As the world waits in eager anticipation for Prince William and his wife, Kate the Duchess, to announce the name of their new son, I find myself thinking about those first few weeks after Madison was born. To say both Allison and I were exhausted is an understatement. I know, I know. Allison did all the work! I’m not taking away any credit there, but watching it was exhausting in its own right.
Allison and I worked out a deal that I would be on diaper duty as long as she was breastfeeding, which seemed fair. She was quite literally keeping our baby alive so the least I could do was ensure there was a clean bottom to pat during those late night/early morning feedings. That being said, newborns require a lot of diaper changes. I specifically remember rocking Madison in the early hours of the morning while we were in the hospital and laughing hysterically… at nothing… but I couldn’t stop. Apparently being that tired was hilarious.
Once we were released from the hospital and back in the comforts of our own home, Madison slept in a bassinet on Allison’s side of the bed. We tried the bassinet on my side, but I couldn’t sleep at all for the slightest noise had me out of bed to inspect fingers, toes, and airways to make sure everything was as it should be. I would have put her in a bubble if I could have… and so the bassinet had to stay on Allison’s side. In the middle of the night, I would find myself changing a hungry baby’s bottom and then passing her off to her mother; a routine that lasted for the better part of two months (even though Allison continued to breastfeed for a year total).
At two months, Madison was outgrowing the bassinet at a rapid rate and so it was time to transition her into the crib in her room across the hall. This would set the tone of how nearly every transition thereafter would work: Allison and I consumed with the bittersweet moment of watching one phase end and another begin while Madison handles it like a champ and shows us there’s nothing to worry about. Instantly she loved her crib and started sleeping through the night and has continued to ever since.
Hopefully, the Prince and the Duchess will have the same beginner’s luck that Allison and I seemed to have. Granted, our baby wasn’t born to a royal applause and doesn’t have cameras flashing and following her every move… unless you count me as a one man paparazzi.
While Will and Kate are blessed royalty, Allison and I are royally blessed. Crowns and tiaras and fancy titles aside, Madison is our princess and even with all the money in the world there’s not a single price to put on the privilege it is to be her parent.
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