Now that we’ve been parents for officially two weeks, Brian and I can now claim complete authority and expertise over The Way to Raise Children ™. In all seriousness, it’s hard to believe we’ve only known our little guy for 14 days.  Many of you have asked us how our bonding/attachment is going– in brief, it’s going well, but we also know that building his trust will take a long time. He’s been with a lot of caring, different people in the last 15 or so months, so understanding that we’re the end of the line might take a little while to set in.

Brian posted earlier about working through Alexander’s jet lag, but I figured I’d add in a little something about all the parenting realities that are setting in for us. So in no particular order, I’ll list off a few parenting “been there, done that” experiences that have already come to pass at Casa Kelly:

• I have sniffed at my kid’s butt in public.
• I have looked down at my clothing to find stains…. and I’m not really sure what they are or where they came from.
• I have had extensive and somewhat celebratory conversations with Brian about human excrement.
• I have used the word “cleanish” and phrase “clean enough” far too often.
• I now judge stores based on how safe the shopping cart kid seat looks.
• Watch what routines you introduce to your kids. Brian started a small schtick with a squeaky toy clam, and now it’s practically a mandatory morning game. Dance, parents! Dance for me!

Thanks to me, everything you know is wrong. Welcome to parenthood!