Newborns. In my previous life, I almost didn’t acknowledge their existence much less appreciate them. Other people – far away people – have newborns. They are these scrunched up little beings with mysterious ways and loud screeches. With very little exposure to these creatures, I hadn’t realized that dealing with them can be a true art form.

Enter Kaya. He’s small. He’s furious. He cries so loud the nurses at the maternity ward come to check on us. What did we do with the baby? We were only changing his diaper! And so we begin our journey of discovering our own little newborn. A little observation and a lot of research (reading) later, I come to realize that I have given them and the Baby Whisperers among us far too little credit. After nine months in a dark, warm, cozy place where everything is provided for them, they enter a world that is cold, bright, and everything takes work – eating, pooping, moving. Enter doctors. They poke, the prod and make adapting to the new world even harder. What are they thinking?

In the first month of Kaya’s life, Patrick, my mother, and I realized just how exhaustive our world can be for our little ones. As tired as we mothers and fathers may be, our babies are much much more. So much to take in – sometimes it’s best just to close our eyes. Imagine we adults could do the same thing when the world was too much for us. Job too stressful? Yawn. Problems with the in-laws? Getting sleepy. War? Snore.

So what did I do in those sleepy months? Decided to go plain Jane like so many sleep and time deprived mothers of newborns. Hygiene – yes. Dressing – optional. Make up – definitely not. My mom bought a few long wrap around skirts (one size fits all) for me that were imported from India. That and my H&M tank tops saved me. Thought I would get major points from my ex-Hippie friends Tina and Court for my new style, but they were too far away to appreciate it.

Natural natural.