enough and was ready to enter the real world. The day was a big blur, but seeing my wife’s face in the delivery room as baby Isaac arrived made it all worth it. Holding him in my arms for the first time filled me with a joy I never knew I could feel.

Bringing home baby

That first week home was even more of a blur. You can read everything in parenting books, and solicit advice from the best of friends and family, but it’s really firsthand experience that makes parenting sink in.

Family and friends flurried in non-stop to support us and get some Isaac-time. Sleep was in short supply as we tried to make our little guy comfortable and content while I attacked the ongoing list of things to do and buy to keep up with his needs. Baby Isaac Mel was a beautiful gift, and according to everyone, a really well-behaved baby … but, we still had a LOT of learning to do. What did those cries mean? It was an educated guessing game, with the top two answers always coming in at “he’s wet and needs a diaper change” (the wetness indicator on Huggies Little Snugglers Diaper helped answer that question) or “he’s hungry.” I was on paternity leave the first week, so we split the feedings and diaper changes. I tried to give my wife a break whenever I could. I took over the late night feedings so she could get some rest.

Four months after bringing home baby Isaac, we feel like we’re in a groove.

Isaac is blossoming into a beautiful, happy little boy. I look forward to those daily calls at work to hear him babble and giggle, and I come home at night to watch him demonstrate his latest moves for me: rolling and early attempts at crawling. The weekends are special because we find places to take Isaac and introduce him to new things. He just went to his first baseball game and we’re planning a trip to the zoo. I relish in our bedtime routine as I get to read him stories about dinosaurs and noisy duckies as he drifts off to sleep.

Diaper changes are a happy, bonding time for Isaac. My wife sings as she points out the Winnie-the-Pooh characters on his Huggies Little Snugglers Diapers while he smiles, stares into her eyes and giggles to the lyrics. We always have Huggies Natural Care Wipes on hand — not only during diaper changes, but on his playtime activity mat (which takes up the whole floor) to clean up any of those things that come with being a baby because you know what they say – “spit up happens.”

Life is good. Isaac has made us very happy and every day with him is filled with smiles!

About our sponsor

Huggies^® believes deeply in the Power of Hugs. The simple, loving act is proven to support babies’ emotional and physiological well-being. Huggies^® diapers and wipes are inspired by a parent’s hug – to nurture baby with care, cradle baby in comfort and surround baby in protection. Make sure you embrace baby’s bottom with Huggies^® Little Snugglers Diapers to deliver our best skin care to help keep baby’s skin clean and healthy. Learn more at Huggies.com.  #HuggiesCouncil