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This morning I cut Maddie's fingernails using the little baby fingernail clippers!

People without children probably don't understand what a victory this is. To put it in perspective, one of my friend's pediatrician actually told her to bite off her baby's fingernails!

Up until this point, I haven't had the guts to put Maddie's little, constantly moving fingers near two sharp blades and squeeze. I've tried a number of times, but just couldn't bring myself do it.

Being a first-time parent, I thought I'd be doing all the teaching and the baby would be doing all the learning. But what I've discovered is that she's teaching me as much as I'm teaching her.

When we were expecting, I tried not to make any assumptions about what life would be like with a baby. Although, I did assume that I'd still be able to do the things I like to do, when I want to do them.

I'm sitting here in Maddie's nursery listening to her coo and kick and it reminds me of some of the things that I've been thinking about.

I think about the girl in elementary school who was teased for no real reason.

Shortly after we brought Maddie home, I thought of that girl and how at some point her parents went through the same things as we were and that her mom and dad (presumably) loved her as much as we love Maddie and it just breaks my heart that she was treated badly by her peers.

So, we've been buying Pampers brand Swaddlers diapers for Madelyn. They've got this little strip that runs the length of the diaper that turns blue when it comes in contact with liquid. It's a great way to tell if the diaper is wet.

Last weekend we bought the big, 216-pack box of Swaddlers and realized that the little strip wasn't there. If I had the receipt, hadn't opened one of the packages, and hadn't recycled the box already, I would have tried to return the diapers and get some that had the strip - that's how much I like it.

When Christina was pregnant, we stocked our freezer with ready-to-thaw meals so that once Maddie was born, we wouldn't have to cook. On top of that, many friends and family brought meals as well. The result was that for close to a month we didn't have to cook at all!

But when the frozen meals ran out and the food deliveries stopped, we were faced with the challenge of cooking healthy, easy meals. Luckily for us, my mother gave us a copy of Denver author and nutritionist Elizabeth Yarnell's Glorious One-Pot Meals.

There's more than one verse to Rock-a-bye baby
I never knew that Rock-a-bye baby had more than one verse until I got really tired of singing the same four lines over and over again and googled it.

This page from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services has the lyrics and melody.

Thinking back over the last month, I've realized just how reliant we are on technology to soothe, feed, and care for Madelyn.

From the Sleep Sheep (a stuffed animal that plays a variety of nature sounds), to the electronic papasan swing, and even lullabies streamed off the internet, In many ways electronics have taken over parts that used to be played by parents.

Nightgowns FTW!

Since I can't do much else (like feed the baby) I do most of the diaper changes at night. It's so much easier to change a diaper when the baby is wearing a gown. If she's got a onsie one, I usually just leave it unbuttoned. If she goes to bed with pants on, I can almost guarantee that I won't put them back on at some point in the night.

Wet diaper indicators rock

It's been two weeks since Maddie was born, and here's what I've learned this week:

Be flexible

Unfortunately, our bedtime and changing/feeding schedule isn't foolproof. It seems like every other night, the baby is up more than we'd like. While the dog still thinks I'm the pack leader, the rest of the house knows that the baby is really in charge. I've learned that at this stage in the game, we've got to be flexible and that there are going to be nights when we don't get as much sleep as we'd like.

Target brand Up & Up wipe boxes suck

"Things I've learned" is going to be an ongoing list of observations I've encountered along the path of fatherhood. Here's the first week.

Sleep, what's that?

Stop looking at the clock to keep track of how much sleep you're getting, or more likely not getting. If you're breast feeding, chances are you'll be looking at the clock every 2-3 hours anyway to track the feedings.