Decisions

Well, today my little guy is sleeping a lot, which is good...because the past two nights he has sounded pretty congested, which as a first time mom...freaks me out! I called the dr, and he said that he may have a little cold, but that its nothing to worry about unless he isn't eating or is struggling to breathe... so I have used the humidifier, kept him propped up, made the bathroom steamy, squeezed his snot out of his nose, etc.  So, I DECIDED that even if it means that I am up with him tonight, if he wants to sleep today, I am going to let him, I'm not going to try to keep him up in hopes of him sleeping more at night. As I was sitting here watching him sleep, which is one of my favorite things...and thinking about all the decisions that are to made in regards to parenting. I have read book after book on parenting and babies, and I think that no matter how many books you read, you can never be fully prepared to be a parent. There are no two babies that are the same, and no two parents that are the same. I think that it is good to be prepared and learn about 'newborns' as much as you can, but you won't know if you are going to have a fussy baby, good baby, colicky baby, healthy baby, etc, until they are here. As a new mom, I have been going to either the internet, books, and other moms on advice and stories on how they dealt with their babies. And, I do think that all those things are good, but when it comes down to, my husband and I are the ones who will make the decision of how we are to raise our baby and the way that we do it. I know that we are going to make good decisions and bad decisions, but we are the ones who have to make them. We rely on God's guidance and wisdom and pray daily that He would go before us and help us in this journey of parenting, so we trust that. But it's still amazing to me how there are so many different theories and ways of parenting out there, and good arguements for them as well, but really....as parents...we have to decide what's best for our baby and for us. We cannot compare our son to other babies, because they are two completely different individuals. For those veteran moms out there, this is probably a no-brainer for you, but its good to think about. One thing I did hear from a mom that has stuck with me is that God has given YOU your BABY for a reason...and God has entrusted US, so He believes in US, and that gives me hope when I am unsure about my decisions.